Category: fitness/y4d4

WongHoo.Sim; Prof Lee #CRE fitness

Posted on by tiger40490

k_rmSelf_vs_xpSelf  … k_CAD

Common features between them:

  • short but meaningful life.. Not “short” for the earlier generations.
  • No prior health issues reported in the media .. such as cholesterol?
  • showed energy and enthusiasm, even on the last few days.
  • ending on a good note.

— For years, I thought that my CRE fitness puts me in a green zone… really?

🙂 my CRE enables me to enjoy a wide range of relaxing workouts, mostly jogging. Such workouts are effective protections of heart, lung, and reduces risks of cancers, dementia, t2dm etc

🙂 my CRE fitness also helps me de-stress, which reduces many health risks

🙂 overall, CRE and other fitness does indicate a body age younger than biological age

🙁 CRE fitness, as showns in Sim and Lee, is a poor indicator of heart health. An individual can be strong/powerful but vulnerable at the same time.

— Prof Lee…I created this bpost because 1) we know Prof Lee personally, 2) wife and I will have many discussions over the decades

  • his kids are grown-up already. However, his kids would still need him, to some extent. His wife too.
  • He went on a jog and collapsed in shower
  • Confirmed died of CAD. Dr Leow said regular screening at the treadmill could uncover CAD.

— WongHoo.Sim .. I keep this bpost because there is good internet resources.

  • married but with no kids
  • Creative staff said the CEO was seen at work during the week of his passing.

chin-up =strategic #CAD

Posted on by tiger40490

k_CAD   k_X_细水长流

— CAD implication .. I still can do up to 100 in a day, but I am not so brave, so eager to prove.

To protect my still-intact, healthy, strong heart, I may need 细水长流

  • “spread-out” into sets of 10s
  • longer rests in between for the heart rate to normalize. If I start too late in the day, then settle with 40. 50 can be a good daily target.
  • avoid pushing close to my physical limit
  • prefer slow-n-steady pull, not explosive all-out pulls with powerful kicks

— [3] initial mental hurdle .. I guess my target for chin-up is usually too high.
In the past, I would typically aim at 10 chin-up or 40 push-up in a session. I think the start-up is harder for chin-up. 5 chin-up = 20 push-up.

Now I try to adjust the target to lower the initial mental hurdle. “90 to qualify if 15×4”

— Retraining .. chin-up (and stretch) is dreadful, but not for push-up or cardio !
— realistic goal .. would be one a day, but such a goal doesn’t generate positive feedback. I remember my yoga goal was one minute a day. I managed to change my perception to feel good about it. For chin-up, I need the same change of perception.
— constant tendency to quit, after every pull…. There’s a difference between climbing Everest vs climbing an equivalent number of stairs during covid lockdown.  It’s much easier to maintain your focus on the real Everest. In contrast, with the stairs you fight a constant battle against the natural tendency to quit.

Consistent Chin-up (and yoga) practice is more like stairs, while Everest is more like jogging, swimming, basketball.

— To prolong the brief power_surge,

  • Since 1st week of Mar 2022, I have devised a sugar coating “100 chin-up achieved today halves the criteria for tomorrow”.
  • I am experimenting with another sugar coating “15×4 would reduce today’s target total down to 90”
  • I also reduced the frequency to a few times a month, rather than strictly once a week.

— Self-talk matters .. My self-talk affects my perception of reality. This perception affects my actions.
— strategic .. I often tell my friends that chin-up is the single most strategic (more so than yoga), most revealing guage of a man’s fitness. It pits body weight against some big but less-used upper body muscles. Those muscles are my weakness. They are also the weakness of most of my cohort.

As we age, the needle (on the guage) would move against us, /slowly-but-surely/, becuase 1)muscle loss 2)BMI

Q: among the 6 IPPT tests, why is chin-up most feared?
A: sit-up and push-up do not lift entire bodyweight; 2.4k is easier for many reservists who are regular joggers; shuttle-run(non-IPPT) is short distance; sit-n-reach (non-IPPT) doesn’t decline with age before 40;

— consistency .. Consistent chin-up has always felt too demanding, too challenging if the “consistency” bar inches up. For example, “100/D, 1D/wk for 3M” has always been too demanding until early Mar 2022. If the bar becomes “15×7/D, 1.5D/wk for 3M” , then too high.

The most frequent question is “how many months can you keep up?” Sometimes I see it as a brief power_surge in terms of /absorbency/.  The current power_surge is the longest ever, starting early Mar 2022. Usually, I can reach consistency for a few weeks, and then I would find myself no longer looking forward to it, partly due to the initial hurdle[3]. Compared to jogg, this practice requires more courage to overcome the initial hurdle. It requires more self-motivation to counter the rmSelf’s resitance.

