Five Reasons, but you can't have them; get your own...

I have been making lists of reasons to work out for a long time.  I’m about to make another one, of the first five that pop into my head, but before I do, I need to point out something:  my reasons are not everyone’s reasons.  We all need to make our own lists and we need to work out for our own reasons.  When we try to work out for someone else’s reasons, we are not being real and that almost never leads to lasting success.  It is also uncomfortable, even if we love the person whose reasons we are using very much.  Maybe my list will be inspirational, in a good way or in a no-way-in-hell kind of way, but I am doing it wrong if it does not encourage everyone else to make a personal list.

 

Why I work out, today:

 

1.     So my body doesn’t freeze this way.  Mobility only lasts as long as we use it.

2.     Because doing spin improves my mood.  I am much nicer after spin.  My family should be glad I have a spin bike!

3.     Because it feels good.  This reason applies particularly to yoga and Pilates.  It is pretty luxurious to take time to move slowly and deliberately and to stretch.

4.     Because I get to check it off my to-do list.  Never underestimate the power of the check mark.  Or the sticker, for that matter, on a chart.

5.     Because it is good for me in the long term.  This reason is last because it’s pretty abstract.  I’m much more motivated by short-term stuff, but I do find that I want to be active and healthy for a long time to come.  Working out is how I intend to get there.

 

Go make your list!

As usual, I suggest both...

It’s time for another one of those posts where I talk about two contradictory ideas and conclude that both are true.  One of those ideas is that we need to have a fitness habit.  We need to make it automatic that we roll out of bed, throw on our shoes, and get to work, or that we finish the work day and head for the exercise.  Habits make things easy.  We don’t have to waste energy on planning or enforcement.  We just show up because we always do.

 

The other thing I talk about a lot is mixing things up.  Doing the same thing every day is boring.  Our brains turn off.  Our bodies stop making progress.  We just don’t want to anymore.  Throwing in a few new exercises or trying a new sport or even moving location can make it all seem fresher and more exciting.

 

What we need, to resolve this seeming paradox, is flexibility within a framework.  Sure, we always exercise right after breakfast, but on any given day we might swim or bike or lift or do yoga.  Or, every once in a while, we plan to go hiking with a friend at a different time of day.  We still have the habit; we just change up how we express it.

 

Go play.

The glass of fashion for molding form... (sorry Hamlet)

Anyone who has met me in person knows that I’m not exactly the Queen of Fashion.  I feel pretty clever for figuring out a career in which I get to wear sweats every day.  However, all sweats are not created equal.

 

First:  we can work out in whatever we want to wear.  Feel comfortable in that holey old t-shirt?  Go for it.  What you wear is far less important than what you do.  The rest of what I have to say is stuff to think about when you need new stuff or you want to upgrade.

 

Now that we’re clear on that, let’s start with the basics.  We need underwear that works.  I will let the male-identifying figure this one out on their own because my practical experience is not useful here.  But those of us who identify as female may want to consider wearing panties that are not all cotton because cotton gets soggy and uncomfortable when we get sweaty.  Bikers may want to find panties with the fewest seams to avoid chafing.  Sports bras come in a variety of styles, some more supportive than others (brief plug for the Title Nine company’s rating system for their bras:  it comes as a number of barbells…).  Generally speaking, the higher impact the activity and the larger the breasts, the more support you want in the bra.  Good sports bras can be pricey, but they are really worth it when we feel comfortable while we work out.

 

When it comes to what to put over our good underwear, I am partial to pants with some stretch and compression, but pick what works for you.  Depending on what you are doing, you may want more or less fitted garments.  I am particularly happy with whoever figured out that leggings should have pockets.  On top, I like the high-tech fabrics that breathe, dry quickly, and resist stinking.  In my ideal world, all workout shirts would also have the kind of pocket in the lower back that bike shirts have.

 

Layers are important for the beginning and end of workouts.  I again like pockets.  Also consider ease of putting on and taking off because there is nothing worse than wrestling with a recalcitrant sweatshirt while on the elliptical trainer or in the middle of yoga class.

 

My opinion about socks:  silly is better.  However, finding socks that do not encourage blisters or fall down into shoes is also important.  Some people are opinionated about the fiber content of socks, but I am not one of them.

 

Shoe developers have created custom shoe profiles for nearly every sport imaginable.  I like cross-trainers because I hate to be tied to one particular activity by my shoes.  That said, fit is important.  Some of us need more support than others.  We do not want to work out in uncomfortable shoes.

 

Again, what you wear to work out is not nearly as important as doing the work.  Choose clothes that make it as easy as possible to do what you want to do.

