One thing that we see in the PEERtrainer community is that there are about three different "motivation types." The first type we see are the people who start losing weight and then start running long races. They jump right into it, get involved in the running community. (You guys know who you are!!)
The second motivation type we see are people who are a little less hardcore, but do run from time to time. It seems that their motivation is also internal, and it comes and it goes. Usually these people need to kick themselves in their own butt to get going. But they do.
The third type that we see are people who respond well to external stimulus. We observed this very clearly in our latest PEERtrainer Spotlight, which served as a mini "motivation lab" for the last few months. We have been testing a new "exercise motivation device" from Philips. We were able to see very clearly who responded well to it and who didn't.
If you struggle with motivation to exercise, you'll find the results and analysis interesting. Click the link below to read:
I am constantly hearing about how painful running is. It's been one of the most popular threads in our community for months. Even in US magazine this month, Kate Gosselin was quoted as saying, "I run every day. It's painful".
I find most people think that pain is synonmous with running and believe if you're going to run, you're going to have to be disciplined and deal with the pain.
This is simply not true.
You can be in pain if you feel that makes you feel better about yourself and makes you a true runner. But you don't have to be. You can run a mile, 3 miles even a 10k, even a marathon without pain.
I watch people do this all the time on PEERtrainer. What is the secret? They follow a different philosophy shared by Stu Mittleman and other athletes, even 6 time Ironman Champion Mark Allen.
Stu ran 1000 miles in 10 days. That's every day, for 10 days straight. He ran 100 miles a day. Just to give you a sense of what the Hawaii Ironman is: from the wikipedia entry:
"The Hawai Ironman consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race, where the Ironman race starts at 7 AM, the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4 mile swim is 2 hours 20 minutes, the bike cut off time is 5:30 PM, and all finishers must complete their marathon by midnight."
Mark Allen won this event 6 times. He did it by following the principles of Dr. Phil Maffetone. Stu incorporated these same principles and explains them so succinctly in "Slow Burn: Burn Fat Faster By Exercising Slower". This book by Phil Maffetone is in my library as well. You don't have to grind it out. You don't have to be in pain. Unless of course you insist on it. But then, it becomes your choice.
You can get both books used for a total of $10. Small price to pay to get rid of the pain.
After a recent workout I was hungry and tired and wanted to find something that could really build upon the good work that I had done. I fired up the frying pan and grabbed 4 cloves of garlic from the fridge. I smashed them with my palm in about 10 seconds and threw them in the pan with some olive oil.
I then grabbed a bag of spinach from the freezer and threw it in the pan. Covered the pan and cooked for maybe 4 minutes? I might have added a few grinds of pepper. The spinach got cooked and steamed pretty good and then I just dumped the contents of the frying pan right into the Cuisinart. Pressed both the buttons getting the blade to go in both directions and pureed the spinach.
I then dumped it on a plate and opened up a bag of Kettle chips to curb my carb cravings. I then ate the entire plate of spinach (a full pound) dipping the chips into them. It tasted really good and it was EASY to make. Today I feel better than I have in a while.
I used to workout when I was single and lived in NYC. I would hit the gym and lift. But I never really felt great because I ate poorly. Of course I did not understand that at the time because I was not overweight. Later on, a business colleague (and former chairman of a big healthcare company) gave me a copy of Eat To Live (and then introduced us to Dr. Fuhrman) and this book totally changed my outlook on eating. If PEERtrainer seems like the Dr. Fuhrman show at times, this is the reason. This is my personal agenda, and it has to do with his advice getting my own health in order.
I am not a vegetarian by any stretch, but I do go out of my way to get my greens in especially each day. I also understand the need to really chop up the greens to really get the nutrients out. Dr Fuhrman explains that our body cannot digest the cell wall of a plant, and you can only chew your food so much.
Recently I have started to do a lot more strength training, adding this back to my routine. I am not hitting the gym or doing bodybuilding, but just getting the muscles themselves a good workout. The last few years I have just run, played tennis or maybe rollerblade from time to time. Pure cardio.
Running PEERtrainer, companies now often send stuff to us to test, evaluate and then write or blog about. If we like it or it really captures our attention and we actually make it part of our day to day we do so.
