Lazy Is As Lazy Does

Forrest Gump is really handy to paraphrase, hence the title. Lazy workout habits show as you get older. Yeah, I know it’s not fair that you will be caught out simply because you are not doing your stretchies and you are getting older. Rail against it all you want, fair has nothing to do with it. It’s just is the way it is.

As you progress into your sixties you notice that it is becoming harder to bend down to pick things up. The hips and lower back just don’t work the way they used to. My wife has a really picturesque expression for this. She says her ”bender and dipper” doesn’t work like it used to. She first became conscious of this when she went bowling a short time ago. Throwing a bowling ball, an activity that involves a lot hip and knee action, is one of the first to expose this uncomfortable evidence of growing older. If you haven’t done it for a while, you may be in for a surprise.

As you age it is increasingly important to keep up with exercises that use the full range of motion of the hip, knee joints and the joints of the back. Funny, core work comes to mind. How about that? Suddenly exercises like sit ups, squats and dead lifts, old standbys, have new respect, no? Of course, you don’t have to do these particular exercises. There are others. Be creative. If you are one of the lucky ones to be contemplating keeping up after sixty birthdays, you also have to be careful to be promoting strength while keeping limber. Hamstring and thigh stretches combined with hip stretches should definitely be part of your routine along with old standards like weighted squats, lunges and dead lift combinations, especially as we age.

Of course, if you are normal, the stretching routines are the first to go as motivation flags. This is where keeping a log and/or having an accountability partner (or coach) really helps. We need reminders to maintain all of our program, not just the parts that we like or that show best results in our own minds. What do you think? More important, what do you do?

How a Well Crafted Vision Statement Can Make you a Winner

This much ignored activity is at the heart of success in fitness endeavors, or any endeavor for that matter, business included. It has gotten a bad name over the years because it has been asked to do things beyond its range of usefulness by people who are unconscious to its possibilities. It’s not magic but it does have indispensable usefulness when properly used. Your personal fitness program will undoubtedly benefit from sound visioning practices as will your business.

What constitutes sound visioning in this context? Well for starters, visioning is the foundation for goal setting. If you can’t visualize something better, how can you set a realistic goal to achieve? Without goals what chance does a business have? So the process is sound and of value. There should be solid emotional content in the statement. A vision should be more than a picture of what could be. Andy Stanley, a popular minister and motivational speaker, defines a vision as “a picture of what could be compelled by the conviction that it should be.” (emphasis added) That’s a little different than just a picture of what could be. Stanley’s definition is something that will connect with people, the standard definition, not so much.

Something that connects emotionally with the reader is what’s required. This may take a little more thought than most usually put into this exercise. If the statement is flat it will not be remembered.  If not remembered , or at least respected,  it won’t be used. A vision statement should be guiding all decision making that goes on in a company or any planning exercise. It should also be the basis for evaluating day-to-day performance.  Think about it for a minute: It’s what you hope you or your company will be someday. An effective argument can be made that anything that does not advance you or your company toward achieving that vision is probably not a worthwhile activity or outcome.

Goal setting in general and the lengthy exercises involved in establishing a worthwhile vision statement have fallen into disrepute. Like the proverbial “brainstorming” session that generates undifferentiated detail for consideration the necessary thinking required to reach useful levels of thought is difficult and frequently avoided by participants as too painful to accomplish. The results, because of this shortcoming, are often lacklustre and of limited usefulness even when used properly. Hence people rightfully resist being held to these second rate commitments. Make the effort. Pay the price. A well crafted goal or vision statement is often all the motivation required to exert the discipline necessary to succeed over tough times either personally or in business. We all know tough times will come. For what valuable prize are you pushing ahead?

How to Cope With the Effects of Age

Jeanick Brisswalter and his colleagues at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis and the French National Institute of Sport report study results that suggest that older athlete’s benefit disproportionately from strength training compared to younger athletes. It’s reported by a consensus of researchers that it is normal to lose about 1% to 2%  of muscle mass and therefore strength per year as we age (Think past 30 years of age Personal experience that this accelerates rather substantially after age 64. This obviously will vary for those with different genetic backgrounds and training habits.) The need for strength training grows as we age.

