Viewing entries tagged
strength
Ok, you might not be doing it ALL wrong, but if you’re like me then you have probably noticed that whenever we start something new, we aren’t very good at it, and then we get better with practice. The right practice, that is.
Is there a way to exercise wrong?! YES! Should I care? OMG YES!
I truly think that injuries are the most common frustration of people who make exercise a part of their daily routine. First of all, I don’t know ONE person who hasn’t had an injury - so you can empathize with this post. I’ve certainly had my share of them, and when they show up, I agonize over them. The emotional aspects of injuries are the worst part. But how do we deal with this? Should we rest, and how long? Is our body in fact telling us to stop, or should we be trying to maintain a semblance of routine, especially since it takes so much effort to build it? There are many answers to these questions, and each one depends on the person, the injury and the circumstance. But I think there are some very valuable lessons and wisdom to be learned from injuries. To illustrate my point, I’m going to paint a picture (which might sound familiar)…
This is one of my favorite topics - but one of the most challenging parts of coaching people. The comfort zone is where we live when we don’t feel challenged or stressed, but also where we feel lazy. Routine is the comfort zone. Status quo is the comfort zone.
Now don’t get me wrong - sometimes we need the comfort zone. There are times when we need to stop pushing ourselves, to recover, or restore. I argue though, that some people spend too much time in the comfort zone, and this can really hold you back from your goals. It holds you back from your BEST LIFE. It holds you back from being the BEST person you can be. These are my motivations, because one of my values is constant growth as a person. ..
HA! Got your attention. But seriously, I LOVE this topic, because I love nuance, complexity, and enjoy weaving my way through different solutions to optimize whatever it is I’m working on. I’m going to share with you some nutritional insights I’ve learned over my career in health and fitness, and through my own personal journey of nutrition. I’m not going to tell you exactly what to do, because the people reading this will all need different answers- so that would be inappropriate, and unprofessional, but I promise that I will give you some fundamental tips for success - should you decide to follow them.
Following up from my last blog, I want to share the second part of my random thoughts about kindness.
Last week’s post focused on kindness outwards, but equally (if not more) important, is kindness inwards. Being kind to oneself is not always easy, and takes different forms. I’m going to share my thoughts on this, but please take it all with a grain of salt. This is only what I know based on my experience in this life.
I truly believe that kindness to oneself is like a diamond - multi-faceted - and we need to take the face we need in any given moment. The one thing that remains constant is the need to see ourselves objectively, name our present situation for what it is, and be truly honest with ourselves. In the moment when we decide what kindness we need to give ourselves, it has to be from a place of love for ourselves and not from a place of distorted reality or denial. For example, I have a way of knowing what I need most but "thinking" myself into never doing it. I have a way of rationalizing myself into denial about my deepest needs.
We can be unusually cruel to ourselves. We beat ourselves up for the way we look, not getting up earlier to get more done, not being a patient parent, not exercising enough, not phoning our parents often enough, eating too much, not eating healthy enough, not being “strong” in the face of hardship. The list is neverending, depending on your situation. Being kind to ourselves takes a strong set of boundaries, and a willingness to do the thing you need to do, and not the thing you THINK.
I used to HATE core exercises. Since I hurt my back almost 4 years ago, core and glute (butt!) work have been the major focus, and now I can’t get enough of them. But I’ve always known that you do not need weights and do not need (nor SHOULD YOU) do traditional crunches and sit-ups focused exercises to strengthen your core. You can strengthen your core with full body exercises.
I tell my clients that they need to be thinking about their core in every exercise they do. Why?
It works to strengthen your midline in every exercise you do, so that you can do less of the strict core stuff (YAY!).
It will improve your strength and the ability to do other exercises and activities; especially ones that are super dynamic. It’s not called “core” by accident - everything stems from the midline.
It prevents overall injury. Without midline stability and strength, you should not be doing complex or explosives exercises. It’s a recipe for injury.
Last, when you are conscious of the muscles you are working, and actively engaging them with conscious effort, you will see results much faster (great video about this here).
So, here is are three videos of a few of my favourite non-rotational moves that strengthen your core. Enjoy!!
Banded Dead Bugs
Reverse Roll-Out with Knee Tucks
Side Plank with Leg Abduction
So maybe I've always used exercise as a stress reliever. I think I managed to avoid dealing with a lot of conflict head on by working it off. Really, I was just "sweeping it under the rug" so to speak, and then the endorphins from my workout would have me questioning my pre-workout self's sanity (I don't advise this self perpetuated cycle).
Exercise does have it's place though, it's worth using it to take a step back, get the blood and endorphins pumping, and then reflecting afterward when your mind is clear.
During my last three years of rehabilitation from an injury that has sidelined me from most high intensity or explosive exercises, I've had the pleasure of exploring some alternative methods of stress relief that still give me a semblance of movement and exercise. The thing these exercises all have in common? They all require you to focus on breath and rhythm of breath. So read here to find out the top 5 that worked to keep me from "crazy" ;)...
It's been just over three years since my back injury (omg, does time fly), and I wrote a first blog regarding my personal struggle with healing about a year and a half ago (You can re-read it here). Reading it reminds me of how incredibly difficult that time was for me. It shines through and I was afraid to be honest because I hated how sad i was. I had very real fears that it would never improve, that I would never again be able to hike, run, surf, let alone lift weights or even do anything physical without pain. I remember having months of feeling no improvement, and having very little hope and belief that things would change. The ups and downs were endless, when I had hope and a good attitude, it would be equally opposed a day or two later with sadness, frustration and depression. I mourned the loss of control I had over my body and fitness. I mourned my perceived future "fit" self. I mourned the loss of years of hard work to get to a place where I finally confidence about my body.
I’ve accomplished many things in my life, but this … this was instant joy. And the best part? The feeling was contagious. Completing a simple fitness goal has rippled into every aspect of my life. I feel more confident with everything that is thrown my way.
I've been trying to write this blog for a while. Actually it's been over a year (15 months to be exact, but who's counting), and I've probably drafted and thrown away 5 different attempts. I always write it out of frustration, in an effort to vent or release the pent-up emotions. And then I talk myself out of posting it, either because it's too negative, or un-inspiring, or I fear that the readers wouldn't understand it and then judge me, or I just convince myself that it's too trivial in comparison to people with real problems. Honestly, it wasn't until I read a blog by a friend and fellow local fitness and health guru that I was inspired to write this. She hit the nail on the head with her blog post about her own personal struggle. She reminded me that "no matter how big or small your battle may be, everyone is going through one, and to them, it’s important, regardless of what it may look like to you".
So I was inspired to share my struggle…
![Working [out] with Injuries](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53879570e4b0422ca6697db1/1553571695886-FW6XG96YCM4Z8954HW7L/Screen+Shot+2019-03-25+at+9.41.17+PM.png)