— consistent chin-up compared to other consistent efforts
This, along-with CRE, BMI(highest!)  and E-vocab, are higher strategic value than “renzi”/math coaching, coding drill(60s?), piano, exp recon

This, along with yoga, are harder to maintain (longer than a few months) than BMI and all other consistent efforts.

==== muscle-up .. not as valuable as chin-up, in the long run. For example, the ability to do one muscle-up is much less valuable than the ability to do 5 chin-up.
— benefits: this will be probably the biggest ever physical feat in my life. See other feats.
It will be a boost of self-image.
— incremental practices:

  • practice climb-up beside the salad shop. This is slightly easier than single-bar push-up
  • focus on explosive power. Without it, my curl-up was very hard. Without it, most people would not be able to get up
  • chin-up up to 20 reps to build up strength, but stamina, slow rise don’t help.
  • .. more effective is a small count of explosive pulls to hit the bar with lower chest

— forearmLevel bar

  • reduce initial bounce, to rely more on the pull
  • stand further back, to rely more on the pull
  • add-on weight, to add resistance

— single-bar push-up, as Gavin suggested.
Never practiced in my life.
Even if I don’t improve a lot, this practice should be beneficial.
— don’t aim too high and risk the engine-loss-of-power
Even if I don’t achieve it, i will gain strength (for a few years) relative to my weight.

I believe I have a fair chance. My confidence (i.e. estimate of the chance) has grown from 1% to 5% now.
— budget for training? $2k. I think a trainer can help me make it happen
wrist wrap: can increase the amount of practice because .. My first and weakest link is the grip.
— There are many video, but I should really pace myself rather than binge-watch.
Each video I watch could provide a bit of boost to my motivation.

effort^physical-measurement 2qualify4active days

Posted on by tiger40490

I want to rationalize and refine my definitions. Two ways to measure aggregate amount of daily workout — 1) measurement 2) effort

Effort implies self-regulation, combatting the (natural) tendency to quit. Instructor-led classes always help easy self-regulation.

Physical measurement ignores self-regulation or any mental exertion. It is based on measurable output by muscles, cardio, perspiration, heartbeat,,,

eg: Hatha or yin Yoga is low physical but huge effort
eg: Adding up (vertically) stairs/day .. is high physical, lower effort. In contrast, continuous climbing is higher effort.
eg: Jogging is high physical, lower effort
eg: Rope-skipp is very boring, therefore high effort lower physical

“Low effort” is relative and never means easy. Keeping up active days, hitting 3 active days a week for a month is absolutely demanding and never easy, regardlessof the workout.

my 5/wk routine is the /exemplification/ of successZ, and really tough except during a few weeks when I’m motivated and confident. (However, such a power surge “honeymoon” rarely lasts a month.)

Most adults (like 98%) after leaving school/army and before retirement would find it really tough. (Servicemen and Pre-college students are different because they have physical training + fitness tests.)

Q: In their views, which type of workout of this bpost is most frequently questioned as too light?
A: jump-rope, squat… but “their view” is based on popular perception only.

Q: In my own view which workout is most frequently questioned as too light?
A: jump-rope, stairs

Frequency is the key and also the real challenge. To maintain frequency, I increase variety, and incorporate incentives.

yoga !=supposed2b %%#1weakness #realYoga

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_focusing_illusion

Each person, me included, has some flexible areas and some stiff/tight areas. My overall flexibility is (possibly above) average among men of my age. Most of the men I see are Chinese, Indian or Caucasian, with slight differences in average stiffness.

Even when compared to women regardless of age, I am probably average. I can recall my observations in Bayonne and the ClassPass yoga. Many women praised my flexibility in various poses. Many yoga instructors told me (quite honestly) that I’m not so extremely tight compared to many, but I tend to forget or brush them off.

Only in RealYoga do I feel a consistent and visible weakness. I feel like a weakling, a handicapped person. Unknown to me, RealYoga members are mostly advanced practitioners. RealYoga is possibly the wrong place to start for a self-conscious beginner.

Primarily based on RealYoga experience, I tell people my flexibility is my biggest weakness. It has become a body image problem.

Q: why did I care that much about my “handicap” in flexibility but not my handicap in .. stutter, slow handwriting, yellowish skin?
A: focusing illusion. RealYoga sessions always focuses my attention on the relative weakness and limitation. The focusing illusion exaggerates the importance of flexibility, and exaggerates my Relative weakness.

That weakness is also obvious when I compare myself to a published instruction on any yoga pose.

Q: what’s the published vs experienced difficulties (or dangers) due to inflexibility?

— Q: what’s the published vs experienced benefits of stretch, breathing or meditation?

