Category: Life-Long Fitness

  • Being Physically Resilient Makes Life Better

    Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash

    Now here’s a word I love in every possible way. And probably more than any sensible person should love a specific set of alphabets aligned in a meaningful way. Despite the risk of sounding like a hardcore weirdo, here goes.

    I love the way it looks on a piece of paper (or on the screen), the way it resonates in my ears, the way it feels in my mouth when I say it out loud. Or even better, when I whisper it on to a microphone while looking at myself in the mirror. 

    Ah, the way people look at me when I say it. The way I look at people when they look at me when I say it… Ok, it wasn’t that weird.

    Resiliency. Say it with me. Resiliency. Now go stand in front of the mirror and say it again. “Resiliency…” Let it linger. I was right, right?

    But most of all, I love what it means:

    The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

    The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.

    I love it in both the mental and physical contexts. But for now, let’s stick with what it means to be physically resilient.

    Resiliency to injuries

    You’re running through the woods, taking deep breaths of fresh air, filling your nostril cavities, odorant receptors and lungs with the smell of the misty rain. A bird! As thoughts of admiration for those vibrant colours of the feathered creature form in your mind, you take a miss step into an old wombat burrow. Thumb! You face plant with force and twist your ankle in the process. 

    “Scheissen!”, you scream out loud and expect to see a throbbing ankle stare back at you. Your mind plays through the near future misery. You’re convinced that these silent misty morning runs are going to be on hold for a while. At least an ankle strain, if not something worse.

    But, alas. After five minutes, the ankle feels normal. You put a bit of weight on it. Feels fine. So you put a bit more weight on it.. Still fine. Marching in place, running in place, vigorous cossack cavalry dance in place. All of it feels fine. And indeed, your ankle is fine. 

    You sweep up the broken pieces of your ego and return to the trail with a sense of having just dodged a proverbial bullet shot out of an old wombat burrow and aimed at your ankle.

    Resiliency. That strength training you’ve done has paid off.

    Strength training doesn’t mean that you’ll never get injured.

    Because sometimes you might. But it’s likely that the strength training you’ve put in allows you to escape with less damage to the injured area. 

    With a buffer of physical resiliency from training the body can absorb more of the impact. Bend more without breaking and protect the joint for further injury.

    Resiliency to complete unplanned tasks in life

    Now, this is not the greatest feat of strength anyone’s ever mastered. But it serves as a good example. And makes me look like a decent bloke. Which is really the reason for this website to exist in the first place. So here goes.

    The other day I ducked out to the shops with our son.

    After parking, I carried him on one arm as we made our way through the car park and towards the shops. Just before walking through the sliding doors I saw an old geezer with a cane. He had a trolly filled with cases of soft drinks and was he clearly struggling to push the damn thing forward.

    There was no way he was able to push the trolley down the ramp and to his car. Let alone being able to lift the cases into his car. How he got the cases in the trolley still remains a mystery to me.

    I could see his eyes were searching for a connection. To raise the attention of any helpful individual. As he was being ignored by the able, but bad mannered and ruined youth who just walked past him, I offered to help. 

    So I took the geezer’s trolley to his car and loaded the cases in the boot for him. Despite him being adamant that shouldn’t or couldn’t do it while carrying a child. Which I guess tells something about how physically intimidating I am.

    In the end, it made the old guy’s life just a bit easier. And despite my persistent and repeated decline of reward, he shoved a five dollar note in my son’s pocket as we turned to walk away. Which I guess tells something about the homeless look I have. 

    Either way, he wanted me to buy candy for the kid. Which we didn’t do. I bought a beer for myself instead. Sacrifices us parents do to protect our kid’s teeth from cavities.

    One has to wonder about that old geezer…

    What if he would’ve been strength training his whole life? Maybe he wouldn’t need my help. Maybe he wouldn’t need a cane. After all, he wasn’t that old. Just in a sad state of physical health.

    Or maybe… he had been strength training his whole life. Maybe he once was strong and resilient. And maybe everything changed in a car accident years ago. An accident that left him physically incapable. Who knows?

    Regardless, I know I will do whatever it takes so I have the resiliency to carry my own groceries when I’m his age.

    So yeah, being physically resilient makes life better.

    It makes us more resilient to injuries. And when injuries do happen, the physical resiliency allows us to recover quicker.

    It’s about helping the old geezer get high on soft drinks.

    Giving your friend a helping hand to move the couch (and a fridge and “would you mind moving that piano and the full fish tank too”).

    Or running to catch a bus and not feel like you’re sucking all the coronavirus oxygen out of the vehicle once you sit down.

