Starting out in the world of fitness and training is a big step, since going to the gym for even an hour can make a huge difference, especially for beginners. Yet one must also recognize that pushing oneself to the limit during a workout is of little use if the rest of the day is spent entirely sedentary, if we don’t get enough rest, and if we eat more than we need. This is clearly explained by José Ruiz, a fitness expert, in an interview with THE OBJECTIVE. For the specialist, the true secret to transforming the body doesn’t lie in metabolic tricks or extreme workouts, but in what we do during the 23 hours of the day when we are not training. He also explains that grasping this idea is the first step toward real and lasting results.
The key is to take it step by step
To lose weight clearly and without complications, fitness expert José Ruiz advises a complete shift in how we think. Many people believe that the most important thing is to sweat a lot or count the calories burned while exercising, but the real objective should be “build a body that spends more energy and functions better.”
To achieve this, the trainer proposes three very simple steps that anyone can follow. The first is to perform strength exercises to protect and grow the muscles. The second is to walk more in daily life, since taking more steps helps burn energy naturally without overtaxing the body. The third is to maintain an adequate diet to eat slightly less than what the body expends, but always in a healthy way and without going hungry.
Moreover, at his Málagaentrena center they have found that people who lost 10, 20 or 30 kilos didn’t achieve it by “killing themselves” with nonstop training. They achieved it simply by learning to eat better, moving a little more each day, and discarding the idea of doing everything perfectly or doing nothing at all. In the end, big changes come from the small actions we repeat daily, as José Ruiz himself reminds: “What changes the body is the sum of repeated decisions. Training for an hour is great. But if afterwards you spend 12 hours sitting, you sleep poorly and eat without control, the result is greatly limited.”
Strength as a ‘life insurance’ from age 50 onward
The interview also highlights the enormous importance of strength training as we age. From 40 and 50 years old, the body accelerates the loss of muscle mass if nothing is done to prevent it. This isn’t noticeable all at once, but in small daily details: first it becomes harder to climb stairs, then to get up from the couch, and then pain, stiffness, and a lack of balance appear. That’s why Ruiz states that “muscle is health” and that strength training acts as a kind of “functional life insurance.” With age, exercise is no longer performed solely for aesthetic purposes, but to maintain independence and quality of life.
