Aging Prematurely from Overwork?

"What?"

"My body is three years older than my actual age?" Chen Jue put on his glasses to examine the physical examination report closely.

Coach Li stood by, responsibly explaining the details to Chen Jue.

The report contained a wealth of data, ranging from body water, protein, bone mass, and fat mass to skeletal muscle, waist-to-hip ratio, visceral fat, as well as metabolism and nutritional assessments.

Most importantly, this machine could also determine a person's biological age.

For instance, Chen Jue was currently 29 years old, but due to various poor lifestyle habits, his current physical condition had accelerated his aging by three years beyond his actual age.

"Damn it!"

"Premature aging?"

"Is the cost of holding down a job really this high? I'm literally burning through my lifespan!" Chen Jue felt a jolt of shock and even a hint of panic, prompting him to ask if the machine was accurate.

After all, this concerned his own health; how could Chen Jue not be worried?

Seeing this, Coach Li chuckled, "The base model of this machine sells for 35,000 online, and the one we have here was custom-ordered by the boss for 50,000. If it weren't accurate, why would we buy it? Just for the fun of it?"

Hearing how expensive the machine was, Chen Jue immediately lost his temper.

There was no reason for this fitness coach to lie to him; a quick photo and an online search would surely reveal the price of the same model.

"Coach Li, is my situation serious?"

"Can it be remedied through exercise?" Chen Jue asked with a guilty conscience.

"I can't guarantee that."

"I'm a fitness coach, not a doctor."

"However, sticking to a workout routine is very effective! I've trained quite a few students, and some had even worse data than yours when their reports came out. After they trained for a while and tested on this machine again, they almost all saw improvements." Coach Li offered a few words of comfort before leading Chen Jue out of the small cubicle.

As for the report, he let Chen Jue take it back with him for reference.

After completing the initial physical assessment, Chen Jue became even more aware that he needed to make a change.

If he kept wasting away like this, his biological age would probably be heading toward 40.

Damn it!

He wasn't even 30 yet!

He came out to work a job, and it actually cost him his lifespan?

Coach Li naturally knew nothing of the thoughts swirling in Chen Jue's mind as he led the anxious man to the fitness area.

"Your right hand has an injury that needs rest and recovery, so you can't use upper-body equipment today."

"I'll start by taking you through some aerobic running to warm up, then we'll do a few sets of targeted lower-body exercises." Coach Li explained as he directed Chen Jue onto the treadmill.

With the press of a button, he set a suitable flat incline and began to gradually increase the treadmill's speed.

At first, while Chen Jue was walking slowly, he didn't feel tired at all; it was as relaxing as a post-meal stroll.

Once the speed picked up, however, he couldn't handle it after just two minutes and began panting heavily.

"Treadmills generally have 10 speed levels."

"Levels 1 and 2 are for slow walking, and 3 to 4 are for brisk walking. Your body fat percentage is quite high, so you're better suited for level 5 and above to burn fat."

"Since it's your first time training, let's try to stick with it for 10 minutes first."

Seeing that Chen Jue's stamina was weak and he was already struggling after a short run, Coach Li hurriedly reached out to lower the speed, bringing Chen Jue down from a run to a brisk walk.

By the time the 10 minutes were up, Chen Jue was as exhausted as a dead dog.

"I can't... I can't do it anymore... let me catch my breath..." Chen Jue gasped for air and stepped off the treadmill.

He felt that this 10-minute warm-up of running and brisk walking was ten times more exhausting than the 25-minute bike ride he'd taken on a shared bicycle yesterday.

Fortunately, effort brings rewards, and the Attribute Panel in his vision popped up with a notification once again.

[Ding~]

[Completed one aerobic exercise session meeting the requirements]

[Free attribute points +0.01]

[Ding~]

[Completed one cardiopulmonary exercise session meeting the requirements]

[Constitution attribute +0.01]

"Aha?"

"The more exhausted I am, the greater the reward?"

"Heaven rewards diligence... no, the Attribute Panel rewards diligence!" Chen Jue looked at the information provided by the prompt and immediately added the newly acquired attribute point to Physique.

His Physique attribute rose from 0.92 to 0.93.

A wave of heat flashed through him, and Chen Jue's heavy panting eased slightly.

Coach Li, standing to the side, looked surprised at the sight: "It seems your recovery ability is quite good! Most people need over ten minutes to catch their breath after their first time on the treadmill."

"It's... it's alright!" Chen Jue gave an awkward smile.

He knew his own situation best.

His body was incredibly frail; if not for the boost from the Attribute Panel, he would likely be lying on the floor by now.

However, Chen Jue became interested in the term "aerobic exercise" mentioned by the coach. Since it kept appearing on his panel, he took advantage of the rest break to continue asking for advice.

