Re: Exercise without exercises (The Fitness Industry Paradox)

[Guest guest]

The martial artist, Bruce Lee, also advocated parking blocks from your

destination and walking in, taking stairs instead of elevators, and otherwise

purposely increasing the difficulty of daily tasks in order to make them a

training exercise. Later in his life, his fitness level appeared to be

penultimate.........more so than when he first arrived in the US from China.

Similarly, golf is very good exercise but " carts " isn't nearly so. Stalking

game is both more challenging and better exercise than standing in a tree.

Full court versus half court? Playing Frisbee with a human friend instead of

'Frisbee fetch' with the dog?

The silent sports in lieu of motor sports (X-country skiing instead of

snowmobiles, kayaks instead of wave runners).

Even simple performance modifications for seemingly insignificant daily tasks

like performing a full squat to retrieve something from the floor (or a

stiff-legged deadlift), getting out of your chair without using your hands

(or rising from your chair using only your hands), riding the escalator in a

modified dip posture (supporting all bodyweight with your arms), using one

hand instead of two for transport, lifting objects out away from the body,

going upstairs backwards or bounding or using crossovers, etc. can enhance

physical fitness for the average Joe(sephine) or accentuate an athlete's

physical regimen. It all adds up!

My own experience is that these little extra efforts help combat my arthritis

and mental fatigue during the day while whetting my appetite for a full

workout later.

Boardman, CSCS

Chicago