When exercising your body does more for your mind

I have been working out for over a year.  I have seen my body change good and bad.I have lost and gained weight.  I have   seen have seen my waist shrink and grow.  These things like I said have been good and bad.

The one unexpected benefit has been what it does for my mind.  I am learning that a workout is one of the best things I ciould do when I'm depressed .  I know there are medical and scientific study that  explain why.  But for me I think it is I have accomplished something.  It is something I pushed through when I didn't think I could.  It reminds me I can push through the depression. It builds me up and gives me worth when I am not feeling worthy. It reminds me of the strength I have. 

So if for no other reason workout for your mind and the body will follow.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT

So I have hit the rowing machine again.  I read some where it is better on your knees than the treadmill and you get a better all body work out.  

Of course it was Saturday,  I didn't get there till 10AM.  So the gym was in full swing.  Both Rowing Machines were open.  I start my workout and I am rowing along.  Feeling pretty good.  About 5 minutes into my workout that guy comes and rows next to me.  I am sure I have talked about him in a previous post. 

He is the sleeveless shirt guy who thinks he is a the pro and looks at anyone with more body fat than him should leave the guy.  This is the gut who previously told someone who asked for a spot "if you can't lift that yourself.  You shouldn't be lifting.  I managed to get through close to 15 minutes of rowing.  My goal was 20.  I was feeling good so far. Than I saw him giving me that look.  What are you doing here.  This is for fit people. You are not fit.  15 minute is all you can do.

So I was getting mad at myself.  Thinking I could do better.  I could work harder. I decided to keep going and started the rest of my workout.  I was so glad I ran into to this guy.  Yes I said I was glad. With every Kettle bell Swing, One leg dead lift and with every climb of the stairs.  I thought about that guy. I thought who does he think he is.  I am not going to let this one jerk derail my progress.  I am going to use it to achieve my goal.   

So Mr I am better than everyone else in the gym.  Get over yourself.  Because believe it or not we all 

workout. 

Tweet and Facebook while on the treadmill. I am still working on not passing out on the treadmill

So I finally made it to the gym today. I was worried about how my knees where going to do.  Well I had to figure out how to use the new treadmill first.  It was not to hard to figure out.  Just lots of options. It had the usual treadmill stuff.   You can watch TV or You Tube while running.  If you don't want to just listen to music. You can watch music videos. Ok, I get it.  More things to keep you distracted the longer you will run.  I think the coolest option is it is linked to my fitness pal.  This treadmill has WiFi.

The 2 strangest things I found is you can Tweet and Facebook  while running.  WHAT?  Come on people.  Who is running on a treadmill and go. Hey lets tweet while running.  In a 140 characters or less I am going to Tweet about the sweaty guy next to me. Better yet " Just finished mile 12 at a 15 incline. Going to slam a protein shake now".   I need to work on just concentrating on not falling off  the thing.  Much less trying to run and type.

Next thing you know it will have the Internet so you can order Pizza Hut for after the workout.  How about we add so type of device to shock you when you are not running fast enough. How about a camera that takes pics of you. But it shows you at your goal. Now that is useful.

How about someone create a kettlebell that counts for you or reminds you when to inhale and when to exhale.

Back to the workout.  It was short but sweet.  I was worried my knees were going to hurt.  No pain while running.  Started out slow and worked my way up.  I didn't go to far up on the incline.  I also hit some kettlebells, planks and did some squats.

I was prepared for it to feel like I was starting over.  I was easier than I thought.  I am not saying I was not sweating and breathing hard.  But it felt good knowing I could still do it.  I am going to pull out my workouts from Alex and hit it hard again.

Not a resolution. A restart.

It has been over 3 months since I have posted anything here.  It has also been 3 months since I have seen the inside of a gym.  I have been struggling the last few months with getting myself motivated.  I have had knee pain issues.  Not just one, but both now.  I have had foot pain issues.  But the biggest issue has been me.  I had a bad bought of depression in late October/early November.

It started in the middle of rehearsing for a play.  I was struggling just to have enough energy and will power to function, much less rehearse and exercise. So I stopped.  With help from my meds, a great wife and some awesome friends here I am again. Trying to find the will power to hit it again.

So I went back and read my very first posting.  W.I.N> (what's important now)
This is what I posted at the time.  "We all must decide this every minute of everyday.  We need to decide what's important now.  We need to learn how to balance work, family, exercise and the everyday pressures that life throws at us."

