DO YOU HAVE GENES TO BUILD MUSCLES?
As the number of fitness influencers is increasing on the internet, so is the people getting disheartened by the self-perceived notion of bad genes. Many of us abandon our fitness routines with the excuse of bad genes. Someone perceives that he is overweight because of genes or he cannot develop muscles because of genes. All of this is the result of social media projecting bulky muscles as the symbol of fitness. We need to understand that there is a lot more to fitness.
FIVE COMPONENTS OF FITNESS
There are five components of fitness which have been identified by research namely Endurance, Strength, Flexibility, Speed and Co-ordination. First of all, there was no word as fitness when we evolved. It was either alive or dead. Fitness is the brainchild of modernisation. We slowly started getting detached from our natural environments and started living in villages or town or cities, where there was no need to live like animals. We started gaining fat and corresponding diseases. Five components of fitness are developed because of evolution. All these components were required to live as the primates. Strength to climb trees and fight opponents.
Speed to run away from danger or catch a prey. Flexibility to maneuver between the tree branches and avoid injuries from fighting and falling. Endurance to prey and travel long distances in search of food or a partner. Co-ordination of all these components is required to succesfully surpass the challenges of environment and succeed as a species to stand on the top of food chain.
WHICH ONE IS YOU?
It is clear that all of us have all the components of fitness. That’s why we are able to read this article today. Our ancestors had all the components to survive the challenges of climate and terrain. But, there have been different types of terrains for the ancestors of each one of us. Now-a-days, we are so intemingled and intermixed that we dont realise the difference between varities of humans. This intermixing is the result of cross-breeding and travelling. In a way, this intermixing proved beneficial that we defeated many gene mutations or diseases on the way.
We might be wearing same type of clothes or living in the apartments of the same building, but deep inside each one of us is unique. Everyone’s body carries the DNA markers of the particular component of fitness which his/her ancestors would have attained. As a result of different environments, our ancestors developed one or the other component of fitness in preference to other. Someone living at a place with good weather and good food had enough calories to maintain the muscle mass and this muscle mass also required to fight the opponents competing for food. This type developed muscles as well as a fighting spirit. Someone living in mountains required muscles to store extra glycogen to provide explosive power for the climb. Fat was not useful in providing explosive energy as fat requires high amount of oxygen to convert to ATPs.
While moving up in a mountain, fat was of no use. So, people living in mountains store less fat in their bodies and more muscles. Moreover, their diets are also aligned with their bodies, mostly non-vegetarians. Someone living in a desert, needed more calories while keeping the body cool. They could not afford to store fat as the food was not rich in calories and also fat would keep the body warm, they developed slim bodies with lesser muscles to maintain and high endurance. Speed, Flexibility and Co-ordinations was a need for everybody.
We will mostly find bodies inclined towards endurance or strength. Bodies either inclined towards storing more fat or more muscles. Now-a-days, muscles have been overly emphasised because there is no space for endurance to be displayed. No one can check as if you can run behind a wild horse faster.
MODERN FITNESS = MUSCLES
Now-a-days, muscles have been wrongly presented as a symbol of beauty. Only thing people want is to look good. Muscles may be a characteristic of few people not all. The market of fitness is growing because of this . Those who are not naturally inclined towards muscle mass, feel inferiority complex and start buying the non-sense and expensive products like protein powder, fish-oil, creatine and gym memberships .
IDENTIFY YOURSELF : NO DNA TEST NEEDED
You should first aim to work upon the five components of fitness. Slowly, you will be able to identify whether you are inclined towards strength or endurance or any other component . There is no need of DNA testing . Everyone has bad genes for some or the other component. Its not bad, its unsuited. The word “bad” has been associated by marketing companies to drive an inferiority complex and guilt and make money.
Once your niche is identified, you can work upon excelling in that while keeping a balance with other components of fitness.
Pls comment, what is your favourite component of fitness?
STAY FIT !! STAY HEALTHY!!
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