Tis the season for giving. Unfortunately what we often bestow on ourselves and others during the Holiday season is a generous serving of anxiety, so I have developed (just now) a blueprint for healthy Holiday living.
Get as much sleep as you can, exercise, spend time with people you love and whose company you can enjoy for however many hours you will be spending time with them.
When traveling have an exit strategy and a safe place to go for time outs.
Take a break from your usual down-time routine: Turn off the computer/TV, talk to your significant other, don't rush and listen carefully to what they say.
Meditate.
Play with your pets.
Concerning Food and Drink:
Eat what you love that doesn't hurt you, drink little booze and If the party is too painful without overindulging leave.
Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Thursday, December 18, 2014
What's your type?
Many of you are familiar with the terms ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. For those of you who have not seen these terms they are a means of describing body types. If you are an ecto then you are skinny, have a difficult time gaining muscle and generally perform well in endurance events. If you are an endo you gain weight easily (both fat and muscle) and endurance events fill you with fear and loathing. Mesos are the genetically gifted few who gain muscle quickly, perform well in endurance events and don't gain fat easily.
These terms are generalizations and like most all encompassing descriptors they are a starting point. Many people can accurately be described as endo-mesos (or meso-endos) and others as ecto-mesos, etc. The relevance of these terms has to do with understanding the percentage of muscle types one is born with and what one wants to do with that information. Generally ectos have a greater concentration of type I muscle fibers and these aerobic fibers have more mitochondria (a cell's power source where ATP is produced) than Type IIa and Type IIb fibers which are associated with power and short term energy. Type"a" fibers are a mix of aerobic and anaerobic tissue while IIb's are strictly anaerobic and recruit a greater number of fibers when they fire. Type I fibers are known as slow twitch muscles and their advantage is that they last a long time due to their increased blood supply in comparison to the type II fibers which generate more power but posses less stamina (especially IIb's.)
Who cares? I know this already.
We all like to work to our strengths, so ecto's, like me, enjoy, long fast hikes, trad climbing and 20 minute body weight routines but are not as enthusiastic about workouts that suggest we clean 155lbs several times (my body weight at 6' tall) in addition to multiple burpees. Endos prefer the cleans and mesos, on the other hand, are psyched to do everything. The benefit of knowing your type is knowing how to approach your training. Ectos have a tough time gaining muscle, while endos suffer in endurance events, but if you want to improve in your weak areas you have to train to your goal with an understanding of your type.
I think I have the lowest percentage of body fat at my gym. I have trained all of my adult life and I have never gained more than 15 lbs of muscle and this is not for want of trying. I experimented with protein diets and lifting heavy with no cardio for weeks and I saw few results and suffered from overuse injuries. I am strong for my weight and height but I will never be a power lifting contender. What I am is content. I can compete in pullup and pushup competitions with the fit twenty and thirty somethings and I feel healthy. The problem I have experienced, especially when I was training and doing carpentry, is that I am constantly moving, which makes it difficult for the body to heal and often leads to injury. Now that I am slowing down a bit my form has improved in all of my lifts and I don't hurt all the time.
Recently I have stopped caring about the clock during Crossfit workouts. Of course if I have the best numbers I might post them, but mostly I record these statistics in my book as a gauge - that's what a log is for.
No matter what your type, in order to progress, you need to set goals and keep records for yourself, not for other people.
If you are kicking some ass at Crossfit check in with your coach and ask her if your pushups and pullups are legitimate and your lifts are in order. You might be surprised by her answer. As you work on form your time will suffer but your range of motion, alignment and strength will improve and so will your numbers (eventually.)
I am content to do the best job I can on any given day with good form.
It used to bother me when my "time obsessed" cohorts would beat me by seconds or minutes using improper technique. Now I don't care. When I am coaching I tell people every time I see something amiss with their technique and I work with them. If they are in the middle of the WOD I point out the issue and when they have cooled down and recovered I discuss what I saw and ways to fix it. This is the way we learn and although it is challenging it is crucial to the success of every client.
Over the past five years of coaching I have seen many people excel in their lifting capacity (most lift far more than I do.) It is a pleasure to watch them grow and I would like to think that I had something to do with their success but most of these people, I knew from our first meeting, were built for strength. Their body type gave them away, but this does not take anything away from their effort, training, desire and planning which has lead to their achievements. On the contrary it accentuates the concept that knowing your talents is key to developing them.
No matter what your type the choice is yours. If you are an endo who wants to run marathons start reading and hire a running coach. If you are an ecto who wants to lift heavy find the best gym you can afford with skilled trainers, read, rest and eat - a lot. The only way to overcome you short comings or to develop your talents is to be specific in your training. Attention to details and research, like every other pursuit, will lead to a more efficient use of your time.
Oh, and have fun.
Happy Holiday!
These terms are generalizations and like most all encompassing descriptors they are a starting point. Many people can accurately be described as endo-mesos (or meso-endos) and others as ecto-mesos, etc. The relevance of these terms has to do with understanding the percentage of muscle types one is born with and what one wants to do with that information. Generally ectos have a greater concentration of type I muscle fibers and these aerobic fibers have more mitochondria (a cell's power source where ATP is produced) than Type IIa and Type IIb fibers which are associated with power and short term energy. Type"a" fibers are a mix of aerobic and anaerobic tissue while IIb's are strictly anaerobic and recruit a greater number of fibers when they fire. Type I fibers are known as slow twitch muscles and their advantage is that they last a long time due to their increased blood supply in comparison to the type II fibers which generate more power but posses less stamina (especially IIb's.)
Who cares? I know this already.
We all like to work to our strengths, so ecto's, like me, enjoy, long fast hikes, trad climbing and 20 minute body weight routines but are not as enthusiastic about workouts that suggest we clean 155lbs several times (my body weight at 6' tall) in addition to multiple burpees. Endos prefer the cleans and mesos, on the other hand, are psyched to do everything. The benefit of knowing your type is knowing how to approach your training. Ectos have a tough time gaining muscle, while endos suffer in endurance events, but if you want to improve in your weak areas you have to train to your goal with an understanding of your type.
I think I have the lowest percentage of body fat at my gym. I have trained all of my adult life and I have never gained more than 15 lbs of muscle and this is not for want of trying. I experimented with protein diets and lifting heavy with no cardio for weeks and I saw few results and suffered from overuse injuries. I am strong for my weight and height but I will never be a power lifting contender. What I am is content. I can compete in pullup and pushup competitions with the fit twenty and thirty somethings and I feel healthy. The problem I have experienced, especially when I was training and doing carpentry, is that I am constantly moving, which makes it difficult for the body to heal and often leads to injury. Now that I am slowing down a bit my form has improved in all of my lifts and I don't hurt all the time.
Recently I have stopped caring about the clock during Crossfit workouts. Of course if I have the best numbers I might post them, but mostly I record these statistics in my book as a gauge - that's what a log is for.
No matter what your type, in order to progress, you need to set goals and keep records for yourself, not for other people.
If you are kicking some ass at Crossfit check in with your coach and ask her if your pushups and pullups are legitimate and your lifts are in order. You might be surprised by her answer. As you work on form your time will suffer but your range of motion, alignment and strength will improve and so will your numbers (eventually.)
I am content to do the best job I can on any given day with good form.
It used to bother me when my "time obsessed" cohorts would beat me by seconds or minutes using improper technique. Now I don't care. When I am coaching I tell people every time I see something amiss with their technique and I work with them. If they are in the middle of the WOD I point out the issue and when they have cooled down and recovered I discuss what I saw and ways to fix it. This is the way we learn and although it is challenging it is crucial to the success of every client.
Over the past five years of coaching I have seen many people excel in their lifting capacity (most lift far more than I do.) It is a pleasure to watch them grow and I would like to think that I had something to do with their success but most of these people, I knew from our first meeting, were built for strength. Their body type gave them away, but this does not take anything away from their effort, training, desire and planning which has lead to their achievements. On the contrary it accentuates the concept that knowing your talents is key to developing them.
No matter what your type the choice is yours. If you are an endo who wants to run marathons start reading and hire a running coach. If you are an ecto who wants to lift heavy find the best gym you can afford with skilled trainers, read, rest and eat - a lot. The only way to overcome you short comings or to develop your talents is to be specific in your training. Attention to details and research, like every other pursuit, will lead to a more efficient use of your time.
Oh, and have fun.
Happy Holiday!
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Cut to the Chase
I recently read a book that discussed Cognitive Dissonance Theory (c.d.t.) regarding scientists insisting that their previously held beliefs remained fact despite new data that clearly indicated the contrary. I was familiar with the term from various psych courses but this time the relevance of the theory hit home. Last week I mentioned the term, which was first posited in the 1950s by psychologist Leon Festinger, who postulated that when people hold two or more ideas to be true that contradict each other they become agitated. Why? Because like every other function in the human body the brain, or more particularly in this example, the psyche requires homeostasis. Because these conflicting ideas create dissonance, we primates, engage in three specific behaviors to mollify this irritation to achieve consonance. If, for example, I am craving 88% dark chocolate, but I know for various reasons that I should not eat it, I can do one of four things:
1) Leave the delicious, bitter, smooth, perfectly sweet, aromatic and butter like morsel in the cold, dark and lonely cabinet where a mouse might eat it.
2) Decide it is o.k. to have one piece because I have been a good boy and I am only having a small treat, so I can reach into the cupboard, pick up the wafer thin bar, gently unfold the paper wrapper, feel enlivened as I turn down the folds of the foil membrane, breath-in the roasted musk of cocoa, gently separate a single tile from the whole with a firm and caring click and rest my lips on the dusky fraction momentarily before I plunge it into my mouth, or...
3) Justify the above by bargaining with myself by committing to row an extra 1000 meters or some other nonsense to make-up for my action.
4) Deny that A) I am eating chocolate, or B) this is a carb, it contains sugar, and it is harmful to me in any way shape or form.
What strikes me about the above scenarios is that we engage in these behaviors all the time in-order to make it through the day. We are surrounded by dissonance and how we manage it determines the quality of our lives. Trivializing and denying are tried and true methods of coping with conflict. It doesn't matter if we are eating chocolate or committing a regiment of troops to certain annihilation in a losing battle, it is the same mental process. So how can you use this information to help you make the healthiest choices when it comes to diet and exercise? Being aware of your feelings and not brushing them aside when they produce discomfort is healthier than minimizing or negating unexplored convictions that cause your strife. At times it is necessary to turn the cognitive volume down or off, but you should be aware of why you are doing it.
I read an interesting piece recently on the internet about a woman who was sexually harassed in a pharmacy in Manhattan. This poor woman was sick with strep throat and was waiting in line to pay for her antibiotics when some asshole chose to invade her personal space and proceeded to tell her how pleasant it must be between her legs. With a high temperature and ready to pass out she had three options: deny what was happening, minimize it by asking him to leave her alone or addressing the assault head on. She chose to confront him. She spoke out-loud so everyone in line could hear her that he was sexually harassing her at which point he shrank and disappeared from the store. This was a courageous act under any circumstances but particularly in a weakened state. The jerk could have retaliated (she called her roommate and asked him to walk from their shared apartment a few blocks away to escort her home.)
We all make tough decisions everyday, but if you block things out you set yourself up for constant agitation because you are not solving the dissonance. If this woman had put up with the harasser's bullshit the experience would have gnawed away at her long after the event. There is truth in acknowledging conflict by shining a light on the issue. Even if you can't solve the dissonance immediately you can articulate it which is the first step to consonance. It is difficult to develop a state of mind that allows for continuous reflection in a world of overwhelming dysfunction.
Like physical exercise awareness requires daily practice which I engage in via meditation. Mindfulness meditation affords me the ability to observe my racing thoughts and emotions instead of being caught in their whirlwind. Unfortunately this skill of awareness eludes me more often than I would like but just as in diet and exercise I strongly believe that this pursuit is beneficial and necessary to stay healthy, to be happy, the possibility of happy, to no take medication, to take less medication, to be pain-free, to be relatively pain-free, to feel less desperate and to be more compassionate.
"If we choose always to be wise we should rarely need to be virtuous."
Jean-Jaques Rousseau
1) Leave the delicious, bitter, smooth, perfectly sweet, aromatic and butter like morsel in the cold, dark and lonely cabinet where a mouse might eat it.
2) Decide it is o.k. to have one piece because I have been a good boy and I am only having a small treat, so I can reach into the cupboard, pick up the wafer thin bar, gently unfold the paper wrapper, feel enlivened as I turn down the folds of the foil membrane, breath-in the roasted musk of cocoa, gently separate a single tile from the whole with a firm and caring click and rest my lips on the dusky fraction momentarily before I plunge it into my mouth, or...
3) Justify the above by bargaining with myself by committing to row an extra 1000 meters or some other nonsense to make-up for my action.
4) Deny that A) I am eating chocolate, or B) this is a carb, it contains sugar, and it is harmful to me in any way shape or form.
What strikes me about the above scenarios is that we engage in these behaviors all the time in-order to make it through the day. We are surrounded by dissonance and how we manage it determines the quality of our lives. Trivializing and denying are tried and true methods of coping with conflict. It doesn't matter if we are eating chocolate or committing a regiment of troops to certain annihilation in a losing battle, it is the same mental process. So how can you use this information to help you make the healthiest choices when it comes to diet and exercise? Being aware of your feelings and not brushing them aside when they produce discomfort is healthier than minimizing or negating unexplored convictions that cause your strife. At times it is necessary to turn the cognitive volume down or off, but you should be aware of why you are doing it.
I read an interesting piece recently on the internet about a woman who was sexually harassed in a pharmacy in Manhattan. This poor woman was sick with strep throat and was waiting in line to pay for her antibiotics when some asshole chose to invade her personal space and proceeded to tell her how pleasant it must be between her legs. With a high temperature and ready to pass out she had three options: deny what was happening, minimize it by asking him to leave her alone or addressing the assault head on. She chose to confront him. She spoke out-loud so everyone in line could hear her that he was sexually harassing her at which point he shrank and disappeared from the store. This was a courageous act under any circumstances but particularly in a weakened state. The jerk could have retaliated (she called her roommate and asked him to walk from their shared apartment a few blocks away to escort her home.)
We all make tough decisions everyday, but if you block things out you set yourself up for constant agitation because you are not solving the dissonance. If this woman had put up with the harasser's bullshit the experience would have gnawed away at her long after the event. There is truth in acknowledging conflict by shining a light on the issue. Even if you can't solve the dissonance immediately you can articulate it which is the first step to consonance. It is difficult to develop a state of mind that allows for continuous reflection in a world of overwhelming dysfunction.
Like physical exercise awareness requires daily practice which I engage in via meditation. Mindfulness meditation affords me the ability to observe my racing thoughts and emotions instead of being caught in their whirlwind. Unfortunately this skill of awareness eludes me more often than I would like but just as in diet and exercise I strongly believe that this pursuit is beneficial and necessary to stay healthy, to be happy, the possibility of happy, to no take medication, to take less medication, to be pain-free, to be relatively pain-free, to feel less desperate and to be more compassionate.
"If we choose always to be wise we should rarely need to be virtuous."
Jean-Jaques Rousseau
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Dialogue
In this age of cognitive dissonance and lack of communication it is refreshing to receive honest and thoughtful responses to ideas. Because this blog focuses on health and wellness the way we use the fattest organ in our body is my primary concern. The brain, which is composed of about 70% fat is often switched off when there is a difference of opinion or the suggestion that there might be a disagreement. This tendency has lead to a dis-functional government whose participants are more concerned with the appearance of pleasing their constituencies than actually doing anything substantive that they can be held responsible for and as a result relieved of their duties in the following election cycle. We have seen some masterful obfuscation, denial and poll induced flip-flopping, so these officials can retain their well paying jobs at the expense of us, the people. And shame on us for tolerating it.
