Is fast approaching and I fight it every day - mentally at least..............
When I was 35 it was a problem for me to hit 40, I went through my mid life anxiety attack and finally accepted it...................... (3 weeks before I actually turned 40)! But now that I am 40 - soon to be 41, its a whole new anxiety. I don't fight in the ring or cage anymore so there is really no way to gauge or justify my 41 year old athletic mind...............or so I thought!
It took awhile for me to create another outlet, another way to rationalize being 41 and how - in all of my manly testosterone way - I could still be 25. Then it hit me, I am going to sprint 100 yards, 41 times - up hill (a mountainside specifically - 6000 ft elevation), at 45-60 incline! This challenge, this opportunity to push myself - to compete against myself - sounded wonderful............until my first training session for it!
41 - 60 second sprints on a treadmill at 30 degree incline @ 4mph
41 - sets of power and explosive work - 3 exercises done in a row to comprise one set - row, clean to press,
and a curl. Done with 135lbs for 41 times
41 jumps onto a 36 inch platform
&
41 single leg TRX explosive jumps
It was somewhere in there that I came up with the idea for this post after realizing the abuse I was putting myself through - my attempt to stop something that I will never be able to stop.
Getting older or becoming more "life experienced" as i like to say, should not be a burden. It should be welcomed with open arms and embraced. At 40 years of age, the fact that I am still pursuing the fountain of youth is a battle already won.
I tell my all of my clients that a positive mental is the first step in changing who you are to who you want to be. So in listening to my own words of wisdom, I am coming to grips with..............
............I am not getting older, I am getting better..........
............I am not as old as the number says, I am as old as I feel...........
............I am not limited to what I can't do, I am limited by what my mind can imagine...........
............I am only as old as I feel............and I feel 25!
Life is what we make of it, and if I have been allowed to live to be 41 then I am going to embrace it, but i will always challenge it. In my mind, being a fighter - it is always about the next fight, the next challenge, the next opportunity to step into the ring hearing the crowd call my name while I test myself against another fighter.
In this case I am up against my hardest critic, my strongest opponent, my only true nemesis......I am up against myself!
Turning 41 was not the challenge, the challenge was getting here - now that I am here, I am going to challenge myself, push myself, and look forward to every battle. That is benefit of getting older......................
...................you never run out of challenges and opportunities to prove yourself - to yourself!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Numbers -vs- Reality.............
One of the biggest hurdles the world has got to get past is not focusing AS MUCH on the numbers and focus on the process.
Now I am not saying that the numbers are not important - scale, body-fat - etc......I am saying that we rely too much on numbers to control where we land, EX..
I have a client who went on an extreme diet and got down to a size 4. Now that she has started eating "normal" again she is a size 7, but the numbers she is focusing on is when she was a size 4. The scale number, her caloric intake, and the size of the clothes she wore. What she negates is that she had no energy, she was dehydrated, she had menstrual issues, and blood pressure issues.
Even at a size 7 she was well into the "athletic womens" body-fat range and ALL of the above issues where resolved - she still wanted the NUMBER on the scale to be what it was when she was dieting and unhealthy. what do i do............
I told her I was not going to suggest she go down in weight but embrace the health she has and not base her numbers off of what size/weight the general public suggests she maintain. One favorite website I like is www.EXRX.net and I went there to show her what her caloric intake should be, based on on her daily energy expenditure. She was floored. she was limiting herself to 1200-1500 calories a day working out 2-3 times a day - the caloric calculator said she should be closer to 3850.
(Though there are many ways to decide caloric intake - this site I have used for years, though I don't always agree with what it says - I agree more then with others.)
Our caloric needs are based on many variables - when deciding eating habits, we have to design around our activities, goals, medical concerns, genetics, and body make up. some us us were not meant to be size 4's, or in my case I wanted to fight at 205lbs - but I could never make 205 except through extreme, unhealthy measures. I am not preaching pro-obesity I am saying that fitness is more then the numbers we focus on to look good externally - when doing this we often forget about the internal. We workout to get more out of life - to live life, but we first have to understand and love ourselves - in order to love life!
