The Sweet Spot!

I used to think I had a problem with time management.  I was wrong.  I had trouble with energy management.  I’d get to the time I’d set aside for whatever it is I wanted to do and I just couldn’t find the oomph to do it.  I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who has had this problem.  But now I have some tools for energy management!

The big one is regular cardio exercise.  It’s a little counterintuitive that doing more will give us more energy, but it works.  Bodies are made to move.  Pretty much all our systems work better if we get sweaty on a regular basis.  It doesn’t have to be a huge amount, either.  A brisk, 30-minute walk can do the trick.  (And it can even be two 15-minute walks, for those who like smaller doses!)

 

We get a bigger energy boost from higher-intensity exercise.  Amping up that walk with some speed intervals or hills will bring us even more benefits.

 

There is, however, a limit.  Too much exercise is as problematic as too little.  If we find ourselves sore for more than a few days or if we find that we’re having trouble sleeping, it’s time to rethink how much we’re doing.

 

Aim for the sweet spot!

Break it down

When it comes to change, a lot of us struggle.  We look at where we are and where we want to be and the distance just seems too big.  There are so many things we ought to be doing and it’s all so overwhelming.  I get it.  So here’s my suggestion:  do one stupidly easy small change.

Let me break that down.

 

We’re going to choose ONE thing.  Not one thing and seven super-secret bonus things.  Not two things, because really, we’re the overachieving type and if we’re supposed to do one, we can certainly do two.  One.  Choosing one means that we’re living in a binary experiment.  We either do the thing or we don’t do it.  There’s not a ton of wiggle room.

 

We’re going to make it stupidly easy.  We’re working a Jedi mind trick on ourselves here, showing ourselves that we can, in fact, change.  It’s a proof of concept thing.  If we can make this one small, easy change, we’re learning that we have efficacy, that we can make a difference.  And, as we all know, that thousand-mile journey starts with one step.  So this first change is going to be as easy as possible.  This is not the time to say we’re going to work out for an hour every day when we don’t even know where our workout clothes are anymore.  This is where we decide to walk for five minutes.  Other examples might be not pushing snooze in the morning or cutting the sugar in our coffee in half or eating a vegetable every day.

 

We’re going to make it small.  Again, no marathons here.  No pantry-clear-out-diet-makeovers.  Just one small shift.  Five minutes of weights.  A hard limit of one episode of TV at night.  An apple.

 

When we make one stupidly easy small change and we stick to it for a month or so, we learn that we can learn.  Then the change is our new normal and we can shift something else.

 

If we get carried away with enthusiasm and fail spectacularly, we can always return to one stupidly easy small change.

 

We can do this.

Monday Workout: Core and Balance

 

This week we’re working balance and core throughout the workout!  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg scaption	20
truck driver	10
woodchoppers	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
step ups	30
curls	20
femur arcs	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Kettlebell Hang, Clean, and Jerk

The Amazing Stickie knows that using kettlebells challenges her in ways that dumbbells don’t because of how the weight shifts in different positions.  Today she is doing the kettlebell hang, clean, and jerk.

She begins holding a kettlebell in one hand.  She squats down, lowering the kettlebell toward the floor.  Then she stands up straight again, lifting the kettlebell to shoulder height.  From there, she lifts the kettlebell overhead.  Then she returns to the start position for the next rep.

For the Joy

Sometimes the best way to get out of our own way in fitness is to do something we like that we are not good at.

 

Counterintuitive, right?  I’m supposed to be telling everyone to excel or something.  Actually, I’m not.  I’m here to promote health.  And sometimes health is about playing.

 

Playing doesn’t have a goal in mind.  When we play, we do whatever it is we are doing for the joy of doing it.  It doesn’t mean we don’t play hard, but we’re not attached to some outcome beyond the present enjoyment.

 

Take me and swimming, for example.  I am not a great swimmer.  I’m unlikely to drown, but that’s about all that can be said about my abilities.  But I love swimming.  I love being in the water and the feel of my body moving through it.  Because I love it, I’ll do it and have a good time even if objectively I’m doing a poor job of it.  My body gets to work and I get to let go of all the judgments that I might put on myself about my performance (other people who want to judge my performance can go pound sand; I’m too old for that crap.).

 

Of course I’ll get better at swimming over time, but I’m not thinking about improvement.  I’m just enjoying what I’m doing.

 

Go play.  

No Losers

Some folks are not going to like this one.  I’m okay with that.  Competition is not our friend when it comes to fitness.

Sure, there are people who are motivated by contests.  Who can lose the most weight?  Who can win the gym’s bingo game by going to the most different classes?  I’m not trying to ruin anybody’s day or take away their joy or whatever.

 

Here’s the thing:  competition requires someone to lose.  In fitness, the goal is for everyone to win.  Further, because we’re all starting from different place, my win may not look anything like someone else’s win.  The comparisons are useless and/or unfair.

 

It’s hard to do, but here’s what we’re aiming for:  doing our best on a daily basis.  We do this not by looking at what anyone else is doing.  We also don’t need to look at what we did yesterday or what we think we should be able to do today.  We just need to show up, be present, and work hard.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: All Kinds of Fun

 

Time for another shorter circuit!  Four rounds full of compound exercises should be fun!

 

1 min cardio
squat to leg lift	30
flies	20
overhead press	10
deadlift to curl	30
renegade row	20
brains	10