I’ve been exhausted the past few weeks, and I finally took it under control. This exhaustion was a combination of long days, early mornings, and poor sleep. Usually a combination of these, but not all, three. However, the past few weeks it had been all three. A few extra hours at work, a client needs an extra session, another client needs an earlier session, the car needs an oil change…on and on it goes.
I’ve always told others, all I need is an hour in the gym and eight in the bed; the rest are “yours”. Who “yours” is referring to varies; clients, friends, professors, employers. The question is, when do you sacrifice, and what do you sacrifice? Should I sleep less? Exercise less? Work less? Over those few weeks, as things got a bit more hectic, during the periods of mindless activity I considered, pondered, ruminated, and marinated over the problem.
What should drop by the wayside? It wasn’t until a recent conversation that it struck me…nothing should drop by the wayside. We don’t need to choose, shorten, or forget. We need to prioritize. A common use of prioritize is to put everything on a list from important to unimportant and check off these items starting at the top. But, “prioritize” doesn’t need to be important versus unimportant; how about dependent and independent?
The ability to work hard for long hours is dependent on high energy levels. High energy levels are dependent on a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep is (in part) dependent on your fitness level. The one, independent factor in all of this is clean eating. This entire cycle starts with clean eating.
In truth and reality even the cleanest diet can’t make up for only four hours in the sack. But it can help. Clean eating will provide your body with the necessary energy to sustain intense work, intense exercise, and an intense life.
My diet was already clean, but I needed to make some adjustments. I moved some things around, depending on the needs of the day, to assure my energy needs were met. On the days I worked out late in the afternoon, I ate more carbohydrates in the early afternoon. On the shorter, rest days, I ate heavy to light; finishing my day with a lighter meal. By the second day I felt better, more energized at the right times.
I’d still love a nap. Hell, I wake up wanting a nap. No matter what happens in my life, I’ll always welcome a good nap. And not that “whoops, I fell asleep on the couch” or “uh oh, dozed off waiting at a red light” nap. I mean the high quality, under the covers, shades drawn; all is quiet, “I’ve been planning this ALL day” nap…yeah, now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.
So, like I said...I’d been exhausted these past few weeks, until just recently. How will you take control?
--BA
Fit2You Fitness, LLC
www.fit2youfitness.com
Philadelphia and Main-Line In Home Personal Training, Yoga, Nutrition and Corporate Health and Wellness
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
12 minutes 100 calories
When was the last time you played kickball? I'm guessing you can't answer that question, and up until last Thursday...neither could I. Now, go ahead and ask me again (when was the last time you played kickball?). My answer - Last Thursday!
Admittedly, I am a creature of compulsion. I love hiking, running, biking, outdoor activities in general. But the compulsive side of me mandates I stick to a relatively routine exercise schedule. By routine, I refer only to regular workouts, based on a loose structure; almost all occur in the gym. From weight training, to cardio, to stretching, to Kung Fu. Most of it occurs in the gym.
Too often I limit myself to the cardio equipment in the gym. This is against my better judgment, outdoor activity is superior...no arguments, no questions. I just find that little calorie counter helpful, and satisfying to that compulsive little guy that sits inside my head. So as a side note...get outside and do your workouts! However, when I do exercise outside I find it far more enjoyable and satisfying. I even found a little Google gadget (Search "google pedometer" on google) that I can use to measure my distance traveled, enter my weight, and calculate calories burned.
To that end, I joined a kickball team. Deciding last week to make kickball my cardio for the day. I played hard. Some of the other players took a more recreational view of the game sipping on some beer, and enjoying the summer evening. I chose to view this as an all-out, full-throttle, battle royale between me and myself. I sprinted hard from base to base, I fielded fast, I kicked with force. I did not want to win, nor did I necessarily care to lose...but I definitely wanted to burn calories and fat. I had no idea how many calories I would expend, how much fat I would burn, or even how I might feel the following morning as I arose.
