Da-CoMo-VaTra
Daily | Convenient | Moderation | Variety | Tradition
Fitness Framework
Da-CoMo-VaTra is a fitness framework based on the five principles of: (1) exercising Daily, (2) making it Convenient to do, (3) applying a Moderate level of intensity, (4) Varying your exercise from session to session, and (5) integrating celebrative or affirming Traditions in every session.
As a fitness framework, Da-CoMo-VaTra describes the key attributes of a person's fitness regimen, but it doesn't detail the actual exercises. The exercise routines can range from using free weights to aerobics, jogging and biking, as well as tennis, basketball and other sports.
Learn more about the first Da-CoMo-VaTra principle: Daily.
Daily
Do some form of physical exercise every day.
Over the long-term, daily moderate exercise can be more beneficial than intermittent intense exercise (e.g. weekend warriors).
By exercising daily, it becomes an integrated part of your lifestyle, not a faddish adjunct activity that is hard to work into your weekly routine. Moreover, if you exercise every day, then you're more likely to maintain a correspondingly healthy diet.
I like to exercise in the morning. It's a great way to start the day. But if you're not an early riser, then work your exercise into another part of your day.
Learn more about the second Da-CoMo-VaTra principle: Convenient.
Convenient
Make it convenient to do your daily exercise.
Most people don't have lots of free time each day, and therefore making it convenient to exercise is key to maintaining your daily exercise regimen.
To become physically fit, your daily exercise doesn't have to take more than an hour -- from start to finish -- including a shower and any travel time (i.e. to and from the gym).
I typically workout at my home and at the nearby Claremont Club.
Learn more about the third Da-CoMo-VaTra principle: Moderation.
Moderation
Exercise at moderate levels of intensity.
Whereas the previous Da-CoMo-VaTra principle, convenience, is key to exercise regularity, this principle - moderation - is key to exercise sustainability. In comparison to intense levels of exercise, moderate levels are less likely to lead to injuries and long-term wear-and-tear.
Intense levels of exercise aren't necessary to becoming physically fit. You can effectively build muscle tone, stamina and endurance via (daily) moderate levels of exercise. Keep in mind that moderate levels aren't the same as light levels of exercise. You need to get your heart rate up and sweat.
Over time, intense exercise (i.e. using relatively heavy weights and correspondingly doing only a few repetitions of an exercise, or running long distances) can strain joints and lead to chronic injuries. If you incur a chronic injury (e.g. slipped disk, meniscus tear), then that's likely to impede your daily exercise regimen -- and consequently reduce your fitness.
When I do weight training, I choose weights that enable me to do at least 12 and sometimes over 20 repetitions, especially if the exercise requires lifting the weights over my head (and compressing my spine).
Learn more about the fourth Da-CoMo-VaTra principle: Variety.
Variety
Vary your daily exercise activities. This is similar to cross-training.
Varying your exercise can be beneficial to improving your fitness results and decreasing your injuries, as well as decreasing the tedium of some exercise activities.
Over a week or more of daily exercise sessions, try to cycle through a variety of strength, cardio, flexibility and foam-rolling exercises. This shouldn't be too challenging as there are many exercise alternatives, from playing a sport like tennis or soccer, to lifting weights, biking, or hiking.
By varying your routines, you should be able to rotate activities that exercise different muscles, interleave polymetric (explosive) activities (e.g. sprinting) as well as endurance routines, and even proprioception (balancing) exercises.
I vary my routine such that I don't repeat most exercises in a two-week period.
Learn more about the fifth and final Da-CoMo-VaTra principle: Tradition.
Tradition
Include traditions and rituals in your exercise sessions.
Incorporating traditions into your exercise routines can be beneficial to improving your mental fitness as well as your physical fitness. This is especially possible when the traditions are fun, celebrative, affirming, and/or focus on peace-of-mind.
For example, it can be beneficial to integrate yoga moves that combine mindfulness and meditation. Likewise, it can be motivating to eat or drink something healthy and tasty at the start and/or end of each exercise session.
In addition to food and yoga, I ring a small Buddhist gong at the end of my strength exercise sessions (when I do them in my home gym). Then I like to quiet my mind by: smiling, doing a downward dog, and focusing on the gong's sound as it wanes. Similarly, after I do a spin class at the Claremont Club, I like to "celebrate" by doing some leg and hip stretches in the hot tub.
To learn more about incrementally adopting the Da-CoMo-VaTra Framework, go to the Da-CoMo-VaTra Fitness Steps.