Challenge #3

Today's challenge is to do challenge #2. Something I didn't do last week when I picked it. I will also be adding my running back into my schedule. Today will be my first day of running every day until the end of April.

Yes--a run streak. I'm setting my minimum distance at 1 mile in order to consider it a run. I am setting a maximum time of 13 minutes. Even if I end up walking much of it, that's a solid power walk. I will not break the run into shorter distances.

Now all I need is someone to take on the challenge with me. That will give me someone to compete against.

Any takers?

Lent Challenge #2

I did make it through yesterday's challenge, but it was harder than I expected. It didn't help when my dog was licking my ankle or stepping on my calf during the 10 minutes. I still managed to get all 10 minutes completed. Did anyone do more than 10 minutes yesterday?

Today, it's on to a new challenge. 10 minutes of wall squats. I will also try to do some planks, but the main goal is the wall squats. If I keep doing the prior day's challenge with the new challenge, I'll be up to 400 minutes at the end, and I don't have that much time each day. I do have 20 minutes today.

Who's with me on 10 minutes of wall squats?

Slacking

I have been slacking on my exercise and fitness in 2013. That ends today. I will start adding a daily challenge on here and tell you how I did on the previous day's challenge, too. Again, I'm using Lent as an excuse to start this. It has nothing to do with Ashes, full moons or anything like that. It's just a good reminder from everyone around me to do more. It's kinda like a second New Year.

Challenge #1: Complete a total of at least 10 minutes of planks before the end of the day.

It doesn't have to be 10 minutes at a stretch. It can be 120 planks for 5 seconds each. I hope you'll try it, too. Check back tomorrow to see who completed the most time in the plank position.

Sweat

When I was a kid, I heard the saying "Pigs sweat, men perspire and women glisten." This went right along with "Sweat like a pig" which always seemed to prompt someone to mention that pigs don't sweat. Turns out that the pigs in question aren't the animal, but pig iron. Or maybe not, the source is a bit muddy. Maybe the phrase should be updated to say, "Athletes sweat, others glisten."

Sweating/perspiring is natural and our bodies way of regulating our temperature. When we exercise, our core temperature increases. This increase triggers our brain to remove the excess heat to keep our organs from getting too hot. To do this, our blood vessels expand near the skin so we can radiate heat. We also begin to sweat to start the process of the sweat evaporating and cooling us off in a secondary manner. All of this is how our body thermoregulates.

Sweat is about 99% water with the remainder made up of the electrolytes sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and tiny amounts of other trace minerals. This is why Gatorade contains sodium, potassium and carbohydrates to give you energy and replace the minerals lost during exercise. It's also why there are bananas available at the end of races. The percentage of sweat that isn't water varies based on the availability of these minerals in your body and your fitness level.

I was noticing this year during my running that I seemed to be sweating more than I did last summer. I thought it might be faded memory or a difference in hair length, but then I read that as fitness increases, our bodies will sweat more quickly during activity. The percentage of sodium in the sweat decreases as our fitness increases, too. This helps athletes to have more endurance because they're not going to overheat, or run out of electrolytes.

I think many people think that out of shape people will start sweating sooner during activities than someone who is in shape. Turns out that may be the opposite of the reality. It also means that even really athletic people need to be aware of sweating, dehydration and replacing electrolytes. We should all make sure to hydrate properly every day and especially during exercise.

Little Things

I think it's really common for people to look at big items and ignore or discount the small things. We think of our workout, but not the smaller bits of exercise we get throughout the day. We think of our meals, but not the calories consumed through small snacks.

I thought of this the other day when I missed my workout. I didn't get my 30-45 minutes of cross-training in that day. However, I did walk from the train to work and back. Each way was about 3/4 mile. I have also switched my desk at work from sitting to standing. That change is burning about 116 more calories per day than sitting. I've also been doing my physical therapy exercises, but not counting any of that time as "working out."

I think the same thing happens to the calories we consume. We pay attention to the meals, but not the small bites. It's really easy for those unaccounted bites to add up to enough calories that your body will show them, even if you didn't think of them while eating or drinking. When discussing obesity, people discuss how portion sizes have increased over the years, they don't talk about mindless small bites. We consider the calories in the french fries, but not the ketchup.

I think this is a huge part of the childhood obesity epidemic. Children are constantly being hydrated and fed with calorie-laden items. A constant stream of calories that never amount to enough to actually satiate. That means that they can keep eating and drinking well past the point where they're reached their caloric needs. This leads to weight gain. It's not sudden, it's very gradual and then suddenly it's a health issue. The same thing happens to us as adults.

I'm not suggesting we all skip our workouts in favor of small burst of activity and also skip all snacks and only eat large meals. What we should all do is consider the whole picture of our lives, not just the large items. Give yourself credit for walking all over Target for thirty minutes. Track the calories from that extra bite you took after you were basically done with dinner.

Physical Therapy

I am currently seeing a physical therapist to eliminate some muscle weakness and imbalance before the running season gets into full swing. I was given a list of five exercises to do twice a day every day. I had missed one night and felt badly, but was reassured that I far exceeded expectations.

I do not understand that. It's like getting a prescription filled, but not taking the medicine. Why would you pay the therapist $25-$35 per visit, only to ignore everything they say? If you're going to ignore them, save your money and time and don't go to your appointments. That frees up their schedule for the rest of us who are willing to do the needed work.



I don't like the exercises that I am doing for physical therapy. They are working my weakest muscles and they're hard. I have been close to tears of frustration when doing them, but I know that they'll help me in the long run. That is why I do them every day as scheduled.

