Month: March 2019

 “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”

–Aristotle

The old English proverb, “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”, actually predates Benjamin Franklin, to whom it is often attributes, by several centuries. Whomever the source, its wisdom remains. There is much to be accomplished before 9 AM.

Mornings are perhaps the best time to work on one’s growth plan—to set the stage for the day. There is time—when one chooses—for meditation, journaling, and even exercise. There is a peacefulness in the morning that frees us to think, reflect, and establish grattitude (an attitude of gratitude) leading into our day.

Most health scientists will recommend 7-8 hours of sleep per night. According to famed bodybuilder, actor, and governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, “If you are sleeping more than six hours, sleep faster.” Some might need a little more than 6 hours, but quality of sleep certainly trumps quantity.

Actor Mark Wahlberg seems to have taken the English proverb to heart. He is reported to sleep from 7:30 PM to 2:30 AM (7 hours) before starting his day with prayer, breakfast, and exercise. Personally, I would find a 7:30 PM an impossible bedtime with preteen kids who play sports. Youth sports practices, in our area, often go until 9 PM. At best, I am in bed between 9 and 10 PM (9 o’clock is my preferred bedtime) and up by 4:30 AM. In the two hours before the kids start to get up to get ready for school, there is plenty of time to pray, journal, read, write, and exercise. This frees me for all that might come as the flood gates of the day are opened.

Early rising is a habit that may not come easy at first. Once the internal clocks are reset, though, it becomes nearly impossible to over-sleep. Sure, travel and “daylight savings” can disrupt this rhythm, but the body quickly adjust to these disruptions. The key is to try to be consistent—which is much easier going west-to-east than east-to-west.

The hard part for some will be breaking the habit of staying up late. Personally, I find it much easier now that television can be streamed (and long gone are the days when it was worth staying up for the evening news and late shows). A new challenge is turning off electronics early and preparing the body for sleep.

To make the day more effective, set a sleep schedule. Choose an early-to-rise time and count back 7 hours. We fought a “bedtime” when we were kids, but as adults it makes wise sense. (And, of course, giving your kids a bedtime makes having an adult bedtime easier.)

What can you accomplish before others wake?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe the morning!

There is a delicate balance between health promotion and fat-shaming. Obesity is a real health concern. It is the central issue in what is referred to as “metabolic syndrome” (i.e., the coexistence of hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension—high insulin, triglycerides, and blood pressure). Of prime concern is torso or waist fat—what I refer to my students as “Dunlap’s disease” (where “your belly done lap over your belt”). Conversely, there is increasing pressure presented by the media and the “fitness” industry to have a very low (likewise unhealthy) body fat percentage.

I talk about body composition a fair amount in classes. (One colleague has called it “fat-shaming”—though he/she is woefully misinformed.) I talk about it because body composition is important. Obesity is a growing issue, especially among our young. It is a health issue! Someone who is obese needs to lose fat for their well-being—as much as a person with high blood pressure needs to lower their blood pressure. Concern is not shame. (Mocking people for being overfat and out of shape, however, is shaming.) The approach must be one of compassion and other-centeredness.

The challenge comes in drawing the line of “ideal body composition”. For most of us, genetics limits our ability to have “six-pack abs”, let alone maintain them 365 days a year like we are told we should. (Frankly, even those who are disposed to having the coveted six-pack will not likely be so lean year-around.) Thus, pursuing them can take excessive effort (not “well-centered”) and, indeed, be unhealthy.

Body composition is largely genetic and is tied to our culture (our diet and exercise habits and history). To paraphrase the famed physiologist, Per Olof Åstrand, if you want six-pack abs, choose your parents wisely. If you want to be on the lean side of healthy, prepare to work for it. Leanness requires effort—a careful diet and purposeful exercise.

Determine the healthy balance for yourself. Don’t let others dictate your healthy body composition. Make exercise a priority. Lift weights, do cardio, etc., and clean up your diet—for your health. Be comfortable with who you see in the mirror. If you feel good, can perform your daily tasks with moderate ease (presuming you are active), and are comfortable with your appearance, be free to enjoy life.

There is an unhealthy “fat”, but there is also an unhealthy “lean”. Find the sustainable healthy medium. There can be such a thing as “fit and fat”. These may well be the happiest of people.

Seek first to be active and eat healthy. Body composition changes will come.

Don’t worry about your BMI (i.e., body mass index; your body weight in kg divided by the square of your height in meters). Muscle mass, like body fat, can make it high (25.5-29.9 kg/m² is considered “overfat”; ≥ 30.0 kg/m² is classified as “obese”). It doesn’t take an exercise scientist to recognize that increasing muscle mass can increase BMI.

