Maintenance for Your Body

For some people, the though of exercising might invoke painful memories of 8th grade gym class, or maybe the the though of sweating sounds repulsive.  For others, exercise has become more of a hobby than a have-to.  What's interesting to me as that our ancestors never had to set aside time out of their day to work their bodies as most of them got plenty work just living.

When we were kids, we were interested in playing and not much else.  Bath time was a hindrance.  Sometimes dinner was the same.  As we grow to see the importance of these things then over time they become a familiar and comfortable thing.  I love taking a shower and I love eating dinner.  I'm hoping some day that flossing will make the list too, but I won't hold my breath on that one!

I think a lot of folks see exercise as being a tool to achieve a certain look.  While this can be true, a healthier way to view it would be to compare it to taking a shower or brushing your teeth.  Maintenance.  We brush our teeth to keep them healthy.  We wash our bodies for the same reason and so we don't stink.  The lifestyles of yesteryear which kept our bodies active is scant for most so we exercise to provide that.

We were created to be in motion, so it's no wonder exercise is healthy.  If I told you the best way to keep your car in good shape is to drive it regularly and regularly beyond it's comfort zone you'd laugh at me; but the human body is this way.  We were just plain made to use our bodies!  What's more, we feel better when we exercise.  There's a sense of accomplishment just like there is a sense of fullness when you eat a good meal, cleanliness when you step out of the shower, and love when you hug those who are important in your life.  There's a certain key to every lock and exercise a key to living a longer active life.

Weights and Measures

The majority of people who seek out personal training have the primary goal of losing weight.  While it might seem as easy at calories in and calories out, that usually only works on paper.  It's often discouraging when a person puts in the hard work in the gym and in the kitchen, but the number on the scale doesn't move.  To this frustrated person, i offer this argument: the scale versus the tape measure

The scale is seems to be the tell all about a person in these United States, and perhaps the world.  It can tell you anything from how much you had to eat this morning to how the rest of your day will go.  The problem is, we put far too much emphasis on what is displayed on that little screen or where the needle ends up. Truth be told, the scale can't tell you how much of you is composed of muscle, water, organs, bones, or fat (at least not accurately).  It can't tell you how healthy you are, how well you're doing at work, or how your kids will turn out.  All it can tell you is to what degree Earth's gravity affects you.

Somewhere along the way, society has attributed this number to a person's self worth, and suddenly there's a goal number created in which the doors of happiness and fulfilment are thrown open to the scale's rider when reached.  I'm not saying it's wrong to have a weight goal but the sad, sad faces i see when the number isn't right tell me that maybe there's too much riding on that number.

For this person and for every person, i suggest another tool for measuring success: the tape measure.

Now the tape can't tell you how awesome you are either or how much money you will make in your lifetime, but it can give you a glimpse of what's happening in your body when the scale has abandoned you.  As I said earlier, I see a lot of folks interested in weight loss, but what they really mean is fat loss.  I have never heard of anyone eating unhealthy and accumulating unwanted muscle that they want gone.  Resistance training, especially to the novice, elicits a hypertrophic effect (increase in muscle size).  This effect will taper off unless further training variables are present to continue its existence.  With that being said, an increase in muscle size leads to an increase in weight, however the number on the scale very often stays the same.  What is happening here?

Now is when we get out the tape measure and see what we get compared to the original testing.  What I find most of the time is a decrease in body circumference.  You may have heard is said "muscle weights more than fat".  That's bologna. A pound of muscle weighs just as much as pound of fat like a pound of lead weighs as much as a pound of feathers.  What is meant to be said is that muscle takes up less room than fat.  More than 50% less actually.  So when the tape measurement is down, fat is being lost, and if fat is being lost then we are on the right track.  If muscle is being lost, then we need to reevaluate our nutrition plan.  A loss in muscle decreases your ability to use energy, thus hindering the ability to drop weight.  This is the reason why diets, especially diets devoid of exercise and proper macronutrient ratios, don't work.  As soon as the diet is over, you have a person who has lost weight in fat and muscle and they are more likely to gain all the weight back and then some.

To sum all of this up, instead of just focusing on what the scale says, look to the tape measure and to how your clothes fit you.  As it takes time to get big, it takes time to get smaller.  Learn to enjoy the journey and see the rewards beyond weight loss!

Bodyweight Only #2

Who says you can't get a good workout without equipment? Try this new workout today! As a side note, the horizontal pull up can be done under a kitchen table if you can't find anything else to hang from.