Five Reasons, but you can't have them; get your own...

I have been making lists of reasons to work out for a long time.  I’m about to make another one, of the first five that pop into my head, but before I do, I need to point out something:  my reasons are not everyone’s reasons.  We all need to make our own lists and we need to work out for our own reasons.  When we try to work out for someone else’s reasons, we are not being real and that almost never leads to lasting success.  It is also uncomfortable, even if we love the person whose reasons we are using very much.  Maybe my list will be inspirational, in a good way or in a no-way-in-hell kind of way, but I am doing it wrong if it does not encourage everyone else to make a personal list.

 

Why I work out, today:

 

1.     So my body doesn’t freeze this way.  Mobility only lasts as long as we use it.

2.     Because doing spin improves my mood.  I am much nicer after spin.  My family should be glad I have a spin bike!

3.     Because it feels good.  This reason applies particularly to yoga and Pilates.  It is pretty luxurious to take time to move slowly and deliberately and to stretch.

4.     Because I get to check it off my to-do list.  Never underestimate the power of the check mark.  Or the sticker, for that matter, on a chart.

5.     Because it is good for me in the long term.  This reason is last because it’s pretty abstract.  I’m much more motivated by short-term stuff, but I do find that I want to be active and healthy for a long time to come.  Working out is how I intend to get there.

 

Go make your list!

As usual, I suggest both...

It’s time for another one of those posts where I talk about two contradictory ideas and conclude that both are true.  One of those ideas is that we need to have a fitness habit.  We need to make it automatic that we roll out of bed, throw on our shoes, and get to work, or that we finish the work day and head for the exercise.  Habits make things easy.  We don’t have to waste energy on planning or enforcement.  We just show up because we always do.

 

The other thing I talk about a lot is mixing things up.  Doing the same thing every day is boring.  Our brains turn off.  Our bodies stop making progress.  We just don’t want to anymore.  Throwing in a few new exercises or trying a new sport or even moving location can make it all seem fresher and more exciting.

 

What we need, to resolve this seeming paradox, is flexibility within a framework.  Sure, we always exercise right after breakfast, but on any given day we might swim or bike or lift or do yoga.  Or, every once in a while, we plan to go hiking with a friend at a different time of day.  We still have the habit; we just change up how we express it.

 

Go play.

The glass of fashion for molding form... (sorry Hamlet)

Anyone who has met me in person knows that I’m not exactly the Queen of Fashion.  I feel pretty clever for figuring out a career in which I get to wear sweats every day.  However, all sweats are not created equal.

 

First:  we can work out in whatever we want to wear.  Feel comfortable in that holey old t-shirt?  Go for it.  What you wear is far less important than what you do.  The rest of what I have to say is stuff to think about when you need new stuff or you want to upgrade.

 

Now that we’re clear on that, let’s start with the basics.  We need underwear that works.  I will let the male-identifying figure this one out on their own because my practical experience is not useful here.  But those of us who identify as female may want to consider wearing panties that are not all cotton because cotton gets soggy and uncomfortable when we get sweaty.  Bikers may want to find panties with the fewest seams to avoid chafing.  Sports bras come in a variety of styles, some more supportive than others (brief plug for the Title Nine company’s rating system for their bras:  it comes as a number of barbells…).  Generally speaking, the higher impact the activity and the larger the breasts, the more support you want in the bra.  Good sports bras can be pricey, but they are really worth it when we feel comfortable while we work out.

 

When it comes to what to put over our good underwear, I am partial to pants with some stretch and compression, but pick what works for you.  Depending on what you are doing, you may want more or less fitted garments.  I am particularly happy with whoever figured out that leggings should have pockets.  On top, I like the high-tech fabrics that breathe, dry quickly, and resist stinking.  In my ideal world, all workout shirts would also have the kind of pocket in the lower back that bike shirts have.

 

Layers are important for the beginning and end of workouts.  I again like pockets.  Also consider ease of putting on and taking off because there is nothing worse than wrestling with a recalcitrant sweatshirt while on the elliptical trainer or in the middle of yoga class.

