Category Archives: Exercise

Get moving

Accountability, Exercise

525,600 Minutes

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I love going to the theater.  Miss Saigon, Les Mis, West Side Story, Mama Mia, The Producers, Stomp, Annie Get Your Gun, Spamalot, Rent – I’ve seen them in London, on Broadway, in Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans.  In high school, I was in a production of Oklahoma! and I loved that, too.  I sing the songs in my head and outloud, while driving, cooking or whatever. I warn you – although in my head and in my shower, I am all Celine Dion. In your ears, I’m prolly a whole lot more Cameron Diaz (My Best Friend’s Wedding).  Still – top of my lungs, baby.  I sing at the top of my lungs! 🙂

In my dreams last night, for some reason, I sang this one from Rent – 525,600 Minutes.

I really love this piece of music!  That’s what we all have 525,600 minutes.  Every year we live, that’s what we have.  No more, no less and it doesn’t matter who you are.

I grew up with a woman who walks between five and six miles most days.  Mary works at a hospital in Brookhaven and, even when she works until midnight, she gets up, goes to the park and walks.  Such commitment to herself! I see her posts on Facebook and they stay with me.  I don’t know if she walks with anyone or alone.  I don’t know if she has any kind of local support group.  I just see that she makes those walks and that she’s doing it for herself.  In so doing, she actually helped me at the grocery store the other day.

I’m really struggling with cravings for sweets right now.  Walking by a whole rack of Tastykakes (can you believe the gall of the store to just put a whole-great-big rack of those things right out in the open?!), I was wanting to climb right into one of those bags!  Then I thought of Mary.  I thought of her commitment to herself in her walks and in working for better health.

My knee has been giving me a really hard time the last six weeks or so (which is why you haven’t heard me talk about kickboxing in awhile).  It’s getting better; but, it was hurting after just a regular day’s walking.  So, walking on a treadmill was out.  Still, the first 50 pounds of The Big Shrink were just food.  I can still focus on that without the knee having anything to say about it. I can stay committed to myself and stay the course.

52 weeks,  365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes.  How many of those will I use making myself healthier, stronger, kinder, more compassionate, better?  How many will you?

Exercise, Food, Thought Patterns

Head Down, Butt Up and Power Through

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If you’re squeamish, turn away! We are going to talk about something dark, ominous, dreaded and terrible. (Dom. Dom. Dom.) The Plateau.

You’re dieting – eating right, exercising, got your positive thinking cap on.  The world is yours.  Until…a week goes by without weight loss.  Ten days go by.  Two weeks.  ACK! Panic! Hysteria! Stress. Depression. Carbs.  The dieting death spiral. We’ve heard horror stories about it around the campfire.  We’ve seen it.  We’ve hit it.  Still, we are surprised – surprised and hurt.  What to do?  WHAT TO DO?!

Rodent gaining a plateau in the Badlands
Rodent gaining a plateau in the Badlands

First, as my former boss Julie used to say, “Relax your nerves.”

When I hit my first one during The Big Shrink, I’ll admit it: I freaked.  Friends reminded me that I was working out more; so, it was likely that I was gaining muscle at the same pound rate that I was losing fat.  Why would the most logical answer be the right one?  Crazy talk.  Cut it out. I didn’t buy that easy answer.  I mean, really.

Did you notice that I said, “my first one?”  There were several – not countless, but I can’t tell you how many.  I stopped counting and started taking them in stride.  I changed my thinking and found some coping mechanisms.

I changed the way I viewed the plateaux.  I stopped thinking of them as obstacles or trials and saw them as just part of the process.  They were a resting place, like a rest stop on the highway.  They let me stop focusing constantly on progress and let me think a little more of how far I’d come and where I was.

If the plateau didn’t break, my first thing to do was to check the fit of my clothes.  If I was getting smaller with no movement (or even upward movement) on the scale, I knew that I was gaining muscle mass at the same pace (or even faster) that I was losing fat.    I said that I wanted to lose weight; but, the point of the program was to lose fat and get healthier.  As long as I was losing size, I was on task – no problem.

