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Get healthier by investing in law of compound interest


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CLAY COUNTY – Compound interest and how it works to make you healthier.

The methods and tactics for getting into shape, losing weight or adding muscle are simple. This doesn’t mean they are easy to put into practice with a busy life, but the principles work, and they are relatively easy to understand. I am an analogy person. When I give lectures, seminars, or train clients I like to use analogies to describe what needs to happen or how I want them to get where they need to go. One such concept is the law of compound interest.

When you hear the term “compound interest” it conjures up visions of dollars and cents. Most people understand this philosophy. If you put money into an interest-bearing account, it will continue to grow. Not only from the money you stock away but also from the interest it accrues while sitting in the account. The more money stocked into the account the more interest you will receive. It is an easy concept and guess what…. the same theory works with health and fitness. I will give you some examples of how this can work for you.

The strength example: To build lean muscle and burn fat you need to lift weights and incorporate resistance training. The stronger you are the more weight you can lift safely and the more repetitions you can complete in a given workout. The result is a more “toned” physique, and yes that is for all those women afraid to lift because they assume it will bulk them up. That isn’t true and you were sold a lie for many decades. So, let’s use the example of a bench press. Let’s say you lift 100pounds for five sets of five reps (aka 25 total reps). 25 x 100 pounds equals 2,500 pounds of weight moved in this workout. That total amount is known as volume. So, if after a few weeks you can lift 110 pounds for the same 25 reps your volume goes from 2,500 to 2,750. Same time frame for the workout however your body has adapted to put more work in. Do this over the course of a year and the total volume is staggering. Not to mention the added strength and cosmetic changes to the body.

The weight loss example: Same theory but the math is slightly different. We know that to burn fat and lose weight we must be in a caloric deficit. So, if you are currently eating 2,000 calories a day and you cut it down to 1,500 calories a day, you will begin to lose weight. Want more “interest” with that? Add in more activity with things like walking, exercise, gym classes and swimming and you will burn even more calories than you used to which will aid in your caloric deficit. Do this for a period of time and five pounds lost can become 25 pounds lost. Not only that but you will lose certain cravings for sugar or alcohol. All of these factors will add to your compound interest.

This method works with anything related to your health and wellness. Want to run a marathon? You should probably learn to run one mile effectively and then repeat this process while slowly adding milage as your body adapts. You would never try to get off the couch and just run 26.2 miles.

You have to understand that work done over a period of time is what matters. Increasing your stimulus slowly over time through things such as added load, more repetition, more time spent performing a task, shorter rest periods all add the main goal. Every good decision is like money in the bank. Every bad decision is a withdrawal. If you make more deposits than withdrawals, you will end up with a better result. So, take each day to make your good deposits while trying your best to avoid costly withdrawals and you will be a healthier human for it.

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William Davis has been in the fitness industry for 10 years and he’s run Steel Mill Fleming Island for seven years. He’s also a USA weightlifting sport performance and USA powerlifting club coach, a CrossFit Level 2 trainer, PN nutrition coach, CrossFit powerlifting trainer, aerobic capacity trainer, movement and mobility trainer and rowing trainer.