Getting Started

“Every journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.”

Allow me to help you take your first step onto this life-long journey of fitness and good health. There are millions of benefits that come from being in good shape. Let me first begin by telling you some of the main ones.

You will live longer.

Studies have shown that the average human heart beats at a rate of 72 times per minute. An athlete’s heart, however, beats between 50 to 60 times per minute. This is equivalent to adding up to 20 years to your life.

(Columbu, F. (1982) Franco Columbu’s complete book of bodybuilding. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc.)

You will look and feel younger.

When you exercise, you increase blood circulation in your body. This in turn leads to improved skin tone, making you look younger. If you’ve been around athletes, you’ll know what I mean. Look at the top bodybuilders. They are typically in the late 30s and early 40s but they still look 21. Many of the trainers at my gym are in their mid-30s, but they all look 20-plus. That works better than any anti-aging cream you can find in the market. Take a look at WWE legend Ric Flair. At 55, he’s still wrestling and flying off turnbuckles. Though he’s not wrestling as much he used to in his prime, he still shows great stamina by participating in 30-minute matches. And they’re not just regular matches, mind you. Ric Flair, in fact, has been involved in many Steel Cage matches and Last Man Standing matches. Try being 55 and getting body-slammed around the ring for half-an-hour while bleeding from the head. (In contrast, Hulk Hogan is also around 50, but he can’t even walk properly, much less run. His infamous “Running Leg Drop” has become the “Walking Leg Drop”.) Being in good shape is the proverbial “secret to eternal youth”.

You’ll feel more refreshed and energized.

You’ll be surprised how refreshing exercise can be. Your energy levels will actually increase. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins which cause you to feel happier. Thus, you will actually feel more refreshed, alert, and energetic throughout the day.

You’ll perform your daily activities better.

From walking to climbing stairs to doing your household chores to shopping to running after the bus that you are about to miss – being in shape makes it that much easier.

You’ll have more confidence in yourself.

Let’s face it. We’re superficial people. Our confidence comes very much from the way we look. When you’re in good shape, all your clothes will fit you better and thus look better on you. Also, when you’re in the gym and you lift a really heavy weight, you will be “empowered” and suddenly find yourself more confident in your own abilities. When you walk past people and see them look in awe at your great physique, you’ll feel great. With increased confidence, you’ll probably have better luck with the opposite sex. On top of that, a confident person also inspires confidence among his peers. Thus, people will like to be around you much more.

You’ll develop important life skills like discipline, commitment and perseverance.

I can’t emphasize how true this is. As you cultivate a fit and healthy lifestyle, you will learn disciple, commitment and perseverance. These are important life skills that you can apply to other areas such as work and school.

So, now that you know the main benefits, what do you need to get started?

Firstly, time. You will need to set aside some time to exercise daily to get (and stay) in good physical shape. Watch a little less TV, or tape your favourite shows and watch them later. Wake up a little earlier. That’s a small sacrifice for something that will so profoundly affect you life.

Secondly, you’ll need attire and equipment. Wear whatever is comfortable for you during your workouts. Running shoes or cross-trainers, tank tops or t-shirts, shorts or track pants or even leotards, it’s completely up to you. As for equipment, you’ll need a decent gym, if not at least somewhere to run, like around your estate, or a running track in a sports stadium. You can even train at home with minimal equipment; I will show you how to in one of my later articles.

Thirdly, desire. You’ll have to want it; otherwise exercise will just be a pain the ass. It is this desire that will keep you going back to the gym daily. It is this intense desire in me that wakes me up at 5 every morning to go to the gym. I hope I have convinced you of the benefits enough that you’ll want to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle.

You’ll need a good training partner too. A training partner helps in many ways. For one, you will be accountable to someone. You will thus think twice about skipping an exercise session. A training partner will also help to motivate you and push you further than you might be willing to push yourself. A good training partner might also make your workouts more fun. For example, the two of you could set up little “contests” between yourselves – strength contests, weight loss/gain contests, etc.

Finally, you will need to constantly check back here at Beefing Up: Keith Wong’s Guide to a Better Physique for more updates and articles.

Well, enough talk. Get off your ass and train!