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FitTips for One and All - Vol. XXI, No. 6
FitTips for One and All
Volume XXI, Number 6
2023
Presented by
Fitness for One and All
Director: Gary F. Zeolla
In This Issue
Building Better Habits in the New Year
Covid Fearmongering and Lies Website
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Creationist Diet: Second Edition; A Comprehensive Guide to Bible and Science Based Nutrition -
This Second Edition is 2-1/2 times as long and presents a different perspective on diet than the First Edition. The First Edition mostly advocated a vegan diet, while this Second Edition also advocates for a diet that includes animal foods. But, and this is very important, those animal foods are to be what are called “old-fashioned” meats, dairy, and eggs, not the “factory farm” products that most people eat. What is meant by these two terms and the incredible difference between them is explained in this book. In addition, this book covers a wide range of diet related topics to help the reader to understand how to live a healthier lifestyle according to God’s design.Newsletter News
With publishing this issue of FitTips for One and All on December 1st, I know I am jumping the gun a bit by talking about New Year’s resolutions in the main article. But the next issue of this newsletter won’t be published until February, and by then it will be too late, as most people will probably have already broken their New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully, the tips on keeping those New Year’s resolutions in this article will keep you from being one those resolution-breakers.
Building Better Habits in the New Year
As we near the end of this year and are looking forward to the New Year, many people will make New Year’s resolutions. But most of those resolutions will be broken by February. In this article, I will look at a few news articles about forming new habits and what advice they give to help you keep those New Year’s resolutions.
CNN. How to build a habit in 5 steps, according to science.
People with good habits rarely need to resist the temptation to laze on the couch, order greasy takeout, procrastinate on assignments or watch one more viral video before dashing out the door. That’s because autopilot takes over, eliminating temptation from the equation. Having established good habits, little to no willpower is required to choose wisely….
Here are a few research-backed steps sourced from my book, “How to Change,” that can set you on the path from where you are to where you want to be.
1. Set a specific goal…
2. Create a detailed, cue-based plan…
3. Make it fun to repeat…
4. Foster flexibility…
5. Find the right kind of social support
CNN gives its own comments on each point in the linked to article. I would encourage the reader to read them. But here, I will give my own take on them.
Building a new habit is not about will-power. It is about making a choice to change, making a plan, and including in that plan flexibility, knowing things will never go exactly as planned.
Also, just having a general goal like, “I want to lose weight” or “I want to go to the gym regularly” is not enough. A specific goal of say losing 50 pounds or going to the gym three times a week enables a plan to be made.
That longer term goal then can be broken down into smaller goals, like losing a pound a week. That would have you losing those 50 pounds over the course of the New Year. Then the detailed plan would be to establish a caloric deficit of just 500 calories a day. Over a week, that deficit will give you that one pound weight loss. That caloric deficit can be in the form of a combination of reduced intake and/ or increased expenditure.
That takes us back to going to the gym regularly. Just 30 minutes a day, three days a week would help with increased expenditure. As your habit builds, that can be increased to 60 minutes and up to six days a week. But the key is for it to be gradual increase, rather than trying to make a radical change all at once.
The make it fun part means choosing an activity you enjoy, or a diet plan that fits with your lifestyle. If you are a pasta lover, you would never adhere long term to a low carb diet. And if love the outdoors, then working out inside might not be the best choice. Try an outdoor activity, like walking, hiking, running, or cycling. But then, if you are a “people-person” those solitary activities might not be the best choice either. Try taking up a team sport or at least one with a partner, like tennis or basketball.
The flexibility part means to be prepared for something to go wrong that keeps you from your planned workout, or keeps you from being able to eat as planned. As the saying goes, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” If you cannot prepare your own meal as planned but are forced to eat out, then make the best choice you can given the menu, enjoy it, then move on.
If you miss a workout, it’s no big deal. Don’t have a defeatist attitude that since you missed one workout all is lost. Just make an extra effort to not miss your next one, and don’t overdo it in it an effort to make up for the missed workout. Just follow your plan as previously laid out.
Finally, as already stated, if you are a people-person, then working out alone is not the best idea. At the very least, join an online exercise group where you keep each other accountable. Knowing you will be posting about your workouts will be an encouragement for you to actually do them.
When I first started working out alone in my newly established home gym, I posted my workouts on the website and on weightlifting/ powerlifting discussion boards. Then later I posted videos of my workouts. That was an encouragement to not only keep doing them but to try to do as well as possible in them, knowing others would be reading or viewing my workouts. I no longer do so, as working out is a well-established habit for me. But if you are a newbie to working out, you might consider such a practice.
PNAS. What can machine learning teach us about habit formation?
Evidence from exercise and hygiene
Contrary to the popular belief in a “magic number” of days to develop a habit, we find that it typically takes months to form the habit of going to the gym but weeks to develop the habit of handwashing in the hospital.
