A Workout for Every Kind of Stress...

We are all experiencing the current times in different ways, but I think it is pretty safe to say that we’re all finding new and exciting sources of stress.  I say all the time (and it’s a pretty prevalent idea in the culture) that exercise is good for stress, but different kinds of exercise, having slightly different flavors, work in different ways.

If stress is causing depression-like symptoms, what we need to do is cardio.  We need the extra energy and the mood-boosting power of heart pumping to help with that particular kind of stress.  (Note:  exercise is no substitute for actual mental health treatment.  Talk to your therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist and take your meds.  You are important and valuable and I’m always here to listen if you need a friend.)

If we find that stress is spiking our anxiety or that our entire bodies have seized up with tension, what we need is something on the yoga/Pilates order.  We practice our breathing and we move gently in ways that help our muscles lengthen.

And, finally, if our stress springs from feeling like we have lost all power in the world because random or not-random things keep happening to us, we need to lift weights.  The weights do not mind if we express our anger at them.  We can burn our rage and calories at the same time.  And at the end, we will be stronger.

Repeating it one more time:  If you need a friend, call/text/message me.  I’m here for you.

Monday Workout: Kettle Bell If Possible

This week’s workout is technically for kettle bells, but any weight will do.  In fact, some of the exercises, like the overyets, work just fine with no weight at all.  Do three rounds.

kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
kb one arm clean/press	30
kb goblet squat	20
kb overyets	10
kb overhead high knees	30
kb overhead triceps	20
kb pushups	10

Four things

Left to myself, I’m a stress eater.  I’m working on it.  In case I am not the only one, here are four things to do instead of diving into the ice cream:

1.     Journal.  We can write out our feelings rather than eating them.  It’s inexpensive and keeps our hands busy.

2.     Meditate.  We can learn to put a bit of space between the stimulus and the response.  In other words, just because we want the ice cream, we don’t have to eat the ice cream.

3.     Get some sleep.  Often we eat more just because we’re that tired.  Catch up on dreamtime and maybe the butter pecan will be less compelling.

4.     Go outside and play.  The more nature and the more heavy breathing involved the better.

Please remember, eating is not a bad thing.  If we sometimes overdo the treats, it does not make us bad people.  Loving ourselves does mean trying to choose foods that make our bodies strong and healthy, but we need to love ourselves even when we aren’t perfect.

Fitness for Revolutionaries

Over the last months, we’ve seen some crazy stuff.  We have dealt with change after change in our living and working (or not-working) conditions.  On top of that, we have seen some particularly ugly manifestations of the racism in our society and way too much violence.

So what the heck am I doing writing about cardio and weights and Pilates?  What relevance does fitness have in this kind of crisis?

Two things.  One is that fitness is self-care.  We all need things that help us cope with the undeniable stress of these times.  Doing the breath work that comes with Pilates can give us a respite from the chest-tightening horror of the news.  Getting breathless biking or running or walking can give us a chance to elevate our mood and exorcise some of the demons.

The other is that change requires strength.  It may not require literal strength, but as I say often enough, I majored in English and I believe in the power of metaphor.  When we build our literal strength, we build our figurative strength and our strength of character as well.  We need to live a long time so we can transform our society and have some time left to enjoy it.  Fitness brings us that.

Fitness can be a tool for creating the world we want to live in.

It's the love...

I give a lot of disclaimers in my line of work.  I am not a doctor, a physical therapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, or a dietician.  I can’t diagnose illness or injury, prescribe treatment or medication, design specific eating plans.  Let me add that I am not a priest, either, and thus cannot absolve anyone of sin.  If I did happen to be a priest, I would still not be in a position to absolve people of the “sins” they most often confess to me because I do not think that not exercising and overeating are in fact sins.  They may not be the best ideas ever, but we really are not, generally, most successful at motivating ourselves with guilt.

What works, in my experience, is love.  When we treat ourselves with love, we are able to recognize that our bodies feel better with the right amount of movement and the right amount of food.  We are also able to see that some days we really need rest most of all, or a bit of chocolate, or both.

We also do best when we don’t try to do absolutely everything at once.  We should start small, with maybe a ten minute walk or a fruit snack in place of a candy.  Small victories add up to big ones.

What I AM is a trainer.  I CAN coach people to success with lots of encouragement and practical programs and general nutrition information.  Let me help.

Monday Workout: More Pilates

Yep, Pilates again!  Breathe and relax into it!

pelvic clock

bridging

side to side

dead bug/femur arcs

chest lift

hundred

side kick

dart

quadruped

leg pull

leg pull front

saw

mermaid

standing roll down

Friday Reading Report: Hey, I'm not mad this time!

It turns out that the AMA has a nice, concise list of things that we can do to get or remain healthy.  It’s called Life’s Simple 7.  Here is the list, with a few comments:

1.     Don’t smoke.  (We all know this one, right?  I’m not going to get all judgy at you, but I do want you to live a long time, so if you do smoke, I’m here to cheer you on if you decide it’s time to quit.)

2.     Maintain a healthy weight.  (This one is helped by some of the other items.)

3.     Engage in regular physical activity.  (See?)

4.     Eat a healthy diet.  (I would have liked a little more description here, but I guess that would make it less simple.)  (Eat your veggies and drink your water.  Most of the rest of it is up for debate by someone.)

5.     Manage blood pressure.  (A little bit of how might have been nice, but exercise is already on the list and the healthy diet and healthy weight both help.  Reduce stress if possible!)

6.     Take charge of cholesterol.  (I like the vigorous language, but it also makes me envision wild cholesterols wreaking havoc throughout the land until we manage to round them up and tame them.  Consider a plant-based diet and that exercise thing, again.)

7.     Keep blood sugar or glucose at healthy levels.  (Yep, exercise and healthy diet again, this time focusing on cutting the added sugar in foods.)

I think I know why they didn’t ask me to write the list now…