When I was in my twenties I engaged in a lengthy discussion with my cousin about exercise. I recall how he totally denounced the need for him to go to the gym because, as he said, he got enough exercise working around his home mowing the lawn, cutting down trees, landscaping, etc..
That was a long time ago. I didn’t know much about exercise then and, frankly, I had forgotten that discussion, until today.
Before I get into the meat of the subject here is some need to know information on the matter. My wife and I both have iPhone and it’s companion watches. The watch, by using a pulse sensor, is designed to use body rhythms and blood pressure to extract incredible amounts of workout information.
Together, we were able to download an exercise app that gives the details of any workout that you can think of: running, golf, swimming, tennis, kickboxing, even disc golf; it gives you things like total steps, total distance, calories burned, heart rate while working out, heartbeats per minute and more! It is great! Now… here is one of the most intriguing things. The watch gives you the capability to not only sync workouts with someone else, it allows you to see their workout results without them being around you. That’s right! I could be in California and my watch would tell me that my wife exercised and burned x amount of calories, walked x distance, etc.
Now to the point of this article. This morning I snuck out of the house intending to get some golfing in. I had completely forgotten about our coupling of watches, (not that it matters). I played nine-holes wrapped it up and went on my way. About noon I was talking to my wife about something and she said, “You know, you should never have to do another workout again. You burned the same amount of calories playing golf and as I did when I did my mile walk and calisthenics. At first, my natural instinct was to say something like, “ Golf? Who has time to play golf? We’re in the middle of a pandemic and I’m out here trying to find a way for us to survive.” But then I remembered the coupling of the watches and said, ‘’that’s interesting”.
Note to self: Write a letter to “Apple” and try to get them to make an I’m at work app that burns the same amount of calories as golfing!
I’ve learned a lot about exercise since I debated my cousin forty years ago. When my wife brought to my attention that she burned the same amount of calories walking and doing calisthenics I was happy for HER not so much for me, because I did not get the same amount of benefits as she did. For me to get the same benefit as she, I would have to do another type of exercise that would bring stress on my muscles: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, or weight lifting. The reality of this is that her workout was enabling her body to combat fatigue, loss of reflexes, loss of muscle tone, and muscular deterioration (which causes skin wrinkling) better than the mind; my exercise covered the heart mainly and legs mildly.
To understand these better let us take a look at the thing that wreaks the most havoc on the human experience, gravity.
Here is a brief article on the effects of gravity taken from the Utah Education Network:
Gravity, An Agent of Erosion
Gravity is an agent of erosion. Rocks break apart only when a force makes them do so. Gravity is one force that helps break down rocks into smaller pieces. This never-ending force works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It has done so for millions and millions of years.
Water running down all the mountains and valleys is pulled down by the force of gravity. The wind is ultimately a result of air molecules being held to Earth's surface due to gravity. Water, wind, and ice working under the influence of gravity are the greatest sources of erosion on the surface of the Earth. The effects of gravity combined with wind, water, and ice create many types of geologic features. Many of these geologic features are so unique and beautiful that they have been given status as State or National Parks. — Utah Education Network
What the article doesn’t mention is that the pull of gravity also has a deleterious effect on muscles over a long period. Muscle wrinkling, sagging, loss of tone, and texture are all caused by the constant pull of gravity which results in loss of energy and fatigue.
When we are young, our muscles are like flower pedals pushing out against the force of gravity. As we get older (in the late thirties) the process stops and or bodies hold steady until about late forties, early fifties. After that (because of the pull of gravity) muscles begin to atrophy.
Atrophy is defined as the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body caused by poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, disuse, and lack of exercise.
The Word Exercise Means: Activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.
For your body to benefit from an exercise, the exercise must be target-specific. To put in plainly, a cardiovascular exercise will not improve muscle tone, and lifting weights will not improve your cardiovascular system. In order for your exercise to benefit either of those body parts, your exercise must be designed for it. I have been in the health industry for forty years; in those years I have learned that body longevity maintenance falls into four categories: muscle tone, cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility, and mental acuity.
People tend to exercise in one of those groups, doing things like chess, puzzles, or other board games; lifting weights or calisthenics; yoga; or running, biking, or swimming. Rarely do you see someone engage in all four of those maintenance groups. What then is the determining factor? Time and lack of knowledge. A lot of people feel that they just don’t have the time to do more than one sport, others simply don’t know.
Martial Arts is the king of exercises. It is the only exercise that gives you benefits in all four maintenance groups. In China millions of people get up at the crack of dawn, many of whom are in their eighties and nineties, to exercise in the Kung Fu system known as Tai Chi.
Research has proven that the practice of Tai Chi improves blood flow, massages the intestines, exercises the mind, controls high blood pressure, and more!.
Isn’t it time that you gave joining a martial arts class serious thought?
If you haven’t already, consider enrolling in a class with your son or daughter. It’s a great way to bond and benefit.
May you have everything that you want, and want everything that you have.
MB