It is often said it takes 21 days to establish a new habit. But this study found that was not the case. It actually takes much longer. But most of all, it depends on what habit it is that is trying to be established.
For instance, we were all taught about proper handwashing during the pandemic. And that is one aspect of pandemic recommendations that has stuck with me. I used to be rather quick about hand-washing, but it did not take too long for it to become a habit for me to be more scrupulous about it. And now that is just how I wash my hands.
However, that is a simple habit change. More major changes, like going to the gym or working out at home regularly, take longer. Again, for me, it is now an established habit. But if you are just starting out, recognize that it will take time for it to become a habit. That again is why having a community to keep you accountable can be helpful.
NIH. Goal setting and achievement for walking: A series of N-of-1 digital interventions.
While more difficult performance goals might trigger higher physical activity levels, higher performance goals might concurrently be more difficult to achieve, which could reduce long-term motivation….
The results confirm that, for a majority of the participants involved in the study, performance goal difficulty was positively and significantly associated with physical activity (n = 14), but, concurrently, negatively and significantly associated with goal achievement (n = 19).
New York Times. Set Your Exercise Goals High, but Not Too High.
Want to exercise more this year? Then adopt workout goals that are challenging but not too challenging, tough but doable, individualized but evolving. Or maybe just plan to walk at least an extra 500 steps most days.
Those are the broad conclusions of a timely new study of goal setting and exercise. It finds that inactive people start moving more if they receive daily step targets on their phone that exceed their usual number of steps — but only up to a point. If the exercise goals become too daunting, people typically start failing to meet them, denting motivation.
So, the best exercise goals are those that remain just a little out of reach, the study suggests. The issue is discovering what that idea means, in practice, for you.
The New York Times article is about the preceding quoted study. What they are saying is, it is advantageous to set goals as a motivation to exercise more. The higher the initial goal, the more it will encourage increased activity. However, if the goal is too high, out of your reach, you probably won’t reach it, get discouraged, and give up altogether.
The point is, be reasonable about what you are capable of doing, given your current state of health and conditioning, and also given your schedule. You might read somewhere that working out for an hour six days a week is the ideal. However, if your schedule simply does not allow for that amount of time to be spent exercising, you might do it for a week or two, but life will take over, you’ll miss workouts, get frustrated, and give up altogether.
It would be much better to be reasonable about how much time you can devote to working out. If all you have is 30 minutes three times a week, then fine, do that. Once that becomes an established habit, then maybe you can work in a bit more over time and eventually get closer to that initial goal.
The same goes if you are just too out of shape to work out for 60 minutes six days a week. Trying to do so could lead to you feeling overly sore or even getting injured. That could then lead to you giving up altogether.
It would be much better to start with a small goal, like just a walk around the block three times a week, then to gradually adjust your goal upward as your conditioning improves. For more in this regard, see my two-part article Training Routine for the Totally Out of Shape.
Muscle and Strength. 7 Habits of Highly Successful & Motivated Gym-Goers.
… habits are a powerful thing.
Once you’ve established a habit, it is nearly impossible to give it up. They become mini-traditions that occur on a daily basis, and eventually a large part of our routine-driven lives.
So, you better make sure the habits you set for yourself align with your goals.
Take these 7 habits with you into the New Year and you’ll remain/become a highly motivated and successful gym-goer.
1. They Set Clear Goals…
2. They Make Small, Sustainable Changes at a Time…
3. They Have Fun with Their Workouts…
4. They Have Perspective…
5. They Have a Bedtime Routine…
6. They Prioritize What Really Matters…
7. They Practice Patience.
Again, Muscle and Strength gives its own comments on each of these points, but here, I will give my own.
One point one, M&S’s main point is to set just one specific goal, not a litany of different goals. That goes back to wanting a challenging goal but not too challenging. Setting a multitude of goals might sound motivation inspiring, but it can get depressing when you do not meet all of those goals. Having just one goal can enable you to focus on it, and you just might hit those other goals anyways as you do so.
The second point has been touched on previously, but it bears repeating. Trying to change too many things all at once can be overwhelming. Yes, both diet and exercise are important to good health and weight loss, as are proper sleep and stress control. But trying to work on all four at once could be too much.
Pick the one that you think you can most easily attain. Hit that goal. That will then give you motivation to work on the next hardest, then the next hardest. And again, make each goal challenging but attainable.
Point 3 is what I said before. Pick an activity that fits with your personality and likes. Forcing yourself to go to the gym when you find it intolerably boring will not last long. But with the myriad of possible exercise modalities available, you can surely find something enjoyable to you.
Having perspective means realizing a missed workout is not the end of the world, neither is eating something you have made a goal of not eating. Maybe you need to reevaluate your goal and recognize it is not attainable for you, at least at this time. Again, smaller attainable goals are better long term than a massive goal all at once.
