Opposing Forces
Are you strong? Can you get stronger? Do you even wish you were stronger?
Physics can help with that. Whether it is pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, or weight training, there are opposing forces at work. You can study the subject of physics to learn the mathematical formulas to measure those forces, if you want.
However, I prefer to just describe why you should be aware of and use the laws of physics to keep yourself healthy.
Being able to see and understand the physical forces around you and how to control or leverage them will greatly enhance your health and energy level and ability to accomplish what you want to do.
There are many things in life that will try to keep us from reaching our goals. The worst one is our own unwillingness to use the tools available to us.
Be Aware of Math in Physics
The laws of physics are somewhat simple but the math formulas attached to them scare most people away from the subject.
My hope is that you will read some of the laws and observe the effects and use them in real life situations. Here are a few examples:
- A body in motion tends to stay in motion. That is why we need brakes on our vehicles. The math attached to that shows that the weight of the vehicle affects how long it takes to stop. Give the big vehicles plenty of room! And give your own vehicle plenty of room to stop. No tailgating please, for your own safety and health!
- Hydraulics relate to the force of liquid. That is why flash floods do so much damage. Water weighs 8 lbs. per gallon. Thousands of gallons of water in motion have a lot of force, which you could calculate.
- There are simple machines that use the lever, wheel, incline plane, pulley, screw, or wedge to move heavy objects.
Physical Bodies Use Physics
Our bodies are engineering marvels. I personally believe they were designed that way in our creation.
Our muscles contract and expand to allow movement. However, without our bone structure, including joints, we would not move very well.
Perhaps you are at the peak of fitness with your body. I have let myself get too heavy which has given me physical issues. I hope you can consider the physics of your own body and work on what will keep it functioning well.
I am working on losing weight, even though it gets harder to do so as we age. The reason I believe this is important lies in physics.
Our bone structure was designed to carry a certain weight. I know there is a lot of disagreement when you look at ideal weight charts based on your height. Your bone size will affect that calculation.
If you feel like you are carrying too much weight and the charts you look at show you are over by a scary amount, I suggest you consider at what weight you have felt your best for your goal.
There are some simple formulas to consider when losing weight. First, calories in must be less than calories used. Most experts agree that each pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. With that in mind, it might take a while to eat fewer calories than your body uses each day enough to represent a pound of fat. Exercise helps but as my mom used to say, the best exercise is to push yourself away from the table!
Second, you can burn more calories by exercising. Plus, there is a residual effect where muscles continue to use calories as they recover from exercise. Walking is good. Cycling is good. But my favorite exercise is swimming since it is a whole-body exercise. Therefore, more calories are burned in a shorter period.
Third, muscles weigh more than fat. So, some forms of exercise will build your muscle faster than you lose fat which leads to little difference on the scales for a period. Keep that in mind when you feel discouraged with a lot of exercise and no weight loss. As you gain muscle strength and mass, you will begin to burn more calories sitting still.
You may have to remind yourself daily that this will be worth the effort. It is fact that strong bodies will rest better, recover faster, and have more energy during the day.
Your exercise for strength will increase your endurance.
Use Physics to Save Weight
I have mentioned lifting weights for strength and endurance. That will help you be healthier.
However, most of us hurt ourselves when we ignore our physical limits. We carry or lift objects that we are not ready to lift or strong enough to lift. That causes muscle strains, which can stretch ligaments tied to joints, which means pain.
If we learn to use physics, we can avoid many of those injuries. Done too often, those injuries can do permanent damage. Joints are usually the first to give out as we age.
So what physics am I referring to? Before I mention a few examples, I should note that the laws of physics note there is a sacrifice in speed and distance. Therefore, that may be the reason most fail to use the tools or machines to lessen the strain on their bodies.
Use Wheels, Levers, and Jacks
There are tools that you should use to reduce your body strains and increase your capacity to move heavy objects.
One of the best to keep handy is a dolly for moving several boxes at once or other heavy objects. You use leverage by putting the weight on a small platform and pulling back on the handles which are a lever using the wheels as a fulcrum. The fulcrum is the support that allows the lever to work. Then, the wheels reduce the friction of movement. A bigger dolly will help you move even more weight!
I have used similar physics while using a wheelbarrow or a garden cart with big wheels. And, I have even used related physics to move an 8’ by 8’ playhouse for my daughters using 2” by 4” boards as rails with round metal pipes as a wheel, much like a railroad car.
Of course, I used a car jack to lift the playhouse to get the boards and pipe underneath. You can lift an automobile with a car jack, as well. How cool is that!
Get Strong but Use Your Head
We can do so many good things in our lifetime if we can stay healthy. And one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to think before we act! Use our head before we use our body.
You can work to be stronger and have more endurance than the demands of any challenge you may face in your lifetime. That is physical training.
What causes us problems is when we get in a hurry and jerk things around when they could be done more safely and easily using the laws of physics.
How often do we move furniture around by pushing or pulling when the effort is much easier by using sliders, which act like wheels by reducing friction or resistance?
How often do we move items while moving from one house to another and not use a dolly?
Use tools with wheels, levers, and jacks to take the strain off your body.
Exercise for Strength, Physics for Health
Add physics and physical sciences to your learning criteria. It will give you insights to help you stay healthy.
Consider the physics of your body. Have you moved away from its original design? Can you modify your behavior to regain your body’s ability to function well?
Physical conditioning will help. Find something you like to do. A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
Don’t put the brakes on your physical training. But do use your head, which includes the laws of physics to increase your capacity to move objects without hurting yourself in the process.
I want you to be healthy both in body and mind.
Often quoted in physics was Archimedes, who said, “Give me a lever long enough and I can lift the world.” Just remember to use a fulcrum!