 

My opinion about socks:  silly is better.  However, finding socks that do not encourage blisters or fall down into shoes is also important.  Some people are opinionated about the fiber content of socks, but I am not one of them.

 

Shoe developers have created custom shoe profiles for nearly every sport imaginable.  I like cross-trainers because I hate to be tied to one particular activity by my shoes.  That said, fit is important.  Some of us need more support than others.  We do not want to work out in uncomfortable shoes.

 

Again, what you wear to work out is not nearly as important as doing the work.  Choose clothes that make it as easy as possible to do what you want to do.

Monday Workout: Asymmetry

This week we are continuing to work on our asymmetrical exercises to improve core strength and balance.  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg deadlift	20
YTA	10
mountain climbers	30
squats	20
lateral raise	10
clean and press	30
flies	20
side plank taps	10

 

Bribery is not a crime in this context

We are all familiar with food as a bribe.  “Come to the Dark Side:  we have cookies!” for example.  But, when we are working to improve our health and eating habits, this can be a problem.  Here are five non-edible bribes we can offer ourselves for good behavior.

 

1.     Naps.  Even if we just take 15 minutes, we can feel lots better after a tiny bit of sleep.  Nearly all of us don’t get enough snoozing, so what better way to reward ourselves???

2.     Screen time.  We can earn that binge-watch with a tough workout.  (Just be mindful about the popcorn…)

3.     Friend time.  In person contact might not be all right at the moment, but we can promise ourselves a Zoom or phone call with our buddies once we’re done with the workout.  Or, if we’re doing cardio, we can even talk and work at the same time!  (I do not recommend doing weights while chatting because we need to focus on form then…)

4.     Outings.  Again, the form the outing takes might have to be different than before plague times, but a visit to a garden or park can be a real treat.  Or, if more walking seems like a chore, a scenic drive might be the right answer.

5.     That thingie.  The one we’ve been coveting for a while now.  It might be a book or a new nail polish or a throw pillow or a boathook (don’t ask me—my brain just finds this stuff lying around).  If it’s a little thingie, maybe we get it after a couple workouts.  If it’s a big thingie, maybe when we reach a milestone of some kind, like a month of workouts or ten pounds lost or a record lift.

 

Our metaphorical carrot doesn’t have to be an actual carrot cake.  We can choose the rewards that make us feel good while being good for us at the same time.

You're Getting Warmer!

I am not the world’s most patient human.  I don’t cope super well with boredom and I need to be convinced that something is really useful if it isn’t fun.  So it is no surprise that I needed to get older, more injured, and stiffer before I finally recognized the importance of warming up before a workout.

 

Warming up intentionally, I should say.  All of us do, whether we like it or not, warm up as we begin to work out.  We may think we are putting pedal to the metal from the first second, but we’re wrong.  And, once we are past our teenage mostly-indestructible years, we are also flirting with disaster.

 

So:  what do we do to warm up?  We spend five to fifteen minutes (this varies from human to human; older humans tend to need more minutes, but each of us is the only expert on our own bodies) moving gently and more slowly than we will during the rest of the workout.  If, for example, a person is a runner, they might do some rhythmic stretches, a little walking, a slow jog, before getting down to the business of covering actual territory.  Or, a spin enthusiast might spend the first song or two pedaling seated while the hips and knees get their juices flowing before turning up the resistance and standing.

 

Warm muscles move better.  They’re more flexible.  They get injured less.  Love yourself and warm up!

Daily

Now that we’re a couple of weeks into the new year and perhaps the resolutions are getting hard to keep, it is time to talk about daily maintenance, which may not be the sexiest topic ever, but it’s important.

 

Those of us who are new to exercise, or who have returned to it after a timeout, may discover, after a while, that we have some body parts that hurt or ache or otherwise unpleasantly remind us of their existence.  (Anyone who has an injury should seek medical attention.  I am not a doctor or physical therapist.  I do not diagnose or treat.)  It is worth taking a bit of time to do small daily things to mitigate these effects.  And, the good news part is that most of the things feel good!

