Five Things to Track to Maximize Success

What we want to track about our diet and fitness depends on our goals, our patience, and our tools.  Olympians need to pay more detailed attention than the rest of us.  However, most of us could benefit from tracking at least these five things:

 

1.     Sleep.  Enough sleep is crucial to workout performance, recovery, and even weight loss.

2.     Food.  People who track their food tend to lose more weight than people who don’t.  There is also the I-don’t-want-to-write-that-down-so-I-better-not-eat-it effect.  A lot of us eat far more calories than we think we do and we need to keep a log as a reality check.  This can be a pencil-and-paper thing or there are lots of apps out there to make it easy.

3.     Water.  Dehydrated people are unhappy people.  They also can’t work out as well as those of us who keep hydrated.

4.     Workouts.  This can be as simple as a checkoff or a detailed list of what kind of workout it was, how long it was, what weights and reps were involved, etc.  In general, it is best to start small to get in the habit.  However, if we have a goal of reducing our mile time, for example, we need to track that to see our progress.

5.     Measurements.  This can be as simple as tracking weight, or we can add circumference measurements (most common are chest, waist, hips, upper arm, thigh, and calf), body fat percentage (if we have a scale or other device to calculate it for us), BMI (which is a math problem based on height and weight), or any other measurements we think we might want to know about.  This allows us to see our progress.

 

Try it and see how it works!

It needs to be fun

A lot of us don’t like to work out much.  I get it.  It’s hard work and we have to get sweaty.  That’s true.  But it is also true that there are so many kinds of working out that it really is possible to minimize the parts we don’t like.

 

I will use myself as the example, because I’m handy.  If working out meant that I had to run, I would never do it.  (Last time I ran, I ruptured my plantar fascia and crutches are a deal-breaker for me.)  When I found biking, I realized for the very first time how much fun working out could be.  Some people feel this way about dance or skiing or swimming.  Even within those things, we have our niches—ballroom or ballet, downhill or cross-country, backstroke or butterfly.  It is worth playing around (and I mean playing—not everything has to be all serious) to find something that is enjoyable.

 

Sometimes we need to play around even after we have found something we love to do.  We may discover, when we revisit something we tried back when we were first starting out, that we like it better now that we have gotten stronger or faster or lighter from doing the first thing we loved.

 

Also, we may find out that doing something we don’t like very much (looking at you, again, lunges) is worth doing because it makes a big difference to what we do like to do.  Those of us who love weight lifting can benefit from finding some sort of cardio to build up endurance and those of us who want to dance all night could use a little strength training to help us out.

 

Go play.

Consider Tracking This!

I am, personally, a reluctant tracker.  I deeply dislike logging what I eat and do.  My Wristy Overlord (aka Apple Watch) takes some of the calculating away and I have a trusty app (LifeSum.  I use the free version, which does everything I want.) that figures out the calories in what I eat.  I am only willing to do this much because, unfortunately, it works to keep me meeting my health and fitness goals.  Given my general reluctance, it should carry some weight that I’m seriously considering tracking one more variable:  heart rate variability.

 

This metric is the kind that is only worth tracking with wearable fitness trackers.  I know Apple Health and Samsung’s version both calculate it, but my Fitbit knowledge is not up to date.  It is not so important that anybody who doesn’t already use a tracker should rush out and buy one, but, as I am about to explain, I think it adds something useful to our toolbox.

 

Heart rate variability is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  It’s measured in milliseconds and it correlates with cardio fitness.  The higher our heart rate variability is, in general, the more fit we are.  However, it fluctuates from day to day, so it is also a good indicator for how ready we are to do a difficult workout. 

 

A note here on the reliability of data from wearable fitness trackers:  they are not usually as good as the big expensive kinds that hospitals use because hospitals don’t need to wear their equipment on their wrists.  However, the wristy overlords are pretty internally consistent, so we can still use them to measure progress.  It’s like using an idiosyncratic tape measure; as long as we use the same one every time, we can still see what has changed and how much, even if we’re measuring in Bigfoot feet or heptimeters.

 

The natural movement in heart rate variability plus the nature of fitness tracker measures means that step one in using wristy overlords to help us tailor our workouts is a boring and frustrating one:  we have to get a baseline.  To do this, we need to look at the data at the same time of day every day for at least a week and take the average.  That’s not very hard, but the thing is that we have to do it without changing what we are doing.  So those of us who are about to embark on a whole getting-in-shape journey need to spend a week eating and moving the old way to get the baseline before jumping on that new treadmill or weight lifting habit.

