The title of this post is a paraphrase of a recent statement by the nutrition and wellness doctor on whom I frequently rely, Dr. Mark Hyman.
It's been a busy few weeks in the headlines for eating well and exercising. For example, "The Biggest Loser" study. Good heavens. Where do I begin?
A "reality" show based upon this incredibly unrealistic pretense: People compete for a million dollar payday by removing themselves from their everyday lives for anywhere from 12 to 20 weeks, restricting their diets to a thousand calories a day, and exercising with trainers up do seven hours a day (complete with screaming and puking - I cannot envision ANY scenario in which screaming or puking is appropriate during exercise, not sorry to say). It is a bizarro world in which this is deemed a successful weight loss strategy.
So a six year follow up study of contestants from season 8 indicates, according to the headlines and some of the conclusions from physicians quoted in a New York Times article on the study, that obese people are doomed to failure because their metabolic rates are ingrained at a slow rate, and the rates get even slower when they lose weight.
Good heavens.
Good heavens. I'll say it again.
Restrict your calorie intake to 1,000 a day and see how you feel. Even if you're not obese. Go ahead. Starved, that's how you'll feel. Especially if it's a low fat diet. Metabolic rates will slow under starvation conditions, not news.
Now, go exercise seven hours a day after consuming perhaps one half of your basal metabolic need. If you're obese, that's more like one fourth of your basal metabolic need. Yep, that's seven hours A DAY. Every day. For three to five months. Exhausted. Beyond exhausted. Holy crap. But hey, you want to win that million.
Once you win the million and complete the publicity tour and go back to your normal life, with it's usual distractions, expectations and judgments, temptations and pressures, not to mention your emotional baggage... please try to continue maintaining your starvation plan and your insane exercise schedule.
The way you eat, the way you exercise, and the way you lose weight when do you lose weight matters when it comes to maintaining weight loss. Read between the lines: "The Biggest Loser" study found that "The Biggest Loser" method of weight loss is great for winning a contest, but crap for maintaining weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Color me surprised.
NEXT!!
The New York Times wellness blog headline sums up a study of high intensity interval exercise in this manner: "One minute of all out exercise may equal 45 minutes of moderate exertion."
Know what all-out exercise means? It means you're getting pretty darn close to collapsing or - yes - puking. Your lungs or your legs or both feel like they are bursting into flame. If it doesn't fall into the category of feeling VERY VERY HARD then it doesn't rise to the level of high intensity.
Know what one minute means in the construction of the study protocol? Do a brisk warm-up, go all out for 20 seconds, exercise at a low boil for a minute or so, go all out for another 20 seconds, simmer again for a minute or so, go all out for another 20 seconds, simmer down and then cool down and then you're done. Well, you're done with your cardio. There's no resistance training in this study.
What does that equal in time spent exercising? About 10 or 12 minutes total. Pretty efficient compared to 45 minutes for us busy U.S. residents. What else does it equal? Similar benefits in VO2max improvement, calorie expenditure, insulin response, and cardio-vascular impacts like blood pressure improvements.
Will 10 minute cardio workouts prepare you for tolerating the foot-fall shock of running a marathon, or the butt-burning of cycling 62 miles, or for winning a 200 meter butterfly at a swim meet? Will 10 minute workouts achieve the moving meditation you crave when your life is filled with work, meetings, errands, commutes, disputes, and drama? All by themselves, probably not. You can incorporate shorter, high-intensity workouts into any training plan. But your training plan needs to be appropriate to your goals.
There is always a higher risk of injury associated with high intensity activity. Your training plan has to be appropriate to your risk tolerance and your health profile.
NEXT!!
The Forbes headline says, "Why You Can't Exercise Your Way to Weight Loss."
If you've heard it once you've heard it a thousand times, you cannot exercise your way out of a lousy diet. Forbes just got the memo, I guess. Does that imply somehow that it's not worth it to exercise if you do want to lose weight? I am kind of hoping it implies that you should eat clean along with exercise to lose weight. And follow a training plan that enhances your metabolism, improves your quality of life, and is appropriate for your goals.
Questions, comments, and concerns are welcome.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Run and Register by April 11 for PR Challenge
Wow. I guess it's been pretty busy in Janeland for the last 25 months or so.
Where do I invest my time and energy, anyway? As a personal trainer, I work five (occasionally six) days a week at The Landings Club Oakridge Fitness Center on Skidaway Island, and also at CustomFit Center in downtown Savannah. At CustomFit I also wear the hat of running coach when I conduct my six-week Peak Running Challenge program.
Learn more about the PR Challenge and register for the next session here:
https://customfitcenter.frontdeskhq.com/categories/46947
The benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle are my fuel, my breath, my everyday life. I enjoy sharing what I have learned and experienced in almost 30 years of fitness education, and I also enjoy learning what's new in exercise and nutrition sciences.
Someone I have believed in for the past dozen years or so is Dr. Mark Hyman. He has presented great research and very healthy recommendations under a number of different titles, such as "UltraPrevention," "UltraMetabolism," and now the latest, "Eat Fat/Get Thin." Whatever he chooses to call it, his nutrition and exercise recommendations are designed to help you clear toxicity from your system. We are all over-exposed to toxic air/soil/water/food/drugs. We are paying the price. And to the extent that we can control and reduce that toxic load we are carrying around, we should.
This week, after discussing these options for 5 or so years, one of my clients (let's call her Gwen) finally took on the challenge of an elimination diet. How do you know if your diet is contributing to your allergies? Arthritis and joint pain? Reflux or gut discomfort? Sleep disorders? Hormonal imbalance? For seven to ten days, you eliminate the foods which are most likely to trigger sensitivities, namely: Gluten (from wheat and other grains), corn, peanuts, dairy products, eggs, and soy products.
Gwen stopped taking her over the counter pain killers and her allergy medication and took the plunge. And after a week, her vertigo is gone. She can open and close her fingers without getting stuck from her arthritis. Achy achy achy mornings have subsided. And she lost five pounds, which she's been trying to do forever.
This is anecdotal evidence. But I've seen this happen first hand so many times...
Now what? Now after a week or so you can add ONE of those foods back to your system. If you experience no ill effects within a day or two, good. Consider it a non-trigger. And if you do feel cognitive/digestive/congestive/bloat symptoms, you have found a trigger and you need to avoid it to feel and be better. Introduce one of the foods back every 3 days and you'll find your triggers.
OR... To experience whole new level of expert hands-on, informative and affirming clean nutrition support, get in touch with the wonderful Nancy Maia at CustomFit Center in downtown Savannah and enroll in CustomClean, the most innovative detox program, ever. This program will not only help you cleanse, but will teach you about your body and give you the tools to keep it clean. You won't drink concoctions, starve on lemon water, or see any number of other "methods" that are impossible to maintain long-term and can even be downright dangerous. She will individualize your program to make it perfect for you - no thanks, cookie-cutter approaches. CustomClean will leave you lean, clean, and feeling better than you imagined possible. Connect with CustomClean and Nancy via:
http://www.customfitcenter.com
OR... you can stay home and invest in a program Dr. Hyman will start at the end of April. It costs more than a book or an article but you can enjoy a level of feedback and accountability that has a ton of value built in. I also never recommend supplements without having demonstrated deficiencies, and I am delighted to point out he offers a No-supplement version of this program. Check it out here:
http://www.eatfatgetthin.com/
Let me note, I don't get a kickback from CustomClean or Dr. Hyman.
That's a whole lot of program information. But it's not really TMI, is it? Be back to blogging soon - here's to more communication :-)
Where do I invest my time and energy, anyway? As a personal trainer, I work five (occasionally six) days a week at The Landings Club Oakridge Fitness Center on Skidaway Island, and also at CustomFit Center in downtown Savannah. At CustomFit I also wear the hat of running coach when I conduct my six-week Peak Running Challenge program.
Learn more about the PR Challenge and register for the next session here:
https://customfitcenter.frontdeskhq.com/categories/46947
The benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle are my fuel, my breath, my everyday life. I enjoy sharing what I have learned and experienced in almost 30 years of fitness education, and I also enjoy learning what's new in exercise and nutrition sciences.