    Having physical resiliency makes life better.

  • Walk Away To Come Back Stronger Another Day

    Strength, power and cardiovascular fitness forms the foundation for longevity. And these qualities have to be constantly nurtured to stop them from crumbling. They need the integrity that comes from frequent practice.

    Yet there is a point of diminishing returns. A point of too much. Be it chasing some random ego-driven numbers with weights, running ourselves to the ground on the trails, or pushing that one extra set or rep when it clearly doesn’t matter.

    Should I stay or should I go?
    Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

    Strength, power and cardiovascular fitness forms the foundation for longevity. And these qualities have to be constantly nurtured to stop them from crumbling. They need the integrity that comes from frequent practice.

    Yet there is a point of diminishing returns. A point of too much. Be it chasing some random ego-driven numbers with weights, running ourselves to the ground on the trails, or pushing that one extra set or rep when it clearly doesn’t matter.

    As I am closing in on a full decade of working with clients, and twenty years of training myself, this is one of the guidelines I try to drill into people’s heads (including my own) the most:

    It’s okay.
    You’ve done enough.
    Walk away.
    Come back another day.

    Not only is it a solid advice, it also rhymes. Which in itself is a great thing in any sentence. And means that because of the poetic beauty in it, it shouldn’t be argued with.

    Listen to the sweet whispers of your body.

    This can be tricky, and sometimes we abuse it to get away from doing the good quality work. It’s a skill to differentiate between mentally not feeling it and feeling off physically. A skill that usually gets better as the training age increases.

    What often acts as a good guide, unless you’re feeling like an absolute dirt, is just starting the workout. Just by completing the movement prep and the first set of training can bring a newly found glory to the body and mind. That’s a sign to keep going.

    The opposite is true too. If after the movement prep the body and mind still feel like they’ve been a pinata for a bunch enthusiastic kids high on birthday cake while practising their latest karate moves, it might be better to walk away. Literally, a walk instead might be a good idea.

    Only quality reps matter.

    It’s often that “one more set” that will leave us feeling like a bag of runny donkey poo for days, even weeks. Injuries, muscle strains and general shadiness usually happen in the vicinity of trying to do a few more.

    Quality reps deliver results and leave you feeling semi-fresh. Piling shitty reps on top for the sake of quantity usually does nothing good, but leave you tired. And being tired is not a measuring stick for the success of a training session.

    Compare previous results before “I’ll do one more”.

    Checking what you’ve done in the past can act as a guide to whether you should do more. If you’re feeling great and one more means just a bit better than in the previous workouts, go at it. Be great. A savage, if you must. Whatever adjective that gets you going will do, really.

    If you’ve already done a bit better than before it might be better to walk away. You’ve done enough. Insert the rest of the rhyme here and whistle away.

    And if you’re constantly feeling like you’ve been run through a meat grinder it’s time to investigate what’s up.

    If you’re like most of us it’s unlikely that you’re training too much. But it could be that you’re training too much for what your body can handle with whatever else is going on in your life. And it often comes back to the basics of not enough sleep and food, of too much stress.

    Let’s do just enough to keep getting better.

  • The Restorative Power of Nature

    Maybe my most lamest new-age title so far. I couldn’t resist. Great view though.
    Photo by John Silliman on Unsplash

    Worry not, I am not turning into a naturopathic charlatan recommending people to snort a combination of celery powder and dragon tears thought a cinnamon stick to cure a nasty case of donkey breath.

    But we can agree (as does science) that getting outside does something wonderful to us. Like with all the living things, being a human is better with a daily dose of outdoors.

    Staying focused on the drops of rain hitting our face as we navigate through a national park. The calming effects of silence during a bush walk and feeling reinvigorated as we plunge into the cold water while canyoning.

    Feeling invigorated as the pulse ramps up during a hilly trek. The intoxicating sense of fresh air rushing through our lungs when sprinting the last five hundred meters.

    The sense of stress subsiding as we break for a meal and stare into the distant stillness. Taking in the peaceful view from far above the tree tops.

    That’s why we keep showing up. That’s why we train. For the promise of being able to soak in the nature with all our senses.

  • The Tax On Chasing High Performance

    The greatest athletes at the peak of their careers are not necessarily healthier than an average punter. In fact, they might even be worse off because of the toll their sport is taking on the body. Leaning too heavily on performance will have a negative effect on health. And there’s a tax the high level athlete will eventually have to pay for their success.

    Similarly, the most aesthetics pleasing body is not always the healthiest. A six pack is not the pinnacle of health. It too often comes with a tax on health.

