Go Be Fit!

The worn sneaker or the wrong one is often the cause of minor and major aches and pains! Joe says his back is hurting him. I check out his running sneakers to discover that they are worn. Joe gets new sneakers. His tells me that now his back is fine – end of story – no injury.

What about all of the people I see running in the wrong shoes?  I want to outfit them in the right shoe for their particular feet. The woman I see every week jogging in a pair of cross trainers from the 80’s needs a major update. Then there is the guy running in a pair of hightops. Yikes! They need the right shoes – running sneakers. It doesn’t matter if you are a casual or diehard runner, you need the right shoe for the specific demands of the exercise.

I check all of my clients and group fitness participants for worn shoes because it can lead to biomechanial faults, postural misalignments, back pain and injuries. Please do yourself a favor, if you run get fitted with the right shoe, if you play sports, wear a cross trainer that will support lateral movement. Don’t wear old or worn out shoes – your feet and body will rebel!

Summer is the perfect time to try something new to spice up your fitness program. This suggestion includes your cardio, strength and flexibility program. Don’t get too comfortable with your exercise plans. You should change them on a monthly basis to prevent boredom, burnout, injury, overuse and plateaus.

People often get stuck doing too much of the same thing. They believe that being locked into a routine is doing them a world of good. It isn’t doing harm, I tell them. I simply caution them against using the same exercises over and over again.  For example, a strength training program should include a variety of exercises that vary according to your goals and needs. For example, instead of always doing chest presses on a bench with weights, do some push ups, or standing presses with resistance bands. You want to work you body in different ways and use a variety of equipment to challenge you even more.

The same idea applies to cardio – switch it up. If you always run at a steady state for 40 minutes, three times a week, try doing intervals to boost endurance and stamina. Bike to cross train. Learn a new sport for the fun of it.

Bottom line – Switch it Up!  Of course you should keep stretching on a daily basis to keep your mind and body flexible.  

It seems that my 5 wood yesterday will be my club of choice to tee off. The reason is that I could actually hit the ball and drive it 125 yards or so. Whoopee for me! I didn’t have such great luck with my 1 or 3 woods, or my 5 or 7 irons for that matter. That was yesterday, today and tomorrow are new days and I will see better golfing days with time.

I can’t imagine what golf would be like if it had only one club, like tennis – one racquet. I like having a bunch of different clubs to use. I feel that this doesn’t limit me but gives me a chance – a chance to make something out of the shot. Golf requires focus, patience and determination. It is 90% mental and 10% physical.

Yesterday’s lesson from the driving range: A few shots hit out of the bucket of balls is better than none! Practice, Patience and Persistence.

This month is Older Americans Month as President Obama has declared. Older people have a special place in my heart. They are wise, been around the block many times, suffered and have paid their dues! I am constantly humbled by the work that I do with the elderly. Men and women who have sustained strokes, mental illness and diseases like Altzheimer’s, yet still have the courage to live each day gracefully with their challenges.

While our society prizes youth – I prize aging! We are all aging, whether we like to believe so or not. It is how we perceive aging that matters. I have seen young people who seem so old, worn down by life. I have seen older people, who have the zest, spunk and spark of youth. We have much to learn from our elders.

Every week that passes I learn from those that I have the honor to teach. This week I learned that one of the residents at a facility in which I teach had “lost her life.” She spoke of her struggle poignantly. “I don’t know how I got here. I do know that there is a gap between what happened then and me being here now. My family won’t tell me the details.”  I said, “That must be so painful for you – to have a break – a gap and not know why and how you lost your life.”

All I could do was sit with her and bear witness to her pain. Please spend some time with elders. My mother has been dead for 20 years. She died at the young age of 59. I miss her. Our elders have so much to teach us given the opportunity.

Why are some people more motivated than others? How does one get motivated and stay motivated when it comes to exercise? Lack of motivation is one of the primary reasons that people hire trainers and take group fitness classes. Let’s identify extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic – external motivation – I see others exercising outdoors and it motivates me to get out there and join them! I hear great music and suddenly I find myself dancing to the beat!

Intrinsic – internal motivation – I feel calm, focused and productive once I’ve exercised. I go out for a brisk walk or jog because I like how it makes me feel. My mood is great when I exercise, so I am motivated to do something on a daily basis.

Sounds easy? It is not so simple. Here is a tip that works quite well- the next time that you are low on motivation, trick yourself. Tell yourself that you are only going to exercise for 5 minutes. I guarantee you that once you warm up you won’t stop. Before you know it you will have exercised for a longer time. Another trick – exercise to music! Music is a wonderful motivational tool!

