a little biochemistry, techno-speak & a whole lot of diet & nutrition myth debunking:
Category Archives for Fitness
winter marathon training
The best piece of gear for handling this winters’ severe cold? A TREADMILL.
on effective fitness programs
‘Tis the season regular folks are thinking about body composition & athletic folks are thinking about building their fitness for the spring _insert sport here_ season.
So many of us focus on the goal rather than the process. Beware: though you may find motivation in attending to the goal… you’ll find success in attending to the process.
Consider:
“I’m going to lose 10 pounds by spring break!”
while along the way:
“well, i’ll just make it up next week… time to treat myself / sleep in / etc etc”
How do you stay on point? In a way similar to that mentioned HERE, simply create frequent deadlines for yourself.
If 10 pounds by spring break to look good in your bikini is the goal: take pictures of yourself once each week… and here’s the critical part… and share them with somebody. Email them to your best friend. Post them on flickr. Whatever – what you’re doing is tying your intentions into reality.
In my own case – less interested in body comp & more interested in aerobic endurance – i simply test weekly. In the years I was rowing competitively I had both reverence and FEAR of the fitness tests used by coaches to pick their crews. By testing weekly I smashed those fears & stayed in touch with the reality of my fitness… which in turn helped me stay focused on the details of executing each days’ training while staying motivated.
just. win.
fitness made simple
No one ever tells you this stuff without some agenda. I’m not a personal trainer selling time, I’m not a diet guru selling books; all I am is a keen observer of my own health, fitness & nutrition. So I’m going to give you a few simple steps to improve your fitness.
- WALK, DON’T RUN: seriously, running is too strenuous. This bucks convention quite a bit, i can hear you thinking it now, but hear me out. Once each week go and wear yourself out with duration, not intensity. Walk your ass off. Walk so far your dog begs you to stop. 3 hours is a good goal. Why? you’re stressing your body’s ability to fuel its muscles from stored reserves. You’re literally teaching yourself to burn fat. The more you do these long walks, the better you’ll get at sourcing energy from your butt rather than your gut. Further reading: here, here and here.
- OK, NOW RUN: once each week… run your little heart out. Warm up well with walking & jogging. Stretch. Then, do some sprints. ”Tabata sprints” are a deceptively effective workout. Further reading with example workouts here
- STRETCH IT OUT: at least once each week, though preferably every day: do some yoga-like exercises. Warm your body up first, then stretch it out. The goal is to keep in touch with your range of motion; to keep your body limber. ESPECIALLY if you sit at a desk all day.
- LIFT SOMETHING HEAVY: at least once a week, preferably 3x a week, lift something heavy. Stick to multi-joint lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench press, standing military press. Choose a heavy weight that you expect you can do 5 sets of 5 slow & controlled repetitions with. The key here is slow and controlled – do not enlist the help of momentum to aid you in these reps; if you can’t get the weight up in a controlled manner… you’re attempting to lift too much.
- EAT LIKE YOUR ANCESTORS: berries, nuts, leafy veggies, lean meats, seafood. Period. No grains, no dairy, no root veggies. Why? Because evolution hasn’t caught up with our invention of farming; physically we’re still hunter-gatherers. Source: HERE, HERE and HERE. Example recipes: HERE
For example:
Monday: 1 hour “run” (walk!), followed by 20 minutes of yoga. This is on your time in your way – no $ needed.
Tuesday: 20 mins warm up on a treadmill, 20 mins yoga followed by 30 mins of heavy lifting. This will require a gym. (70 mins total)
Wednesday: 20 mins warm up, tabata sprints, 20 minutes yoga cool down. (45 mins total)
Thursday: same as monday.
Friday: Same as Tuesday
Saturday: 3 hour “run” (walk!). Go slow, but go so far you wear yourself out.
Sunday: Off, or, same as Saturday.