The type of work we do to retain muscle mass, strength and power is as variable as our environment. You can do it in a well equipped gym, alone or in a social group, or you can custom design a strength workout using whatever you find in your environment to lift push and pull to your hearts content. The point is this: the content of your work can vary infinitely within the confines of strength training parameters but it should be a larger and larger component of your training routine as you age.  I’m thinking about 30% max of total work for those 65 and older should be devoted to this type of work.

It is a long held principle and observation of cardio training that it does not produce much in the way of strength, or muscle mass. People generally associate being in shape with cardio type training. Oftentimes, especially with older subjects, dull work on treadmills and stationary cycles is the work of choice and recommendation. Why things like walking and stair climbing, that take advantage of natural equipment in the environment, get left out I would not venture to guess. You don’t suppose it’s a financial and control issue, do you? They can obviously be mixed liberally. Obviously, the more work that is simply put into simple environmental tasks like stair climbing and walking, the less control trainers will have on the amount and quality of work. Workouts can be as simple as climbing a set of stairs three times once every hour of the day or a set number of times. They could also consist of a brisk walk with the dog or a loved one (That gets the loved one, spouse child or parent exercising as well.).

 The bottom line is you need to move more if you have been living a sedentary lifestyle. You can do mostly “natural” activities as pointed out above but keep in mind, as you get older, that some of those activities must be directed toward strength training. The types of activities you select are as varied as the number of people selecting them and may vary from gardening to other yard work to working out in a gym. Cost is up to you. What counts is how much activity and regularity. If planned activity is not a high priority part of your weekly routine, you’re probably just kidding yourself. 

Listen to Your Heart

Your heart will tell how hard to work.

You can find a comfortable pace, one that you can repeat without a lot of mental stress. Why is that important? If a lot of pain is what characterizes your workouts them it won't be long before you start talking yourself out of working out on a regular basis. Not what you want for something that you ideally want to become a life long habit.

With the right pace you can progress with every workout whether you feel like extending yourself or not. At the right pace you get what is called a training effect. That is, your body will strengthen from the work you accomplish which is what you really want. This way you will find yourself stronger and faster for the same level of work a month or two down the road.

The how is the thing. Learn to find the pulse in your neck. If you are right handed use the index and middle finger on your right hand just to the left of your wind-pipe about an inch or two below your jawbone. You will find that the wind pipe and neck muscle form a natural triangle in this area. The strongest pulse will be in the point of the triangle. Feel around for the point that offers the strongest pulse and learn to find that point quickly and accurately. Always use the opposite side hand to avoid same side errors. Using a watch to count the pulse for 10 seconds, drop the first count and take your count as what's left. Example, I start my count on the ten second mark and finish on the twenty second mark. My count is twenty-three but after I subtract the first beat my actual count is 22. 22 is the number I want to work with.

That tells me that I am working well, I'm in my training range and I really don't have to work any harder to get the desired training effect to maintain my progress. My count tells me that I am at 132 beats per minute a pace I can maintain without fear of overextending myself. If my heart rate stabilises there I know I can continue to work in relative comfort. If my heart rate continues to climb as I work then I know that I am going to burn out if I continue at that pace much longer an it will probably be painful. In effect, my heart is telling me to slow down a bit to reach my goal. If I am doing sprint work, which I know is something that needs to be done in lower quantities if I am to last mentally, day in and day out, then I will allow higher rates. This becomes more and more important as I age.

The magic number you are looking for is somewhere from 20 to 24 beats of your heart for 10 seconds. Multiply by 6 to get beats per minute. Your body will tell where you need to be for best effect. That will probably depend somewhat on your age with younger people being on the higher edge of the range for best effect.

There's nothing new or revolutionary about this methodology. It's been in steady use by heart patients and international athletes since the early 1960's and is still the foundation of most serious, coached workout programs today. It works with all sports that require endurance and all fitness programs designed to increase it.

A major bonus of this method of work is that when your body is sick and/or tired you can work at your pre-planned heart rate and still get a training effect/benefit even though your work output may be off for the day. If you focus long-term on how hard you are working, eventually the performance will take care of itself.