The published studies are from different sources. Together they prove beyond a reasonable doubt that yoga has no major side effects. As to the benefits, studies often say “can improve …”. It reminds me of my myopic treatments in Beijing [laser, massage] and my Indian colleagues’ experience of ginseng.

Experienced benefits are more obvious (will not elaborate today) in CRE and strength. Some of those benefits are shared with (the strenuous form of) yoga.

Experienced pains of poor CRE/strength are more obvious (will not elaborate today).

Flexibility does (I believe) help reduce probability and severity of injuries. I also believe in delaying the decline of flexibility. The decline is inevitable for 99% of men, due to aging.

However, the yoga-style deep stretch may not improve flexibility, partly because the improvement has a half_life = 1week.

5/wk: frq^ (incremental)duration ^intensity

Posted on by tiger40490

This bpost is “trying” to be more focused, less forgettable esp. in its title.

The 2023 BBC [[Lazy guide to exercise]] asked “What’s the minimum amount of exercise to keep us healthy (I would add … and slow down aging)?” The producer primarily looked at the maintenance/upkeep of three target systems i.e. cardio-respiratory and major muscles. The conclusions are scientifically based, and reviewed by experts.

— frequency.. In my theory, sustainable_frequency is probably more important than intensity or duration. To hit the necessary frequency, I could build up the calorie amount incrementally throughout the day (BBC program), or I could try a short burst like 15 flights of stairs.

Workout frequency really boosts my self-esteem but can be unsustainable. It requires perception of reality, self-acceptance, fine-tuning/adjustments (tough).

when it’s hard to hit 5/wk,
* be flexible with shorter workouts. Start early during the day. incremental build-up .. For boxing, chin-up, squat and stairs, we can incrementally build up an active day.
* accept that it could feel like a chore

— duration .. 30-minute sessions are a well-known criteria for “effective workout”, including reasonable amount of rests + cool-down. So how much rest is reasonable? It actually varies greatly:

in swimming pool .. many swimmers rest 80% of the time. 60% is kinda average.
in the exercise corners downstairs .. many people rest 90% of the time. 70% is kinda average.
A class .. more disciplines than exercise corners.. instructor is the pacer.. typically 15-30%
my jog .. below 5%.

I prefer [10<-20] minutes of slow jog as my criteria. https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=23343&action=edit lists some workouts that are equivalent to 10-min slow jog (about 1.5 – 2km). There are actually two yardsticks of “equivalence”. I’m using “absorbency”, not “cardio/calorie”. Depending on the context, in each item below the upper limit in a range like  […-30] usually means “30 counts would match 10 min jog in terms of calorie/cardio”.  Notably Jogging has high cardio effect and requires the lowest absorbency as explained in star_rating of power-surges, so using something like jump-rope to match such a high cardio effect requires too much absorbency , too much to be impractical. I would rather set a lower target than setting my regime on a march to hell.

==== intensity (vs duration)
* Short but intense bursts do count esp. for cardio-respiratory health.
* short but light activities (like slow walk, housework, shopp,,) do count.

“Brisk walk” .. a popular recommendation. I used to dismiss it as “marginally better” but by walking faster, you do “score” more points for cardio-respiratory.

If your day includes a few seconds of dash to catch a train (if safe), it too helps you score more points for cardio-respiratory.

Weight as resistance can increase intensity , and shorten the duration
* with squat, chin-up etc (mostly against body weight), even the slowest workout has a real intensity.
* With boxing and jogging, slow means low intensity. Speed would easily triple the intensity.
* climbing stairs uses both weight and pace to increase intensity, and helps all three major systems named above.

— Qualified Yes .. When an active day is a “qualified-Yes” it is usually due to discontinuous squats or G-16 climb like G-9 plus some squats. In contrast, continuous G-16 is unqualified Yes. However, the research of BBC program proves that “Any amount or burst of activity adds up“, basically vindicating my “incremental accounting”.

In fact, a 2km jog is far more sweaty than incremental G-16 stair climb or 240 squats, but lower intensity and doesn’t stress major muscles. Paradoxically we do count 2km jog as an  unqualified Yes!

Most folks can’t hit 150 minutes/week (30m x 5) of moderate workout. For these individuals, short but intense workouts are often more achievable. This is the #1 practical finding of the BBC program. The HDB-hub cancer roadshow echoed the BBC guideline that 75m/week of “really” intensity workout also qualifies, but it’s futile to define what’s really intense.

[19] realYoga $1070 package #creep@@

Posted on by tiger40490

— $1070 package .. After I returned to SG in Sep 2019, I bought this package for my own wellness and commitment. Without paying this amount I would Not practice.

