Month: April 2018

Teaching my Exercise Motivation & Adherence class and seeing the title of a former student’s Master’s thesis (Congratulations, Zach!!), I reminded of the effect our self-talk can have on us.  Others can say what they will, and we can take it or leave it.  What we say to ourselves it most impacting.

Self-talk is a personal choice.  Sure, we are affected by what others say, but, at the start of each day, we decide what we think about ourselves.

Disregard the negativity and the doubt.  Believe in yourself—even if no one else will.

Nothing stifles personal growth and accomplishment than self-doubt.  “Can’t”, remember, has never done anything.  Who you see in the mirror is who you are.  You are not who others see.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I wish it had been my own creative thinking, but I came across a T-Nation* article by TC Luoma that made me laugh and made a great point.  I think high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has its function in the fitness routine, but I believe its application is misplaced—at least the purpose is misapplied.  I am, personally, not a fan of CrossFit, but it works for some.  Luoma, however, chose to go after the “bastard” child of a “fermented paleo” drunken date between CrossFit and HIIT.  I will modify Luoma’s words and call it Crosshiit (get it?).

Crosshiit is the haphazard mix of “short rest periods, randomly chosen exercises (but always including those stupid battling ropes, for some reason), indeterminate, pulled-out-of-their-ass rep ranges…” (Luoma’s words not mine).  These are the workouts that are somehow dreamed up by some gym employee who rolled out of bed and, depending on the mood, scrawled a bunch of random exercised on the whiteboard under “WOD”.  They are workouts make you sweat and feel like you did something productive—and, if you don’t get hurt, you might see some progress (though more often than not you won’t).  Over the long-term, though, real progress is not likely.

Effective progressive overload must be planned and purposeful.  The Crosshiit trainers seemingly have forget (or never studied exercise physiology to learn) the principle of “specificity”—i.e., the body system makes specific adaptations to imposed demands.  Simply put, one’s training must match one’s goals.  A trainer can use words like “metabolic conditioning” and not know what he is talking about.  Crosshiit usually involves no significant resistances to build strength and hypertrophy, and, despite taking Tabata’s name in vain, the cardiorespiratory intensities are nowhere near sufficient to initiate a significant improvement in VO₂max.  (The body would literally break under the stress of trying to come anywhere near the Tabata IE1 intensity.)  So, we are left with a workout that may or may not result in fat loss, has little benefit for muscle strength, muscle endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness, and significantly increases the risk of injury.  So, yeah, “Crosshiit” is a pretty good label.

If you are a recovering Crosshiiter or trying to escape the cult, there are alternatives with proper strength training and safe, effective, HIIT workouts (stick to the cardio machines or running, swimming, etc.).  If you must, find a gym that offers planned, body weight or dumbbell/kettlebell, high-intensity interval resistance training (HIIRT) workouts as supplements to specificity training and are less Crosshiity.  Use HIIRT to stimulate the fat-burning metabolism and weight-training for muscle strength/endurance/hypertrophy and cardio for, well, cardio.

Consider opportunity cost.  If you only have limited time to exercise (as we all do), you don’t have time for a Crosshiity workout.  Use your time wisely.  Be goal-oriented and goal-specific.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

*https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-avoid-this-dumb-workout-trend?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article5041

No doubt beer can have a significant impact on one’s waistline.  Beer has some demonstrated health benefits—particularly darker beer—but that otherwise are void of any needed nutrition.  Thus, for those of us seeking to shed some pounds of fat, it is one of the first things to be cut.

If one is looking to get really lean—six-pack lean—alcohol may need to be cut all together (or at least to next to no alcohol.  For those of us who are looking primarily to a healthy waist, abstention is not necessary.  We must, however, cut back.  If dieting, more than a beer a day is probably sabotaging your improvements.

Cut back.  First things first.  Drink less.  An average beer is probably about 200 kcal, if you are drinking for quality and taste. (I am a beer-snob.)  That is 1400 kcal per week and 73,000 kcal per year.  Cutting one beer a day (at 3500 kcal per pound can result in a loss of up to 20 pounds a year!  So, obviously, beer can be much the blame for our “beer bellies”.