Someone I have believed in for the past dozen years or so is Dr. Mark Hyman. He has presented great research and very healthy recommendations under a number of different titles, such as "UltraPrevention," "UltraMetabolism," and now the latest, "Eat Fat/Get Thin." Whatever he chooses to call it, his nutrition and exercise recommendations are designed to help you clear toxicity from your system. We are all over-exposed to toxic air/soil/water/food/drugs. We are paying the price. And to the extent that we can control and reduce that toxic load we are carrying around, we should.
This week, after discussing these options for 5 or so years, one of my clients (let's call her Gwen) finally took on the challenge of an elimination diet. How do you know if your diet is contributing to your allergies? Arthritis and joint pain? Reflux or gut discomfort? Sleep disorders? Hormonal imbalance? For seven to ten days, you eliminate the foods which are most likely to trigger sensitivities, namely: Gluten (from wheat and other grains), corn, peanuts, dairy products, eggs, and soy products.
Gwen stopped taking her over the counter pain killers and her allergy medication and took the plunge. And after a week, her vertigo is gone. She can open and close her fingers without getting stuck from her arthritis. Achy achy achy mornings have subsided. And she lost five pounds, which she's been trying to do forever.
This is anecdotal evidence. But I've seen this happen first hand so many times...
Now what? Now after a week or so you can add ONE of those foods back to your system. If you experience no ill effects within a day or two, good. Consider it a non-trigger. And if you do feel cognitive/digestive/congestive/bloat symptoms, you have found a trigger and you need to avoid it to feel and be better. Introduce one of the foods back every 3 days and you'll find your triggers.
OR... To experience whole new level of expert hands-on, informative and affirming clean nutrition support, get in touch with the wonderful Nancy Maia at CustomFit Center in downtown Savannah and enroll in CustomClean, the most innovative detox program, ever. This program will not only help you cleanse, but will teach you about your body and give you the tools to keep it clean. You won't drink concoctions, starve on lemon water, or see any number of other "methods" that are impossible to maintain long-term and can even be downright dangerous. She will individualize your program to make it perfect for you - no thanks, cookie-cutter approaches. CustomClean will leave you lean, clean, and feeling better than you imagined possible. Connect with CustomClean and Nancy via:
http://www.customfitcenter.com
OR... you can stay home and invest in a program Dr. Hyman will start at the end of April. It costs more than a book or an article but you can enjoy a level of feedback and accountability that has a ton of value built in. I also never recommend supplements without having demonstrated deficiencies, and I am delighted to point out he offers a No-supplement version of this program. Check it out here:
http://www.eatfatgetthin.com/
That's a whole lot of program information. But it's not really TMI, is it? Be back to blogging soon - here's to more communication :-)
Sunday, June 22, 2014
I Hate Baking
I sent an email to the customer service department at Clif Bar last week.
Regarding Product Name: Clif Crunch Granola Bar
Flavor: Peanut Butter
Best By Code: 14DEC14 N2 11:49
Your Comment:
I don't know why, but you've changed the formula and made the Clif Crunch Bar sweeter. We don't want it sweeter. What we want is a fairly nutritious snack (compared to the rest of the Granola Bar category), not a sweet.
__ __ __
I hope they don't send me coupons for their products.
Sugar. Dried Cane Syrup. Juice Concentrate. Agave. Dextrose. Maltose. Stevia. Fructose. Honey. Sucralose. Aspertame.
Added sweeteners. So sick of 'em.
Did I have a couple of cookies at the baby shower I went to last weekend? Sure I did, Lydia is a kick-ass baker and there was no question about sampling her handiwork. Am I eating cookies every darn day? No. And I don't want cookies masquerading as granola bars, either. You can't exercise your way out of a crappy diet.
No, diet soda and diet crystal light and diet bottled green iced tea and diet whatever-the-heck is not a healthy choice if you're drinking it every single day.
"But Jane! Fruit has fructose!"
Yes, it does. In a gorgeous natural package full of fibers and vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and other snazzy biochemical compounds that are darn good for you. Eat a little bit of fat or protein at the same time as you eat that whole piece of fruit, and you won't have to worry much about your insulin levels springboarding.
So listen, I HATE baking but I'm making my own granola snack to pack in my lunch Monday through Friday. I found it on a food/nutrition app called Fooducate. When I scanned the barcode for Clif Crunch bars, up popped this recipe alternative. I baked, we tasted, we liked. They freeze well, by the way, so guess who is going to be making big batches at a time so she doesn't have to bake every dang week?
In a recent batch I accidentally doubled the amount of nuts. And I liked it better that way.
All credit to Lisa Cain, Ph.D. and blogger at Snack-Girl.com, who posted the recipe to Fooducate.
Regarding Product Name: Clif Crunch Granola Bar
Flavor: Peanut Butter
Best By Code: 14DEC14 N2 11:49
Your Comment:
I don't know why, but you've changed the formula and made the Clif Crunch Bar sweeter. We don't want it sweeter. What we want is a fairly nutritious snack (compared to the rest of the Granola Bar category), not a sweet.
__ __ __
I hope they don't send me coupons for their products.
Sugar. Dried Cane Syrup. Juice Concentrate. Agave. Dextrose. Maltose. Stevia. Fructose. Honey. Sucralose. Aspertame.
Added sweeteners. So sick of 'em.
Did I have a couple of cookies at the baby shower I went to last weekend? Sure I did, Lydia is a kick-ass baker and there was no question about sampling her handiwork. Am I eating cookies every darn day? No. And I don't want cookies masquerading as granola bars, either. You can't exercise your way out of a crappy diet.
No, diet soda and diet crystal light and diet bottled green iced tea and diet whatever-the-heck is not a healthy choice if you're drinking it every single day.
"But Jane! Fruit has fructose!"
Yes, it does. In a gorgeous natural package full of fibers and vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and other snazzy biochemical compounds that are darn good for you. Eat a little bit of fat or protein at the same time as you eat that whole piece of fruit, and you won't have to worry much about your insulin levels springboarding.
So listen, I HATE baking but I'm making my own granola snack to pack in my lunch Monday through Friday. I found it on a food/nutrition app called Fooducate. When I scanned the barcode for Clif Crunch bars, up popped this recipe alternative. I baked, we tasted, we liked. They freeze well, by the way, so guess who is going to be making big batches at a time so she doesn't have to bake every dang week?
In a recent batch I accidentally doubled the amount of nuts. And I liked it better that way.
All credit to Lisa Cain, Ph.D. and blogger at Snack-Girl.com, who posted the recipe to Fooducate.
Cereal Bar Recipe
(makes 12 to 24 depending on the size of your muffin tin)
1/2 cup natural nut butter
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup whole nuts (choose your favorite - I used 50/50 organic raw peanuts and almonds)
1 ½ cup total of unsweetened dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, coconut, etc.)
1 cup rolled or steel cut oats
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
Pinch cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional)
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup whole nuts (choose your favorite - I used 50/50 organic raw peanuts and almonds)
1 ½ cup total of unsweetened dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, coconut, etc.)
1 cup rolled or steel cut oats
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
Pinch cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a food processor, coarsely chop nuts and dried fruits. Mix nut butter and bananas until a paste forms. (This will make your arm tired.) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. (This will also make your arm tired.) Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups (1/2 full) and bake for 15 minutes. Can be stored in refrigerator for 5 days.
For one granola bite (12 in recipe) = 190 calories, 8.4 g fat, 26.7 g carbohydrates, 5.4 g protein, 3.1 g fiber, 52 mg sodium
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Just In Case There's Room For Improvement, Part Deux
I've had this conversation with a good buddy of mine a couple of times lately, and got to thinking it'd make for good posting.
Do you know what you are missing?
One of the things that really makes healthy habits stick with you is they way they help you feel. If you feel better, there's a greater likelihood that you'll keep doing whatever it is that's working.
