Minimums and Monsters

I have written many times before about my depression and anxiety and about how exercise helps me cope with them.  My experience is anecdotal, of course, but science backs me up:  depression symptoms are often improved by exercise, particularly cardio.

This is one reason why I have a minimum daily exercise goal and a nearly foolproof plan to make it happen.  I have to walk my dog for about half an hour.  If I do that, I don’t have to do anything else.  Most days, I do plenty more, but on days when the Depression Monster visits, that is enough.  The foolproof part is that if I don’t walk my dog, she harasses me.  It is less trouble to walk her than to deal with her unwalked.  (I did not get a dog for this reason, but there are worse reasons to get a dog…)

What works for me may not work for anyone else.  Cardio is no substitute for professional help, but in most cases it won’t hurt to add it on.  And if it helps us outrun the Depression Monster, so much the better.

Let’s be well.

Monday Workout: TRX

This week we’re playing with the TRX.  That means we get bonus points for working our abs on every exercise.  We are also working our balance and stability!  I love workouts that accomplish a whole bunch of things at once!  Four rounds.

1 min cardio
atomic oblique pushup	20
side plank with rotation	20
sprinter start with hop	20
chest press deep angle	20
1 leg squat with hop	20
kneeling roll out	20
TY deltoid fly	20
back row, deep angle	20
hamstring curl	20

From a Certain Point of View...

One of the features of my life as a Pilates instructor is that from time to time I get to do continuing education.  Pilates has diversified from its roots as Uncle Joe’s personal passion and many innovators since his time have added other useful tools and perspectives to his system.  I did my training in one particular school, but the workshop I attended over the weekend was from another branch of the Pilates tree.

New skills are great; new perspectives are better.  The topic for the weekend was client assessment protocols, which could sound incredibly dreary, but wasn’t because it’s all about how to look and how to see.  My initial training of course covered assessment; I learned another view of it in my personal training certification.  Now I have another vantage point, another language to use.

Assessment applies most obviously to new clients, but I use it constantly as all my clients move through their workouts.  What is going on with that problem knee?  Is there more stiffness in a shoulder joint because of last weekend’s fun and games?

In the end, when I unify all the perspectives, I get a holistic picture of what is going on in my clients’ bodies.  (Please note:  I have special dispensation to use the word “holistic” because I lived in Berkeley for twenty years.)  We are not just an injured shoulder, a trick knee.  We are whole, rounded humans whirling on this planet.

And we all can use a shift in perspective from time to time.