If you’re reading the third and final installment of our series on chronic stress, I am going to assume that you’ve found it both useful and thought provoking. Reversing a condition that has been slowly bleeding into your subconscious over the course of decades is no easy task: it presupposes the contradiction and rejection of many of our natural tendencies and impulses, which to most sounds about as much fun as being the guest of honor at a blanket party.

We talked in our last post about why destressing necessitates a complete lifestyle overhaul, and provided a comprehensive list of solutions to a very real problem affecting a very large number of people. But this still isn’t enough for us at Lambda Strength. They say that the first step is always the hardest (a maxim I tend to disagree with but whatever, it fits the context in which I am writing), and it’s for this reason that I am dropping this post: to help you take the first of many steps in your journey towards immortality.

I’ve been obsessing over this series for more hours than I care to count: whichever way I tried to arrange and rearrange my ideas, I just couldn’t find a logical gap in the overall narrative where I could insert some ‘fitness’ content, which you know, is supposed to be like, what we do… So yea, after much deliberation, I finally decided to write a final installment as an afterword of sorts, detailing the easiest way to start making positive changes in your lifestyle that you can experience and feel in your day-to-day starting from now.

It all starts with being jacked af

Physical activity is the first line of defense against chronic stress; building an impressive physique is not only good for your health, which let’s be honest, nobody actually cares about, but it is also a sure fire way of boosting your confidence and improving the quality of your social interactions. As much as it pains me to admit it,the cold, hard truth is that sexy people are treated differently than non sexy people, because sexy people, for the most part, feel better about themselves, and are therefore better equipped at making others feel good in their company. And while we’re at it, detoxes are stupid. Yw.

The bottom line is that people are attracted to people whose bodies reflect our societal ideals; men are expected, even in our modern world of double chins, muffin tops and ‘health and beauty at every size’, to be strong, muscular and driven, and women, slender, athletic and alluring. You can argue with me until you’re blue in the face, but all you have to do is look around at how mainstream standards of beauty have shaped our expectations and perceptions of others to see that I’m right.

Physio-psychological benefits of being in shape

I suppose that one of the biggest reasons I struggled to properly structure the articles in this series is that there exists no clear cut line separating physiology and psychology. They affect, and in turn are affected by one another much in the same way that two prized fighters engage each other in a highly complex, technical and interconnected dance of violence.

Elite fighters are always assessing and reassessing the changes taking place in their immediate surroundings in order to make the necessary amendments to their plans and strategies in real time.

• Grip strength vs blood/sweat viscidity: not easy trying to choke someone out when they’re basically nekkid and covered in blood, sweat and tears.
• Unexpected in-fight injuries: have you ever tried throwing a punch with a broken hand or going the distance with both eyes swollen shut? Yea, I’d almost rather be tossed in a vat of hydrofluoric acid.
• Personal errors in judgement: how does one get back into the fight after an epic fail of a mistake? All it takes is one lucky strike for even the hardest motherfuckers to get knocked out

The point here is that no two fights are ever going to be the same; there are way too many factors to take into account at any given time for anything to ever be perfectly predictable. The same goes with life. Focus on what you can control and give it all you got, even if all you got is 1 training day a week for now.

Exercise and proper nutrition are not optional. By forcing your body to adapt to progressively heavier training volumes, you are eliciting the physical changes required to set yourself up for long term psycho-emotional health. As the endorphins begin to regularly flood your system, your mood will begin to lighten and perhaps, given enough effort and progress, you may find that for the first time in a long time, you actually feel good, and not just meh.

And that’s where the magic is

When you break away from your self destructive habits, and begin focusing on taking care of your body, your body pays you back in spades.

• Metabolic function goes back online and fat loss becomes easier
• Digestion improves and muscle mass is gained at a faster rate
• The immune system reboots and helps you fight premature aging, ulcers and sexual dysfunction
• Sexual desire skyrockets
• The cardiovascular system is strengthened, allowing you to tap into a larger energy store
• The endocrine system is allowed to reset and normal hormonal function is reestablished

And because the way we feel strongly correlates with the bio-hormonal fluctuations constantly taking placein your brain, by taking steps towards changing your physiology through proper training and nutrition, you are likely to experience a host of psychological benefits soon after you commence training:

• Improved mood and confidence
• Improved memory and cognitive function
• Reduced stress and an increased resilience to stress
• A sense of accomplishment
• Improved body image
• Increased energy
• Decreased symptoms associated with depression

Training and nutrition are only the first step however: use the momentum generated by your new found gains to address some the other factors that may be responsible for your chronic stress.

And just so you, the good people of the interwebz, don’t think that we’re all theory and no practice, here is a killer training program that I designed in collaboration with my fellow Lambda coaches to get you out of your lifestyle rut and on your way to world domination.