For example, Total Gym recently sent us their top of the line model, the Total Gym XLS. And luckily I have Joshua with me who is a fitness nut. We are going through all 80 of their exercises and really pushing ourselves. At the end of the workout yesterday we had the incline at the highest level and I found myself doing inverted bicep curls, pulling my weight up the incline keeping my elbows locked into place. A heck of a workout.
But my point here is that for the first time I am combining a high nutrient way of eating with strength and resistance training. And I feel fantastic. I have been doing this for about a month, and yesterdays tweak to the routine prompted this post. Was so easy to do and prepare.
This all started last month we were testing and working with resistance band systems. And I started this process of working out the muscles with those bands. Resistance bands work really well to isolate all sorts of muscles quickly. Then I started Total Gym and basically worked out the entire body in a short amount of time.
I just wanted to communicate this combo- and suggest that you find a way to get some daily training in where you engage the muscles with some form of resistance. Resistance bands are a great thing to have in your home. Bodylastics is hands down the best product on the market and we have written a review about it here. And also recorded a bunch of videos on how to use it in different ways. But the basic idea is that for less than $100 you get something that essentially functions as full gym in your house. Both men and women can use it, and it really works.
Total Gym is another great option if you have the space. You can watch a video of Joshua using it. It can be a little expensive though. The list price for the top of the line model is about $1500, and there are less expensive options and ways to buy used ones. We talk about it on the page. The Total Gym is also pretty durable and you might be able to find one on Craigslist. As long as the pulleys work nicely and you can get the incline going I highly recommend using one.
Or go to the gym. But just get in the habit of working the muscles and then getting your nutrients in, and really work this combo. Carrot juice is another excellent source of concentrated nutrients. One of the things Dr. Fuhrman has done with a new book of his, Eat For Health, is put a "Point System" on different fruits and vegetables. The idea is that you want to hit 100 points a day for optimal nutrition. He sent us a copy of this a year ago and it helped to really focus my eating habits each day. The stuff at the top of his points list are all the greens, and things like Romaine lettuce, red peppers, escarole, broccoli.
This book again changed my daily food decisions permanently. I grill red peppers whenever I find them on sale. If I am at an italian restaurant, I order a side of esacarole and beans and a side of broccoli rabe for my entree. The server usually looks at me like I am crazy, and is probably a little tweaked because this meal will cost less than $10 at the best restaurants!
But this strategy has given me a lot of energy especially in the last year. Adding the resistance training and bodyweight training to the mix has just stepped up how I feel, and I wanted to share that with you all. Work the muscles and work the high nutrient veggies. And when you do, add a comment to this blog post. Tell us what exercise you did and what you ate afterwards, please!!
I also got Joshua to do a piece for us which you can watch below. Just click the arrow to play the video, and he also shows you some simple exercises you can do with just your own body and nothing else:
In addition to Joshua being highly entertaining he is also a core part of our Point Of No Return Program, and in this role he essentially takes people on a tour of the thoughts behind the thoughts in their head. He has studied tons of stuff in the area of the mind, and delivers what is some of the best advice available. Stuff that works.
He is living proof of the idea of "mind-body connection" and is doing a great job with Jackie in giving people an experience that is literally changing the lives of many people. When you make different decisions in your life, you will get different results. I think the real trick is getting to the point of successfully making that shift, and this program does that.
One specific result we see that people experience in this program is a real sense of hope. We keep hearing this word "hope", "I have hope" over and over from participants. I am very excited about the early feedback on this new effort we have undertaken. Please check it out if you have a weight loss or fitness goal you have not met. This will help.
I picked up tennis about 10 months and if anyone has followed my logs, you'll know that I am completely and hopelessly in love with the sport. My goal is to go up a level by the end of March and I'm really excited to get there. Now that I have a focused goal and expectation, I've noticed how many small changes I'm making on a daily basis to get there.
The one thing I wanted to give here is a plug for my New Balance tennis shoes. New Balance sponsored a big part of PEERtrainer and I have to say that when I found out they wanted to I was thrilled because I love love love their tennis shoes. They've always been known for their superior running shoes and every successful runner I know swears by their gray 991's but I like their tennis shoe.
The shoes have this "AZORB technology" I'm sure there is some fancy "stability" word for it but I'm not sure what it is and at the end of the day, I don't care about the description as much as I care about the shoe. The shoes have a "wall" like feeling that actually freezes your sidestep to help you position yourself for a forehand or backhand. I am somewhat new to the "side-stepping" part of tennis so for me they give me that extra "stop" that I need.