 

When we work out, whether we are doing cardio or strength training, we want to end with stretching.  However, we ALSO want to stretch on rest days, holidays, and days that end in y.  Stretching builds flexibility.  It helps us avoid injury.  It feels good.  And, the day after a heavy workout day, it can make the difference between, say, cursing at every single stair in the house and coping nicely.

 

Something that helps with our stretching is self-myofascial release (SMR).  This is all that stuff with foam rollers and tennis balls or other fancy tools.  If we do some SMR before we stretch, we get more out of the stretch.  At first, we may find SMR painful.  Pressure is what helps to realign our muscle fibers (think about massage).  We need to respect our own pain tolerances, of course, but we may discover that it becomes a “hurts so good” kind of thing.

 

Those of us who have old injuries may need to add a few more things to the daily maintenance list.  Remember those exercises our physical therapist gave us after the surgery/injury?  Those are useful in an ongoing way to remind us about correct form, strengthen weakened spots in a targeted way, and warm up the affected body parts.

 

It might sound like a lot, but all this might take about 15 minutes.  We can find that time somewhere, when the casserole is in the oven, when the baby is asleep, when the kissing part of Star Wars Episode Two comes on…  It will really make a big difference.

Monday Workout: Core!

We’re doing some core focus this week.  Virtually all the exercises target some aspect of the core, either straight-on or obliquely.  Because of this, it is particularly important to remember to breathe from time to time; sometimes when we’re working our abdominals, we forget.  Modify as needed, as always.  Three rounds.

 

plank jacks	30
renegade rows	20
pushups	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
woodchoppers	30
squats	20
Russian twist	10

Friday Product Review: Fitness Dice

I am always interested in simple tools that help people work on their own, especially if the tools are flexible.  So when I saw these fitness dice in a catalog, I had to check them out.

 

There are seven dice, one with lower body exercises, one with upper body exercises, one with chest/back exercises, one with core exercises, one with cardio exercises, one with full body exercises, and one with times/repetitions on it.  Roll all seven and there is a complete workout plan.

 

What I like about the kit is that all the exercises are body weight based, so there is no need for a bunch of equipment.  The booklet that describes the exercises has tips for modifying exercises.  It’s flexible—including or omitting dice can emphasize different kinds of exercise.  It also removes the whole agony of decision—the dice told me to, so I better do it!

 

For the folks who don’t want to pay money for more toys, the concept is easily adaptable.  We can raid the Yahtzee set (or really annoy the D&D player in the family), make our own list of exercises and times, and go to town.

 

Verdict:  fun toy and it will be coming to a client workout sometime soon!

How to avoid boredom

The downside of cardio exercise is that it can get monotonous.  Here are some ways to make it less boring:

 

1.     Loud music.  This is not the time to listen to lullabies.  We want something with a beat!

2.     Podcasts or audio books.  I don’t recommend reading because in my experience it is very difficult to read on any of the pieces of exercise equipment and work out hard enough, but if words are motivational, try listening to them.  A lot of people also swear by watching tv while exercising.

3.     Intervals.  I know I write about these all the time, but they are magic.  After we are warmed up, we increase the pace and/or intensity of what we are doing to the hardest we can manage for a minute.  Then we recover for a minute or two and do it again.  And again.  We burn a bunch more calories, we challenge ourselves, and we improve faster.

4.     Change of venue.  There are so many kinds of cardio that we can almost always find something different.  Swapping the bike for a stationary bike or vice versa for a few days can be refreshing.  Choosing to row or run or dance or swim can make us have a whole new perspective.  Even choosing a different route for the daily walk can help.  In non-plague times, I would suggest trying a different class, but save that idea for when it is safe.

