Failing to succeed

You may have read the title and thought, this is going to be an article about failure. But if you read it again with a different emphasis, you’ll see that it could be about failing in order to succeed. There is a yin and a yang to this whole process that is hard to ignore.

I write this as a confluence of two unrelated occurrences takes place: a roadblock in my training and the completion of reading a really insightful book about an American journalist’s spiritual quest to quiet the constant chatter in his head and become more mindful. It goes by the unassuming title “10 % Happier” by Dan Harris.

As I mentioned, this comes at a time when I am at a crossroads in my fitness program. I am supposed to string together some of the skills I have been working on so that they become a flow routine. The problem is, I have not succeeded in executing all of the skills in the program. Despite diligent practice and patience, I am still struggling with several skills. What is the point of practicing a flow of exercises when some of them are not doable yet? The answer is, there isn’t any point. The answer is to go back to the beginning and work through the program again until the exercises become doable.

Practice things you can’t do.

There are several that I am having trouble with, but my real nemesis is the crane hold (pictured). One day I had a breakthrough, succeeding in holding the position for 10 seconds. I did this several times that day. But since then I have not been able to repeat it, with one notable exception: one day, I held the pose for a record 15 seconds. However, most days I cannot hold it for more than a second or two if at all.

This setback has taught me that progress is not always linear. It has also taught me that you must keep on failing in order to succeed. I know I will succeed, it is just a matter of time, as long as I keep trying. Even more than the latter two lessons, I have learned patience. I know that I have genetically inflexible wrists – in one direction anyway. They bend quite easily forward, but hardly at all backward. So I know this is working against me and I will have to work at it more than someone with flexible wrists.

Dan Harris says that sometimes even when you do your best, if things don’t go your way, you may become "unconstructively upset", in a way that hinders your ability to bounce back. He suggests that dropping your attachment to results is the key. He says that when you are "wisely ambitious", you do everything you can to succeed, but you are not attached to the outcome. If you fail, you will be maximally resilient, able to get up, dust yourself off, and get back to work.

His winning formula looks like this:

Non-attachment to results + self-compassion = a supple relentlessness that is hard to match. Push hard, play to win, but don’t assume the fetal position if things don’t go your way. (Did I mention Dan Harris is a master wordsmith?)

When you fail, telling yourself I only need the grit to start again, is sometimes easier said than done. In the Buddhist tradition, Dan Harris makes a list of “obvious but often overlooked truths”. I have borrowed some and modified others as I see them.

Here are some tips that might help:

• Try the same thing, different ways.
• Don’t compare yourself to others. Some things come easier to some people and focusing on this can be detrimental to your confidence and motivation.
• Go easy with the internal cattle prod. –A quote of Dan’s I particularly liked.  It is easier to get down on yourself for small failures than it is to congratulate yourself for small successes but those who are self-compassionate are better able to bounce back from missteps. If you can create an environment where your mistakes or misses are forgiven and flaws are candidly confronted, your resilience expands exponentially.
• Learn how to care and not to care. When learning a new skill, an air of not caring will get you closer to success than overt caring. Another tricky one but an idea worth exploring.
• How badly do you want it? This may seem at odds with the latter but it really isn’t. If you want it badly enough, you will keep working at it.
• Remember that all successful people fail.

Nothing worth having comes easy. Whether it is a new skill, a problem at home or at work, doesn't matter. If you want to succeed badly enough, you will keep trying. After all, there is nothing wrong with trying to do something awesome!

What do you have to lose? Or gain!

I have been teaching fitness classes at Stronger You since they opened their new location on Strandherd Drive in November 2014. To use the word "classes" at this point is a stretch since there are usually only one or two participants in each one. Nevertheless, it is my passion to share my knowledge of movement and fitness with others that drives me to continue in spite of the low turnout. Helping a handful of people to improve themselves is still something.

I seek to motivate and inspire others to discover the joys of exercise. Most people, women especially, are much stronger than they think. We buy into the lie that says we are weak and it has a detrimental effect on our attitude about strength training. Those who believe the lie are defeated before they even start. Exercise is hard work, but it can be made fun with the right approach.