As of 2023, how effective is this “commitment” enforcement? Still present, though there are more and more options (often free) in the market.

$1070 buys me 1200 points. Each session costs 20 points. If only taking regular classes, and without penalties, then 60 sessions. I hoped to use up half the 60 sessions within a few months. The annual membership is $155 * 12 = $1860, too restrictive because I may become busy and can’t practice for a few months. In my mind, the Most likely scenario is

  • update: now I want to reduce my sessions. When I’m under stress and needs the conducive classroom environment and when pandemic is lessened, I will visit more.
  • the longer sessions cost 30 points each. I feel they are costlier but Not more beneficial than the regular sessions 🙁 Can use my final 30 points for it.

— some limitations, constraints

  1. if coming in late, there’s a 5-pt penalty or you may be locked out.
  2. Better book when no doubt. if class booked but you cancel within 2 hours before class start (can do online any time), then 5-pt penalty.
  3. .. Aha … I think this is a small cost I may need to accept once a while… not “don’t care”. The current level of (fear of) self-hate is /disproportionate/. I could allow myself to make trivial, infrequent mistakes… unwind
  4. .. see #extra$$ means.?.to theRich^Poor #minor mistakes

Q: is this luxury lifestyle creep?
A: Less so if lower frequency

 

##5/wk workouts

Posted on by tiger40490

 

k_CAD

I discussed the right and wrong priorities in a healthy lifestyle, and I said I’m slowly growing into one of the small minority with the right priorities. Part of that transformation is the number of “active days” in a week.

Q: Regarding my active-day defninitions, how long (years) will they stay relevant?
A: I choose to be optimistic and believe in myself, so 5Y at least.

— critical_mass and self-sustaining .. At the above specified level, if you hit At_Least 5 times a week for 8 weeks , it can be easy to maintain for a month. I told my friend Raymond Teo that once you hit 15m x 5 times a week , and maintain it for a few months you will notice the difference in your physical and mental condition.

My friend Ashish told me he could hit 4 times a week, of unspecified duration.

Some workouts don’t feel exhausting/sweaty though they can be challenging and require absorbency:

  • jump-rope
  • yoga
  • gym, or chin-up
  • swim 800m

“Piggyback” and “Qualified yes” are assertions of self-acceptance, concrete acts of self-encouragement.

Now the full list:

  1. [s] swim .. 1k counts as [3<-4k] jogg
  2. [s] squat .. [200<-400] 16 reps count as 1 floor of stairs. I mean standard squats [shallow, no more than 16]. In other words, the lower or faster, or longer run of squats will count as more than 1 floor.
  3. [s] stairs .. [15<-20] flights of stairs in one or more segments. 15 is max of “achievable”, giving a reasonable workout to my system + a boost to self-confidence. 16 flights would sound daunting and /uninviting/. walking down stairs takes 1/3 of the “effort” as climbing
    .. If not continuous, then 20 flights spread out throughout the day.
  4. .. double-step [13] is fast and effective for heart rate and muscle
  5. [a] chinUp x [80<-90].. harder than 10m of jog or 20 continuous flights of stairs. Whenever we hit this target, we should always add some other exercise [chin-up, push-up, stretch, squat, stairs,,,]
    .. continuous 15 reduces by 2
    .. If I hit the target on Day 1, then Day 2 target can be reduced to 50 and still qualifying as one active day. I call it piggyback or rollover. Beware harsh standard won’t promote/encourage/induce consistent effort.
  6. .. Same or additional discount apply if Day 1 accomplishes two full yet distinct workouts. “Additional” if one of the two is chin-up.
  7. [a] pushUp, sitUp for 100% of the jogging duration but with more rests. These workouts demand more absorbency than jogging. See star_rating.
  8. [a] stretch for [15->20m-30] even without sweat or heart rate. Reasonable amount of rest, similar to yoga classes. Stretch is tougher (less self-sustaining[1]) than all other exercise, so in terms of absorbency 1m is comparable to 2m jog. Unfortunately, I need at least 10m to maintain the critical_mass.
  9. .. Lotus .. 10m can count as 1m of stretch.
  10. .. Stretch is the most needed [rewarding?] ingredient in my exercise roster. One or two yoga sessions each week is very good but tough. To encourage and reward it, to hit once stretch a week, I will reduce the quantum from the original 30m.
  11. —- a few outdated alternatives
  12. [s] basketball
  13. [s] playground with meimei
  14. [as] lunges .. One round in the playground ≅ 5->6 continuous flights of stairs, or 40->50-60 continuous squats [shallower than lunges]. Lunges are between strength [push-up, sit-up]  and CRE [jogg, swimm]
  15. [as] jump-rope .. [800<-2000] skips may match a 20min jog (or 30 flights of stairs) in terms of calories, but demands way too much absorbency, so I choose jump-rope only when no time and no facilities. Everything considered, [300->350-450] skips count as 10 steady continuous flights of stairs. Unfortunately, jump-rope is cardio-only without any muscle benefits, so it’s good to 1) complement it with strength training or else 2) skip 200 more
  16. [s = heart rate, sweat or increased breathing]
  17. [a = lots of absorbency required]

[1] more boring, harder to work up the heart rate.