Which makes it a pleasure to have civilized discourse with my readers concerning all topics discussed here-in, but not limited to this blog. The diet debate continues and the cool thing is we are now getting into the limits of will (G. Gordon Liddy listen up!), and my favorite brain exercise - philosophy! After a good bout of this my head hurts, in a good way, and I feel strongly that these sessions are staving off dementia, Alzheimers and Creutzfeldt-Jacob syndrome.
Last week a reader emailed the following response to my low carb diet monologue:
Because I am disorganized I will start from the top and work my way down. But first Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to respond to these ideas, and thank you for giving me permission to post your thoughts.
I once heard a philosopher describe the philosopher as a blind man dressed in black standing in a black room with no light searching for a black hat that doesn't exist. The theologian, however, finds the hat. My jejune understanding of Foucault on the subject of society's imposed restrictions on the body politic is that a person must create her own existence to fight against subjugation. I see choosing a diet that relieves pain and dis-ease as the ultimate form of self creation especially when it negates a normative diet designed by corporations who (they are persons after all) financed studies to support their products which were then imposed on unwitting citizens resulting in the ultimate subjugation - margarine, partially hydrogenated oils, breakfast cereal and, arguably, statins!
Reconciliation of "pleasure and diet": Why must they be mutually exclusive? What is pleasure?
The orgasmic sensation of biting into a chilled, baked that morning cream puff from The Tea Room in NPZ, NY, or the pleasure of not riding the huge sugar spike & crash and the discomfort in my bowels that this treat creates? Eating the former lasts a few minutes. The latter effects, however, last a few hours. So pick your pleasure. That being said I will make my way to the Tea Room again at some point to enjoy this treat and it will taste that much better because I have waited. Which begs the question: is foreplay denial or is it a means of creating greater pleasure? Men, please do not respond to that query. Is there no room for play without carbs? I believe there is - try an avocado with smoked wild caught salmon and a dollop of full fat plain Greek yogurt on top.
In terms of self control: I have read some of these studies and that is one of the reasons I am trying to eliminate the need for self control with my diet. Reducing or eliminating cravings should give me more willpower which I can direct to other aspects of my life. Exercise is more complex because it requires a greater sacrifice than diet. I feel that way because diet is a more passive experience that requires a decision and then you cook and eat, which are mostly pleasurable activities, while exercise can be quite demanding and not always immediately gratifying - often times you have to make it through the work to feel pleasure.
Skinny people: In medicine the BMI is the standard for assessing risk of cancer, heart disease /stroke
and D.M. Because we (you and I) take care of ourselves and visit doctors I would bet that we have a much better chance of living longer as skinny folk than those who do not have access to health care, eat crap and are overweight. One of the flaws of the BMI is that it does not take muscle mass into consideration. Perhaps this study is another argument for increasing muscle mass. It would be interesting to see a study that compares fat and thin people in the same socioeconomic category that includes diet, exercise, education and access to healthcare. In the balance I would rather die a few years earlier feeling well as opposed to being an overweight older person having lived in a wheel chair with tubes in my body and unable to care for myself for several years. Fat or thin numerous studies have shown that caloric restriction or taking in only what you need correlates with longevity across cultures.
Access to information: I usually try to keep these posts short and many of the topics I discuss are associated with numerous opinions both for and against, so I leave it up to the reader to google information and decide for himself what is relevant.
Thanks for reading.
....
Which makes it a pleasure to have civilized discourse with my readers concerning all topics discussed here-in, but not limited to this blog. The diet debate continues and the cool thing is we are now getting into the limits of will (G. Gordon Liddy listen up!), and my favorite brain exercise - philosophy! After a good bout of this my head hurts, in a good way, and I feel strongly that these sessions are staving off dementia, Alzheimers and Creutzfeldt-Jacob syndrome.
Last week a reader emailed the following response to my low carb diet monologue:
"Being an atheist (on both religion and diet), and
being unable to extricate religion from diet in my mind—both dealing
with the process of disciplining the body and body politic, infusing
narratives of guilt, denial of pleasure, bad/good, belief, control/power
(if you know his work, you’ll recognize I’m a student of Foucault)—I
tend to put both subjects in a box, and ignore them. Happy to let people
believe, if it helps them through their world, but personally, I try
not follow a religion or diet. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t changed
the way I eat or live to help me feel better, but I tend to avoid
using/feeling the terms “splurged” or “fallen off the wagon” or “goal”
or whatever. And I’m sure that results in a body that doesn’t function
at its optimal point, but my personal reaction to discovering my body
isn’t infallible (double negative) was that I actively chose to not make
it a focus. (you’re right, tends to be a very personal subject).
All perhaps rationalizations for my choice to be an atheistic, non-goal-oriented slouch.
That said, a couple of rhetorical questions that your blog posts stirred:
Less philosophical:1. Knowing that you and Melinda appreciate the pleasure of food, and reading your article on the importance of play, how can one reconcile the simultaneous pursuit of diet and pleasure (especially if one isn’t a creative cook or has to eat out a lot)? You talk in your blog on play how it helps us to escape from our regimented/puritanical lives, but aren’t imposing “diet” and “exercise” regimes yet another form of regimentation, leaving us very few avenues of non-regimination?2. You may be interested (I know I have been) in the studies about how we have a limited amount of self-control, so if we exert self-control in one part of our lives, we’ll splurge in another. If true, it means we each have to decide the hierarchy of what is important to us—work or body or relationships or whatever—and make sure that is the priority for our limited self-control. (Alternatively, we need to consciously ask: if one is “good" in the world of diet and exercise, what has one sacrificed elsewhere?)
--They’ve done studies that show thin people have a higher mortality rate. Not sure how that jives with your comment that restricting calories is inherently good, at least for skinny folks like you and me.--And, just to be balanced and make sure your audience has the info they need to make decisions, I’d link to sites about the possible negative impacts of a Ketogenic diet (I did a search, but not everyone may)—I always like finding the best critiques of whatever thought I’m espousing."
Because I am disorganized I will start from the top and work my way down. But first Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to respond to these ideas, and thank you for giving me permission to post your thoughts.
I once heard a philosopher describe the philosopher as a blind man dressed in black standing in a black room with no light searching for a black hat that doesn't exist. The theologian, however, finds the hat. My jejune understanding of Foucault on the subject of society's imposed restrictions on the body politic is that a person must create her own existence to fight against subjugation. I see choosing a diet that relieves pain and dis-ease as the ultimate form of self creation especially when it negates a normative diet designed by corporations who (they are persons after all) financed studies to support their products which were then imposed on unwitting citizens resulting in the ultimate subjugation - margarine, partially hydrogenated oils, breakfast cereal and, arguably, statins!
Reconciliation of "pleasure and diet": Why must they be mutually exclusive? What is pleasure?
The orgasmic sensation of biting into a chilled, baked that morning cream puff from The Tea Room in NPZ, NY, or the pleasure of not riding the huge sugar spike & crash and the discomfort in my bowels that this treat creates? Eating the former lasts a few minutes. The latter effects, however, last a few hours. So pick your pleasure. That being said I will make my way to the Tea Room again at some point to enjoy this treat and it will taste that much better because I have waited. Which begs the question: is foreplay denial or is it a means of creating greater pleasure? Men, please do not respond to that query. Is there no room for play without carbs? I believe there is - try an avocado with smoked wild caught salmon and a dollop of full fat plain Greek yogurt on top.
In terms of self control: I have read some of these studies and that is one of the reasons I am trying to eliminate the need for self control with my diet. Reducing or eliminating cravings should give me more willpower which I can direct to other aspects of my life. Exercise is more complex because it requires a greater sacrifice than diet. I feel that way because diet is a more passive experience that requires a decision and then you cook and eat, which are mostly pleasurable activities, while exercise can be quite demanding and not always immediately gratifying - often times you have to make it through the work to feel pleasure.
Skinny people: In medicine the BMI is the standard for assessing risk of cancer, heart disease /stroke
and D.M. Because we (you and I) take care of ourselves and visit doctors I would bet that we have a much better chance of living longer as skinny folk than those who do not have access to health care, eat crap and are overweight. One of the flaws of the BMI is that it does not take muscle mass into consideration. Perhaps this study is another argument for increasing muscle mass. It would be interesting to see a study that compares fat and thin people in the same socioeconomic category that includes diet, exercise, education and access to healthcare. In the balance I would rather die a few years earlier feeling well as opposed to being an overweight older person having lived in a wheel chair with tubes in my body and unable to care for myself for several years. Fat or thin numerous studies have shown that caloric restriction or taking in only what you need correlates with longevity across cultures.
Access to information: I usually try to keep these posts short and many of the topics I discuss are associated with numerous opinions both for and against, so I leave it up to the reader to google information and decide for himself what is relevant.
Thanks for reading.
....
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. I have many things to be thankful for and it is important for me to review these circumstances and remember the people who sustain me and remind me that we are not alone, we are all a mess and life is short, so here we go:
I am thankful for: Having been given a fine education; a brilliant, talented, loving, beautiful and demanding wife; a loving family with dog and cat included; good friends; a comfortable home; health insurance; health; nature; meditation; my teeth (all original and greatly fortified); the use of all four limbs; electricity and running water; wholesome and delicious food; wood and steel; not living in a war zone.
What I would like to work on: Judging less; being less angry; forgiving more; playing more, loving more, spending more time outside, spending time with loved ones (outside, dog included), fearing less and taking nothing for granted.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for: Having been given a fine education; a brilliant, talented, loving, beautiful and demanding wife; a loving family with dog and cat included; good friends; a comfortable home; health insurance; health; nature; meditation; my teeth (all original and greatly fortified); the use of all four limbs; electricity and running water; wholesome and delicious food; wood and steel; not living in a war zone.
What I would like to work on: Judging less; being less angry; forgiving more; playing more, loving more, spending more time outside, spending time with loved ones (outside, dog included), fearing less and taking nothing for granted.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Zealotry
I hesitate to reveal too much of myself in these posts because often TMI doesn't serve the reader. I also know, however, that one of the tenants of acceptable writing is to be invested in your topic and what can be more engaging and personal than food? Please bear with me.
I am a zealot because I demonstrate excess zeal in the activities that I engage in and I have been guilty, on many occasions, of buying into ideas, organizations and people with fanatical devotion. I am not so much bothered by the former characteristic but the latter quality has brought me both disappointment and disapproval. In these circumstances when my expectations have not been met or the chink I notice in the armor turns into a chasm I rebel, call attention to the flaw, and exit.
What does this have to do with fitness and health? Everything. In order to make the most of our existence we must launch ourselves into the causes we strongly believe because if we are going to jump we need to do it with both feet. The problem is that we often discover in free fall that we should have read the manual more carefully or maybe stuck a toe in first to see how things felt.
This has been the case for me in relationships, careers, exercise and diet. I have few regrets (except Shakira will probably never speak to me again) but many scars. And I am encouraged by the words of Ben Franklin:
"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise."
This quote brings into focus the importance of learning. Learning is change and the more we can embrace change the more we benefit from our experiences.
So let's talk about diet (some more.) I forgot how personal diets are to people. By and large people responded positively to last week's post and I had a few passionate conversations with people who strongly disagreed with the low carb approach to eating. Since then I have read more about the topic and I can safely say that I don't know what-the-fuck to eat.
I continue to feel great on a low carb diet (although this week I consumed four pieces of gluten free bread and a few red bliss spuds with my venison rump roast) but for every proponent of this eating plan there is a detractor. What this experience has given me is a greater awareness of what I am putting into my body. I have less than 10% body fat and the stuff that I have resides in my belly region. That little bit has disappeared, I have not lost muscle or strength and my energy level is excellent, so I will continue with the diet.
There is, however, consensus when it comes to the consumption of calories in general. You should consume what you need and no more. The low carb diet has made me much more conscious of the "healthy" crap I have eaten in the past to stave off hunger or because I wanted to fill the bottomless void in the pit of my soul. These foods included organic non GMO blue corn chips, rice crackers, non GMO popcorn (and gluten free - really?) and beer (it's a meal), which is near and dear to me. I haven't been drinking beer (no, that's not true - I had one only to be gracious at a friend's gathering) and when others were reaching for the chips I had to remind myself not to do so. When I made this adjustment I was o.k. for the remainder of the party, and although salsa was problematic, cheese tasted better without a cracker.
It is a fact that if you eat fewer calories you are less likely to suffer from disease and you are more likely to live longer, so I can recommend that. And as far as learning from your experiences Ben Franklin strikes again:
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them."
Be courageous in all of your experiments.
I am a zealot because I demonstrate excess zeal in the activities that I engage in and I have been guilty, on many occasions, of buying into ideas, organizations and people with fanatical devotion. I am not so much bothered by the former characteristic but the latter quality has brought me both disappointment and disapproval. In these circumstances when my expectations have not been met or the chink I notice in the armor turns into a chasm I rebel, call attention to the flaw, and exit.
What does this have to do with fitness and health? Everything. In order to make the most of our existence we must launch ourselves into the causes we strongly believe because if we are going to jump we need to do it with both feet. The problem is that we often discover in free fall that we should have read the manual more carefully or maybe stuck a toe in first to see how things felt.
This has been the case for me in relationships, careers, exercise and diet. I have few regrets (except Shakira will probably never speak to me again) but many scars. And I am encouraged by the words of Ben Franklin:
"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise."
This quote brings into focus the importance of learning. Learning is change and the more we can embrace change the more we benefit from our experiences.
So let's talk about diet (some more.) I forgot how personal diets are to people. By and large people responded positively to last week's post and I had a few passionate conversations with people who strongly disagreed with the low carb approach to eating. Since then I have read more about the topic and I can safely say that I don't know what-the-fuck to eat.
I continue to feel great on a low carb diet (although this week I consumed four pieces of gluten free bread and a few red bliss spuds with my venison rump roast) but for every proponent of this eating plan there is a detractor. What this experience has given me is a greater awareness of what I am putting into my body. I have less than 10% body fat and the stuff that I have resides in my belly region. That little bit has disappeared, I have not lost muscle or strength and my energy level is excellent, so I will continue with the diet.
There is, however, consensus when it comes to the consumption of calories in general. You should consume what you need and no more. The low carb diet has made me much more conscious of the "healthy" crap I have eaten in the past to stave off hunger or because I wanted to fill the bottomless void in the pit of my soul. These foods included organic non GMO blue corn chips, rice crackers, non GMO popcorn (and gluten free - really?) and beer (it's a meal), which is near and dear to me. I haven't been drinking beer (no, that's not true - I had one only to be gracious at a friend's gathering) and when others were reaching for the chips I had to remind myself not to do so. When I made this adjustment I was o.k. for the remainder of the party, and although salsa was problematic, cheese tasted better without a cracker.
It is a fact that if you eat fewer calories you are less likely to suffer from disease and you are more likely to live longer, so I can recommend that. And as far as learning from your experiences Ben Franklin strikes again:
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them."
Be courageous in all of your experiments.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Diet and Health
Recently I was listening to a pod cast interview with Mark Sisson, the author of The Primal Blue Print and he was discussing the importance of a limited Carbohydrate diet. Having been gluten free for three years now I was ready to step up my commitment to a grain free lifestyle. Once you give up gluten, which was difficult for me, the move to eliminating all grains doesn't seem so daunting.
Why in God's name would anybody A) want to give up eating bread and B) eliminate all grain from their lives? This is a good question that I can answer the same way I explained my rationale for bi-lateral hip replacement. It comes down to necessity based on quality of life. I feel 100% healthier not eating wheat products even though I am neither allergic to wheat nor am I celiac sprue. Without gluten I no longer make rapid and frequent visits to the bathroom shortly after meals as a matter of course and I suffer from fewer migraines. I eat fewer calories and the ones I do consume have more nutritional value as opposed to the carbs which are converted to glucose and later, if not burned, onto fat, so I feel leaner. And I no longer suffer from asthma which I treated with inhaled steroids, prednisone and albuterol for forty years.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? My body tends towards inflammation and at this stage of the game I am determined to make changes that will improve the texture of the second half of my life. Foregoing bread is a small price to pay to feel good.