Take a fast-forward with me from Thursday evening to Friday morning. I can barely stand up. I can't cross my legs to tie my shoes, rising from a chair takes a combination of sheer determination and a rather audible grunt. The soreness in my legs and core is an excruciating, yet welcome, reminder of the previous evening's battle.
I had become so focused on quantifiable results, calories burned, minutes spent sprinting, repetitions completed, total weight moved, that I forgot what it was to really enjoy my fitness quest. To be fair, I love weight training...cardio a little less; but I had genuinely forgotten how fun a child's game could be. The soreness weaseled its way around, to those muscles you can only use when you're outside the gym, outside that contained universe. It lasted for days.
It wasn't until Sunday afternoon, during a perfunctory flip of the pages in an exercise magazine, that my eyes picked up on a small factoid: "12 minutes 100 calories...Kickball". As if divinity swept my fingers across dozens of other pages, only to rest on one line, of one page. Thinking back, we had played for hours. Excitement tingled across my teeth.
I went for a hike-walk yesterday, rather than to the treadmill. The compulsive little guy in my head is a bit quieter now.
Like I said...When was the last time you played kickball?
--BA
Fit2You Fitness, LLC
www.fit2youfitness.com
Philadelphia and Main-Line In Home Personal Training, Yoga, Nutrition and Corporate Health and Wellness
Admittedly, I am a creature of compulsion. I love hiking, running, biking, outdoor activities in general. But the compulsive side of me mandates I stick to a relatively routine exercise schedule. By routine, I refer only to regular workouts, based on a loose structure; almost all occur in the gym. From weight training, to cardio, to stretching, to Kung Fu. Most of it occurs in the gym.
Too often I limit myself to the cardio equipment in the gym. This is against my better judgment, outdoor activity is superior...no arguments, no questions. I just find that little calorie counter helpful, and satisfying to that compulsive little guy that sits inside my head. So as a side note...get outside and do your workouts! However, when I do exercise outside I find it far more enjoyable and satisfying. I even found a little Google gadget (Search "google pedometer" on google) that I can use to measure my distance traveled, enter my weight, and calculate calories burned.
To that end, I joined a kickball team. Deciding last week to make kickball my cardio for the day. I played hard. Some of the other players took a more recreational view of the game sipping on some beer, and enjoying the summer evening. I chose to view this as an all-out, full-throttle, battle royale between me and myself. I sprinted hard from base to base, I fielded fast, I kicked with force. I did not want to win, nor did I necessarily care to lose...but I definitely wanted to burn calories and fat. I had no idea how many calories I would expend, how much fat I would burn, or even how I might feel the following morning as I arose.
Take a fast-forward with me from Thursday evening to Friday morning. I can barely stand up. I can't cross my legs to tie my shoes, rising from a chair takes a combination of sheer determination and a rather audible grunt. The soreness in my legs and core is an excruciating, yet welcome, reminder of the previous evening's battle.
I had become so focused on quantifiable results, calories burned, minutes spent sprinting, repetitions completed, total weight moved, that I forgot what it was to really enjoy my fitness quest. To be fair, I love weight training...cardio a little less; but I had genuinely forgotten how fun a child's game could be. The soreness weaseled its way around, to those muscles you can only use when you're outside the gym, outside that contained universe. It lasted for days.
It wasn't until Sunday afternoon, during a perfunctory flip of the pages in an exercise magazine, that my eyes picked up on a small factoid: "12 minutes 100 calories...Kickball". As if divinity swept my fingers across dozens of other pages, only to rest on one line, of one page. Thinking back, we had played for hours. Excitement tingled across my teeth.
I went for a hike-walk yesterday, rather than to the treadmill. The compulsive little guy in my head is a bit quieter now.
Like I said...When was the last time you played kickball?
--BA
Fit2You Fitness, LLC
www.fit2youfitness.com
Philadelphia and Main-Line In Home Personal Training, Yoga, Nutrition and Corporate Health and Wellness
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