Watch the alcohol content.  Not all beers are the same.  Of course, they vary in taste.  Moreover, they vary in alcohol content and, thus, calories.  Rule of thumb: each %ABV equals 30 kcal per 12 ounces (40 kcal per pint).  So, avoid anything “Imperial” (e.g., Imperial IPA).  These are usually around 9% ABV or 360 kcal per pint.  I have seen some in excess of 1000 kcal!  Look to “sessionable” beers.  There are some great tasting beers under 4.5%.  Personally, I prefer the English-style beers and the hoppiness of Session IPAs in the 4.5-5.5% range.  We are currently on a quest to find the best beers at lower ABVs.  To low, they start to taste like water (which is what first brought my attention to %ABV.)

Don’t drink beer to quench your thirst.  A cold one is always nice after a hard workout or laboring in the yard, but stick to water.  Make drinking beer an occasion.  Save it for date night or dining out when you can explore new brews.  Drinking a mass-produced branded beer at a restaurant, when there is an extensive list of craft brews, just seems like a foolish use of calories.  I will most often have my one beer for the day when my wife and I sit for our “15-minute check-in”.  The selection is carefully made and the beer is savored.  (Beer chugging should end with college graduation.)  Enjoy the beer, if you are going to use some of your daily calorie limit.  If it isn’t going to be special, again, go with water.

Carpe momento!

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”—Michael Jordan

Shoot!  My 12-year-old son is hesitant to shoot the lacrosse ball when he has the opportunity.  Aren’t we all a bit like that in certain situations?  We are all a bit reticent to step out of our comfort zone.  Sure, some seem more comfortable than others—overall.  If we really go introspective, we can all find areas of our lives where we are self-conscious and, dare I say, fearful.

A point of having a “growth plan” and practicing daily rituals of reflection is to identify our areas of fearfulness and to overcome them.  We must train ourselves to fail.  Perfection should be transient.  As we grow and attain specific skills, we must move on to the next challenge.  We must practice, not what we can do well, but that which we cannot do.  We must daily move out of our comfort zone and be uncomfortable.

Being uncomfortable is, well, uncomfortable.  We like to be safe, but “safe” never leaves the place we are in.  Of course, there is apprehension in stepping out and being challenged—that is kinda inherent in the definition of “challenge”.

If we shoot, we either fail or succeed.  Either way, we get better.  In wrestling, they say, there are only winners and learners—and at least there are point that can be scored on a counter.  In lacrosse, there are only points scored on the attack.  You have to shoot to score.  In life, you have to shoot to score.  Truly successful people are uncomfortable most of the time.  Some might call them “fearless”, but I doubt they are without some apprehension.  Chuck Yeager is famous because he stepped into the unknown.  In his words: “You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”—Mohammad Ali

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.  Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”–Hebrews 13:1-3

Life is messy.  Our human tendency is to seek comfort and protection, thus isolating ourselves. Our help is usually short-term assistance—a check/donation, a community service day, an offer of prayers, etc.  We are often afraid to get too dirty.

I was reminded of this recently, and it got me to thinking about the extent to which we voice concerns but remain modestly distant from the problem.  My head is spinning with examples, but there are too many to allow anyone to get adequate justice in this short post.  I don’t think anyone reading this has to look far to see growing problems in our society.  When we see problems, there are three options: ignore, complain, or act.  Action is the only avenue to fixing the problem.  Sadly, we tend to prefer to either ignore or complain.  Ignoring the problem does absolutely nothing.  Complaining may shine a light on the problem, but is invariably met with resistance.  This is apparent with the seemingly recent rise in organized protests.

Real change is going to come from individual involvement.  I see this as a reversal of the “Tragedy of the Commons”.  As well as we can take from the commons, we can give.  That small amount that we contribute is magnified by the small contributions of others.  These actions also have a compounding effect.  Our actions (good or bad) give others permission and encouragement to do the same.  If you want to see a better society, begin by acting better.

One example I will discuss from a recent conversation is “gentrification”.  Gentrification, according to Webster-Merriam, is “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents”.  There are two alternatives to gentrification.  One resign a neighborhood to further decline and poverty, or one can step in and elevate the neighborhood.  A process of “renewal and rebuilding” should not displace people.  Rather it should bring an opportunity to advance everyone.  Again, we can ignore, complain, or act.  Our actions must always project beyond our self-interests.  This is “community”.