"Aerobic exercise refers to physical activity where aerobic metabolism is the primary energy source. Its characteristic is that it accelerates the burning of body fat. Jogging, brisk walking, cycling, and swimming are all aerobic exercises, which are quite suitable for your current situation of having a high body fat percentage."

"As for anaerobic exercise, it involves high-intensity, rapid movements where muscles operate in an oxygen-deprived state. It is characterized by high intensity and a fast pace; your heart rate will be quite high during the activity, and your breathing will be rapid. Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are all anaerobic exercises."

Coach Li was a professional fitness trainer, and answering students' questions was part of his job. Plus, a good attitude was necessary to close a deal, so he didn't show any impatience and explained things to Chen Jue in great detail.

Chen Jue worked in risk data analysis; he was good at math, his mind processed information quickly, and he had strong learning, memory, and comprehension skills.

He hadn't had much exposure to fitness training before, so this had been a blind spot in his knowledge.

After having it explained to him once, he had a rough idea of the concepts and formed a preliminary, general impression of fitness training.

"I didn't expect there to be so much science behind working out."

I'll have to look it up online later; I can't just exercise blindly, Chen Jue thought to himself, glancing at his right arm, which was covered in pain-relief patches.

It was because he had been too reckless last night, purely chasing the joy of leveling up his Stone Skipping skill, that he had wrecked his arm.

Having learned his lesson once, Chen Jue became even more cautious.

He felt that exercise was something that had to be done step by step.

After warming up with running and resting for about five minutes, Coach Li led Chen Jue over to a Seated Leg Press Machine.

"This machine is specifically for training the quadriceps and gluteus maximus—the muscles around our thighs."

"I'll demonstrate first; keep an eye on my form." Coach Li sat on the machine and adjusted the weight stack, marked with yellow labels, to the lowest setting.

Then, with a gentle push, the stack of weights was lifted into mid-air by the mechanical transmission.

Chen Jue glanced at the weights, and his whole body went numb!

"Holy crap!"

"How much is 400 pounds?"

"About 180 kilograms?"

"Is he really that beastly!" Chen Jue was terrified by Coach Li's leg-pressing power.

Especially seeing how effortless he looked, it was clear that this machine couldn't even measure the upper limit of his leg strength.

"This machine is still relatively easy. Since you're just starting and your lower-body strength isn't that high, it's best to start from 100 pounds and slowly add more."

"Once your strength increases, there are more advanced methods. You can try that Leg Press Machine over there; that one uses weight plates, and the limit can be pushed to over 400 kilograms." Perhaps noticing Chen Jue's shock, Coach Li smiled slightly and pointed to another leg press machine in the distance.

"Holy mother of god!"

"400 kilograms?"

"I struggle just carrying a 10-kilogram bag of rice!"

"Does that mean he can press 40 bags of rice stacked together at once?" Chen Jue's head was buzzing from the data; it was truly an eye-opening experience.

He had watched videos online before where the comment sections claimed that gym-built muscles were "dead muscles"—all show and no go—with plenty of people being snide and sarcastic.

Chen Jue wanted to let those keyboard warriors try pressing 400 kilograms.

Let's see if their "live muscles" could handle that kind of weight!

Dazed, he sat on the machine and tested his leg press.

Well, that's that!

Chen Jue could only press a maximum of 200 pounds, which was about 90 kilograms.

Adding any more weight made it start to feel difficult.

Following Coach Li's guidance, Chen Jue completed a set of 15 reps, then tried to analyze the reference values of his Attribute Panel: "Strength attribute 0.77; 90 kilograms seems to be the limit for my leg power."

"If that's the case, wouldn't Coach Li's strength be at 1.5 or even above 2.0?"

He then glanced at Coach Li's massive, sculpture-like physique and felt that this trainer's strength was at least double, if not triple, his own.

Thinking that he, too, might be able to train into such a strong, muscular man through the accumulation of attribute points, Chen Jue felt a surge of heat in his heart and began to press with extra vigor!

Gritting his teeth, he finished 5 sets until his stamina was completely exhausted and his legs felt stiff as boards. Finally, Chen Jue saw a few familiar pixelated lines pop up on his panel.

[Ding~]

[Anaerobic exercise meeting the requirements completed.]

[Free attribute points +0.01]

[Ding~]

[After a period of training, your leg muscle groups have grown slightly.]

[Strength attribute +0.01]

Third update!

The new book is uploaded, I hope everyone will show their support!

Thanks to I Am a Cyber Beggar, Gazing at the End of the World, Skin Straight Talk, and Li Tianxie for their generous tips!

Your support is the motivation for my writing! Let's go!