Gameday Games , NBA Playoffs style

Gameday Games are back! This was my first attempt at a non-football gameday game, and it seems to work. Today we watched the Heat complete the sweep of the outmatched Bucks. I will say that I changed the scoring scheme after halftime. The original scheme had us doing over 800 push ups! We checked the box score for accuracy after the game. It is harder to keep track of stats during a basketball game than it is during football. Here is the breakdown:

• Points - 1 squat per point for a total of 165 squats
• Assists - 2 upright kettlebell rows per assist for a total of 86 rows (43 per arm).
• Steals - 5 push ups per steal for a total of 75 push ups.
• Blocks - 1 minute of plank per block for a total of 14 minutes.

This might not look like much but the cumulative effect of everything, especially the push ups and plank got tough toward the end. Next time I want to try and do it real time with the game. Maybe score dunks, fouls, 3 pointers and every time they show the players on the bench celebrating a big play. Let me know your thoughts on today's workout, ideas for future workouts or any other Gameday Games suggestions.

Jack

PS - Are the Heat the odds on favorite to repeat? I think so.

"Cardio"

When you hear the word "cardio," what do you think? Jogging? Cycling? We have a narrow concept of the definition of cardio: long duration, low intensity activities. Aerobic exercise, where your body burns oxygen for fuel is an excellent workout. I'm not knocking it. Where I see an issue is when one type of cardio becomes someones only form of exercise. We need to broaden our arsenal.

Our bodies are excellent at adapting to external stress, like exercise. When one activity is performed on a regular basis, it becomes relatively easier over time. We also begin to receive diminishing returns in terms of health, weight loss and muscle tone. Studies shoe that someone who spends an hour a day, a few times a week jogging at a moderate pace can actually lose muscle mass and gain weight! How can this be? Lean muscle mass requires more calories than fat and moderate cardio does not require lean muscle. So if all you do is moderate cardio, than you will lose muscle and, in turn, your metabolism will slow down, leading to weight gain. I know. What the F?!

So what are we to do? I am not advocating a complete abandon ship on all cardio. What I do like is a variety of different types of cardio in a variety of different configurations. Mix cardio and anaerobic work together in the same workout. Incorporate weights and endurance activities into the mix. Crossfit.com has lots of great workouts that do exactly this. Here are some ways to get some variety up in your life:

• Combine two or more types of endurance exercise. This might take a little more planning, but it is worth it. I like the "run-swim-run" model. I will run to the pool (about a mile) swim a mile and run back. This is basically the same idea as a triathlon. Get creative.
• Endurance intervals. Say you like to run three miles a day. Instead, pick a day and run one mile at a pace that is faster than your three mile pace. Rest for five minutes. Repeat this process twice more. You still get your three miles but you put a different type of stress on yourself.
• Cardio + Weights. Basically, Crossfit in layman's terms. This can be as easy as doing twenty push ups every five minutes on a run. Pick your endurance exercise and then a body weight exercise like pull ups or push ups and combine them into a workout. The only limit is your imagination.

Variety is the key to continued progress. Stop thinking about "cardio" as a separate thing from other forms of movement. I'm pretty sure that burpees tax your heart.

Jack

PS - Here is our workout from today. It is a version of cardio.
        10 minutes on the bike - 4 cycles of 2 minutes hard, 30 seconds easy
        Rest 2 minutes
        10 minutes, AMRAP (as many reps as possible) Kettle bell snatches

I used a 35lb KB and did 173 snatches. I burned 168 kcal on the bike, covering 5 miles. If you don't have a bike or a KB, sub running or swimming or rowing for the first part and something like burpees or jumping squats for the latter part.

Eat Slow

We've all been there: you're hungry, food arrives, and you dive in. You don't talk or take breaks to breath. You do not share. Finished, you push your plate back and slip into a bad case of puppy belly, not remembering what just happened. Believe it or not, wolfing your food down is not ideal. You eat too much, digestion is impeded, and people probably think you are underfed.

This is one of my worst habits. I eat too fast and I don't think I'm alone. I love food almost to a fault. I am morbidly obese on the inside. I think about lunch while eating breakfast. Eating is a competitive sport for some, and I consider myself a champion in training.

All kidding aside, it is better to eat slow. As hard as this can be when you are hungry and the food is tasty, there are many reasons to slow our forks:

1. Digestion - When we eat fast, bites get chewed less, meaning they get less exposure to our saliva. This is the first step in our digestive process and if it gets skimped or skipped all together, we end up getting less goodness from our food.
2. Intake - As we eat, there is a delay between food reaching our stomachs and our stomachs telling our brain that we are full. During this delay, we can shovel down a few more helpings before we realize we overate. If we slow down, we can eat an appropriate amount and not get that "puppy belly" feeling after a big meal.
3. Manners - I know not everybody is super interested in having impeccable table manners, but even if you are eating at a fast food place, it is important to conduct yourself like a civilized human being, not a ravenous hyena. 
4. Enjoyment - As fun as it is to try and slam you food as fast as possible, food really does taste better when you enjoy each bite. Try putting down the fork, sandwich or other food delivery vessel in between bites. It might just taste a little better.

My goal is to be more mindful at every meal. I want to enjoy my food as well as my company. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Jack

                                                

PS - Today's workout: Descending ladder of front squats, push press and windmills. So, 20, 16, 12, 8, 4 reps of  each exercise using a kettlebell for all three. Split the reps so you do half with the kettlebell in each hand. I did it with my 50lb. KB. Enjoy.

The Power of 'Tude

Every morning we wake up with a choice: how to approach our day. Will you hate your job, dread going to the gym, and doubt yourself? Or will you get out of bed excited to go to work, hungry to work out and believing in yourself and your abilities?  Whatever you decide, the choice is 100% yours to make. We sit at the controls of our attitude, no one else. Some people seem to look for reasons to complain and think everything is stupid or someone else's fault. Other people attack the day like nothing can stop their relentless march of awesomeness. The difference? Attitude.

It is easy to let your attitude slip into the negative, especially when things are difficult. How you react to a situation, good or bad, can mean the difference between success and failure, health and sickness, happiness and misery. People in terrible situations can be happy and healthy while people in great circumstances can be miserable. Their 'tude makes the difference.

One of my favorite ways to impact my attitude is to say a mantra when I wake up. Even if I feel terrible or don't want to get out of bed and face the day, saying something positive kickstarts my brain into a better place. I learned this habit from my uncle. His morning mantra is "I feel great and I'm going to have a great day." This simple act has ripple effects on the rest of your day and, in turn, your life.

So what will your mantra be? Will you choose to be a beacon of positivity or a negative fun sponge? Either way, you will be contagious. The choice is yours.

Jack

PS - Today's workout went like this:
25 rounds of 1 pullup, 2 kettlebell squat cleans, 3 kettlebell high pulls and 4 atomic situps. This was a good workout after 5 weeks of little exercise and poor diet. Time to get back on track.