 

Then, with our baseline data in hand, we can get to work.  We still need to look at the number daily at more or less the same time (first thing in the morning is best).  Then we compare it to our baseline average.  If the number is significantly lower than our average, it is likely that we are not sufficiently recovered from our last workout and should take it relatively easy (swap the weights for yoga, do the flat run instead of the hill workout, etc.).  If we’re at or above our baseline, we can feel confident that we can handle the tough stuff.

 

This may be more than any of us really wants to deal with.  That is all right.  We can use subjective assessments (I am still really tired and sore from that workout on Saturday, so I’d like to go easier today…) to choose what we do today instead.  I am just a little excited to find something that measures recovery.  In other words, I intend to experiment and see what happens.

Monday Workout: Chest!

This week we’re working chest muscles from two angles with pushups and bench presses.  Which do you like better?  Three rounds.

 

step ups	30
rows	20
pushups	10
jacks	30
lunge twists	20
overhead press	10
squat to leg lift	30
bench press	20
brains	10

Four Reasons Pilates Is For Everyone

Pilates has become one of those popular shorthand things for chi-chi things that snooty skinny people do in their adorable workout clothes.  Snooty skinny people in adorable clothes are certainly welcome, but so is everyone else (although snootiness is best left at the studio door; it gets in the way of concentration).  Here are four reasons why Pilates practice helps all of us.

 

1.     We all need core strength.  Core strength is essential to reducing lower back pain, which afflicts nearly everyone at some point.  All of us chair warriors need to give our cores some love.

2.     We could use an upgrade to our balance.  One of the biggest risks to our independence as we grow older is falls.  The statistics are not pretty.  Fall prevention is all about working on balance and Pilates helps us improve it.

3.     We would like to stand up straight.  Spine health, general alignment, and the aforementioned core strength all contribute to good posture and Uncle Joe is all about improving posture.

4.     We’re stressed out and need to breathe.  In the larger sense, Pilates is a mind-body exercise and so can help with reducing our stress.  In the direct sense, Pilates focuses on when and how to breathe to improve our function.

 

Everyone is welcome in my studio.

Workout Instant Gratification? Yes!

There are plenty of benefits of workouts that we don’t get right away.  None of us is going to lose twenty pounds in one workout or go from couch to marathon after one visit to the treadmill.  However, there are some instant rewards from working out.

 

One of those is an increase in energy.  This may be counterintuitive to someone who is feeling the fatigue right after finishing, but it’s real.  Our bodies like to move and give us more energy when we do it.

 

Another is a boost to our cognitive function.  Anybody who has taken a walk around the block to clear their head intuitively gets this.  We all can use more brain power!

 

Then there is the metabolism boost.  When we lift weights, our bodies burn more calories both right away and for the rest of the day.  This can increase our weight loss or allow more cookies, depending on our goals.

 

A slightly less instantaneous, but still swift benefit is that working out helps us get better sleep.  With about a third of Americans getting inadequate sleep on a daily basis, this is definitely useful.

 

These little instant-gratifications can help motivate us to stick out the workouts until the longer-term benefits show up.

Time Under Tension to Maximize Results

It is often tempting to try to work out as fast as possible.  We want to get it over with and get on with the rest of our lives.  I get it.  But I would like to talk just a little bit about time under tension.

 

Time under tension is exactly what it sounds like:  it is how long our muscles are working while we lift weights.  The more time under tension, the more work we are doing and thus the more opportunity to get stronger.  In other words, it is harder to hold a weight up longer, so it works better.

 

That’s the basic picture.  Now let’s add a few details.  Weight lifting has three phases, called the concentric contraction, the isometric contraction, and the eccentric contraction, or, in plainer language, the up, hold, and down parts.  Increases in time under tension can happen in all three phases, depending on our goals.

 

Power lifting is all about being able to produce strength fast, so if that’s the goal, the concentric (or up) phase needs to be as fast as possible without sacrificing form.  Building maximum strength responds better to a slower tempo, something like a four-beat lift, a two-beat hold, and a four beat lower.  (Working that eccentric/down contraction is both really challenging and really good for building strength!  Don’t let gravity be the boss!)  Those of us who are working to build up our muscle endurance by doing lots and lots of reps might want to try a two-beat lift, a nearly-zero hold, and a two beat lower.

 

As always, it is worth experimenting to find our own best pattern.

