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.

Monday Workout: Core!

We’re doing some core focus this week.  Virtually all the exercises target some aspect of the core, either straight-on or obliquely.  Because of this, it is particularly important to remember to breathe from time to time; sometimes when we’re working our abdominals, we forget.  Modify as needed, as always.  Three rounds.

 

plank jacks	30
renegade rows	20
pushups	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
woodchoppers	30
squats	20
Russian twist	10

Friday Product Review: Fitness Dice

I am always interested in simple tools that help people work on their own, especially if the tools are flexible.  So when I saw these fitness dice in a catalog, I had to check them out.

 

There are seven dice, one with lower body exercises, one with upper body exercises, one with chest/back exercises, one with core exercises, one with cardio exercises, one with full body exercises, and one with times/repetitions on it.  Roll all seven and there is a complete workout plan.

 

What I like about the kit is that all the exercises are body weight based, so there is no need for a bunch of equipment.  The booklet that describes the exercises has tips for modifying exercises.  It’s flexible—including or omitting dice can emphasize different kinds of exercise.  It also removes the whole agony of decision—the dice told me to, so I better do it!

 

For the folks who don’t want to pay money for more toys, the concept is easily adaptable.  We can raid the Yahtzee set (or really annoy the D&D player in the family), make our own list of exercises and times, and go to town.

 

Verdict:  fun toy and it will be coming to a client workout sometime soon!

How to avoid boredom

The downside of cardio exercise is that it can get monotonous.  Here are some ways to make it less boring:

 

1.     Loud music.  This is not the time to listen to lullabies.  We want something with a beat!

2.     Podcasts or audio books.  I don’t recommend reading because in my experience it is very difficult to read on any of the pieces of exercise equipment and work out hard enough, but if words are motivational, try listening to them.  A lot of people also swear by watching tv while exercising.

3.     Intervals.  I know I write about these all the time, but they are magic.  After we are warmed up, we increase the pace and/or intensity of what we are doing to the hardest we can manage for a minute.  Then we recover for a minute or two and do it again.  And again.  We burn a bunch more calories, we challenge ourselves, and we improve faster.

4.     Change of venue.  There are so many kinds of cardio that we can almost always find something different.  Swapping the bike for a stationary bike or vice versa for a few days can be refreshing.  Choosing to row or run or dance or swim can make us have a whole new perspective.  Even choosing a different route for the daily walk can help.  In non-plague times, I would suggest trying a different class, but save that idea for when it is safe.

5.     Do it with a buddy.  Safely.  So we might have to rope our family/housemates into working out with us, or we might have to resort to Zoom.  Alternatively, we can have that keep-in-touch phone call with our bestie while we each walk safely and separately wherever we happen to be.

6.     Experiment.  We all are creative beings and we all have our own preferences.  When we try different ways to spice up the workout, we can find what works best for us.  And then we can share our new discoveries!

 

Go play.

Breathless

I love my weights.  I really do.  But in the unlikely event that I met a person who had to choose only one kind of exercise, I would tell them to do cardio.  And I make a point of including some cardio intervals in the weight workouts I prepare for my clients.

 

Here’s why.

 

Cardio exercise forms the foundation for all other exercise.  In order to lift weights effectively, we need basic cardiovascular fitness.  We begin by building cardio endurance and construct our fitness on that basis.

 

Cardio exercise reduces stress, improves mood, and helps with depression symptoms.  Cholesterol numbers improve in people who do cardio even if there is no weight loss.  Our brains work better when we spend some time getting breathless every day.

 

It is not possible to out-exercise bad eating habits, but it is always helpful to burn more calories, and cardio exercise excels at that.

 

Go get sweaty and out of breath:  you’ll feel better afterward!