MOVE: 8/21/15 Compound Earnings - Health Asset Style

Spoiler summary: It's only a short investment window, but it might be about to open.

For the last two weeks I've been talking about the idea of reaching peak fitness right at the moment you need it.....when demand is also at its peak.  The idea is simple, have "the most" when you need it most to make sure you can overcome the challenges and achieve.

• I talked about managing both the training load and the fatigue levels to ensure growth without breakdown.

• I talked about the benefit of using a phased approach (3-6 weeks per block) with distinct objectives/goals of each

• Last, I talked about the "peak" being a brief moment - temporary.

But what if you're ready to build a dynasty?  What if it's not a blip on the radar you're after, but long-term success?  What if your goal is to be the very best version of you for as long as possible?

Back to the financial analogy.  If, as I drew the parallel last week, we can view our fitness as something similar to a bank account.....something that we can add to (making deposits) or draw-down (write checks) or even leverage to accrue assets (pay off loans), then understanding how to turn a momentary peak into permanent growth isn't so complex.....it's about finding a new challenge and reinvesting the dividends over and over, which, as anyone who's played around with a compound-interest calculator can attest, is powerful stuff.

After making it through the heat of summer for example your aerobic system will have improved slightly due to the normal adaptations of acclimating.  Your heart rate may be slightly slower for example and your core temperature will have dropped a bit.  Said another way, when the peak temperatures are over we will be left with just a bit "extra" capacity. Is it possible to invest in fitness at that point and get a compounded effect?

To a certain extent the answer is yes.  It takes about 3 weeks for the normal summer-fitness adaptations to wear off once the weather breaks. So, assuming we're healthy enough to do so, that's three weeks to build on the assets accrued.  

But is 3 weeks really enough to do anything meaningful?  Although most people won't go from couch potato to super-athlete in 3 weeks, the short answer is YES.

Consider these 2 studies for example:

• Women who performed a total of 6 hours of high-intensity training over 2 weeks improved ability to burn fat considerably or maybe better yet

• As little as 3 reps of 30 seconds of intense activity has been shown improve the blood-sugar/insulin response in young sedentary men.

We're not quite there yet.....but eventually the hot weather will break.....and when it does, it might be a great time to make sure you get the most for your summer effort.

Reach out with questions.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.