This may be the best advise I every got from my trainer at the time.W.I.N> (what's important now)
 We need to decide every day of our life. What's important now.  For those 3 months I was away, the gym was not important.  Don't get me wrong it should have been more important then I made it.

Reading that first post reminded me that getting fit is important.  But it also reminded me to stop beating myself up over it. Life will happen,  There will be mountains and valleys.  We need to remember to celebrate when we reached the top of the mountain and learn and grow when we are in the valleys.

So ask yourself WHAT'S IMPORTANT NOW!

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

Today is a long posting. It was the first day of school. so my schedule opened up for working out. 

I hit the gym today.  I mean, I seriously hit the gym.  It was GREAT.  I was prepared for it to be like starting over.  Twenty minutes on the treadmill flew by.  I averaged a speed of five for most of the run.  My incline went from 5-12 with 2 minute intervals at each incline. It felt good.  It was not a tired, I can't do it feeling .  

It was a wow I am doing it and it feels good feeling.  Don't get me wrong.  It was still hard, but a good hard. 

I than hit the Kettlebells.  Time was limited. I needed to pick up the girls from school. So I did 2 sets of 15 of each 

                                               One leg Kettlebell deadlifts

                                                              Squats

                                               CrushCurls

                                               Kettlebell presses

                                          30 second Planks

Wait I decided I wasn't done yet.  I got home and decided to try my new workout toy.  My dry ice body slide mat.  I forgot how hard it was to do.  I only got thru about 10 minutes. 5 for lower body and 5 for upper body.  

Well you would think I had enough.  I found this new App called FitStar.  It will give me 2 training sessions per week for free.  I had to do a six minute all out assessment.  I think I should have waited a day.  WoW that was a hard six minutes.  

I than wrapped up the night by helping my father-in-law do some demo work on his deck.  I hope I can get out of bed in the morning.  

8 ways to stop hating the gym, (7 is a joke)

8 ways to stop hating the gym

Stop dreading lacing up your trainers with these tips that will have you slinging on your gym bag with a smile

Feel the burn

If you’re standing in the shower feeling like you didn’t work hard enough, you probably didn’t. When you drive past your comfort threshold your body releases endorphins to assuage the pain in a way not unlike heroin. Only you end up ripped, rather than homeless. The tougher your workout, the bigger the high. Try this brutal quick-wins circuit for a pupil-dilating buzz.

Get into the groove

Build positive habits by breaking bad ones. When post-work drinks are calling, replace their rewards. If you’re after booze-induced relaxation then opt for Tabata’s endorphin rush to produce the same stress relief. If it’s the the social aspect of moaning about your boss with colleagues, swerve the negativity and sign up for a group class. After 30 days you’ll find you crave sinking into a squat more than a pint.

Don’t sweat it

When you don’t quite stick to your schedule, don’t beat yourself up. Creating negative emotions around exercise only makes it tougher to pick up your gym bag next time, according to procrastination expert Dr Fuschia Sirois. Instead, analyse why you skipped your session. If you just can’t face legs day, pair lunges with something you enjoy to make them less arduous. If the gym’s too far then try some of these bodyweight moves at home instead.

It’s a hobby, not a chore

Seeing your workouts as something to be endured means you’re more likely to undermine your exertions at the supper table, according to research published in the journal Marketing Letters. After two groups walked for 30 minutes, those told it was exercise rather than just a pleasant stroll gorged on snacks as sugary compensation. Sack off squats for a game of five-a-side to steer clear of cravings.

Start small

Vowing to overhaul your sedentary lifestyle is admirable, but accelerating from nothing to Toby Rowland’s V-shape body plan will soon send you back to the sofa. Doing a structured routine’s important, but if supersets are scaring you off, just do what you enjoy. Unless that's curls in the squat rack. Once the gym’s become habitual you can build up to something more balanced.

Mix it up

Once you’ve been tackling the same routine for months boredom naturally sets in. According to a study from the University of Florida, varying your exercise boosts enjoyment by up to 45% and makes you less likely to skip sessions. It also challenges muscles in new ways and could help youbreak past plateaus. More gains, less pain.

Rethink your goals

A beach body in two months is a noble aim, but it’s a long time before you’ll see any motivation-boosting results. Instead, challenge yourself to break a PB every time you hit the gym, whether that’s an improved pace on the treadmill or an extra rep on the bench. Those little wins provide an endorphin spike that encourages you to go again the next day.

Relive past glories

Sorry to break it to you, but no one outside the gym cares about that time you benched your bodyweight. But dwelling on successes could help encourage you back to the barbell, according to research from the University of New Hampshire. The boffins found recalling positive memories about exercise made people more likely to increase their activity levels over the following week. Next time you’re struggling through that last dropset, picture your first ever pull-up to power you through.