Now I want to feel better. Much recent data has shown that the over consumption of carbohydrates (OCC) is caustic to your system and contributes to systemic inflammation. OCC is linked to Metabolic syndrome (if you don't know what that is click on the link) and many of the diseases that afflict wealthy post industrial nations. Thanks to OCC and the use of high fructose corn syrup in particular in processed foods and beverages we are poisoning ourselves. The dietary advice of the government and the medical-pharmaceutical complex have emphasized a reliance on grains in our diets because they are the "healthy" alternative to "evil" fats when consuming calories. This backwards and selective science based approach to nutrition is directly correlated to the explosion of obesity, type two diabetes and heart disease.
If you are looking for a good read about diet and health pick up Gary Taubes' Good Calories Bad Calories to learn more about the science and politics behind nutrition or The Big Fat Surprise by investigative journalist Nina Teicholz, who chronicles the history behind the cholesterol theory and its role in heart disease. Her book is really a sociological study of how bureaucracies and the egotistical bullies (Ancel Keys) who run them control information by negating contradictory and inconvenient facts at the expense of those they are supposedly trying to help. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I have benefited tremendously from modern medicine but money/power often trump truth in government and industry and medicine has often demonstrated some of the most egregious examples of this. Lest we forget the ostracism Semmelweiss and Lister received from fellow practitioners for promoting antiseptic procedures.
Back to diet: a low carb diet (between 100-150 calories per day) and a Ketogenic diet (about 50 carb calories per day) can be beneficial. In ketogenic diets you decrease your intake of carbs to such an extent that you remove glucose from your body's fuel supply, so that ketones take on the role of the primary energy source. Ketones are the product of your liver metabolizing fats. They burn cleaner than glucose, are less inflammatory to the system and any excess is excreted in the urine unlike glucose overproduction which is stored as fat. Of course there are health risks associated with this diet, which you can read about, but there are risks in any diet and in comparison to the high carb diet we have accepted as gospel it is much healthier and has fewer adverse effects. Several branches of medicine are currently conducting studies concerning the benefits of a ketogenesis which include beneficial outcomes in: Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Epilepsy (proven effective), depression, migraines and cancer. Many people who maintain a ketogenic diet report sleeping better, having more energy and focus, less arthritic pain and an elimination or reduction in food cravings. You lose weight on these diets, your HDL (good) cholesterol rises as do your good LDLs (yes there are good and bad subcategories within your "bad" cholesterols - actually LDLs and HDLs are really transport mechanisms of cholesterol - they are not cholesterol) and you consume fewer calories in general which is associated with longevity.
This diet, of course, means that you have to eat more fat, which many object to because for the past 50 years that has been a big no no. Fortunately the tide is beginning to change and we no longer have to deprive ourselves of fat while feeding our hunger and cravings with carbs. This is a complex subject and requires research to understand but the data can not be ignored.
This is my third day on a low carb diet and I feel great. I will fall off the wagon on Thanksgiving but I am determined to ride the low carb train through the holiday parties and into the new year.
Low carb diets will make you healthier and by inverting the USDA food pyramid you will find happiness in formerly forbidden fat.
Why in God's name would anybody A) want to give up eating bread and B) eliminate all grain from their lives? This is a good question that I can answer the same way I explained my rationale for bi-lateral hip replacement. It comes down to necessity based on quality of life. I feel 100% healthier not eating wheat products even though I am neither allergic to wheat nor am I celiac sprue. Without gluten I no longer make rapid and frequent visits to the bathroom shortly after meals as a matter of course and I suffer from fewer migraines. I eat fewer calories and the ones I do consume have more nutritional value as opposed to the carbs which are converted to glucose and later, if not burned, onto fat, so I feel leaner. And I no longer suffer from asthma which I treated with inhaled steroids, prednisone and albuterol for forty years.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? My body tends towards inflammation and at this stage of the game I am determined to make changes that will improve the texture of the second half of my life. Foregoing bread is a small price to pay to feel good.
Now I want to feel better. Much recent data has shown that the over consumption of carbohydrates (OCC) is caustic to your system and contributes to systemic inflammation. OCC is linked to Metabolic syndrome (if you don't know what that is click on the link) and many of the diseases that afflict wealthy post industrial nations. Thanks to OCC and the use of high fructose corn syrup in particular in processed foods and beverages we are poisoning ourselves. The dietary advice of the government and the medical-pharmaceutical complex have emphasized a reliance on grains in our diets because they are the "healthy" alternative to "evil" fats when consuming calories. This backwards and selective science based approach to nutrition is directly correlated to the explosion of obesity, type two diabetes and heart disease.
If you are looking for a good read about diet and health pick up Gary Taubes' Good Calories Bad Calories to learn more about the science and politics behind nutrition or The Big Fat Surprise by investigative journalist Nina Teicholz, who chronicles the history behind the cholesterol theory and its role in heart disease. Her book is really a sociological study of how bureaucracies and the egotistical bullies (Ancel Keys) who run them control information by negating contradictory and inconvenient facts at the expense of those they are supposedly trying to help. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I have benefited tremendously from modern medicine but money/power often trump truth in government and industry and medicine has often demonstrated some of the most egregious examples of this. Lest we forget the ostracism Semmelweiss and Lister received from fellow practitioners for promoting antiseptic procedures.
Back to diet: a low carb diet (between 100-150 calories per day) and a Ketogenic diet (about 50 carb calories per day) can be beneficial. In ketogenic diets you decrease your intake of carbs to such an extent that you remove glucose from your body's fuel supply, so that ketones take on the role of the primary energy source. Ketones are the product of your liver metabolizing fats. They burn cleaner than glucose, are less inflammatory to the system and any excess is excreted in the urine unlike glucose overproduction which is stored as fat. Of course there are health risks associated with this diet, which you can read about, but there are risks in any diet and in comparison to the high carb diet we have accepted as gospel it is much healthier and has fewer adverse effects. Several branches of medicine are currently conducting studies concerning the benefits of a ketogenesis which include beneficial outcomes in: Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Epilepsy (proven effective), depression, migraines and cancer. Many people who maintain a ketogenic diet report sleeping better, having more energy and focus, less arthritic pain and an elimination or reduction in food cravings. You lose weight on these diets, your HDL (good) cholesterol rises as do your good LDLs (yes there are good and bad subcategories within your "bad" cholesterols - actually LDLs and HDLs are really transport mechanisms of cholesterol - they are not cholesterol) and you consume fewer calories in general which is associated with longevity.
This diet, of course, means that you have to eat more fat, which many object to because for the past 50 years that has been a big no no. Fortunately the tide is beginning to change and we no longer have to deprive ourselves of fat while feeding our hunger and cravings with carbs. This is a complex subject and requires research to understand but the data can not be ignored.
This is my third day on a low carb diet and I feel great. I will fall off the wagon on Thanksgiving but I am determined to ride the low carb train through the holiday parties and into the new year.
Low carb diets will make you healthier and by inverting the USDA food pyramid you will find happiness in formerly forbidden fat.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Play
I have discussed the importance of having fun in past blogs and now I would like to look at the benefits of play. There is a growing body of scientific evidence which demonstrates that humans require play to shape their personalities. Play is an important aspect of childhood development but the relevance of this activity does not end when you become an adult. On the contrary, play scientists (yes, there is such a field) reveal that "play deprivation" not only compromises creativity but it is also a shared characteristic of all mass murderers. Yikes! That doesn't mean that if you don't play (I love double negatives) you will kill somebody, but if you do (play) you will be more content.
Play is an evolutionary trait that many animals share. Some, like wolves, discard it after puppy hood because they have learned from it what they need to survive, but other animals such as ravens play throughout their lives and it is believed that they do so because they enjoy it. Play is a "fundamental survival aspect" of all social animals according to Stuart Brown, MD who is the director of the National Institute for Play which is generating data that supports the belief that adult humans should play and that children must play.
One of the conclusions Dr. Brown reached is that for youngsters it is crucial to engage in play that has a relatively high degree of risk. Climbing is a perfect example. Kids love to summit anything they can and if you surround a tall climbable object with a fence they will climb that too. The risks that children take while playing teach them valuable lessons about trust, physical limitations and group dynamics.
When I was a middle school teacher I was fascinated by the way children behaved outside of the class room with very simple boundaries. There was always an enterprising group of athletes who would start a pick-up game of football or soccer, there were the boys who ran and slammed into each other for no apparent reason and there were the quiet kids who stood alone reading or playing with a toy, so every one was engaged. Unfortunately, recess has been truncated to create time for academics and any apparatus a child can injure herself with has been removed from the school setting. Remember the floor to ceiling climbing rope in your school gym? Children seemed much more engaged during these brief visits to the recess deck than they did sitting in my Latin I class (perhaps that had more to do with my own lack of interest in the subject matter.) And there is strong evidence showing that physical activity enhances learning throughout a person's life.
Play has broad parameters but what sets it apart from other daily activities is that you chose to do it. Reading is considered play, as is sport and hiking in the woods. The reason I find this topic compelling is that in this country we have structured our lives around achievement to such an extent that we don't know how to function without a concrete goal. And because of our puritanical heritage fun is not a worthy endeavor. Why not? Brown argues that whatever type of play you engaged in as a child is a good indicator of what your true interests are. These proclivities are what you should try to nurture so that you can include them in your daily existence i.e. how you make your living. If you discourage a child from playing how will she know what she likes to do? Brown asserts that if you don't allow yourself to play as an adult you will survive but the quality of your existence will be greatly diminished. Data reveals that adults who don't play are inflexible and angry.
It is important to continue to assess what you have chosen to do for fun. People change and if you no longer enjoy your fifty mile bike ride while cars try to run you from the road or the gym experience has become a chore then try something else.
And if you are uncertain about how to play adopt a puppy.
Play is an evolutionary trait that many animals share. Some, like wolves, discard it after puppy hood because they have learned from it what they need to survive, but other animals such as ravens play throughout their lives and it is believed that they do so because they enjoy it. Play is a "fundamental survival aspect" of all social animals according to Stuart Brown, MD who is the director of the National Institute for Play which is generating data that supports the belief that adult humans should play and that children must play.
One of the conclusions Dr. Brown reached is that for youngsters it is crucial to engage in play that has a relatively high degree of risk. Climbing is a perfect example. Kids love to summit anything they can and if you surround a tall climbable object with a fence they will climb that too. The risks that children take while playing teach them valuable lessons about trust, physical limitations and group dynamics.
When I was a middle school teacher I was fascinated by the way children behaved outside of the class room with very simple boundaries. There was always an enterprising group of athletes who would start a pick-up game of football or soccer, there were the boys who ran and slammed into each other for no apparent reason and there were the quiet kids who stood alone reading or playing with a toy, so every one was engaged. Unfortunately, recess has been truncated to create time for academics and any apparatus a child can injure herself with has been removed from the school setting. Remember the floor to ceiling climbing rope in your school gym? Children seemed much more engaged during these brief visits to the recess deck than they did sitting in my Latin I class (perhaps that had more to do with my own lack of interest in the subject matter.) And there is strong evidence showing that physical activity enhances learning throughout a person's life.
Play has broad parameters but what sets it apart from other daily activities is that you chose to do it. Reading is considered play, as is sport and hiking in the woods. The reason I find this topic compelling is that in this country we have structured our lives around achievement to such an extent that we don't know how to function without a concrete goal. And because of our puritanical heritage fun is not a worthy endeavor. Why not? Brown argues that whatever type of play you engaged in as a child is a good indicator of what your true interests are. These proclivities are what you should try to nurture so that you can include them in your daily existence i.e. how you make your living. If you discourage a child from playing how will she know what she likes to do? Brown asserts that if you don't allow yourself to play as an adult you will survive but the quality of your existence will be greatly diminished. Data reveals that adults who don't play are inflexible and angry.
It is important to continue to assess what you have chosen to do for fun. People change and if you no longer enjoy your fifty mile bike ride while cars try to run you from the road or the gym experience has become a chore then try something else.
And if you are uncertain about how to play adopt a puppy.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Clean It!
The power clean (P.C.) should be included in every fitness regimen. As the name suggests P.C.s build power which is the ability a person has to move weight quickly (or slowly). The important concept is speed.
In weight training lifts such as the squat, press, dead lift and bench press develop strength because, as mentioned in a previous blog they promote the release of growth hormone (G.H). These lifts give you the ability to progressively generate more force which is half of the power equation but they are performed slowly. The big lifts also recruit both large and small motor units in your bundled muscle fibers. Within these bundles you have both fast (F.T.F.) and slow twitch fibers (S.T.F.) that perform different duties. S.T.F.s are used for the long haul and play a major role in endurance sports like marathons. F.T.F.s, however, are called upon for short bursts of intense movement (think sprinting). The more you can engage F.T.F.s while weight training the more power you will develop.
P.C.s engage a high percentage of F.T.F.s, which increases one's ability to perform explosive movements. If you want to jump higher or sprint faster P.C.s should be part of your routine. The "triple extension" required of the ankles, knees and hips moving in unison to lift weight quickly from the floor strengthens all of the major muscle groups. And even if you aren't concerned about launching from the starting blocks faster you should P.C. because it emphasizes the posterior chain (hamstrings, back extensors and your rump), which are often neglected in our anterior focused world and fitness regimens (Crossfitters excluded).
Clients and coaches alike avoid this lift because they are afraid of performing it poorly (injury). The P.C. is a technical lift but coaches should learn how to teach it and clients should perform it barring any physical limitations because it is beneficial and it is fun. There's that "F" word again! When you nail a P.C. the weight levitates from the ground with seemingly little effort as you launch from the platform. It is my favorite lift because it is the perfect combination of power and grace.
If you haven't tried it, find a good coach and begin the endless, challenging and satisfying process of cleaning the bar.
In weight training lifts such as the squat, press, dead lift and bench press develop strength because, as mentioned in a previous blog they promote the release of growth hormone (G.H). These lifts give you the ability to progressively generate more force which is half of the power equation but they are performed slowly. The big lifts also recruit both large and small motor units in your bundled muscle fibers. Within these bundles you have both fast (F.T.F.) and slow twitch fibers (S.T.F.) that perform different duties. S.T.F.s are used for the long haul and play a major role in endurance sports like marathons. F.T.F.s, however, are called upon for short bursts of intense movement (think sprinting). The more you can engage F.T.F.s while weight training the more power you will develop.
P.C.s engage a high percentage of F.T.F.s, which increases one's ability to perform explosive movements. If you want to jump higher or sprint faster P.C.s should be part of your routine. The "triple extension" required of the ankles, knees and hips moving in unison to lift weight quickly from the floor strengthens all of the major muscle groups. And even if you aren't concerned about launching from the starting blocks faster you should P.C. because it emphasizes the posterior chain (hamstrings, back extensors and your rump), which are often neglected in our anterior focused world and fitness regimens (Crossfitters excluded).
Clients and coaches alike avoid this lift because they are afraid of performing it poorly (injury). The P.C. is a technical lift but coaches should learn how to teach it and clients should perform it barring any physical limitations because it is beneficial and it is fun. There's that "F" word again! When you nail a P.C. the weight levitates from the ground with seemingly little effort as you launch from the platform. It is my favorite lift because it is the perfect combination of power and grace.
If you haven't tried it, find a good coach and begin the endless, challenging and satisfying process of cleaning the bar.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
I Can't do Squat
Squats are one of the most important exercises you can perform because they produce numerous benefits. They not only improve your leg strength but they also build core and upper body strength. Dropping into the hole (how many times can you read "squat"without becoming annoyed) releases testosterone and growth hormone, which contributes to overall muscle development enabling you to burn more fat while your legs, butt, back, abs, arms and shoulders become stronger. Crouching is a functional movement that improves balance and, with weight, bone density, both of which diminish as we age.
