The Key to Fitness SuccessWritten by Matt Pitcher
"If you and I want to change our behavior, there is only one effective way to do it: we must link unbearable and immediate sensations of pain to our old behavior, and incredible and immediate sensations of pleasure to a new one." - Anthony Robbins, Awaken Giant WithinWhy isn't every person who wants to be fit and healthy exercising on a consistent basis? If we know what we should be doing, then why aren't we doing it consistently? Fitness Motivation Coach Lisa Nordquist calls this "The Fitness Gap" and many of us suffer from it. Knowing that we SHOULD be exercising rarely makes any of us do it on a consistent basis. So, how can we motivate ourselves to practice optimal self care - which includes exercising and eating right CONSISTENTLY? For those people who weren't born loving exercise, it takes more than JUST DOING IT (at least at first). We start to practice optimal, and CONSISTENT, self care (even if we find aspects of it painful at beginning) through a process I call Pain to Pleasure Conversion (PPC). So, as Robbins quote above suggests, we must find pleasure in what we change our behavior to. But I think he misses a step in getting there. Before we find pleasure in something, we must (even if subconsciously) find MEANING in it. So, conversion begins with assigning MEANING to very concept of exercising. For some, examples of meaning can be stress release, longevity, optimal health, strength development, or even pursuit of spirituality. Or it could be simply being in a social setting or knowing that you're doing 'the right thing'. The meaning that we assign to exercise gets us into gym and helps us TO BEGIN exercising (after all, how do we know if it will give us pleasure if we don't try it first ... and, in order to be motivated to try it in first place, we must assign meaning to it). But, finding exercise meaningful alone won't lead you to do it consistently forever. Now, this is where Robbins comes back into equation. The 'doing CONSISTENTLY' conversion is complete once ACT of exercising itself becomes pleasurable. For some, examples of pleasure can be 'pump' from lifting weights, 'runners high' from running really long distances, or simply sweating. Well, what about those of us, you ask, who have never experienced that kind of pleasure from exercise? Most people who don't find process of exercising to be pleasurable, will exercise occasionally, but not consistently enough to maximize its benefits. If you can't stand to sweat or get frustrated by your lack of strength or lack of endurance, how can you start enjoying each and every workout? Who'd blame you?
| | Stretching 101Written by Matt Pitcher
The two main purposes of stretching are prevention of injury caused by exercise or day-to-day activities and a faster rate of recovery from exercise. Stretching can also be used to improve posture and restore proper anatomical functionality.A regular stretching program will loosen muscle tissue, allowing an increased range of motion at joints, which in turn helps prevent microtears at muscle-tendon junction. Almost 90% of all injuries from muscle strain occur at muscle-tendon junction (that is, where muscle attaches to bone near joints) and repeated injury at this junction leads to a build up of scar tissue which impedes your range of motion, adding stress on joints. The sooner waste products from exercise (lactic acid) are removed from muscle tissue, sooner muscle begins to heal. Stretching not only speeds removal of waste but increases muscle's ability to bring in more nutrients. Keeping muscles and tendons loose results in an increased range of motion, which helps to maintain integrity of joints. How will I benefit from stretching? Stretching lengthens muscle fibers, extending your range of motion and helping you move with ease, power, and grace. Besides being extremely relaxing, it can relieve some symptoms of conditions such as arthritis. At work, regular stretch breaks help counteract harmful effects of slouching in front of a computer all day. And keeping muscles pliable makes them less likely to tear during quick or strenuous movements, such as throwing a baseball or lifting a child. So, benefits of regular stretching include: - Decreased risk of injury of exercise - Increased range of motion and overall flexibility - Increased rate of recovery from exercise - Increase in strength (studies have shown that after a muscle has been stretched it recruits more fibers to perform a given task) - Faster removal of waste products How does stretching work? Muscles get sore when their fibers remain partly contracted, from either overuse (such as too many rounds of racquetball) or underuse (too much time in car). Tight muscles also trigger body's stress response, which prompts them to tighten even more. By systematically lengthening those fibers, stretching helps ease muscles out of this semicontracted state. That makes it a great way to "cool down" after exercise. And act of stretching itself builds body awareness: In slowing down to focus on each movement, you become less apt to use your muscles in harmful or inefficient ways. What kinds of stretches should I do? For flexibility and overall well-being, start with basic stretches that work major muscle groups. Or look into one of gentler forms of yoga or tai chi. For optimal fitness and protection against sports injuries, you'll need to combine stretching with strength-building exercises, since combination helps to prevent imbalances between opposing muscle groups. Adding right resistance or weight training to your stretching routine will do trick, of course, but so can some stretching programs. A method called active isolated stretching, for example, uses isometric exercises to alternately contract and stretch each muscle or muscle group. Water exercise, Pilates, power yoga, and Somatics are other, more dynamic ways to add strength building to your routine.
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