If, however, I was losing NEITHER weight NOR size, then my body had slipped into, you guessed it, freak-out mode. Our bodies do this – they will decide that we’re trying to starve them to death. They respond by going into survival mode, slowing down metabolism.  The first time my body did this to me, I gave it a little talking to.  That wasn’t as effective as I had hoped.  The next thing I did (at the advice of a friend who is a doctor and fitness freak fan), was to change my exercise routine and bump my calorie budget up by two or three hundred nutrition-dense calories for a couple of days.  My body didn’t know what to expect with the new exercise routine and the calories reassured my system that I wasn’t starving it to death.  It relaxed its grip on more fat cells.

In the last few weeks, this plateau issue has come up in conversation several times.  As with everything, the only advice I can give you is what worked for me.  If you are at a plateau, don’t think of it as a curse.  Use the time to take stock, give yourself credit for your progress and look at where you’re headed.  If it doesn’t break on its own, change up your activity and your diet.  Keep yourself active and your food clean, but shake it up a little.

Above all: keep the faith!  Keep your head down, your butt up and power through it! You’ve got this.

Exercise, Habits

The Two Step Doesn’t Work

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A few weeks ago, I was having a terrible week at work.  I mean the whole thing was just a waste of calendar space.  That Friday, my boss and I were getting coffee at the same time and he asked how my week had gone.  For about a nanosecond, I considered a bald-faced lie. Confession: lying makes me feel light-headed.  At that moment, I hadn’t even had my first cup o’ Joe yet; so, the risk of passing out or something equally as embarrassing was high.  I opted for the truth.  I admitted that had I been unconscious for the week, it might have been worse, but that was probably the only way I would have cratered more effectively.  To my surprise, he laughed.

Now, this is one of the reasons I have come to like and respect this man: after I told him what I had done to address the issue, he took this opportunity to encourage and instruct me.  He took a crappy situation and used it to make me a better agent and a better person.

Three_Is_A_Magic_Number_cHe pointed out that I had done the three things necessary to truly rectify the problem:

  1. identify and acknowledge it,
  2. develop a plan to correct it,
  3. implement the plan.

As a result, my professional life has improved dramatically.  By now you should know that I just cannot leave well enough alone and that my mind draws parallels between things – sometimes even unlikely things – in this case, between my current professional challenge and my personal weight loss one.

I had identified and acknowledged that I had gained weight – step one.  I had developed a plan to correct it – step two.  But, I had yet to fully implement that plan – misstep three.  Without implementation, the first two steps were nothing more than a mental exercise which is great, don’t get me wrong.  But I can do mental push-ups all day long, they ain’t gonna get me back into a size six, you know what I mean?

Step three renewed my zest for exercise which has lead me back into kickboxing.  I do love that and can already feel progress.  I had to lay out of class on Saturday to rest my fussy knee, but I’ll find the right balance there, I’m sure.  Since my son is home from college, I’m doing some weight lifting with him.  That helps me switch it up, keep it interesting, build muscle and respect the knee.  It’s just all around good stuff.

Bottom line: using just two steps doesn’t work.  As it turns out, Schoolhouse Rock was right – three really is a magic number.

Exercise

Listen to Your Heart (You Knees, Your Spine…..)

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knees 2Monday night at kickboxing, we did lots of squats and lunges, really giving my knee a workout.  It’s pushing back.  The discomfort is coming from the tissue around the joint more than from inside it; so, I don’t think I did any damage – I just irritated the thing.  But, just in case, I’ve worn my brace for three days and used modified techniques during Wednesday’s class. My knee is complaining and I’m listening to it.

When I talked about first going back to kickboxing class I gave this advice:

  1. talk to your doctor to make sure your body can handle it – seriously, a heart attack on the treadmill is just a buzzkill for everybody,
  2. consult a professional (a certified personal trainer, if possible) and ask for their help in developing a program that works for you,
  3. DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY! If you hate it or just tolerate it, you’ll never stick with it.

Let me add to that: 4. listen to your body.

Now, when I say that, I mean listen to REAL complaints, not those whiny ones we make up to avoid doing crunches when we’d rather be climbing into a bag of jalapeno potato chips.  (Potential TMI warning) When I set out for a long walk or run, I always empty my bladder first (never pass up an opportunity to use the restroom – life wisdom there at no extra charge).  Regardless, about five minutes into my adventure, my bladder sends out distress signals a la Titanic.  “Return to port! Return to port! Leak detected in the hold!”  Pssst!  Guess what.  My bladder is lying to me.

Often when I start a workout, I begin to feel very tired and I start to think that there’s no way I can finish it; so, I should just lie down right now.  Again, my body is lying to me.

