We often hear our political leaders talking about growth and a stimulus for that being required in the economy. If only they’d deliver eh? Fear not. This isn’t going to be a political rant. However, the link between stimulus and growth with regard to our health and fitness is well documented: provide a stimulus to the body and the body will adapt accordingly. 

“Your body is an amazing piece of kit.” is a sentence that has appeared in this newsletter numerous times, and it is a phrase that is well worth remembering. The human body is amazing. It will adapt to whatever is thrown at it.

And while Victor Frankl, a famous Austrian neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor was talking about our psychological response in the quote above, he could well have been talking about our physiological response. 

And while we can’t necessarily choose how our body responds to the stimulus, we can choose the stimulus to provide the change we are after. 

Our bodies follow the SAID principle – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands – and there is little we can do to alter our biology in that regard. If we lift heavy things our body will respond by making our muscles stronger. If we continually run over distance our aerobic systems will adapt and become more efficient. If we do lots of power work, including sprints, our anaerobic systems will develop. 

Depending on your goal you can alter the stimulus to change your body’s response.

There is one caveat to that statement, and that is: it takes time!

Doing something once or a few times won’t have too large an effect, but do something consistently over a prolonged period of time and the changes you are after will occur. And that is a promise. 

The key there is being consistent over a prolonged period of time. That is not a sexy message. It is not one that sells magazines or gains interest on social media, but it is the truth. 

Bodily change takes time.

All that you need to decide is what your goals are. What would you like your body to be able to do? My job is to help you decide upon the stimuli that will provide the adaptation you are after, and then to guide you through the process, keeping you on track, celebrating achievements with you along the way, and helping you towards that goal; something that has been described in the past as being Gandalf to Frodo. (hopefully I am wise enough to fit that description!)

If you would like some help achieving your goals, or even deciding on them, please do get in touch. Or if you’ve enjoyed reading this weekly missive, don’t be greedy.Pass it on to someone who might enjoy reading it too. I’ll be eternally grateful! 🙏😊