How to get fit (again)?

All,
Banking's detrimental to your health and bodily fitness. I knew that before.
However, after 2.5 years sitting in front excel and powerpoint, I feel that my health and fitness are deteriorating right before my eyes. Joints crack when I stretch and I just feel powerless when getting up in the morning. 
It all comes down one live transaction which was so insanely painful and intense that I stopped exercising altogether for about half a year. 
I've tried to ramp up exercising over the past 6-8 months, yet there are period where I don't make it out of the office for two weeks due to workload. Also the workouts I've tried (rowing, tennis) didn't seem to cut it - particularly when it comes to my supporting and core muscles.  
How do you cope with all of this? And more importantly, which (practical) exercises can you recommend to me?
It's strange asking for this kind of advice - from the outset, I am a 6.3 foot tall dude with a lean / regular physique who simply shouldn't experience these kinds of issues.
Thanks a lot in advance!
Best,
WW

 
Most Helpful

Start easy - go on a light jog. Frequency and consistency are key. Don't worry about immediate results, just start a good routine. Once you have the routine, the results will follow. 

Do whatever is fun and gets your HR up - there are lots of sports and activities to choose from. The quickest and most time saving activities are probably going to be HIIT including fast run intervals, speed rope, and kickboxing. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Totally agree with frequency and consistency! I don't have time to go out for long-distance runs, but over the past couple of weeks I have found that even going outside for 10-15min and getting my heart rate up makes me feel a lot better for the rest of the day.

With regards to cracking joints, I have found yoga to be quite helpful. There are a lot of free videos on YouTube (Yoga with Adriene) to help with overall flexibility, lower back, etc., some of which only take around 15min. There are also Tabata songs on Spotify that are helpful for doing HIIT at home in case you're WFH. But as Isaiah said, just go for anything that you think is fun and gets your heart rate up.

 

Quit banking. Seriously.

And not to sound defeatist, but no matter how healthy you are it's almost certain that you'll have some issues. My boss is one of the healthiest guys I know, eats really clean and works out every day and he still suffers back & neck pain despite only sitting at desk for 9ish hours a day

I really don't think you can eat / run your way out of getting chronic pain, although you can dampen it with proper exercise / PT

 

Haha appreciate that - I am not in it for the long-term, frankly. But I'll maybe need another 3 or 6 months to fully make the jump into a different role. 
I just want to use that time to ramp up my fitness back to my normal level. I've seen enough senior bankers (MDs and Ds) who walked like old men cause they had worn down their discs ...

Out of interest and judging from your user name, did you go down the VC path? 

 

No, went into LO equities. Did a banking internship and then worked FT in banking for a brief 5 months before I transitioned into AM. Hours went down from ~65 to ~50 and life is so, so much better. Although sadly in AM there is the CFA which adds another 10hrs of work for 6 months of the year for 3yrs to complete. But the advantage is that you have greater control both over your work hours and when you choose to study for CFA, which means plans don't get destroyed at the last minute because of poor planning from an MD.

Not that AM is the only path to do down, I'm sure there's plenty of other stuff. But just like you, I saw MDs with some crazy health problems because of the job in banking and vowed to get the hell out of there asap.

 

You have to make a commitment to exercise to make it work.  You need to find something you like and stick with it, even if it is only 20 minutes per day.   20 minutes is better than zero.  Recently, I have changed up my exercise routine because two of my ellipticals machines broke.  I use a spin bike, a couple of gliders, a jump rope, a pull up bar with different types of straps.  I have music blasting in the background and I watch MLB at the same time.  

 

Another thing to add (I’m not that knowledgeable about this but there are a good amount of people on this site who are that I hope will chime in) is eating right. Exercise is important, but depending on your goals all your gains will be for naught if you don’t eat a balanced diet. This is for both weightlifting as well as staying lean. Generally, a good amount of protein will keep you alert and a mix of healthy fats and carbs/fiber will aid digestion so you don’t feel as tired and bloated. The specifics will depend on your health goals and body type, but that’s the gist of what I’ve found online. If you’re WFH, meal prepping on a Sunday is probably the easiest. Also remembering to hydrate is recommended too, I forget the right amounts but it’s easy to not drink as much water when you’re glued to the desk. I know I’ve definitely not drank as much as I should.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

Thank you! Quit eating meat and animal protein a couple of months ago because I felt that this is adding more stress to my lifestyle than necessary.

Do you guys have any experience with supplements / protein powders? Know many people who take it, however, they tend to look blown up rather than lean after taking it in the long-run (think like male IB-ASO/ANL Amy Schumer). Is there something which works better and ensures that I am getting enough protein from my diet?

 

I do not eat meat and I do drink protein shakes.  I stopped eating meat about 10 years ago but only started drinking protein shakes and eating protein bars recently.  I am new to protein supplements but it seems like they are a pretty efficient way to get protein.   One thing I like about the shakes and bars is that they instill a little discipline in your approach in that they are measured amounts of food. When you go for the bag or box of something, I think you tend to eat a lot more.  I do not think drinking protein shakes directly makes you gain weight.  They "could" help you turn fat into muscle but a lot of this depends on other parts of you lifestyle. 

 

Where exactly does one acquire this image of protein powder? Lol.

It's literally just 25g of protein per scoop, with a commensurate amount of carbs/calories (for standard brands), that consists of whey. It won't turn you into Amy Schumer.

 

Also OP - I would consult a doctor regarding this as well. See if your diet could use an adjustment or if there are underlying conditions that may hinder your weight control.

However, try out the stretches from Smith’s website so your body can get adjusted to the flexibility, then proceed to build a good heart from there. You can’t workout or be well if your heart/cardio is not in top shape!

 

I've found the single most important thing to just be your daily consumption. If you don't eat clean you'll feel like awful regardless of how much you workout. In finance, you really have to optimize for time by just spendig more on quality food. Dodging excess starch-based carbs, upping your protein intake, and sticking to 2 solid meals without snacking will be huge (can always add more food later on). Also have to ditch the alcohol for a while, water is your friend here. Lastly, just remove excess sugar as much as possible, this will save you from so much.

In terms of building muscle and strength, yoga/resistance training is the right move. Add some KBs into your routine, buy a pull-up bar and make some space in your home for an at-home gym to just keep active in 5-15 minute gaps in between the day. 

 

I honestly think you should  go to a doctor for blood tests. You could have inflammation or elevated cortisol levels etc from stress or even an underlying disease.

Anecdotally, my boyfriend bought a power plate at the start of lockdown and raves about it non-stop. I have used it too for warm-ups and recovery after runs. Its seriously addictive - endorphins galore. I think it will help loosen your body up based on your lifestyle, relieve stress, get the blood circulating  and also build muscle but please,   get your bloods checked out first. 

 

janes1

my boyfriend bought a power plate at the start of lockdown and raves about it non-stop. 

Isn't a power plate like $13K?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

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