Be BOLD!

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I going to slightly contradict what I say most often.  Usually I spend time professing my preference for making small, step by step changes to your health.  I still truly believe that small systematic changes are the ones that will lead to a healthy style of life that can be adhered to most easily.  But sometimes in life we need to make a more dramatic change in our lives.  Although a larger change is usually harder to maintain, its benefit is usually more palpable from the start.  A large change like this is not for everyone, but it is recommended is particular situations.  Usually, the time for a big change is when your health is being severely compromised.  For the more strong willed, a dramatic change can work and be maintained just as well.  So today I am telling you to make BOLD change in your health!

        A perfect example of where I would recommend this is with someone who uses tobacco products.  We are in the day and age where the information and evidence available to everyone that using tobacco products is horribly unhealthy.   I teach my Health Ed. students that it boggles my mind why anyone still chooses to use them with right on the package, in black and white, there is one of many dramatic warnings of a serious side effect.  Ignorance can no longer be the excuse.  And, we also know that as soon as a user stops using these products that their healthy immediately starts to improve.  So this is an example when I learn that someone uses tobacco products that I tell them to stop immediately...I tell them to be bold and quit "cold turkey."  If someone can handle stopping that way, they will reap a healthier lifestyle right away.  But that is often very difficult to do because of the addictive nature of the nicotine.  Like my other exercise recommendations, weening off of the nicotine is usually more manageable and can be successfully accomplished by more people.  As I started this post, I am only being slightly contradictory, I do think it is easier to stop using tobacco products through a step down process, however the more dramatic and often necessary case is to be bold and just stop right there and then.

          Another example of this is seen when people have to make dramatic changes to their diets.  Sometimes, people do it in order to meet a lofty goal in a short timeline, such as when is trying to fit into a dress.  This also happens when people suffer from a significant disease or bad prognosis at the doctor's office.  Similarly to what I say with an exercise routine, I often say that it is great to want to change everything you do and eat to be as healthy as you can be.  The problem with that is it is often too short lived, and dropped eventually.  And even worse, the positive change is usually overcome to a state even worse than when started because of binging on what was removed.  But just like with quitting smoking, sometimes you just have to be bold and make a dramatic change.  A compromise that I feel works great, one that allows you to make a bold change with dramatic results and is also a small step that will last, is to change one big thing, remove one of the most unhealthy pieces of your diet.  For example, lets say you drink alcohol on a regular basis, responsibly, and not from addiction (although that would be an urgent need to stop just as with tobacco use).  You just like to have a glass of wine with dinner, a drink before bed to help you sleep, or even some beers while watching the game.  In these examples, when done responsibly, there is nothing morally or legally wrong with doing so.  And, you most likely enjoy it.  However that is where the bold change comes in; when you ask yourself whether or not that drink is really necessary?  The answer is it isn't.  Alcohol, even in small quantities is very damaging to maintain a healthy body composition.  The enjoyment of it is deceivingly much less than the positive health benefits gained by avoiding it all together.  Anyone who has a drink on occasion will agree that it would be a bold move to just give it up.  But trust me, it will be worth it.

        One other way I can suggest to make a bold move to being healthier is to try something new.  For example, trying a new cardio class at the gym.  Most people I know gravitate to one type of class or another, e.g. there are the people who only take spin classes, only take yoga classes, only take Zumba classes.  And it always isn't just a preference that keeps people in their one and only class type.  A lot of the time it is like a child not wanting to try a new type of food...they don't want to try it because they're either afraid or think it looks to unappealing.  Now think of yourself as a child, your children, or just that concept of not wanting to try a new food but then trying it and liking or even loving it!  Be bold and try a drastically different type of class...get off the bike and try a dance class, get up from the mat and try a cycling class.  Not only will you find and activity that you enjoy that you didn't think you would, but you will be challenging your body in a new way which is great for both your muscles and general fitness,

          Being bold takes a lot of courage and gumption.  When making a change that can be considered bold to your diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle it can often be very challenging.  But that daunting change usually gets dramatic results...sometimes ones that are even extremely necessary.  As I always say slow and steady typically wins the race.  However, there are times where you need to make a more dramatic change.  And if you are the type of person that enjoys a hard challenge, make a bold change and you will see that the results mirror the significance of the change.  Be bold and make a big change today because its the most dramatic way to reach a fit new you!
         

