THE INTEKAI FIVE ESSENTIAL PILLARS OF FITNESS

BY GEORGE RATTRAY

Societies have been told for countless generations that exercise is necessary for wellness. There are, however details which have been misunderstood, missing, misdirected and downright damaging.

I must state here that Intekai has been training and certifying Personal Trainers in FACT based knowledge for over two decades and can guarantee you that exercise is not a weight loss solution. Only 20% of your weight management solution, continued good nutrition is THE factor for short and long-term weight management. You CANNOT exercise away an even slightly flawed diet.

Outside of weight management, regardless of your exercising, you CANNOT ensure your wellness if your nutrition is weak.  A poor diet can result in triggering hereditary diseases, autoimmune diseases, neck, and back pain, overweight, cancer, gut issues, dementia and so much more.

That said, exercise will present an entire world of wellness to you and ignoring exercise in your daily life will eventually result in tragedy.

With true and proper nutrition and exercise, however, you will likely enjoy the fullest, most pleasure filled and positive life you can hope for.

YOU CAN LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE BY DOING EACH OF THE INTEKAI 5 PILLARS OF FITNESS.

For best wellness outcomes in addition to great nutrition, sleep, and a good frame of mind, you must maintain a consistent, manageable, sustainable routine of:

1. Walking
2. Progressive resistance training
3. Cardiovascular exercise
4. Stretching
5. Agility, coordination, and balance activities

Walking – Minimum, 15 minutes brisk walking two times per week.

Apart from the calorie burning and mild cardiovascular benefits, walking offers you the practice needed to maintain a proper and safe stride. Walking also creates a healthy circulation, maintains alertness and cognitive function (especially in nature) and produces strong and healthy hip joints are inevitable with consistent walking and exercising. 

Progressive resistance training (Weights) – Minimum, each body part (Chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs) twice within a seven-day cycle, even a well-planned 10-minute workout 5 to 6 times per week will have profound changes.

Weight resistance training is often pushed down the list of fun exercises for most people, but after walking, resistance training is the most important form of exercise.

As you age, your muscle mass and bone density will decrease significantly. With muscle mass loss, your strength, mobility, joint, spine and core stability and strength will decrease as well.

Weight exercises will:

• Maintain bone density
• Lessen joint and back pains
• Reduce the risks of breaks
• Maintain mobility
• Assist in heart health
• Preserve your all-important muscle mass.
  • Without resistance exercise our muscle mass will naturally decrease and fat levels will increase, resulting in a slower, fat gaining metabolism.
  • The only way to avoid this is to maintain more muscle mass than your body weight requires. Calisthenics or body weight exercises are useful, but progressively increasing resistance is invaluable for maintaining muscle mass.

Cardiovascular exercise – Minimum, 5 to 8 minutes, 3 to 6 days per week

Cardiovascular exercises are among the most popular forms of exercise, as it can take many entertaining forms such as aerobics and sports. The benefits are in the name. These activities target your heart and vascular functionality and pulmonary (breathing) health as well as some muscle tone.

Flexibility – Minimum, 2 minutes per day

Flexibility is critical for:

• Balance
• Proper motion
• Tissue health
• Muscle maintenance
• Proper muscle development
• Range of motion
• Continued mobility
• Tendon and ligament health
• Pain management

These are all dependent on your flexibility. Stretching is much more important than most people know.

Agility, coordination, and balance – Minimum, 5 to 10 minutes per week, you may incorporate this in your cardiovascular exercise, or even dancing like no one is watching.

Any activity requiring you to be on your feet, shifting your weight, changing directions, accelerating, and suddenly stopping, can help you build and maintain agility and coordination. Sports, dancing, martial arts and more can all be useful. Yoga and small lifestyle actions such as how you bend and pick up objects, putting on pants and footwear, and choosing to walk on a narrow curb (safely) can all help you to keep your balancing ability intact.

FIND THE TIME, YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF

We are designed to move for most of our waking hours, not doing so is a great way to signify to your bodies that we are ready to die, slowly and painfully.

Think past short term gratifications in life, even past your business, job demands, life challenges and family obligations; you are of primary value in your own life.  Keep YOUR wellness on track in this journey which is YOUR life.  These activities should be manageable, with a range of available intensities and easy workouts for the challenging days. 

We offer custom designed workouts for our premium members and can design workouts for you.  Even workouts which cover all 5 of the principles per week, are progressive and effective and can take up as little as 5 to 17 minutes PER DAY.  The time it takes you to shower can save and change your life.  You will thank yourself.