I have to watch closely to discern truth from falsehood: to know when a muscle says, “I’m tired” and it’s really saying’ “I want to watch cartoons.”  Or when it’s really saying, “I’m about to pull, tear or otherwise jack up your world.”

I’m fairly new to all of this fitness stuff – just a couple of years old, really; so, I’m still learning to differentiate the signals. Given the spontaneous injuries professional athletes suffer, I’m not sure that anyone can ever completely do it.  However, to avoid injury and lose the ground we’ve gained, we’ve got to tune in and at least give it an honest try.

Exercise, Food, Habits

Soprano Funeral Dirge

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angelAs I told you when I started blogging, my health was the motivation for me to change my lifestyle. I had this moment of clarity at a regular check-up when my blood pressure was high enough that I was not allowed to leave until it came down. At that moment, it really hit me that either I changed my lifestyle or I might not be around to meet my grandchildren. It crystallized for me that this was my do-over and that it might be my last one. That sounds like a little hyperbole, but it’s not as outlandish as it first appears.  I’m in my mid-40s – five years younger than the (as of yesterday) late James Gandolfini.

The actor carried a great deal of fat around his middle, the most dangerous fat distribution.    As we discussed before, abdominal fat is linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease.  Reports are that Gandolfini died of either a heart attack or a stroke.  Now, I realize that I’m making some assumptions here when I don’t have all of the facts.  I do not have any kind of insider information.  I’m going with the cause of death reported in the media (dangerous to trust anything in the media, I know). And I’m making a connection between that and his appearance.  My conclusion is reasonable.

The man was only 51 years old. How old am I? How old are you? How long before my beloved ice cream gives me a stroke? How long before that heart-attack-in-a-sack goes off in your chest?  Will we survive the wake up call or will it serve to wake someone else?

Why risk it? We have to make the changes we need to make today.  Eat more vegetables. Eat less refined sugar. Eat less flour. Eat cleaner, more natural foods. Increase your activity.  Walk more. Sit less.  Move.

I never had HBO and never watched The Sopranos; but, I’d seen Gandolfini in other projects.  I appreciated his talent and am saddened that he’s dead.  The real weight on my mind right now, though, is the wife he leaves behind and his children – a teen-aged son and an infant daughter who will never know her father.  It is for them that my heart breaks.

Exercise, Habits

Push ‘Em Back, Push ‘Em Back, Swayback!

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swayback-postureBabies are adorable walking around in their little diapers, rear ends poking way out.  Fast forward 20 years and the rear end poking way out like that isn’t so cute anymore.  It’s also not comfortable or healthy, either. I’ve held myself that way for years.

Swayback. Lordosis. Got a big, ole butt.  Whatever you call it, it’s poor posture and it’s bad for your skeleton and for your look!

If my rear end was stuck out, my abdomen was, too (as a counter-weight).  The result was that my already large belly appeared even larger.  My hips and butt also appeared larger, but the connection wasn’t so obvious to me.  Try this: stand up and give yourself a sway back.  Poke your butt out one direction and your abdomen the other.  Feel what happens with your hips?  They roll out.

The ball and socket of the hip joint are not designed to fit snuggly when your back is swayed like that; so, the ball rolls out of the joint a little bit, widening the hips and rear.

Now, tuck your pelvis.  Try to push your rear end through to the front.  Feel what happens, then?  Your hip sockets fit together.

Look five pounds thinner instantly!

If you do those little demonstrations in front a mirror, you can actually watch as your hips flare.  Tuck your pelvis and you can see how much thinner they look.

I’ve been walking and standing sway backed for so long, my hips were seriously out of line.  It has taken conscious effort to tuck my pelvis when standing, walking, running, and even sitting.  When I’m standing where no one will see me and think I’ve dropped off the deep end, I do a very simple exercise tucking my pelvis and tightening all of the muscles, pretending they area belt pulling my hip joints back together.  Particularly right at first, I could almost feel the joints pop back into place.  I don’t feel as much movement now; but, I still do the exercises to keep the muscles strong and as a reminder, as much as anything else.

Strengthening my core muscles helps with this a great deal, as well.  Rather than tucking my pelvis by pushing it forward, those strong abs help pull it forward and hold everything in place.