Monday Workout: Intervals

The first exercise in each set is designed to get hearts pumping.  This makes the two exercises that follow more challenging.  The rest between sets lets our hearts slow back down, so they are ready for the next intense interval.  That’s the design, but if reality suggests a rest before the end of the set, that’s what should happen.  There are lots of valid ways to use these workouts and please note that there is no time limit!  Three rounds.

 

suitcase swings	30
deadlifts	20
kickbacks	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
woodchoppers	30
lunge to curl	20
pretty princesses	10

Stuff

I have been training clients virtually for a while now, so I am using whatever they have available to them in the way of equipment.  I’ve never been a person in favor of buying two of everything, so here is my short list of home fitness equipment.  Please note that none of it is essential; there are many perfectly good body-weight workouts that can keep us fit and healthy.  That said, here’s what is nice to have.

 

1.     Dumbbells.  If budget allows, the adjustable ones are nice because you get lots of weights and they don’t take up space.  If budget does not allow, a set of light dumbbells and some slightly heavier ones are good.  (Test this out in the store:  the light ones should be about right for ten lateral raises and the heavier ones should be about right for ten rows.)  Dumbbells can double for most things we can do with kettle bells and medicine balls (exception:  do NOT slam your dumbbells into the floor like a medicine ball.  You will not like the results.)

2.     Stability ball.  It takes up less space than a bench and adds an ab challenge to exercises.

3.     Slider disks.  These open up a variety of challenges for cardio in small spaces and also come in useful for clients with knee issues who need to strengthen the muscles around the knees.  Bonus:  they’re cheap and small.

4.     Yoga strap.  A belt or scarf also works.  Helpful for stretching and some stability-building exercises.  Alternatively, a resistance band with handles can be used for a lot of stuff.  Again, inexpensive, flexible, and small.

5.     Foam roller, tune-up balls, etc.  These help develop mobility and flexibility and they feel good.

6.     Mat.  Again, not necessary if you have a floor that is pleasant to lie on.  Nice for padding the knees in certain positions, but a big towel can also work.

 

What I have listed fits in about 9 square feet, so not a lot of room.

Here!

The other morning I was doing my yoga and meditation, like every day, and I had to drag my mind back to my breath over and over again.  The thought drifted through my head that I’m all in favor of being present in the moment, but do I have to KEEP being present?  There are an awful lot of moments.

 

The answer, of course, is yes, but it is also no.  Yes, I need to keep trying to be present in this moment and no, I’m not going to succeed every moment.

 

Being present to our workouts helps in a lot of ways.  When we are doing something difficult, staying focused on the present moment increases our likelihood of using good form.  We learn more when we stay present, which can, in time, make what is difficult today easier on another day.  Also, by being present, even when the exercise is unpleasant (hiya, lunges!), we implicitly recognize that we will not always be doing lunges, so we can take heart.  Staying in the present helps us manage our fatigue; we can recognize when we have had enough and when we might be able to do a little bit more instead of assuming we are done when we finish the tenth rep of whatever we are doing.  Finally, using breath as a technique for staying present reminds us to breathe.  Too often we forget to breathe while working out.

 

Presence is a skill, just like squats or downward dog.  The more we practice, the better we do. 

Louder for the folks in the back

I have a contentious relationship with comparison and competition.  On a day-to-day  basis, I think they do way more harm than good.

 

I’ll talk about the good, such as it is, first.  When we work out, we use comparison in a long-term way to help us meet our goals.  Think before and after photos, or the change in how much we can lift after six months of diligence, or the way our pants become much looser in the waist over time as we keep doing our daily tasks.  Competition, for some people, is very motivating, but it tends not to be good for relationships.  If we find it helpful, we need to ensure that we are competing with ourselves, trying to beat our personal bests, whatever those are, rather than crush the person one weight rack over.  And that’s about it for the good side, in my opinion.

 

As I say over and over again, we can only work out with today’s body.  Comparing what we do today with what we could do when we were twenty doesn’t make any sense because we are not that person any longer.  Our bodies today have very specific needs and come to work out after a particular amount of sleep.  We work on the energy of today’s breakfast and we have to harness our minds away from today’s unique set of stressors to be present during the workout.

 

It’s even worse if we compare ourselves to famous athletes, movie stars, or even that guy over there in the corner hogging all the 45 pound plates.  We can only do what we can do.  Let’s not waste space in our heads with whatever other people can do.  Or not do.  Which is where the competition comes in.