5.     Do it with a buddy.  Safely.  So we might have to rope our family/housemates into working out with us, or we might have to resort to Zoom.  Alternatively, we can have that keep-in-touch phone call with our bestie while we each walk safely and separately wherever we happen to be.

6.     Experiment.  We all are creative beings and we all have our own preferences.  When we try different ways to spice up the workout, we can find what works best for us.  And then we can share our new discoveries!

 

Go play.

Breathless

I love my weights.  I really do.  But in the unlikely event that I met a person who had to choose only one kind of exercise, I would tell them to do cardio.  And I make a point of including some cardio intervals in the weight workouts I prepare for my clients.

 

Here’s why.

 

Cardio exercise forms the foundation for all other exercise.  In order to lift weights effectively, we need basic cardiovascular fitness.  We begin by building cardio endurance and construct our fitness on that basis.

 

Cardio exercise reduces stress, improves mood, and helps with depression symptoms.  Cholesterol numbers improve in people who do cardio even if there is no weight loss.  Our brains work better when we spend some time getting breathless every day.

 

It is not possible to out-exercise bad eating habits, but it is always helpful to burn more calories, and cardio exercise excels at that.

 

Go get sweaty and out of breath:  you’ll feel better afterward!

Enough

Current events have me thinking about rights and privileges, needs and luxuries.  I am always thinking about how the microcosm influences the macrocosm and vice versa.  What does this have to do with fitness?

 

Health.  We, the people, need more of it.  My profession tends to cater to the people with disposable income and there is plenty of work for me to do with them, but one of the reasons I post a workout every Monday on the blog is to make my work more accessible to people without disposable income.  I do believe that healthy bodies promote healthy minds.  Healthy minds create healthy structures, and healthy structures help us all thrive.

 

One of the basic concepts that I keep returning to is enough.  I think this is a tough one for our society.  We have been taught that more is always better.  It’s not.  We don’t always need more calories.  We don’t even always need more exercise.  We need the right amount.  And all of us need to have enough for us to have true health.

 

We can’t control big things.  We are only the boss of ourselves.  Start by doing the small things that promote our own health and move from there.

 

What are we hoarding?  What are we lacking?  How can we share our abundance with others and meet some of our needs through their extras?  Cooperation is a basic part of connection, which is a basic part of health.  Let’s be kind and generous and helpful and healthy together. 

Monday Workout: Stability!

This week we’re working on a lot of stability exercises.  These are really good for making workouts challenging without using a lot of heavy weights.  As always, adapt for your needs.  Three rounds.

 

mountain climbers	30
overhead squats	20
Arnold press	10
1 arm clean and press	30
kickbacks	20
round lunges	10
overhead curtsy	30
1 arm deadlift	20
Hundred	10

Five snacks

Snacks are important.  Most of us do pretty well at choosing well during meals, but those snacks can undo all our good work.  Here are a few good snack choices:

 

1.     Clementines.  They’re small, sweet, and full of fiber and vitamins.

2.     Apples and nut butter.  The nut butter gives us a bit more protein and some healthy fats to make us feel full longer.  The apples provide sweetness, fiber, and vitamins.

3.     Veggies and dip.  Dip, in large quantities, is not our friend, but if we have a smidge with our celery, that’s all good.

4.     Yogurt and fruit.  If dairy doesn’t work, try coconut or soy yogurt.  Choose wisely, though, because a lot of yogurts are full of added sugar.

5.     Cheese and whole grain crackers.  By now, you’ll have noticed a theme:  a fiber-rich thing paired with a fatty/protein food.  This gives us what we need to feel full.

Ask!

We are really good at deciding that something needs to be done about our fitness.  And then… we aren’t sure where to begin.  There are, of course, many ways to answer that implied question.  Here are a few things to consider:

 

What do we want to be able to do?  Some of us want to lift heavy things.  Some of us want to run long distances.  Some of us just want smaller jeans.  We want to start with the things that will put us on the path to our actual goals.  So, if we want to lift heavy objects, we begin with weights; if we want to run long distances, we start with short ones; if we want to get smaller jeans, we burn calories.