If you feel like crap lately, because of an obvious injury or illness or general sense of malaise, and you remember feeling better... then you know there's room for improvement.
But wait, what about the person who has never really felt good? How will that person know that there's a better way to feel? What's the motivation for this person to try a different, healthier lifestyle, without having a sense of what he or she has been missing?
How about the person who believes they are doing all they can with activity and good eating and clean living, and who believes that however they feel is as good as it's going to get?
I hereby posit the theory that you can feel better. Wherever you are coming from. There is no single perfect choice to make, no magic bullet which will work exactly the same way for everyone who tries it, but you can change something. And if that change helps you feel better, it's a good change to stick with.
Some people aren't active enough, or aren't finding the optimal balance of flexibility, stability, strength, and endurance to feel better. It's not hard to find someone to help you figure out which of those things you need more -- hint hint -- so get going and get stretching, stabilizing, strengthening, and/or enduring.
Some people are zipping along on the road to Burnout. Coming down with colds and flu and recurring injuries, seemingly out of nowhere. Low energy when they need it most, mood swings, foggy brained, these are very common signs among the overactive and/or undernourished. A few of these people are just plain overactive.
And there's more than a few people who are doing really well with their activities and not quite so well with their food choices.
Maybe you have a crappy diet and you know it. You really can't exercise your way out of a crappy diet.
"Alright already," you say, "give me an example."
A friend joined her husband on a 10 day clean eating campaign. The motivation for hubby was to lose a bunch of weight and get healthier. The motivation for her was to encourage him to follow through with it. She didn't happen to need to lose weight. In addition to learning a half dozen new ways to prepare quinoa (ooooohhh!!!) she found herself sleeping better. And we all know sleeping better is crucial to something like a million different health benefits.
I exaggerate sometimes. It's more like a thousand different health benefits. (And yes, he lost a bunch of weight -- 20 pounds at last count.)
Another client of mine decided to get serious about losing weight, so she stopped eating wheat products and cut back on snacking between meals. She has a family history of gluten allergy, but although she doesn't have that allergy, there are other components of wheat to which people can be sensitive. And she lost 14 pounds in a just couple of months.
Want to hear an example from my own life? I've got a million of 'em. That's not an exaggeration. I've been that overactive person, for instance. The second or third time I trained for a marathon, I followed a training program that required 5 or 6 days a week of running. Weekdays runs of anywhere between 3 to 10 miles, with a long weekend run. This was all on top of training with clients and teaching 10 or so classes a week. I could not eat enough, I could not sleep enough, I was cranky and tired and light headed and I never followed that regimen again.
Then there was the underactive phase. Due to a hip injury, I had to lay off any and all cardio and resistance training activity for a few weeks. It was several fierce mood swings and some serious listlessness before I realized that my lack of activity was making me feel extremely lousy.
And if you know me at all, you must have already heard my tale of woe about quitting dairy products. You haven't heard? Okay, well, I was feeling pretty good at the time, really. But I had read one article too many about toxic exposure to antibiotics and pesticides and so on from dairy products. Because whatever the cow consumes makes its way into you, the meat and dairy consumer. So I told myself, cheese-a-holic that I was, to just cut out the cheese and the yogurt for a week or so, to see if I felt any tangible benefit. And if I didn't, I could just climb right back aboard the cheese train.
But I felt several tangible benefits. Abdominal bloat, gone. (Before this, I swear, I never had a flat stomach in my life.) Weird digestion, gone. Allergic congestion (in Savannah!), gone. Slept better. Skin cleared. Dropped 5 pounds. All that, in a week.
Also found, eventually, that my PMS symptoms went away. No menopause symptoms yet either, but stay tuned. Especially if you like TMI -- too much information.
Do you know what you're missing? Wouldn't it be nice to feel better? Take just one step -- and let me know if it works.
Be Well!
Do you know what you are missing?
One of the things that really makes healthy habits stick with you is they way they help you feel. If you feel better, there's a greater likelihood that you'll keep doing whatever it is that's working.
If you feel like crap lately, because of an obvious injury or illness or general sense of malaise, and you remember feeling better... then you know there's room for improvement.
But wait, what about the person who has never really felt good? How will that person know that there's a better way to feel? What's the motivation for this person to try a different, healthier lifestyle, without having a sense of what he or she has been missing?
How about the person who believes they are doing all they can with activity and good eating and clean living, and who believes that however they feel is as good as it's going to get?
I hereby posit the theory that you can feel better. Wherever you are coming from. There is no single perfect choice to make, no magic bullet which will work exactly the same way for everyone who tries it, but you can change something. And if that change helps you feel better, it's a good change to stick with.
Some people aren't active enough, or aren't finding the optimal balance of flexibility, stability, strength, and endurance to feel better. It's not hard to find someone to help you figure out which of those things you need more -- hint hint -- so get going and get stretching, stabilizing, strengthening, and/or enduring.
Some people are zipping along on the road to Burnout. Coming down with colds and flu and recurring injuries, seemingly out of nowhere. Low energy when they need it most, mood swings, foggy brained, these are very common signs among the overactive and/or undernourished. A few of these people are just plain overactive.
And there's more than a few people who are doing really well with their activities and not quite so well with their food choices.
Maybe you have a crappy diet and you know it. You really can't exercise your way out of a crappy diet.
"Alright already," you say, "give me an example."
A friend joined her husband on a 10 day clean eating campaign. The motivation for hubby was to lose a bunch of weight and get healthier. The motivation for her was to encourage him to follow through with it. She didn't happen to need to lose weight. In addition to learning a half dozen new ways to prepare quinoa (ooooohhh!!!) she found herself sleeping better. And we all know sleeping better is crucial to something like a million different health benefits.
I exaggerate sometimes. It's more like a thousand different health benefits. (And yes, he lost a bunch of weight -- 20 pounds at last count.)
Another client of mine decided to get serious about losing weight, so she stopped eating wheat products and cut back on snacking between meals. She has a family history of gluten allergy, but although she doesn't have that allergy, there are other components of wheat to which people can be sensitive. And she lost 14 pounds in a just couple of months.
Want to hear an example from my own life? I've got a million of 'em. That's not an exaggeration. I've been that overactive person, for instance. The second or third time I trained for a marathon, I followed a training program that required 5 or 6 days a week of running. Weekdays runs of anywhere between 3 to 10 miles, with a long weekend run. This was all on top of training with clients and teaching 10 or so classes a week. I could not eat enough, I could not sleep enough, I was cranky and tired and light headed and I never followed that regimen again.
Then there was the underactive phase. Due to a hip injury, I had to lay off any and all cardio and resistance training activity for a few weeks. It was several fierce mood swings and some serious listlessness before I realized that my lack of activity was making me feel extremely lousy.
And if you know me at all, you must have already heard my tale of woe about quitting dairy products. You haven't heard? Okay, well, I was feeling pretty good at the time, really. But I had read one article too many about toxic exposure to antibiotics and pesticides and so on from dairy products. Because whatever the cow consumes makes its way into you, the meat and dairy consumer. So I told myself, cheese-a-holic that I was, to just cut out the cheese and the yogurt for a week or so, to see if I felt any tangible benefit. And if I didn't, I could just climb right back aboard the cheese train.
But I felt several tangible benefits. Abdominal bloat, gone. (Before this, I swear, I never had a flat stomach in my life.) Weird digestion, gone. Allergic congestion (in Savannah!), gone. Slept better. Skin cleared. Dropped 5 pounds. All that, in a week.
Also found, eventually, that my PMS symptoms went away. No menopause symptoms yet either, but stay tuned. Especially if you like TMI -- too much information.
Do you know what you're missing? Wouldn't it be nice to feel better? Take just one step -- and let me know if it works.
Be Well!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
PR Challenge - Run For It!!
I have lifted this entire post from a CustomFit Center email about the upcoming edition of PR Challenge, beginning March 22. It's accurate, it's enthusiastic, it's chock full of testimonials... so why do over what has been done so well??
If you were worried you missed the boat last December, no need....
the ultimate running program is BACK!
