Exercise wears us down.

In the process of lifting weights, we literally tear our muscle fibers.

During an endurance event like the Tour de France, competitors break down their bodies and often fall victim to injuries and illness as the body doesn’t have the ability to fight back.

When our fight-or-flight mechanisms are engaged for long periods, it wears aware at our bodies.

Yet, when utilized properly, exercise can be an incredible tool to not only maintain our health, but improve it.

After we lift, our muscle repair themselves even better than they were before they were torn, leaving the muscles bigger and stronger.

Just like immunizations introduce small quantities of the target illness into the body, with the understanding that our body will build up a defense to protect itself when a real threat comes.

Generally speaking, we’re designed to react to stressors and prepare to fight back. As Nassim Taleb puts it, we’re Antifragile.

Extending beyond our physical bodies, we can see the same tendencies more abstracting.

When we’re exposed to new challenges, we learn and prepare to be better the next time. When we compete against superior competition, we improve. When we get beat down, we learn for next time.

This pattern of destruction and repair is the primary mechanism through which we improve, but only if we remember to include the recovery.

Training a certain muscle group once or twice per week helps it to grow. Training that same muscle group every day does the opposite.

-Brandon