Since I’ve concentrated on getting rid of this swayed back, my lower back rarely hurts anymore.  By moving the weight bearing back onto my hips and legs where it was always supposed to be, I’ve reduced the strain on the lower back muscles and bones that were functioning as they were never intended.  In addition, my hips feel better.  Again, they are functioning as they are designed to – amazing how that works!

We are all told to hold our shoulders back, stand erect.  No slumping. It is just as important to remind ourselves and our children to keep our pelvises in line.

 

Exercise, Food

Gassing Up

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When I was the interim manager of a travel agency in Starkville, MS, a coworker joked about going over to Columbus to this Mexican restaurant to “gas up.”  The food was really good, but his assessment was right on the money; so, out of respect for each other, we scheduled those trips on Fridays.

My three kickboxing classes have reminded me about gassing up correctly.  For Saturday morning’s class, I remembered to get up in time to prepare the only breakfast that gives me enough energy to make it through that workout – a bowl of old fashioned or steel cut oatmeal with chia seeds, milled flax seeds, cinnamon and a mashed banana.  I’ve tried cold cereal.  Nope. Eggs, bacon and toast. Nope. Pancakes. Nope.  For me, this is the only breakfast that fuels me properly.  It’s my best way to gas up.  I have to eat it at least 60 minutes before class, but no more than 90.  Fewer than 60 may have me nauseated, but more than 90 and I run out of gas before the third mitt drill.  For my son, it’s different.  He needs to eat two hours prior and he needs a meal heavier in protein.

Speaking of protein, I have been hit this week with some pretty strong cravings…..for chicken and eggs. I know, right?  We’ve talked about cravings before and I truly do believe that they are often direct communication from our bodies addressing a specific deficiency.  When I think of food cravings, sugary foods usually come to mind.  My body is usually feeling tired and is demanding something for quick, ready energy; so, it creates visions of chocolate donuts dancing in my head.  Right now, my body doesn’t need the extra energy – it needs those amino acid chains. Right now, my body is telling me that it needs protein.

Working and building muscles – with push-ups, ab sprawls, squats, etc – actually damages them with tiny tears.  Protein repairs that damage, making the muscles stronger than before.    After hours of aerobic and isometric exercises, my aren’t ultimately feeling tired – they’re feeling damaged; so, my body is giving me A Chorus Line with barnyard fowl. (Take a moment and envision Bob Fosse choreographing for chickens. That’s priceless.)

Chicken Barn Dance by Matthew Finger
Chicken Barn Dance by Matthew Finger

Preparing for exercise, exercise itself and feeding your body afterwards are all crucial and, I believe, all very individual.  Walking is less effective for me than for many I know.  Lifting weights is good for everyone – but different weights and in different manners.  My body craves meat. You may be fine as a vegan. It’s all about YOU – your body, your metabolism, your heredity, your lifestyle.  Because it’s so personal, I think it’s important to educate yourself and to consult a professional.

In my profession, I hear it regularly: people have read this book, watched that show or listened to something else.  More than many, I can appreciate the value of self-education; however, I still go see my doctor for annual check-ups, you know what I mean? So, as you change your fuel and activity, talk with a doctor, a nutritionist, or a personal trainer.  When you see your doctor, your healthier stats are reported to your insurance carrier (which can have great effects on your rates, depending on what coverage you have.)  As for nutritionists and personal trainers,  health and fitness are ALL they do.  They’ve read more than you and I have time to.  They are educated on the subject – sometimes for years – and they know their professions.

You can make significant headway on your own, sure; however, this is what these people do. They are too valuable a resource to waste.

Exercise

Higher Degrees

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I’m REALLY late visiting with you today and lemme tell you why …. I’m tired.

Baron Fork

As threatened, I went kickboxing Saturday morning, in spite of the fact that my calves felt tight enough to pop.  After class, they felt better, but my upper body was beginning to tighten up.  Over the course of the rest of the weekend, I mowed my yard using a push-mover, shampooed carpets and spent a day kayaking/floating down the Collins River.  By Sunday, my upper body was in some serious fatigue and discomfort.  The thing is: I am SO EXCITED ABOUT IT!

Every muscle twinge tells me that I broke that tissue down a little during working out.  Lean protein consumption helps my body rebuild that tissue, making it stronger, leaner and more efficient.  I can already tell a difference in how some of my clothes fit which is incredibly thrilling.

The soreness reminds me:

  1. to do only those things that really matter,
  2. that I am alive, and
  3. that I am getting stronger.

