31 January 2010
What shift will you make today?
02/02/10 09:22
“...in each moment there is a potential for self-kindness: a relaxing breath, an appreciative thought about who we are, shifting our position to a more comfortable one, removing ourselves from exposure to things that don't serve us, taking off a tight piece of clothing, hanging up the phone, saying no.”
—Jill Badonsky (Muse Song)
What shift will you make today?
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My Weight Training Soapbox
01/02/10 10:09
In order to reach my goals last week, I ended up practicing yoga, climbing, and doing 35 minutes of cardio all in one day. And what did that tell me? That my body just isn’t ready for that big of a challenge. In order to be kind to myself, I rested Tuesday and only ended up climbing twice for that week.
I did that for a reason. Climbing is my main source of strength training, brings me lots of joy and includes little bursts of cardio when I’m working hard to get to the top of a route. This jockeys with yoga for the most important bang for my buck, so it’s what I’m going to keep if I need to ratchet things back a bit.
I also made this choice because of my specific goals. It’s super important that you know why you’re exercising, what aspects of it are important to you, and design your program accordingly. My goals are to get stronger, enjoy the social aspects of exercise, and to get back to my happiest weight of a muscular 127. I’m about 135 right now.
This brings up two main takeaways that I want to reinforce.
#1. Strength training is key if you want to get strong and lose weight. I can’t stress this enough. Strength training in some form or another will keep you young and will make you look your very best. Cardio is for your heart and will keep your cardiovascular system healthy.
Spending lots of time every day on cardio will NOT make you thinner.
I know you’ve read this. I’m going to get on my soapbox and say it again. The more weight training you do (with proper rest periods) the more muscle you will have. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn ALL day long.
With cardio, you only burn calories while you’re doing it, and slightly after. Would you rather burn calories for say one hour, or for 24 hours per day?
Weight training is also going to make you look a lot firmer and when done properly, will reduce your chances of getting injured. Ladies, you won’t bulk up or look manly. I promise!
Alright, so you’re sold. So what exactly does weight training mean? In general, it means that you can only maintain a certain exercise for 10-15 reps or so. For example, I do about 15 steps up each climb, and probably equal amounts with my arms and back. I’m climbing at an intensity where I couldn’t really do anymore by the time I reach the top. I rest while someone else climbs and then I go again. What other situations outside the gym can you think of? I’d love to hear your creative ideas.
#2. Read trusted blogs, books, or hire a reputable personal trainer (of course I’d be happy to help you). I talk to people all the time who say, oh yea I um, do some of these ‘make tricep type motion’ and some of these ‘make another motion.’ What are they for again? Sometimes I use that machine over there.
That’s like walking into a bank, shuffling around some deposit slips, putting money under your mattress, randomly picking a stock to invest some arbitrary amount of money and hoping you get rich! You’re smarter than that. Use your time wisely and create an effective plan. You’ll be on your way, one day at a time.
I did that for a reason. Climbing is my main source of strength training, brings me lots of joy and includes little bursts of cardio when I’m working hard to get to the top of a route. This jockeys with yoga for the most important bang for my buck, so it’s what I’m going to keep if I need to ratchet things back a bit.
I also made this choice because of my specific goals. It’s super important that you know why you’re exercising, what aspects of it are important to you, and design your program accordingly. My goals are to get stronger, enjoy the social aspects of exercise, and to get back to my happiest weight of a muscular 127. I’m about 135 right now.
This brings up two main takeaways that I want to reinforce.
#1. Strength training is key if you want to get strong and lose weight. I can’t stress this enough. Strength training in some form or another will keep you young and will make you look your very best. Cardio is for your heart and will keep your cardiovascular system healthy.
Spending lots of time every day on cardio will NOT make you thinner.
I know you’ve read this. I’m going to get on my soapbox and say it again. The more weight training you do (with proper rest periods) the more muscle you will have. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn ALL day long.
With cardio, you only burn calories while you’re doing it, and slightly after. Would you rather burn calories for say one hour, or for 24 hours per day?
Weight training is also going to make you look a lot firmer and when done properly, will reduce your chances of getting injured. Ladies, you won’t bulk up or look manly. I promise!
Alright, so you’re sold. So what exactly does weight training mean? In general, it means that you can only maintain a certain exercise for 10-15 reps or so. For example, I do about 15 steps up each climb, and probably equal amounts with my arms and back. I’m climbing at an intensity where I couldn’t really do anymore by the time I reach the top. I rest while someone else climbs and then I go again. What other situations outside the gym can you think of? I’d love to hear your creative ideas.
#2. Read trusted blogs, books, or hire a reputable personal trainer (of course I’d be happy to help you). I talk to people all the time who say, oh yea I um, do some of these ‘make tricep type motion’ and some of these ‘make another motion.’ What are they for again? Sometimes I use that machine over there.
That’s like walking into a bank, shuffling around some deposit slips, putting money under your mattress, randomly picking a stock to invest some arbitrary amount of money and hoping you get rich! You’re smarter than that. Use your time wisely and create an effective plan. You’ll be on your way, one day at a time.