 

What do we like to do?  Pretty much all of us need to do some cardio exercise of some kind, but there are zillions of kinds out there.  People who detest running might like skiing or dancing or swimming.  Some of us love biking or skating.  Working out is difficult enough without the added disincentive of talking ourselves into doing something that we hate.

 

What do we need to do?  If we are starting from the couch, we need to check in with our doctors to make sure that we are clear to exercise.  Most people starting from the very beginning need to build up some basic endurance before getting fancy:  this means working up to 30 minutes of cardio five days a week.  Those of us with heart issues, blood pressure issues, bone density issues, and the like will need to listen carefully to what the doctor says to stay safe and healthy.

 

Need some guidance?  Ask me!!!!

Enthusiastic Tortoise

Enthusiasm is a wonderful thing.  We need it.  And we also need to remember that it lies to us.  We get all excited:  we’re going to do All The Things!  We’re going to eat only whole foods, exercise for three hours a day, lose 50 pounds, and meditate like a guru!  And on the second day, we’re exhausted and crabby and we find ourselves sitting on the couch eating Oreos out of the package.  Or maybe that’s just me.

 

What we want to do is use our enthusiasm wisely.  Let it help us get out of bed in time to work out, but don’t let it convince us to try to do everything at once.  It is hard to sustain our enthusiasm over time—this is why all those Rocky movies have workout montages—we want to fast-forward to the results!

 

We may have a whole bunch of really wonderful, important goals for our fitness.  It really is best to get excited about consistent, small steps.  We need to learn the tortoise’s lesson again and again.

Monday Workout: Whole!

I love whole body exercises.  We’re amping up our squats this week by making them overhead squats, getting everything moving with kettlebell (or dumbbell) swings, and challenging our core with plank jacks!  Three rounds, modified as needed for YOUR body.

 

kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
plank jacks	30
overhead squats	20
curls	10
clean and press	30
flies	20
quadruped	10

Friday Reading Report: Intangibles

It has been a while since I read a book that was even tangentially fitness-related.  But at last, the incomparable Joan Ryan has a newish book out, Intangibles:  Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry. 

 

I have been reading and enjoying Ryan’s work from the time she used to write for the San Francisco Chronicle sports page.  Her book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes about the participants in women’s gymnastics and figure skating sounded an early (ignored) alarm about the abuses that those athletes were subject to in pursuit of some societal ideal of what gymnasts and figure skaters should be.  Her other books are also entirely worth reading for the grace of her prose and the depth of her insight and knowledge.  So now you know:  I’m a fan.

 

All the things I like about her work are present in this current book.  She brings her inquisitive mind and deep experience to bear on what team chemistry is (or isn’t).  She does not shy away from the people who flat out deny that it exists.  It is a useful reminder to all the data nuts out there that just because something can’t be quantified does not mean that it doesn’t exist.

 

Defining team chemistry turns out to be a difficult question in and of itself.  She writes, “I had experienced it myself in my first job out of college, in the Orlando Sentinel’s sports department.  We were a tight-knit staff of a few rookies like me and a slate of veterans who deleted our adverbs and introduced us to scotch.” (p. 7)  Ultimately, she ends up defining it as a complex of factors that improve performance.

 

She does research with psychiatrists and coaches and members of teams that had notoriously good chemistry.  She develops a series of archetypes that teams need to have good chemistry.  It’s all useful and fascinating, full of great stories and memorable characters.

 

My caveat:  the book has a bit of an identity problem.  It’s mostly a sports book, but it is also trying to be a business book.  From time to time, Ryan tries to make the point that business teams need the same kind of performance-enhancing chemistry as well.  Maybe so.  Managers have been using sports analogies roughly forever, so a more direct application of sports science might make sense.  Also, professional sports are, in fact, businesses.

 

I’m still a fan.  I hope lots of people go out and buy her book because more people need a little Joan Ryan in their lives.  She tells a great story and she finds great stories to tell.