Train to Ingrain

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to help you get past that fear and or

uncomfortable feeling that many people have when first beginning a workout regiment.  I tell many of my clients that walking through the gym door is the hardest part of the workout.  Many people avoid working out because there are many excuses that keep them from even getting to a facility.  And there are even some who have made it to the gym, but abandon their exercise plans shortly into beginning the routine because of that uneasy feeling they get when starting something new.  What I believe will help you stay the course is the reminder that we all go through this at some point in our lives…particularly when it comes to a new physical activity.  Whether it be a baby who is taking their first steps, or an elite athlete practicing a movement over and over again, eventually that physical activity gets ingrained in the brain, and it becomes “second nature.”  Repeating a physical activity, even an exercise routine, will eventually cause physiological adaptations in the brain, nervous system and your muscles.  And not only will it become physically easier to do because of these physiological adaptations, but will be come mentally easier as well.  Not only starting a training routine, but staying the course will eventually cause it to become easier as it gets ingrained into your brain.

I was recently reminded of this mind-body connection as I was watching my two year old son learn by practicing threading an object onto a string.  As part of a class he is in, which focuses on motor skills development, he had to try to thread small foam objects onto a string.  At some point, we all develop this skill, which otherwise seems like such a simple thing to do.  But as I watched him, I realized just how much goes into doing something so simple.  I watched as he carefully tried to put the objects onto the string one at a time.  Unless you are closely watching someone who is doing this slowly, you don’t get to appreciate all of the different fine motor skills and hand movements that are required to complete this.  But as he tried over and over again, this simple task, which at first was very difficult to him became easier and easier to do.  After great concentration and effort, he eventually learned to complete the task in a second nature sort of way.  He was so proud to show the teacher what he had completed!

If you start and continue an exercise routine, you will develop the similar abilities to both perform the physical task, as well as the positive feelings that come along with it.  First, any physical activity is hardest to perform and causes the most discomfort when first learning it.  But, with repeated practice, the activity becomes easier and eventually second nature.  Second, the more that we repeat something, the easier it becomes from a routine stand point…so getting to the gym on successive occasions cause that task to become easier as well.  Think about how much you enjoyed brushing your teeth or eating vegetables when you were a child…you didn’t want to do it on your own.  But over time, it became easier and more enjoyable.  And then there is that mental/emotional component; the more familiar we are with doing something, the more enjoyable it becomes.  Over time, going to the gym no longer becomes a chore, but an enjoyable activity because you will be able to see the results of your efforts.

Repetition of a physical activity is needed for the learning and development of that task.  On both the physiological and mental levels, doing something over and over again allows it to become both easier and more enjoyable.  Do not get discouraged when starting a new exercise routine; rather be optimistic that with time it will get easier and easier.  Just like walking, it might even become second nature.  Training to that the physical activity gets ingrained into your nervous muscular systems is a great way to reach a fit new you!

Preventive Maintenance

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today, using an analogy, I would like to remind you of the importance of taking care of your health.  I’m a car guy, and I often tell my students and clients that taking care of your health is similar to taking care of a car.  In order to keep it running properly, you need to keep up with preventive maintenance.  It is a common simile that the body can be compared to a “well oiled machine”, and if you want to keep that machine running well for a long time, you need to care for it.  If you don’t treat the machine well, it will eventually break down.  Comparing our body to a car is a logical comparison, treat your body well and you will be healthy for a long time; but as with a car, if you do not keep up with the regular maintenance, it will break down and be in the shop for a long time.

My first car was a 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass.  It was near 30 years old when I owned it.  Being an older car, it needed more than just the regular TLC, but as a high school student, I didn’t have the funds, or responsibility, to keep up with everything it needed.  Although it was the type of car that I wished I still had today as it was a “classic”, not keeping up with it I often had it in the shop for repairs.  I didn’t keep up with regular oil changes or other maintenance and that would lead to the car not running right and or in the shop needing repairs.  I often think about how I would have cared for the car differently if I had owned it now with both having a good salary and knowledge about what actually needs to be done to keep a car running.  It is one of those “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” situations.  If I knew then what I know now, I would still have a sexy muscle car on the road.  Using this as an analogy, in order for you to keep your body in great condition, you need to take care of it before it ends up in the shop.

Your body should be treated as the well oiled machine.  Your heart is like the car’s engine, and in order to keep running well, it needs to be not only treated well, but regularly maintained.  Just as a car will stay on the road for longer if you keep up with the regular oil changes, so too will your body if you do what needs to be done before there is a problem.  The key is to keep up with the preventive maintenance.  Just like changing the brake pads at regular intervals will help you avoid much more expensive repairs down the road, exercising regularly will help you prevent more significant disease in the future.