We know that there are many of you who were crushed to not be able to participate in the December session of our Peak Running Challenge ("PR" Challenge). That, coupled with the fact that it was SUCH a hit, we have decided to bring it back four times in 2014 so nobody will miss out! CustomFit's "PR" Challenge will make you faster, help you reach your potential AND, leave the competition wondering what happened.
6 weeks of intensive work, this program will leave you a more efficient, faster, and better runner. We promise. First, we'll use your Functional Movement Screen results to establish exercises to improve your overall movement. Then, we will give you some great speed drills, throw in some balance and agility for good measure, all to give you the building blocks for an incredible 2014 running season and beyond.
Our first 2014 session begins on Saturday, March 22nd so mark your calendar. Doesn't work in your schedule? No problem! The next session begins on May 17th (and there are TWO more scheduled to boot!). All 2014 sessions incorporate a "target" race that will fall at the end of the program, giving you a built-in race goal. No thought required - just sign up, strap on your shoes, show up, and get to it.
Be Well ~~ TRAINER JANE
If you were worried you missed the boat last December, no need....
the ultimate running program is BACK!
We know that there are many of you who were crushed to not be able to participate in the December session of our Peak Running Challenge ("PR" Challenge). That, coupled with the fact that it was SUCH a hit, we have decided to bring it back four times in 2014 so nobody will miss out! CustomFit's "PR" Challenge will make you faster, help you reach your potential AND, leave the competition wondering what happened.
6 weeks of intensive work, this program will leave you a more efficient, faster, and better runner. We promise. First, we'll use your Functional Movement Screen results to establish exercises to improve your overall movement. Then, we will give you some great speed drills, throw in some balance and agility for good measure, all to give you the building blocks for an incredible 2014 running season and beyond.
Our first 2014 session begins on Saturday, March 22nd so mark your calendar. Doesn't work in your schedule? No problem! The next session begins on May 17th (and there are TWO more scheduled to boot!). All 2014 sessions incorporate a "target" race that will fall at the end of the program, giving you a built-in race goal. No thought required - just sign up, strap on your shoes, show up, and get to it.
Here is what others are saying about CustomFit's "PR" Challenge:
"Now on my runs, I'm always aware of my posture making sure my head is up and shoulder blades back. Also, I'm finding after a long run I'm feeling good and not as sore as I use to be. I have more confidence in myself during a run because it feels right. I plan on continuing with all my exercises daily so I can keep on improving my stability and mobility. I can now balance on one leg so much better than before. I now see which leg is weaker and work on that side a little more."
"I am much more conscious of my running form and find that I do have a better idea of the things I can do to help me run more efficiently. The stretches and the strength exercises are also helping me recover more easily."
"I think your program is great, and I have tried to incorporate drills and other ideas into the runs I have been able to make."
"What I am excited about is I was comfortable the whole way and felt the stability of my core helping me... Running is more fun now!"
"I have gotten ALOT out of this class."
"Thanks for a really helpful experience. I am running faster."
2014 session dates are as follows:
March 22 - April 29 (Target race: Azalea Run 5K/10K May 3)
May 17 - June 24 (Target race: Home Run 5K June 28)
Sept 13 - Oct 21 (Target race: Rock 'n' Roll full/half marathon Nov 8)
Nov 15 - Dec 23 (Target race: Bethesda 5K or Ledesma Rails to Trails 5K/10K/25K/50K)
Mark your calendar, TAKE the challenge, and begin your best running, ever. If you are serious about being serious about your running, click HERE for more details. Space is limited so don't get left out!
"Now on my runs, I'm always aware of my posture making sure my head is up and shoulder blades back. Also, I'm finding after a long run I'm feeling good and not as sore as I use to be. I have more confidence in myself during a run because it feels right. I plan on continuing with all my exercises daily so I can keep on improving my stability and mobility. I can now balance on one leg so much better than before. I now see which leg is weaker and work on that side a little more."
"I am much more conscious of my running form and find that I do have a better idea of the things I can do to help me run more efficiently. The stretches and the strength exercises are also helping me recover more easily."
"I think your program is great, and I have tried to incorporate drills and other ideas into the runs I have been able to make."
"What I am excited about is I was comfortable the whole way and felt the stability of my core helping me... Running is more fun now!"
"I have gotten ALOT out of this class."
"Thanks for a really helpful experience. I am running faster."
2014 session dates are as follows:
March 22 - April 29 (Target race: Azalea Run 5K/10K May 3)
May 17 - June 24 (Target race: Home Run 5K June 28)
Sept 13 - Oct 21 (Target race: Rock 'n' Roll full/half marathon Nov 8)
Nov 15 - Dec 23 (Target race: Bethesda 5K or Ledesma Rails to Trails 5K/10K/25K/50K)
Mark your calendar, TAKE the challenge, and begin your best running, ever. If you are serious about being serious about your running, click HERE for more details. Space is limited so don't get left out!
Be Well ~~ TRAINER JANE
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
A Snow Day in Savannah
A snow day in Savannah, Georgia doesn't have to include snow. The threat of snow is sufficient to shut the city down, more or less. The neighborhood coffee shops opened, I noticed, but there was little activity outside of sipping hot beverages out there today. We didn't get snow, but there were plenty of icy surfaces and dang it all, I needed my gloves and earmuffs.
Savannah is not equipped for snow or ice. There's no salt, no sand, no spreaders for the roads or sidewalks or parking lots. All the utility lines are strung up on pretty poles, and are now festooned with little icicles. The plants and trees and spanish moss all look sort of anemic in their icy coats.
Since I was not about to drive to work on unsalted-sandless-ice-slick roads, I stayed home most of the day. What does a trainer do when she's forced to take a day off? Trains. I had time to workout without having to pay attention to the time! To me, that's fun. Most weekdays I squeeze workouts in before or between or after appointments and various responsibilities. Today I put the clock facedown and did the work I wanted until I wanted to be done, a fine indulgence.
Then I treated myself and my sweetums to a walk to lunch at Betty Bombers. Another indulgence. Lunchboxes from home, consumed in quiet contemplation or amidst a pile of paperwork, are the order of the workday in Janeland.
I started and finished the next book on my reading pile, The Dirt on Jane, by local author Jane Fishman. Wonderful read.
I collected quotable quotes from the runners who were enrolled in my 6 week Peak Running Challenge course, which just wrapped up this week. To a person, every one who entered their goals on the intake form at the start of the program found a roundabout way to avoid stating, "I want to run faster." Don't want to appear unrealistic or be disappointed or seem cocky. Whatever. On day one, we sat together at Custom Fit Center and said it out loud, together, "I want to run faster."
Next post I'll reveal those quotes from those hard working, faster runners. Like a snow day in Savannah without snow, we had a running program with no extra running. Confusing, but productive :-)
I really hope the rest of this Southern winter yields more moderate temperatures and less threatening conditions. This one pair of earmuffs and one pair of gloves are all I have left of the vast winter wardrobe I needed up North, and they'll have to last forever.
By the way, what did you indulge in today?
Be Well!
Savannah is not equipped for snow or ice. There's no salt, no sand, no spreaders for the roads or sidewalks or parking lots. All the utility lines are strung up on pretty poles, and are now festooned with little icicles. The plants and trees and spanish moss all look sort of anemic in their icy coats.
Since I was not about to drive to work on unsalted-sandless-ice-slick roads, I stayed home most of the day. What does a trainer do when she's forced to take a day off? Trains. I had time to workout without having to pay attention to the time! To me, that's fun. Most weekdays I squeeze workouts in before or between or after appointments and various responsibilities. Today I put the clock facedown and did the work I wanted until I wanted to be done, a fine indulgence.
Then I treated myself and my sweetums to a walk to lunch at Betty Bombers. Another indulgence. Lunchboxes from home, consumed in quiet contemplation or amidst a pile of paperwork, are the order of the workday in Janeland.
I started and finished the next book on my reading pile, The Dirt on Jane, by local author Jane Fishman. Wonderful read.
