The Monster

I recently had a conversation or two that reminded me about my belief that there are things I need to talk about because I want it to be more normal to talk about.  That’s a terrible sentence, but I’m going with it.  Here’s the deal:  I have depression.

Most of the time, I have depression and it’s just a thing in the background.  It never really goes away, but it doesn’t wreak havoc, either.  It’s like an ugly picture on the wall that I’m used to even if I can’t get rid of it entirely.  I know I am not the only person running around with this issue.

 

I am one of the lucky ones.  My depression is manageable.  Once in a while, it jumps me and takes a day or so out of my life.  Then I have to deploy my coping skills, which is why I’m writing about this in a fitness post.

 

Exercise is so helpful in dealing with depression.  Yes, it is a real challenge to get started on any kind of workout when the world feels way too heavy, but if at all possible, we need to try.

 

For one thing, exercise gets our good brain chemicals flowing.  We need that runner’s high, baby.  (Note:  we don’t have to run to get it.  Walking or anything cardio will do.  I’d rather be depressed than run.)

 

Another benefit of exercise when we’re depressed is that it gets us out of our heads and into our bodies.  If we’re sweating, we’re thinking about how our lungs feel or how our legs feel or how our arms might fall off if we do one more rep, not about any of the nasty games our minds play with us in depression.

 

Then there is the fact that we are doing something.  A nice, finite task that increases our sense of efficacy in the world is kryptonite for that Depression Monster.

 

Please note:  NONE of this is a substitute for medical or psychiatric care.  If you are feeling suicidal, PLEASE seek help and/or call 1-800-273-8255 for the hotline.  Please stay.

Observation Deck

While my goals for my clients are not nearly as important as their goals for themselves, I still have them.  They vary by the client, most of the time, but one that I have for all of my clients is that they improve their observation skills.

Yes, I know that I teach weight training and Pilates.  Observation is not exactly about strength or coordination.  Except it is.

 

Any time we are learning a skill, we have to observe what is happening.  We listen to the directions, we watch the demonstration, and then we try.  Tuning in to how we execute whatever it is we are learning to do is the first step toward refining our performance.  Additionally, we get useful information back from our bodies.

 

Recently, I had a client do an exercise we hadn’t done in a while.  I talked about where many people feel the work of the exercise in their bodies.  This client considered and realized that they were feeling it somewhere else.  This allowed me to ask them to do something else first to loosen a tight part and then the exercise we were doing in the first place worked much better.  If we had not been observing, that refinement would not have happened.

 

When observation becomes ingrained, we are able to notice our progress.  We remember how hard something used to be that is much easier now.  Or, we can see when something is not quite right, how a particular move is more difficult today than usual, and we can figure out a different strategy.

 

As I say over and over again, we work out not just to work out, but for the benefits of having worked out in the rest of our lives.  Building our observational skills is a thing that benefits us across our lives as we learn to focus on our experiences in a mindful way.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Boxing Circuit

Last week of the month means we do something different!  Yay!  This month, we’re doing a short boxing circuit with some ab challenge.  Three to four rounds, depending on time and energy!

 

straight punches	20
hooks	20
uppercuts	20
inch worm	10
pushups	10
plank
toe reachers	20
star jumps	20

 

The Amazing Stickie and Dumbbell Floor Chest Press

Chest presses, the Amazing Stickie knows, are a classic exercise.  There are, of course, many variations.  Today, Stickie is doing the dumbbell floor chest press.  She doesn’t do this variation that often because she likes to be able to lower her elbows farther, but this is fun once in a while.

To begin, she lies on the floor with her legs in tabletop position, holding a pair of dumbbells directly above her shoulders.  The dumbbells are close together, but Stickie knows that if they touch each other it makes the exercise easier and cheats her of some of her work.  Stickie does not like to cheat.  Maintaining a neutral spine, Stickie bends her elbows to lower the weights toward her chest and then raises them up again to the starting point.

 

Depending on the weight, ten to twenty reps should do it.

I Have Answers

Because I do both personal training and Pilates, folks sometimes ask me which they should do.  I have two answers:  it depends and both.  (Yeah, I know.  I’m annoying like that.)

The “it depends” answer springs from the fact that we are all coming to fitness from our own special spots in the universe.  We have individual needs and goals.  For most of us, it will be pretty clear whether the usual outcomes of weight training or Pilates will align better with what we need and want.

 

The “both” part comes from the synergistic nature of weight training and Pilates.  When we do both, we improve our outcomes even more than just by getting the individual benefits of each of those training modes.  The strength we gain in weight training opens up opportunities for us in the Pilates repertoire.  The finesse and balance and alignment we learn in Pilates translate into better form and performance in our weight training.  Our powerful brains benefit from the mindset of both disciplines and from the challenge of switching between them.

 

The good news is that we can start anywhere.  It’s all good.

Change the Input

Recently I listened to a webinar about neuroplasticity.  At the risk of sounding far out there, it made me realize how much we create our own reality.

Yeah, that’s pretty woo-woo, even for me.  Let me give a practical example that can also be a party trick, depending on the kind of parties we go to.

 

Don’t try this if you have bone loss in your spine.  Everyone else:  stand up and then bend forward as if you are going to touch your toes.  It does not matter how far you can reach, but note how far you can reach.  Stand back up.  Now think about that problem part of your body, the ankle you keep spraining, the scar from your appendectomy, that shoulder that hurts in the morning.  Once you’ve settled on one (any one will do!), rub that part of your body for a minute or so.  Longer is better for this exercise, but a minute is enough.  Then do that forward bend again.  I’ll bet you could reach farther than you did the first time.

 

Why does it work?  Because we distracted our brains.  We gave a bunch of input to our brains from something that wasn’t reaching for our toes.  Our brains stayed so busy with that that they couldn’t focus on our limitations in the direction of our toes.

 

We just changed our reality.  When we change the input, we change the output.

 

Go make some stuff real.

Monday Workout: Rev Up

This week we’re keeping on with our compound exercises to build strength and rev up our metabolisms.  Three rounds.

 

tap backs	30
renegade row	20
lateral raise	10
squat to leg lift	30
(lunge to) curl	20
YTA	10
jacks	30
good morning/deadlift	20
pretty princesses	10