It’s a Start

You have to start somewhere, right? Let’s start with a walk. There are two ways to start with this, pick a route and distance or pick a period of time to walk. Personally, I prefer to pick a time period and here’s why. I can pick a time and just head out. When I get to the halfway point of my time period I can simply retrace my route and be back where I started when my time is up. If I want to measure progress by speed or other measure, I can simply walk the same route and compare how far I got at the halfway point. Trust me, if you do this three or four times week you’ll notice improvements in distance covered in only a few weeks.
At this stage, don’t worry about special shoes or dress. Just get out and move three or four times a week for at least half an hour. Walk briskly and purposefully, like you were going somewhere. Focus on steady pace and keeping your effort constant for the whole walk. Walk upright and get your arms into a natural swinging rhythm. We’ll get to improving pace and measuring effort in a future post. It really isn’t hard, so don’t worry about getting into something that will be over your head. If you have questions, ask! But get moving and keep moving. At this level it is hard to overdo. If you find yourself unduly fatigued or short of breath, get to your doctor for a checkup.
Come back soon for step two. We’ll take a good look at working on your heart rate and how that sets you up for a good effort regardless of your condition.

Sorry, It Is You

It's unfashionable today to blame the victim in any situation where the victim appears to suffer through circumstances beyond their control. When people get bullied, for example, it is 100% the bully's fault or 75% the bully's fault and 25% society's fault. It is not hard to argue that the victim shouldn't have to take part in the solution because they didn't actively seek the trouble they are in. Fair enough, if fixing the problem is not your first priority. Unfortunately, the one person who needs help the most in this scenario is left out of the solution. Given that there are a multitude of situations where this applies, and this is a fitness blog, let's stick to the fitness applications of the idea.

What makes performance stars so different from the norm? Other than the obvious considerations of latent talent (overrated) and opportunity, what makes their performances something we aspire to duplicate? What is it about thin that inspires people of all shapes and sizes to be and stay that way? Well, maybe that hits the nail on the head: most of us who aren't thin but wish to be really don't make a constructive effort to get that way and stay there. We don't exercise the one thing we possess that could alter the situation in our favour, willpower

Unfair, you say? In the September 26, 2011 issue of McLean's magazine there is a fascinating interview to do with wheat and its contribution to our ill-health today. Kate Fillion interviews Dr. William Davis, a preventive cardiologist who has seen literally thousands of patients, about the causes and prevention of our apparent obesity epidemic. The content of the interview goes a long way toward answering the burning question, why now? What's changed.

Well, to the point, the very food we eat has changed. In this particular case Dr.Davis singles out wheat, the ubiquitous base material for what is increasingly used as filler material in prepared, or engineered foods. Of course, it is the main ingredient in bread and many prepared cereals. It has been altered to make it more hearty and drought resistant so that yields are increased and, in particular, to increase its growing range, all very advantageous for farmers and processing companies; not so much for you and me. You see, as Dr. Davis points out, the wheat plant has been changed so much that it is literally not the wheat our ancestors have been eating for thousands of years. Now it is something quite different. Now it contains things that make it part of the problem. The solution? radically reduce your consumption of this product (wheat flour) or eliminate it altogether. Exercise some willpower.

Getting back to the question that started paragraph two, there is no secret. It's similar to the old question, what is the secret of success? The truth? there never was a secret. Most of the people who have been what we call successful wrote books revealing all. The same applies for star performers in any endeavour. They all love to share what got them were they are. The information is available. Maybe the real secret is that almost all such people are, or were, disciplined readers. What is apparent is that such people have two key things in common: They had clear goals and they took great pains to develop the habits that would help them achieve those goals.

Look at your habits. I've looked at mine and it is not a fun exercise. What path do your habits have you on? Is this really going help you be and do what you want? One of my favourite newspaper columnists is Margaret Wente who writes regularly for the opinion page of The Globe & Mail. In a September issue she writes about what we have been talking about here. The gist of the article is that willpower, when exercised, is a bigger component in success than we members of modern society would readily admit. According to the research Ms Wente accessed for her Thanksgiving contribution, it is no secret why some succeed and others don't. It is the daily choices each of us make, the discipline we exercise, the denial of all those things that don't conribute to our goals that make for success beyond the norm. It has become fashionable to excuse the individual and blame society. That's our loss. The government can't fix you. Only you can.

Victor Frankl, of World War II concentration camp fame, had it right, I think. The only thing that makes each of us free and different is our ability to control our attitudes. Our habits are a function of our attitudes. Frankly, mine are not taking me where I want to go and are obviously going to have to change. There is the obvious impediment for me of the extra thirty pounds I habitually carry and the amount of bread I eat that supports that condition. How about you? Change is not just a political slogan. It is what most of us need to do. Join me in change?