Using the Principle of Summation to Enhance your Overall Wellness Efforts

by Lynn Perkes

Whether an individual is looking to reduce their risk for developing a disease or condition, looking to enhance sport or physical performance, or simply trying to reach a desired goal, the process of achieving such can sometimes be daunting.

Too often a person may approach the task or goal with an all-or-none or an immediate need for gratification type effort, and too often the task presents itself as overwhelming, even frustrating, and can lead the person to give up well before seeing sufficient positive results needed to maintain their initial enthusiasm.

The “Principle of Summation”, I believe, is a more desirable and effective approach to the task of working to accomplish something worthwhile. Of course, it takes work and dedication, as does anything worth pursuing, but does so in a way that allows the individual to grow during the process and become more capable to achieve success. Not that the required tasks require less skill or execution, but rather that the person’s ability to accomplish the required tasks is enhanced in a line upon line manner, building skill, confidence, and excitement along the way.

The principle of summation can be applied to virtually any aspect of life or in accomplishing any goal or task with which a person may be presented. And it can even be fun and rewarding along the way. Let’s look at the principle of summation as it applies to improving health, fitness, and overall wellness.

The Principle of Summation, a line upon line approach

Consider the individual trying to enhance and increase their overall wellness. This can include efforts to reduce known disease risk factors such as hypertension and high blood cholesterol, lose weight, increase stamina, or any number of clinical or lifestyle improvements that would lead to greater health, fitness, and overall wellness.

Below are a variety of wellness interventions, organized into different categories, that by themselves may not yield the dramatic results you are ultimately looking for, but if added (summation) together and applied overtime, can yield significant benefits and result in the accomplish of your goals.

Of course, most will start with only a few different interventions and increase the number of interventions overtime, but also with each intervention independently increasing or building progressively within itself. Note that there are a variety of strategies in which they can be implemented. Those listed are consistent with how I apply them, but how your strategies look may be entirely different, but yield that same desired results.

The coolest thing about the consistent application of this principle is that you will absolutely experience (see and feel) how your body will adapt to the interventions/challenges your apply, and transition in wonderful ways during the process to become the body, the sense of well-being, and the mindset for continued success. Remember, success breeds enthusiasm and more success, and this approach is designed to produce both.

Fitness – a few examples

Push-ups: Push-ups are a great exercise to work the major muscle groups of the upper body (pectorals, anterior deltoid, triceps). Because a surface is all you need to perform push-ups, they can be done anywhere and anytime.

• Application:First thing in the morning when you get out of bed, move your arms a bit to warm them up and then hit the floor and perform your first set. Note, the amount of reps you perform will be unique to you but should challenge your muscles to complete the set. Then, go eat or shower, and then hit the floor again for your second set of pushups. Maybe you will do a third set. Regardless of where you begin, you should have a goal to complete a certain number of push-ups before leaving your house or apartment each day. If desired, you can also do sets throughout the day regardless of your schedule.

Squats: Goblet squats, performed by holding a dumbbell with your hands in cupping form, is a great exercise for working major muscle groups of the lower body (gluts, quads, hams, and gastrocsoleus complex). Here again, all you need to perform this exercise is a dumbbell and floor – at home, the office, etc.

• Application: The sets of squats could be performed in between pushups, just after breakfast, just before leaving home, during your lunch break, after changing from your work clothes to your “at-home” clothes, etc. Again, having a “trigger” or something that reminds you to complete another set, is key to the principle of summation.

Walking: We all walk to get where we need to go. Increasing the number of steps taken in a day can be a very helpful intervention for cardio fitness. Further, research indicates that sitting too long at one time (>45 min) can produce deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system.

• Application: Consider setting an alarm that reminds you that you need to get up from a sitting position and take a short walk around – during a work break, watching a movie, reading, etc. This will get your blood circulating more efficiently, provide a bit of increased invigoration during the sedentary times of sitting.

