Growing with Uncle Joe

One of the reasons I like Pilates is because I am short.  Pilates helps me feel taller.  How?  The principle, in Pilates language, is axial elongation.  Normal people might call it standing up straighter.

 

It’s a little more complicated than that, but not too much.  Gravity is an inescapable fact of our lives and as we walk around and do the things we do, it pulls our spines down toward the earth.  When we do Pilates, we work to create space between our vertebrae in an anti-gravity kind of way.

 

Want to feel taller?  Here’s how.  We’re going to do a bridge together.  We begin lying on our backs (yay!) with our knees bent and feet flat on the floor with our heels in line with our sitting bones.  We take a deep inhale.  Then, as we exhale, we tilt our pelvises back toward our belly buttons and then keep tilting until our pelvises begin to lift in the air.  We peel one vertebra at a time off of the floor until we are supported on our shoulders and our feet.  Our bodies, from our shoulders to knees, should make a straight line.  We take another deep inhale.  Then, as we exhale, we peel ourselves back down on to the floor, pulling our hips away from our shoulders the whole time.  We imagine creating space between each vertebra on the way down and our hips will likely come down farther from our head than they started.  Voila!  Space in the spine!  We are taller!  (Please note:  people with osteopenia or osteoporosis should not do bridging with spinal articulation.  Those folks, instead of doing the pelvic tilt and the peel up and down, should lift the pelvis straight up toward the ceiling.  In the lowering phase, they can still pull the hips away from the head, but the spine should move as a unit rather than one vertebra at a time.)

 

Welcome to a taller future!

Forget about it

We’re back from the holiday weekend.  Now we’re going to forget about it.  No, not the great memories we made or the valuable lessons we learned about what not to ask Uncle Jerome at the dinner table; we need to keep those things.

 

We’re going to forget what we ate, how much pie we put away, and how little exercise we got.

 

We are going to start again, today, with the workout in front of us.  We’re going to eat our normal healthy foods.

 

There will be no punitive workouts and no one is being restricted to just bread and water.  Fitness, in the form of healthy eating and movement, is a gift we give our bodies.  We do it because we want to take care of ourselves, not because we think we are horrible people who deserve to suffer.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Both!

I love compound exercises and asymmetric ones, too.  So this week we get both!  Hooray!  Three rounds.

 

squat raise	30
flies	20
pushups	10
lunge punches	30
bench press	20
curls	10
1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg squat	20
brains	10

Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Things to be grateful for today in our bodies include:

 

1.     Food!  It fuels us and tastes good!

2.     Feet!  They take us where we want to go!

3.     Brains!  Consciously and unconsciously, brains figure out how to make all our body parts work and work together.

4.     Muscles and bones!  They move us and they support us, no matter what we are doing.

 

Now go eat.

Automatic Tools?

I’ve been reading about various tech processes and came across an interesting distinction that, of course, I want to apply to fitness.  To make processes easier, we can automate them, or we can use tools.

 

An automated process doesn’t require human action.  It just happens, on its own.  Sadly, fitness does require human action, but when we have a fitness habit, it almost feels automatic.  We get up and we work out before our brains even engage.

 

Mostly, though, we use tools in fitness.  Some of those tools are things like workout sheets that remind us to do cardio and strength training and stretching and balance work.  Others are pieces of equipment ranging from supportive shoes to 50-pound dumbbells.

 

Both tools and automation are handy.  We want them to make our workouts easier!

 

Go play.

Planning, or how not to be a bear

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Anyhow, here he is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh.”  Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

 

I think we all feel like Pooh from time to time.  The stairs of life take over and we don’t have time to figure out a better way.  But, for better or worse, we are not bears of very little brain, so it is time to talk about… planning.

 

One part of the better way is figuring out how to make fitness fit into our lives.  We all want to live longer, be happier, have better sex, have more energy, and all the other good things that come from having a fitness practice, but then those stairs happen and we’re bumping our heads again.  What to do?

 

We start small.  And we commit.

 

I personally like small commitments that happen every day.  This takes the thinking out of it.  I know I get up in the morning and brush my teeth and do a couple more things and then I work out and then I shower.  Some people do well with weekday habits or weekend habits.  Do whatever works.  But make a plan.  Something like:  “I’m going to walk around the block every morning this week.”  It’s not too hard or too big.

 

Then we plan for contingencies.  Because life.  The plan might then be something like “I’m going to walk around the block every morning this week unless it is raining, in which case I will do some yoga in the kitchen.” 

 

Alternatively, we can set minimums:  “I’m going to walk around the block at least five mornings this week.”  That means that we have some grace on that day we forget to set the alarm and that other day when we’ve already done our five days and we can smugly rest.