Now I am not saying that the numbers are not important - scale, body-fat - etc......I am saying that we rely too much on numbers to control where we land, EX..
I have a client who went on an extreme diet and got down to a size 4. Now that she has started eating "normal" again she is a size 7, but the numbers she is focusing on is when she was a size 4. The scale number, her caloric intake, and the size of the clothes she wore. What she negates is that she had no energy, she was dehydrated, she had menstrual issues, and blood pressure issues.
Even at a size 7 she was well into the "athletic womens" body-fat range and ALL of the above issues where resolved - she still wanted the NUMBER on the scale to be what it was when she was dieting and unhealthy. what do i do............
I told her I was not going to suggest she go down in weight but embrace the health she has and not base her numbers off of what size/weight the general public suggests she maintain. One favorite website I like is www.EXRX.net and I went there to show her what her caloric intake should be, based on on her daily energy expenditure. She was floored. she was limiting herself to 1200-1500 calories a day working out 2-3 times a day - the caloric calculator said she should be closer to 3850.
(Though there are many ways to decide caloric intake - this site I have used for years, though I don't always agree with what it says - I agree more then with others.)
Our caloric needs are based on many variables - when deciding eating habits, we have to design around our activities, goals, medical concerns, genetics, and body make up. some us us were not meant to be size 4's, or in my case I wanted to fight at 205lbs - but I could never make 205 except through extreme, unhealthy measures. I am not preaching pro-obesity I am saying that fitness is more then the numbers we focus on to look good externally - when doing this we often forget about the internal. We workout to get more out of life - to live life, but we first have to understand and love ourselves - in order to love life!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I do the same thing over and over again.....
.....and expect results! I hear this all of the time.
What I don't hear a lot of is people trying something new. When it comes to our fitness and creating "change", we have to CHANGE what we have been doing in order for our bodies to react to the new! Our bodies adapt so fast to what we are doing, that we have to find a way to modify the exercise every 2-3 weeks or we stop changing. Whether we change tempo, angle, modify reps, workout to time, or go to a whole new workout etc...., there has to be some change so that we can grow or lose.
Let's not forget time. We have to be willing to give our bodies the time it needs to adapt, and grow for the expected changes to occur. They go hand in hand - change and time. Change will always come with time, but time does not always come with change.
Why are you still stuck.
What I don't hear a lot of is people trying something new. When it comes to our fitness and creating "change", we have to CHANGE what we have been doing in order for our bodies to react to the new! Our bodies adapt so fast to what we are doing, that we have to find a way to modify the exercise every 2-3 weeks or we stop changing. Whether we change tempo, angle, modify reps, workout to time, or go to a whole new workout etc...., there has to be some change so that we can grow or lose.
Let's not forget time. We have to be willing to give our bodies the time it needs to adapt, and grow for the expected changes to occur. They go hand in hand - change and time. Change will always come with time, but time does not always come with change.
Why are you still stuck.
I lost my motivation......
......This one simple phrase is what I hear most when people come to me to get .back in shape.
After 16 years as a trainer, I've learned that people don't lose motivation - their motivation changes........As we get older and gain more responsibilities, it is more about how we take care of everyone around us instead of taking care of ourselves. We place first importance on our children, our mate, our jobs, success, financial stress, etc....before we take an hour a day to get our mind and our body together so that we don't break down from motivating everyone else.
I turn 41 in 5 weeks, and I look at other athletes, fighters, and people in general around me, and I see the stress and pain from failing bodies, joints, and overall lack of quality life cause of their motivation to themselves. I am not saying that is a bad thing - I am saying that I am a firm believer that our quality of life is enhanced by stealing a portion of the love that we give to everyone else and invest into us.
When people come to me with "lost motivation" one of the first things I ask them is what does motivate you? I get a lot of the same generic answers - all related to external sources or tangible needs. I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard someone say - I want a better quality of life.