    The tax might not be due tomorrow. But there’s no escaping the reality that one day this price for success needs to be paid back. It’s the price for sacrificing health and longevity for a relatively short term goal.

    One-dimensional goal: winning. Two-dimensional outcome: success with the tax on health. Great, if that’s the goal. High level athletes are ok with the sacrifice. Winning is worth the tax. That’s how sports work. That’s how you make it to the top.

    In high paid athletes the tax isn’t necessarily a problem. Inconvenient? Sure. But apart from collision injuries to the head, they will have the money to pay most of the tax later in life.

    But what about those of us who are not highly paid athletes? We can’t think like the athletes do. We can’t sacrifice overall wellbeing to win the ultra competitive local wrestling competition every year. It’s probably not worth the sacrifice. We can’t afford to pay the tax.

    And even if we can, it’s worth asking, is this performance goal worth the price? There’s no right or wrong. But I know where I stand*.

    Focus on being a healthy, well functioning human first. Have a bendable, but unbreakable foundation. Add performance (whatever this means to you) as much as you can without reducing function and health.

    Let someone else win the wrestling.

    *in the stands. Having a beer.

    After taxes.
    Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

  • How To Decide Your Next Training Goal, Part I: Overall Health Markers, Movement, Body Composition

    Feeling nostalgic? Ditch the Google Maps.
    Photo by Cherise Evertz on Unsplash

    This is Part I of a series of three. (Not unlike The Godfather).
    Part I: Overall health markers, movement, body composition
    Part II: Are Your Strength And Conditioning Up To Standard?
    Part III: Measuring Fitness and Filling The Gaps

    To get clarity on what to focus on next in your training requires a thorough inspection of where you currently are. Let’s face it, most of us like to do things that we’re good at while ignoring the stuff that we suck doing. People who build muscle easily like to get bigger while ignoring movement. Those with flexibility for days often neglect strength. Some love cardio, but spit at lifting. And so on.  

    But allowing our weaknesses to stay weak stops us from thriving. Be it in a sport or life in general. I say, enough. Let’s have a geez and systematically cover each aspect of health, strength and fitness to see where you currently stand and what you should work on. 

    Overall health markers

    Bloodwork

    Blood count, cholesterol, inflammation, mineral and vitamin levels, and whatever else your doctor is in the mood for, matters. Training, performing and trying to be an all around healthy, well-functioning person with bad bloodwork is like driving the highway with a handbrake on. Difficult, slow and annoying.

    Book an appointment with your doctor. He or she will be the best person to tell you what to look out for and what, if anything, needs fixing. 

    If your bloodwork is not quite what they should be this brings us to your first goal: improve your blood work. Whether it’s exercise, meds, diet or perhaps drinking less Jagermeister on your next Caribbean holiday, sort it out.

    Onwards!

    Blood pressure

    120/80 is ideal. As you know, you can get this checked everywhere these days. At the doctors, gym, or the convenience of your own home. 

    If you’re constantly getting a high reading, talk to your doctor. Maybe it’s any of the things we went through with bloodwork. Or maybe it’s more on the mental side. Meditation, mindfulness and general stress management strategies could help too. Or maybe it’s your genetics. Regardless, worth figuring out.

    Onwards!

    Moving like a human should

    Not getting joints in the optimal positions to adapt to stress means that you are not getting the best out of your training. You’re leaving results on the table, not building strength as efficiently as possible, maybe even risking an injury by forcing a joint to handle a load in a position it cannot get into without compromising something along the way. 

    You know, the folks who overhead press without proper shoulder range of motion and end up doing the good old low back arch so deep it’s more like a standing bench press. Makes my eyes bleed drops of sorrow.

    What sort of ranges of motion you need in each joint depends on what you are training for and what you need in your sport. Being able to lift your arms overhead is not really that big of a deal for a runner. But it becomes an issue for a swimmer. Still, it’s nice to be able to scratch your forehead, regardless of your sport of choice.

    There are two fundamental movements that everyone should be able to do, regardless of the training goals. This tells us that the body has at least the absolute basics covered. 

    The absolute minimum movement standards everyone should be able to do

    • Toe touch (or Joonas birthing a box).
    • Squat (with the birthed box photo bombing. Kids).

    There can be a host of reasons (individual joint restrictions etc) beyond the scope of this article, as to why you can’t touch your toes or do a squat. And if you have a big gut that stops you from performing these movements, your time is probably better spent on losing weight instead of movement skills. That might be all you need. If which case, feel free to skip the Body Composition section below. 

