The early spring has involved a bit of travel that was unanticipated , both business and personal - so the opportunity to pen some thoughts on health and wellness has not been there
In my ever changing quest for betterment, i am making some more tweaks to my personal program --- on the advice of another colleague , we are going for a constant flow of steady and moderately low impact fuel by taking in some protein, fruit or veggies every 2-21/2 hours as opposed to 3-4 hours
The primary goal being to meter out nutrients throughout the day slowly but steadily so there are few gaps, or energy swings either up or down
This may sound like a familiar strategy, but it is not strictly a paleo or low GI system, but it has many of the same characteristics --- in fact, eating a piece of something like pineapple is not necessarily low GI, but quantities are relatively small , so the impact is not devastating -- plus pineapple is a happy fruit (it makes people happy )
I am currently measuring the effects of this and am in the early stages of this change --- like anything else i have spoken about , it requires thinking ahead , and carting around a cooler or a sack of fruit with you if you are away from base camp for more than a few hours requires a little bit of pre-planning too -----
--- fruits are easy, veggies a bit harder .
As well , i've been monitoring my own blood sugar levels to observe the effects different foods have on that, so my fingers have seemingly turned into pin cushions
It is similar to what diabetics should be doing , but for them, it can be a game of life and death, - if you are otherwise healthy though, it is still good to see what your food does to you because if a certain food elevates blood sugar too much , it will lead to an energy dump and a crash later, and its not an exact science as it can be personal and unique from one individual to another.
For example, white potatoes are historically thought of as a "bad food" -- test yourself with a small spud and a bit of butter (skip the sour cream , bacon bits and mounds of cheddar ) --- if it swings the meter more than 30 or 40 points in 2 hours -- then yes , its likely best to abstain from the spuds , --- but if it doesnt move the blood sugar meter much , then go ahead and enjoy in moderation
But there are some obvious things -- you can't munch on snickers bars and lemon meringue pie all day and expect that to go well for you, but go ahead and test it anyway if you need the verification ---- if you're trying to keep your internal bio-rhythms as steady as possible , it will only take a couple of weeks of experimentation to figure out which foods to keep and which foods to kick to the curb
So far, on fruits, veggies and proteins, with minimal extras , --- (example of an extra: - a sandwich has to have bread - thats just part of it --but try something like a rye bread or something similar as opposed to a calorie dense, nutrient free catastrophe like a white hoagie roll )
I am staying pretty darn steady with very few peaks and valleys -- but as mentioned, i am still working on this and am not prepared to make a full report yet
---- one effect i have already noticed though is that its not absolutely critical to get an afternoon nap in anymore --- i like to, - and recommend the practice, but my body had gotten to the point where i would really start to feel it around 5:30 or 6 pm if i hadn't gotten in a 30 minute power nap earlier ---- now, its not as dramatic
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Something i am prepared to make a report on is the weight work --- Its springtime and summer will be here before we know it, so a broad spectrum gym program is not needed (unless thats your thing) ---
I have already been logging miles on the mountain bike and when i can't get the bike out , the Concept 2 rower is a great fill in workout.
The road bikes have had their flats repaired, gears adjusted , etc. etc. , just waiting for that afternoon where the wind is not blowing 40 mph so i can get in a nice long ride or two ---- but days in Oklahoma are more often than not windy, so being surrounded by trees on singletrack is appreciated
Cycling in a basic weight workout 3x a week keeps things fresh ----
Whats a basic weight workout? --- For me , right now it is 5x3 squats, deadlifts, and flat bench. These are the powerlifting movements,
Feel free to make adjustments as needed to what three exercises you use in your personal 5 x 3 program, or for something as basic as this, shoot me an email ( dougmcbride@fitclaimspro.com ) and i can throw out some other suggestions if you want, but the main theme is 3 compound multi-joint exercises
-- personally i use the Zercher squat as opposed to the traditional back squat , - i have a seriously trashed out left knee and my lateral stability is not good enough right now for me to trust under a heavy squat load , so i make the adjustments and drive on --- The Zercher is a variation of a front squat that also demands a lot of input from your core stabilizer muscles -- its different, but lets me seemingly blow a kiss to the floor with my butt under load, as opposed to the squat, where it can be tough to get parallel with a wretched knee joint
5x3 is 5 reps and 3 sets each (one warmup set is suggested , so actually would be 5x4) -- start light and pyramid up until the last rep on the last set is almost a forced rep --
-- thats it -- this is not a timed endeavor, and rest between sets should be limited to however long it takes to add additional weight to the bar -- maybe a little more if you can't catch your breath --- but i doubt this will take most people more than 20-25 minutes to do
I won't be sticking with this "back to basics" theme forever, because i'm not a powerlifter , but for now, when the emphasis is on the outdoors, this will do ---
Basically, you're not lifting weights to become a better weightlifter, you're lifting weights to become a better athlete all around -- so get it done and get out
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I'll close out with this thought on an amateur vs a professional
An amateur practices until he can do something right -- a professional practices until he can't do it wrong
there are parallels in sport and real life me-thinks
--- thanks again for reading
-Secrest out
This is a fine looking toy for putting on some muscle and adhering to a 5x3 system of the basics
Although the weights are a necessity , wouldn't you rather be outside on a nice day doing a few of these activities ? As i said regarding the weights , just get 'em done , done properly, and get out --- no sense in messing around with unnecessary fluff
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---- Doug
_______________________________________________________________________________disclaimer: The information contained here is not intended to replace the medical advice of your physician and is not intended as medical advice. This newsletter/blog is a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of the staff of Fitclaimspro.com and professional colleagues unless otherwise noted .
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