I’ve mostly mentioned diet and exercise in this article, but sleep trumps both of them. If you are meticulous about your diet and work out regularly, but you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you still will not feel good.
In fact, a lack of sleep can sabotage both of them. If you are tired, you are more likely to crave high-sugar, high fat foods and to give into temptation, and you are more likely to skip a workout. And even if you do work out, you won’t recover as well, which can lead to being overly sore or even getting injured. That will then further hinder you reaching your goals.
Prioritizing what really matters includes realizing that although healthy habits are important, so is making a living, spending time with family and friends, serving others, and your relationship with God. Do not make exercise and diet the be all and end all of your life.
Finally, patience in forming any new habit and in making progress is vital. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in day.” And you are not going to undo a lifetime of bad habits in a few weeks. As already stated, it takes time to form new habits, longer than most think.
As such, be in it for the long haul. Changing to new habits is a marathon, not a sprint. So is making progress in the gym or any new activity. Just remember consistency is the key.
Unless you are a professional athlete training for a specific competition that you must enter at a specific time, it matters little how long it takes you to reach your goals. If it takes longer than expected, no matter. You will get there eventually, if you are consistent about it. Small advances will add up over time.
APA PsycNet. More than resisting temptation.
Beneficial habits mediate the relationship between self-control and positive life outcomes….
We propose that one of the reasons individuals with better self-control use less effortful inhibition, yet make better progress on their goals is that they rely on beneficial habits….
Collectively, these results suggest that beneficial habits—perhaps more so than effortful inhibition—are an important factor linking self-control with positive life outcomes.
This final study brings together and is the result of all that precedes. Once you establish new healthy habits, they become second-nature, are easy to keep, and they enable you to forge new habits more easily. That all leads to a healthier and happier life.
My prayer for the reader that the New Year brings such to you.
New Website!
Coronavirus Fearmongering on the Left, Covid-19 Lies on the Right
A Layman’s View of What the Authorities Got Correct and Incorrect about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
By Gary F. Zeolla
Most of the almost 100 articles and commentaries posted on this new website were originally posted on a Coronavirus section of my politics website and some on my fitness website. I was going to redo those items into a book. However, I realized it would be difficult and time consuming to reformat all of that information into a book. But I wanted to make it more accessible than just as section or articles on those websites. Consequently, I decided to move all of that material to its own website. That was easier and quicker to do than a book.
The articles and commentaries on this new website are listed in chronological order (oldest on top, newest on bottom). In this way, the reader can follow the chronology of the pandemic and the evolution of my thoughts thereupon, from being a Covid-denier to recognizing the seriousness of Covid-19 and the need for the vaccines for high-risk groups.
#SARSCoV2, #Covid, #Coronavirus, #Covid19, #virus, #Wuhan, #infection,
#vaccines, #antivaxxers, #antivax, #vaccine, #vaccinate, #vaccination, #China,
#influenza, #cold, #flu, #lockdown #mandates #masks
10/17/23
For Life-long Health, Optimization of Hormones, Improved Athletic Performance
The approach of this book is to study different foods and food groups, with a chapter devoted to each major classification of foods. First the Biblical evidence is considered, then the results of this research is compared to what modern day scientific research is saying a healthy eating plan entails. Foods are then classified as “God-given foods” and “non-God-given foods.” The main point will be that a healthy diet is composed of a variety of God-given foods and avoids non-God-given foods. This will simplify the designing of a healthy eating plan.
New on My Personal Website
Zeolla.org is my personal website. On it is
a newly updated article on
My Social Media Pages.
10/15/23
New on My Fitness for One and All Website
Below are new articles on my fitness website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.
Final Squat Injury Update is just that, my final update about my adductor
injury I sustained back on July 28th of this year. It also updates my
other injuries I have sustained over the past 2-1/2 years and my progress on the
powerlifts as I recover from those injuries.
11/30/23
Fitness
Commentaries is a new section on this website. This section will archive
short commentaries on areas of interest to the fitness-minded by the Director of
Fitness for One and All that were initially posted on my social media pages.
11/24/23
The Coronavirus articles formerly posted on
this website have been moved to my new website: Covid
Fearmongering and Lies.
10/17/23
New on My Christian Darkness to Light Website
Below are new articles on my Christian website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.
Christian
Commentaries is a new section on this website. This section will archive
short commentaries on areas of interest to Christians by the Director of
Darkness to Light ministry that were initially posted on my social media pages.
11/24/23
Vol.
XXI, No. 6 is a new issue of
Darkness to Light
Newsletter.
