Relieve Low Back Pain | Reduce Low Back Pain | Canada's Leading Authority in Human Movement | Dev Chengkalath

I’ve been in the health and fitness business as a physical therapist and human movement specialist long enough to have learned an important lesson.

Health doesn’t sell.

On one hand, everyone cares about it. But on the other hand, it’s just not sexy enough.

You don’t see major corporations touting health as a major benefit of their products, unless their product is inherently unhealthy and they want you to think otherwise.  

So if health isn’t what everyone is after, what’s the holy grail? What’s everybody looking for?

Jamie Eason

Looking good naked.

Can you deny that?

I know I can’t.

Can you honestly say that with every grueling workout you push through, you don’t think of the benefits to your physique before you think of the benefits to your health?

I know I can’t.

And that is the fallacy of exercising solely for health. 

Keep on moving to look good naked.

Dev Chengkalath.

Whatever you may say, the body depends on the soul.

Nikolai Gogol

I ended my last post with the underlying and unifying passion that drives me in this industry.

Empowerment.

Most trainers and physical therapists in the fitness industry believe there is no greater sense of satisfaction than to see tangible and dramatic changes in their clients. Their clients themselves will seek the same nirvana, the same raison d’être.

Everyone wants to see results.

Think about that for a moment.

Is it the weight-loss, or the muscle gain, or the 5″ of extra vertical jump that will allow you to lead the life you not only want, but deserve? Is it those “results” that let you take control of your destiny and allow you to follow your dreams? Is that what will get you out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day? Is that what truly breaks your own personal “quiet desperation”?

“How much do you bench?”

Gym Dude

Sound familiar? When asked about their amazing transformations, my clients are more likely to talk about their numbers and their hard data:

“I lost 23 lbs”

“I dropped 7% body fat”

“I put on 8 lbs of muscle”

Or, they may talk about what everyone else is saying about their changes.

“At work yesterday, my co-workers asked me if I’ve lost weight.”

“I was out for lunch with my friends and they noticed the change in my arms”

But when taking the time to actually listen to what they’re saying, the message is quite different. It’s not just the numbers, it’s not just the physical changes.

It’s much, much more.

As a trainer and physical therapist, I’ve gotten caught up in the fitness game, aiming for those specific measures, aiming for that ideal percentage and following along in an industry dominated by numbers, facts, figures and a whole lot of fiction.

I lost sight of why I got involved in the first place, what my purpose was, what my reason was.

For my clients, those numbers offer instant gratification, at times worn like a badge of honour and pride. And deservedly so.

However, more importantly, and lost to me until just recently reminded, those numbers are actually an external display of a more important internal transformation.

From kitten to lion

It’s that fundamental soul-shift, that subtle change, that allows my clients to not only experience the life they want, but create the life they deserve.

The changes start gradually. Posture improves. Confidence and self-esteem slowly increase. Energy begins to appear in abundance.

They are empowered through exercise. And motivated by movement.

They can face our challenging world and all the daily stresses, battles, and commitments: deadlines, time lines, bills, family and friends. They can keep smiling. They can be true to themselves.

They can live guilt-free.

And because of this, they impact those around them and spread that positive energy.

They can live powerfully.

Dev Chengkalath

Here’s my dirty little secret.

Over the course of the past 6-8 weeks I’ve let my training slip. Yup. Big-time.

It didn’t happen suddenly, mind you. In fact, I didn’t even really notice a big change at all. It was more of a combination of a bunch of little changes that, when summed up, were horrible!

After years of fairly consistent training and nutrition, I’d let myself slide.

I’d heard all the excuses before.

Putting off the workouts because something else more pressing at the time came up: dinner with friends, a “must-see” TV show, a crisis at work, overtime or any other number of excuses or events.Too tired, too hungry, or any other “toos”.

And I’d heard of the repercussions as well.

The weight gain. The muscle loss. The waning energy levels. Disturbed sleep. Depression.

I’ve had clients tell me they just wake up one day and find that they’re unable to fit into their favourite pair of jeans, out of shape, with aching joints, or low back pain.

Even climbing a simple set of stairs would leave them breathless. True de-conditioning.

I’ve seen this in my clients and now I’m starting to see this in myself. Well, not exactly to that level.

But enough to make me stop and take stock.

How could this happen?

I’m an experienced healthcare professional who has access to all the best training and nutritional information anyone would EVER need to build their ultimate body.

I’m connected to some of the top physiotherapists and conditioning specialists in Toronto. I’m an online moderator on the forums of one of the top nutrition systems in the world (Precision Nutrition). I have numerous degrees and designations in physical therapy and fitness.

But somewhere along the line, I let myself know everything but do nothing.

Not familiar?

When told about something, many people, and I’m just as guilty of this, will say “I know, I know!”.

Everyone knows how important exercise is; everyone knows eating healthy will make a dramatic difference; smokers know smoking is bad for them; most people know lots. The knowledge is out there.

But it’s one thing to know something.

It’s a completely different thing to do something about it.

And that’s where I stand. I know lots but have done nothing. I’ve been dispensing the advice but not taking it myself.

I’ve failed at consistent application of my training and nutrition habits.

A not so subtle softness has descended upon my midsection. What once was rock hard and chiseled is now a shadow of its former self. My arms and legs have atrophied from their previous proportionate states. I would be deluding myself if I thought I could play even half a soccer match, let alone 90 minutes on the pitch.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think I look like I workout.

The problem is that I just look like a smaller, softer and weaker version.

This is where it hurts and I’m loathe to admit it, but my body is not a body I’m proud of anymore.

In this blog series I will chronicle my journey toward my ultimate body. I will detail my trials and tribulations. My fortunes and my frustrations. My successes and my failures.

This will be a small part of my MAGIC HUNDRED.

This will be me, overcoming my inertia.

This will be my return to the iron.

Dev Chengkalath

When it comes to the best way to lose weight and/or get fit using cardio, the debate rages on.

Which is better- high intensity interval training (HIIT) or steady state cardio (long duration, slow pace)? 

Outside of the all important nutrition side of things, the answer may surprise you.

For most people, HIIT, if done correctly, will lead to greater weight loss when compared to steady state cardio, even if the total time is significantly less.

How does that happen?

It goes back to basic exercise physiology: EPOC or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. 

HIIT training increases EPOC much more than steady state cardio does. That means your body has to work extra hard AFTER you are done your exercise to replace the oxygen debt created during the exercise. 

Your body now acts like a furnace for hours post-exercise and will use body fat as fuel.

The added bonus: HIIT can be done in a fraction of the time it takes to do steady state cardio!

Isn’t that what we’re all looking for-better results in less time?

Dev Chengkalath