The mirror is the easiest indicator of body composition. First, love the person in the mirror. Then, determine whether there needs to be changes in the shape of the person in the mirror. Choose to be healthy and be the best you.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”

–Calvin Coolidge

Well-centered fitness (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social wellness), like the components of physical fitness (both health and motor skill-related) require effort—i.e., overload (doing more than that to which one is accustomed)—on a daily basis. Likewise, it requires specificity. That is, each dimension requires a specific growth plan and daily action. Otherwise, growth is unbalanced and limited.

There are no hacks or short-cuts in well-centered fitness (as in physical fitness). “All growth depends on activity” (Calvin Coolidge).

To paraphrase Albert Einstein: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social “growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” The concept of well-centeredness suggests that the growth target is an asymptote at we grow ever closer to (or at least should be growing toward). Hence, I must remind myself daily:

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

–Ralph Marston

In other words…

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Over the past week or so, I have been watching the videos of my 13-year-old’s middle school duels with the other district middle school. (He pinned all three opponents!) Besides the improvement in skill, I noticed something. I am much more silent in the 8^th grade match.

I have made a conscious effort to step back and allow him space to grow and be himself. In the past, I would be yelling instructions throughout the match and was quick to offer correction after his matches. Too often, I was pushing him for “more effort”. Frankly, it wasn’t working.

I have taken a more general parenting approach of allowing my children (and others) what I term “space to let the soul speak”. (This is actually a concept I picked up from Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness.) In other words, I determined to do less pulling and pushing and more listening and guiding.

Midway through the wrestling preseason, I noticed that my son was struggling with motivation. Rather than pushing him and reminding him of his commitment, I stepped back and offered him a break. He ended up not wrestling until the start of middle school practices. (He asked instead for me to help him lift weights.) He still wanted to wrestle, which was a relief, but it was now on his terms.

He did not have a most stellar beginning to the season. He lost 12 straight matches. In part, this could be attributed to his being a big 13-year-old (6’ and 168 lb) wrestling against other big 8^th graders with as much as a year head start on puberty. Sometimes, it was just lazy wrestling. Never, after any of these losses, did he hang his head and pout. Instead, he always came up smiling and came immediately to me with suggestions of what he learned from the match.

He ended big, though. He beat three kids in the final meet who were 20 pounds bigger. In fact, he pinned them all. In the duel, he wrestled a kid 45 pounds heavier. He was a bit timid on his feet, but he scored a beautiful takedown and 2 back points to end the first period. He quickly reversed off the bottom in the second and immediately worked the cradle for the fall. Aside from an occasional “Shoot” and a lot of “Good job”s, I am not heard on the video.

As parents, we have to learn—particularly in sports—to back off. My son has great coaches—both in club and middle school. (He’ll have great coaches as he transitions to high school, as well). He doesn’t need a coach in the stands. He needs a fan. Our kids need us to be their biggest fan.

The high school lacrosse coach reminds the parents and players every year that they can be only one of the following: player, coach, official, or parent. I think this applies in all sports. As parents, we have to let the coaches coach and the refs officiate. Moreover, we have to let the kids play, grow, and have fun.

Kids pick up on our grattitude (or lack thereof). Let them know how much we enjoy watching them play—and allow yourself the space to enjoy the experience.

I have not enjoyed watching my son wrestle as much as I enjoyed this 4-12 season!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

We tend to keep going. Taking time for what Jim Harshaw, Jr. call a “productive pause” is essential to one’s “well-centered fitness”. Just as I am learning to allow space for another’s soul to speak, I am learning to allow space for my own soul to speak. Space allows not only for the soul to speak, but also for it to be heard. Take time to slow down!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Physiologically, there may be advantages to exercising at particular times of the day (e.g., “fasted” cardio first thing in the morning to burn fat; strength training in the late morning, early afternoon, or early evening when one is strongest and “loose”), but the reality is that none of this will matter, if these times don’t work. Exercise should be scheduled when you can do it and will do it.

The greater questions are “how long?” and “how often?” Again, these depend on personal circumstances. There is no need to schedule hours at the gym. Efficiency and effectiveness matter more than time alone.

Quite a bit can be accomplished in 30 minutes to an hour—especially for the average exerciser. Better is the regular session that is short and effective than the occasion session no matter how long.

When it comes to “how often?”, I prefer “as often as possible. Overtraining is rarely a problem for the average person. Most are more likely to be undertraining. So, start with your calendar and determine when you can realistically schedule exercise. Be aware that, as Forrest Gump said, “stuff happens”. Therefore, have some contingencies and alternatives.

