by Coach Dunte Hector

 Any fans of the TV series Scrubs will remember the song-and-dance episode where J.D. and Turk opined that the source of nearly all of one’s medical problems could be discovered in poop. We’re not going there, exactly, but it is important to discuss the factors that are so easily overlooked when we dive into a training program.

First, let’s remember that health and fitness are not the same. That alone should be a blog post, but here’s the 30-second summary:

Point, the first: HEALTH is the optimal, synergistic function of all the body’s organs. Health is “normal” blood profiles (cholesterol, blood sugar, cell size & volume), “normal” brain function (physiomotor regulation, coordination, focus), “normal” hormone function (thyroid, liver, and GI tract hormone secretion), and “normal” physical function (cell growth, protein synthesis, and joint alignment). Health is affected by wellness actions: sleeping, eating, relaxing, socializing, learning.

Point, the second: FITNESS is the ability to do a task, usually a physical task. Fitness is connected inseparably to a specific action or goal. Fitness has NOTHING to do with health.

Here’s the significance of the above statements: For you who have plateaued and/or who entered DBS without a significant physical limitation (such as obesity, injury, or structural dysfunction), improving your fitness will not directly improve your health. But improving your health could dramatically improve your fitness.

Back to the point, because I don’t want to run on too long here: If you are not seriously considering the quantity and quality of your sleep, you are wasting your time training. If you are not seriously considering the quality of the food you eat, you are wasting your time training. If you are not seriously considering how you manage stress in your life, or how often you interact positively with people, or how you talk about (and to) yourself, you are wasting your time training. If you are not taking steps to protect yourself — “don’t smoke, wear a seat belt, and floss daily,” as Dan John says — then you are wasting your time training.

Training can be considered a productive stress. It prepares the body for progressively more difficult, more rapid, more complex physical work. It improves neuromuscular coordination, which means you think and react better to stimuli, physical and mental. It improves your resilience to stress and your ability to cope with stress. But training can only have that impact in a healthy environment. If you do not rest, training only wears you down. If you do not eat well, training only destroys your tissues. If you are immersed in negativity and chronic, unmanaged stress, training only adds to that stress. If you are not being smart with your body, training only contributes to the deterioration.

Look, I love training. I love the physical development aspects of being a coach here at the Shop. But I am a COACH, not a “trainer”, and the distinction is for good reason: I want to improve you as an athlete and as a person, and that means helping you understand the role your health plays in your performance. Your health should always be your first priority, unless you are an elite professional athlete. If your sport doesn’t pay your bills, you’re not an elite professional. So maybe get those blood tests and ask follow-up questions; maybe sacrifice some TV or working-from-home time to get to bed earlier; maybe take your food journal (which you’re keeping right?) more seriously. Most likely, you’ll break through that plateau.

As J.D. and Turk sang, there is something your poop can teach you here: according to a lot of quality research, irregular bowel movements are strong indicators of hormone dysfunction. Hormone dysfunction has been consistently shown to improve under conditions of adequate sleep, proper diet, and positive self-talk. So if you are training hard but not making the progress you want, maybe you should, in fact, look at the poop.

At the very least, monitor and attend to your health. Then, watch your fitness explode. ♦