Grit, Pro and Con

Yesterday I wrote about flow and how great it is when everything just feels right with our workouts.  Today I’m going to talk about those other days, the ones when everything is just too @#$% hard to do.

 

Grit is an important skill to have in our toolbox.  When we use it, we get stronger and we build character.  It can help us lift that last rep or finish that last mile.  Heck, sometimes it can make us do that very first step of showing up at the gym.

 

It’s also, like many tools, potentially dangerous.  Grit is no substitute for good judgment.  We do not want to use it to keep working when we are injured, for example.

 

We want to keep paying attention.  A workout that starts out terrible can, once we’re going, feel fabulous.  Then there are the ones that show us that what we actually should be doing is taking a rest day.  If we’re just mindlessly going through the motions, we will miss the distinction.

 

So, yes, I believe in persistence, but the smart kind, that knows when it really is a good idea to do a little stretching and call it a day. 

Go With the Flow

In the usual usage of the words, we tend to want to avoid altered states of consciousness while working out.  Alcohol and weights should not mix.  Other drugs, too, seem counterproductive to the enterprise.  However, there is one altered state of consciousness that actually helps our workouts:  the flow state.

 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (no, I have no idea how to say his name, nor spell it without looking very carefully) wrote the book on the flow state, Flow:  The Psychology of Optimal Experience.  When we are in flow, things seem like they’re just working, like we can do our best without undue effort.  It’s a kind of peak experience in which all the things we’re not doing fall away.  We are doing what we’re doing, and nothing but what we’re doing.

 

In a fitness context, this is related to the runner’s high.  When we’re in flow, we feel like we could work out all day long, or run for hours, or swim for days.  We feel fabulous.  All the things that we struggle with most days are not a problem when we hit flow.  Of course we want flow.  It feels fabulous in the moment and it helps us want to work out again in the future.

 

So how do we get there?  Good question!  And I will give my favorite answer:  we experiment.  Different people find that different things trigger the flow state, so what works for me may not work for you.

 

On a basic level, we want to do all the things we normally do to make working out simple for us.  Rolling out of bed to find our gear right there and ready is a good start.  Plugging in our devices before bed so they are charged when we really need those workout tunes is another one of those things.  Those of us who like to hit the gym after work would want to make sure the bag is stocked with clean clothes, appropriate snacks, and all that good stuff before we leave home.

 

For most of us, flow comes when the workout is not too easy or too difficult.  If it’s too easy, we zone out and start making shopping lists or wondering what possessed that person at work to say that terrible thing or fixating on burritos.  If it’s too hard, the feedback from our bodies overwhelms us with please-stop-now messages.

 

There is some evidence that the mindset we go in with can contribute to flow.  When we bring our curiosity with us, we take an attitude of “I wonder how far I can go?” instead of “when the heck is this going to be over?”  Leaning into the sensations we get during the workout can also help us develop flow—what happens when we try to do the movement this way instead?  What if I concentrate on the alignment of my knees?  That mind/body connection thing is real!

 

Some people find that the right music helps them flow; others find it distracts.  Interruptions from texts and calls are almost always flow-busters.  I recently read something that suggested that rewarding ourselves before the workout can potentially help us hit flow (haven’t tried this one myself, and I suspect it depends on the reward, among other things).

 

One note of caution:  while flow makes us feel like we can keep going forever, we do actually need to use good judgment about when to stop.  We want to quit before we are totally exhausted and ensure that we get plenty of rest.

Go play. 

Monday Workout: Amp!

This week we have some choices to amp things up.  Try something new!  Three rounds.

 

step up or power step up	30
bridge chest press	20
lateral raise	10
curtsy or skater jump	30
rows	20
hip rotations	10
woodchoppers	30
skullcrushers	20
side banana	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Skater Jumps

The Amazing Stickie, being two-dimensional, occasionally has to remind herself that most people live in three dimensions.  Today, she is demonstrating an exercise for those of us who also need to be reminded.  Sometimes life does not just go forward and backward or even just side to side; sometimes we have to twist.  The skater jump is a great way to tap into our twisty nature.

Stickie begins by crossing one leg back behind the other, bending both knees, as if she is curtsying.  From that starting position, she hops the back foot to the side and crosses the former front foot behind, curtsying on the other side.  She uses her arms to pump up the movement. 

 

People who do not enjoy jumping can certainly do the motion without the jump.

 

The Amazing Stickie would like to remind everyone that we want to keep an eye on our knees to ensure that we are keeping them aligned with our toes to reduce strain on the joints.

 

A set of thirty should get everyone’s heart rate nicely elevated.

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