Month: October 2019

We often hear about fat-shaming. A friend recently asked if I have written about fit-shaming. (I have not. Frankly, I am embarrassed that I have never been fit-shamed.) Let’s get to the point, shaming anyone for their body is wrong. Thank our Creator that we are all different in so many ways. Whether fit or fat, what is most important that we are all striving to be the best we can be Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially. Shaming anyone for their fitness (or lack thereof) demonstrate our own lack of well-centered fitness. Shaming anyone demonstrates how much our social skills suck and our own Emotional immaturity. Moreover, it demonstrates a void of Spiritual awareness. (Still, I don’t find it surprising that my friend—a bodybuilder—was thusly shamed at church after speaking about Jesus as the perfect example of health, wellness, and fitness.)

Rather than shaming, we need to be supportive and grow in our collective well-centeredness.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“The influential man is the successful man, whether he be rich or poor.”—Orison Swett Marden

True power is within the reach of every (extra)ordinary man and woman.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Personally, I am not very good about stretching regularly. I should, but I also don’t worry too much about it. I focus on moving and maintaining a healthy range of motion. When I feel tight and limited, I add in a few focused stretches, or I foam roll the tight muscles. I’d like to add a yoga session or two a week, but I haven’t made it a top priority.

If your range of motion is limited and/or you are experiencing pain or limited performance, then stretching is warranted. But, first, understand what flexibility is and how it is increased. Flexibility is the ability to move  a joint through a pain-free range of motion. It is not necessary to be overly flexible, but less flexibility (below normal ranges of joint movement) can impair performance and lead to injury. Flexibility is joint-specific.

Stretching is intended to elongate the connective tissue (e.g., tendons). Connective tissue has both elastic and plastic properties, depending on the state of the tissue. When the tissue is cold, it acts more elastic—meaning it will recoil to its original shape when it is stretched. When the tissue is warmed, it act more plastic—meaning that it is deformable and will retain more of its stretched form. Thus, stretching should only be performed after the muscle is warmed (ideally, post-workout).

The warm-up phase of the exercise session is to prepare the body for training/performance. It should include light activity to raise the body temperature and movements that progressively increase the involved joints’ ranges of motion (referred to as a dynamic warm-up). This need not take more than about 5-10 minutes. After this dynamic warm-up some focused stretching may be warranted, if there is perceptible tightness that might lead to injury. It is important to recognize that stretching prior to force producing movements can actually decrease force production (think of the tightening that must occur in a tow rope before the towed vehicle can begin to move). The warmup should function to provide the necessary joint mobility without decreasing the necessary muscle stiffness.

The best time to stretch is after the workout. Unless there are significant limitations, an effective post-workout stretch (as part of the cool-down) need not last more than 5-10 minutes. Focus on the major joints and exercised muscle groups (as these will be the most warmed). The number of stretches performed is less important than the total duration. Each stretch should be performed for a cumulative hold of about 30-60 seconds (generally in 15-s sets). Much more begins to cut into time that can be spent doing the actual exercises that are prescribed to meet your goals.

Stretching should help you achieve your goals and should, therefore, consider the principle of “opportunity costs”. So, use your exercise time effectively.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

There are 3500 kcal in a pound of fat. So, if you want to lose weight, just cut your calories and increase your exercise, right? This is the advice we most often receive. We especially hear the suggestion to “do more cardio”. It is true that the major factor in weight management is caloric balance—i.e., you have to be hypocaloric to lose weight—but there is more to it than just that.

First, we have to consider the goal itself. What does one mean by “lose weight”? I once cut 17 pounds in 24 hours to make weight for wrestling. (Not the smartest thing I have done in my life.) I wish it was 17 pounds of fat, but it wasn’t. It was nearly all water—which is what most of our initial weight loss is. In addition, I didn’t do my meager muscle mass much good either. Rather than weight on the scale, one needs to focus on body composition (then relative amounts of fat and lean—muscle—tissue in the body). One may not be overfat, per se. Rather, one may be under-muscled. No amount of cardio is going to add an appreciable amount of muscle mass. Adding muscle will add weight to the scale. Thus, there may be doesn’t need to be quite so much movement in the negative direction.