 

There will always be somebody faster than we are, or stronger, or more flexible.  There will always be someone whose best is not as good as ours.  Beating those people or losing to those people is completely not relevant.  We need to do our work, period.  Our goal is to be our best, not somebody else’s best, no matter how cool they are or how much easier their workout might be.

 

Let’s be ourselves in the gym and let other people take care of themselves.

Monday Workout: Upper!

We’re doing a little more overhead work this week.  This helps us work on keeping our shoulders healthy and strong.  Three rounds.

 

mountain climbers	30
squats	20
lateral raise	10
jacks	30
flies	20
Arnold press	10
clean and press	30
rows	20
brains	10

Pour a nice tall glass of...

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m having to work harder than usual to stay hydrated these days.  Here are a few reasons why it is worth it:

 

1.     It helps us stay cooler.  Really.  Yes, we are self-regulating about temperature, but we all can use a little help.  Water is one of those helps.

2.     It makes us nicer.  Dehydrated people are grumpy people, often because they are headachy and fatigued.

3.     It makes most of our body processes work better.  We need water even more than we need food to run our personal chemistry sets.

4.     It can help us lose or maintain our weight.  No calories and a feeling of fullness?  Sign me up!

Paradox Land is a nice place to visit

I hang out in paradox land a lot.  It’s a useful place once we get used to it.  Today’s bulletin about cognitive dissonance is about form in exercise.

 

On one hand, perfect is the enemy of the good.  Any workout is better than no workout.  This is absolutely true.  We don’t want to sweat the small stuff when what we really want is to sweat.

 

But then there is that other hand.  That hand reminds me that when we don’t pay attention to our form, we get hurt.  We also train our bodies to do things poorly, which may not cause injury, but sets us up for chronic pain or weird overuse suffering.

 

Once again, the middle way comes to the rescue.  We want to be mindful enough about form to avoid getting hurt and not so mindful that we paralyze ourselves trying to execute perfection on the very first day.  Good form is a process, not an achievement.  We may not be capable of getting our knees in the right place on our first squats, but as we get stronger and build our endurance, we learn how to engage the right muscles to do better and better.  We refine as we go on.

 

In short, working out is a skill like any other skill.  We improve when we practice.  Good guidance at the beginning helps us stay safe while we learn how to take care of ourselves. 

No, I can't make you...

I am an enabler, and I’m proud of it.  A lot of people think that my job is to make people work out.  It’s not.  I’m there to help people work out.  I can’t make anybody do anything (if I could, my house would be cleaner, there would be world peace, and really comfortable clothes would be the peak of style).

 

What I can do is give people the tools to motivate themselves and the skills to do a good job of working out.  I encourage.  I share my knowledge and experience and observations.  And then I stand there and watch them go.  That last part, being present, is part accountability and part support.  I do have a Mom Look, but, as I have realized over time, the reason the Mom Look works is because moms love us and want us to succeed.

 

I am here to enable folks to reach their potential.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Christmas in July

It’s time for the 12 Days of Christmas in July.  We do this workout twice a year, once in December and once some time in the summer and I’ve decided that now is the time.  Here’s how it works:  On the first “day,” we do one push press.  Then it is magically the second day right away and we do two goblet squats and one push press.  The third day follows immediately on the second and we do three overhead presses, two goblet squats, and one push press, continuing on until we have completed all twelve days.  We try to keep our rests to the ends of the days (most people want their first rest after day five and before the burpees start), but rest whenever necessary.  And yes, I do understand that we end up doing 42 burpees before we are done with this workout; I am probably not your true love, but I will make all of us stronger.  As always, modify as needed for your body.

 

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

 

New Month!

It’s a brand-spanking-new month, so it might be a good time to make a goal or two.  Here are some possibilities:

 

1.     Work up to that 150-minutes-per-week moderate exercise that is recommended for all adults.  That’s 30 minutes of brisk walking on weekdays.

2.     Ditch the added sugar.  We don’t need those extra calories.

3.     Add some weights.  One or two weight training workouts per week can really amp up metabolism, shape the body, and encourage weight loss.

4.     Drink water.  Lots of it.  Most of us walk around slightly dehydrated, which is a good way to get tired and cranky.

5.     Get some sleep.  The average American gets less than 7 hours of sleep per night.  Literally everything works better for us when we are well-rested.

 

As always, make bite-sized goals with a bit of wiggle room in them and focus on the successes!