Magic Number

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want to give you a quick and easy way to freshen up and introduce some fun into your exercise routine.  Whether work with a personal trainer, or you are more experienced in the gym, you know that training routines involve a lot of numbers.  Besides the amount of weight that has to be selected, a routine is designed around a particular number of sets and repetitions.  And these can be varied in so many ways; the numbers of reps and sets are dependent upon your fitness goals, as well as the form that are from e.g. periodization, pyramid, reverse pyramid, etc.  It can become quite confusing!  Its why that idea that you have EITHER brains or brawn is a myth.  But to make things simpler for you, even for just one workout, is to pick a number and use it for all of your reps.  Let that number be your goal that you have to center your workout around.  If you reached that number of reps, you have reached your magic number.

        If you are new to the gym and/or inexperienced when it comes to training, I highly advise at least starting an exercise program with a personal trainer because of the nuances of designing a routine to fit your goals.  But even when I have new clients working with me, I will sometimes employ a magic number to gauge where their fitness level is at.  For example, many people try to reach the round number 10 for their sets, and there are training protocols that use reaching that number to determine what other weights will be appropriate.  But, if you are new to the gym, you can pick a number and see if you can get that to gauge just as well where your strength currently is.  For example, if you use the number 10, and you can curl 10lbs. 15 times, but 20lbs. only 5 times, then your weight to use based on your magic number would be 15lbs.  You can then use that weight to see if you can get three sets of 15lbs. for that magic number 10 reps.  Again, it is better to use a number that will lead to you reaching your fitness goals, but at least you will have a knowledge of what you can perform when/if you start with a trainer.

         Even for the more experienced gym bodies this magic number trick can help your workouts.  One way in which the magic number can help is if you are starting a new routine.  While you are feeling the new system out, you can use the magic number, as a newbie would, to help you choose the proper weights that you would use for the routine.  Another way is when you are just having a blah day in the gym.  We have all experienced this, we get to the gym because we are dedicated, but when we get there, we just dont want to do what we were set out to.  Rather than just packing it up and leaving the gym, use a magic number to get you through your workout.  One way I have done this is by simply doing the same routine I was anticipating doing, but instead, I would make all of my repetition goals the same number, like 6.  Each set I would have to get 6 reps, and if I was able to, I would increase the weight on the next set.  Doing this has a few benefits.  First, it got you exercising in a motivated way when you were otherwise not into it.  Second, it can help you see that you may be able to lift weights that are heavier than you normally would.  And third, this small little change is enough of a break from your normal routine to give your muscles an escape from the memory they developed from your normal routine.

        Another way to use the magic number helps both the beginners as well as the veterans.  You can use the magic number to create your entire workout for the day.  One way to do this is by making the magic number a very large number of reps, such as 100.  Whether you are new to the gym or a gym rat looking to break up the routine for the day, doing this will help both of you.  I do this a few times a year, where I will make my entire workout's goal to reach a certain total number of repetitions, such as a total of 150 pull ups for my back routine for the day.  You can combine the number with multiple body parts as well, for example aiming for 500 body weight squats, 200 push ups, and 100 pull ups.  The key with ANY workout routine is to make the magic number appropriate for you.  It needs to be attainable but challenging.

          So what's your magic number?  Whether you are just starting out, looking for a quick assessment, or just want to change it up, even for a bit, sticking to a particular number will give you a new focus in the gym.  While training it is important to stay focused on your goals, and when things get a bit tiresome, use the magic number to keep your eyes on the goal.  Exercise is a science, and designing a routine can be quite intricate with figuring out the proper number of sets, pounds to use and repetitions to get.  But everyone once in a while the magic number can help you stay focused on achieving a fit new you!
         

Restoration is a Process

     Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to keep you encouraged on your journey to reach your fitness goals by explaining that they shouldn't be expected to be reached over night, and through diligent effort they will eventually be reached.  This is especially true when your current goals revolve around attaining a state of health and fitness that you previously were at.  Examples of what I am specifically talking about this week are varied and include women working to reach their pre-pregnacy body composition, those striving to reach their "high school shape" near a reunion, and any level of athlete getting back at it after suffering an injury.  If you're reading this blog you know reaching your fitness goals requires a tremendous amount of determination and motivation to keep you going.  I have found that their is often an elevated level of frustration to reach fitness goals amongst people who had previously attained them, and are now trying to get there again.  That exasperation is often heightened by the feeling had by knowing what it was like at that particular fitness level, and the loss of not being there now...especially when what brought you down from that state of fitness was mostly beyond your control as is the case with an injury.  It is one of those situations where you cannot say ignorance is bliss.  However, having been able to reach those fitness goals once before, you need to recognize that they are attainable, so there is no reason why they cant be reached again.  You have to remind yourself that to get there the first time around, it didn't happen overnight.  It was a process that took effort and time.  Be encouraged because you can get there again!