I collected quotable quotes from the runners who were enrolled in my 6 week Peak Running Challenge course, which just wrapped up this week. To a person, every one who entered their goals on the intake form at the start of the program found a roundabout way to avoid stating, "I want to run faster." Don't want to appear unrealistic or be disappointed or seem cocky. Whatever. On day one, we sat together at Custom Fit Center and said it out loud, together, "I want to run faster."
Next post I'll reveal those quotes from those hard working, faster runners. Like a snow day in Savannah without snow, we had a running program with no extra running. Confusing, but productive :-)
I really hope the rest of this Southern winter yields more moderate temperatures and less threatening conditions. This one pair of earmuffs and one pair of gloves are all I have left of the vast winter wardrobe I needed up North, and they'll have to last forever.
By the way, what did you indulge in today?
Be Well!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
This is Your Brain on Food
This is not a review of any of the recently published literature regarding the effects of processed food on your brain.
I have food on my mind again, is all.
Since I quit eating dairy products a few years ago, I keep a container of unsweetened soymilk in the house. You know, for those special occasions. Lightening coffee, making omelets, mixing smoothies. Why unsweetened? I never used sweetened cow milk for any of those purposes, so why add sugar now?
Anyway, the local supermarket was out of my usual brand this Sunday. Let's refer to it as Brand A. So I grabbed Brand B of organic unsweetened soymilk. Then I read the label.
"But wait," you're saying. "It's soymilk so it's supposed to be good for you so why read the label?" I don't trust food producers anymore, although I can't point to a single event or trauma to cause my skepticism. My trust eroded over time.
Back to Brand B. The ingredients are: Organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), carrageenan, sea salt, natural flavor.
Brand B is using salt, some kind of flavoring agent, and a thickener derived from edible seaweed to make soymilk more... I don't know what. More of what soymilk should be? I'm looking for organic unsweetened, so OF COURSE I MIND if you salt, thicken, and flavor-enhance it... for crying out loud.
Next day, I stop in to Brighter Day natural food store to see if they have Brand A on the shelf. They do. The ingredients: Filtered water, whole organic soybeans. Three cheers for Brand A!
There is a food industry, and a flavoring industry, wrecking our (even our organic unsweetened) food. Read the labels. Insist on accurate labeling. And choose the simple stuff.
Be Well!
I have food on my mind again, is all.
Since I quit eating dairy products a few years ago, I keep a container of unsweetened soymilk in the house. You know, for those special occasions. Lightening coffee, making omelets, mixing smoothies. Why unsweetened? I never used sweetened cow milk for any of those purposes, so why add sugar now?
Anyway, the local supermarket was out of my usual brand this Sunday. Let's refer to it as Brand A. So I grabbed Brand B of organic unsweetened soymilk. Then I read the label.
"But wait," you're saying. "It's soymilk so it's supposed to be good for you so why read the label?" I don't trust food producers anymore, although I can't point to a single event or trauma to cause my skepticism. My trust eroded over time.
Back to Brand B. The ingredients are: Organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), carrageenan, sea salt, natural flavor.
Brand B is using salt, some kind of flavoring agent, and a thickener derived from edible seaweed to make soymilk more... I don't know what. More of what soymilk should be? I'm looking for organic unsweetened, so OF COURSE I MIND if you salt, thicken, and flavor-enhance it... for crying out loud.
Next day, I stop in to Brighter Day natural food store to see if they have Brand A on the shelf. They do. The ingredients: Filtered water, whole organic soybeans. Three cheers for Brand A!
There is a food industry, and a flavoring industry, wrecking our (even our organic unsweetened) food. Read the labels. Insist on accurate labeling. And choose the simple stuff.
Be Well!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Sugar.
It's no fair, I know.
Sugar can really mess with you. And me. All of us. Especially during the holiday season, aka Sweetapalooza.
There was a time, a dozen decades ago or so, when sugar was only available to the wealthy. So back then diabetes was considered a rich man's disease.
Then sugar became cheap and plentiful. And then it was analyzed in labs in the search for even cheaper and more plentiful ways of sweetening mass-produced food products.
Now everyone has diabetes.
Well, ok, I exaggerate sometimes. But really, it's absurd how much sugar and other sweetening products we consume, knowingly and not-so-knowingly. Google it, "How much sugar does the average American consume?"
The more refined a carbohydrate source is, the more of an impact it has on your insulin levels. Your body absorbs any and all carbohydrates quickly, compared with protein- or fat-based foods. The more refined or sugar-like the food, the faster it is digested and absorbed, and the more your body responds with a release of insulin. Simplistically speaking, insulin is a hormone which helps transport energy into cellular storage. Carbohydrates break down to blood sugar and insulin helps move blood sugar into storage.
Did you see that part that said insulin is a hormone? If you repeatedly overload your system with sugar or refined carbohydrates, you also repeatedly demand an insulin response. If your system is repeatedly imbalanced by excessive insulin demand, the rest of your hormonal system becomes imbalanced as well... not to mention other systems such as immune, metabolic, and so on.
This can get ferociously complicated.
Here's how you feel when you've had too much sugar: Pumped, then lethargic; sleeping fitfully; experiencing skin erruptions or joint discomfort; having mood swings; and, having digestive distress.
Sounds hormonal, doesn't it?
Is insulin response the only reason to steer clear of excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption? No, but it is a darn good one.
Quoting Dr. Mark Hyman, "Now that science has proven that processed food—and especially sugar—is addictive, the conversation has changed. When your brain is hooked on drugs, it is a fiction that willpower and personal responsibility alone will solve the problem."
So is your brain and body hooked on sugar? Let's get you some help with that. You can start with The A.L.I.V.E. protocol... those of you who have the binder, dive back in! Those of you who don't can ask me about embarking on the protocol, 8 weeks of change. Or we can have a "Pantry Raid!" Kick the overprocessed foods in your house to the curb, and replace them with healthier choices. Then, learn to prepare simple, healthy food to nourish, satisfy, and heal you.
Small steps, small changes, accumulating benefits daily, adding up to a better you. Sounds sweet, yes?
Happy New Year, and Be Well!
Sugar can really mess with you. And me. All of us. Especially during the holiday season, aka Sweetapalooza.
There was a time, a dozen decades ago or so, when sugar was only available to the wealthy. So back then diabetes was considered a rich man's disease.
Then sugar became cheap and plentiful. And then it was analyzed in labs in the search for even cheaper and more plentiful ways of sweetening mass-produced food products.
Now everyone has diabetes.
Well, ok, I exaggerate sometimes. But really, it's absurd how much sugar and other sweetening products we consume, knowingly and not-so-knowingly. Google it, "How much sugar does the average American consume?"
The more refined a carbohydrate source is, the more of an impact it has on your insulin levels. Your body absorbs any and all carbohydrates quickly, compared with protein- or fat-based foods. The more refined or sugar-like the food, the faster it is digested and absorbed, and the more your body responds with a release of insulin. Simplistically speaking, insulin is a hormone which helps transport energy into cellular storage. Carbohydrates break down to blood sugar and insulin helps move blood sugar into storage.
Did you see that part that said insulin is a hormone? If you repeatedly overload your system with sugar or refined carbohydrates, you also repeatedly demand an insulin response. If your system is repeatedly imbalanced by excessive insulin demand, the rest of your hormonal system becomes imbalanced as well... not to mention other systems such as immune, metabolic, and so on.
This can get ferociously complicated.
Here's how you feel when you've had too much sugar: Pumped, then lethargic; sleeping fitfully; experiencing skin erruptions or joint discomfort; having mood swings; and, having digestive distress.
Sounds hormonal, doesn't it?
Is insulin response the only reason to steer clear of excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption? No, but it is a darn good one.
Quoting Dr. Mark Hyman, "Now that science has proven that processed food—and especially sugar—is addictive, the conversation has changed. When your brain is hooked on drugs, it is a fiction that willpower and personal responsibility alone will solve the problem."
