You do it all day, every day. It is one of the most taken for granted acts we do. Inhale. Exhale. It happens subconsciously but it can be used as a powerful tool to thwart stress, improve performance, increase focus or go to sleep.
Major league players use their breath to calm themselves down with the bases loaded. Special warfare operators use their breath to stay cool, calm and collected in high stress situations. High performance athletes use their breath to regain their composure when they are sucking wind. My point is that your breath is not merely a passive delivery system for oxygen. By focusing on controlled, deep breathing, you can take control of any tough situation, be it stress at work, a hectic day at home, or sinking the game winning free throw in game seven.
- Beat stress - Try this next time you feel stress creeping up into your brain; pause for 60 seconds and count out ten long inhales and ten long exhales. Make these deep, both in and out. Breath in through your nose. Mouth breathing sends a message to your brain saying "I need more oxygen", creating more stress response. This practice will bring you back to the present moment and let you manage your stress and move on with your day.
- Perform - If you go into any stressful situation without a plan, stress is sure to dictate the outcome. Whether its speaking in front of a crowd or running a 10k, actively controlling your breath is essential. I like to use a four count in, four count out pace. This not only keeps you present and focused, it also delivers more oxygen to your brain, boosting mental performance.
- Recover - Next time you do a workout (assuming you are breathing hard) try breathing only through your nose. This will keep you calm and challenge your ability to stay present. If you resort to mouth breathing (panic breathing) this signals your brain that you are getting tired. Take control.
- Sleep - Next time you go to bed, try this; lie flat on your back. I like to elevate my feet with a pillow and have my head flat on the mattress. Count slow, controlled inhales and exhales. Try to clear your mind of thoughts of today or tomorrow. Focus on the breath. If you can count to ten then you are doing well. I usually lose focus. This is a practice I learned from yoga, a valuable tool that really shows how cluttered and hectic our brains can be.
You can integrate these breathing techniques into any part of your life. If you make an effort to breath better, you will see and feel the benefits.
Jack
PS - For another challenge, try breathing through your nose with one nostril covered. This will force you to breath deep and controlled. Do ten breaths on side and then switch. Plus, with your finger on your nose you will never get your power usurped.
Ok, maybe that came out wrong.
Let me explain.
In terms of fitness, we directly affect our friends and family. People use their loved ones as a benchmark for what is acceptable in terms of body image, diet and level of activity. If randam dude #1 is overweight, statistically, his male friends and family are more likely to also be overweight. If random girl #2 is in great shape, statistically, her female friends and family tend to be in great shape as well.
This trend is not static. If someone makes a change in either direction (gets in shape or lets themselves go) then those around them tend to slide in the same direction. I have observed both types of change, both personally and through stories from friends. Here is an example;
A friend of mine has a job that requires an elite level of fitness. For this reason, he assembled an impressive garage gym and started a strict paleolithic diet. As a result, he went from in good shape to elite shape (about as healthy as you can get). His wife, while not overweight, was not an athlete, nor did she follow his diet. In fact, she mocked his diet while she ate junk. As she observed his transformation, she became curious and he started teaching her the basics of excercising in the home gym. Eventually, she adopted the diet, shed about 15lbs (down to 115lbs) and now she programs her own workouts and cooks 100% paleo meals (and chastises my friend when he cheats on the diet). In addition, her mother, who had never tried any kind of diet or exercise plan, started working out in the home gym and sticking to the diet. She also lost weight and looks and feels better. And it is too soon to tell but I bet his young daughter will pick up the same habits as her parents.
The point is you are not alone on your fitness journey. Your husband, wife, brother, sister, parents, kids, cousins, grandparents, grandkids, aunts, uncles, friends and acquaintences all see you as either a positive or a negative influence. Your efforts will have a ripple effect across your world. Seeing your family and friends healthy and active can be far more rewarding than a six pack.
So get up, get out and infect those you love. Your choice as to what you spread.
Jack
PS - If your family and friends are all fit, ya'll are much more likely to survive the zombie apocalypse. jI'm just saying.