 

Any plan is better than bumping down the stairs on the back of our heads.

 

Monday Workout: Simple

Because we’re all busy with Thanksgiving this week, I didn’t put anything new or fancy in the workout.  We have enough on our minds and our workout should be simple.  Three rounds.

 

jacks	30
deadlifts	20
Arnold press	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
mountain climbers	30
renegade rows	20
pretty princesses	10

Aaah.

Want to do something in every category of exercise today?  I’ve got you covered.

 

1.     Cardio:  Go for a walk.  Just for fifteen minutes.

2.     Weight training:  do three sets of 20 squats with a minute rest between them.  (If you are really pressed for time, you can use the rest period to do core or balance.)

3.     Core:  one set of 10 pretty princesses.

4.     Balance:  one set of 10 calf raises.  (Bonus points:  do them on one foot at a time!)

5.     Stretch:  stand in a doorway with your arms outstretched.  Lean forward.  Feel your chest open.  Say aaah (that part’s optional).

6.     DONE!

Don't ask them anything heavy, though...

Weight lifting makes us stronger, but that’s not even the best reason to do it, or not necessarily.  (If our goal is to be stronger for the sake of being stronger, then it is the best reason.  In that case, we should stop reading and go lift some weights.  Nothing to see here.)

 

If our goal is weight loss, lifting is our friend.  It builds lean body mass, which burns more calories than our fat mass does.  It increases our metabolisms.  And, while doing all of that, it makes us look better even before we lose any weight.

 

If our goal is to live a long and healthy life, weight training has our back there as well.  Working with weights keeps our bones strong as well as our muscles.  Strong bones resist breaks.  Additionally, working with weights improves our core musculature, which helps prevent falls.

 

If we love a sport, weight lifting is still a useful pastime.  Increased strength translates into increased speed and performance.  Basically, it teaches us to play harder and faster.

 

Go say hello to the dumbbells and barbells.  Tell them I sent you. 

Holistic!

This post comes with its own disclaimer.  I lived in Berkeley for 20 years, so I am allowed to use the word holistic.  You’ve been warned.

Sometimes working out is not the right answer.  I admit that working out is usually the right answer, but usually is not the same as always.  We have to take a holistic view of our health and fitness.

 

What that means is that unfortunately we have to rely on our good judgment.  This is boring, irritating, and risky.  We have to engage in the decision-making process.  And behave like responsible adults.  Phooey.  (We thought lunges were the hard part!)

 

So, let me give a couple of examples of how this might work.  I wake up tired and grumpy.  It’s cold out.  Working out requires that I wear a bra.  I have a gazillion things to do in the day ahead of me.  All of those things added up mean I should skip the workout, right?  Nope.  Working out will wake me up.  It will improve my mood.  It will get my brain working better for all those other gazillion things.  (No fix for the cold or the bra, but hey, nothing is perfect.)  On the whole, working out is better for me in this situation than not working out.  Plus, I get to feel virtuous.

 

In the second example, I still wake up tired and grumpy.  This time, it’s because I got a Covid booster and a flu shot the day before.  I spent the night having chills and fever and body aches.  This time, my body needs to rest and restore itself, so turning off the alarm, rolling over, and going back to sleep is the right answer.  If I wake up in the afternoon and feel a lot better, I can consider doing something light and easy like a bit of stretching or a gentle walk, but I can also keep on resting.

 

Please note:  our brains are very, very good at rationalizing.  If we discover that we have found “good reasons” to skip our workouts for three days in a row and those reasons don’t involve illness or injury, we need to give ourselves a (gentle) kick in the behind to get back to the gym.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Donkey

This week we are revisiting an exercise we don’t do very often:  the donkey kick.  It’s a good exercise for the glutes and it reminds us about using our abdominals to help our lower backs.  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
flies	20
pushups	10
squat raise	30
bench press	20
donkey kick	10
(lunge) punches	30
rows	20
brains	10

It's a Beautiful Day!

Sometimes it seems like workouts are all slog, all the time.  Here are four ways to find joy in workouts:

 

1.     That sense of accomplishment.  It can be tiny, like, “Hey!  I showed up today with shoes on and everything!”

2.     That sense of progress.  “A year ago, I couldn’t lift this!”

3.     That great song.  Maybe the workout itself is terrible, but the beats rock.

4.     That shower afterward.  Ahhhhhhh!  It feels so good! 

It's Wednesday and Captain Obvious Is Here

It seems like I feel like Captain Obvious about once a week.  Today’s the day this week.  My pearl of obvious wisdom this time is:  we all have strengths and weaknesses.