The solutions to our global problems are Spiritual.  While there may be technical aspects to the solutions, at the heart of our problems is how we individually approach the Commons.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Sport plays a meaningful role in one’s life—or at least it should.  As a boy, I played football, wrestled and did track & field.  I tried other sports (e.g., basketball and baseball), but these never wholly appealed to my personality.  My daughter plays basketball, and my son has gravitated to wrestling and lacrosse.   I often share my thoughts on wrestling, but lacrosse is relatively new to me.  Honestly, the only thing I cannot appreciate about growing up in Pittsburgh is that I was not exposed to the sport of lacrosse as a boy.  I think I would have found my spring sport.

I love the dynamics of the sport of lacrosse, but, moreover, I love the deep history of the game and the purpose to which it is played.  Unlike most sports, lacrosse coaches (at least all that I have encountered) remain grounded in the traditions of the sport.  The boys and girls who play are taught the history and to play for purpose, as well as fun.  There remains a Spiritual component to the game.

Lacrosse has its roots among the people of the Iroquois tribes.  The game was significant to tribal community and religious life.  It was (and remains) “the Creator’s Game”.  It is played for the Creator and to bring honor to the tribe, as well as self.  It is played, as all sports should be played, for purposes greater than self.

We should make all that we do a “Creator’s Game”.  We must live with honor and purpose.  Early lacrosse was often a surrogate for war.  Image a world where disputes are settled non-violently with sport—and sportsmanship.

Many sports have lost their way and become an avenue for self-aggrandizement.  The “tribal” nature of “team” is often lost.  In other words, community is lost—especially the Spiritual sense of community.

When we live Spiritually, we do not relinquish “self”.  Rather “self” is elevated to purpose and responsibility.  Living and playing for others (the Creator’s Game) demands that we perform at our best—that we continually better self, not for personal glory, but for the honor of self and the glory of team.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Image source: https://laxbuzz.wordpress.com/tag/iroquois-nationals/

I define the Spiritual dimension of well-centered fitness as the awareness of something greater than one’s self.  To be Spiritually “well”, one must have a strong sense of self.  Self-identity. Self-efficacy.  Self-awareness.  Self- esteem.  Self-actualization.  These are all terms associated with a healthy self.

One of my daily mantras is “I am third” (i.e., my God is first, my family and friends are second, and I am third).  One cannot be “third” without first taking care of “self”.  It is a bit of a paradox.  We can only become selfless after first growing a sense of self of which to let go and sacrifice.

I believe this is lacking in society today.  We are told we are entitled to this or that and that we have rights upon which others cannot infringe, but we neglect the responsibility to live purposefully for others.

We grow from a sense of self to a sense of community to a sense of world to a sense of universe.  We cannot understand our place in the world or universe until we first see that we are unique, important, and have purpose.  Our importance, however, is not for the universe to shine a light on.  Rather it is for us to shine.  Our importance does not lead to privilege.  Rather, it leads to obligation and responsibility.

It is only after we grow our ego (and let it go) that we can be of use in the world and truly grow Spiritually.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Life is a series of baby steps along the way and if you add up these tiny little steps you take toward your goal, whatever it is, whether it’s giving up something, a terrible addiction or trying to work your way through an illness. When you total up those baby steps you’d be amazed over the course of 10 years, the strides you’ve taken.”—Hoda Kotb

There seem to be endless short lists of actions that promise success.  I nice and simple neat these are, they are unrealistic.  Success isn’t always so clean.  Indeed, it is often complicated, convoluted, and protracted.  If were honest, growth comes in a series of small, seemingly insignificant steps—“baby steps”.

According to the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”  The journey continues with subsequent steps.  Maybe there is an occasional leap, but mostly we progress in small increments.

If you want to change, find the easiest small step.  Baby step to success.

Dieting?  Cutting just 10 kcal a day will lead a one pound loss of body fat in a year.  Maybe that doesn’t seem like much, but what is 10 kcal?  That is one Lifesaver candy.  One!