I used to believe that golf was not a sport like tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball etc. This past week I quickly learned that this is a myth. My first lesson and I am already struggling to make contact with the ball. OK – so I was quite a tennis player back in the day. My ground strokes were always consistent and there is some overlap with golf. I’ve got some things going for me. Golf may look easy, but it is deceiving to the innocent bystander!

I used to pass by golf courses and relish the gorgeous greens, the golfers who seemed to be standing around, huddling over their ball, concentrating intently and praying they’d make the shot. These golfers appeared to belong to a mysterious polo shirt and bermuda short clad cult, who look ever so cool and stylish in their clothes and gear. I envied the fact that they seemed to have all of this extra time on their hands, to play 18 holes,  and get to hang out with a bunch of friends or golfing pals for a day.  

Now I long to be on the course, to hear the birds above and savor the rolling greens, while practicing putting with the focus of a monk. Golf is mentally challenging. One needs the patience of a saint, the non-attachment and non-judgement of a Buddhist, the flexibility and forgiveness of a loving parent, and the humility of a good leader. I hope to keep developing all of these fine qualities as I perfect my golf game. At this stage in my life I am ready. I don’t care how long it takes me to learn. I am now a part of this mystical and zen sport!

What if you could determine your fitness type and keep exercising without roadblocks? Well, now you can thanks to Suzanne Brue, who spent six years researching the Meyers Briggs and how it applies to health and fitness. She  developed the innovative and cutting-edge “8 colors of fitness” model. Go to this website http://www.the8colorsoffitness.com/book/, take the quiz and learn your type.

My Meyers Briggs type is ENFP. My fitness color is silver/harmony. True to type I am outgoing, creative, warm, enthuastic and inspire others to tap into their potential. I see the big picture, love flexibility, spontaneity, fun and adventure when it comes to exercise and life. According to Suzanne Brue, “Silvers are the Masters of Exercise Disguise.”

I spoke with her last week about her brilliant research and its application to the health and fitness field. She suggested that I use her theory with clients. I responded that I most definitely will, because it is such a valuable tool. She told me to keep in touch and said, “By the way, Silvers make great group fitness instructors!”

What’s your color?

A participant at a recent seminar I presented, asked me this question. “Why should I challenge myself? My program is working for me?” I pondered her honest and wise question for a moment before I responded. I told her that to challenge or not to challenge yourself is always a choice. You are your own expert. Therefore, you make decisions about your health and fitness program. I also said that life is challenging. We don’t know what lies ahead of us regarding our health and fitness at any age. We need to build emotional and physical resilience. Hence, I believe that challenging oneself is important, because in the time of crisis, you would hopefully be able to heal sooner rather than later.

I tell people not to get too comfortable with their program. Too much of the same thing is not necessarily a good thing. It certainly can’t hinder, but how much does it help? Basically, you need to evolve with your program. You need to keep it fresh, interesting and challenging to make gains, especially if you are exercising consistently. Ultimately, it is up to you. I suggest trying out a simple challenge. You may be surprised by the results!

He once weighed 368 pounds he tells me. It was as if he shed one or two men. A metamorphosis occured and now he is alive, moving, a dynamic force in my group exercise class. I try to imagine him at 368. This is nearly impossible, since I see a healthy and active man, whose movements are beautiful and effortless. His presence in my class is uplifting. His story an amazing truimph.

He tells me that he never stopped moving at 368. How he was able to do so despite his load, I have no idea. He does not tell me about his struggles. He speaks about his success. He only discloses that he stopped caring and the weight kept increasing. The decision to go through with gastric bypass surgery certainly changed his life. It gave him a chance, a life to live as one man – himself.  

The American College of Sports Medicine has recently changed the guidelines for aerobic exercise to 50 minutes, five times a week for healthy adults ages 18 – 65. People should exercise at a moderate and/or vigorous intensity for 200 – 300 minutes a week. This is an increase from 30 minutes.

“50 minutes?” people ask me a few times to make sure that they heard me correctly. I tell them that yes it’s true, but it doesn’t have to be all at once. You can spread it out during the course of the day. Of course, I like to get it all done at once but that doesn’t mean the same will work for you.

I encourage people to do interval training. Play with your cardio, do a few minutes at a higher intensity and recover for a few. Interval training is particularly effective for exercise newbies, athletes and weight loss.

I’ve got to go now and do my cardio!