04/27/2026
This is a visual representation of the four "legs" needed for your fitness/health program to be strong and balanced. They operate with each other and rely on each other.
We'll start with exercise. Your health requires exercise. It is recommended that adults should get at least 150-300 minutes of "moderate intensity physical activity" a week. That's usually broken down into, at least, 30 min/day for 5 out of 7 days. This could be broken down into sections, it doesn't have to be all at one time. The scheduling of that is flexible.
Next we'll consider recovery. Recovery from physical exercise/activity is necessary...it is regularly suggested that a person should give themselves at least 24 hours between working muscle groups to failure. So, if you did legs on Monday, try to wait until at least Wednesday to do them again...but SLEEP is regularly over looked and underappreciated. The standard recommendations for sleep is 7 or more hours per night, for a healthy adult.
Third, is our nutrition. Most people would tell you that Calories In, Calories Out is your end all/be all for nutrition. There's so much more. Our needs change as we age, as we exercise more, when we get sick, when we have hormonal fluctuations. It is important to pay attention to your body and listen to what it is telling you it needs. If you are not sure what to do, you can see a REGISTERED DIETITIAN, not just a nutritionist. These are different things. But if you dont want to go see a professional, start by using a calculator (free online if you look) to determine your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and your suggested calorie intake. You could use your phone or a smart watch to get your average tracked calorie expenditure and go from there. But recognize that this is a starting place and that you will very likely be moving your numbers (macros, kcals, rtc..) around until you find the sweet spot. It is not a quick, one size fits all kind of fix.
The last leg, that is often the most difficult, is hormones. If you manage the other three legs properly, early enough, this leg is not always so frustrating, but more and more we have under eaten, over-worked, and under-recovered our way into hormone struggles and metabolic scarring... so this leg often takes time and a lot of work. You can strengthen this leg by focusing on the other three like it's your job.
#2026