Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We are going to take some of the fitness stuff and try to make it more palatable

First,

The Order of Things.

The order is extremely important and the current trend is backwards from the way it should be done. Why?

  1. There is more money in it for the “fitness” and the heath care world if you do it backwards. Therefore you are going to be told to:
    1. Try this weight loss program
    2. Take this supplement
    3. Workout
    4. Get medical help
Drugs
Surgeries
The problem with this is that:
  1. Tends to cause more damage that it solves
  2. It is Much more difficult to sleep and eat properly than go for a walk on a treadmill. With common excuses
a. I don’t have time

b. It costs too much

c. I have too much to do

3. You plateau really quickly and then cause damage

SO what is the order of becoming healthy then fit?

In a perfect world a person would do all three of the pillars in a smart prescription of the tools from the beginning. It isn’t a perfect world, and the first two are the most difficult, the simplest, and the most effective.

So, in order:

1. Sleep

2. Nutrition

3. Fitness

SLEEP

It is a toss up on which is harder to change first nutrition or sleep. People like the idea and brag about how well they do on limited amounts of sleep. Truth is you can function but not well. You body will suffer as well as your cognitive and emotional selves. They key to both is understanding that what you want in the moment may not be the same as what you want long term. You have to be willing to make a lifestyle choice/shift. I guarantee that if you do you will look, feel and perform better.

If you can, start with the sleep and nutrition at the same time. If you can’t start the sleep and part of the nutrition. When you change your nutrition you will be tired for sometime during the first month. This way you have solid sleep habits during the nutritional shift. The next part of this is if you are rested your nutrition habits will alter themselves a little and support the nutrition shift. You will also be more productive, attentive, alert and motivated by changing the sleep stuff.

You need to be able to sleep with no alarm. Sleep until you wake up. This is difficult for parents with kids, but set it up to go to bed earlier or send one of the parents to bed earlier and trade off. Sleep in a completely dark room. No electronics, no night lights no buzzing crap, eye shades are not going to cut it, the room needs to be DARK! The temp in the room should be cooler than warmer.

If you are having trouble with sleep then try the following:

  1. Magnesium before bed
  2. Nutrition
  3. An hour before bed no:
    1. TV
    2. Computer
    3. Reading
    4. Eating
  4. Try a meditation or relaxation technique
  5. COMPLETELY DARK!

NUTRITION

I feel that nutrition is probably the hardest for people to change because it is not only lifestyle but HIGHLY addictive. It is not only chemically addictive, (yes like any addictive drug and in many cases more so) it is emotionally attached to people. People have identity wrapped up in their food and the ritual/status that is involved. With all this said it is super simple to change.(not easy but simple)

When you first start changing your goal is strict low Glycemic Index Paleo for 4 to 6 weeks. Then you can add dairy and dark chocolate. You can also safely go off the wagon occasionally. However, it is best to wait to have any “cheat” days until after you reach the frame and health that you want to maintain. It is easier to maintain than it is to get there. The truth is that you can’t truly maintain. You are either getting more fit/healthy or less. However, an object in motion wants to stay in motion unless something else puts in an input. So if you are on a healthy direction of travel with some good momentum behind you, a little friction every now and then wont stop you. (A little friction/cheating wont hurt. A lot will.)

What is low Glycemic Index Paleo

Meat, Fruits and Veggies whole fats from olive, coconut and avacado. The fruits are mostly berries, not apples, ear, bananas etc. I would also recommend no nuts at the beginning and when you do choose to eat them only as many as you would shell in one sitting per day. Not, shell them all and then eat them. Eat as you shell.

NO breads, rices, sugars, artifical sweeteners, pastas, beans.

All the stuff on the NO list either destroys the gut lining or spikes your insulin. Both are a no go and will hurt. In another post we can discuss gut lining and insulin.

Water! DRINK IT! No not vitamin water, not muscle milk, tea, kombucha, no drink water. Minimum amount of water is 1/2 your bodyweight(in pounds) in ounces per day. This is just hanging out and doing nothing.

FITNESS

In the very very beginning start with loaded walking. Not jogging, running, biking, spinning, yoga, pilates, crossfit, golds gym crap….NO start with walking and preferably loaded. Wear a weight vest or backpack with 10% of your bodyweight and walk for 30 minutes to an hour a day.

Walking is good for so many things and it begins to remind the body on how to move.

After about 2 may 3 weeks of walking everyday begin a combo concept of kettlebell swings 2 x a week and dead lifts the same. This does not mean pick up a KB (kettlebell) and a OLY (olympic) bar and start swinging /doing deadlifts. It means find someone to teach you about trunk contraction/compression and proper technique. Continue to walk.

After 6 weeks you can begin a combo strength and short metcon (metabolic conditioning, short duration extremely high intensity, sucks, feels like you are going to vomit or you are not doing it right. Sub 7 min closer to 4). After initiating this you will be on your way to being fit.

After 6 months of everyday a lazy walk or swim (make sure that walking is the thing you do for the first 3 weeks) 2x a week a metcon and 2 x a week strength, you will be able to add longer or heavier metcons. You will be able to start playing at different styles of movement and play.

If you are already healthy there is variation to this that may speed you up and if you are fit then you are ready to learn movement and get after it!

CONCLUSION

Sleep and eat properly, then begin a mellow introduction to movement. Next, increase the intensity. Take the time to learn how to move properly and plan your workouts. Don't just fly by the seat of your pants/have an idea about what you want. However everything should (and I hate should ("don't should on yourself") start with the same thing. Sleep and Eat first!

Lastly have fun! Make it enjoyable!

6 comments:

  1. This is awesome. Keep it up, Adam; you are changing lives. I wanted to add something to the 'sleep' portion of what you said.

    This article was tweeted by Robb Wolf a few days ago:

    http://tinyurl.com/49ydl5b

    It discusses the importance of sleeping in COMPLETE darkness.

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  2. In the fitness section you said when you get a kettlebell don't just start swinging, find someone to teach you. My son has been on me for over a year to get one, I finally did about 6 weeks ago and asked him what to do with it. He said he's send me a video, (he lives across the country), but he never did. Maybe you could help me??

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  3. actually if I remember correctly I did say " i would send a video" and then I also asked what weight the kettlebell was, and it was around 10 pounds. so I said take it back. I will work on the video the next weekish

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  4. Nice entry Adam, I am slowly working on my fitness again. But it was easier with you there to bully me!
    Caroline

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  5. awesome stuff Adam! thanks for posting

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  6. Thanks for this great post Adam. Something to add in...you mentioned nuts and for those who don't know, almonds are great. They have magnesium amongst other nutritional goodness. Here's one guy's page on almond info http://www.formerfatguy.com/articles/almonds.asp

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