11/9/23
Updated Christian Books
Books and eBooks by the Director
I’ve spent the past several months updating all 22 of my Christian books. Some of these updates were just minor updates, like updating the covers and appendixes and fixing a few typos. Others were full new editions. But all look much nicer now, and I hope and pray are a blessing to those who read them. If you haven’t checked them out in a while, please give them a look: Books and eBooks by the Director.
#ChristianBooks #Theology #Apologetics #BibleVersions #Ethics #Sex #Bible #OldTestament #NewTestament #BibleStudy #BiblicalReliability #LiteralBibleTranslation #Apocrypha #ApostolicFathers #BiblicalCanon #BibleBooks #JehovahWitnesses
11/19/23
Updated Version of NWT Booklet
Is the New World Translation a Reliable Bible Version? Edition 2.2
The NWT is the Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses. This review evaluates the NWT by looking at select passages from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. The standards I use are the same standards that I use in my book Differences Between Bible Versions. Simply put, does the translation faithfully and accurately render the Greek text into English?
This edition 2.2 of this booklet published in 2023 is a corrected text not a full new edition. The title has been slightly changed for clarification purposes, minor corrections have been made throughout, plus the cover and appendixes have been updated
#NewWorldTranslation
#TranslationAccuracy #BibleVersions #Bible
11/19/23
Vol.
XXI, No. 6 is a new issue of Darkness
to Light Newsletter.
11/9/23
New Book!
Scripture
Workbook: Third Edition
For Personal and Group Bible Study and
Teaching the Bible
The doctrinal and ethical teachings of the Bible as presented in this book encompass an overall way of viewing the world that differs greatly from the prevailing secular worldview. It is hoped this book will enable the reader to not only understand this Biblical worldview but also why it is true and thus to come to trust in it, and then to be prepared to defend this Biblical worldview before an unbelieving world (Matt 28:18-20; Luke 24:27,45; Acts 14:14-18; 17:22-31; 1Peter 3:15).
This is a large book (515 pages in hardcopy formats), but it is just $3.99 in Kindle. Similar low prices for other formats. And if you take the time to work through it, you will be well-versed in the entirety of the Biblical worldview (2Tim 2:15; 3:16f). Many changes were made for this Third Edition, but the total number of forty Scripture Studies remains the same.
#Scriptures #ScriptureWorkbook
#ScriptureStudies #Bible #BibleStudy #God #Trinity #Jesus #Forgiveness
#Salvation #Resurrection #EndTimes #Prophecy #Calvinism #Baptism #Catholicism
#Mary #Charismata #SpiritualGifts #JehovahWitnesses #Mormonism #Sex #Church
#Worship #Prayer #CapitalPunishment
11/7/23
New on My Biblical and Constitutional Politics Website
Below are new articles on my politics website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.
Hamas
Fantasy, IDF Reality (Gaza Hospital Attack) is a new article. The
despicable media’s misinformation about the Gaza hospital attack led to riots
across the world.
10/20/23
The Coronavirus articles and commentaries
formerly posted on this website have been moved to my new website: Covid
Fearmongering and Lies.
10/17/23
Israel-Hamas War (Israel Must Eradicate Hamas, Just As the USA Did with Al Qaeda
After 9/11) is a new article. Israel
has a right to exist and to defend itself against antisemitic barbarism.
10/14/23
I just
updated an article I wrote 6-1/2 years ago. It gives perspective and background
to the current Israel-Hamas War. It is: Tiny
Israel: Amidst a Massive Sea of Muslim Lands. This is just one of several
articles about #Islam I wrote around that time and email exchanges I had about
those articles. For those other items, see: Islam.
10/12/23
October
2023 Commentaries is a new page. Bidenomics is not working.
10/7/23
New on My Covid Fearmongering and Lies Website
Below are new articles on my Covid website that have been posted since the last issue of this newsletter was published.
Coronavirus General Commentaries: October 2023 is a new page. It discusses
two items the director of this new website heard in early October that verifies
major themes of this website.
10/18/23
This Covid Fearmongering and Lies website went online on October 17, 2023.
Also by Gary F. Zeolla:
Zeolla.org
is the personal website for Gary F. Zeolla.
Author of Christian and of fitness books, Web sites, and
newsletters,
and a top ranked and multi-record holding powerlifter.
Darkness to Light website and
Darkness to Light newsletter.
“Explaining and defending the Christian faith”
Christian Theology, Apologetics, Cults, Ethics, Bible Versions, and much more.
Biblical and Constitutional Politics
“Political articles and commentary from a conservative Christian and politically
conservative perspective”
Covid Fearmongering and
Lies
“Coronavirus
Fearmongering on the Left, Covid-19 Lies on the Right”
A Layman's View of What the Authorities Got Correct and Incorrect about
SARS-CoV-2
All material in this newsletter is copyrighted © 2023 by Gary F. Zeolla or as indicated otherwise.
12/1/23