Ok,
One of the biggest questions people have when it comes to getting in shape seems to be "how do I get flat, defined abs?" Fitness magazines focus on abs, regular gym goers devote extra time to abs. In general, our culture puts a large emphasis on having a flat, chiseled stomach. But if you look at a majority of people you will see a collection of doughy midsections. So where is the disconnect?
I have talked to many people who have become discouraged after repeated unsuccessful attempts to loose their spare tire and there seems to be a trend; sit ups and crunches and other "ab centric" exercises are at the center of their routines. These moves isolate the abdominal muscles, which are the ones that form the coveted six pack. The problem is that these muscles are only a small part of the core. Only doing crunches is like only doing bicep curls; you are ignoring a large part of your body.
Instead, you are better suited by doing exercises that require you to stabilize your entire midsection. Your core's job is to transfer power from your lower half to you upper half. The crunching motion is rarely used in daily life. Any time you carry something, push or pull something or pick something up you are using your core.
So what are we to do? Here are a few moves to replace crunches and sit ups in your routine.
- Plank - This is one of the best core exercises out there. There are numerous variations but I like front and side plank. If you spend 5 minutes every day doing plank, you sill see a change (that's right, five minute abs). Try and work up to the point where you can do 5 minutes without a break.
- Windmill - This can be done with no weight or some weight over head (I use kettle bells). Start with less weight and see what feels comfortable. Start with a wide stance and raise one hand overhead (this hand will have the weight). Keeping your legs straight, reach your other hand down as far as you can toward you foot (left hand to left foot, etc). Come back up to standing and repeat. If you use weight, keep your eyes on the weight the whole time.
- Knees-to-Elbows - Find a pull up bar or something else from which to hang and mount the bar (hang from the bar). In a slow, controlled motion bring your knees to touch your elbows and the control the descent back to the hang. Try and do ten in a row. If you aren't able to do one yet, raise your knees as high as possible and hold them there for as long as possible. Repeat that ten times.
These three moves are valuable tools in my tool box. They can be done alone or as part of a workout. Try them out and you will see and feel a difference between your hips and ribs. Let me know what you think.
Jack
PS - As weird as it sounds, kegels are a valuable core strengthening exercise. They strengthen the pelvic floor, which is the bottom of your core. I was advised to work them into my daily routine by my team trainer after I hurt my back lifting. My core had fatigue and I lifted a weight out of position. Since then, I have focused more on a strong, well rounded core and I look better and feel stronger (and I'm injury free).
What is up?
Thus far, I have mostly focused on how to get better in a physical sense. Today I'd like to spend some time talking about ways to get better in other areas of life. If you are like most people, you probably have a pretty set routine. You wake up at a normal time, you go to your place of work, you do your thing, come home, unwind, eat dinner, watch some TV, go to bed. Rinse, repeat. After awhile, this can be accomplished on autopilot. To some extent, a routine can be a good thing. If you have good habits built in, the routine is a platform for getting better. But it can also lead to stagnation. Not a good thing.
Here are some ideas to break your routine:
- Pick a day (or 3) to disconnect. Leave the TV off, don't touch the iPad, put your smart phone on silent. Use this time to go for a walk, workout, eat a family dinner or organize some cluttered part of your life (I'm looking at you, bedroom). I am just as guilty as the next guy of coming home and getting sucked down the rabbit hole that is the internet, but I recognize this and make an effort to break the habit.
- Pick another day (preferably a non-work day. I like Saturday) and do everything with your non-dominant hand. You will be amazed how much more focused you will be on normally mundane activities, like brushing your teeth or starting your car (safety note - don't do anything that you feel is unsafe, like shifting gears or. . .something else unsafe).
- Change up your workout time. I tend to workout from 3-5pm. I don't like waking up super early and I am usually making/eating dinner and watching a movie or something at night, so this is my best window. But on occasion, I get up early to exercise or do a night yoga class or something to break up my normal routine. It helps keep things interesting and also keeps your body from hitting a plateau.
- Try a new exercise. If you normally lift weights, do some yoga. If you normally run or bike, try one of the martial arts. Mix it up. If you have friends or family that do different stuff than what you do, ask to join them.
I'm not saying a routine is bad. Not at all. But there is a difference between having a routine and being in a rut. All I'm saying is make variety part of your routine.
Try something new. You might like it.
