Life Beyond Fife

Engineering from the glorious Kingdom

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The body as an engine
fitness•

The body as an engine

Up to now you may have thought of fitness or looking good as simply losing weight. Or more specifically, losing fat. Everyone knows if you want to lose fat, the key to doing so is down to diet and exercise. Fat is one of the two important energy storage supplies that the body has access to, and by limiting the amount of food you eat, you give the body less raw material to turn into fat; likewise, exercising burns up more fat than being sedantry. You could even write it down as a formula: $$\partial fat = calories - exercise$$...

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Fitness types
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Fitness types

Fitness means different things to different people. Fitness means different things to different sports. The physical capabilities of humans are breathtaking in terms of the kind of achievements that are possible. For running, humans have completed 100m in under 10 seconds, one mile in under 4 minutes, a marathon in under 2 hours. Polar explorers, mountaineers, free divers etc. survive inspite of deadly conditions to reach famous global boundaries. Various other disciplines see fellow humans throw, jump, kick, and lift more and further than we've ever seen. The world's best in one category could be a rank amateur in another...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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Stress
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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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