So is your brain and body hooked on sugar? Let's get you some help with that. You can start with The A.L.I.V.E. protocol... those of you who have the binder, dive back in! Those of you who don't can ask me about embarking on the protocol, 8 weeks of change. Or we can have a "Pantry Raid!" Kick the overprocessed foods in your house to the curb, and replace them with healthier choices. Then, learn to prepare simple, healthy food to nourish, satisfy, and heal you.
Small steps, small changes, accumulating benefits daily, adding up to a better you. Sounds sweet, yes?
Happy New Year, and Be Well!
Monday, November 25, 2013
To Run Better, You Need Something More
The early-bird deal -- and let's face it, this is the season for deals -- expires on November 29.
The Custom Fit Peak Running Challenge is a 6 week program. So what's it about, you ask?
It's about running faster. You want to run faster? You've got to run better. And to run better, you need something besides more running.
It's about getting in touch with your muscle balance. You have a dominant side... everyone has a dominant side... but it may be pulling you out of alignment and increasing your risk of injury when you run and train. We can assess that and help you correct it.
It's about improving your posture and breathing. Better posture and breathing leads to more muscular energy, and less muscle tension and fatigue when you run.
It's about stabilizing areas which need stability, and mobilizing areas which need flexibility. For instance, core stability combined with shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility enhance your running performance. You will feel better while running and recover faster from intense running efforts.
It's about strength. Aging is inexorably linked to an overall loss of muscle mass. Endurance activities, like running, do not prevent this muscle loss. Strength training builds muscle. In addition, speed requires power and power requires strength. You can run faster with more muscle.
The Custom Fit Peak Running Challenge is a 6 week program. So what's it about, you ask?
It's about running faster. You want to run faster? You've got to run better. And to run better, you need something besides more running.
It's about getting in touch with your muscle balance. You have a dominant side... everyone has a dominant side... but it may be pulling you out of alignment and increasing your risk of injury when you run and train. We can assess that and help you correct it.
It's about improving your posture and breathing. Better posture and breathing leads to more muscular energy, and less muscle tension and fatigue when you run.
It's about stabilizing areas which need stability, and mobilizing areas which need flexibility. For instance, core stability combined with shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility enhance your running performance. You will feel better while running and recover faster from intense running efforts.
It's about strength. Aging is inexorably linked to an overall loss of muscle mass. Endurance activities, like running, do not prevent this muscle loss. Strength training builds muscle. In addition, speed requires power and power requires strength. You can run faster with more muscle.
Here again are the key details:
- Early Bird Registration: November 14-November 29 $175.00
- General Registration: November 30 - December 11 $189.00
- FMS Screening: December 12, 13 (times TBA)
- First Group Workout: Saturday, December 14, 7:30am SHARP
- Group Workouts: Saturdays 7:30am and Tuesdays 6:30am (this is subject to change, based on consensus of group)
To register now, click * here * (open the "events" tab). Got questions? Email Nancy (nancy@customfitcenter.com) or Jane (trainerjane1@gmail.com). Or, if you prefer, pick up the phone. Talk to Jane at 912-247-9500 or Nancy at 912-441-4891.
Be Well!!
Be Well!!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
So wait, did I tell you about the time...?
So we, my client and I, are standing in the weight room going over the finer points of a stretch. And a physical therapist who is walking by spots us, or me rather, and says, "Can I ask you something about running? Because I know you run a lot. So I'm having trouble with shin splints...."
Continuing on in the middle of what is obviously my client's training session, he elaborates on the circumstances of his shin splints and asks if I have any treatment tips. My client nods for me to go ahead. So I tell him to ice them after a run, to stretch his calves well daily, and to strengthen his anterior tibialis to balance the posterior strength in his calves.
And he strolls away with a hearty, "Thanks!"
And my client and I stand there looking at each other with our mouths hanging open. So I say, "Did that just happen?" And she says, "Shouldn't he know that?" And I say, "Well, yeah, he should." And she says, "That was weird." And I say, "Well, yeah, it was."
I saw him in the parking lot a few weeks later and asked how his shins were feeling. He said he was doing the exercises and the shins were much better. Isn't that great?
Be Well!!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Time to Run Better
There is nothing like a big ol' race to set you to reflecting upon what motivates you.
Now that the Rock 'n' Roll is complete, have you found yourself wondering "what now…???" Do you catch yourself asking whether you could run a bit faster? A bit better? Well, we have the answer: CustomFit's Peak Running Challenge ("PR" Challenge). CustomFit has the distinct honor of partnering with Jane Ogle (“Hurricane Jane”) to bring you this program, which is specifically designed for those of you who are currently running but seek more. Perhaps set a “PR”?? Whatever your goal, we have the road map to help you.
The Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon came (after 20 weeks of training, thank you very much) and went last weekend. It was a terrific day for all our trainees, who completed the marathon and half marathon races with flying colors and huge smiles! I finished with a time which made me very happy, because I felt very good and strong and light on my feet most of the half marathon distance. And it made me feel like I could have pushed myself faster. I think I would prefer that my next racing challenge, instead of a return to the marathon distance, be a finish time closer to my PR. I don't expect to meet or break my best half marathon time, over a decade after setting it, 20 minutes under my current happy pace. But I know I can knock 10 or 15 minutes off my current pace. I even know HOW I can knock that time down :-)
And I've been hearing from all these other runners around me that they'd like to learn how to get faster and more efficient at their running.
So with no further ado I present to you, The Peak Running (PR) Challenge!
CustomFit Peak Running ("PR")Challenge
In order to run "better" we must move better, which means improving core strength, balance, mobility, stability, and coordination. Each participant will receive an individualized program based on the FMS (Functional Movement Screen). Each week we will cover drills and exercises designed to improve each component of your running. We will pair you up with a Buddy to help keep you accountable through the holidays and, before you know it, you will be running AND moving more fluidly and efficiently. JUST in time for the Tybee Run Fest, leaving the competition wondering what you did since the Bridge Run to get better!
Revealing the pill might cause a lot of drug to be removed at once soft tabs cialis half. and male impotence: the multinational survey of the aging release AUC-t as well as the ratio on the last measurable plasma cialis liquid.
Our “PR” Challenge will begin Saturday, December 14 and run (get it? "run") through January 25th, 2014. Six weeks of focused and intense training with one purpose in mind: to get you running better. Instead of caving to slothful holiday behavior, you will be motivated and working toward improving your runs. Call it stealth training if you wish, this is the real deal if you want to discover your potential.
This program is not a “how to” run program. We won't hold your hand. You will be expected to keep up your current running and add the drills and exercises we present weekly. We will meet as a group on Saturdays and Tuesdays and you and your "buddy" will help each other stay accountable during the remainder of the week.
If you are serious about getting serious, you cannot miss this opportunity. Regardless of whether you plan to run Tybee, participating in The PR Challenge will give you the building blocks of better running for the long run (yuck, yuck). Spaces are limited so sign up now. Do it early and get an “early bird special”.
Here are the details:
- Early Bird Registration: November 14-November 29 $175.00
- General Registration: November 30 - December 11 $189.00
- FMS Screening: December 12, 13 (times TBA)
- First Group Workout: Saturday, December 14, 7:30am SHARP
- Group Workouts: Saturdays 7:30am and Tuesdays 6:30am (this is subject to change, based on consensus of group
To register now, click here (open the "events" tab). Got questions? Email Nancy (nancy@customfitcenter.com) or Jane ( trainerjane1@gmail.com). Or, if you prefer, pick up the phone. Talk to Jane at 912-247-9500 or Nancy at 912-441-4891.
There's always room for improvement :-). Be Well!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Today's Rants and Raves!!!
RANT: The following is a "teaser" headline from a monthly trade publication's online newsletter, promoting the editorial. Meaning, it was written by the editor of the publication, which I find horrifying. I have added the italics.
"As more fitness professionals enter this industry and remain committed to excellence we will continue to up-level industry standards and have a greater impact on our clients and on the greater society."
Somebody enlighten me. Are commas still included on contemporary computer keyboards? My computers are a little over 5 years old, dinosaurs by modern standards.
Has anyone heard of the word, "up-level?"
