Fit to fly...

I thought about fitness while I was on vacation.  This is one way I know that I have the right vocation; my work blends in with my regular life in good and inspiring ways.  Fitness changes our lives at a fundamental level.

Because I am still healing from injury, I am, at the moment, considerably less “fit” than usual.  My top crutch speed is not even close to the normal walking pace of my kids.  The demands of a healing body produced fatigue much faster than usual.  Stairs, inclines, doors, and non-paved pathways proved challenging.  My point here is not to complain (although I am an expert complainer!), but to notice the fitness I, and perhaps others of us, take for granted.  I missed out on some fun things because my body couldn’t do them.  At the same time, I was grateful for the fact that I am strong and fit enough to cope with my injury.

What fun things do I miss out on when I am not injured?  What could I do if I were more fit?  Fitness is not an end in itself, but a means to a better quality of life.  Let’s get stronger, faster, fitter, better, so we can have more good times.

Friday Exercise: Vacation

No picture today.  No real post!  The blog is on vacation because the blogger is on vacation!  Back in a little over a week!

Thursday Book Report: The Martian

Andrew Luck chose new books for his book club!  Hooray!  For kids/”rookies,” he chose The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It’s great.  If you haven’t read it, do it.  However, I’m here to write about the grown-up choice:  The Martian by Andy Weir.

I saw the movie and liked it.  I liked the book more.  It reminded me of The Swiss Family Robinson, except funnier and in space.  What is not to like about a book with contraptions and adventures and rockets?  Adversity is overcome!  Death is vanquished by duct tape and ridiculous jokes!

In some ways, this was the perfect book to read after last week’s book (Resilience).  All the characteristics required to bounce back from difficult situations were on exhibit in The Martian.  Our hero uses his brains and his body to survive and even thrive through optimism, intelligence, and humor.  I rooted for him all the way.

Reward: Wanted

I believe in treats.  They are so much more motivational than punishments.  When we do things for treats, not only do we accomplish what we need to get done, but we also get rewarded.

Here’s the thing:  we have to choose the right treats.

There is an art to this.  Unless I mean there is a math to this.  I get those things confused.  Let me clarify by using an example.  Let’s say I want to exercise more often.  I decide that I will motivate myself to exercise by giving myself a treat.  If I choose staying up all night playing pinochle as my reward, I may find that the next day I am too tired to exercise.  My treat may have been fun, but didn’t advance my overall plan to exercise more often.  (Also, I have no idea how to play pinochle, so my brain would probably hurt.  And doesn’t it involve worms?  Or is that just the song?)

I have to choose something as a treat that will not get in the way of the larger goal.  This may mean choosing smaller treats (one cookie, not ten), different treats (hot bath), or better proportioned ones (pinochle party that ends at 10, not 2).

Within those parameters, the treat should be as awesome as possible:  that had better be one life-changing cookie, bubbly bath, or hilarious party.  Make the treat worth it!

Naked Lady (That's the name of the flower...)

Most of us need to drink more.  No, not that kind.  Water.

It is hard to pick up a magazine without seeing an article about “detoxing.”  There is no diet that will pull toxins out of our bodies.  That is why we have livers; livers do that.

Digression:  we can put fewer toxins into our bodies in the first place by choosing organic, whole, health-inducing foods, but that is not the same thing.  End of digression.

Our livers do appreciate a little help with the process.  This is where the water comes in.  Hydration is essential to our bodily processes.  Without water, we become crabby, headachy, and slow.  Our brains don’t work as well and our bodies quit on us.

Drink up.

Not the candy

Sometimes stretching seems like the runt of the litter.  He or she gets shoved aside by the bigger, cuter puppies that seize our attention with their active bodies and insistent wiggling.

Feed the runt.  Take care of him or her.  That dog will save you later.

Tight muscles eventually fail.  They inhibit range of motion, causing problems with form.  Form issues produce injury.  Let’s not go there.

Warm up a little before you stretch, or use dynamic (moving) stretches as you warm up.  Stretch between weight lifting sets or during cardio recovery periods.  Stretch at the end.  This is just basic care and feeding for our little runt.

If you take your puppy to Pilates or yoga, it’s like a trip to the stretching dog park.  Not only does the puppy get lots of play time, he or she also gets to play with others and strengthen social bonds.

Runts can grow up to be healthy, happy dogs.

Friday Exercise: Over Yets

Stickie enjoys working with kettle bells.  There may be another name for this exercise, but she likes to call it Over Yets (as in “Are they over yet?”).

She begins with a kettle bell in one hand, raised over her head.  The kettle bell will stay in this position throughout the exercise.  Stickie bends her knees, keeping her torso upright, placing one knee and then the other on the floor.  (She uses a squishy mat or towel for padding if necessary.)  Then she stands back up straight, coming through the position that could be described as “will you marry me?”

This is a challenging exercise and has to be done on both sides, so five repetitions per side is a good place to start.  A couple of sets is usually plenty.