Starting and exercise program?  Consider the minimal time you can set aside.  Ten or fifteen minutes is certainly more productive than doing nothing.  Add time and repetitions in small progressions and in time your will be surprised what you are doing.

Want to write a book?  Consider what you can accomplish writing just a page a day.

Change the world a person at a time.

A book is read a word at a time.

Change is possible.  You just need to break it down and baby step.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

How much should you be eating in a meal?  This is often hard to determine and sometimes impossible to calculate.  We want to be eucaloric (calories in = calories out), hypocaloric (calories in < calories out), or hypercaloric (calories in > calories out), depending on our goals (maintenance, loss, or gain, respectively), but counting calories can be tedious.  Generally, though, meals can be rather consistent and snacks can be adjusted to allow for increase or decreases in food intake to affect caloric balance.

The next great affecter for weight management is macro balance—how much carbohydrate, protein and fat we consume.  A useful tool to control macro portions is to use the hand as a guide.  A common recommendation is to use the palm of the hand as a guide for protein, the cupped hand for dense carbs, the fist for vegetables, and the thumb for fats.   These are the approximate serving sizes.  A palm is roughly 4 ounces of lean meat (20-30 g of protein or 80-120 kcal).  A palm of starches and fruits is roughly 20-30 g of carbohydrate (80-120 kcal).  Vegetables are low in calories—maybe 6-10 g of carbohydrate per fist (24-40 kcal). A thumb of fats is roughly 7-12 g of fat (63-108 kcal).

Precision Nutrition recommends (for men—half this for females):

2 palms of protein dense foods with each meal; 2 fists of vegetables with each meal; 2 cupped hands of carb dense foods with most meals; 2 entire thumbs of fat dense foods with most meals.

On the three-meal plan, this is approximately 1482-2328 kcal and provides a start—add (or remove) snacks or servings as needed.  Size is a factor more than gender, so consider over all body weight.

An easy rule of thumb for protein is 1 g per pound of body weight (less if one is not exercising intensely or exercising to gain muscle).  Carbs are more a matter of need—typically, carbs are adjusted relative to training intensity and duration (~0.5 g per pound of body weight on sedentary days to 2+ g per pound on very intense days).  Thus, one can start with his or her typical day and adjust accordingly.  If the goal is fat loss, and one is not losing weight, cut a little bit.  If the weight loss is too rapid (>2 lb per week) add some food back in.

Nine palms of protein a day is approximately 180 to 270 g of protein—more than enough for most men.  For starchy carbs and vegetables, lean toward nutrient dense choices.  Fats are left as the easy place from which to cut.

Load the plate wisely and you can avoid overeating.  Avoid going for seconds and ideally dish out servings away from the table.  Keeping serving bowls at the table is an invitation to overeat.

Plan meals ahead of time.  Successful bodybuilders are known for their pre-prepared meal containers.  If you are trying to lose fat, don’t allow yourself the opportunity to overeat.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”—Theodore Roosevelt

The other night, I was catching the lacrosse ball with my son.  I had to push him a bit to use his long pole.  He has played a lot of goalie, and, this year he has moved to playing midfield.  He has the speed, size, and developing ball handling skills to be a good long stick middie (i.e., “LSM”).  He is finally getting comfortable playing the field and shooting.  I talked him about his desire to play LSM, and he gave his patent response: “I don’t know.”  I pressed him, and asked why he is uncertain.  He said he wasn’t “comfortable with the long pole, yet”.  We had a little talk about being beyond our comfort level.

I try to teach my children that success comes from always pushing beyond that with which one is comfortable.  It is not easy for an adult to understand this, let alone a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old.  Heck, I struggle with it.  Nonetheless, it is the only way to be (extra)ordinary.  No one does great things being comfortable.  One must push beyond the fears and uncertainties on a regular—daily—basis to achieve.

I don’t want my kids to fear failure.  I want them to embrace failure.  Failure always precedes success—unless, of course, failure is the result of not trying.  To the one who is willing to try, failure is likely.  When we try, and fail, we learn.  We grow and get better.  Fear subsides and confidence builds.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” (Colin Powell).  It is no secret, but the reality is often ignored.

We get better by trying—by doing.  Of course, we will fail at first.  If it is comfortable, it is not sufficiently challenging.  So, go and fail at something.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!