The staff at my local New Balance Store told me people either love the wall effect or hate it and I am a total convert. I am only a recreational player: I play at about a level of 3.0 so I'm not sure if they are right for a high performance player but they are great for me.
The specific ones I have? I've linked to them here:
WCT1003 - Womens.
1. Wearing Incorrect Footwear. My husband was out taking his father for a walk recently and they were on a mulch path that had just been given a fresh layer of mulch. As a result the mulch was soft. His father is pretty tall, 6 foot three, and was wearing a pair of excellent New Balance running shoes. The great grey ones which are highly recommended for running. But running shoes are not great hiking shoes. About 30 yards into the walk on the path, the mulch gave way on the side and my father in law twisted his ankle and got a pretty bad sprain. If he had been wearing the appropriate shoe, the injury would not have happened.
2. Wearing Inappropriate Jewelry and Clothing. Incorrect clothing can lead to incorrect range of motion which is a very easy way to get hurt. Make sure you have very comfortable clothing. This can also provide a great way of motivating yourself to exercise more. If you have an "unstructured day" planned- like a weekend day with the kids or if you are single just doing errands- put on workout clothes in the morning. You will find yourself magically getting more exercise in.
3. Not Warming Up. I play tennis a lot, it is something I love and it is easy (and free!) to play outside on public courts nearby. But if I don't warm up for 15 minutes, I will hurt my shoulder. Warming up is also a great way to trick yourself into exercising if you don't feel like you want to workout. Just tell yourself you are going to 5 or 10 minutes of very light activity- walking and stretching. After 10 minutes you might feel that you are ready to get a little more active.
4. Poor Training And Form. I got my husband into tennis and we enjoy playing it a great deal. But when we started he developed a pretty severe case of tennis elbow which was a result of both improper grip and improper swing. Getting some tips from a good pro cured this pretty quickly. Always try and get advice from experts.
5. Overuse. If you do something a lot, the risk of injury from repetitive motion is huge. We work a lot in our coaching program on developing the mindset to exercise more. We want to get you out there and find something you love. But make sure to also mix things up and the minute you feel something funny, just stop.
I don't have to remind you about all the health benefits of consistent exercise. You already know you need to do it and you need to make it valuable to you. If something isn’t valuable to you, you’re not going to stick with it.
Bottom line is this: we make time for things we think are valuable to us. If you're a Gray's Anatomy fan, you will do anything it takes to make sure you are near a television at 9:00 on a Thursday, and if for some reason you can't be? You'll dvr it and take the time to watch it later. Patriots game on Sunday? You'll find a way to watch it. The "twice annual" sale at Saks? You'll find a way to get there.
You have to find a way to make exercise valuable to you. Your body is already ready for the transition to a more active lifestyle. If you make it valuable and fun, you will find a way to do it.
We All Get Off Track- How To Get Back On
We all lose momentum in our exercise program- if it is valuable to you, you'll jump right back in. If it is not, we will find an excuse not to do it. After hearing Joshua's comment about making exercise valuable I went back into the community and looked for some more specific ideas on things that other people have done to make exercise fun and valuable.
"I put a step in front of the tv -( like a reebok step for step aerobics class) and I put on a dvd and step for an allotted time. its fun because i dont have to worry about following a routine, I just do my favorite moves from class for as long as i want and break a sweat and get a good cardio workout."
I also found a great discussion on how to get up in the morning to exercise. The most creative tip I found was one suggestion to put the alarm clock as far away from you as you can. This way you are forced to actually get up. I am not sure this will help make exercise more valuable, but it will help you get the habit formed. I think Joshua mentioned that it takes three weeks to form a habit according to some researchers, so you really want to think about all the things to get the habit going, to make it fun, to make it a priority and to make it something you love.
I also want to hear what you think, and have started a thread on this subject to get the discussion going a little more:
If you're having trouble starting a workout regimen, pick any exercise that you know can be done easily with minimal excuses and commit to doing it 5 minutes a day. It can be as simple as stretching or walking. The single best way to develop a habit is to start slowly and do it consistently.
If you’ve been working out, pick a way you can “sprint” this week. Spend an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill. Add yoga after your run. Work out at a high intensity for 5 minute spurts in your normal routine. Think of new cross training ways to mix it up. If you find yourself at the gym on the treadmill, take your friend up on the suggestion to play raquetball. If you find yourself always at a spinning class, try a strengthening Pilates class. (Pilates is amazing.)