Monday Workout: Asymmetry

This week we are continuing to work on our asymmetrical exercises to improve core strength and balance.  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg deadlift	20
YTA	10
mountain climbers	30
squats	20
lateral raise	10
clean and press	30
flies	20
side plank taps	10

 

Bribery is not a crime in this context

We are all familiar with food as a bribe.  “Come to the Dark Side:  we have cookies!” for example.  But, when we are working to improve our health and eating habits, this can be a problem.  Here are five non-edible bribes we can offer ourselves for good behavior.

 

1.     Naps.  Even if we just take 15 minutes, we can feel lots better after a tiny bit of sleep.  Nearly all of us don’t get enough snoozing, so what better way to reward ourselves???

2.     Screen time.  We can earn that binge-watch with a tough workout.  (Just be mindful about the popcorn…)

3.     Friend time.  In person contact might not be all right at the moment, but we can promise ourselves a Zoom or phone call with our buddies once we’re done with the workout.  Or, if we’re doing cardio, we can even talk and work at the same time!  (I do not recommend doing weights while chatting because we need to focus on form then…)

4.     Outings.  Again, the form the outing takes might have to be different than before plague times, but a visit to a garden or park can be a real treat.  Or, if more walking seems like a chore, a scenic drive might be the right answer.

5.     That thingie.  The one we’ve been coveting for a while now.  It might be a book or a new nail polish or a throw pillow or a boathook (don’t ask me—my brain just finds this stuff lying around).  If it’s a little thingie, maybe we get it after a couple workouts.  If it’s a big thingie, maybe when we reach a milestone of some kind, like a month of workouts or ten pounds lost or a record lift.

 

Our metaphorical carrot doesn’t have to be an actual carrot cake.  We can choose the rewards that make us feel good while being good for us at the same time.

You're Getting Warmer!

I am not the world’s most patient human.  I don’t cope super well with boredom and I need to be convinced that something is really useful if it isn’t fun.  So it is no surprise that I needed to get older, more injured, and stiffer before I finally recognized the importance of warming up before a workout.

 

Warming up intentionally, I should say.  All of us do, whether we like it or not, warm up as we begin to work out.  We may think we are putting pedal to the metal from the first second, but we’re wrong.  And, once we are past our teenage mostly-indestructible years, we are also flirting with disaster.

 

So:  what do we do to warm up?  We spend five to fifteen minutes (this varies from human to human; older humans tend to need more minutes, but each of us is the only expert on our own bodies) moving gently and more slowly than we will during the rest of the workout.  If, for example, a person is a runner, they might do some rhythmic stretches, a little walking, a slow jog, before getting down to the business of covering actual territory.  Or, a spin enthusiast might spend the first song or two pedaling seated while the hips and knees get their juices flowing before turning up the resistance and standing.

 

Warm muscles move better.  They’re more flexible.  They get injured less.  Love yourself and warm up!

Daily

Now that we’re a couple of weeks into the new year and perhaps the resolutions are getting hard to keep, it is time to talk about daily maintenance, which may not be the sexiest topic ever, but it’s important.

 

Those of us who are new to exercise, or who have returned to it after a timeout, may discover, after a while, that we have some body parts that hurt or ache or otherwise unpleasantly remind us of their existence.  (Anyone who has an injury should seek medical attention.  I am not a doctor or physical therapist.  I do not diagnose or treat.)  It is worth taking a bit of time to do small daily things to mitigate these effects.  And, the good news part is that most of the things feel good!

 

When we work out, whether we are doing cardio or strength training, we want to end with stretching.  However, we ALSO want to stretch on rest days, holidays, and days that end in y.  Stretching builds flexibility.  It helps us avoid injury.  It feels good.  And, the day after a heavy workout day, it can make the difference between, say, cursing at every single stair in the house and coping nicely.

 

Something that helps with our stretching is self-myofascial release (SMR).  This is all that stuff with foam rollers and tennis balls or other fancy tools.  If we do some SMR before we stretch, we get more out of the stretch.  At first, we may find SMR painful.  Pressure is what helps to realign our muscle fibers (think about massage).  We need to respect our own pain tolerances, of course, but we may discover that it becomes a “hurts so good” kind of thing.

 

Those of us who have old injuries may need to add a few more things to the daily maintenance list.  Remember those exercises our physical therapist gave us after the surgery/injury?  Those are useful in an ongoing way to remind us about correct form, strengthen weakened spots in a targeted way, and warm up the affected body parts.

 

It might sound like a lot, but all this might take about 15 minutes.  We can find that time somewhere, when the casserole is in the oven, when the baby is asleep, when the kissing part of Star Wars Episode Two comes on…  It will really make a big difference.