Exercise

No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable - Socrates

Regular physical activity can help to protect you from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, mental illness, diabetes, obesity and arthritis.

Research has found that exercise can help improve mood and sense of well-being by increasing feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Physical activity also been shown to boost cognitive functioning like memory, attention, concentration, and learning.

It only takes two to four hours a week to achieve a general improvement to your health.

Stop worrying about speed, pace, measuring everything related to exercise. Any exercise that you actually do is very good for you. If you start measuring and setting goals, you could take the fun out of it and might stop. Just do it the way you like and never stop having fun.

Throughout all of these exercises, make sure you breathe and can smile - if you can’t, then it’s too intense and you need to back off. Your body will only make lasting changes that it’s comfortable with and your facial expression and breathing are strong indicators of this.

References

1. https://urec.wsu.edu/Exercise2/Home/Index

TODO

Start with links. Then, expand on each section

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/9u5b38/from_a_minimalistic_standpoint_are_weighted/
2. Stretches
3. How to make the arms stronger?
4. Upper body workout plan
5. Legs workout plan
   1. https://athleanx.com/articles/legs-for-men/leg-workouts
   2. https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/best-leg-day-workout-exercises/
   3. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/leg-workout#exercises
   4. https://www.purefitness.com/blogs/the-best-leg-workout-routine-for-beginners/
6. Move content from sync.com to this file

What is a good exercise?

1. It should be reasonably hard on the body
2. Reasonably challenging to our physiology and anatomy for it to check all the main health boxes
3. A holistic fitness program should include the following.
   1. Plenty of baseline walking (10K+ steps)
   2. Regular higher intensity cardio (breathing heavy for 30min+ 3x+ per week). You can do much more than that.
   3. Regular resistance training (whole body, 2x+ per week) - something that just relying on walking will not give your body

To lose fat all over your body, aim for at least 150 minutes a week of running, cycling, dancing, or whatever cardio exercise you like best.

Is walking a good exercise?

1. For folks that are low in activity (fewer than 5K steps per day)
   1. Walking upto 10K+ daily steps is exercise
   2. It is a great way to ease into fitness for those far out of shape
2. For folks that are already walking a lot and are not overfat
   1. It is not hard enough to check all the health boxes

Sports

We can learn a lot from sports. It teaches us how to deal with failures. It also teaches us patience and commitment – How to improve ourselves gradually (sometimes too slowly to even notice).

Exercise and mental health

1. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-and-mental-health
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/more-evidence-that-exercise-can-boost-mood
3. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm
4. https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/exercise-to-improve-mood.html
5. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-exercise-makes-you-happy
6. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/04/exercise-mental-health-hope-molecules-mood-strength

Safety Considerations

Always use slow and controlled movements during strength-building exercises. Moving too quickly risks straining your muscles and possibly damaging tendons, ligaments, and joints.

Alignment is especially important when you do core exercises. Pay attention to how your spine is aligned. Change positions or stop the exercise if you feel discomfort in your back. Only do as many repetitions of each exercise as you can comfortably do with good form. Over time, you may be able to build up to more.

You might feel the effort of exertion, but no exercise should hurt. Stop the exercise if you feel any pain, especially in your lower back. Check your alignment and technique and try again. If the pain persists, talk to a doctor before continuing your exercise routine.

Tags

1. The science of exercise and longevity
2. When did people start working out
3. Exercise - Daily minimum Simple ones
4. Exercising in the wind is the Simple Dutch Cure for Stress

Best core exercises

Beginner moves

1. Exercise - Bird Dog and variations
2. Exercise - Bridge
3. Exercise - Bicycle crunches
4. Exercise - Sit-ups and Crunches

Intermediate moves

As you get stronger, take it up a notch with these intermediate exercises.

1. Exercise - Planks
2. Exercise - Warrior crunch
3. Exercise - Bird dog with elbow to knee

Advanced moves

Once you’ve mastered intermediate moves, challenge yourself to an advanced core routine. These exercises will further build core strength by engaging your muscles in more complex ways.

1. Exercise - Mountain climbers
2. Exercise - Side planks and variations

Reference: https://www.healthline.com/health/best-core-exercises

Others

1. Exercise - Back
2. Exercise - Burpees
3. Exercise - Belly fat and Mid section
4. Exercise - Bicycling
5. Exercise - Calisthenics
6. Exercise - Deadlifts
7. Exercise - Hanging leg raises
8. Exercise - HIIT
9. Exercise - Jump Rope
10. Exercise - Love handles
11. Exercise - Pull ups and Chin ups
12. Exercise - Push ups
13. Exercise - Russian twists
14. Exercise - Shoulders
15. Exercise - Squats
16. Exercise - Step count plan
17. Exercise - VO2 max
18. Exercise - Walking
    1. Exercise - Why Walking Helps Us Think?
    2. Exercise - One long walk is much more beneficial compared to multiple short walks
19. Exercise - Working out in the morning
20. Swimming
21. Tennis