    But these following drills work for the majority who lack the stability for toe touch or squat. Yes, it can be a stability problem even if “my hamstrings are too tight”.

    Toe touch progression. Do five reps toes elevated, followed by five heels elevated. Run hands down your thighs and shins and exhale forcefully as if blowing out the candles on your cake when you turned 11, on the way down. Bend knees however much you need to to reach the toes. Aim to reduce the knee bend with each rep.
    Supported squat. Hold on to support to lower yourself to a squat. Keep reducing the grip on the support with each rep, eventually letting go at the bottom altogether. Each rep should feel challenging but manageable.

    Every healthy human should be able to squat and touch their toes. Once you have the toe touch keep retesting it every once in a while to make sure you still have it. Checking squat is not that big of a deal if you do squatting (bodyweight, goblet, barbell…) with a good form in your program.

    Onwards!

    Body composition

    Before running head first into the prickly forest of body composition: I don’t care how you look. What you’re about to read is based on what science tells us about health. Not on what the People Magazine tells us about looks. Bodies come in all shapes and forms and different body compositions are more suitable for different sports and activities. 

    Health on the other hand is relatively universal. The good old Body Mass Index (BMI) works well for the sedentary, or obese, but I am not fond of it for the rest. It can skew the results for healthy, active population since it doesn’t differentiate between lean muscle and fat.

    Using a simple waist measurement is more accurate. Carrying excess fat around your waist is a bigger health risk compared to the fat sitting on your hips and thighs. 

    Here are the waist circumference thresholds, taken roughly at the belly button, that indicate an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease [1]:
    – For women the risk is increased at 80 cm or more, and greatly increased at 88 cm or more.
    – For men the risk is increased at 94 cm or more and greatly increased at 102 cm or more.

    Can you be too lean?

    Sure can, ese. Being super lean and having a six pack is not necessarily the healthiest way to exist in this cruel world. I know it wasn’t the case for me back in the day. The social isolation aspects aside, being too lean might lead to amenorrhea, low libido, brittle bones and disordered eating. Being super lean has more or less nothing to do with being healthy.

    The healthy body fat [2]
    – For women anywhere between 22%-33% is healthy for most.
    – For men anywhere between 11%-22% is healthy for most.

    Let’s talk about muscle

    Having enough lean muscle mass, and consequently strength, means that you’ll probably perform better in your sport, and in the day-to-day activities in general

    We lose muscle mass as we age so to keep functioning well in our old age it’s wise to build and a bit of a buffer of lean muscle. Muscle is metabolically active and improves how the body deals with the nutrients you throw at it. People with higher muscle mass tend to have better insulin sensitivity for one.

    Resistance training will not only help you to maintain your muscle mass, but it also fights off age-related bone degeneration. Peak bone mass is reached in ones late teens and early twenties and after that it’s all downhill. The steepness of the downhill can be greatly reduced by lifting weights. 

    So what is the optimal amount of lean muscle mass?

    Unlike body fat, muscle mass doesn’t have an ideal, set in stone chart for optimal and ideal amounts. Instead, focus on keeping your body fat in the healthy range and averaging two to three moderate to heavy resistance training sessions per week. 

    Check Part II next week for the specifics to aim for. Or, if you work on a farm you can probably ignore the weights and just lift bales of hay.

    What about too much muscle mass?

    Yes, there is a point of too much. Having an excess of muscle mass might not be too good for your when looking through the lense of longevity. The heart has to keep pumping blood through a massive frame which can cause it to strain. Never a great thing for being alive. Then we can also make a case that excess muscle mass elsewhere in the body also means excess muscle in the heart itself. Again, probably not great for living.

    I go on a limb saying that most people don’t have enough muscle on them. Too much muscle is only an issue for bodybuilders on gear who look nothing like humans. You know, the ones who make you think of Godzilla having sex with an earthmoving truck.

    Onwards!

    Let’s recap

    To decide what you should train for next requires a non-judgemental look at where you currently are. If any of the ones we just went through are off, well, you have your next training and health goal set.

    Bloodwork: blood count, cholesterol, mineral and vitamin levels, and whatever else your doctor is in the mood for. Something not quite right? Sort it out.

    Blood pressure: 120/80 is ideal. Maybe it’s what was wrong with the bloodwork. Or maybe it’s more mental. Mindfulness practice and improving your relationship with stress and life might help.

    Movement: really depends on your sport of choice as well what you’d like to be able to do in day-to-day life. As a bare minimum for any healthy adult, you should be able to touch your toes and squat down comfortably.