 

[20]serenity^zqbx: passive acceptance@bad situation

Posted on by tiger40490

 

k_tectonic  k_mellow  k_def_of_success

See also

Executive summary of a paradox

  • Serenity .. a positive attribute (valuable and rare). True serenity in the face of adversity requires strength and is often (not always) supported by zqbx. As such, serenity is part of successE and successZ.
  • Passive acceptance .. a negative attribute.. often resembles serenity-without-zqbx.

In this blogpost, my (initial) focus is the widespread passive acceptance of … highly unsatisfactory, barely tolerable or dire situations. Surrender, give-up, 破罐子破摔 are some of the synonyms. These individuals accept the unacceptable (or nearly-unacceptable) and make do with what they have, without zqbx, or trying harder to improve the situation. The most visible example is the homeless beggar, and those sleeping rough in New York city.

On the other extreme, as illustrated through numerous examples in long-term ROTI=rare #600@高考 #Serenity, we should NOT beat ourselves up with unreasonable standards and self-hate. Self-acceptance is paramount. Some call it serenity. Mellow up if you can, and don’t beat yourself up if you can’t achieve it in a reasonable amount of time 🙂

So we sometimes need to strike a balance between ZZ) zqbx, not giving up even in a dire situation vs SS) serenity or self-acceptance of personal limitations. Here, fine judgement is a /rare virtue/. We pick our battles on the really important things. We also pick our battles where we fight to slow down or stop things getting worse. We need the “wisdom to know the difference” between (ZZ) and (SS).

In real life, some wise people might adopt passive acceptance (passive = without zqbx) and display serenity. We are digging into two unrelated phrases with subtle connotations and invisible overlaps. If you don’t want to avoid these two phrases, then you would need to accept and deal with the /messiness/.

In all the challenges listed below, whenever I choose ZZ, my personal-effectiveness shines through (interpersonal effectiveness seems to be less valuable). Over time, the difference between the proactive and the passive can become insurmountable. I’m far from the perfect role model, but my efforts were huge. My endurance was remarkable in the face of repeated setbacks. Thomas Edison said of his light bulb “I haven’t failed — I’ve just found 10,000 that won’t work.”

— eg: EDyw .. Non-penetrative or fortnightly/monthly felt like poor choices, like those highly unsatisfactory, barely tolerable choices. How about the current weekly frequency?

I am adopting the zqbx attitude, esp. in exercise and active calendar management.

— eg: summer sleeping mats .. many disappointments with ice crystal cushions, bamboo, straw, synthetic rattan mats, and even plastic-straw mats,,, so my expectation (of their value) was reduced over and over again, so I wasn’t keen to re-consider them. However, some (not all) the cooling mats can alleviate a common but bad situation — growing dependency on A/C. Does it make a real difference? I think it can reduce the number of days I turn on A/C, by 5%…ctbz.

— eg: wordpress.com block editor… The company made it look like new editor is so entrenched as to wipe out any hope of using the classic editor. I was passive in my acceptance of this fate. Then I became proactive.

Harmony? I chose SS after trying for a long time. Serenity would be needed iFF no choice.

— defining eg: Singapore government didn’t accept congested city centers, runaway housing cost, tap water quality, seasonal flooding, declining standard of Chinese, limited local talent pool, over-reliance on MYS water supply, (During covid19) ICU shortfall, overwhelming workload of contact tracers, hopeless prospect of containment, growing threat to nursing homes … which many governments gave up on and accepted. SG leaders took actions , often over decades, to reduce each of these problems. Serenity? Irrelevant.

— eg: math practice — many math students accept that some problems are too hard, so they give up. In contrast, XA.S’s attitude is like zqbx. Also many girls (and some boys too) in my primary and secondary schools put in more practice and improve their pattern recognition. I’m somewhat more skilled than most students, so I didn’t need so much practice, but there are some topics that required me to practice a lot.

Jolt: I also accept that some topics and some problems (like competition level) are too hard for me , but only after I put in a lot of effort.

UChicago MSFM .. at age 42 my attitude was roughly the same. I sank in 30-40 hours a week, and then accept that some homework and past exam problems are too deep too hard and my understanding remained shallow and unconnected, esp. on FixedIncome. Did I give up? Not sure. I think I basically chose a time limit. Any additional effort would have taken up too much time and produced diminishing return.