In the eat less and exercise more model, one usually focuses on a 7000 kcal/week deficit (i.e., a combination of caloric restriction and metabolic output equivalent to 1000 kcal/per day). In doing so, one often forgets that extreme caloric restriction can slow metabolism and cause the body’s self-defense mechanisms to kick is. Extremely low-calorie intakes (e.g., less than 1200 kcal) tend to limit nutrient intake to below sustainable levels and also limit performance. It is much better to focus on fueling the desired exercise and physical activity with the proper nutrients—i.e., by adjusting the macro (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) balance. It is also critical to include activity to increase or maintain muscle mass—e.g., heavy resistance training. I have counseled numerous dieters over the years to “eat more” to lose weight. The reality is that you will still be in a caloric deficit because the increases in basal metabolic rate, thermogenic effect of food, and (likely) physical activity will more than compensate for the extra calories. Moreover, the added energy will supply the muscles with the fuel to grow. The scale may not show it as much, but the fat will decrease.

Emphasize healthy eating and nutrient balance and timing. Count macros rather than calories.

Emphasize exercise—especially weight training—rather than merely counting steps (physical activity). We do need to move more, but we need to include meaningful movement.

Let the mirror, rather than the scale, be your guide.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“In my 30s, I exercised to look good. In my 50s, to stay fit. In my 70s, to stay ambulatory. In my 80s, to avoid assisted living. Now, in my 90s, I am doing it of pure defiance.”—Dick Van Dyke

I saw this quote the other day. My first thought was that all my exercise is done out of pure defiance. I tend to think that being fit in my 50s, staying ambulatory into my 70s, and, certainly, avoiding assisted living are acts of defiance. I want to go counter to a culture that believes aging means slowing down. I want to be in proportionately better shape than my peers as I age. Frankly, it is really just a matter of maintenance. Hold on to health and fitness with proper exercise and a healthy (eucaloric) diet, and it is possible to look good, stay fit, stay ambulatory, avoid assisted living, and kick a** well into one’s 90s. (I promised my students that I will be an elite athlete in my 80s. I may have been average along the way, but, eventually, perseverance will win.

The most important thing we can do to defy aging and hold on to our health is to be active and exercise. This includes the Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions, as well as the Physical. So, dare to defy.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I write about well-centered fitness—the balance of the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions of wellness. Often presented more like the slices of a pie, I prefer to think of the as interconnected but also hierarchal. I find Spiritual wellness—the belief in something greater than oneself—and Physical wellness—all that pertains to one’s physical health and performance—to be the very foundation of wellness. Spiritual and Physical well-centeredness go hand-in-hand. I see a connection between the Spiritual and the Physical is quantum physics Rob Bell’s Everything is Spiritual spells this out quite well.

It is perhaps impossible to separate the Physical essence of life from the energy connects us all—i.e., the Spiritual. There is a powerful energy that flows between us. An energy that truly makes us One.

Without a foundation in the Spiritual and Physical, we simply cannot develop our intellectual capability or understand the deeper concepts of our intellect.  Thus, the Spiritual and the Physical give meaning to life and to ideas. As well, our relationships are built on the Physical and Spiritual, and, at the same time, the Emotional dimension is affected by and affects the other dimensions—acting as a sort of keystone dimension.

Spiritual wellness is beyond religion. Indeed, religion can actually limit—better: inhibit—one’s Spiritual well-centeredness. I have struggled with the “Christian” label as it has not always represented well its namesake. I have favored the label “Christ-follower”. I have read recently of a “Jesus plus nothing” approach, which I find troublesome. I’d rather prefer a “Jesus plus Christ” approach. (I think this is a point Richard Rohr is trying to make in The Universal Christ.) It is the “plus Christ” that takes the Jesus story to the level of “everything is Spiritual”. Jesus alone is a Physical message. Jesus Christ is a Physical plus Spiritual message. “Love your neighbor” is an easy thing to accept when your neighbor is your friend and looks like you. It becomes Spiritual when love is a truly unifying concept. It is Spiritual because the Christ is a unifying force. It is a concept that I am coming to grasp more easily, but I still struggle to enact. Something at which I really struggle.

When we consider the Spiritual responsibility, it becomes increasingly clear that we, likewise have a Physical responsibility to others—to be healthy; to be well. We have to take care of our personal health and performance capacities for the benefit of others. We live well that we can fulfill our universal Purpose.

Physical and Spiritual well-centeredness, then, are “other-centered”. As you seek to be our best today—in whatever arena that may be—it becomes our purpose to be better tomorrow for that which is greater self. This is to live an (extra)ordinary life.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.”—Orison Swett Marden

Any successful endeavor requires effort. One of my many favorite Dan Gable quotes is: “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” If you want success, there is no easy path. There are no “hacks” or short-cuts. Success cannot be “coaxed or bribed”. It will, however, open its door to those who take the journey and boldly knock.

