You are the Result of Your Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

A quote often mistakenly attributed to Aristotle. He said something similar but the philosopher Will Durant wrote the quote attributed to Aristotle in his book, The Story of Philosophy.

What Aristotle actually said,

“As it is not one swallow or a fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy.”

Aristotle

Regardless of who said what, since the time of Aristotle we have known that we are the result of our habits.

This is why diets fail. Gym memberships lapse. Good intentions remain unfulfilled.

We are sold the quick fix, but it is a fantasy, not a solution.

Build Capacity

A resistance training program designed to build capacity, the ideal weight means failure between 70-75% of your 1 Maximum Repetition (RM). What that actually means is that you can lift the weight 10-12 times, approximating 70% of your 1 RM. This time under tension, with a controlled motion of 2 seconds contracting and 2 seconds of lengthening the muscle, is the goldilocks formula for building muscle strength.

This training load activates the muscle for the optimum 30-60 seconds. Do fewer reps and higher weight, the time under tension is reduced producing more mass (Olympic lifters). Perform more reps than you miss out on recruiting fast-twitch, type-2 muscle fibres, limiting your potential for gaining strength.

What does this have to do with habits?

What works for gaining strength without mass, or improving fitness without injury, is not what is popular. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) programs like the 7-minute workout – which is fine for a quick workout when you can’t do your regular routine – will not produce this type of muscle adaptation.

What does work is 70-75% effort 2-3 days a week. The best way to see these results? Make resistance training a habit.

The same is true for cardiovascular exercise

Moderate to vigorous activity for a minimum of 150 minutes a week results in the biggest health and fitness benefits. Training for a specific event may require more endurance activities, or more high-intensity training, but most of the benefit comes from the regular habit of getting out of your comfort zone.

What about diet?

Everyone wants to know about the latest diet trends, superfoods, believing that if they just got it right then eating would be easy.

But eating is easy.

With the exception of the Keto diet (because there is nothing healthy about that) all nutrition experts agree on the fundamentals of a healthy diet.

What? They agree?

Yes, 80% of most dietary advice is the same and with a few differences in the details.

However, that does not sell. Not at all. Controversy sells. Confusion sells.

Dr. David Katz, founder of the True Health Initiative, DietID and past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and author of The Truth About Food has three things he would like everyone to understand.

1. There is no confusion among nutrition experts about what to eat.

2. A diet primarily consisting of plant foods such as beans, vegetables, nuts, fruit, whole grains and low in processed foods is best for health and longevity. The rest is just details.

3. More than 80% of all chronic diseases and premature death would be prevented by eating this healthy diet, doing regular physical activity and not smoking.

Habits

Your habits matter more than any temporary solution.

No cleanse, fast or superfood will do what eating primarily whole foods, plant-based diet does for your health.

Being a weekend warrior does not make up for a regular exercise routine. Trying to go all out in the gym or a spin class more than once a week is not going to make up for missing all the rest of your workouts. Skipping the gym will result in losing muscle and capacity.

The best news is that just like a good resistance training program aim for 70% and if you do more, it is a bonus.

Change your habits, change your health 🙂

Shayla