The comparison can even be carried over to what you put into your body.  For example, some cars require that you use premium gasoline; if you use a lower grade not only will the engine run poorly, but gunk will build up in the engine valves.  Similarly, if you make unhealthy food choices, not only will you feel sluggish, but cholesterol levels can rise and plaque can build up in your blood vessels.  The higher the quality gas you use, the better your car will run, and the healthier your food choices are, the fitter you will be. 

Preventive maintenance is crucial to keeping your car running right and out of the shop needing expensive repairs.  So too is it important for you to do the same type of prevention to keep your health level up.  Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly will keep you feeling good and prevent disease in the long term.  Waiting until there is a problem with your health to start taking care of it is often more than financially costly.  Keeping on top of your fitness is the healthier way to maintaining a fit new you.

Learning to Count

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to give you a tip on how you can improve the number of reps you get per set of exercise at the gym.  While I believe that the best way to get the most repetitions per set is to diligently write down and track every set over time, I know that most people do not do this.  Plus, the way that I will suggest today could also improve the number you get even when you are already tracking down your progress.  The number of reps that you get per set is extremely important because you will get the optimal benefits of weight training by reaching muscle fatigue/failure while using the appropriate weights for the proper number of repetitions.  I have noticed unfortunately that many people often do not know what the appropriate numbers are, and even when they do, have a hard time being motivated enough to exert themselves to that fatigue point.  Furthermore, even well seasoned weight lifters often need a way to get that extra rep or two.  So, what I suggest is to change the way you count your reps.  Variety plays an important part in the gym, and this goes for how you count your repetitions.

Virginia is a client of mine who had a bit of a hard time getting adjusted to the way I would count her repetitions during exercise.  It has always been my style to “count-down” reps, as I always felt that psychologically it was “easier” for my clients to know how many repetitions were left in the set.  But Virginia always thought when I said “one more” that she got to one, so she was done.  I would have to emphasize that I said one “more”.  This miscommunication would often lead to some good natured arguments about how many reps she needed, but I always reminded her that if she could get one more rep, then she should.

Hooper is another gym member that needed to address her exercises according to the numbers of repetitions that she was getting.  She would choose a weight, do ten repetitions and then put the weight down.  But, she did ten only because that was a “round” number for her.  She could’ve gotten more if she had to, so she was choosing an inappropriate weight for her goals.  And even when she had the proper exercise prescription, she would still not get the full benefit out of an exercise because of how she counted.

Once you know the proper number of repetitions to perform in order to achieve your fitness goals, it is common sense that you need to get them.  But, as I said earlier, these numbers are usually at the point of muscle fatigue and/or failure.  And when we have to work that hard, we can sometimes have a hard time getting there.  So what I suggest is to trick yourself by coming up with a different way of counting. 

As I mentioned earlier, I find many clients perform better when the count down their reps.  For some reason, counting down from ten, as opposed to up to ten is easier for more clients.  It may seem it’s like going down a hill instead of up.  Either way, its ten repetitions, so if that works for you, then count down.

  One way to add an additional repetition to any set is to count one repetition as the number zero.  So if you are counting up, you would count “0, 1, 2, etc.” or counting down “3, 2, 1, 0.”  Over time, that one additional rep per set will add up.

Another trick is to break sets up into smaller blocks of repetitions.  For example, if you needed to get a total of 15 repetitions, then you can count 1 to 5 three times through.  Many fitness class instructors count in this way.  Again, mentally, it may seem easier to achieve a smaller number, such as 5 instead of the larger number of 15.

Finally, you can simply repeat a number as you are counting.  You can add a repetition to a set simply by adding an extra “one” at the beginning of the set; count “1, 1, 2, 3.”  By the time you get to the end of the set, you will have “forgotten” about that extra rep when you get to your goal number.  Or, at the end of the set you can keep repeating the number if you can perform more before that point of fatigue; “8, 9, 10, 10, 10!”  Just keep in mind that when you are recording your progress, you write down the actual number you have achieved.  Counting an extra number is just for the mental edge during the set.  Adding an extra rep or two is a great way to reach a fit new you.

With Dedication

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want to give you another reason to work at achieving your fitness goals.  While last week I said that you are there for you, which is still true in terms of who benefits directly from your physical activity and diet, this week I want to motivate you to move by having you dedicate what you do for someone else.  Again, I am not trying to contradict what I previously said; what you eat and how much you move will affect you first and foremost.  But sometimes we need an extra incentive to work harder and stay the course.  Sometimes people go to the gym because they have a friend, a training partner that will be there and they don’t want to let them down.  Other times, people make healthy changes while thinking about spouses, children or grandchildren.  Heck, just think about how many “runs” are in honor of someone or to support a larger cause.  It takes dedication to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  But sometimes if we dedicate what we are doing to someone else, it may give that extra incentive to put in some more effort.