Serenity needed…

— eg: Coding drill is similar. However, virtually all the web2.0 style coding questions can be solved in 45 minutes, not as hard as the toughest quant problems.

The situation is very bad for some older programmers as they couldn’t pass any speed coding test, or pure-algo test, or weekend assignment.

Harmony? They can choose either zqbx or serenity. Serenity smells like passive acceptance. I choose SS i.e. Serenity but not giving up completely.
— screen time .. I now perceive it as tolerable. XA.S (math!) seems to accept it
Harmony? I choose SS i.e. Serenity, but not giving up completely.

==== household living
— existing A/C trunking .. I think most people would (passively) accept, due to high cost.
I think we have to accept the total cost of ownership of indoor cooling.
— staying on low floor .. For years, wife accepted the unsatisfactory living conditions including smell (smoke), dim lighting, downstairs noise, pests.
— silver-colored personal chopsticks .. I prefer uniquely-colored chopsticks for unshared usage, but the silver-color drying rack makes my chopsticks hard to find. For years, I didn’t think of improving it. Now I use a unique dark color .. elegant solution.
— on many short pants

  • side pockets too wide-open for cellphone .. for more than a year I had to keep my phone in (more secure, less reachable) pouch or backpack
  • no hook for access cards.. For years, I accepted it, and had to clip my access cards on insecure belts.

==== career
— eg: SY.C said a friend in his 50s got a SWE job offer from Citadel .. Harmony? I choose SS more than ZZ.
— eg: Sunil was unsatisfied with 1) his AVP and the 2) underwhelming prospect of dotnet. Most people in his shoes would accept it, but Sunil took actions over many years and eventually broke through.

Similar eg: my java-}c++ transition, and web2.0 CIV — 99% of us find it hard to cross the moat. Most accept the result and give up. No shame. I didn’t give up on c++. I gave up on HFT interviews. Web2.0 CIV is within reach but am not in a hurry.

Sunil’s and my situations were sub-optimal but not really an example of hardship and passive acceptance thereof.

Harmony? a balance between zqbx and serenity.
— career longevity .. After talking to Miles Yang and XA.S, I felt most of my peers don’t have my dev-till-70 in the WStC harbor
Harmony? I choose ZZ, but I think my peers’ acceptance is not passive.
— job insecurity at a particular place — In today’s economy, most adults experience job insecurity at some points in their adult life. It’s more clearly felt for techies. Most of us accept the anxiety, the fear, the tangible potential impact on our families, and accept it as the norm. “This is the world we are in”. The individuals in ## Not alone2hit job loss were less worried than I was.

I worked very hard for decades, devising and strengthening my dev-till-70 plan for WallSt. Today, I feel more prepared, more confident than that majority I described.

I also learnt my lessons from my false starts, which tend to kill our long-timer plan. I think these disappointments define me and my peers. Some (who?) are even more resilient than me.

Harmony? I choose ZZ because I can.
— long commute .. most of my peers (NYC commuters) accept long commute with serenity
Harmony? I choose SS after deciding on the commute total cost.
— bench time — Probably half the adults in the developed countries I know are pessimistic about bench time after job loss. Jack Z is one example. For techies, median bench time is probably 2M+. One-month is considered rather quick. The higher your salary, the longer you need to sit on bench. These individuals (my sis?) accept it with serenity. In contrast, I choose ZZ. I work very hard to build up my cushions including

  • embrace 70% pay cut just to go out and work
  • constant interviewing even when not job hunting

==== wellness
— intimacy ..for years I accepted (passively) the underfucked life, and frequent derailers to my intimacy. I have multiple emails, blogposts such as Xmas2021
— BMI — Rahul was very determined and in-control, but he might be somewhat overweight. Many of my colleagues are overweight. I tend to assume they have poor control over diet or exercise, but I could be very wrong. I think they accept it. Most people don’t i understand why I work so hard towards deeper-green zone. However, I did accept my weight may not go down to 61 kg again. This acceptance is sub-optimal but not unacceptable.

Some slim individuals are not really better at self-control. I guess some of them are just lucky. I have many colleagues who said they are unable to put grow “stronger”.

This “control” is central to successZ, but if our body “system” is hard to control, then I think we need serenity.

Harmony? I choose non-passive acceptance, and mellow-up. Not really serenity. In fact, I think non-acceptance and zqbx is better for some individuals in my cohort.
— supper — I accepted that I would feel hungry if 1) i’m awake at 11pm and 2) there’s food at home beside fruits and veg.
This acceptance is non-ideal but remember my breakfast skip, delayed lunch and dinner. Overall, this is not an unhealthy habit.

