Man is it good to be back being busy again! Not too busy though, in case you are a potential customer there are plenty of openings available(call me). Still, driving down to the studio for 1 or 2 people was just not a very satisfying day of work. Now that school is back on, lake places are closed up, and vacations are done it's nice to have everyone back in and sweating hard.
Not too much else from me today so we'll get on to business.
Fit Topic of the Day - Heart Rate Training 101
Probably no single point of emphasis brings my clients better results than convincing them to workout in their target heart rate zones. Lunging is a fantastic exercise as is stability ball work, but neither of them will produce a consistent rate of fat loss and weight reduction. As with most training programs you can really go deep with zone training and the physiological relationship between the heart muscle and various sources of energy within your cells.
Here, though, we'll just cover the basics and the 'why for'. To begin with, start with 220 and subtract your age. The answer is the heart's maximum beating capacity per minute. Mine is 184 (quick....How old am I?). Eons ago, ancient Mesopotamian scientists, during rest breaks after inventing checkers, determined that the physiological peak capability of the heart muscle was 220 bpm and in order to evaluate human performance on an more human level established the 'minus 1 for each year of age' rule.
Traveling forward to medieval times and the corresponding invention of the treadmill we find that science says that at 60% of your maximum heart rate your body is utilizing mostly fat for fuel. Math time!
184(me) x 60percent = 11040...wait that's not right. Try 184 x .60 = 110.4 there we go.
SO, in order to perform exercise which will primarily burn from my fat stores I want to train at an intensity of between 110 and 120 bpm. This would be a fairly brisk walking pace. 30 minutes of work at 3 session per week would, over time, result in some significant weight loss. Now, what happens at higher levels of intensity?
184 x .75 = 138bpm
By increasing your heart's output 20 to 25% you will be burning almost twice as many calories per workout. It's much harder, but the results will come quicker too. Heart rate monitors come in all colors and flavors or you can just use the old two fingers on the wrist method too. If you can't find a pulse, you really shouldn't be reading my blog right now.
Ridiculously Fit Person of the Day - Jodie Gleason
Jodie is a triathlete and regular person with a day job. I read an interview with her here and find that she has some great insight on staying motivated and on target with her goals. It's a good piece about a person who is taking a healthy lifestyle to the next level.
Me and My iPod
30 min jog - an old mix I like from past Bloomsday training. Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Kid Rock and others
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Forward Progress
If you have been following along here you remember that I've mentioned golfing a few times and how *ahem* well I play. 10 years ago when I first started I would find myself becoming enraged while playing. Hitting the ball too fat or too thin, launching giant divots or putting myself off the green made me turn red. After 4 or 5 holes I would contemplate walking off the course which I think I actually did once.
About 5 years later I was playing 9 holes with my wife. It goes without saying that she was unwilling to put up with my, shall we say, poor attitude. My behavior was childish and unreasonable given the number of times I play per year. Quitting because it was hard or berating myself because I wasn't performing the way I thought I should never got me anything but a crappy afternoon walk.
Upon receiving the attitude adjustment that only a loving spouse can give I adopted a more accepting, ok mature, mindset. Forward Progress! To date, I have only been witness to one example of a backward golf shot, sans tree of course. My playing partner popped his ball up off of the tee with so much spin that it curled back behind us and bounced off the roof of the bathroom. It was amazing actually and we were all laughing so hard he didn't even care that it counted, though I think we were all so impressed that we gave him a pass.
My point is that I continue to tell myself that I can hit any shot well but naturally it doesn't happen. I still hit the ball too fat or too thin, launch giant divots further than my ball, and putt the ball exactly three feet when I should have putted one foot or five. However, they never go backwards and so I choose to focus on the fact that no matter how badly I just shot, I'm still closer to my goal than when I started. Next time you're out in the weeds, see if you can find a meta(Fore!) in there.