Personally, I prefer to target up to 12 sessions per week. Each may be less than an hour and is prioritized according to my goals. Minimally, I want to make 5-6 sessions per week. I prioritize strength training—particularly for my morning sessions. Mornings aren’t necessarily best to heavy lifting (when you are “old” and stiff), but this time slot is less susceptible to “stuff”. Presently, I schedule my weights for Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (doing the Wendler’s 5-3-1 program). Monday and Wednesday mornings are cardio [usually a 30- to 40-minute moderate-intensity steady-state (MISS) session]. In the afternoons, if I can, I reserve time for HIIRT or HIIT sessions. If I miss a morning, I can make it up in the afternoon. If I miss an afternoon, the impact is minor. If I hit the goal of 10-12 sessions, I am hitting the weights 4 times for strength, MISS cardio 2 times, HIIRT 2-3 times, and HIIT 0-3 times. This works well, for me and my sometimes complicated schedule. In my cardio blocks, I might only squeeze in a 20-minute HIIT on the stationary cycle, but it is something.

For yourself, find what works for you—minus the excuses, of course. Stretch yourself a bit, allowing some room to fall short. If you plan only for the minimal necessary exercise, is will undoubtedly fall short of your goals. Plan to do more than your goals require, and you will succeed (with effort). You will undoubtedly accomplish all that you make the time to do.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

My wife shared with me, as she often does, a rather confusing (call it distorted, if you will—I will) article titled: “These Trainers Reveal How Much Cardio You Need to Do to Lose Belly Fat Once and For All” in POPSUGAR¹. The article prefaces that “there is no such thing as being able to spot-reduce fat”, but, of course, continues to discuss belly fat like you can. If you look close enough for it, you will see that the author does suggest that fat loss is benefited from strength training and that fat loss requires a caloric deficit, but the overall emphasis is on cardio (i.e., aerobic or cardiorespiratory exercise). My wife zeroed in on the recommendation of 200 to 300 minutes of cardio per week.

The recommendation of 200-300 minutes comes from the guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). This recommendation actually comes from the suggestion that, for cardiorespiratory fitness, one should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (40-60% of heart rate reserve, HRR²) on 5 or more days a week, for a total of 150 minutes per week, or at least 20-25 minutes vigorous-intensity exercise (60-85% of HRR) for on 3 or more days a week for a total of 75 minutes per week. For weight loss, ACSM recommends 50-60 minutes of moderate exercise per day for a total of 300 minutes. ACSM also stresses that intermittent activities (e.g., 10-minute increments) may have same health benefits as continuous activities.) For many of us with busy lifestyles, five hour-long cardio sessions per week just doesn’t fit the schedule—especially if we have other fitness goals (e.g., increasing/maintaining muscle mass and strength), as we should.

The key to losing body fat (let’s forget about just losing belly fat) is caloric deficit. One pound of fat is equivalent to approximately 3500 kcal. At the recommended rate of fat loss of 2 lb per week, this suggests a 7000 kcal/week deficit. Requires a hypocaloric diet and increased physical activity. Thus, the emphasis should be on calories rather than minutes. Remember, the benefits of caloric restriction and caloric expenditure are cumulative. So, the goal is to eat less and move more.

Focusing solely on cardio will be at the expense of muscle mass, which we want to maintain as we age (and which is also a powerful calorie burner). As a minimum goal, one should schedule 200-300 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise—both cardio and strength training. Given that one activity will come at the expense of another (I refer to this as “opportunity costs”), I highly recommend a balance between weights and cardio. Ideally, I recommend a minimum of three strength training session per week and three cardio sessions (emphasizing high-intensity intervals, i.e., HIIT).

With regard to duration and intensity, consider the “100 kcal rule”, which states that whether walking, jogging, or running the average-sized person expends approximately 100 kcal per mile. Thus, walking at a moderate 15 minute per mile pace (4 mph), one expends 400 kcal per hour (in five sessions per week, that’s a total of 2000 kcal—leaving an additional 5000 kcal/week or 715 kcal/day to be cut from the current diet to lose 2 pounds of fat per week). Alternatively, running or intervals averaging 7:30 minute miles cuts the time to burn 400 kcal in half—allowing time for more exercise. Thus, it is on calories, not time, that one should be focused.

The benefits will be greatest the more quality time spent exercising. Determine how much time you can reasonably devote to exercise and plan how to use it effectively. On top of this move frequently throughout the day. A quarter mile of walking (25 kcal) here or there during the day adds up. Focus on “getting in shape” and the calories (and subsequently fat loss) will follow.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹ https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Much-Cardio-Lose-Belly-Fat-45867188?utm_campaign=news_share&utm_medium=apple&utm_source=fitsugar

² HHR = [(220 – age – resting heart rate) x .60 to .85] + resting heart rate

I had a dream that I am thankful was just a dream. It was a dream that was so vivid that it is difficult to put into words.

