Friday, September 28, 2012

Touting Meal Time

Many personal trainers and fitness instructors have embraced the growing body of information that points away from isolated muscular conditioning, and toward integrated, total-body functional conditioning.
 
I would LOVE to see more personal trainers, fitness instructors, and "weight-management" counselors embracing the growing body of science that points away from isolated nutrient shakes and bars, and toward nature's optimally integrated, functional and simple REAL FOOD.
 
Sure, we humans have crapped up the oceans, the soil, the air, the water table, and the genetics of our food supply, but I'm still willing to bet big money that a supplement in the form of a pill, shake, or bar is NOWHERE NEAR as nutrient dense as a plate of fresh fish/meat, veggies, and rice/grains - and NOWHERE NEAR as effective at giving your digestive system (aka your second brain) a good workout from one end to the other :-)
 
I know first hand that there are people who cannot chew, cannot digest solid food, cannot tolerate enough food to absorb sufficient nutrients, and so on. If you are one of these people, and you know why this is the case, of course you have to sustain yourself with meal replacements. If you are one of these people and you don't know why...please find out. If you are NOT one of these people but you are sustaining yourself with meal replacements instead of meals, you are on your way to becoming one of these people.
 
Let me put it this way... did you notice a difference in quality between the replacement referees and the REAL refs? Same thing with meal replacements.... one pitfall after another. Please have a healthy meal, and a wonderful day.

Friday, September 7, 2012

The Night Before a Long Run

Tomorrow is a Saturday.  Every Saturday morning since the first of June, we coaches of CREW and our dear CREWmates have rolled up and at 'em to start our weekly long run at 6:00am.  We will continue this ritual (including Tuesday morning speedwork and Thursday morning tempo runs) until the Savannah Rock 'N' Roll marathon on November 3rd.

It really craps up our Friday night social lives.

But I digress.

In Janeland, Fridays are for cross training.  The farther we get into the training season, the harder it is to keep up with cross training.  A general sense of malaise sets in as the miles pile up and the fatigue in your legs complicates your ability to climb the stairs to your second floor apartment.  I know! It's only the second floor!  Pathetic.

But for some reason I cannot explain, I like running when I'm sore from the previous day's workout.  Racing when sore is even better. 

She's not normal, you say.  Never claimed to be, say I.

So here's a slice o' my life, today's home workout routine.  Routine is the wrong word for it, as this implies that I performed the same exercises earlier this week or this month.  I do different exercises all the time and I don't happen to keep records of my workout choices for myself the way I do for my clients. 

Always start with stickwork/myofacial release on thighs/calves/traps/low back.

TRX today!  I LOVE this thing.  Usually I combine TRX movements with stability ball and dumbbell exercises for my resistance training, but I beat myself up pretty well earlier this week with some combination of things like that.  Today it's a more streamlined approach. 

All TRX:

Jump squats 20x
Suspended lunge 15x
"I-T-Y" combo for upper back/shoulders 21x
Push up-chest flye-lat reachover for chest/shoulders 21x
Standing side facing twists 20x
Rear plank pull up wide grip 6x
Bicep curl 15x
Tricep extension 15x
Front plank suspended knee curl/side curl 20x
Supine hip bridge/leg curl 20x

One set.  Ordinarily I would do two sets, but it was getting late and I had to get dinner ready.  Now it's time to hit the hay.

I think I'll be sore tomorrow.  :-)

Be Well.

AnyWay

Jane Sez:  Since we're all almost settled into the whole back-to-school thing, I thought the time was right to share this post from one of my favorite coaches/trainers of all time, Mike Boyle.


LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR:  MIKE BOYLE AND KENT KEITH ARE THE AUTHORS OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT:

Mike Boyle
www.FunctionalStrengthCoach4.com
www.OnlineBodyByBoyle.com


Sorry to go all “philosophical” on you but, I think this is important.


In a recent StrengthCoach post related to youth sports and early
specialization (this time the specific topic was youth winter indoor
football) one of my readers and frequent contributors
Michelle Hart-Miller, a wonderful person and excellent coach,
sounded almost despondent in her response.


“In this society I’m beginning to question making any effort at all.”

My response was to post The Paradoxical Commandments, a series
of wonderful inspirational thoughts that have found there way around
the world. On some of my worst days dealing with any problem I try to
remember the concept of “Anyway”. The Paradoxical Commandments
were written in 1968 by Kent Keith and are contained in a book
called AnyWay.


People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot
down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.


I truly believe this is what keeps me coaching. One small victory
can offset numerous losses.


 


So sez Mike.  So say I.  Be Well.