Am I naive to assume that possessing some writing acumen is a desirable qualification for a magazine editor?
---and now for something completely different---
RAVE: I love my profession. I encountered one of the members of the intermediate half marathon training program yesterday at the Savannah Rock And Roll race expo, and she hugged me tight and thanked me up and down for helping her prepare for the race. Chills and goosebumps and gratitude, through and through. That is an event to be forever cherished. When I was a marketing professional, none of my clients hugged me and loved all over me like that. Not one. ;-)
And so it came to pass that it was Friday before the Saturday marathon. And they did hydrate well, and rested their legs as marathoners ought do. And they did foam roll and stick with gentle passes over those rested legs which they had trained, tapered, and then rested so well. And they did consume much the same foodstuffs and beverages as they usually did on the Friday before a long Saturday run was upon them. And their fears were thus calmed, and they trusted their training, for their hardships were behind them, and the glory and the oh-so-holy-fun-fun-party-time-
And there was much rejoicing.
To the Renegade Posse, to the C.R.E.W.mates, to our friends with Savannah Stryders and Pacers and all the unaffiliated running-afflicted athletes in Savannah: We running coaches salute your dedication, determination, and achievement. Really, you've already overachieved, even though the race awaits.
YOU ARE ALL SO FIERCE, YOU ARE OUR INSPIRATION.
Go forth and ROCK thine race.
"As more fitness professionals enter this industry and remain committed to excellence we will continue to up-level industry standards and have a greater impact on our clients and on the greater society."
Somebody enlighten me. Are commas still included on contemporary computer keyboards? My computers are a little over 5 years old, dinosaurs by modern standards.
Has anyone heard of the word, "up-level?"
Am I naive to assume that possessing some writing acumen is a desirable qualification for a magazine editor?
---and now for something completely different---
RAVE: I love my profession. I encountered one of the members of the intermediate half marathon training program yesterday at the Savannah Rock And Roll race expo, and she hugged me tight and thanked me up and down for helping her prepare for the race. Chills and goosebumps and gratitude, through and through. That is an event to be forever cherished. When I was a marketing professional, none of my clients hugged me and loved all over me like that. Not one. ;-)
And so it came to pass that it was Friday before the Saturday marathon. And they did hydrate well, and rested their legs as marathoners ought do. And they did foam roll and stick with gentle passes over those rested legs which they had trained, tapered, and then rested so well. And they did consume much the same foodstuffs and beverages as they usually did on the Friday before a long Saturday run was upon them. And their fears were thus calmed, and they trusted their training, for their hardships were behind them, and the glory and the oh-so-holy-fun-fun-party-time-
And there was much rejoicing.
To the Renegade Posse, to the C.R.E.W.mates, to our friends with Savannah Stryders and Pacers and all the unaffiliated running-afflicted athletes in Savannah: We running coaches salute your dedication, determination, and achievement. Really, you've already overachieved, even though the race awaits.
YOU ARE ALL SO FIERCE, YOU ARE OUR INSPIRATION.
Go forth and ROCK thine race.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Have a Seat
It was 1987. My previous professional position required a lot of walking, from office to office, bringing research materials or article drafts or photo proofs from here to there. Through halls and tunnels, up and down stairs, around and around the concourse of State office buildings. I also walked the half mile from my apartment to my office.
Then I got a job with a small, non-computerized advertising agency, a 25 minute drive from home. I was responsible for typing/transcribing/filing/researching/ media-buying/estimating/copywriting/article writing. The desk was my ball-and-chain. Boy, my butt spread like THAT (sound of fingers snapping).
Fast forward to 2013.
So, have a seat at this machine in front of this gi-nor-mous TV and do your exercise. It'll be great for you, just like the brochure says. Don't you love the fancy graphics with the light-up display of the muscle groups you're working?
Have a seat. Doesn't really matter if your gluteals completely shut down during this exercise. You only really need them if you intend to walk upright, ambulate, or play golf. Or tennis. Or ski. Whatever. Doesn't matter if you can't put your head back on the bench because of a lifetime of poor posture. Doesn't matter if your core musculature is largely disengaged. Doesn't matter if there is absolutely NOTHING you do in real life that requires you to press two pads way out to the side against resistance in a seated position. Doesn't matter if you think about your movement or feel your body's response here, just have a seat.
You say your back and your legs hurt when you've been sitting down too long? Well, by all means, have a seat and exercise.
x-/
Stand up, if you can -- and Be Well!
Then I got a job with a small, non-computerized advertising agency, a 25 minute drive from home. I was responsible for typing/transcribing/filing/researching/ media-buying/estimating/copywriting/article writing. The desk was my ball-and-chain. Boy, my butt spread like THAT (sound of fingers snapping).
Fast forward to 2013.
So, have a seat at this machine in front of this gi-nor-mous TV and do your exercise. It'll be great for you, just like the brochure says. Don't you love the fancy graphics with the light-up display of the muscle groups you're working?
Have a seat. Doesn't really matter if your gluteals completely shut down during this exercise. You only really need them if you intend to walk upright, ambulate, or play golf. Or tennis. Or ski. Whatever. Doesn't matter if you can't put your head back on the bench because of a lifetime of poor posture. Doesn't matter if your core musculature is largely disengaged. Doesn't matter if there is absolutely NOTHING you do in real life that requires you to press two pads way out to the side against resistance in a seated position. Doesn't matter if you think about your movement or feel your body's response here, just have a seat.
You say your back and your legs hurt when you've been sitting down too long? Well, by all means, have a seat and exercise.
x-/
Stand up, if you can -- and Be Well!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Taking My Own Advice
1. I advise myself to compose a blog a week, even if it's only 150 characters. March was the last time I posted. That's just silly, I've had so many important thoughts vaporize into the ether since then... ahem.
2. I advise myself to get a massage at least quarterly. Not enough but it's better than annually. I had a 1/2 hour neck massage today and I think my head is going to explode from all the extra circulation. Hence, advisory #1, above.
3. I'm already relentless about taking this bit of advice, but it bears repeating. Exercise regularly. You brush your teeth regularly, you bathe regularly, maybe you even floss regularly. See that sign at the dentist's office that says, "No, you don't have to floss your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep." Follow me on this, you don't have to exercise your muscles, joints, organs, systems. Just the ones you want to keep. :-)
4. I advise myself to send out more birthday greetings. I have the technology.
5. I advise myself to ask for what I want, offer what I want, and smile while asking and offering. Vague, I know, but think of all the mundane or magnificent personal and professional ways this can be put into practice. For instance, that once-a-month-at-the-most hamburger I find I need to have really, really, really needs to be brought to me cooked medium. Apparently, it is up to me to go the extra mile to make this happen, as the last 3 times I've ordered a burger medium it arrived raw/well-done-hockey-puck/hockey puck the sequel. Come on.
This is a theme that I will return to, I can feel it. Can you feel it?
Be Well!!
2. I advise myself to get a massage at least quarterly. Not enough but it's better than annually. I had a 1/2 hour neck massage today and I think my head is going to explode from all the extra circulation. Hence, advisory #1, above.
3. I'm already relentless about taking this bit of advice, but it bears repeating. Exercise regularly. You brush your teeth regularly, you bathe regularly, maybe you even floss regularly. See that sign at the dentist's office that says, "No, you don't have to floss your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep." Follow me on this, you don't have to exercise your muscles, joints, organs, systems. Just the ones you want to keep. :-)
4. I advise myself to send out more birthday greetings. I have the technology.
5. I advise myself to ask for what I want, offer what I want, and smile while asking and offering. Vague, I know, but think of all the mundane or magnificent personal and professional ways this can be put into practice. For instance, that once-a-month-at-the-most hamburger I find I need to have really, really, really needs to be brought to me cooked medium. Apparently, it is up to me to go the extra mile to make this happen, as the last 3 times I've ordered a burger medium it arrived raw/well-done-hockey-puck/hockey puck the sequel. Come on.
This is a theme that I will return to, I can feel it. Can you feel it?
Be Well!!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Ready for Change?