Opportunity costs. What price are we willing to pay?

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I hear many exercisers talk about cheat days. There is something to be said for flexibility in the diet, but what about these “cheat days”—days when one purposefully goes off-diet and enjoys excess calories and less-healthy foods (e.g., burgers, pizza, etc.). It is pleasing to skip the salad from time to time, but in the long-run the cheat day plan likely does more harm than good.

Weight management—that is, efforts to lose body fat and gain muscle—requires consistency. Diet is about caloric balance, macro balance, and nutrient timing. If it takes a 3500-kcal deficit to lose a pound of fat, then one needs to be in a daily 1000 kcal deficit to lose two pounds a week. As such, a single cheat meal (a cheeseburger and fries can easily exceed several thousand kcals) can destroy a week’s effort. Granted, calorie balance and metabolism don’t work quite like that (according to set-point theory). If you are hypocaloric to lose weight, a “cheat meal” can slow your progress.

Personally, I don’t like the phrase “cheat meal”. Instead, I prefer to understand that life happens despite one’s efforts to lose body fat. Holidays can be particularly challenging. Rather than “cheating”, though, try to manage your social life within the confines of your diet plan. If you know there will be a big meal out at a restaurant or a dinner party, plan the rest of your day wisely. If you are on a 6-meal plan, there is no shame in combining two meals and/or trimming the macros in the other meals for the day. The key is to do your best to keep within the daily caloric and macro goal. If deviate slightly, it is better to slipping of the track altogether. Get back to the plan the next day—without feeling the need to “pay for your sins”. One occasional day of not meeting your calorie and macro goals will not be to destructive to your progress. Feeling the need to cut calories the next day only lead to another off-track day.

Another way to counter the occasional off-track eating day if to offset the caloric intake with a modest increase in physical activity and exercise. It is best, however, to not take this to extremes, as it may affect your recovery from you prescribed exercise program.

The key to successful weight management is consistency. Plan for success. Allow for the occasional slip, but don’t plan to “cheat”. Be flexible, but be consistent.

Calling them “cheat meals” is giving yourself an excuse to go off-diet. Have a plan for when your diet doesn’t fit your circumstances. Keep a “big picture” mindset. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to fail.

No food should be off-limits. “Fun” foods—even desserts—can be enjoyed on occasion. Just realize that “opportunity costs”. Overall, the diet should consist of satisfying, nutrient-dense foods (e.g., quality proteins and veggies). Just don’t go to extremes and don’t do it frequently.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I am striving to be more other-centered. In pondering this, it is becoming clear that we can have three approaches to living relationally. We can be self-centered—as we most often are—and consider only what we receive relationally. We can simply cave to desires of others—as we see in many dysfunctional relationships—and let others take (believing ourselves to be “giving”). Or we can interact with others in a third way. We can take a truly relational approach and understand that we are all interconnected on a deeply Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, and Emotional basis. This is what I would call “Social well-centeredness”. This approach seeks to neither give only or take only. Instead, it seeks to simply be in the presence of others. It is transformational rather than transactional.

Other-centered is not other-focused. It understands that the principle of “six-degrees of separation” is really more a principle of infinite interconnectedness. Other-centered considers that everyone has a Purpose and that our experiences and relationships work together for the common good.

I find when I get angry (as I often do) that it is not about what the other person did or did not do. It is more about how their action or inaction directly affected me. In other words, I tend to perceive others to be the a**hole when it is instead me who needs the grattitude check.

I am trying to allow space for the soul to speak—a sort of Quaker approach to interacting with others that I learned from reading Parker J. Palmer. Those who know me best know that I have far from mastered this practice. I am trying, though.

It is easy to want to impose our will. (Just as easy as it is to let others impose their will upon us.) Where real communication occurs, we are stepping back and letting our souls communicate. But to do this, we have to truly listen. Not only to others, but also to our own hearts. We have to know our own needs as much as we need to know the needs of others.

It takes effort. It takes an attitude of gratitude. It takes trust in one’s personal path.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time.”—Jordan Burroughs

Success takes time. There is no such thing as an overnight success. The truly (extra)ordinary seek constant improvement and know that effort must be applied continually. The ordinary give up when success is delayed.

The legends of whom Jordan Burroughs speaks separate themselves from the “greats” by not stopping at their first successes. They remain competitive and pursue greater and greater goals. They keep focused on the challenge of improvement.

“The direction of your focus is the direction your life will move. Let yourself move toward what is good, valuable, strong and true.”—Ralph Marston

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!