If you're just starting, you will build up to 30 minute levels. The 5 minutes a day commitment is what will get you there. Think of this 5 minutes as if you're learning to crawl before you walk and eventually run. And you will run!
One of the biggest obstacles we see is that people don't have their ideal music ready to go. If you're dreading the thought of getting off the couch, one of your favorite songs can give you instant energy and make you want more. It's the single best way to change your mood and make you motivated to just DO something.
Invest in the time to organize your favorite music in one playlist. If you're intimidated by the ipod (mp3 players), find the nearest teenager/20 something to help you. It has never been easier to get all the music you love in one place, in an easy to play format as it is now. Mp3 players can be purchased for $20 dollars and you have your energy to go.
What did you like to do when you were younger? Maybe it was dancing or kick ball. Maybe it was frisbee or basketball, or maybe doge ball! You can recreate all of these sports even without Coach Dan and get some great bursts of cardio in.
Go pick up a frisbee and get out on your front lawn. If you have children, they will be begging to play every day.
Get a pair of 25 pound weights and keep them in your bedroom to do mini-lifting sessions anytime. You'll build up to a routine in a short time.
Have a lifestyle where you can't get to a club to dance (or maybe you
simply don't want to!) Blast your favorite music on your ipod or
computer right in your living room and dance. Even if it's for 5 minutes
you'll feel that same rush.
If you played basketball, football, swam, soccer, whatever it is, there is a local organization or gym or community gathering of the sport. If you simply didn't like sports or activity when you were younger, this is the best time to pick up something you've always wanted to do.
Coaches and trainers love that you are brand new because they don't need to retrain you from bad habits. Tennis is a great example of this: it's much easier to teach someone to swing with the raquet down low if they've never done it, vs teaching someone who has been swinging a certain way for 15 years.
Don't be intimidated - people will love to teach you whatever sport you've dreamed about.
A member who receives our Tip Of The Day email wrote in today asking for workout tips so I searched through the archives (and included a couple new ones written for PEERtrainer) for helpful advice. I would also add that when you find a sport you love, working out becomes effortless so I do encourage people to make a list of sports they liked when they were younger. If you didn't like any sport, it's good to start with a walk. It's easy to do wihtout any special equipment and you can start right now!
Here's the list (for now, I will be adding over time):
Exercise Tips For Fat Loss: Written by the renown Hospital For Special Surgery, this is a great article that answers questions such as Can strength training help me lose weight and how hard do you have to exercise to burn body fat.
Top 42 Exercise Hacks: Zen Habits put together 42 practical tips to get you "healthier, slimmer and sexier"
I just posted to my PEERtrainer log and unfortunately, I had to write in my workout section "no tennis today :( ". With work and children obligations, I'm just not going to be able to carve out an hour. I was feeling sort of bummed, but then I remembered my old standby, taking a walk.
Walking is easy to fit in, no matter what. It's hard to find an excuse not to take a 5 minute walk. If you live in the city, it's almost built in to your day automatically but if not, it's still one of the easiest activities to fit into any schedule.
Dr. Andrew Weil talks about walking and the actual movement of your arms swaying in an opposite way, back and forth as having amazing health benefits. If you're having trouble starting out on your regimen or if you just need to destress, be alone with your thoughts to do some thinking, solve a problem, there is nothing like a walk to get your mind in a different space to come up with new thoughts and a new sense of renewal. If you live in the city, your walk can be as simple as walking right past your apartment to the next neighborhood. (by the way, 20 blocks equal a mile, an avenue is about 1 and a 1/2 blocks, as a general rule).
If you live in the suburbs, take a walk right outside your door or outside of your office. The parks usually have beautiful walking paths and they can be more convenient than you ever imagined. Local high schools have tracks and usually lots of regulars that can motivate you and get you going.
You don't have to walk for an hour to feel a sense of accomplishment. Even 5 minutes a day is the start of a great habit that will have tremendous health benefits down the road.
So I will be walking at lunch today, no matter what! Feel free to check into my log today and hold me to it! We have lots of walking groups on PEERtrainer, click here to find one and just type "walk" in the search window.
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by Phil Maffetone is in my library as well. You don't have to grind it out. You don't have to be in pain. Unless of course you insist on it. But then, it becomes your choice. 