Crucially, instead of surrender I fight a bao3shan1 battle by controlling starch and following late-sleep diet tactics 

There is some harmony in this battle. I choose ZZ but not extreme. There’s some crucial element of SS.
— workout 3/week — Most adults have inadequate workout, partly due to lack of time. They accept it. They point at “lower” societies (earlier, primitve or less developed), and conclude that in our advanced society, lack of physical activity is normal. I take it more seriously than the majority but only since 2018.

As of early 2020, I now accept 2-4 times a week for myself. I would say 1/month is barely acceptable and 1/wk is decent.

As of Oct 2020, I now push myself towards 5 times a week. I choose ZZ because the barrier is not so high.
— G3 defining example: yoga —  Most male adults have insufficient flexibility, but they accept it and put it aside as lower priority compared to strength, body shape, or endurance. Yoga is hard for me, but I take it very seriously.
Harmony? I choose ZZ, because my goal is high but feels achievable.
— pull-up — Most guys can’t do 10. The overweight guys can’t do one. They accept it. Similar to yoga, Pull-up is always challenging for me, but I don’t give up. I live with that sense of challenge, self-imposed pressure.

If you are overweight, then self-hate is counterproductive.  But don’t give up. Assisted pull-up is the way to go. Here is a good illustration of the balance between passive acceptance and self-hate. Zqbx vs serenity. I choose ZZ, becasue I can.
— G5 best example: belly fat — As described in why I feel successful, most guys above 30 have a visible belly and most just accept it. In this case, I didn’t have an uphill battle, but if I don’t exercise control, I’m sure to grow a belly.
I choose ZZ.
— longevity goal .. most of my peers seem to target 85. It’s not an unacceptable target. But I don’t accept it. I choose ZZ.
==== pff .. my favorite and strongest domain, so I won’t talk too much about myself.
— savings for retirement — Most adults seem to worry that they have insufficient financial resources to support their desired retirement lifestyle. (I suspect many realize retirement burn rate is much lower, like $2k/retiree.) Anyway, most seem to accept it and take almost no action.

I should ask those endowment salesmen “How many percent of the respondents actually feel well-planned for retirement?”
— savings rate — Most adults (my sis included) accept a brbr below 3/2, i.e. they save less than 1/3 of income. They seem to accept “saving 50% is too hard and unnecessary for me”.
Low saving rate is not a dire situation until a pandemic. OCBC survey shows 70%Singaporeans can’t last past 6M if jobless, due to insufficient savings.
— mortgage — Most buyers accept as unavoidable — “Except the super-rich, who else can avoid a mortgage”. I think they can, provided they save up higher, and buy lower as I did.
Well, mortgage is non-ideal, but not a hardship.
Harmony? I choose ZZ i.e. non-passive acceptance. I don’t give up.
— ECR 8% per year — I don’t think it’s common, so I choose SS.

BMI > flexible > strength > CRE

Posted on by tiger40490

 

k_soul_search

  • After the meet-up with YY.T, I realized CRE fitness (or speed) is not a priority to me. Longevity > freedom from illness > intimacy > good sleep and appetite
    BMI .. seems to be a key indicator/predictor of many of the above.
  • As of Mar 2022,free_from_ill > BMI green zone > ▲ full-body esp. upper-body strength relative to body weight > flexible >▼CRE ..
  • As of Dec 2021, free_from_ill > healthy_longevity > BMI > ▲ flexible > ▲ strength > ▼CRE
  • As of Jul 2021, free_from_ill_health > healthy_longevity > BMI green zone > ▲flexible > ▼endurance > ▲strength .. identical to 2018 !
  • As of 2020, freedom_from_ill_health > healthy_longevity > endurance > strength > flexible
  • As of Jan 2019, I have achieved the greatest success in weight, and I was making the biggest effort (against greatest resistance) in flexibility
  • As of 2018, If I must chose between the two, in 2018 I would choose to prioritize flexibility over bodyweight. I conceived this pyramid of fitness priorities in July 2018:
  1. weight? Affects endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, leaping, …
  2. Y-junction (central) flexibility? toughest to improve. Central means lower waist till thigh. All other parts are much, much, much, , much, much better in terms of my gap behind other (mostly female) yoga students. See ##toughest yoga poses ranked
  3. stamina in heart and lung etc
    • depends on weight
    • less visible, less keenly felt as a weakness
    • easier to improve and maintain, due to my absorbency advantage.
  4. strength (including muscle endurance) relative to weight. See notes below
    1. depends on weight
  5. speed of distance running; leap length/height
    • depends on weight

 

Even though my shoulder joint is unable to extend up to 180 degrees, it’s not preventing any yoga poses. It only makes “poor form” or forces me to take on modified poses. In contrast, my Y-junction inflexibility does render some yoga poses unattainable.