Remember the slogan, “exercise is medicine” and put it to the test.

Which exercises will you perform and with what “triggers” will you be reminded to do the set, take the walk, or simply move more?

Nutrition – a few examples

Counting grams of carbohydrates (CH0). Limiting the number of grams of CHO you consume in a day is known to be a healthy way to help control insulin levels and a positive nutritional step for assisting weight loss efforts.

• Application: Most people eat only a few (approx. 6) different breakfast’s each day, a slightly greater number of different lunches, and approx. 12 different dinners. Knowing the total gram amount of CHO in each of these meals can be a fun exercise to engage in and will provide you with the numbers for attaining your goals. For example, if you set a goal to limit grams to 70 per day, simply cutting back slightly on the amount in each meal will progress you toward the ultimate goal of only consuming 70 grams each day.

Portion control. We all have heard about or engaged in portion control, and that is a good thing. However, all too often, the amount of reduced portion is too great to do all at once. But, undertaking the deduction slowly and overtime in a line-upon-line fashion makes it far more likely to be done successfully overtime.

• Application: Whatever the meal, simply reduce the amount consumed by whatever allotment works for – a ¼ amount, a bite full, a half a cup, 1 item (roll, slice of bread, carrot, drink, etc.), or whatever the measurement may be for the food or drink being consumed. Maybe you will do it for one meal to being with, then up it to two, etc.

Increasing water consumption: We all know that water is vital for many life sustaining functions and certainly helpful in weight management efforts.

• Application: Carry a water bottle with you and take 3 gulps every 10-20 minutes throughout the day. This strategy alone could dramatically increase your fluid intake, help control appetite, provide the fluid medium needed for bodily functions, help protect your cartilage and other connective tissues, help control inflammatory conditions, and help with your efforts to reduce sitting and engage in walking just heading to and from the restroom.

Flavonoid intake: Flavonoids are health promoting chemicals found in plants and have been shown to have an inverse relationship with cardiovascular disease – the more you consume the lower your risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Flavonoids are found primarily in fruits and vegetables.

• Application: Consider simply increasing daily intake of fruit or vegetable by one. Add it to the meal most likely to have it happen. Plan for it and enjoy it. When you learn how health protecting flavonoids can be for your long-term health, this simple task can be a significant boost to your health in protection against some of the major chronic diseases.

Lifestyle – a few examples

Keep busy: We as humans should be anxiously engaged in good works and activities that engage our intellect and help us extend ourselves to others. The person seeking for a high-quality wellness-oriented life does not have a lot of time that can be devoted to doing little or no work that does not progress them in life or result in service to others.

• Application: Gaining new knowledge or skills through your diligent efforts and then applying it in creating, performing, or sharing. Take a talent you might have, like painting, woodburning, drawing, or some other art and creating something nice for someone. It could be anyone but doing something for them will help you keep busy and add more purpose and enrichment to your life.

Engaging in meaningful discussion:

• The person who values learning and who will present their thoughts in a constructive dialogue with another person who may have differing views is a wise person, for they will be learning and looking at things through another perspective. Having your thought and beliefs challenged, and challenging another’s thoughts and beliefs, if done with respect and with a real intent to learn and grow places themselves in a position to more fully contribute to the tasks of solving problems and resolving conflicts. People willing to do this are much needed in today’s world.

In conclusion. . . .

The challenge is yours to engage in appropriate (suited for you personally) and sustainable, line-upon-line lifestyle interventions, the summation of which will lead to significant changes toward a more productive, rewarding, meaningful life, and I would add a happier life.

Success to you.

(Lynn Perkes is a full-time faculty member at Brigham Young University-Idaho teaching courses in Kinesiology and Biomechanics, Applied Kinesiology and Assessment, Therapeutic Exercise, and Health Appraisal and Prescription. He writes part time for ProhealthcareProducts.com, who sells healthcare, therapy, and fitness products.)

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