Our transition from the big bang through the industrial revolution, in today’s information age, has been a slow, yet gradual one. Evolution has always leaned towards improving the quality of life. While the development has taken centuries, ironically, it has induced impatience that has affected us in more ways than we can imagine.
Today, with things available at the tap of our fingertips – from communication, transport, access to necessities and entertainment, we have developed a need for quicker and faster results and outcomes for everything. Habitual availability and instant gratification become opposite drivers to achieve our health goals. Rushing through the fitness journey can make you fumble and put your growth chart in reverse mode.
“Get abs in 15 days”, “10-minute routine to lose the muffin top”, “liquid detox diet to lose weight” - the internet is flooded with these fads promising quick attainment of fitness goals. Sounds appealing, right?
Imagine a building with a hastily constructed base. With the slightest of tremors, it is likely to crumble to the ground. The same is the case with our bodies - when not given enough time to build the foundation, we are more likely to compromise than build on health. Our health foundation needs to be ‘tremor proof’. Let’s delve deeper into how.
An incorrect form can take your growth on another tangent
Speaking of making progress at the gym, we are often restricted to reps, sets and timings. What gets neglected is the form of the posture. With the vigor to achieve more in less time, we push ourselves to do more, whether or not our bodies are prepared for it. In the process, our form gets compromised. For example: holding the plank position for 2 minutes is of little value if your elbows aren’t forming 90° or your torso isn’t parallel to the ground.
While in some exercises an incorrect form can stagnate and make growth disproportionate, others can lead to injuries that might last a lifetime. Trying pull-ups without enough strengthening of your shoulders and core can cause minor to severe injuries.
Injuries lead to inconsistencies. The journey you were trying to fast forward instead takes a long pause or, in some cases, is even reversed. Injury becomes the antithesis of fitness.
Beware - motivation wears off faster than your muscles
Discipline, motivation, and consistency are significant for goal attainment but challenging to maintain at the peak as we progress. We can all agree that motivation wears off if we don’t see the desired results.
Sometimes it is just important to accept that results take time to reflect. A lot of what happens within us isn't immediately visible - improved flexibility, increased strength, more endurance. We realise this over time, as reps become easier to carry out, holds become stable, and movements come to the body naturally.
Waiting for a flower to bloom before it’s time for it to blossom will only lead to disappointment. Impatience can leave us demotivated. Switching diets or changing protein supplements every now and then will land us nowhere. The body takes time to adapt to the type of nutrition we couple with our regular exercises. If you switch before that, it will be another cycle of adaptation with no results.
Set realistic markers of progress and remember - results that show fast, fade off faster. Aim at gradual, lasting, sustainable results.
Getting the 'nutrition-exercise-rest' formula right
Based on our goals, sometimes we end up wondering how, despite consistently exercising, the weighing scale shows no progress or the biceps seem just like they did on day one. But the real question here is - was your diet and rest complementing your workouts?
At Terra Origin, nutrition, exercise and rest are considered the holy trinity. With regular activities and workouts, when muscles get used up, it causes them to wear and tear. Adequate rest relaxes our body and allows space for recovery. Nutrition, being the fuel for the body, helps recoup lost energy and rebuild torn-down muscle. For our system to function smoothly, we must acquire the nutrition that compensates for regular expenses. This is why every individual’s nutritional requirement varies, and the “right nutrition” is defined differently from person to person.
Deficiencies or excess can have detrimental effects. So when you do heavy workouts but fall short on protein, your body gets leached of muscle, and you are left wondering why the biceps never really buff up. Our busy lives can get in the way of acquiring our macros and micros through regular diets. This is where nutrition supplements come in. Including natural supplements, like Terra Origin’s 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein powder and Organic Plant Protein powder, can support faster muscle recovery, synthesis and help with muscle definition without causing any side effects. Today, supermarket shelves come with a variety of options to choose from - whey protein, grass fed whey protein, plant protein, vegan protein powder and whatnot. So find what suits your body and helps meet your daily needs.
When micronutrients are concerned, it can be challenging to supply all the essentials regularly. Keeping tabs on everything from vitamins and minerals to antioxidants, probiotics, digestive enzymes, fibres, etc. sounds painstaking, to say the least. Although, including a supplement, such as Terra Origin Greens Superfoods, can enrich your body with these and contribute to holistic development. Although required in traces, micronutrients are essential for strengthening immune responses, supporting heart and neurological health, smoothening all bodily processes, and much more!
While the world is condensed to a screen, we can cherish convenience without getting enslaved by it. We are a unit of nature, and every development concerning our bodies deserves to get the time it needs to manifest.
Remember - it isn’t the pace at which one gets fitter but staying the path that counts.