Our muscles stabilize each other through a push-me-pull-you process that maintains symmetry and support of the entire body as you perform an action. Squats, dead lifts and presses require a tremendous amount of stabilization (especially when using dumbbells) that is why these lifts are effective whole body exercises. To perform a squat properly you must stabilize your ankles, knees, lumbar region and upper back. This chain of support relies on each of these links taking their share of the weight and if one of these is asymmetrical or not fully engaged while under a load gravity will find the weak link resulting in injury.
This has been quite a long preamble to a short premise and conclusion. Many people have told me that they can't squat. They can't crouch because it hurts their knees or their lower back. Often times this is due to the fact that they were taught improper form or were self taught; after all how hard can it be? It's a squat. If your knees aren't tracking over your toes and your weight is in the balls of your feet instead of the mid-foot/heel region, or your back is slumped (destabilized) you will develop knee and/or lower back problems.
These principles bear repeating at any level. If you are lifting heavy and the only way you can get the weight up is by rocking forward onto the front of your feet and pushing your ass up followed by your upper body you are going to get hurt. And if your knee(s) has a tendency to oscillate as you exit from the hole over time you will most likely damage your knees.
You can squat, you should squat and you must do it properly.
Our muscles stabilize each other through a push-me-pull-you process that maintains symmetry and support of the entire body as you perform an action. Squats, dead lifts and presses require a tremendous amount of stabilization (especially when using dumbbells) that is why these lifts are effective whole body exercises. To perform a squat properly you must stabilize your ankles, knees, lumbar region and upper back. This chain of support relies on each of these links taking their share of the weight and if one of these is asymmetrical or not fully engaged while under a load gravity will find the weak link resulting in injury.
This has been quite a long preamble to a short premise and conclusion. Many people have told me that they can't squat. They can't crouch because it hurts their knees or their lower back. Often times this is due to the fact that they were taught improper form or were self taught; after all how hard can it be? It's a squat. If your knees aren't tracking over your toes and your weight is in the balls of your feet instead of the mid-foot/heel region, or your back is slumped (destabilized) you will develop knee and/or lower back problems.
These principles bear repeating at any level. If you are lifting heavy and the only way you can get the weight up is by rocking forward onto the front of your feet and pushing your ass up followed by your upper body you are going to get hurt. And if your knee(s) has a tendency to oscillate as you exit from the hole over time you will most likely damage your knees.
You can squat, you should squat and you must do it properly.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Sullivan County Fall Festival
I attended the Sullivan County Fall Festival in central Pennsylvania this past weekend to observe a lumberjack competition. My wife and I arrived early in the day to the sound of chain saw artisans creating bears and other wildlife from pine logs and took our seats in the front row of the Lumberjack arena. There was no assigned seating and there was a collegial atmosphere as the contestants formed a rough circle in front of us to discuss the rules of the Ax Throw. Men (primarily) and women of all shapes and sizes exchanged smiles and small talk as the event started. The Ax Throw is performed at a distance of 20 feet. The thrower uses a a double edged ax with a head that weighs at least 2.5 pounds and a handle that measures no less than 24" and no more than 48". The target is a slice of log mounted on a rough-hewn tripod. Control and focus determined success in this event. Some guys whipped the ax, which was impressive but they were no more accurate than the Jacks and Jills who lofted it gently at the target and nailed the bull's eye.
The next event I had seen on The Wide World of Sports as a kid. The Spring Board Chop is one of the most impressive feats I have witnessed in sport. In advance of the start the Jack measures up 38" from the ground along a nine foot vertical pole and chips away the bark to reveal the curve and grain of the log. He does this in an attempt to locate the most favorable section of wood to receive the first of two planks which will be driven into the log so that he can stand on them. In the competition he will ideally make four cuts into the wood with his ax in order to place a 5' long board. He will then launch himself onto this horizontal board in order to do the exact same thing 40" above this first plank, so that he can then chop through a basswood block (12" in diameter) that he has anchored to the top of the log.
The logger must skin the log, measure and mark where his cuts will be to receive the plank and attach the basswood block before the competition starts. This preparation takes about forty five minutes and the block at the top must be secured in a such a way that it will not come off as it is being chopped otherwise the competitor will be disqualified.
While this was taking place axes were flying in close proximity to Jacks who were being carted around standing on top of the hyper extended buckets of BobCats, or on ladders, affixing their blocks to the top of their logs. I love this sport! Roaring chain saws, the smell of fresh cut wood, axes flying through the air and a one armed judge.
The real fun began when the spring boarders were ready to go. The timers were ready, the call was given, and the jacks with their razor sharp Australian axes went to town. Wood chips burst from the standing poles, planks went in, jacks sprang to their first boards, they powered through their next cuts, slammed in their second boards, jumped to their planks and proceeded to cut through their top blocks hacking away six feet above the ground. Cutting from two sides is mandatory, meaning a jack must at some point chop from his weaker side. How long does this take? The world record for this event was clocked at 32.77 seconds! Safety gear for this discipline consists of sneakers and black pants (Carharts). No one wore goggles, helmets or gloves and hats were optional.
Many of the competitors looked the part, but one looked like a stock broker and another like a professor of literature. There were several husband and wife teams for the Jack and Jill events (Jack-n-Jill Crosscut competition), entire families competed and the youngest and oldest professional lumberjacks at the event (19 and 69 respectively) shared opposite ends of a six foot crosscut saw.
This is what sport used to be. In lumberjack competitions, activities of daily living and of human survival have been raised to an art form. The tools are minimal (but expensive and sharp), uniforms are basic, there is camaraderie, nature and egalitarianism. Men and women competed together and in their own divisions which demonstrated that skill and determination were just as important as testosterone. In the Log Rolling competition women fared better than big guys by anticipating the direction of the roll while many of the men tried to muscle the course of the log .
Our tickets were seven bucks a piece at the gate, we could have stayed all day, you could come and go as you pleased and the professional loggers were ten feet from our seats. There was no ten dollar beer by the glass, instead there was homemade soda for sale (for seven dollars you got the soda and the tin cup). There was an abundance of food and numerous crafts. It was refreshing to see skilled athletes who had day jobs doing what they loved. There was a time when attending a professional baseball game was like this but those days are gone. Corporate sponsors enable these timber events to continue but I hope that the spirit of the games is not chipped away by greed (I couldn't help myself).
The next event I had seen on The Wide World of Sports as a kid. The Spring Board Chop is one of the most impressive feats I have witnessed in sport. In advance of the start the Jack measures up 38" from the ground along a nine foot vertical pole and chips away the bark to reveal the curve and grain of the log. He does this in an attempt to locate the most favorable section of wood to receive the first of two planks which will be driven into the log so that he can stand on them. In the competition he will ideally make four cuts into the wood with his ax in order to place a 5' long board. He will then launch himself onto this horizontal board in order to do the exact same thing 40" above this first plank, so that he can then chop through a basswood block (12" in diameter) that he has anchored to the top of the log.
The logger must skin the log, measure and mark where his cuts will be to receive the plank and attach the basswood block before the competition starts. This preparation takes about forty five minutes and the block at the top must be secured in a such a way that it will not come off as it is being chopped otherwise the competitor will be disqualified.
While this was taking place axes were flying in close proximity to Jacks who were being carted around standing on top of the hyper extended buckets of BobCats, or on ladders, affixing their blocks to the top of their logs. I love this sport! Roaring chain saws, the smell of fresh cut wood, axes flying through the air and a one armed judge.
The real fun began when the spring boarders were ready to go. The timers were ready, the call was given, and the jacks with their razor sharp Australian axes went to town. Wood chips burst from the standing poles, planks went in, jacks sprang to their first boards, they powered through their next cuts, slammed in their second boards, jumped to their planks and proceeded to cut through their top blocks hacking away six feet above the ground. Cutting from two sides is mandatory, meaning a jack must at some point chop from his weaker side. How long does this take? The world record for this event was clocked at 32.77 seconds! Safety gear for this discipline consists of sneakers and black pants (Carharts). No one wore goggles, helmets or gloves and hats were optional.
Many of the competitors looked the part, but one looked like a stock broker and another like a professor of literature. There were several husband and wife teams for the Jack and Jill events (Jack-n-Jill Crosscut competition), entire families competed and the youngest and oldest professional lumberjacks at the event (19 and 69 respectively) shared opposite ends of a six foot crosscut saw.
This is what sport used to be. In lumberjack competitions, activities of daily living and of human survival have been raised to an art form. The tools are minimal (but expensive and sharp), uniforms are basic, there is camaraderie, nature and egalitarianism. Men and women competed together and in their own divisions which demonstrated that skill and determination were just as important as testosterone. In the Log Rolling competition women fared better than big guys by anticipating the direction of the roll while many of the men tried to muscle the course of the log .
Our tickets were seven bucks a piece at the gate, we could have stayed all day, you could come and go as you pleased and the professional loggers were ten feet from our seats. There was no ten dollar beer by the glass, instead there was homemade soda for sale (for seven dollars you got the soda and the tin cup). There was an abundance of food and numerous crafts. It was refreshing to see skilled athletes who had day jobs doing what they loved. There was a time when attending a professional baseball game was like this but those days are gone. Corporate sponsors enable these timber events to continue but I hope that the spirit of the games is not chipped away by greed (I couldn't help myself).
Thursday, October 9, 2014
What Do You Stand For?
When it comes to presses do you stand or do you sit? That depends on your objective and whether you are using a barbell or dumbbells.
Your shoulder consists of several muscle groups and because your back (rohmboids, levators, lats and traps), chest (pecs), sides (serratus), and stomach (abdominals) facilitate shoulder movement it is difficult to separate the deltoids (what we think of as the shoulder - well, half of it) from what ideally should facilitate shoulder movement. And let's not forget about the scapula (the other half of the shoulder) which has taken many of us decades to incorporate properly in the press.
Sitting and standing while performing overhead presses (O.H.P.) engages different muscle groups as does lifting with a barbell (B.B.) or dumbbells (D.B.s) while executing the press. These two factors determine to what extent the three sections of the deltoid muscle are used and whether your legs (quads and glutes) and core become activated. Confused? Lets break it down.
The deltoid (delta: Ancient Greek for triangle - not a coincidence) muscle is divided into three parts: the anterior, medial and posterior portions. Each shares in a tripartite support system to lift the arm and move it across planes. In order to develop the deltoids it is important to know which modality will give you the best results based on your goals.
In general, to strengthen the deltoids executing the D.B. press in a standing position is more effective (generates greater neuro-muscular activity) than using a B.B. while standing. If, however, you desire more of a full body workout lifting a B.B. over your head, while seated or standing will engage you biceps and triceps more than using D.B.s (either seated or standing). Your O.H.P. becomes stronger more quickly by using a B.B. because more muscles are used to move the bar up (legs, abs and arms). If larger numbers are important to you note that your one rep max while standing will be less than when you are seated due to the stabilization provided by the bench (as opposed to your stabilizing muscles doing the work while you are standing.)
If you are lopsided it is beneficial to perform lifts using D.B.s because they force you to stay in balance. They are also beneficial because they allow a greater range of motion, so if you have a tweaked shoulder (depending upon what part is injured) you can be more comfortable using D.B.s.
When you have an injury that prohibits the use of you lower extremities sitting is the way to go. Sitting also affords you the ability to focus on a smaller group of muscles because your body is supported by the bench, so you can isolate the deltoids.
For the bigger lifts don't avoid dumbbells because they will work your body in a different way and variety is not only the spice of life it is crucial to staying healthy and becoming stronger.
Your shoulder consists of several muscle groups and because your back (rohmboids, levators, lats and traps), chest (pecs), sides (serratus), and stomach (abdominals) facilitate shoulder movement it is difficult to separate the deltoids (what we think of as the shoulder - well, half of it) from what ideally should facilitate shoulder movement. And let's not forget about the scapula (the other half of the shoulder) which has taken many of us decades to incorporate properly in the press.
Sitting and standing while performing overhead presses (O.H.P.) engages different muscle groups as does lifting with a barbell (B.B.) or dumbbells (D.B.s) while executing the press. These two factors determine to what extent the three sections of the deltoid muscle are used and whether your legs (quads and glutes) and core become activated. Confused? Lets break it down.
The deltoid (delta: Ancient Greek for triangle - not a coincidence) muscle is divided into three parts: the anterior, medial and posterior portions. Each shares in a tripartite support system to lift the arm and move it across planes. In order to develop the deltoids it is important to know which modality will give you the best results based on your goals.
In general, to strengthen the deltoids executing the D.B. press in a standing position is more effective (generates greater neuro-muscular activity) than using a B.B. while standing. If, however, you desire more of a full body workout lifting a B.B. over your head, while seated or standing will engage you biceps and triceps more than using D.B.s (either seated or standing). Your O.H.P. becomes stronger more quickly by using a B.B. because more muscles are used to move the bar up (legs, abs and arms). If larger numbers are important to you note that your one rep max while standing will be less than when you are seated due to the stabilization provided by the bench (as opposed to your stabilizing muscles doing the work while you are standing.)
If you are lopsided it is beneficial to perform lifts using D.B.s because they force you to stay in balance. They are also beneficial because they allow a greater range of motion, so if you have a tweaked shoulder (depending upon what part is injured) you can be more comfortable using D.B.s.
When you have an injury that prohibits the use of you lower extremities sitting is the way to go. Sitting also affords you the ability to focus on a smaller group of muscles because your body is supported by the bench, so you can isolate the deltoids.
For the bigger lifts don't avoid dumbbells because they will work your body in a different way and variety is not only the spice of life it is crucial to staying healthy and becoming stronger.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Why no Y?
I started taking yoga again at the start of the summer. I attend
once a week, sometimes twice and I feel more limber and balanced as a
result. From the first class on I noticed a lack of Y chromosomes in
these classes. I find it curious that there are usually three men and
upwards of fifteen women in the class. What lies at the root of this
low male turnout? I spoke with some fit friends about this and the
responses I received were revealing.
One of the women I spoke with looked at me like I was dumb and said (I will paraphrase) "Of course. Most men don't want to feel and yoga puts you in touch with how your body feels." One of the men I spoke with, who happens to be a gym owner and world class Olympic lifter said that men are less likely to join a gym (and therefore an exercise class) than women. His gym, Gardiner Athletics, where I am a coach has a ratio of 25% men to 75% women. Could this be one of the main reasons I like to work out? I enjoy exercising alone and I have no problem working out with other men but I really do like exercising with women.
This may be due to the fact that spending time in a gym is one of the few opportunities I have to interact with women in motion. Much of my time is spent engaging in activities with men and because we are performing physical labor we can talk. As many of you know it is difficult for men to engage with other men (or women) unless there is something that needs doing. Forgive me if I am offending anyone but it has been my experience that most men are uncomfortable speaking unless they are on a mission, which can include watching sports and drinking alcohol.
Women, on the other hand, seem to interact with each other more readily and appear to enjoy the community aspect of engaging in an activity as a group more so then men.
One of the reasons venues like Crossfit have been successful is that they appeal to both men and women, but for different reasons. Men like it because they can compete against each other by becoming faster and stronger than their gym buddies. Women like it because they enjoy learning a new skill and perfecting it. These revealing conclusions are not surprising because we know that generally speaking men want concrete results that set them apart from others and women are much more attuned to process and sharing, which answers my yoga question. Of course these are generalizations and there is a tremendous amount of crossover: women want results and men want to perfect their lifts but in yoga moment to moment awareness and extension of the postures are process based. It's funny because when I first started attending class I was concerned that the other guy in the pavillion might be reaching more in his Warrior II pose than I. Now I focus on not dislocating my hips.
These conclusions do not emphasize our differences but reveal our similarities because we all want change and we go about achieving it in different ways. What we share as a species is that eventually we look to the community or group for guidance and help. For many of us the gym is much more than a training ground it is a place to share ideas and move in space in a safe arena that is different from both the work place and home. If beer could somehow be incorporated into the asanas we might see more men at yoga class.