This winter my niece started attending the bodyweight fitness class. Once a week is the best she could manage with a husband and two small children at home and holding down a full-time job. She also practices some of the exercises on her at home. I have been consistently impressed with her ability to execute difficult movements and with her “no quit” attitude. And she always has a smile on her face! In class she often mentions, off-handedly, the benefits she has noticed since starting fitness class. So when I asked her if she would write down her thoughts about the last two months, she kindly obliged.

The following is her heartfelt testimonial:

Working out with Sally on Wednesday nights for the last two months has been challenging but also really fun. I have always been a person who dreads working out. I would start a routine, swear I was going to stick with it and then after a couple weeks, I would give it up. Not anymore! I wouldn’t give up my time with Sally for anything. With a 4 year old and a 10 month old at home, it can be hard to get away but I make sure I make it to every class. Within a few sessions, I could see muscles where I had none before and I even lost a few pounds. I am down a couple notches on my belt and my clothes fit better than ever. The most important thing, though, is that my energy level has greatly improved. It is so nice to be able to keep up with my kids and I enjoy my time with them that much more. We now have spontaneous dance parties in our living room! I do squats and other exercises holding my baby just for fun. I run up the stairs two at a time. My husband tells me daily how great I look and it has inspired him to get in shape as well. I can’t thank Sally enough. I started going to her classes to lose a couple pounds and instead I got so much more in return than I could have ever imagined. I am no longer the person that dreads working out. I now strive to be the best me I can be, in every way. It has been a complete lifestyle change and it is amazing.

When I read this, I was moved beyond words. This makes what I do worthwhile. Thank you Diana (pronounced Dee-anna) for being so amazing. I hope others will take your lead. But even if they don’t, I can still look at you and feel very proud.

Food and mood

Unless you feel happy and motivated most of the time the odds are you can improve how you feel by changing what you eat. Ensuring optimum nutrition for your mind not only improves mood, but gives you the energy and motivation to make changes in your life. Few psychotherapists recognize the role of nutrition in brain biochemistry.

Four common imbalances connected to nutrition that can affect mood and motivation:

• Blood-sugar imbalances (often associated with excessive sugar and stimulant intake)
  
• Deficiencies of nutrients (vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, C, zinc, magnesium, chromium, essential fatty acids)
  
• Deficiencies of tryptophan and tyrosine (precursors of neurotransmitters)
  
• Allergies and sensitivities

Neurotransmitters are the messages being sent to and from the brain. Most neurotransmitters are made from amino acids. Different amino acids make different neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitter serotonin, which keeps you happy, is made from the amino acid tryptophan. Adrenaline and dopamine, which keep you motivated, are made from phenylalanine.

Making a neurotransmitter isn’t easy. Enzymes in the brain depend on intelligent nutrients to turn an amino acid into a neurotransmitter. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, and special amino acids.

If, as the saying goes, you are what you eat – then how you think and feel also depends on what you eat. One factor that underlies most depression is poor control of blood-glucose levels. You can regulate blood-sugar levels by eating small meals at regular intervals, by consuming whole, unprocessed foods, including protein and fiber, and by taking a combination of B vitamins and the mineral chromium. 

The B-vitamins are vital to the biochemical process known as methylation, which is critical for balancing the neurotransmitters dopamine and adrenaline. The most powerful methylating nutrient is SAMe and has been proven as an antidepressant. High levels of vitamin C have also been proven to enhance recovery from depression.

It used to be thought that all our thinking was done by neurons in the brain. We now know that the digestive system contains 100 million neurons, and produces as many as the brain. The gut actually produces two thirds of the body’s serotonin. Every time you eat something it sends signals to the brain because the gut and the brain are in permanent communication. This is why the right foods can make you happy and the wrong foods can make you feel anxious or depressed.

How do allergies relate mood? Most food allergies develop in reaction to the protein in food, usually in foods we eat most frequently. Wheat is the number one food allergen, most likely because it contains a substance called gliadin, which irritates the gut wall. Gliadin is associated to gluten, a sticky protein that allows pockets to form when combined with yeast, which is how bread is made. The connections between wheat allergy, autism, and schizophrenia are well established.  Depression has also been linked to gluten sensitivity. In fact, a common symptom in people with hidden food allergy is depression that is unresponsive to antidepressant prescription drugs.