Although I was a three sport athlete in high school I will be the first to admit that I am not a “runner.”  Without trying to offend anyone, I also often profess my belief that long distance running is not the greatest physical activity for the body.  Although I always say that any activity is better than no activity, I believe that long distance running is too harsh on the joints (think knees) and will not lead to the body change that most people seek as it will not build lean muscle…but it is great for the heart.  Having said that, I myself have run in a couple of sanctioned shorter running events.  The reason why I ran at these events was because they were held as fund raisers for greater causes, one for women’s health and breast cancer awareness, and the other for a fallen soldier’s fund.  With each of these, the only reason I was there to run was to participate in the event itself.  My physical activity was dedicated to the causes they represented.

I have also crossed paths with many people who had made healthy changes in their lives with someone else in mind.  Someone very close to me gave up drinking alcohol when his son was born.  His sobriety was a sign of his devotion to his newborn child.  And I know more than a few people who for a similar reason had given up cigarette smoking when there were new additions to their families.  In these examples, the change to a healthy lifestyle was a dedication to those they love.

A healthy lifestyle is one that should be followed every day.  And you shouldn’t need an event to get you on it.  If you need the extra motivation, you can dedicate what you do and eat each and everyday to someone else.  The reason why you go to the gym may be because your friend is and you don’t want to let them down because you know they need the motivation as well.  Or maybe you go out and shoot some hoops with your kids, or go out for a bike ride with your child simply because those are activities that should be cherished and enjoyed.  I’ll admit that when my daughter asks me to go for a bike ride, sometimes I am too tired to jump right up and go.  But when I think about how much it would mean to her, there is nothing else that holds me back and I go with a huge smile on my face.

Living a life of fitness means making healthy choices every day.  And although your choices directly affect you before anyone else, sometimes thinking about someone else will motivate you to do something healthy.  Whether it is participating at an event, doing something on a daily basis, or even on a set by set or rep by rep basis, if you devote that activity to someone else in mind, you just might work a little harder.  Sometimes the people we are least generous with are ourselves.  You need to be dedicated to reach your fitness goals.  But dedicating what you are doing is an extremely generous and devoted way to reach a fit new you! 

You're there for YOU!

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to remind you of the real reason why you put forth the effort, time and energy to become the fittest version of yourself.  It is not just about fitting into a dress, or impressing your spouse.  For most of us it isn’t about getting a spread in a magazine.  The real reason we all push, pull and sweat is for us ourselves.  Yes, we ourselves may want to “look” better; but ultimately, it is yourself that is looking into that mirror.  And even if you are tailoring your diet, pumping iron, and pounding the pavement (or tread), it is your own health that is directly affected…not anyone else’s.   So stop worrying about what other people are doing or not doing, and hit it hard because everything you do will directly affect you.  Because you are there for you!

I use this reminder even in my work environment with some disgruntled coworkers.  There are a few people I teach with who get upset that some people get away with certain things that they do not.  Similarly, they are bothered when they feel that they do more than other coworkers.  When they gripe to me, I stop them and tell them to not worry about what other people are doing or not doing, but to focus on what they themselves should be doing.  The only way they will see a progression in their own career is if they themselves work towards it.

This is completely relatable to what occurs with our fitness.  We all know that person who can eat whatever and however much they want and never seem to gain any fat.  But that doesn’t mean that you should change your nutritional plans.  Just because someone else can get away with having a less healthy diet doesn’t mean you should.  What they put into their body affects them, and what you put into your body affects you…you are what YOU eat, not THEY eat.  So the healthier you eat, the healthier YOU will be. 

In the gym, observing what other people are doing can quickly go from being motivational to being discouraging if you have the wrong attitude.  As I have said before, not only does everyone have different abilities, but everyone has different goals, so what someone else is doing in the gym should not directly affect what you choose to do.  More importantly, it should not affect how you feel about what you are doing.  Just because the person on the treadmill is running at a much faster pace than you, and has been doing so for quite some time, doesn’t mean that you have to run that fast or that you should get off of the treadmill because you can’t do that intensity right now.  Keep working and maybe one day you can.  Stay on that treadmill for as long as you can at the proper intensity and know that the work you put in is affecting your health immediately.

The same is true in the weight section of the gym.  Dumbbell racks hold more than one weight, and machines always have dozens of plates to select from.  This is because again, we all have different abilities and goals.  It shouldn’t discourage you to train hard just because the person who used the machine ahead of you has the pin in a much heavier weight than you need to use.  Select and use what is appropriate for you.  And those mirrors in the free weights section, once more they are there for you to see YOU!  The people training around you aren’t concerned with what you are doing, and you should be concerned with what they are doing as well.  Be concerned only with the person you see staring back at you in the mirror.

When you take all of the time and energy to follow through on your fitness quest, you are doing so for your own benefit.  You are doing it for you.  It is true you can get tips, learn and be motivated by others, but if what others are doing becomes discouraging, than you have forgotten why you are there.  The food choices you make, and the exercises you do affect you and only you directly.  Remembering that you are there for you is the sincerest way to be a fit new you!