Life Beyond Fife

Engineering from the glorious Kingdom

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fitness•

Systems not goals

You set yourself a fitness goal. This isn't the first time, you've set many in the past. Some of which you've made, some you're embarrassed to repeat because of how you never really got started. But you're going to go again, and in your head, you have an idea about what you could be capable of achieving; what you think will make you happy to say, "I reached that goal!" Regardless of what the goal is, run a marathon, complete an iron man, or tough mudder, bench press 80kg etc. it's going to take a while before you get there....

4 min readRead more →
fitness•

Body image

Up to now I've asked you to consider the reason for getting fit on the pure physical benefits: the increased ability to be active for longer, the energy and endorphins you will have in store to attack your daily tasks and projects. The way you might look and how others will judge you is not something I've detailed here, but all of us can be chest beating gorillas or displaying peacocks at times. Our appearance is important and the clothes, shoes, hair, and ink we use to adorn start with the physical frame of our bodies. Begin by understanding the...

3 min readRead more →
fitness•

Motivation

Anthony Bourdain has summed up the key problem of motivation in a single, relatable quote: > "I understand there's a guy inside me who wants to lay in bed, smoke weed all day, and watch cartoons and old movies. My whole life is a series of stratagems to avoid, and outwit, that guy." Motivation is a hard problem and everyone brings a different tool to the party. Some tell their friends about their plans and hope that social shame or celebration will spur them on. Some go down the Instagram influencer route and follow and surround themselves with examples of...

5 min readRead more →
Stress
fitness•

Stress

Stress has a negative image. It's generally seen as a bad thing and something to be avoided, but stress is how we improve. The first time we try something completely new, we cannot expect to be good or even competent, yet that act of starting is the first step toward becoming an expert. The two key decisions to consider are what level you start at and the pace of your progression. Starting something new should begin at the bottom, the entry level, the easiest. If all signs point toward this being manageable, then increase the difficulty. Taking smalls steps and...

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fitness•

Training

Exercise is running round the block for five minutes. Training is structured exercise that is done deliberately, in a structured manner as part of a wider schedule to achieve a specific goal. Don't trust the result of exercise - it's unpredictable and unreliable. By contrast, training is something you can count on. What training is not, is a hired PT shouting at you, "C'mon just 5 more, 4... 3... c'mon you got this, 2... one more, don't quit!" Your body is failing you. You cannot remember such pain and exhaustion. The cheering on from this expensive expert encourages you not...

4 min readRead more →
fitness•

Measure the right thing

It's very easy to begin something with the best of intentions and say things like, "Every little helps." or "It can't do any harm." without knowing if your efforts are having any effect whatsoever. Everyone is different and wants different things from fitness (we'll cover the types of fitness in detail later) but one thing is constant throughout your new journey. If you don't measure the right thing, you cannot know if you're making progress or not. Just as important as measuring the right thing, is measuring consistently. Just as important as measuring consistently is recording and interpreting the results...

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