Class is at 8 tonight.  I still will not be able to do many push-ups or ab sprawls; but, I can guarantee you that I will be able to do more of them tonight than I could on Saturday.  Progress, baby!

Exercise

It’s a Question of Degrees

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ow, Ow, oW, OW! OWW!!!

I am actually as sore as I had predicted. Muscles I had forgotten about are SCREAMING at me today. My calves are so tight that I question every step. “Okay, so I have to use the restroom; but, do I have to use it badly enough?”

The only one who can tell you, "You can't" is you...and you don't have to listen.Instead of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, today we have Her Dotyness’s hierarchy of whines. It’s all about degrees of need or desire for me today.  Am I hungry enough to brave the walk to the kitchen? Just how badly do I want that next cup of coffee? While my internal conversation is pretty comical today, I think that the question of degrees applies more frequently than just when my calves are sore.  I say I want something, but how badly do I really want it?

I’ve been lamenting my poor choices and execution.  If say I want to lose these pounds, then I have to prove it.  I have to want it badly enough to make better choices and to keep my exercise appointments.  If I don’t do those things, then I must not want that weight loss badly enough.

This week, my choices have been better – I had the fruit cup instead of the muffin, the grande latte instead of the venti.  I started kickboxing again. My head trash level is lower. I feel like my clothes fit a little better.  Maybe they do, maybe I just think they do.  If perception is reality in terms of customer service, then I say it should be reality in terms of self conversation, as well. Whatever the case, it’s a positive week loaded with positive energy and progress.

So, even now, as I categorize the threat level of my bladder alarm, I know that come tomorrow morning, calves screaming or not, I will be in class, sweating, talking myself through just one more push up. Because, in terms of degrees, I want it badly enough.

Exercise

Kicking My Fanny Into Gear…Literally

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I’m actually typing this blog with my nose. It is the only part of my body I can control to any degree right now. It is Wednesday night and I am writing my Thursday blog now because I’m fairly certain I won’t be able to do it tomorrow.

For the first time in about 10.5 months, I attended a kickboxing class tonight.  Before my knee surgery, I attended class with Karin’s Kicking Fitness three times a week.  I. LOVED. IT.  The class is hard, hard work if you really get into it.  You can take it easy on yourself if you like and hardly break a sweat, but I don’t.  I work hard and smell like a goat when I leave.  Here’s the thing: if I’m going to take it easy on myself, I’m going to be on the couch and some beer drinking and hockey watching are going to be involved. If I’m going to pay to attend an exercise class, then, by golly, I’m exercising.

left hand and heavy bagMy first class was on Valentine’s Day 2012.  I attended three times a week until late July when I hurt my knee (not in class, by the way).  During those six months, I missed no more than three classes and became a beast!  I was in the best shape of my life, hands down. My core was strong.  I could do push ups on my toes and first two knuckles. Squats, lunges, planks, mountain climbers, boot strappers, burpies – bring ’em on!  While the classes got easier, they were never easy.  Again, I. LOVED. IT.  And I have missed it terribly.

Fast forward now through those lazy 10.5 months of The Great Regain and we get to tonight. I was so excited to be able to go to class.  I had my knee in a brace and, because Karin is a physical therapist assistant who had worked with me during recovery, I was confident that she would watch me to make certain that I didn’t do anything to hurt myself. My confidence was well placed.  She watched me and suggested some adjustments that would give me a good workout, but that would protect that knee.  The workout was hard – harder than I remember.  There were a couple of times when I was afraid I might have to excuse myself to go “call some dinosaurs.”  I managed to hang on, though, and made it through with my dignity mostly intact.

As you decide to exercise, my advice is:

  1. talk to your doctor to make sure your body can handle it – seriously, a heart attack on the treadmill is just a buzzkill for everybody,
  2. consult a professional (a certified personal trainer, if possible) and ask for their help in developing a program that works for you,
  3. DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY! If you hate it or just tolerate it, you’ll never stick with it.

Tonight, I drove home with my knees, can’t lift my arms and had to pretty much fall out of the car when I arrived at the house.  The four-inch step to the stoop required a Herculean effort.  Thursday, I may have to pay someone to apply my make-up, brush my teeth and do my hair.  Friday, I’ll likely start crying the moment I wake.  Saturday, class is at 8 AM and I’ll be there because, yep, I. LOVE. IT.