There are so many myths and misconceptions regarding exercise and movement that we generally miss the most important value of each workout or even each individual movement.

The body is always trying to predict what it needs for the future, and it takes your actions, not your thoughts, as a guide. This means that your daily movement is always the main guide your body uses to gauge what it needs to prepare for.

You need to be good at:

• managing energy, sugar, fat, protein
• repairing damage
• sending and coordinating messages: good neurons and nerve structures
• strong bones.

Do you see the point? By putting your body, mind and soul through challenges (a workout), you tell your body that you need it to work well and keep everything maintained properly.

This is the reason that every single disease of affluence is actually related to the body not working properly. If you trace the benefits you get from moving and pushing yourself through a workout, you will find that you improve each and every system that is related to or directly causes these diseases.

This is the reason fit people are healthy because, assuming they are using good technique and are not over-training then they will be challenging their body to use its resources well and giving a direction to the bodies efforts.

Humans have evolved to require challenges so without this direction and challenge our bodies stop using their resources well. This is a simple summary of what the wider research will tell you.

So with this in mind what challenges do you want to do that you can train for?

I like tennis, visiting places and going on holidays as an example of the kinds of challenges I use to keep myself strong. What do you want to use and what do you need to make that happen?

Let me know in the comments below.

Further references

• Why You DON’T Need to Lift Heavy or Hit Failure to Build Muscle | Dr. Brad Schoenfeld Introducing more recent research summarising that strength can be achieved through more reps.