3459: The Compound Interest of Fitness by Rachel Trotta on Sustainable Fitness

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Health Daily, The Compound Interest of Fitness by Rachel Trotta of RachelTrotta.com and I'm Dr. Neal Malik Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. And then on Fridays, I do something a little different. That's where I answer your questions.

[00:01:00] Alright, let's keep this intro nice and short and get right to today's article as we optimize your life. The Compound Interest of Fitness by Rachel Trotta of RachelTrotta.com This year, as I wrapped up tax season last month, I was, of course, happy to be finished with the arduous task of cataloging receipts and filling out every minuscule form for the IRS.

[00:01:29] However, I was also struck by how much I wanted to be more proactive this year, plan ahead so that next April would be easier and faster. As I pondered ways to be more organized and strategic in my bookkeeping, I realized that there are some pretty convenient overlaps between finances and fitness, even down to compound interest, long-term investments, and getting in the right headspace.

[00:01:53] Of course, there are the stereotypical spenders and savers, but financial health, like physical health, often runs deeper than the obvious cliches and types. To delve into the complexity of these issues, I have created composite characters to illustrate how different fitness and eating decisions can impact your long-term health in five different ways. And I'm going to be taking each concept a week at a time.

[00:02:18] Here is the first question to ask yourself about how your financial behavior may be mirrored in your fitness and health habits. Compound Interest Do you contribute regularly to your fitness investment over time? Exercising regularly lets you enjoy the benefits of the health equivalent of compound interest.

[00:02:38] In the financial world, this type of interest is a yield from an investment, like an IRA, that includes both the principal or the deposit, as well as interest on the interest. This means that contributing for 10 years, starting at the age of 25, is better than contributing for 30 years, starting at the age of 35. To bust any perfectionism, keep in mind that starting at 35 is still great, and better than starting at 45. And starting at 45 is better than starting at 55.

[00:03:08] Continuously contributing to an account that yields compound interest is a no-brainer, because the results are powerful in the long run. Exercising regularly over the course of a lifetime will yield similar results. Longevity of participation is more important than the amount of participation, using this metric. Here are two real-world examples for fitness. Evan was never technically overweight as a teenager, but he wasn't athletic either.

[00:03:35] Then, throughout his 20s and 30s, he gradually put on 60 pounds, and developed a desk-job sedentary lifestyle, getting takeout every day that work was busy, which was most days. When he turned 40, he went for a milestone visit to the doctor, and got some troubling news. His cholesterol was higher than optimal. His blood pressure and blood sugar didn't look great either, and his knees were stressed from the additional weight.

[00:04:01] Motivated, Evan immediately began running several miles a day, started lifting weights at the gym, and hit the dieting hard. As a result, he enjoyed weight loss, but found that he had difficulty maintaining it. His workout regime was demanding, and it seemed that as soon as he allowed some element of his former life back into his routine, like a few days of skip workouts or a couple of beers, he would put on a few pounds. Ashley participated in sports in high school. She continued to play in soccer league throughout college and into young adulthood.

[00:04:31] And when she switched cities for work, she continued to play in a soccer league throughout college and into young adulthood. And when she switched cities for work, she continued to run on her own a few times a week. Ashley was also mindful about her diet, and tried to eat as healthfully as possible on a regular basis throughout her 20s and 30s. She planned her meals and cooked for herself, and experimented with new recipes and ingredients. She packed snacks for work as soon as she started her first professional job in her 20s, and never stopped that habit.

[00:05:01] She also did a great deal of informal, micro-exercise throughout her week. Even though she worked a desk job, she made sure to take the stairs at work, biked for fun on the weekends, and took her dog for frequent walks when she was at home. When Ashley turned 40, there was no unusual news at the doctor. Ashley was simply 40. She was still at a healthy weight, and even though her most intense participation in exercise was long past, she had no difficulty maintaining a relatively lean muscle mass and had a clean bill of health.

[00:05:30] So what are the lessons from Evan, who did the equivalent of an aggressive, late-in-life IRA, and Ashley, who metaphorically started her investment in her teens and made her biggest deposits early in life? Start now. No matter your age, procrastinating will only make results harder to achieve. Staying fit for a longer period of time, as early in life as possible, will yield metabolic benefits for your body, whether you're listening to this at the age of 18 or 58.

[00:06:00] It's just like compound interest. Your body will yield interest on interest if you maintain a healthy weight, a high activity level, and a nourishing diet throughout your lifespan. The flip side of this, however, is that it is never too late. Even if you feel that you identify more with Evan than with Ashley, the rule of compound interest still applies in your favor, if you start now. If you feel that way, like maybe you're a little behind, play a game with the example I just shared,

[00:06:29] and change the ages to match your life story better. Maybe Ashley makes a change at 35 and reaps the benefits at her 65-year checkup. No matter what, it's best to start as soon as possible, preferably now. Changing your mindset. Just as with financial goals, fitness goals are equally focused on your behavior in the present and the desired outcome in the distant future. You have to be hyper-focused and yet able to deal with the delayed gratification of the results.

[00:06:59] Now is important, so that 20 years from now is great. Whenever I meet a new client, the first assignment is always a food log. They have to track everything they eat for one week and email it to me at the end of the week. However, I never say, start tracking Monday. I say, start today by writing down everything starting with what you ate already this morning, whether it's a Monday, Thursday, or Saturday. This helps clients avoid the Monday diet mentality

[00:07:26] and instead cultivates a start now mentality. It's a microcosm of how you have to adjust your mindset about a lifetime of fitness. If you were planning on starting that great new workout or way of eating on Monday, don't delay. Start now. You just listened to the post titled The Compound Interest of Fitness by Rachel Trotta of racheltrotta.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. One thing I love about summer

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[00:10:01] Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. Personally, I felt I was somewhere between Evan and Ashley. When I was younger, I played sports, but by the time I got to college, I had stopped basically being active altogether. But after I graduated college, I had a desk job and would get takeout pretty much every day for lunch, wasn't active, I had a sedentary lifestyle and soon found my lab values

[00:10:30] during my checkups at my doctor were not looking so great. Luckily, instead of going on that kind of crash diet, hardcore exercise program that wasn't sustainable, instead, I actually did kind of slowly get myself back into it and I slowly changed my diet and that became very sustainable for me. And what Rachel was trying to say is if you didn't completely identify with Evan or Ashley's stories, basically personalize what she's trying to say to you in your life. And if it can get you motivated

[00:11:00] to start right now on a path of better fitness, an improved diet, or both, then that's all that matters. Now, it's likely a myth, but supposedly when someone asked Albert Einstein, what's the greatest human invention, he replied, compound interest. Again, probably something he didn't say. But either way, compound interest is a fantastic concept when it comes to money and as Rachel so eloquently put it, our lifestyle.

[00:11:30] Even if we begin making the investments now, if we add a little bit at a time, it will add up. It will compound and it will slowly, but surely, improve your health. But the key is you have to start now. All right, that's it for today. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for sharing this show with someone. I'll be back here tomorrow for the Friday Q&A as usual. So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits.