A foundation of health

It's fun (for some of us, anyway!) to dive into the minutia of different biological processes, to learn about how our muscles and neurons and mitochondria work together. And gaining a deeper understanding can lead to valuable insights into how to consider the next phase of athletic development. Those details can be important... they are the pillars, the flying buttresses that support the cathedral ceiling. They rely, however, on a strong underlying foundation of health.

We each have different training and health backgrounds, family situations, and demands on our time. So there's no one-size-fits-all approach, but there are good benchmarks and commonalities that we can use to triangulate on an individualized prescription for health and fitness. A few of the key areas are movement, strength, sleep, and nutrituion.

Movement

Movement is good. More is better. There are some natural limits to training volume (running more than 100 miles per week is rare for elites), but for most of us non-professional athletes those limits are from competing priorities like family and work. Getting out for a run on a Tuesday evening is great. Taking a phone call from a walk is also great.

Humans spent millenia walking, digging in the dirt, hunting and gathering. We're built to move. Building up the capacity to move more (walk, run, bike, swim) while recovering quickly is the core of endurance training.

Strength

Power and strength are good indicators of health. The more interesting angle, though, is looking at the ability to move with control through a wide range of motion. For example, being able to do a deep squat (whether with bodyweight or with a 200-pound barbell). Different planes of motion are part of this equation, too. A Turkish get-up involves twisting, balance, shoulder stability.

Sleep

We get stronger not when we work out, but when we recover. Enough sleep, and high-quality sleep, is an obvious element that can help or hinder our health. Coffee, alcohol, or late-night screen use can each reduce the quality of sleep.[1] Overnight heart rate variability (HRV) and estimates of sleep cycles can be useful measures to track. High HRV measurements and a couple of hours of REM sleep correlate well with waking up feeling refreshed.

Nutrition

Getting enough high-quality foods will of course also help improve health. What works for one person might not for another, but there are commonalities. Lots of vitamins & minerals, enough protein, healthy fats. For endurance athlete especially, getting sufficient energy from quality carbohydrates tends to "increase training capacity and enhance endurance performance, and these effects in turn tend to improve body composition." [2]

Keeping healthy, avoiding injury, and not getting sick are all foundational to building fitness over many months and years. This fall's trail race might be the current goal, the beautiful high stained glass window you're crafting in the cathedral. Keeping the foundation strong makes it easier to attain that goal.

[1] Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.

[2] Fitzgerald, Matt. Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. 2nd ed., VeloPress, 2012, p. 95.