 

It’s fun to play to our strengths.  Some of us are fast; some of us are strong; some of us are flexible.  Fast people like to finish first.  Strong people like to have the opportunity to display their strength.  Flexible people show off the way they can scratch the tops of their heads with their big toes, or whatever it is that flexible people do (I am not one, so I am simply admiring and jealous when they bend like that.).  Of course we want to continue to build on our strengths.

 

But.

 

We also have to spend some time on our weaknesses.  I may never be able to scratch the top of my head with my big toe, but if I don’t spend at least a little time working on flexibility, I’ll be lucky if I bend at all.

 

Nearly everything we do in fitness is a combination of cardio, strength, and flexibility.  We can have a preferred mode among the three, but we can’t avoid the others forever.

 

Go play.

Dreams

I got to be a guest speaker in a high school health class (via Zoom) last week and I got asked what the best thing about my job is.  I could have said that I get to wear sweats all day every day and call it professional dress, which is definitely a good thing about my job, but it isn’t the best thing.

 

The best thing is getting to see people do more than they ever thought they could.

 

Every day I get to watch as people put in the work to accomplish their goals.  I see the effort.  I see the struggle.  And I get to see the success.  Things that used to be hard aren’t anymore.  Things that used to hurt feel better.  Bodies change.  Attitudes shift.  Strength in one area translates into strength somewhere else.

 

I get to help.  What is better than enabling people’s dreams?

Monday Workout: Three Planes

We are working in all of our planes this week.  We have lots of stuff in the sagittal plane (the usual going front and back), a few frontal plane things (going side to side), and a couple of transverse plane exercises (twisting!).  Everyday life uses all three, so why shouldn’t workouts?  Three rounds.

 

kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s or overyets	10
squat to leg lift	30
flies	20
lateral raise	10
mountain climbers	30
deadlift	20
Russian twist	10

 

Four Starting Places

When we need to start over, we need to start somewhere.  Here are some possible places to begin and why we might choose them.

 

1.     Cardio.  It boosts mood, increases energy, helps brain function, and burns calories.

2.     Weights.  Weight training increases lean body mass, reduces fat, and burns calories.  It also increases our sense of efficacy.

3.     Food.  Eating foods that are good for our bodies can change our mood, help our digestions, reduce fatigue, and generally make us feel better.

4.     Mindbody Exercise.  Yoga and Pilates can reduce stress, increase flexibility, and help our bodies feel better overall.  They help us breathe and remain present. 

When Things Go Wrong

October was a rough month for me, for a lot of reasons.  I got a bit off track with my fitness.  It happens and I’m not going to beat myself up about it or anything.  Instead, I’m going to share what I do when I need to get back to my healthy habits.

 

The very first step for me when I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do is to figure out how to get my cardio in.  Cardio is the thing that gives me the most, fastest.  When everything is going wrong, I need cardio’s mood boost.  I need the extra energy it gives me.  I need the cognitive help.  And, yeah, I need to burn some calories.

 

While I often suggest cardio as a first step for other people for all those reasons, I would like to point out that we are all individuals and some of us might get the most benefit from starting somewhere else.  The point here is that the first step should be the one that gives us the most traction so that we can get to the second step.  (Apply this same principle to all the steps, please!)

 

For me, that second step is about what I put in my mouth.  When I am stressed, I want ice cream, mac and cheese, and all the caffeinated soda in the universe.  Sadly, this does not match up well with the list of foods that are actually good for me.  Weaning myself off the junk food helps me sleep better, ache less, and feel less irritable.

 

Step three, once the first two steps are well along toward becoming habits again, is to add just a little something.  Some days that might be some yoga.  Other days, it might be some weights.  Nothing too big or that takes too long or that feels too overwhelming.  Just a little push.  Those little pushes add up over time.

 

If I find that I’m stressing out again, I back up.  I return to the cardio.  I step away from the freezer.  I try not to add more stress about what I’m not doing.

 

What works for you?

Something Made New

Last week I did something new.  One of my friends invited me to go electric biking with her.  I don’t have an electric bike, but her husband kindly loaned me his for the occasion.

 

Was it the same as biking on my road bike or my mountain bike?  No.  But it reminded me about how much fun bikes can be.  The short version of why I don’t bike much anymore is that it hurts my body in a lot of places.  The electric bike’s geometry and the little bit of assist it gave me (I could have used more, but I have legs for a reason and I’m going to use them!) made it possible for me to go without my arms falling off and without having to suffer my way up hills.

 

There are many possible lessons to take from this, and not all of them involve shopping.  One is that finding a way to modify the things we want to do to make them workable for our bodies is a worthwhile endeavor.  Another is that getting a glimpse of success can motivate us to put in the work to get there (yes, I now want to take my non-electric bikes out for more quality time).

 

Joy is my favorite result from movement.