“To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy.” – Hippocrates
The predominant thought when it comes to improving body composition is that blood, sweat, and tears is the route to take to accomplish such a goal. I definitely like me some hard work like many men do. You know the saying, “No pain, no gain.” I can dig that for sure. The images portrayed to the public in shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “Celebrity Fit Club” certainly support such an ideology. But is this approach appropriate for all trainees? Will more hard work always produce the desired result? Let’s find out.
Like nearly all things in life a balance is best. Same goes for your body. Your body loves being in balance, a state of ease, a state of homeostasis. The concept of “working in” versus “working out”, terms coined by Paul Chek, tell us in a simplified way that energy drainers/stressors must be balanced with energy producers/regenerators in order to maintain balance. If you are exposed to too many things in your life that take away more energy than they create (work out), you end up with a mental, physical, or spiritual energy deficit and a battery that desperately needs recharging. The following are some examples of working out:
- too much or too little exercise
- studying for an exam
- not drinking enough water
- frequent travel
- consuming stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks
- stressful workplace
- financial difficulties
- unhappy with self
- infection or sickness
- consumption of processed, dead foods
- poor sleep habits
- stressed relationships
All of the above are energy drainers. They are catabolic (tissue wasting) and activate the sympathetic (fight or flight) side of the autonomic nervous system. You literally expend energy outward and break down the body. In chinese medicine terms these are examples of Yang.
On the contrary, working in involves fostering energy and activating systems within the body that restore physical, mental, and spiritual reserves lost by working out. Examples of working in include the following:
- relaxing walk
- good night’s sleep
- quiet time for self – a “peace point”
- doing an activity you truly enjoy
- meditation or prayer
- consumption of organic, whole foods
- a vacation
- exercise that doesn’t raise heart rate
- relaxing stretch
- time with loved ones
All of the above energize the body, assist in repair, and activate the parasympathetic side (rest and digest) side of the autonomic nervous system. These activities, therefore, tend to be very anabolic (help build up the body) and allow us to replenish energy and cease the catabolism created by working out. In Chinese Medicine, these are examples of Yin.
Through assessment, FPS is able to determine whether you’d benefit from more work in or more work out in accordance with what you’re trying to do with your exercise and wellness goals. Does you body have the enough energy to exercise or work out? If you have too much work out without a balance of work in, you end up being energy bankrupt and out of balance.
For instance, if I am training a busy, middle aged, female lawyer who gets very little sleep, has chronic back pain, grabs snacks on the go, doesn’t get to see her family often, hasn’t had a vacation in a decade, and doesn’t have any time for herself then she would likely respond best to more work in activities and shorter resistance training sessions as that would help correct her imbalance. On the contrary, if I have a carefree 25 year old who has no financial issues, sleeps well, rarely consume alcohol, eats mostly organic whole foods, and is injury free, we can take considerable action in the gym to work out as his physiology could support such activity.
Bottom line is this – you must find and create your balance of ying/yang, sympathetic/parasympathetic, catabolic/anabolic, or energy drain/energy restoration. Each individual’s musculoskeletal state, nutrition, and lifestyle must be assessed prior to determining what steps to take with regard to program design in order to foster the desired result. In some cases though it is hard to understand, less truly is more which is why many successful health professionals adopt the mantra “Train, Not Drain” instead of “No pain, No gain.” Sometimes only improving the individual’s nutrition and lifestyle (more work in) without any work out can create the needed change. So I certainly echo Hippocrates’ statement that at times doing nothing with regards to exercise is sometimes the best remedy. At other times, blood, sweat, and tears is the appropriate prescription which we are certainly happy to provide. 🙂
Resources
“How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy” by Paul Chek