I was in line for something. For what I struggle to recall, but it was a long, crowded line. The person behind me had what appeared to be a stroller. He kept pushing against the back of my legs. At first, I would move forward a couple of inches. He would push right back into my legs. After a while, I began to stand firm. He kept pushing against my legs. So, naturally, I started to push back. To no avail. So, I pushed harder and started making comments under my breath… and then louder. Finally, I turned and confronted him. I don’t recall what was said. I just recall making his daughter cry. This was the first I noticed her.  She was a beautiful child with deep blue eyes and tremendously long eye-lashes. (I have no idea what was the significance of the eyelashes, but it was a detail that stayed with me.) I quickly learned that the daughter was crying, not because I woke her, but because I had woken her mother. Behind her in what was now revealed to be more of a wheelchair was a frail, equally beautiful, woman with no hair. Cancer, it would appear. I suddenly became apologetic. All that happened beyond this has become a blur. (I am no match for the Steven King’s of the world.) At best, I am only able to capture the message of dream—or at least what it spoke to me.

We rarely know the other person’s story. We tend to focus on how we are being “harmed” or inconvenienced. I am one to be easily annoyed. I strive to be “other-centered” and grow in my Spiritual well-centeredness, but I fall horribly short of the target. I rarely accomplish a grateful attitude. I know that my annoyance is self-centered. I get annoyed because cars are in my way or someone doesn’t do something the way I think it should be done.

For whatever reasons, this dream captured my attention. I don’t share it as some practice in creative writing. (My dear high school English teacher, Mrs. Mary Moore, would expect better.) I write it to capture what I can of a reminder to be other-centered and to seek first to understand. Other people are going though some very heavy stuff. It is not their responsibility to worry about me. I am not entitled to the rather easy life I have. I need to consider the needs of others before my own. Rather, I get to consider the needs of others before my own. I am blessed to be annoyed because don’t have worse things happening in my life and my family.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I have written recently about “older” exercisers lifting heavy. For many there is the question of how to get there—especially if they have never really lifted weights before. The answer is to start.

A very simple program to begin building strength is the “StrongLifts 5 x 5”¹. It incorporates the “basis 5” lifts—squat, deadlift, bench, press, and rows—in three workouts per week. It follows an A/B workout alteration so the same lifts are performed 3 times in a two-week cycle. The “A” workout includes squat, bench, and barbell row. The “B” workout includes squat, overhead press, and deadlift. With the exception of the deadlift, each is performed for 5 working sets of 5 repetitions. The deadlift is prescribed for one working set of 5, but I think for those true beginners, who will not be lifting massive weights, 5 x 5 is fine for the deadlift, as well. (A “working set”, remember, are sets that exclude the warm-up sets. As I describe a beginner progression below, consider that at these initial weights warm-up sets probably won’t be necessary. A more traditional light cardio warm-up should suffice.)

StrongLifts suggests that “if you’ve never done these exercises before, haven’t done them in years, or you’re intimidated by free weights then start with the lowest weights possible. They suggest: 45 lb for the squat, bench, and press, 95 lb for the deadlift, and 65 lb for the row. These weights are assuming a 45 lb Olympic bar (adding 2-25# plates for the deadlift and 2-10# weights for the row), and one can adjust the starting weight according to one’s starting strength and comfort level. Just remember that, whatever the weight, proper technique must be maintained.

Increase the weight 5 lb (10 lb on the deadlift) after every workout you are able to complete the 5 sets. The squat and deadlift will probably progress the fastest, but overall progress will be quick initially. The press will likely trail behind.

As the weights get heavier, i.e., you get stronger, it will be easier to estimate the one-repetition maximum (1-RM) using an online calculator (e.g., https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other7.htm) and progress to workouts that follow percentages of the 1-RM. A favorite of mine for the beginner/intermediate/average lifter is Joe Wendler’s 5-3-1 program². These are a bit more complicated, will overcome the inevitable plateau that will come with the 5 x 5 progression.

These are very simple programs that can be accomplished by nearly anyone. They start light and permit mastery of technique as the weights progress. The initial neurological adaptations will come quickly. Over time, they may also result in muscle hypertrophy for even us older exercisers. The workouts are also not time intrusive—less than 45 minutes depending on the rest you take between sets (1 minute should suffice in the early weeks of training—more time might be required when you start lifting the really big weights).

Start small, but start! Progress can and will come.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://stronglifts.com/5×5

²https://jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101065094-5-3-1-for-a-beginner