365 Days of Exercise, Tracked.

April 4th marked 1 year since starting a workout program for longevity. It’s a custom made program based on research about healthy aging and longevity. Using AI, I leveraged different data sources for optimization over time:

1. Garmin Watch. Tracking sleep, steps, runs, VO2 Max.
2. Garmin Scale. Tracking weigh-ins.
3. Morpheus Chest Strap. Tracking heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV).
4. MyFitnessPal. Tracking of foods consumed, nutrients, and macros.
5. Bloodwork. Tracking of cholesterol, lipids, and other items (every 90 days).
6. Gym Binder. Tracking of every weight-lifting exercise, reps, weights.

Over 365 days, I also kept note of my emotions, events, routine-challenges, and more. This helped me uncover behavioural patterns.

General Findings

These might not surprise you, but it was neat to quantify and chart them:

• Alcohol Wrecks Recovery. Workouts following alcohol consumption put my heart through gymnastics. I can only describe the graphs as sporadic. Heart stress (Garmin) was high to say the least.
• Calories Drive Weight Loss. Managing calories was the most important factor in decreasing weight.
• Post-Workout Overeating is Real. The mental trap of justifying larger portions or unhealthy food is real.
• Life Events Break Routines. Birthday parties, holidays, and events disrupt routines and need to be countered.
• Sickness Interrupts Momentum. Catching a cold puts me out of the gym for 3-4 days, disrupting the schedule. Having some personal back-at-it protocols can help here.

Protein and Weight Loss: A Conflicting Struggle

Research suggests we ought to consume 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight. Fitness coaches suggest consuming 1g of protein per 1lb of TARGET bodyweight.

In practice, this is hard.

Starting off the program I weighed 268lbs. My target weight was 250lbs for the first year. In order to hit a calorie deficit, I struggled to hit the protein goal. I worked at this for 4 months, making optimizations to my diet and routine. In the final analysis, it wasn’t viable to reach or maintain on a daily basis for the target weight of 250lbs.

At present, I consume ~150g of protein per day and am able to maintain a calorie deficit (aiming for and updated weight goal of 220lbs).

Not optimal on paper, but effective in practice.

The Damage of Holidays Cascades Into Months

Season drift is a dangerous slope. Especially Halloween.

Before Halloween, grocery stores increase the visibility of candy and chips. Next, workplaces do their version of Halloween (cupcakes, chocolate). Then comes Halloween itself.

If you make it this far, congratulations. But it’s not over yet.

Going back to work, coworkers and peers start to bring all their leftover junk to the office. The sweets and treats linger for ~2 weeks. With only 2 weeks left to December, the Christmas parties and holiday shopping is inbound.

Now it all happens again throughout December to New Years. Before you know it, you’re 6-8+ weeks off track.

The time between Halloween to Christmas seems long, but they’re pretty much right next to each other on the bad-eating map. Sprinkle in a few birthday parties.. takes a lot of willpower and discipline.

It’s like walking through a landmine field. You learn to do it carefully.

• Keep protein bars nearby.
• Eat healthy meals before birthday parties.
• Exercise ahead of events.

Plateaus: The Con of Being Disciplined

This one surprised me.

I figured my program would be a story of “work hard, get better results”. But my body adapted.

• Months 1-3. Rapid progress, high effort, visible gains.
• Months 6-8. Less sweat, strength increases, risk of overloading.
• Month 12. Buzzing my way through the program with less fatigue and more control.

Unbeknownst to me, I built up my aerobic base (stamina, and endurance).Naturally, I opted for heavier lifts, but that’s where injuries happen.

After some research, it seems the right move is to focus on performance-based adjustments.

• Not increasing weight on lifts.
• Increasing reps from 12 to 15, 8 to 10, etc.
• Increasing speed on runs (just slightly improving pace).

For example, if I can complete a 5K run in 33 minutes, can I work to adjust it to 30 minutes? Small changes, small improvements, small wins.

Planning The Next 365 Days

This “program” I’ve been following isn’t a quick one-and-done answer to weight loss. It’s intended to serve the establishment of a long healthy life.

Year 1 was about awareness and establishing a manageable routine that was flexible to my lifestyle (and being consistent with it).

Year 2 will be about performance and refinement. Performance of lifts. Performance of runs. Performance of practicing patience and being disciplined.