As you can see, how you feel is directly related to the food you eat. Improve your digestion by eating plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and fish. And supplement with B-vitamins, C, zinc, magnesium and chromium. Keep alcohol to a minimum. If you suspect a food allergy, get yourself tested. Watch here for future posts to learn more about the role of neurotransmitters and how they are affected by diet. In the mean time, eat well and feel well!

Strength and endurance: training both

Strength training is necessary for building lean muscle mass and increasing longevity. No argument there. But aerobic training – better known as “cardio” - is a necessary component of fitness and fat burning, particularly if your eating habits are less than perfect. Cardio-respiratory training is also critical to longevity because, as a growing body of science suggests, aerobic fitness helps combat all-cause mortality, especially but not limited to, death due to a cardiovascular event. There is no way around it: we must keep our heart muscle strong.

Perhaps you’ve been training hard at the gym several times a week, week in and week out, and going for long runs on your days off, and you’re wondering, “How do I balance my strength training with my aerobic conditioning?” Is it all right to do both on the same day? Or do you run on your “recovery” day? What’s best? What if I want to include high intensity intervals?

If you’re an endurance athlete and a strength athlete, you’ve got your work cut out for you. It’s a lot of training to fit in. And if you’re going to work that hard, you want to get the most bang for your workout buck. Most likely your goal is to improve your strength and performance. To do so, you must push your body beyond its comfort zone. This means overloading your musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems.

Aerobic training (Cardio-respiratory training)

Aerobic means with oxygen; anaerobic means without oxygen. Aerobic activity tests the ability of the circulatory, respiratory, and muscular systems to supply oxygen during sustained physical exercise. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise create energy through the process of glycolysis, which is the conversion of glucose into fuel.

Anaerobic Training (Strength training and High Intensity Intervals)

Anaerobic activities such as most types of strength training and high intensity intervals uses a different mechanism to fuel the body. Anaerobic glycolysis can’t be sustained for long. While aerobic exercise uses oxygen to break down glucose, anaerobic exercise uses other, less efficient but faster mechanisms.

Strength training is generally anaerobic and endurance training is aerobic.

If you do strength training say, 3-4 times a week, doing light aerobic activity afterwards is a good way to cool down and clear lactic acid from the blood. But, for best results, endurance activity (exercise lasting more than one hour) on the same day as you lift is not recommended. Save that for your off-days.

When you consider which systems are being stressed when you are lifting weights, you are stressing primarily your musculoskeletal system. When you are endurance training (running, cycling, swimming, etc.) you are stressing primarily your cardiovascular system.

It might seem logical to conclude that you could do both types of training on the same day since you are working different systems. But your nervous system is also involved. The neuromuscular system is under stress during both activities. Skeletal muscles contract and relax, actions controlled by the nervous system, which is composed of nerves called neurons. Any exercise which puts a demand on the muscular system, also puts a demand on the nervous system. The nerves are attached to muscle cells which receive and send signals between the muscles and the brain during physical activity, which means there will be considerable fatigue after strength training and after endurance activities.

For this reason, it may be best to train them on separate days. As for high intensity intervals, they are also best done on a day separate from strength training. What is your experience with combining these two types of training?

Orange-mango green smoothie

The base for most of my smoothies is either kale (green or purple) or spinach, usually baby spinach. My go-to fruits are frozen mixed berries, frozen raspberries or “Power fruit blend” of cherries, blueberries and blackberries. Sometimes I add an orange, clementine, or carrot. Then I top up with a generous amount of filtered tap water.

I prefer my smoothies thin. If you like them thick, add less water or use almond milk instead of water. This combination of greens, fruit and liquid pretty well guarantees a good drink, although despite this tried and true method, I never seem to get the same smoothie twice because I don't measure what goes into them.