Stare at women

Do the pilates session and just stare at all the yummy mummies*.

*Do not do this

GETTING STARTED AGAIN

It's time to start hitting the gym again after a break.  For those who do not know, I have been having some knee issues.  I found out my right knee is bone on bone which causes it to shift the wrong way causing quite a bit of pain.  I have had some treatments and nowI have a knee brace to use for workouts.  I will keep you up to date on the progress.

In the mean time I found this article about how to get started back at the gym.  I found it on a blog called Fitness LIfe Adventure.

Steps to take for a successful come-back:

1. Start small. 

Like really, ridiculously small. It takes less than you think to challenge your body and start inspiring changes. But you should mainly start small because your biggest friend right now is: momentum. Starting small makes sticking with it more likely and will provide small wins that build confidence and add momentum.Committing to running 30 mins every day vs. running 5 mins a day will lead to more risk in not meeting your goal = giving up. Start small. Kick ass. Increase. Repeat.

2. Just do it.

I realize this is easier said than done but there is no way around it. You just have to do it. The more you think about it, justify it, analyze it, doubt it, want it…see, I got lost just thinking about you thinking about doing it. Refer to the other steps, but just do it. Start today…the time will pass anyway. 

3. Set a schedule and stick to it. 

The calendar app on your phone is your friend (do people even have real calendars anymore? IDK). Have you heard that unless it’s written down, it isn’t real? Well, it’s true. Schedule your workouts, meals or hike dates like they are your important meetings at work that you would NEVER MISS. Write it down, pick a time, and don’t cancel on yourself. You are someone who follows through. Don’t let yourself down. Besides, it’s easy to talk yourself out of something you just thought of doing, but it’s not so easy if it’s written down.

4. Start your day with a win. 

Remember that momentum thing we talked about? A new morning is the perfect time for a fresh start and what better way to start it than like a WINNER. Have a badass morning routine and you will set the tone for a productive, positive day. Look at you, waking up on the right side of the bed and being a nutritional badass the rest of the day. 

5. Set yourself up for success.

Throw away everything in the kitchen that tempts you or causes you to go off track (donate it if you don’t want to waste food). Please don’t rely on will power alone, you need to preserve all you can. If you know you go crazy on peanut butter, don’t buy it and get it out of the house. Plan date nights for the next few weeks so you can avoid unhealthy dinners out and pick activities that support your focus for now. Maybe it’s time for a workout partner; when you don’t feel like it they can force you and vice versa. Tell your friends, family or social media what your goals are so you will have accountability support and then get to work. 

6. Give it 72 hours. Non negotiable. (for off-the-wagons of 7 days or less)

If your workout hiatus was less than a week, especially for those that just had a really baaaad weekend, I have a rule. When you get back on track, you have a non negotiable 72 hour period of effort regardless of progress. Here’s why: Let’s say you are in really good shape, and you have a crazy weekend. Your crazy weekend is not like most people. You eat. A LOT. Everything you craved fit into a 48 hour period can have ugly consequences. But have you ever noticed that sometimes after a cheat day you look better the next day? And maybe even the next? And then it hits you…hard. Well, the same applies to eating clean. Just because you were ‘perfect’ on Monday after a bad weekend doesn’t mean it will show Tuesday morning. 

GIVE IT 72 HOURS. Don’t sabotage yourself by getting discouraged after a day and slipping up again and having it turn into an ‘off’ week. You are still dealing with cravings from the sugar in your system and that will go away after 72 hours for most people, as will the bloating. So next time you have one of those weekends and you are ready to get back on track, you are in it for 72 hours before judging yourself, the scale or your abs. Mk? 

7. Change your have-to’s to want-to’s.­

This is a mindset thing. It’s important to address because while the other tips are great for short term success in getting you back on track, this one will lead to long term success and happiness in your chosen lifestyle. It’s time to change the have-to’s to want-to’s for realsies. 

Old: “I have to workout to get back in shape”

New: “I want to feel great about my body again so I’m doing this”

Old: “I have to avoid all sweets and sugar”

New: “I want to see my abs again”

Because that’s why we do this isn’t it? No one wants to limit treats, but we do it because we want the feeling or results that come when we do. Focus on what you want, not what you have to do to get there. 

Eating healthy and working out is simple. Don’t overcomplicate it to the point it consumes you. The people who figure out how to enjoy it and make it an abundant and replenishing part of their lives are the real winners.