One of the women I spoke with looked at me like I was dumb and said (I will paraphrase) "Of course. Most men don't want to feel and yoga puts you in touch with how your body feels." One of the men I spoke with, who happens to be a gym owner and world class Olympic lifter said that men are less likely to join a gym (and therefore an exercise class) than women. His gym, Gardiner Athletics, where I am a coach has a ratio of 25% men to 75% women. Could this be one of the main reasons I like to work out? I enjoy exercising alone and I have no problem working out with other men but I really do like exercising with women.
This may be due to the fact that spending time in a gym is one of the few opportunities I have to interact with women in motion. Much of my time is spent engaging in activities with men and because we are performing physical labor we can talk. As many of you know it is difficult for men to engage with other men (or women) unless there is something that needs doing. Forgive me if I am offending anyone but it has been my experience that most men are uncomfortable speaking unless they are on a mission, which can include watching sports and drinking alcohol.
Women, on the other hand, seem to interact with each other more readily and appear to enjoy the community aspect of engaging in an activity as a group more so then men.
One of the reasons venues like Crossfit have been successful is that they appeal to both men and women, but for different reasons. Men like it because they can compete against each other by becoming faster and stronger than their gym buddies. Women like it because they enjoy learning a new skill and perfecting it. These revealing conclusions are not surprising because we know that generally speaking men want concrete results that set them apart from others and women are much more attuned to process and sharing, which answers my yoga question. Of course these are generalizations and there is a tremendous amount of crossover: women want results and men want to perfect their lifts but in yoga moment to moment awareness and extension of the postures are process based. It's funny because when I first started attending class I was concerned that the other guy in the pavillion might be reaching more in his Warrior II pose than I. Now I focus on not dislocating my hips.
These conclusions do not emphasize our differences but reveal our similarities because we all want change and we go about achieving it in different ways. What we share as a species is that eventually we look to the community or group for guidance and help. For many of us the gym is much more than a training ground it is a place to share ideas and move in space in a safe arena that is different from both the work place and home. If beer could somehow be incorporated into the asanas we might see more men at yoga class.
Monday, September 22, 2014
In Sickness and In Health
On Friday night I finally succumbed to the sinus infection my wife has been suffering from for the past week. We both spent the weekend in bed which was surprisingly fun. We ate healthy food, slept when we wanted, read and studied Spanish. And I didn't train and climb on Saturday and there was no hike on Sunday. For the first time in my life I enjoyed doing nothing physical other than activities of daily living.
It always bothers me when people come into the gym sick. The benefits of exercising when ill are debatable and of course any possible benefit depends on what the person is suffering from and to what degree. Aside from personal considerations a gym is a community and as a member of a micro society it is irresponsible to put yourself and your contagion in an environment where other people are particularly susceptible to catching your bug. We share the same equipment, sweat and air space, which is often close, and people are breathing deeply.
It is not a sign of strength to show up sick. People have to make a living and ideally one should not go to work with a cold but often you haven't a choice. Attendance at the gym, however, is not mandatory. Sometimes it feels good to engage in a moderate workout when you feel crappy but you can do that at home. Stretching is great when you are sick: it activates the lymph system, it doesn't require a lot of space and chances are you don't do enough of it when you are healthy, so indulge yourself.
Doing nothing but resting and eating well is underrated. Your body is not going to lose strength if you don't work out for two or three days but it is certainly going to benefit from rest and you will likely come back to your routine sooner and with renewed vigor if you let yourself heal.
Here are some general guidelines when it comes to exercise and colds/flu symptoms:
Don't get sick - wash your hands often, exercise 30 minutes per day three to four days a week to boost your T-cell levels (frequent 90 minute workouts can lower them.)
If you have a fever above 101, have bronchial tightness, achy joints (symptoms below the neck) - don't exercise. If however you have sniffles and congestion (symptoms north of your neck) - exercise with caution (at home.)
Winter is coming which means we will spend more of our time in close quarters with our gym buddies and coworkers, so if you have a cold avoid the gym.
It always bothers me when people come into the gym sick. The benefits of exercising when ill are debatable and of course any possible benefit depends on what the person is suffering from and to what degree. Aside from personal considerations a gym is a community and as a member of a micro society it is irresponsible to put yourself and your contagion in an environment where other people are particularly susceptible to catching your bug. We share the same equipment, sweat and air space, which is often close, and people are breathing deeply.
It is not a sign of strength to show up sick. People have to make a living and ideally one should not go to work with a cold but often you haven't a choice. Attendance at the gym, however, is not mandatory. Sometimes it feels good to engage in a moderate workout when you feel crappy but you can do that at home. Stretching is great when you are sick: it activates the lymph system, it doesn't require a lot of space and chances are you don't do enough of it when you are healthy, so indulge yourself.
Doing nothing but resting and eating well is underrated. Your body is not going to lose strength if you don't work out for two or three days but it is certainly going to benefit from rest and you will likely come back to your routine sooner and with renewed vigor if you let yourself heal.
Here are some general guidelines when it comes to exercise and colds/flu symptoms:
Don't get sick - wash your hands often, exercise 30 minutes per day three to four days a week to boost your T-cell levels (frequent 90 minute workouts can lower them.)
If you have a fever above 101, have bronchial tightness, achy joints (symptoms below the neck) - don't exercise. If however you have sniffles and congestion (symptoms north of your neck) - exercise with caution (at home.)
Winter is coming which means we will spend more of our time in close quarters with our gym buddies and coworkers, so if you have a cold avoid the gym.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
You Are Here
David Byrne and the Talking Heads asked "How did we get here?" This is a good question for lifters to ask. Where did the weights and training techniques we use come from? With all activities we engage in and the beliefs we hold dear it is important to have a basic knowledge of history. One day while performing an arm curl I thought who dreamed up this apparatus and why the hell am I doing an arm curl? I had a vague understanding of weight training as a Victorian era hobby but I really didn't know more than that.
In the late 1800's strong men entertained audiences by lifting, pressing and squatting barbells, dumbbells, people and animals. Although there is evidence to suggest that people have been training with heavy objects for five thousand years, the standardization of weight lifting as we know it developed over the course of a hundred years from the mid to late 19th century to the 1970s. Different cultural preferences influenced the various lifts. North Americans liked dumbbells (which derive their name from the ancient Greeks who removed the clappers from bells so they could be hoisted without ringing), while Europeans preferred barbells and the Russians used kettlebells (or "kettle balls" as my wife likes to call them.)
Generally dumbbells are used to isolate specific muscle groups while bar bells use multiple muscle groups and kettle bells lend themselves to dynamic routines that move through several planes. Competitive lifting became standardized when agreements were reached between countries concerning specific lifts and the tools used to perform them. Whether you are discussing barbells or nuclear weapons, politics are pretty much the same. Organizations formed and folded, people switched allegiances, they talked trash and eventually through attrition and compromise barbells won out as Olympic lifts gained popularity in the early 20th century and continued to dominate as the preferred device in power lifting in the 1960s. The dumbbell and kettlebell continue to be used as an effective training device but you won't see them used in the Olympics.
Today all manner of tools are used in Crossfit and strong man competitions. We have come full circle, as history does, and we have arrived back to public displays of strength and prowess much like those found in the Victorian age.
It is interesting to know the past to understand why you are doing what you are doing. If you walked into a gym and a trainer told you to step into a machine (I know this is not too far from the truth) that you have never seen before would you do it without asking questions? Clients have looked at me like I solved the riddle of the Gordian knot when I suggested they bench press with dumb bells rather than the barbell because of a shoulder injury. We become so entrenched in the way we do things that we forget that there are options.
We are destined to repeat history but with an understanding of the past we can shape the future. There is fitness equipment waiting to be created that will improve your performance. And what happened to the Thigh-master, leg warmers and Richard Simmons?
They'll be back!
In the late 1800's strong men entertained audiences by lifting, pressing and squatting barbells, dumbbells, people and animals. Although there is evidence to suggest that people have been training with heavy objects for five thousand years, the standardization of weight lifting as we know it developed over the course of a hundred years from the mid to late 19th century to the 1970s. Different cultural preferences influenced the various lifts. North Americans liked dumbbells (which derive their name from the ancient Greeks who removed the clappers from bells so they could be hoisted without ringing), while Europeans preferred barbells and the Russians used kettlebells (or "kettle balls" as my wife likes to call them.)
Generally dumbbells are used to isolate specific muscle groups while bar bells use multiple muscle groups and kettle bells lend themselves to dynamic routines that move through several planes. Competitive lifting became standardized when agreements were reached between countries concerning specific lifts and the tools used to perform them. Whether you are discussing barbells or nuclear weapons, politics are pretty much the same. Organizations formed and folded, people switched allegiances, they talked trash and eventually through attrition and compromise barbells won out as Olympic lifts gained popularity in the early 20th century and continued to dominate as the preferred device in power lifting in the 1960s. The dumbbell and kettlebell continue to be used as an effective training device but you won't see them used in the Olympics.
Today all manner of tools are used in Crossfit and strong man competitions. We have come full circle, as history does, and we have arrived back to public displays of strength and prowess much like those found in the Victorian age.
It is interesting to know the past to understand why you are doing what you are doing. If you walked into a gym and a trainer told you to step into a machine (I know this is not too far from the truth) that you have never seen before would you do it without asking questions? Clients have looked at me like I solved the riddle of the Gordian knot when I suggested they bench press with dumb bells rather than the barbell because of a shoulder injury. We become so entrenched in the way we do things that we forget that there are options.
We are destined to repeat history but with an understanding of the past we can shape the future. There is fitness equipment waiting to be created that will improve your performance. And what happened to the Thigh-master, leg warmers and Richard Simmons?
They'll be back!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
S.O.S.
Last weekend I volunteered at S.O.S. The S.O.S. is the Survival of the Shawangunks Triathalon held in the Catskill mountains of New York.
The event consists of a 30 mile bike race, a 4.5 mile run to Lake Awosting, a 1.1 mile swim across the lake, a 5.5 mile run to Lake Minnewaska, a 0.5 mile swim across that lake, an 8 mile run through the Mohonk Preserve to the Mohonk Mountain House, a 0.5 mile swim across Lake Mohonk and then a 0.7 mile run to Smiley Tower which is all up hill. Wow! What an event.
I was stationed in a kayak on Lake Awosting in a line of twelve other kayaks and several scuba divers. My job was to keep swimmers from drifting off course and to assist in any way I could without moving them forward in the water. At this stage of the course many participants can suffer excruciating cramps and need to hold onto a boat for a minute to stretch a calf or a hamstring. The weather was beautiful (70 degrees with low humidity) and the water was warm; there wasn't much for me to do, so I sat back in my front row seat and watched as 300 swimmers passed fifteen feet from my kayak over the course of three hours.
Every swimmer was unique. Most methodically performed the crawl, but some cycled between the breast stroke and treading water in order to break-up the monotony. Some appeared to have gills as they rolled through their stroke siphoning air through a minute aperture they had created between their mouths and the undulating surface of the water. Others gasped with every other stroke and craned their necks often in an attempt to see the bright orange buoy located on the other side of the lake. Swimmers cut the water with their arms in a variety of ways that ranged from an elegant salute to the swatting of an insect. Some kicked forcefully while others moved quickly with a gentle rotation of the hips.
At first the sexes were indistinguishable. I knew the men would be the first to enter the water because an abundance of testosterone would give them the advantage in the preceding thirty mile bike race. But after half an hour I started to notice subtle differences in shape and intention. The athletes were like lemmings wearing goggles and caps and many wore similar swimming singlets. Several resembled aquatic mendicants with their floating bags containing the paraphernalia they would need for the following run. What set the women and men apart was how they turned their heads and breathed. But I was never really certain who was a man and who was a woman until the person exclaimed or asked a quick question.
It was strange because all the swimmers were determined in their pursuit of a similar goal but some slogged while others sailed. All had competed in either a half iron man or a full marathon below a certain qualifying time. These athletes were experienced and knew how to maintain a high level of performance over a long period of time to reach the finish line.
The benefits of endurance training have been questioned of late. Traveling long distances with an elevated heart rate (HR) might be deleterious to the heart and the arteries (especially if you don't rest enough between sessions). But there will always be a segment of the fitness community that lives to compete in these events. It is appealing to have a definite goal that requires not only athletic stamina but also emotional strength and determination to accomplish. These races are, after all, a microcosm of our all-too-short lives on planet Earth and who among us doesn't enjoy surviving an epic?
The event consists of a 30 mile bike race, a 4.5 mile run to Lake Awosting, a 1.1 mile swim across the lake, a 5.5 mile run to Lake Minnewaska, a 0.5 mile swim across that lake, an 8 mile run through the Mohonk Preserve to the Mohonk Mountain House, a 0.5 mile swim across Lake Mohonk and then a 0.7 mile run to Smiley Tower which is all up hill. Wow! What an event.
I was stationed in a kayak on Lake Awosting in a line of twelve other kayaks and several scuba divers. My job was to keep swimmers from drifting off course and to assist in any way I could without moving them forward in the water. At this stage of the course many participants can suffer excruciating cramps and need to hold onto a boat for a minute to stretch a calf or a hamstring. The weather was beautiful (70 degrees with low humidity) and the water was warm; there wasn't much for me to do, so I sat back in my front row seat and watched as 300 swimmers passed fifteen feet from my kayak over the course of three hours.
Every swimmer was unique. Most methodically performed the crawl, but some cycled between the breast stroke and treading water in order to break-up the monotony. Some appeared to have gills as they rolled through their stroke siphoning air through a minute aperture they had created between their mouths and the undulating surface of the water. Others gasped with every other stroke and craned their necks often in an attempt to see the bright orange buoy located on the other side of the lake. Swimmers cut the water with their arms in a variety of ways that ranged from an elegant salute to the swatting of an insect. Some kicked forcefully while others moved quickly with a gentle rotation of the hips.
At first the sexes were indistinguishable. I knew the men would be the first to enter the water because an abundance of testosterone would give them the advantage in the preceding thirty mile bike race. But after half an hour I started to notice subtle differences in shape and intention. The athletes were like lemmings wearing goggles and caps and many wore similar swimming singlets. Several resembled aquatic mendicants with their floating bags containing the paraphernalia they would need for the following run. What set the women and men apart was how they turned their heads and breathed. But I was never really certain who was a man and who was a woman until the person exclaimed or asked a quick question.
It was strange because all the swimmers were determined in their pursuit of a similar goal but some slogged while others sailed. All had competed in either a half iron man or a full marathon below a certain qualifying time. These athletes were experienced and knew how to maintain a high level of performance over a long period of time to reach the finish line.
The benefits of endurance training have been questioned of late. Traveling long distances with an elevated heart rate (HR) might be deleterious to the heart and the arteries (especially if you don't rest enough between sessions). But there will always be a segment of the fitness community that lives to compete in these events. It is appealing to have a definite goal that requires not only athletic stamina but also emotional strength and determination to accomplish. These races are, after all, a microcosm of our all-too-short lives on planet Earth and who among us doesn't enjoy surviving an epic?
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Seasonal Changes
Summer, as it is, will be with us for a few more weeks. In the north east we have not experienced the kind of debilitating heat and humidity that we encountered last year and fall is rapidly approaching. The phoebes have long fledged as the neon green of the canopy has faded. A change of season means a change in activity.
In cool weather I hike through the woods observing changes in terrain I haven't seen since the late winter of the previous year - a downed hickory, an ancient walnut standing dead riddled with cavities created by piliated woodpeckers and the ongoing progression of European barberry as it marches across the forest floor. This is the season of wood.
The smell of burning hard woods is ubiquitous in the Catskills as the temperatures fall and the days shorten. Felling, limbing, bucking and splitting wood are ritualistic events that everyone should try. Processing BTUs is an avocation that is as old as our connection with fire itself and it is great exercise.
Chain saws are dangerous requiring skill, experience, focus and safety equipment, so I will not discuss them in this blog (as much as I love to talk about my Stihl 390 Farm Boss and my little Echo) but in order to split wood you must procure it from a source and that requires a saw or a saw buck. I have never purchased wood because I am fortunate to live in an area forested by oak (red, white, chestnut and others), ash, maple, walnut, hickory and birch, so there is always wood to be had. Once the wood has been bucked the splitting begins.