You can buy “power greens” by the bag, or buy a bunch of fresh kale. I prefer to avoid the plastic boxes that a lot of greens come in these days, if possible. They are a scourge on the environment. Bunches of kale may not be  as quick as the packaged version, but it’s not an onerous task to de-stalk them: just take a good, sharp knife (a veggie butcher-knife works best), and slide it down the stalk from the bottom end to the top. The leaves fall off right at the stalk no problem. De-stalk the whole bunch and put any extra leaves in a plastic bag for use next time.

Here’s one a recipe I tried recently that was really delicious. Fill the Vitamix or blender to half full with kale, add two peeled celementines, some coconut water and about half a cup of mango-orange juice. Top up with filtered water and voila! You have a tasty, sweet green drink.

Pull-ups or chin-ups or rows?

There are many ways to work the back muscles: Pull-ups, chin-ups, rows. So what is the difference and why should you choose one over the other? For upper body strength development, it is most useful to categorize movements into pushing and pulling. The entire upper back is designed for assisting the arms to pull objects toward you or to pull your body toward a fixed point. But because our shoulders move through space 360 degrees across many planes, we can hit different back muscles by changing the angle of the movement.

The muscles in the front of the upper body – chest and front of the shoulders - are pushing muscles. The biceps are pulling muscles, the triceps are for pushing.

Overhead

Any time you grip a bar, rings, or other apparatus over your head, you are working the outer muscles of the upper back developing, the largest ones being the latissimus dorsi. This muscle develops back width giving your body that coveted V-shape possessed by strength athletes. By changing the orientation of the grip, you can target the back muscles differently. Pull-ups are done with an overhand grip (thumbs toward your head) with the forearms perpendicular or even wider. If you are unable to pull your bodyweight all the way up to the bar or handle, you can regress the movement by assisting with your feet on the ground.

Chin-ups are done with an underhand grip and engage the biceps in addition to the back. That is why this movement is generally easier than a strict pull-up. But because the grip width is closer, the body has farther to go from full extension than the pull-up.

In front of the body

If you are pulling a weight toward you, you are essentially doing some kind of row. To row a weight, you need to be facing down and pulling the weight off the ground toward your upper body. This can be done with a bar, one arm at a time with a dumbbell or kettlebell, or any makeshift weight.

You can also do a reverse row by pulling your bodyweight upward by gripping a low bar, suspension trainer or a pair of rings. In this case you are facing up, your feet are on the floor and, in order of increasing level of difficulty, your body is at an angle such that the shoulders are higher than the hips; your body is parallel to the floor; or your shoulders are lower than your hips. You can have your legs straight or bent depending on your strength. Bent legs allow you pull yourself up easier than the same movement done with legs straight. Doing a row with your feet off the ground is the ultimate in full body strength.

Rowing works the large muscles of the back and develops thickness in the middle back.

From the feet up

The upright row is another kettle of fish entirely. It involves pulling a weight up from the ground while you are on your feet and primarily engages the thick muscles between the neck and shoulders called the trapezius.

So, which exercise is best? As always, it depends on your goals. If you are training for a particular sport, you likely want to improve strength in the range of motion which most closely approximates your sport. If your sport involves throwing a ball or a swinging a racket, chin-ups will most benefit your training. If you need to be able to pull yourself up over a ledge, strict pull-ups will benefit you the most. A combination of rows, chins and pull-ups will give you best result to increase strength your overall pulling strength.

Obstacle course training

Suffering from the winter blues? Feeling tired and lethargic? Need a goal to help get you moving again? This year’s Spartan race might be just the event you need to kick-start your training. March is not too early to start planning for the outdoor season, whatever your fitness goals might be.

Maybe you are contemplating entering the Tough Mudder and the Spartan race. These races, open to all ages and levels of fitness, are great for targeting your training goals. They provide a fun event that will challenge you to get into better shape and perhaps train in disciplines you’ve never experienced before.

The Spartan Race is the world’s largest obstacle race that challenges entrants to “discover their inner warrior.” This popular race offers three levels of difficulty: The Sprint 5-kilometer, 15 obstacle course; the Super 13-kilometer, 21 obstacle course; and the Beast, 20-kilometer, 26 obstacle course.

Tough Mudder is a team-oriented 10-12 mile obstacle course designed to test physical strength and mental grit. The creativity and variety of the obstacles is beyond imagining. Who knows what this year's course will be?