Jack
PS - Try and incorporate friends, spouses, kids and anyone else who will join into your adventures.
Welcome.
Today's post is a short one: I'm here to talk about workout equipment. The days of the giant gym chains full of treadmills and weight machines are over. Here is why: They are expensive, they are inconvenient and they don't facilitate a good work environment. Their trainers are often untrained amateur wannabe body builders who like to grunt encouraging cliches at their clients. Yet I digress. My point is that nobody needs to pay for a gym membership. I do 90% of my workouts either at home or out of doors. My equipment is 3 kettle bells (25lbs, 35lbs and 50 lbs) and a pull up bar. Total cost? ~$200.
So here is the plan: 1) Find a hill or some stairs. I've used the four flights of stairs in my apartment, stadium stairs at a nearby outdoor auditorium and various other inclines around town.
2)Assess your level of fitness. If you get out of breath walking up the hill, then that is what you will do. Walk up an down the hill/stairs ten times, no rests. If walking feels easy, then either run up and walk back down or find something heavy (kettle bell/s, weight vest, body armor, bag full of rocks, a (your) child, whatever, get creative) and carry said object with you up and down your chosen summit. If you can crush this ten times without stopping, then you are a stud. Go you.
My personal favorite variation of this workout is to carry my two heavy (35# and 50#) kettle bells up a 100 meter hill near my apartment. I switch hands each time up to avoid burning out on hand's grip. This is called a farmer's carry. Very functional. Think carrying a load of grocery bags. Same thing.
So if you are thinking you need to join a gym to get in shape, think twice. The hill awaits.
Get some.
Jack
PS - Be aware of how far you take your chosen weighted objects from your point of origin. I have made the mistake of walking nearly a mile with my weight, doing the workout, and then hating life when I have to carry everything back home. Just a consideration.
PPS - High five to whoever can nail the "equipmunk" reference. Post answers to comments.
OK, here it is: the first ever installment of the Sunday rant. Are you ready? Here we go. . .
When did Americans become so lazy? We are a country founded on action and upward movement, going from good to better to best. How did we get to the point where nearly one in three people are classified as morbidly obese? Where the most popular and prolific exercise campaigns revolve around the easiest, least uncomfortable way to get fit? I always see adds for the latest and greatest fitness tool that will "take no effort" or "work in as little as 5 minutes a day." Just a few that come to mind are the shake weight, the ab rocker and that ridiculous belt that is supposed to shock not just your gut but your entire body into a tanned, ripped mountain of chiseled muscle. . . while you are sitting on the sofa.
To me, this trend of easier-is-better fitness says two things: 1)Most people are lazy and avoid physical discomfort at all costs, and 2) Most people have very little idea what it takes to improve their physical fitness. I say most people because the easy route fitness products like shake weight would not sell if people knew what they were doing. (My trainer buddies have a shake weight in the gym, but I'm pretty sure its for comedic purposes only.)
The truth is there is no easy road to fitness. It takes hard work, desire and consistency. The "after" model for any and every fitness product ever marketed looks that way because of countless days/months/years of work. They sweated and endured pain. And they got off their sofa to do so. People try to sell the "magic bullet" of fitness. It is a myth.
And another thing; there is a distinct difference between the pain of work and the pain of injury. If you run a mile and your legs are sore and your lungs burn, that is feedback from your body saying "I am not used to this level of work." If you then slam your finger in the car door, that pain is your body saying "hey, jackass, your finger is broken now because you just slammed it in the door." Pain is feedback. Just because you hurt after a workout doesn't mean you are injured or you shouldn't do that exercise anymore. Listen to your body. The more you listen, the more you learn to treat pain as information and adjust accordingly. That said, rest and recovery days are critical to getting better. More on that at a later date.
So put down the shake weight, take off the shock belt and go do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Push yourself. Sweat. Take your friends, take your kids, take your significant other, really anyone that will go with you, the more the merrier. Misery loves company. Sloth is contagious. So is fitness. Which one will you spread?
Get up, get out and get some.
Jack
PS - When you are choosing your activity, it doesn't actually have to be painful or miserable. Playing touch football in the park or going for a hike are perfectly acceptable. Just stay off the sofa.