This is an activity everyone can enjoy. Even if you can't split you can haul and stack but splitting is an intense workout that requires judgement, power, focus and accuracy. I have never played golf but I imagine there is some crossover of skills between these two endeavors (except the former saves you money). Mauls are cheap and most hard woods are satisfying to split (exception: all elms). Ash is the easiest. It sounds like glass is being cut when it splits and it smells clean and astringent - like witch hazel. Oak is heartier (burns longer and doesn't burn as hot as ash) and also has a distinctive sour and peppery scent that is instantly recognizable.
I am always seeking sensory experiences in my workouts and there is none better than chopping wood. If you like the Olympic lifts you will like splitting wood (think reverse snatch). Timing is crucial in firing the hips shoulders and arms to achieve the maximum force required to cleave a big log. And you must be aware of the size, age (is the wood green or has it been seasoned?), and type of wood you are addressing. You don't clobber every piece of wood, you look for checking or fissures in the grain that indicate a weakness. Once you assess the size, age and type of log you plan your attack. Target the check in the grain, set your stance, keep a tight core, take aim and let fly. There are few sounds more satisfying then the crack of wood on a cool day (unless it is the sound of your maul's ash handle splitting due to over-striking the log). Once you have broken the log take a minute to smell the inside of the wood and study its grain - this is one of life's simple pleasures that never loses its visceral appeal.
You will warm up quickly, so dress in comfortable layers, don safety glasses and a pair of work gloves and keep a glass of local fresh apple cider, beer or an oaky chardonnay close at hand because you will get thirsty.
This is the way exercise should be: outdoors, functional, thoughtful, aerobic, anaerobic, aesthetically pleasing, and fun. For many I am preaching to the choir but for the rest who have always wondered what it would be like - try it! Let me know if you have questions and if you like these posts please tell a friend. Thank you
In cool weather I hike through the woods observing changes in terrain I haven't seen since the late winter of the previous year - a downed hickory, an ancient walnut standing dead riddled with cavities created by piliated woodpeckers and the ongoing progression of European barberry as it marches across the forest floor. This is the season of wood.
The smell of burning hard woods is ubiquitous in the Catskills as the temperatures fall and the days shorten. Felling, limbing, bucking and splitting wood are ritualistic events that everyone should try. Processing BTUs is an avocation that is as old as our connection with fire itself and it is great exercise.
Chain saws are dangerous requiring skill, experience, focus and safety equipment, so I will not discuss them in this blog (as much as I love to talk about my Stihl 390 Farm Boss and my little Echo) but in order to split wood you must procure it from a source and that requires a saw or a saw buck. I have never purchased wood because I am fortunate to live in an area forested by oak (red, white, chestnut and others), ash, maple, walnut, hickory and birch, so there is always wood to be had. Once the wood has been bucked the splitting begins.
This is an activity everyone can enjoy. Even if you can't split you can haul and stack but splitting is an intense workout that requires judgement, power, focus and accuracy. I have never played golf but I imagine there is some crossover of skills between these two endeavors (except the former saves you money). Mauls are cheap and most hard woods are satisfying to split (exception: all elms). Ash is the easiest. It sounds like glass is being cut when it splits and it smells clean and astringent - like witch hazel. Oak is heartier (burns longer and doesn't burn as hot as ash) and also has a distinctive sour and peppery scent that is instantly recognizable.
I am always seeking sensory experiences in my workouts and there is none better than chopping wood. If you like the Olympic lifts you will like splitting wood (think reverse snatch). Timing is crucial in firing the hips shoulders and arms to achieve the maximum force required to cleave a big log. And you must be aware of the size, age (is the wood green or has it been seasoned?), and type of wood you are addressing. You don't clobber every piece of wood, you look for checking or fissures in the grain that indicate a weakness. Once you assess the size, age and type of log you plan your attack. Target the check in the grain, set your stance, keep a tight core, take aim and let fly. There are few sounds more satisfying then the crack of wood on a cool day (unless it is the sound of your maul's ash handle splitting due to over-striking the log). Once you have broken the log take a minute to smell the inside of the wood and study its grain - this is one of life's simple pleasures that never loses its visceral appeal.
You will warm up quickly, so dress in comfortable layers, don safety glasses and a pair of work gloves and keep a glass of local fresh apple cider, beer or an oaky chardonnay close at hand because you will get thirsty.
This is the way exercise should be: outdoors, functional, thoughtful, aerobic, anaerobic, aesthetically pleasing, and fun. For many I am preaching to the choir but for the rest who have always wondered what it would be like - try it! Let me know if you have questions and if you like these posts please tell a friend. Thank you
Monday, August 25, 2014
Fashion
I just read an article in Vogue entitled "Forever Young". Apparently the latest fashion for aging beauties (people over forty) is an exercise program that makes one age gracefully without looking "ropey" (like Madonna). The recommendation is to exercise with light weights and engage in activities that do not create an overabundance of muscle. This article depressed me for a number of reasons.
The piece was written about a select population in our culture. Its focus was the one percent of the one percent of women who make their living acting or posing in front of the camera, which we know adds ten pounds to your appearance. Unfortunately the other ninety nine percent of Vogue's readers are not stars but they are looking for guidance and approval for how they look and how they can make the best of what they have. Of course you can respond to the whole notion of a fashion magazine as a vehicle that promotes sexism and sets women up for failure, so what should I expect from this health and beauty article?
Most of Vogue's readers cannot afford the clothes they peruse in its pages or haven't been dealt the genetic royal straight flush required to fit into them, but it remains a standard because people want ideas about how they can be perceived as attractive; unfortunately, society's norms have changed little in this regard since the magazine was first printed in 1892. Will Conde Nast ever launch a magazine that shows strong beautiful women who are jacked from lifting weights, climbing mountains, rowing rapids and eating lots of healthy food? Probably not, but it is fun to think about. I would love to see a woman with well muscled calves in Jimmy Choos or a competitive swimmer's back in a Versace strapless dress. But I guess I would be swapping out one ideal for another and supporting another version of objectification. Since we all objectify and we are a visual species the least we could do is promote a healthy body image based on activity, good food and intelligence (more compelling articles between the pictures).
Not surprisingly the new physique for the midlife woman looks much like the old one for the below thirty model. It is disturbing that being fashion fit continues to require women to look like emaciated prepubescent boys or heroine addicts. And if you want to be attractive as an over forty woman you must look like people who are in their thirties. This stereotype, which crosses the gender line drives me nuts. People tell me (although not often enough) that I look great for being fifty. I always pause before I respond because I don't know whether to thank them or say "fuck you." Everyone should be encouraged to age healthily no matter what that looks like.
Men have their own issues with body image and are equally obsessed about their appearance but for some reason a guy with a prominent beer gut hanging over his stained cargo shorts is often accompanied by a woman who appears to be living a much healthier life style than he. He probably has beautiful eyes, a good sense of humor or a fat wallet. That last sentence was inappropriate on many levels but my point is that men can look (or act) any way they want but women can't.
So let's set the bar a little higher for ourselves. Let's be confident about who we are, what we look like, what we think and how we choose to spend our money and maybe someday Madison Avenue will take notice - or not.
The piece was written about a select population in our culture. Its focus was the one percent of the one percent of women who make their living acting or posing in front of the camera, which we know adds ten pounds to your appearance. Unfortunately the other ninety nine percent of Vogue's readers are not stars but they are looking for guidance and approval for how they look and how they can make the best of what they have. Of course you can respond to the whole notion of a fashion magazine as a vehicle that promotes sexism and sets women up for failure, so what should I expect from this health and beauty article?
Most of Vogue's readers cannot afford the clothes they peruse in its pages or haven't been dealt the genetic royal straight flush required to fit into them, but it remains a standard because people want ideas about how they can be perceived as attractive; unfortunately, society's norms have changed little in this regard since the magazine was first printed in 1892. Will Conde Nast ever launch a magazine that shows strong beautiful women who are jacked from lifting weights, climbing mountains, rowing rapids and eating lots of healthy food? Probably not, but it is fun to think about. I would love to see a woman with well muscled calves in Jimmy Choos or a competitive swimmer's back in a Versace strapless dress. But I guess I would be swapping out one ideal for another and supporting another version of objectification. Since we all objectify and we are a visual species the least we could do is promote a healthy body image based on activity, good food and intelligence (more compelling articles between the pictures).
Not surprisingly the new physique for the midlife woman looks much like the old one for the below thirty model. It is disturbing that being fashion fit continues to require women to look like emaciated prepubescent boys or heroine addicts. And if you want to be attractive as an over forty woman you must look like people who are in their thirties. This stereotype, which crosses the gender line drives me nuts. People tell me (although not often enough) that I look great for being fifty. I always pause before I respond because I don't know whether to thank them or say "fuck you." Everyone should be encouraged to age healthily no matter what that looks like.
Men have their own issues with body image and are equally obsessed about their appearance but for some reason a guy with a prominent beer gut hanging over his stained cargo shorts is often accompanied by a woman who appears to be living a much healthier life style than he. He probably has beautiful eyes, a good sense of humor or a fat wallet. That last sentence was inappropriate on many levels but my point is that men can look (or act) any way they want but women can't.
So let's set the bar a little higher for ourselves. Let's be confident about who we are, what we look like, what we think and how we choose to spend our money and maybe someday Madison Avenue will take notice - or not.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
vacation
I just flew in from Canada and boy are my wings tired... give me a break, I live in the Catskills. Actually I drove to Canada and canoed on Lake Champlain and east along the Saint Lawrence River in an attempt to follow Samuel Champlain's route along a portion of Canada's north shore. My arms, surprisingly aren't tired but my quads, after a week of driving and my first day back at the gym, are a bit sore today.
My wife and I took our T@B (a small camper or roulotte), the dog and the canoe up to Quebec. I will spare you the details about close encounters with whales, mosquitoes and chiggers but I would like to share with you the benefits of taking a vacation. I have discussed the importance of changing routines in past posts but a vacation should be a significant game changer.
If you go on a holiday but insist on finding a local gym where you can continue your routine you are not taking advantage of a new setting. Vacations provide an opportunity to try something different or regain an appreciation of an activity you used to engage in more often. Gyms are a training ground and today training for the sake of training is popular, but why not use your improved aerobic capacity, wash-board abs and dynamite calves to go hiking when you are in terra incognita? Why not alter your diet to experience the pleasures of a new taste sensation or an old forgotten favorite? And why not use the time to reflect on how you are exercising when you are not on holiday?
Some of the conclusions I reached when I was away are that I need to brush-up on my French, I love espresso (but I can't drink it every day) and I could eat smoked sockeye Salmon, fresh local lamb chops and halibut until I am sick. I also learned that I could travel the world sampling micro brews but I would end up like the former Michael Jackson - not "Jacko," the other one and that I need to change my exercise routine.
I like training because it makes me feel good but for the past few months my goals have been vague. Before vacation I would ask myself why am exercising today? And the answer was usually because I don't want to lose what I have gained and I need my daily dose of endorphins. Now that my interest in canoeing and climbing have been rekindled I want to train for these activities specifically.
To increase my climbing strength I will perform more pull-ups and climb more. To improve my rowing (I have a row-rig for my canoe) and paddling abilities I will perform more back and core exercises and get out on the water at least once a week.
Today I am feeling weak in the quads from yesterday's numerous squats I performed at the gym and the thousands of pounds I lifted clearing an acre of quartzite conglomerate boulders from a field. For me it is more important to train for life and my activities of daily living than to train for the sake of training.
My wife and I took our T@B (a small camper or roulotte), the dog and the canoe up to Quebec. I will spare you the details about close encounters with whales, mosquitoes and chiggers but I would like to share with you the benefits of taking a vacation. I have discussed the importance of changing routines in past posts but a vacation should be a significant game changer.
If you go on a holiday but insist on finding a local gym where you can continue your routine you are not taking advantage of a new setting. Vacations provide an opportunity to try something different or regain an appreciation of an activity you used to engage in more often. Gyms are a training ground and today training for the sake of training is popular, but why not use your improved aerobic capacity, wash-board abs and dynamite calves to go hiking when you are in terra incognita? Why not alter your diet to experience the pleasures of a new taste sensation or an old forgotten favorite? And why not use the time to reflect on how you are exercising when you are not on holiday?
Some of the conclusions I reached when I was away are that I need to brush-up on my French, I love espresso (but I can't drink it every day) and I could eat smoked sockeye Salmon, fresh local lamb chops and halibut until I am sick. I also learned that I could travel the world sampling micro brews but I would end up like the former Michael Jackson - not "Jacko," the other one and that I need to change my exercise routine.
I like training because it makes me feel good but for the past few months my goals have been vague. Before vacation I would ask myself why am exercising today? And the answer was usually because I don't want to lose what I have gained and I need my daily dose of endorphins. Now that my interest in canoeing and climbing have been rekindled I want to train for these activities specifically.
To increase my climbing strength I will perform more pull-ups and climb more. To improve my rowing (I have a row-rig for my canoe) and paddling abilities I will perform more back and core exercises and get out on the water at least once a week.
Today I am feeling weak in the quads from yesterday's numerous squats I performed at the gym and the thousands of pounds I lifted clearing an acre of quartzite conglomerate boulders from a field. For me it is more important to train for life and my activities of daily living than to train for the sake of training.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
fun
I have climbed more this summer than I have in the past four years
because I am having fun. For a decade I spent the majority of my time
climbing. My passion for the sport waned after I did too much of it. I
developed a skewed perspective of cragging that has taken me several
years of not climbing to figure out. My love became an obsession which
then morphed into frustration. What had been my raison d'etre became
onerous. Towards the end I felt like I was going to work at a factory:
I had to get in my laps, bag my endorphin high and get home in time to
make dinner. This scenario was played out every afternoon after work,
if it wasn't raining, and on weekends when all day attendance on both
Saturday and Sunday was mandatory. The only reason for a break was bad
weather or, God forbid, an injury. After a season of preferring yard
work to climbing, my partners stopped calling and I was free to pursue
my new passion - CrossFit.
I have been a CrossFit instructor for four years and have enjoyed working with clients and learning new fitness modalities. Because CrossFit is the latest exercise craze that has taken the country by storm it has been the subject of much debate in the fitness community. Overall I have benefited from the CrossFit model. I have always cross-trained and I was excited to learn that there was an organization devoted to that activity.
CrossFit has been faulted for its use of kipping pullups and box jumps due to a significant occurrence of shoulder injuries in the former and ruptured Achilles tendons in the latter. Every sport has risks that are unique to that particular discipline and dangers that are shared across all training modalities. Over training and burnout are hazards common to all sports (even curling).
The other discipline that CrossFit has popularized in the fitness community is the Olympic lifts. Olympic lifts are poetic in their grace, speed, accuracy and power (not to mention the classical implications of overcoming one's demons by lifting them over one's head and then dropping them on the ground). The challenge is to educate clients so that they can perform these lifts safely. When new clients see people snatching in the gym their jaws drop. They soon discover that there is a long steep learning curve involved in gaining lifting proficiency and many try to shorten this process. This can lead to injury. I am not a fan of performing multiple repetitions of these or power lifts in a short period of time. This gets back to earlier posts focusing on discretion. If you engage in workouts that include a hundred snatches in 20 minutes, make certain that you are throwing the weight that is correct for you. What is written on the board is a suggestion. If you are uncertain about how much weight to use ask the coach for advice.
My enthusiasm for CrossFit has waned on occasion and in all of these cases the reason was the same - I was over-training because my expectations were not realistic. CrossFit workouts can be brutal and if you are not eating enough (wholesome) food, sleeping well or are training too frequently you will burn out. The problem I see with new CrossFit clients is that they quickly become enamored with the routines, so they try to train every day. You can work up to Cross-fitting every day (although I don't recommend this) but you should never throw yourself into a demanding exercise routine of any sort until you have been ramped up to a high level of performance.