▲ means “gaining relative mindshare now than earlier”
▼ means “losing mindshare but still important (usually)”

This blogpost is mostly about my personal priorities. How about the priorities for my son/daughter (or a family member or a colleague/friend)? That priority list is usually BMI > CRE > strength > flexibility. Note BMI is the most important wellness factor for my family.

— aspect: intimacy … sexual gratification and longer active sex life…  sometimes more important to me than improving BMI to 64 kg. If BMI improvement affect my intimacy, then let go of the BMI. My intimacy is more important.

— aspect: healthy appetite.. Losing your healthy appetite, and becoming someone like grandpa in his late 80s, can reduce your BMI, but do you want that?

During my covid infection, I lost appetite and BMI, but it is not worth it.

— aspect: Freedom from ill health
“Freedom” includes things like immunity, recovery, and karma. The perspective is shorter-term and slightly more achievable and predictable than longevity.
— aspect: longevity
longevity-but-in-poor-health is not really my goal.
— aspect: stamina [endurance/CRE//]
Jolt: endurance .. also required in yoga, chin-up, jump-rope etc, and has a massive psychological impact.

“Fitness” is vague and means slightly more than stamina. Stamina means cardio-respiratory endurance (CRE) to me. For me, fitness (and also most strengths) is measured against body weight.

— aspect: muscle mass and Strength, esp. against body weight
Strength is slightly more than muscles strength. Muscle mass is a low priority to me.

Amputation can “improve” your BMI but do you want it?

(Note muscle mass vs body fat .. is a recurring debate, but body fat is hard to measure.)

Those (sportspeople) who gain muscle mass often have a hard time maintaining BMI in old age.

For bone health and some other elements of health, adequate muscle strength is crucial.

Plank and other stationary exercises fall into the Strength category.

Many workout classes focus on minor muscles seldom exercised. I tend to think those are important and deserve some attention.

— the need to balance enjoyments with wellness priorities
some people (mostly men) enjoy muscle training and nothing else .. I think some Americans do. It can affect BMI and flexibility, two of the most important aspects of wellness. I am unlikely to become bulky, but flexibility is a traditionally neglected area.

some people enjoy jogging and nothing else. It can lead to loss of flexibility and muscle as we age.

Some women do mostly yoga including some limited strength training, so they lack CRE. Therefore, some combine yoga with cardio.

Ideally, you would want to enjoy a range of workouts, but few individuals are so lucky. For every adult and child, consistent workout is repetitive and requires a lot of effort and absorbency. Team sports and golf are more fun but requires a lot of external help.

Yoga trains some less-used muscles and includes many stationary exercises.

— Q: which aspect is easiest to accumulate? Stamina
Q: which are the easiest to lose? BMI
Q: which are the easiest to rebuild/recover? Strength

— Q: which aspect generates the most reassurance? free_from_ill_health;
Q: which component has the biggest weightage in overall self-esteem/self-confidence? BMI

==== Aging .. Even though ▲flexibility is the weakest weakness and #1 area that needs the most ‘sunshine’, I still need to work on stamina, muscle strength etc as I age.

As we age, each part of the engine must be kept in working condition, including the more durable parts (probably heart and bones).

BMI wellness would show declines in both sexes, affects stamina, strength, and flexibility.

Stamina is 80% heart and lung, but joints and bones also need continuous /boost/ and strengthening through strength training. I feel positive that I have a natural advantage in stamina, but stamina needs active maintenance.

I think 1) muscle and 2) flexibility are likely to experience the most declines.  You will always see exceptions, but those rare cases can be misleading and /breed/ a sense of complacency, a false sense of /invincibility/ and overconfidence

— upper body strength relative to weight, as we age
As we age, lower body strength is easier to maintain, thanks to climing, jogging, cardios (predominantly leg work). In contrast, upper body muscles are almost never deployed to support FULL body weight, except in 1) chin-up 2) dip. Therefore, as we age, we would lose these abilities quite early. I have many male colleagues to tell me “At my age I can’t do chin-up any more.”

In late 2021, I met a group of body builders at the Blk 79A exercise corner. I think they have lean muscles, strengths, balance, but how about upper body strengthRelative2Weight? I would guess that for most of them, as they age the bulky muscles are likely to become a problem rather than an asset.  Bodybuilders, boxers, weight lifters tend to become overweight in older age.

Similar to flexibility, upper body strength training (esp. chin-up) is less sustainable, more boring than outdoor cardio, or lower-body strength training. It requires more /absorbency/, sunshine. Classes could help. See chin-up #muscle-up