My client's name is Monica**. She comes in with either her mom, her dad, or her caretaker every Monday and Wednesday, every week. Her parents, David and Jill, are very caring and concerned, and they include their 41 year old daughter in nearly everything they do. The wheelchair doesn't stop them from much of anything.
Monica uses a wheelchair. Her disorder is progressive and degenerative, so over time it's become evident that everything from expressing herself to holding her posture upright is more difficult to manage. Every muscle from her jaw to her ankles is fighting her.
Still, she comes to the fitness center and I guide her through a couple of sets of about 8 different exercises. Some of them in a standing position, even.
Monica's eyes are sometimes distant, other times focused. She has to work at holding her head up so you can see her smile. It's always worth the effort.
In the middle of a set of chest exercises, while I was down at her eye level, I told her how pleased she should be with her earlier set of standing exercises. Her alignment and balance were particularly good today, I told her. She looked me straight in the eye and smiled while she responded, "That makes me very happy."
"Good, because it's good for your body and everything else, so I'm glad it makes you happy!"
Monica makes an extraordinary effort to keep moving. We don't know how much longer she will be able to keep doing it. But as long as she can, she will.
And if Monica can make an extraordinary effort, well, I know there are more than a few people reading this who have over twice Monica's ability and less than half her obstacles standing in the way of having a healthier, fitter way of life.
If you can hear this message, if you are ready to create positive physical, mental, and emotional change through movement, I wanted to share the inspiration named Monica with you.
** Names have been changed, but it's a true story.
Monica uses a wheelchair. Her disorder is progressive and degenerative, so over time it's become evident that everything from expressing herself to holding her posture upright is more difficult to manage. Every muscle from her jaw to her ankles is fighting her.
Still, she comes to the fitness center and I guide her through a couple of sets of about 8 different exercises. Some of them in a standing position, even.
Monica's eyes are sometimes distant, other times focused. She has to work at holding her head up so you can see her smile. It's always worth the effort.
In the middle of a set of chest exercises, while I was down at her eye level, I told her how pleased she should be with her earlier set of standing exercises. Her alignment and balance were particularly good today, I told her. She looked me straight in the eye and smiled while she responded, "That makes me very happy."
"Good, because it's good for your body and everything else, so I'm glad it makes you happy!"
Monica makes an extraordinary effort to keep moving. We don't know how much longer she will be able to keep doing it. But as long as she can, she will.
And if Monica can make an extraordinary effort, well, I know there are more than a few people reading this who have over twice Monica's ability and less than half her obstacles standing in the way of having a healthier, fitter way of life.
If you can hear this message, if you are ready to create positive physical, mental, and emotional change through movement, I wanted to share the inspiration named Monica with you.
** Names have been changed, but it's a true story.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Tasty Tips for 2013
"We're going to eat better this year!"
I hereby resolve to share ideas and specific strategies to help make that pledge a reality for 2013 and then some.
Numero Uno: www.localfarmbag.com. Produce fresh from the local/often organic farm, delivered to your doorstep, couldn't be more convenient, couldn't be a better value -- and the quality of the fruits and veggies is Tip-Top/Grade A/Super Duper Gold Star. Friends, if you are anywhere near Savannah, GA, join up and enjoy the harvest.
Every meal should consist mostly of vegetables and fruits. Two-thirds to 3/4 of your plate covered with colorful complex carbohydrates, and lean, quality protein to cover the rest.
Next Several: Pay attention and regain some control of your eating. The November/December issue of IDEA Food and Nutrition Tips offers these great research-based suggestions:
Do you see anything on the list, just one or two things, that you can pay extra attention to right away and strengthen your resolve to eat healthier? Starting right now?
Yes, You Can.
Eat better, move better, live better. Be Well, and happy New Year :-)
I hereby resolve to share ideas and specific strategies to help make that pledge a reality for 2013 and then some.
Numero Uno: www.localfarmbag.com. Produce fresh from the local/often organic farm, delivered to your doorstep, couldn't be more convenient, couldn't be a better value -- and the quality of the fruits and veggies is Tip-Top/Grade A/Super Duper Gold Star. Friends, if you are anywhere near Savannah, GA, join up and enjoy the harvest.
Every meal should consist mostly of vegetables and fruits. Two-thirds to 3/4 of your plate covered with colorful complex carbohydrates, and lean, quality protein to cover the rest.
Next Several: Pay attention and regain some control of your eating. The November/December issue of IDEA Food and Nutrition Tips offers these great research-based suggestions:
- Place your meals, snacks, and drinks in smaller plates, bowls and glasses to help reduce how much you eat.
- Eating breakfast can control your appetite all day. (You know who you are... I know you can hear me...)
- Watching TV while eating creates a distraction that causes you to eat more. Tune out and go sit at the table.
- The more you chew, the fewer calories you are likely to consume. Good for your digestion, too.
- Serving smaller sized portions on plates and putting the extra in the fridge right away tends to trim your intake. Cutting food into smaller pieces can also help you eat less.
- Don't fall for "low-fat" food labels, they often replace the fat with extra sugar, making calorie savings an illusion.
- Sleep deprivation often causes overeating. Sleep better, eat better.
- Eat your calories. Studies show drinking your calories leads to more post meal hunger than when you eat solid food.
Do you see anything on the list, just one or two things, that you can pay extra attention to right away and strengthen your resolve to eat healthier? Starting right now?
Yes, You Can.
Eat better, move better, live better. Be Well, and happy New Year :-)
That's Why We Call it a Workout and Not an Easy-out
The title is one of my longest running jokes/barbs/snappy answers to the inevitable client plea, "This is hard!"
Training is supposed to be hard.
Is it supposed to make you vomit? No. I don't care what you saw on "The Biggest Loser," it truly is NOT okay to train so hard that you vomit. Even if you are morbidly obese. (Because it seems as though humiliating obese people on television is the fashionable custom.)
Is it supposed to cause sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, heat stress, or anaphylaxis? No.
Does the good personal trainer take into account your activity history (or lack thereof) when deciding how hard is appropriate to push your intensity level on any given day? Yes.
Will the good personal trainer help you adjust your intensity level, taking into account the body you brought into the studio with you on any given day, as it reflects your sleeping/eating/hydration/stress load/activity habits over the last 24 to 48 hours? Yes.
Can the good personal trainer read your mind? No.
Your expressions and reactions are quite readable to the experienced personal trainer, but you may be expert at minimizing your discomfort or masking pain. The good personal trainer will frequently ask you for feedback about how easy or challenging an exercise is, while watching for signs of failure of form. Please, give candid feedback.
You can coddle yourself (er, um, come on), you can cripple yourself (clearly not recommended), or you can challenge yourself (oh, yes, pick me! pick me!).
Move more, move well, and move with deliberate intensity. And over time, you'll move better. :-)
Training is supposed to be hard.
Is it supposed to make you vomit? No. I don't care what you saw on "The Biggest Loser," it truly is NOT okay to train so hard that you vomit. Even if you are morbidly obese. (Because it seems as though humiliating obese people on television is the fashionable custom.)
Is it supposed to cause sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, heat stress, or anaphylaxis? No.
Does the good personal trainer take into account your activity history (or lack thereof) when deciding how hard is appropriate to push your intensity level on any given day? Yes.
Will the good personal trainer help you adjust your intensity level, taking into account the body you brought into the studio with you on any given day, as it reflects your sleeping/eating/hydration/stress load/activity habits over the last 24 to 48 hours? Yes.
Can the good personal trainer read your mind? No.
Your expressions and reactions are quite readable to the experienced personal trainer, but you may be expert at minimizing your discomfort or masking pain. The good personal trainer will frequently ask you for feedback about how easy or challenging an exercise is, while watching for signs of failure of form. Please, give candid feedback.
You can coddle yourself (er, um, come on), you can cripple yourself (clearly not recommended), or you can challenge yourself (oh, yes, pick me! pick me!).
Move more, move well, and move with deliberate intensity. And over time, you'll move better. :-)
Friday, September 28, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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