Learning to set yourself up for success is probably the best concept you can take away from any sport, so keep experimenting within the frame-work of honesty. Challenging yourself only works when you set realistic goals, otherwise you are entering the world of masochism (which is o.k. if you are 21 or older). Pace yourself and then you can have fun!
I have been a CrossFit instructor for four years and have enjoyed working with clients and learning new fitness modalities. Because CrossFit is the latest exercise craze that has taken the country by storm it has been the subject of much debate in the fitness community. Overall I have benefited from the CrossFit model. I have always cross-trained and I was excited to learn that there was an organization devoted to that activity.
CrossFit has been faulted for its use of kipping pullups and box jumps due to a significant occurrence of shoulder injuries in the former and ruptured Achilles tendons in the latter. Every sport has risks that are unique to that particular discipline and dangers that are shared across all training modalities. Over training and burnout are hazards common to all sports (even curling).
The other discipline that CrossFit has popularized in the fitness community is the Olympic lifts. Olympic lifts are poetic in their grace, speed, accuracy and power (not to mention the classical implications of overcoming one's demons by lifting them over one's head and then dropping them on the ground). The challenge is to educate clients so that they can perform these lifts safely. When new clients see people snatching in the gym their jaws drop. They soon discover that there is a long steep learning curve involved in gaining lifting proficiency and many try to shorten this process. This can lead to injury. I am not a fan of performing multiple repetitions of these or power lifts in a short period of time. This gets back to earlier posts focusing on discretion. If you engage in workouts that include a hundred snatches in 20 minutes, make certain that you are throwing the weight that is correct for you. What is written on the board is a suggestion. If you are uncertain about how much weight to use ask the coach for advice.
My enthusiasm for CrossFit has waned on occasion and in all of these cases the reason was the same - I was over-training because my expectations were not realistic. CrossFit workouts can be brutal and if you are not eating enough (wholesome) food, sleeping well or are training too frequently you will burn out. The problem I see with new CrossFit clients is that they quickly become enamored with the routines, so they try to train every day. You can work up to Cross-fitting every day (although I don't recommend this) but you should never throw yourself into a demanding exercise routine of any sort until you have been ramped up to a high level of performance.
Learning to set yourself up for success is probably the best concept you can take away from any sport, so keep experimenting within the frame-work of honesty. Challenging yourself only works when you set realistic goals, otherwise you are entering the world of masochism (which is o.k. if you are 21 or older). Pace yourself and then you can have fun!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Don't
The recent death of Broadway star Elaine Stritch at the age of 89 made me think of her perfect rendition of Steven Sondheim's song: Everybody Says Don't. If you don't know the song the gist of it is that we are told constantly what we shouldn't do: walk across the grass, walk across the ice, rock the boat, etc. There are good reasons for restrictions: if we all walked across the grass the lawn would turn to dirt, walking across ice can kill you and rocking the boat, literally or metaphorically, can alter your life. I have been guilty of doing all of the above because I chafe under the saddle of rules.
This is not unique behavior especially in this country where people see it as their right to break rules that should not apply to them but should apply to others. It's also human nature to demonstrate a modicum of disobedience. If one engages in too much disregard for rules or the law one is labeled a deviant, is punished by the legal system, is ostracized by society or wakes up dead. But if you play your cards right you can be rewarded for being a bad boy or a naughty girl (think Wall Street).
Perhaps this hint of naughtiness is a beneficial trait that has allowed the human race to prosper up to this point. Having rock climbed for many years I know that there is a personality trait that all climbers share. They have a desire to break the rules that are least likely to get them killed. Whenever you move vertically half of the human race thinks you are crazy, 25% become sick to their stomachs and the rest find it appealing. Successful climbers redefine boundaries and have the ability to recognize when they are about to become a statistic. The recurring theme of balance presents itself again in these blogs.
You need to push your limits in order to make progress but you have to make an educated decision about your ability to do so and the consequences of a failed attempt. As a lead climber I will take a 25 foot fall (not that I like to) if I trust my belayer, the protection I have placed and am reasonably confident that I am not going to hit something or someone (there could be a French guy climbing through) along the way.
The same is true for weight lifting. If your form is spot-on in the lift and it turns out that the weight is too heavy you can drop it. If your technique is questionable and you attempt a PR in your dead lift you may well herniate a disk. Good form in lifting weights is the equivalent of knowing what not to lead in climbing.
How do you know when to push the limits? That is subjectve. Experience, surrounding yourself with a knowledgeable cohort who cares about you and listening carefully to the dialogue between your body and mind are key factors. Once you have achieved a high level of proficiency the danger comes from complacency not from ignorance. If you feel too comfortable when you are leading a pitch or stepping up to a barbell check yourself. When climbing: check your knot, check your partner's knot, make sure you have the gear you need and see if your head is screwed on correctly. When lifting: set-up properly with your spine and shoulders supported and be present.
If you feel like you must move with reckless abandon - throw yourself into a mosh-pit.
This is not unique behavior especially in this country where people see it as their right to break rules that should not apply to them but should apply to others. It's also human nature to demonstrate a modicum of disobedience. If one engages in too much disregard for rules or the law one is labeled a deviant, is punished by the legal system, is ostracized by society or wakes up dead. But if you play your cards right you can be rewarded for being a bad boy or a naughty girl (think Wall Street).
Perhaps this hint of naughtiness is a beneficial trait that has allowed the human race to prosper up to this point. Having rock climbed for many years I know that there is a personality trait that all climbers share. They have a desire to break the rules that are least likely to get them killed. Whenever you move vertically half of the human race thinks you are crazy, 25% become sick to their stomachs and the rest find it appealing. Successful climbers redefine boundaries and have the ability to recognize when they are about to become a statistic. The recurring theme of balance presents itself again in these blogs.
You need to push your limits in order to make progress but you have to make an educated decision about your ability to do so and the consequences of a failed attempt. As a lead climber I will take a 25 foot fall (not that I like to) if I trust my belayer, the protection I have placed and am reasonably confident that I am not going to hit something or someone (there could be a French guy climbing through) along the way.
The same is true for weight lifting. If your form is spot-on in the lift and it turns out that the weight is too heavy you can drop it. If your technique is questionable and you attempt a PR in your dead lift you may well herniate a disk. Good form in lifting weights is the equivalent of knowing what not to lead in climbing.
How do you know when to push the limits? That is subjectve. Experience, surrounding yourself with a knowledgeable cohort who cares about you and listening carefully to the dialogue between your body and mind are key factors. Once you have achieved a high level of proficiency the danger comes from complacency not from ignorance. If you feel too comfortable when you are leading a pitch or stepping up to a barbell check yourself. When climbing: check your knot, check your partner's knot, make sure you have the gear you need and see if your head is screwed on correctly. When lifting: set-up properly with your spine and shoulders supported and be present.
If you feel like you must move with reckless abandon - throw yourself into a mosh-pit.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Insomnia
I know I am not alone in saying that I have experienced insomnia all of my adult life and throughout most of my childhood. But what does that mean? Sleep is complex, so little is known about it and our experience of it is subjective. Scientists are certain about one thing concerning sleep - it is important. Lack of adequate sleep (subjective) can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Insomnia impacts memory and may contribute to the onset of dementia. The problem is no one can agree on what is an adequate amount. The recommendation is six to eight hours for an adult but kids and teens need more and the elderly don't get enough (and should get more).
The problem with these conclusions as in many aspects of life is that they contain a lot of "shoulds". We know that looking at the short wave light produced by our computer screens suppresses the production of melatonin which regulates sleep. We know that a crucial element of sleep hygiene is that your bed should be used for only two things - sleep and sex, but many of us find it difficult to abide by this rigid paradigm. Besides there are many other places to have sex. We should go to sleep at the same time every night and wake at the same hour every day, we should not drink too much caffeine and alcohol and we should do everything we can to reduce stress. The problem is that since the industrial revolution, the invention of the electric light bulb, the dawn of the tech-netronic age, the great recession and my neighbors who like to set off fireworks at 2AM on any given Friday or Saturday night it is hard to do what you should to get what you need.
Whenever I read a new study concerning sleep it makes me anxious because according to the results I should be dead. Millions of people in this country are considered sleep deprived and a substantial number of car accidents and work related injuries cost the nation's economy millions of dollars and thousands of lives. All of this information, however, does not improve your sleep and as a matter of fact it makes it worse because sleep is another biochemical mystery regulated by the good old hypothalamus which we can't control. You can help the brain decide to secrete GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter necessary to quiet the mind and the lymbic system but you can't tell it to go to sleep and attempting to do so will have the opposite effect because stressors cause the release of cortisol which keeps you alert. One of the reasons sleep is so important is that we secrete growth-hormone-releasing-hormone (GHRH) in deep sleep, so if we aren't sleeping the body is not healing properly after a day of work and exercise (stress). And if you are not sleeping well your body becomes less resilient to the slings and arrows that life tosses your way. Are you getting nervous? I hope you aren't reading this in bed.
Benzodiazepines, Ambien (slightly different from BDZs and can be problematic), SSRIs (Prozac), exercise, yoga, weight loss, massage, acupuncture, diet, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake (and time of ingestion) can all be helpful but there is no silver bullet. After sleep apnea and other physical causes of sleep deficiency have been ruled out, the next step is to assess all of the factors above and start experimenting with what works. You might find that none of these do and that in itself is beneficial. Acceptance of the way your body functions on all levels is half the battle.
What does work is stress reduction. Even if you don't sleep well reducing anxiety will help curb the resulting dread and paranoia associated with insomnia which will eventually lead to better Zs. I have given up on conventional approaches to insomnia because none of them worked over the long haul except for stress reduction through meditation and working with my natural cycle instead of fighting it. The best sleep I experience is during naps. A sleep specialist at Cornell Medical Center told me not to nap because it would screw up my sleep cycle at night, but since that cycle was already a shambles I disregarded his admonition after unsuccessfully attempting to abide by it. Now I nap whenever I can. I sleep in chunks lasting from forty-five minutes to three hours, two to three times within a twenty four hour period and that generally works for me. I am more awake at 3AM than I am at 8AM, so I get up, go to another room and read or write until I doze off again.
Fighting your natural cycle doesn't work. First you have to figure out what your cycle is and then you have to work with it. If you currently reside in the deep dark hole of insomnia remember that you will eventually sleep. Conversely, if you are an insomniac who is currently feeling rested remember that this is a temporary state of affairs. Eventually you will experience sleepless nights, so don't be furious with yourself when that occurs. If your life is a wreck right now and you can't sleep identify what you can change to mitigate stress, set goals and speak with your health care provider about sleep aids. With society being the complicated mess that it is there is no shame in using pharmeceuticals to get you through a rough patch. Use them with caution and without guilt.
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges,
Sleep will never lie;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign.
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
And to all a good night!
The problem with these conclusions as in many aspects of life is that they contain a lot of "shoulds". We know that looking at the short wave light produced by our computer screens suppresses the production of melatonin which regulates sleep. We know that a crucial element of sleep hygiene is that your bed should be used for only two things - sleep and sex, but many of us find it difficult to abide by this rigid paradigm. Besides there are many other places to have sex. We should go to sleep at the same time every night and wake at the same hour every day, we should not drink too much caffeine and alcohol and we should do everything we can to reduce stress. The problem is that since the industrial revolution, the invention of the electric light bulb, the dawn of the tech-netronic age, the great recession and my neighbors who like to set off fireworks at 2AM on any given Friday or Saturday night it is hard to do what you should to get what you need.
Whenever I read a new study concerning sleep it makes me anxious because according to the results I should be dead. Millions of people in this country are considered sleep deprived and a substantial number of car accidents and work related injuries cost the nation's economy millions of dollars and thousands of lives. All of this information, however, does not improve your sleep and as a matter of fact it makes it worse because sleep is another biochemical mystery regulated by the good old hypothalamus which we can't control. You can help the brain decide to secrete GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter necessary to quiet the mind and the lymbic system but you can't tell it to go to sleep and attempting to do so will have the opposite effect because stressors cause the release of cortisol which keeps you alert. One of the reasons sleep is so important is that we secrete growth-hormone-releasing-hormone (GHRH) in deep sleep, so if we aren't sleeping the body is not healing properly after a day of work and exercise (stress). And if you are not sleeping well your body becomes less resilient to the slings and arrows that life tosses your way. Are you getting nervous? I hope you aren't reading this in bed.
Benzodiazepines, Ambien (slightly different from BDZs and can be problematic), SSRIs (Prozac), exercise, yoga, weight loss, massage, acupuncture, diet, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake (and time of ingestion) can all be helpful but there is no silver bullet. After sleep apnea and other physical causes of sleep deficiency have been ruled out, the next step is to assess all of the factors above and start experimenting with what works. You might find that none of these do and that in itself is beneficial. Acceptance of the way your body functions on all levels is half the battle.
What does work is stress reduction. Even if you don't sleep well reducing anxiety will help curb the resulting dread and paranoia associated with insomnia which will eventually lead to better Zs. I have given up on conventional approaches to insomnia because none of them worked over the long haul except for stress reduction through meditation and working with my natural cycle instead of fighting it. The best sleep I experience is during naps. A sleep specialist at Cornell Medical Center told me not to nap because it would screw up my sleep cycle at night, but since that cycle was already a shambles I disregarded his admonition after unsuccessfully attempting to abide by it. Now I nap whenever I can. I sleep in chunks lasting from forty-five minutes to three hours, two to three times within a twenty four hour period and that generally works for me. I am more awake at 3AM than I am at 8AM, so I get up, go to another room and read or write until I doze off again.
Fighting your natural cycle doesn't work. First you have to figure out what your cycle is and then you have to work with it. If you currently reside in the deep dark hole of insomnia remember that you will eventually sleep. Conversely, if you are an insomniac who is currently feeling rested remember that this is a temporary state of affairs. Eventually you will experience sleepless nights, so don't be furious with yourself when that occurs. If your life is a wreck right now and you can't sleep identify what you can change to mitigate stress, set goals and speak with your health care provider about sleep aids. With society being the complicated mess that it is there is no shame in using pharmeceuticals to get you through a rough patch. Use them with caution and without guilt.
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges,
Sleep will never lie;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign.
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
And to all a good night!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Camellia sinensis
For those of you who know me you are probably saying it's about time. I love tea and after drinking fine tea for twenty five years I am just beginning to understand how complex and beneficial this pleasurable beverage is. Tea consists of three components: amino acids (especially in green tea), tannins and aroma compounds. People have been imbibing this liquid since the fourth century and the culture, agricultural practices and terroir of this beverage are as vast and deep as those of wine.
Studies have revealed that caffeine can improve performance in both short term and long endurance exercising. The biochemistry of why this is remains uncertain. One theory is that caffeine makes fat more readily available for the muscles to use, which allows glycogen to be saved for future use.
Would you prefer coffee or tea with your workout? Ask anybody what beverage they drink to administer their self prescribed dose of caffeine and they will respond with a definitive and often passionate response. "Oh my God! I can't drink coffee - it's too strong. I much prefer tea." or "Don't even talk to me until I have had my first two cups of joe." Much like the long overdue micro brew renaissance the coffee culture in this country has boomed. Now it's tea's time.
There are hundreds of different kinds of tea. There are numerous infusions as well but the two are not the same. Infusions are herbal and rarely contain caffeine. Tea comes in bags or sachets or it can be loose and it contains caffeine. Tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffee but less tea is required to make a cup of tea than coffee is used to make a cup of coffee. In other words a cup of tea generally contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. There are some decent teas in bags but most bagged tea, especially dark tea, is usually taken from what is swept from the floor in a processing plant. If you have limited yourself to one of the commercial brands whose names I can not mention and decided you don't like tea, that is a kin to you drinking Night Train and deciding you don't like wine. If, however, you like these teas, keep on sipping because the chemical composition is almost identical to loose tea that cost as much as marijuana purchased legally in Pottsylvania (thank you Colbert Report)...I mean Colorado.