     Lets make it personal.  Right at the beginning of 2017 I suffered what I consider to be a freak injury with no clear cause.  I woke up one morning with a sharp pain that traveled down my right arm all the way from my shoulder to my fingers.  I could trace the pain down my arm, and new there was some sort of nerve impingement.  I couldn't recall anything that would have caused it.  And when the pain became so severe that I could barely lift my arm or sit comfortably for more than a few minutes I knew it was time to see a doctor.  I actually saw two.  The first was an orthopedist who gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.  The second was an orthopedic surgeon after I noticed a significant difference in strength between my left and injured, right arms.  Testing and an MRI showed impingement at two levels in my cervical spine.  After a dose of cortisone took away the pain, the doctor's next suggestion was to consider surgery if the weakness hadn't subsided.  My rule of thumb when it comes to surgery for orthopedic problems is it should be avoided at all costs unless you are a professional athlete or incapacitated by the injury, so that was not an option for me.  And with the help of several acupuncture treatments, and the avoidance of many exercises at the gym, I felt comfortable training again after a few weeks.  But even though I overcame the injury, the weakness was still there.  So, I avoided many upper body pressing movements for a few months before I felt strong enough to start performing them again.  And when I did, I had to start my recovery with very light weights.  This lasted for almost six months!  Going from being at one of the top fitness levels I had personally achieved to a much lower level was everything from humbling to humiliating.  There were times in the gym where I was embarrassed with how much weight I was able to handle.  There were times when I wasn't happy with how I looked in the mirror because my training suffered.  There were times when I thought I could never get to again where I once was.  But I wasn't going to give up.  Surely and slowly I progressed at pace I wasn't happy with, but the key was I was in fact progressing.  As I got stronger, I climbed back up the weight stacks and eventually got back to where I wanted to be.  I am still not all of the way there yet, but I am on the right path.  And the only way I got there was by reminding myself, that as frustrating as it was, it was a process and I was on the right path, eventually I would get there.

     A major set back, one that really knocks you backwards, towards reaching your fitness goals is often very frustrating...especially so when it is one that you couldn't avoid.  But a set back isn't the ending, you can still get back to where you once were.  It just takes the hard work, persistence, and dedication that got you there in the first place.  Now I am not saying it would be realistic for an extreme turnaround, like a retired athlete to regaining the performance they had in their prime, as the body does break down over time, its a fact of life.  But what I am touting is that for most of us, you can regain your form, body, health, and fitness level if you work at it.  You just need to recognize that it is a process that will eventually restore you. 

     Women gain body fat while pregnant due to hormonal changes and the nutritional needs of the developing child.  This is normal and healthy.  There is a major change in their body, so much so that they can develop diabetes while pregnant.  But, after the child is born, and the woman's body chemistry normalizes, achieving fitness goals becomes an easier task once again.  When someone suffers an injury, a fracture or a soft tissue tear for example, the body will heal.  Bones heal in a matter of six to eight weeks.  Soft tissue injuries usually take longer, but just think of the number of baseball players who have Tommy John surgery and actually become stronger because of it.  And while it may seem difficult to fit into your old high school clothes, I know many clients who start training later in life and are now in the best shapes that they have every been!  To get there, a key is to remember that it doesn't happen over night, or as the result of a magic pill.  It takes hard work and persistence...it is a process.  And as I have mentioned in other posts, that process is a much easier one if you take care of yourself all the while before you require some sort of restoration.

     Having a fitness goal of trying to reach the level of fitness that you had achieve previously is a healthy goal if it is realistic.  It is equally important to understand that to achieve that again, that it will not happen quickly, but can be attained over a course of time.  Unfortunately some road blocks create situations where you will have to work even harder than before.  But keeping a steady pace with your eye on the prize will keep you motivated along the way.  Don't look for a quick fix.  The healthiest and best way to regain your health is through the arduous restorative process.  And through the diligent work required, you may even come out fitter! Many old cars that go through a restoration come out better than they did from the factory.  Stay strong and fight on!  Getting back to the top of the mountain is a process, but its one that will restore a fit new you!