    Body composition: waist circumference can indicate an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. For women the risk is increased at 80 cm or more and greatly increased at 88 cm or more. For men the risk is increased at 94 cm or more and greatly increased at 102 cm or more.

    You can also be too lean. The healthy body fat for women anywhere 22%-33% is healthy for most. For men anywhere between 11%-22% is all gee. 

    Muscle is metabolically active and improves how the body deals with the nutrients you throw at it. People with higher muscle mass tend to have better insulin sensitivity too. But too much muscle can put a strain on the heart. Although this is usually only an issue for those who are on gear and look like Godzilla had sex with an earthmoving truck.

    Onwards to Part II: Are Your Strength And Conditioning Up To Standard?

    References:

    [1] https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/body-mass-index-bmi-and-waist-circumference
    [2] Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index

  • Spandex Not Compulsory – What is it about?

    In case you’re wondering, yes, I am the one on the right.

     

    Here’s the lowdown on Spandex Not Compulsory. (If you are new here, here’s a quick recap: book in progress, out soon).

    Who is it for? Who is it NOT for? Should you buy it? Does it come with elf stickers? 

    First, let me tell you who it is not for. It is not for those who adore spandex, fake-tan, counting calories and have the time to train more than Arnold did in the 70’s.

    Now that that’s out of the way, who is it for then? Do people who don’t adore spandex even read books? Well…

    It is a book for the busy grownups who struggle with time and motivation. For those who want to get more out of life by becoming stronger, fitter and more confident. But refuse to devote their life to restrictive fitness rules.

    To see results you need an approach that fits your life. Yes, locking yourself in the basement, away from life’s temptations works. Or, you could learn the flexible principles that allow you to ace work and enjoy life.

    In the book you’ll discover:

    –     How to find motivation and stop relying on willpower

    –     How to find more time for exercise

    –     How training and healthy eating can work with an ever-changing schedule

    –     Results-driven habits that allow you to enjoy life

    –     A 12-week training program for a strong and resilient body

    –     Access to the online bonus section

    –     Free unisex spandex bodysuit*

    –     And so much more

    *Ok, spandex bodysuit is definitely not included.

    Excited? If not, I hope I at least got a tiny thrill happening somewhere deep inside of you. The book will be on sale at Amazon the first week it’s out, both on Kindle and Paperback. And yes, still aiming for 14th of May, currently getting the typesetting and interior formatting done.

    If you’ve got any questions, please email me. Even if it’s about the elf stickers.

  • Introduction to Spandex Not Compulsory

    First, quick housekeeping: As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been pouring time into writing and editing my book. With everything else that goes on with getting a book out, it’s been overwhelming. Much more work than I anticipated. That combined with coaching people full time and enter the stealth mode with my blog posts as of late.  (more…)

  • The Case for Vigorous Movement – For Those Not Motivated by Pure Vanity

    Swirl when you’re winning.

    This is the monster article I mentioned a while back. I got inspired to write it after reading this 52 page research, Role of Inactivity in Chronic Diseases: Evolutionary Insight and Pathophysiological Mechanisms. A real page-turner. And heavily referenced in this article.

    Here’s what to expect:

    Part I is about the benefits of participating in frequent vigorous movement, beyond of the “to look good on Instagram”. Yes, for most people a part of training motivation is the vanity aspect. That’s cool. I am not above that. Honestly, it’s probably a bit weird if it’s not. Yet, if you are like me and motivated more than just owning a body you can rub in coconut oil, this is for you.

    In the end of Part I I’ll cover how much of physical activity to aim for at minimum.

    Part II dwells further into physical inactivity and how it relates to osteoporosis, cardiovascular health and mental health, among other nasty stuff. So if you want to know the specifics of why physical movement is the best thing ever, you’ll love Part II. In the same way you love Godfather Part II vs Part I. I mean, both are amazing. But in unique ways. (more…)

  • Is Fitness Only a Band-Aid for Poor Health?

    “The health of the human body is ultimately dependent of the health and the habitat of the community” – Frank Forencich

    I am currently reading, and inspired by Frank Forencich’s The Art is Long: Big Health and the New Warrior Activist – book. Although the name could be taken as spiritual, mystic, new-age twist, it’s far from it. Or close to it, depending on how you see the world. (more…)

  • “I Train so I Can Eat”

    “I train so I can eat.”

    This is something I often hear when people state their reasons for training. Everyone’s entitled to have their reasons but I don’t like this one. It’s a doomed thought process that easily leads into train more, eat less-, or train more, eat more – mentality. (more…)