If you have never given tea a chance, buy some decent loose tea. Sample some greens and some blacks or meet in the middle by trying various oolongs. The world of tea is beautiful. The ritual of drinking tea is meditative, contemplative, and an olfactory feast that is sensual. Try it you'll like it! And much like Alkaseltzer it will help your digestion.
Studies have revealed that caffeine can improve performance in both short term and long endurance exercising. The biochemistry of why this is remains uncertain. One theory is that caffeine makes fat more readily available for the muscles to use, which allows glycogen to be saved for future use.
Would you prefer coffee or tea with your workout? Ask anybody what beverage they drink to administer their self prescribed dose of caffeine and they will respond with a definitive and often passionate response. "Oh my God! I can't drink coffee - it's too strong. I much prefer tea." or "Don't even talk to me until I have had my first two cups of joe." Much like the long overdue micro brew renaissance the coffee culture in this country has boomed. Now it's tea's time.
There are hundreds of different kinds of tea. There are numerous infusions as well but the two are not the same. Infusions are herbal and rarely contain caffeine. Tea comes in bags or sachets or it can be loose and it contains caffeine. Tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffee but less tea is required to make a cup of tea than coffee is used to make a cup of coffee. In other words a cup of tea generally contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. There are some decent teas in bags but most bagged tea, especially dark tea, is usually taken from what is swept from the floor in a processing plant. If you have limited yourself to one of the commercial brands whose names I can not mention and decided you don't like tea, that is a kin to you drinking Night Train and deciding you don't like wine. If, however, you like these teas, keep on sipping because the chemical composition is almost identical to loose tea that cost as much as marijuana purchased legally in Pottsylvania (thank you Colbert Report)...I mean Colorado.
If you have never given tea a chance, buy some decent loose tea. Sample some greens and some blacks or meet in the middle by trying various oolongs. The world of tea is beautiful. The ritual of drinking tea is meditative, contemplative, and an olfactory feast that is sensual. Try it you'll like it! And much like Alkaseltzer it will help your digestion.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Total hip replacement
Exactly one year ago I had my left hip replaced and seven years ago to the day my right hip was replaced with a device that has now been recalled. I have mixed feelings when it comes to invasive procedures. If I did not have these surgeries and a few others I would be a crippled alcoholic.
When do we decide to allow a person we barely know to open us up and trust them to right what is wrong? The answer is pain.
For people with osteoarthritis pain is part of life. You wake in the middle of the night and amble to the bathroom with a sailor's rolling gait to pee. Doesn't everybody hurt when they get out of bed or walk down a flight of stairs? I thought so. I was a bit surprised when at age 43 I was informed that to alleviate my inability to bend over and tie my shoe or sleep without taking ibuprofin I would have to undergo a rather inconvenient and invasive operation (two of them it turned out - and possibly three). I assumed that everyone I knew who was active was experiencing bone on bone pain in their joints.
Pain is relative and we do not have the ability to experience each others discomfort and therefore I don't know what level of pain you are currently feeling. It is, however, safe to assume that many people are in pain that is either physical, emotional or often times a combination of the two.
It is important to remember this when interacting with people. Pain is debilitating. Pain is distracting and pain is unhealthy. In a gym most people are nursing an injury while trying to engage in an activity that is designed to prevent further damage. This is an interesting paradox. I used to think that if I wasn't in pain I wasn't working hard enough because it is easy to associate pain with effort. This is a self-destructive misconception. There is no such thing as "good pain." There is only pain and the lack of it.
When do we decide to allow a person we barely know to open us up and trust them to right what is wrong? The answer is pain.
For people with osteoarthritis pain is part of life. You wake in the middle of the night and amble to the bathroom with a sailor's rolling gait to pee. Doesn't everybody hurt when they get out of bed or walk down a flight of stairs? I thought so. I was a bit surprised when at age 43 I was informed that to alleviate my inability to bend over and tie my shoe or sleep without taking ibuprofin I would have to undergo a rather inconvenient and invasive operation (two of them it turned out - and possibly three). I assumed that everyone I knew who was active was experiencing bone on bone pain in their joints.
Pain is relative and we do not have the ability to experience each others discomfort and therefore I don't know what level of pain you are currently feeling. It is, however, safe to assume that many people are in pain that is either physical, emotional or often times a combination of the two.
It is important to remember this when interacting with people. Pain is debilitating. Pain is distracting and pain is unhealthy. In a gym most people are nursing an injury while trying to engage in an activity that is designed to prevent further damage. This is an interesting paradox. I used to think that if I wasn't in pain I wasn't working hard enough because it is easy to associate pain with effort. This is a self-destructive misconception. There is no such thing as "good pain." There is only pain and the lack of it.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Ritual
Humans engage in rituals for various reasons. Often we use them as a means to see us through a situation where we feel out of control or to process grief when we are coping with the death of a spouse. This behavior is hard wired into us because it is effective. Studies show that rituals give us confidence and help us relax and that is why we are driven to perform them.
Rituals play a key role in sport and training. You may not have reached the point where you rub a dead chicken on your barbell before you try for a PR in your dead lift but if you use chalk, utter a particular phrase or twist your feet into the platform a few times before you pull you are engaging in ritualistic behavior. Professional athletes and baseball players in particular are notorious for their rituals (especially pitchers and batters). As a major league pitcher if you are relaxed in your set-up with the bases loaded and a full count your therapist would consult the DSM-V before she would consider you to be relaxed. Touching yourself and physically ridding yourself of negative juju by brushing away matter are time honored techniques for dissipating anxiety.
It is important to identify your rituals, assess their effectiveness, discard what doesn't work, try something new and don't be afraid of looking silly. Perhaps, knock on wood, you will learn a new way of dealing with an old fear.
Rituals play a key role in sport and training. You may not have reached the point where you rub a dead chicken on your barbell before you try for a PR in your dead lift but if you use chalk, utter a particular phrase or twist your feet into the platform a few times before you pull you are engaging in ritualistic behavior. Professional athletes and baseball players in particular are notorious for their rituals (especially pitchers and batters). As a major league pitcher if you are relaxed in your set-up with the bases loaded and a full count your therapist would consult the DSM-V before she would consider you to be relaxed. Touching yourself and physically ridding yourself of negative juju by brushing away matter are time honored techniques for dissipating anxiety.
It is important to identify your rituals, assess their effectiveness, discard what doesn't work, try something new and don't be afraid of looking silly. Perhaps, knock on wood, you will learn a new way of dealing with an old fear.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Circular motion and the shoulders
I have been thinking about circular motion recently because every movement seems to involve rotation. The shoulders require rotation to stay healthy. The only way to stabilize the shoulders and avoid injury is to rotate them back so that they are anchored and supported by the back and chest muscles.
Stick you right arm straight out in front of you and make a hitch hiker thumb with your right hand. If you supinate or spiral your right arm away from your body (rotate your thumb clockwise) and pull you shoulder blade back while touching your right shoulder with your left hand you can feel the shoulder roll back. Once you feel this you can then turn your lower right arm in or out while keeping the shoulder rotated back. Your shoulder is now supported.
When lifting weight overhead you want the shoulders to be supported but you don't want them locked, so you want to think of supinating your shoulders while spiraling you arm pits forward. Remember your shoulder joint is the apex of several different bones connected by numerous connective tissues. This joint is weak and vulnerable when you think of it consisting of only the humerus and the shoulder socket and because your deltoids are small muscles your shoulder is weak when rolled forward. That is why it is important to support your shoulders by engaging your pecs, lats, serratus (the "wings") and rhomboids (and your core through your hips and into your legs.) Your body is a chain and like a chain the links (bones) are rigid but the tissue must be supple and the whole must be capable of supporting weight through the assistance of its neighbors through proper alignment.
So sit up straight, keep your chest up, your shoulders back (but not too far) and breath.
Stick you right arm straight out in front of you and make a hitch hiker thumb with your right hand. If you supinate or spiral your right arm away from your body (rotate your thumb clockwise) and pull you shoulder blade back while touching your right shoulder with your left hand you can feel the shoulder roll back. Once you feel this you can then turn your lower right arm in or out while keeping the shoulder rotated back. Your shoulder is now supported.
When lifting weight overhead you want the shoulders to be supported but you don't want them locked, so you want to think of supinating your shoulders while spiraling you arm pits forward. Remember your shoulder joint is the apex of several different bones connected by numerous connective tissues. This joint is weak and vulnerable when you think of it consisting of only the humerus and the shoulder socket and because your deltoids are small muscles your shoulder is weak when rolled forward. That is why it is important to support your shoulders by engaging your pecs, lats, serratus (the "wings") and rhomboids (and your core through your hips and into your legs.) Your body is a chain and like a chain the links (bones) are rigid but the tissue must be supple and the whole must be capable of supporting weight through the assistance of its neighbors through proper alignment.
So sit up straight, keep your chest up, your shoulders back (but not too far) and breath.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Getting older
I am turning fifty next week, although I have claimed to be fifty for the past year which irritates my wife. I entered my fiftieth year last June, so technically 51 begins next week. I remember past mile posts: 16, I could drive; 18, I could drink (in Vermont and Wyoming); 21, I was officially an adult; 30, wow! I really was an adult; 40, I was old-young and now 50: I am young-old. Twenty five years ago I was 25 and twenty five years from now I will be 75. The permutations are endless and boring.
Many of my friends are in their fifties which is encouraging because most of them are healthy, seem content and look great. but I have been admonished: "Oh, you just wait! Everything starts to go in your fifties." I find this hard to believe because despite my outward appearance much of me "went" in my forties, so I would like to think that either I have earned karmic dispensation or I don't have much more remaining to "go."
Of course this is foolishness because there is plenty more that can go wrong as we age and that can be our emphasis or we can focus on the benefits that experience affords us. What becomes more apparent with each passing year is the cliche that life is short, so the daily question is what do you want to do with the time remaining? How you pass your days directly effects the quality of the hours you have been allotted. For those who lament the boredom of continuing an exercise routine or the dread of starting one, let's look at the alternatives. Studies indicate that exercise improves physical fitness and cognitive function as we age and if we don't continue to engage in vigorous activity we are more likely to die sooner. What is least appealing to me is dying a slow death in a hospital with tubes in my body. I don't want to live to a hundred years after residing in a facility for twenty years taking 15 medications daily and not being able to feed myself.
At this point I know my weaknesses and I have a good idea how to improve my odds of avoiding a heart attack and cancer. Of course there are no guarantees but staying informed by reading current research, eating well, exercising and being aware of my actions will help me lead a richer life even if I get run over by a truck tomorrow (again.)
Many of my friends are in their fifties which is encouraging because most of them are healthy, seem content and look great. but I have been admonished: "Oh, you just wait! Everything starts to go in your fifties." I find this hard to believe because despite my outward appearance much of me "went" in my forties, so I would like to think that either I have earned karmic dispensation or I don't have much more remaining to "go."
Of course this is foolishness because there is plenty more that can go wrong as we age and that can be our emphasis or we can focus on the benefits that experience affords us. What becomes more apparent with each passing year is the cliche that life is short, so the daily question is what do you want to do with the time remaining? How you pass your days directly effects the quality of the hours you have been allotted. For those who lament the boredom of continuing an exercise routine or the dread of starting one, let's look at the alternatives. Studies indicate that exercise improves physical fitness and cognitive function as we age and if we don't continue to engage in vigorous activity we are more likely to die sooner. What is least appealing to me is dying a slow death in a hospital with tubes in my body. I don't want to live to a hundred years after residing in a facility for twenty years taking 15 medications daily and not being able to feed myself.
At this point I know my weaknesses and I have a good idea how to improve my odds of avoiding a heart attack and cancer. Of course there are no guarantees but staying informed by reading current research, eating well, exercising and being aware of my actions will help me lead a richer life even if I get run over by a truck tomorrow (again.)
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Mens sana in corpore sano
The gym can be a grind. Showing up and plugging-into a routine without thinking about what you are doing or checking-in to see how you are feeling can lead to serious injuries. There are many reasons for feeling burned-out ranging from family and work to being bored with your exercise routine.
At times I find myself entering familiar situations with a sense of fear and loathing because something is preventing me from living in the present. In a situation like this I used to attempt to change the way I felt. This was a mistake. I have learned that it is more effective to identify as precisely as I can what it is I am feeling, so I can acknowledge it and move forward.
You can't will your feelings to be different from what they are, but the body has a unique capacity to accept its circumstances once a level of truth has been realized. This acceptance allows you to become unstuck so you can continue to take in your present circumstances.
If you you are reluctant to engage in your routine stop and figure out why. Perhaps you are getting sick, developing an over use injury due to stagnation or maybe somebody said something to you hours ago that was upsetting.
Be specific. Identify your feelings and sit with them without trying to change them and then you can act. If you feel sick go home and rest. If you are burned out change or modify your routine. If you are angry or sad experience that feeling and trust that your mind will reset so that you can continue with the task at hand.
At times I find myself entering familiar situations with a sense of fear and loathing because something is preventing me from living in the present. In a situation like this I used to attempt to change the way I felt. This was a mistake. I have learned that it is more effective to identify as precisely as I can what it is I am feeling, so I can acknowledge it and move forward.
You can't will your feelings to be different from what they are, but the body has a unique capacity to accept its circumstances once a level of truth has been realized. This acceptance allows you to become unstuck so you can continue to take in your present circumstances.
If you you are reluctant to engage in your routine stop and figure out why. Perhaps you are getting sick, developing an over use injury due to stagnation or maybe somebody said something to you hours ago that was upsetting.
Be specific. Identify your feelings and sit with them without trying to change them and then you can act. If you feel sick go home and rest. If you are burned out change or modify your routine. If you are angry or sad experience that feeling and trust that your mind will reset so that you can continue with the task at hand.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
goals are necessary to prevent injury
Strength, conditioning and skill are components of all physical training programs and setting goals determines which of these three categories will be emphasized. Your goals should be as specific as possible so your coach can design a program that helps you reach your objective while minimizing the risk of injury.
I like martinis and I also like cranberry juice but I don't like to mix the two (a Cape Cod). A martini is made with either gin or vodka with a touch of vermouth. It is incorrect to call either of these spirits a martini when mixed with anything else, such as cranberry juice, and poured into a martini glass. The same should be true for your workouts. If you are performing strength training exercises with >75% of your maximum load at a rapid pace you have crossed the line into the realm of confusing strength training with conditioning which will likely result in injury. If you want to become a better tennis player practice your backhand repeatedly and hire a good tennis coach but don't try to replicate the movement with a dumb bell - studies show that this is not effective. Mastering specific movements required for a sport should not entail weights (unless you are an Olympic or power lifter) nor should these movements be approximated. The action should be pure and closely observed. For conditioning, a lighter weight and more repetitions should be used than in strength training. When used in combination all three of these modalities make you healthier, stronger and increase your cardiovascular endurance. We all recognize this activity as cross-training. The challenge lies in knowing the difference between the three subsets and modifying your routine when the lines between the three have blurred.
I like martinis and I also like cranberry juice but I don't like to mix the two (a Cape Cod). A martini is made with either gin or vodka with a touch of vermouth. It is incorrect to call either of these spirits a martini when mixed with anything else, such as cranberry juice, and poured into a martini glass. The same should be true for your workouts. If you are performing strength training exercises with >75% of your maximum load at a rapid pace you have crossed the line into the realm of confusing strength training with conditioning which will likely result in injury. If you want to become a better tennis player practice your backhand repeatedly and hire a good tennis coach but don't try to replicate the movement with a dumb bell - studies show that this is not effective. Mastering specific movements required for a sport should not entail weights (unless you are an Olympic or power lifter) nor should these movements be approximated. The action should be pure and closely observed. For conditioning, a lighter weight and more repetitions should be used than in strength training. When used in combination all three of these modalities make you healthier, stronger and increase your cardiovascular endurance. We all recognize this activity as cross-training. The challenge lies in knowing the difference between the three subsets and modifying your routine when the lines between the three have blurred.
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