Sports and fitness can not only enhance people’s physique and improve their physical and mental state

The core value of sports and fitness is far more than simply increasing muscle, losing fat, and improving sports performance. It can simultaneously bring positive gains to people from the four dimensions of physiological tolerance, emotional regulation ability, cognitive function, and social connection. This is an objective conclusion verified by the global sports medicine community after decades of tracking. However, at the practical level, the revenue acquisition paths of different fitness concept schools vary greatly, and there is no "standard answer" that suits everyone.

In the past two years, I worked on key projects for the company and stayed up until 2 o'clock every day for more than three months. When the project was finally launched, I had to take two breaks to climb the third floor. I would catch a cold every time the season changed. I had migraines that were so painful that I couldn't take painkillers. When my friend who was a fitness instructor forced me to go to the gym, I thought it was just to train my arms and legs. At most, I would not be out of breath when climbing stairs.

After practicing strength training for two months, I discovered that the first place where changes occurred was not in my body shape at all. I used to get mad when I had to make changes three or five times. During that time, I was able to talk to the product manager calmly for two hours. I didn’t have to toss and turn in bed for half an hour to fall asleep at night, and I could sleep until dawn with a pillow. Later, I checked the exercise and health report released by the WHO in 2023 and found out that people who exercise 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week have a 32% lower risk of anxiety and depression than sedentary people, and a 27% slower rate of cognitive decline. As a co-author, this is equivalent to more than half a year of free psychological counseling.

Speaking of which, I have to mention the "school war" that has been quarreling in the fitness circle for almost ten years, and no one can convince anyone. Lao Zhou, who practices powerlifting, has known me for almost five years. He is 42 years old and has been practicing for 8 years. He can deadlift 220 kilograms. His body fat rate is stable at 15% all year round. All indicators in the annual physical examination are normal and he rarely catches a cold. He does not do aerobics and ignores muscles. When I do a set of 10 deep squats with heavy weight, my heart rate can reach 160, which is no worse than running 5 kilometers."

But Aunt Zhang, whom I met when I was running a half-marathon, completely disagrees with this statement. Aunt Zhang is 61 years old and runs 5 kilometers every day. Her blood pressure and blood sugar are more stable than many 30-year-old young people. When she was young, she followed the trend of barbell training and suffered an old knee injury. Now she shakes her head when it comes to strength training: "Those heavy weights are too harmful to the joints. We ordinary people don't have to compete. If we have good cardiopulmonary skills, we can buy groceries and climb stairs without difficulty. It's better than anything else." ”

Oh, by the way, there are also the functional training enthusiasts who are very popular now. They are more "Buddha" and think that whether it is strength or aerobic, it is only useful if it can be used in life: carrying 20 kilograms of rice upstairs without shaking, running two steps without gasping for the subway, and being able to stand quickly without breaking bones after sliding on a snowy day. This is enough. There is no need to worry about whether the bench press weight exceeds 100, or whether the half marathon can be completed in 2 hours.

I have been in a trap before. When I first started practicing, I watched videos from fitness bloggers every day. I learned this move today and learned that diet the next. I was required to practice until exhaustion and count calories when I ate. As a result, I got tired of it after less than a month. Going to the gym felt like going to work. Instead, my whole body ached from training. I also overeated and gained three pounds in a week. Later, I simply ignored all the rules. If I was scolded by my boss after get off work on weekdays, I would punch a sandbag for half an hour to vent my anger. On weekends when the weather was good, I would ride a 20-kilometer bicycle to the countryside. If my friends asked me to play frisbee or badminton, I would join in the fun. Instead, I persisted for a year and a half, and my body fat dropped by 6 points. I haven’t had a migraine in more than half a year, and my frozen shoulder has been mostly cured.

Speaking of which, there is an unexpected bonus. Most of my friends I met while playing Frisbee or riding bicycles. Some are designers and some are pediatricians. We usually make appointments to have hot pot and go hiking. If a child at home has a fever, I can go directly to my friends for consultation. This is much more reliable than people I met through social media through the screen, and I have unexpectedly expanded my social circle.

Nowadays, many people on the Internet say that "fitting out requires 30% practice and 70% food. If you don't eat enough, your training is in vain." If you are a professional bodybuilder preparing for a competition, you must strictly control it, but for us ordinary office workers, fitness is originally for relaxation. If you eat boiled vegetables every day for that little muscle mass, and insist on training just to make up for the exercise time, you will instead add a new KPI to yourself, which is not worth the gain.

To be honest, there is no need to worry about which exercise is best, nor do you need to force yourself to reach a certain level of practice. Even if you walk two extra stops after get off work every day and dance Pamela at home for ten minutes, it is better than lying down and scrolling through your mobile phone. After all, we exercise to enjoy life better, not to make ourselves suffer, right?