If we spend ALL of our time investing into others and leave nothing for ourselves, we are being selfish - to ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with stealing an hour a day - for us, there is nothing wrong with choosing to eat healthier - for us, there is nothing wrong with taking a mental break - for us. We have to be considerate enough to US that we see the value in giving back - to us..............so we can continue to be the motivating force to others.
After 16 years as a trainer, I've learned that people don't lose motivation - their motivation changes........As we get older and gain more responsibilities, it is more about how we take care of everyone around us instead of taking care of ourselves. We place first importance on our children, our mate, our jobs, success, financial stress, etc....before we take an hour a day to get our mind and our body together so that we don't break down from motivating everyone else.
I turn 41 in 5 weeks, and I look at other athletes, fighters, and people in general around me, and I see the stress and pain from failing bodies, joints, and overall lack of quality life cause of their motivation to themselves. I am not saying that is a bad thing - I am saying that I am a firm believer that our quality of life is enhanced by stealing a portion of the love that we give to everyone else and invest into us.
When people come to me with "lost motivation" one of the first things I ask them is what does motivate you? I get a lot of the same generic answers - all related to external sources or tangible needs. I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard someone say - I want a better quality of life.
If we spend ALL of our time investing into others and leave nothing for ourselves, we are being selfish - to ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with stealing an hour a day - for us, there is nothing wrong with choosing to eat healthier - for us, there is nothing wrong with taking a mental break - for us. We have to be considerate enough to US that we see the value in giving back - to us..............so we can continue to be the motivating force to others.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Luckutt: The Key to Weight Loss is Not Getting Fit
So many of us are concerned about weight loss, and as one of the “fattest” countries in the world, we should be – but there's more to it than just incorporating exercise or “going” on a new diet.
In week five of six weeks to your best year ever, we round the corner to implement changes incorporated over the last few weeks. STRENGTHEN is this week's theme, and I offer four schools of thought, all with a similar philosophy: Strength is creating inner fortitude necessary to continue on the new path you've created.
The other day, Rachel Ray had reality star Bethenny Frankel on her show where they discussed the “myth” of creating balance. I argue that the “myth” is more about our approach than the concept itself, as balance is more successful when treated like a pie rather than a set of scales to be tipped. With this “pie,” some days one slice is larger, another day it may just be a sliver, but the entire thing is what keeps us whole.
In week five of six weeks to your best year ever, we round the corner to implement changes incorporated over the last few weeks. STRENGTHEN is this week's theme, and I offer four schools of thought, all with a similar philosophy: Strength is creating inner fortitude necessary to continue on the new path you've created.
The other day, Rachel Ray had reality star Bethenny Frankel on her show where they discussed the “myth” of creating balance. I argue that the “myth” is more about our approach than the concept itself, as balance is more successful when treated like a pie rather than a set of scales to be tipped. With this “pie,” some days one slice is larger, another day it may just be a sliver, but the entire thing is what keeps us whole.
Luckutt: Readers inspire physical transformation
Working with six-time Mixed Martial Arts Champion Jeff Ford (one of the trainers featured in week four of the "Six Weeks" series), we have our sights set on my participating in a competition this summer. - that's about 90 days people. What am I thinking? The thought of having to walk on stage in a skimpy sequined bikini would motivate most anyone -- unfortunately, it doesn't motivate me -- so I'll have to dig deep and commit to making sure I follow Ford's every instruction.
Currently, traveling to his gym in Lonetree is a 45 minute trek one way, so I'm even moving closer to make sure I can fit the often masochistic workouts in without excuse. They are tough, but I must say, very energizing and thoroughly empowering. I'll keep you updated monthly on the progress, and with luck (and a bit of gumption), have an awe inspiring before and after to share come Back-to-school time.
Currently, traveling to his gym in Lonetree is a 45 minute trek one way, so I'm even moving closer to make sure I can fit the often masochistic workouts in without excuse. They are tough, but I must say, very energizing and thoroughly empowering. I'll keep you updated monthly on the progress, and with luck (and a bit of gumption), have an awe inspiring before and after to share come Back-to-school time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)