Now that you have set your goal, how are you going to train for it? Regardless of which event you choose, you are going to have to build strength, and increase speed, endurance and agility. At the same time, you are going to need to stay healthy and injury-free so you can enjoy your event to the fullest. Chances are, you are going to need to adjust the way you eat to sustain the new level of training you’re about to embark on.

But how do you train for these events if you don’t have a 12-foot wall or a tunnel to crawl through? If you’re already a runner, then you’ve got that part down. If not, you’ll have to train yourself to run for the distance you’ve chosen to race. Injury prevention comes first; then increasing distance, then speed work. That’s the easy part. Since the exact course is unknown, it is impossible to train specifically for what is coming but there are things you can do to get yourself in the best shape possible for this type of event.

A comprehensive program would include these elements:

• mobility and flexibility
• balance and stability
• gripping
• hanging and pulling
• deadlifting
• pressing
• single leg work
• displaced strength training (e.g. sandbags)
• core work
• cross country running

If you have set one of these events as your goal, you halfway there. You’ve made the commitment and you have the mindset necessary to succeed. Now all you need is the right training plan to get you there! Whether you’ve chosen a team challenge or an individual event, your training should reflect your preference: hire a trainer for a series of half hour sessions, or find a team and share the cost of a trainer. Book now for your event. Fit Forever

Training longevity

On Saturday I gave my first Strength Training seminar. Having spent decades doing many forms of strength training, I wanted to share some of my experience and knowledge with like-minded individuals. It was intended to be an educational seminar about the basic concepts, strategies and tools used to build strength. After all, everyone wants to be stronger. It’s like health and wealth. Have you ever heard anyone say, "I’m too healthy", or "I’m too wealthy?" How about "I’m too strong"? Most likely not. It’s an important aspect of self-improvement.

During the seminar, we looked at traditional methods of strength training which include free weights – dumbbells and barbells – and machines. The benefits of isolating the muscles and working on them independently are that you can target the specific muscle or group of muscles that you want to build. This approach works well to build a strong foundation.

I would argue, however, that it is not only difficult to continue this method of training indefinitely without creating overuse injuries when you are in maintenance mode, but it is even more difficult to continue to gain strength using this method. Coupled with mobility and stretching and attention to form, the chances of success are greater. But like anything, it can become stale after a while. For long-term health and consistency, I would recommend trying different methods - returning to bodyweight, using suspension training, or kettlebells and supplementing with tools such as clubbells, or any number of other unconventional tools.

Three ingredients are necessary for growth:

1. Regular, consistent training
2. Intensity – more weight, fewer repetitions
3. Progressive overload – gradually increasing weight over time

One way to ensure you continue training year after year – that is, maintaining your interest and motivation, and remaining injury free – is to enjoy what you do. To prevent staleness in your workouts, you may need variety. You may also need skill-based goals, specific goals that you can train toward.

The goals of basic weight training tend to be surface goals such as weight loss, muscle building, or toning – that is looking better. The goals of functional strength training are to learn new skills. Functional training can open up a whole new world of physical achievement. Any skill-based goal can be summed up as "being better at such-and-such". The surface goals of weight loss and building lean muscle mass are also achieved but they are by-products of a skill such as scaling a climbing rope without using your legs, or holding a freestanding handstand and then lowering and pushing your bodyweight up from the floor.

The functional fitness value hierarchy turns the bodybuilding fitness hierarchy on its head. It places values in this order:

1. Health – promote what is healthiest for you follow safe practices
2. Mobility – ensure you have full, coordinated mobility
3. Function – be able to function within tasks (not just at the gym)
4. Attributes – strength, endurance, flexibility, agility, stability
5. Physique – body’s physical appearance (if you train right, a beautiful, powerful physique is a natural by-product)

Fitness is about getting back to that boundless energy and willingness to explore ranges of motion and movement we all naturally had we were younger. It's about having fun with fitness. If you can develop your strength, endurance, and mobility, and burn up calories all while enjoying yourself, that's a form of fitness that you are going to stick with. Commitment yields consistency, consistency yields results.

One of my favourite aphorisms sums up the benefits of functional training: Life is easier when you are fit!