Independence, Part 3

One of the biggest things we can declare independence from in our workout life is other people’s goals.  This can be a challenge.

What do I mean?

 

Let’s say, for example, that I have just hopped on a bike for the first time in years.  I have a great time.  And, as I start telling people about it, they start telling me about century rides, or hill rides, or single track mountain bike rides.  They suggest different shoes or fancy gear or maybe even a brand new bike.  All of that is intended to be helpful, but mostly it’s discouraging.  I’m at the very beginning.  I want to pedal and have fun and I don’t want to overthink things.  I need to declare my independence from their ideas about what I need to do and do what I want.

 

Or, another example.  Imagine I have never been to the gym before.  I think I might like to try some stuff there and I tag along with a friend, who happens to be a true gym rat.  He shows me his heavy lifting routine, which takes approximately two hours and involves really big dumbbells and barbells.  I go home and think:  I am never going back there again.  It’s too hard and scary.  Instead, I can declare independence from my friend, however well-meaning he is, and I can start with a short workout that is appropriate for my own body.

 

One more.  Imagine I have a routine in which I go to the gym for a Zumba class every week.  I have friends there.  It’s fun.  I feel energetic and good at the end.  But imagine I have a less-helpful friend/partner/parent who thinks I’m not doing enough because I’m not losing weight.  I can declare independence from that person and do what makes me feel powerful and good in my skin.

 

We are all unique snowflakes.  We all have things we like and dislike.  The best workout is the one we will actually do.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Practical

We’re doing some lateral motions this week and some practical stuff.  So, basically, it’s like life, which often goes sideways and requires us to carry stuff.  Three rounds.

 

skater jump	30
bench press	20
squat pop up	10
farmer carry	30
underhand bent over row	20
db hip thrust	10
leg kicks	30
flies	20
side banana

 

Independence, Part 2: 8

While working on fitness tends to enable our pursuit of happiness, sometimes the fitness work itself can be happy.  Here are some happy workouts:

 

1.     Dance

2.     Yoga

3.     Pickleball

4.     Swimming

5.     Tag with the kids

6.     That sport you love

7.     That hike that inspires you

8.     That thing you do with friends and you end up laughing until your abs hurt

9.     Add your own

Independence, Part 1

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Declaration of Independence

 

The Declaration of Independence is one of the founding documents of our country.  Despite its problems (“all men” meant everybody, until people of color and women wanted to be equal, just for example), the declaration inspires us with its list of rights:  life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  When it comes time to consider our fitness, it is a pretty good place to start getting inspired.

 

Take life.  Of course, the very basics of life are about keeping breathing.  Fitness work helps us do that, for sure.  But it also improves the quality of the life we have.  When we get stronger and improve our cardio fitness, when we work on our balance and flexibility, we open up so much more of life.  We’re not so limited in the activities we can engage in.  We feel better.

 

Liberty?  We all have tons of choices, every single day.  When we work out, we increase the number of viable choices we have.  Let me explain.  I could wake up and decide to run away to join the circus.  My odds of getting hired by the circus for anything beyond cleaning up after the animals (although I hope there aren’t any more circuses with animals) improve if I have actual skills that the circus can use.  If I work out hard and build up my upper body strength, I might have a shot at succeeding at trapeze.  If I focus on balance, I might be able to walk the tightrope.  The choices we make today enable the choices we want to make in the future.

 

Then there is the pursuit of happiness.  Any time we’re dealing with pursuit, we want both speed and endurance.  Fine.  I know it’s not a literal pursuit.  But again, happiness is much easier to find when we feel good.  Feeling good is one of my favorite outcomes of working out.

 

So:  get independent and work out!

Wellness Check: Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

On this last day of the month, I am going to spend a minute or so talking about mental and emotional wellbeing.  This is maybe the hardest piece of the wellness puzzle.

All the other things I’ve talked about this month feed into our mental and emotional wellbeing.  They give us the healthy body in which to keep our healthy mind.  For many of us, using the tools for movement, recovery, sleep, and nutrition will give us enough support that we have no trouble with our mental and emotional wellbeing.

 

Many of us may also need a few more tools.

 

This part is important:  I am not a doctor or a therapist or a psychologist.  If you are experiencing serious depression or other mental illness, PLEASE get professional health.  You are 100% worth it and you deserve a healthy and happy life.

 

If our struggle feels like something we can manage ourselves, I have two more tools to suggest.  The first one is stress reduction.  Sadly, stress reduction in this context does not mean that I wave a wand and all the bad stressors in our lives go away.  If only.  It can mean anything from improving our time management to acquiring a meditation practice for three minutes a day.  What reduces stress for some folks doesn’t for others, so, again, experimentation is in order.  Find a couple things that work and keep a list for those times when the stress goes to eleven.

 

The other tool?  Fun.  Sometimes wellness seems like just another list of tasks in an already task-overloaded life.  We have to have some fun, whether that’s laughing our butts off at a silly movie or playing a game with the kids or reading quietly by ourselves for a while.  We all know the things we love to do and don’t do often enough.  Do those things.

 

Be well.

Monday Workout: Christmas in June

Last year I forgot our mid-year Christmas observation.  Not this time!  The 12 days of Christmas in June is important!

How it works, for those of us who don’t know or remember:  we do one push press.  Day 1 is over!  Yay!  On Day 2, we do two goblet squats and one push press.  And so on, until we have completed all 12 days.  Yes, I know this means we will have done 42 burpees.  You’re welcome.

 

1 push press

2 goblet squats

3 Overhead press

4 1 leg squats each leg

5 deadlifts

6 burpees

7 pushups

8 renegade rows

9 mountain climbers

10 jump lunges

11 kb swings

12 plyojacks

 

Wellness Check: 6

A rainbow to eat!

 

1.     Red bell pepper. 

2.     Oranges. 

3.     Yellow squash.

4.     Green beans (or broccoli, or spinach, or asparagus, or any of the other million green veggies)

5.     Blueberries.

6.     Eggplant.