Fit Topic of the Day - WATER
Water is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and drinking enough of it can facilitate success relative to your fitness goals. However, many people seem to forget it's availability as a refreshing beverage. I have found that my clients refer to water by more common names like, coffee, or diet coke. While these drinks fall into the 'liquid' category and do contain actual H2O they will not fulfill the same function. In general, caffeine creates a gentle stimulating effect which perks us all up. Overdoing it though can lead to trouble sleeping, 'going' more frequently, and exacerbate conditions like anxiety and hypertension.
Other fluids consumed can contain excess sugar, processed chemical additives, and in general add calories in when you are trying to get them out. Doing your best to stick to regular old water will promote more fluidity within joints, maintain organ function, improve brain health and nutrient/waste transfer within the body. Hydrated muscles and healthy skin will make us look better too. Now...close your eyes and imagine a trickling, gurgling, dripping, flowing stream of water.
Ridiculously Fit Person of the Day -
Ryan Gosling - I was pretty hesitant to put this one up but it's true. While watching, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with Steve Carell about a month ago, my lovely wife turned to me during one of Mr. Gosling's shirtless scenes and just laughed. I knew then that I would be putting him up here as one ridiculously fit dude. Not that I'm jealous or anything.
Me and My iPod -
Running - 35 min on the street(very exciting for me)
iPod - Podrunner 162 BPM mix - a shade fast but still a good mix. Will be checking out the Interval Podrunner too.
Upper Body work - Cable Reverse fly, deltoid raise, dumbell flys on ball, Pullups on Total Gym
iPod - WTF with Marc Maron
About 5 years later I was playing 9 holes with my wife. It goes without saying that she was unwilling to put up with my, shall we say, poor attitude. My behavior was childish and unreasonable given the number of times I play per year. Quitting because it was hard or berating myself because I wasn't performing the way I thought I should never got me anything but a crappy afternoon walk.
Upon receiving the attitude adjustment that only a loving spouse can give I adopted a more accepting, ok mature, mindset. Forward Progress! To date, I have only been witness to one example of a backward golf shot, sans tree of course. My playing partner popped his ball up off of the tee with so much spin that it curled back behind us and bounced off the roof of the bathroom. It was amazing actually and we were all laughing so hard he didn't even care that it counted, though I think we were all so impressed that we gave him a pass.
My point is that I continue to tell myself that I can hit any shot well but naturally it doesn't happen. I still hit the ball too fat or too thin, launch giant divots further than my ball, and putt the ball exactly three feet when I should have putted one foot or five. However, they never go backwards and so I choose to focus on the fact that no matter how badly I just shot, I'm still closer to my goal than when I started. Next time you're out in the weeds, see if you can find a meta(Fore!) in there.
Fit Topic of the Day - WATER
Water is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and drinking enough of it can facilitate success relative to your fitness goals. However, many people seem to forget it's availability as a refreshing beverage. I have found that my clients refer to water by more common names like, coffee, or diet coke. While these drinks fall into the 'liquid' category and do contain actual H2O they will not fulfill the same function. In general, caffeine creates a gentle stimulating effect which perks us all up. Overdoing it though can lead to trouble sleeping, 'going' more frequently, and exacerbate conditions like anxiety and hypertension.
Other fluids consumed can contain excess sugar, processed chemical additives, and in general add calories in when you are trying to get them out. Doing your best to stick to regular old water will promote more fluidity within joints, maintain organ function, improve brain health and nutrient/waste transfer within the body. Hydrated muscles and healthy skin will make us look better too. Now...close your eyes and imagine a trickling, gurgling, dripping, flowing stream of water.
Ridiculously Fit Person of the Day -
Ryan Gosling - I was pretty hesitant to put this one up but it's true. While watching, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with Steve Carell about a month ago, my lovely wife turned to me during one of Mr. Gosling's shirtless scenes and just laughed. I knew then that I would be putting him up here as one ridiculously fit dude. Not that I'm jealous or anything.
Me and My iPod -
Running - 35 min on the street(very exciting for me)
iPod - Podrunner 162 BPM mix - a shade fast but still a good mix. Will be checking out the Interval Podrunner too.
Upper Body work - Cable Reverse fly, deltoid raise, dumbell flys on ball, Pullups on Total Gym
iPod - WTF with Marc Maron
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