I ignored the signals my body was sending me last year and ended up with a stress fracture in my femur and six weeks of crutches. I am being careful to listen better this year and tackle any issues early. I hope that this month of physical therapy will help keep me injury free until the marathon, but know that is only possible if I put forth some effort.

Dosage

This is a great ad idea for Asics shoes. I don't know if it was an official ad, or just someone online making it. Either way, I think it's pretty brilliant and touches on something I've been thinking about for a while. All ads for drugs discuss the side effects of taking the drug. They even discuss rare and unlikely side effects. What they don't talk about is avoiding the drug.

I don't mean things like allergy or birth control, which are treating issues that are out of control of patients. I'm referring to drugs that are treating real diseases, but the diseases are a symptom of a larger issue. Treating diabetes doesn't solve the issue of excess weight, poor diet and lack of exercise. Treating erectile dysfunction doesn't solve the underlying heart issues that are most likely the cause.

I wish that the FDA would require a disclaimer about how lifestyle changes might eliminate the need for some drugs. It could be included before all the side effects. This wouldn't affect all medications, just ones where it's possible that actions by the patient could eliminate the need for taking a pill. Instead of saying, "Make sure you're healthy enough for sexual activity," the commercial could say, "Talk to your doctor to see what changes you can make to solve your ED."

I know that the pharmaceutical companies would hate this, but I'm sure they hate having to list all their side-effects, too. To me, it's just honest marketing. Yes, people should already know that they might be able to solve their problem instead of just treating it with pills, but it's possible they don't and that should be disclosed to them before asking for their money.

20 minutes

Source: loseweight-safe.com via barlina on Pinterest

It's possible that 20 minutes a day won't give you the "perfect" body you desire. However, 20 minutes well-spent can make a world of difference. In 20 minutes, you can run over a mile, do the P90X ab workout, burn tons of calories on any cardio machine. 20 minutes is 20 minutes more than doing nothing. The same holds true for 15, 10 or even 5 minutes. If you don't have a large block of time to devote to exercise, squeeze in small bouts wherever and whenever you can.

Get in Shape, Girl!

This was an actual Hasbro product in the 1980s. There were five sets of exercise equipment aimed at girls. It looks like it was trying to capitalize on the aerobics boom happening at that time. The branding switched to Arbor Toys, who reissued in about 2006. Here's a review of the toys with pictures.

I am torn on this product. I love the idea of encouraging children to be active, but I hate the idea of talking to children about their shape. I wish the product name were different, and then brought back for ALL children, not just girls. I am not torn on the original commercials, though. They are fantastic.

Endorphins

I have seen this movie more times than I should admit in public. If I'm flipping and I find it's on, I will stop to watch it. This is one of my favorite quotes, because her logic is flawless with a truthful basis. Endorphins are produced by exercise and they do make you happy. So, the next time you're thinking of killing your husband, just go for a run instead.

Source: itsfitnessbaby.com via Lori on Pinterest

Fun

Find out what activities you like and then do those. If you like running, run. If you like dancing, dance. Don't give up on something without trying it at least once, though. You should probably try things you've rejected in the past every year or so to see if you enjoy them now. That's how I discovered my love of running. I will try yoga again in 2013 to see if I can enjoy it.

Source: shes-fine.tumblr.com via Morgan Grace on Pinterest

All This and Brains, Too?

It turns out that the work that makes the "all this" portion actually fuels the brain. Fitness doesn't make you a meathead at all. In fact, it seems to make you less of one.

In a review of over 100 studies, it was found that: Aerobic exercise improves ability to coordinate multiple things, long-term planning and your ability to stay on task for extended periods." Resistance training, which is much less studied than the aerobic side of things, improves your ability to focus amid distracters.

The same study review found that regular, moderate exercise reverses age-related shrinking of the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory formation.

A Japanes study done on rats may explain why regular exercise helps the brain. It found that exercise depletes the brain's energy stores, but that post-exercise fuel goes straight to the brain and puts the stores at about 60% of the pre-exertion levels for about a day. If the rats continued to exercise regularly, the 60% increase in energy stores became the new normal. This was especially notable in the hippocampus and cortex.

What these two studies tell us is that the brain can be exercised like any other muscle. The strain of a workout will cause the muscle to adapt to be ready for that challenge the next time it's presented. The next time you're working out, remember that you're not just improving your cardiovascular abilities, but also your ability to remember other parts of your life.

Animals

I have heard people say that they can't work out at home because they have pets. I have two dogs and two cats and they love it when I roll out the yoga mat. They know that means I will be getting down on the floor with them. Yes, their attention when I'm trying to do crunches can be annoying, but it's also a welcome distraction. It's hard to be upset when your dog steps on your chest to pin you down to lick the sweat from your brow. I laughed so hard when she did that, I felt it in my abs as much as the core work I intended to do. They also make the moves seem a bit more real to me. I know exercises are designed to target, but they aren't truly representative of how you'd use that muscle in the real world. If you're doing lunges over and around the dogs playing, that's more of a real world maneuver.

If you're using the presence of animals in your house as an excuse to avoid being active, you are just avoiding being active. It's not really because of the animals. You could just as easily use them as your excuse to be more active. I have rarely met a dog that didn't want to go on more and longer walks.

Muscles

You may have heard that a pound of muscle burns 100 times as many calories as a pound of fat. You may have heard the stat as 50 times, because that was Dr. Oz's claim. Neither is true. The truth is that muscle burns 3 times as many calories as fat. That is an improvement, but won't help you lose much weight.


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"The bottom line is that weight loss is 90% about diet," obesity researcher Dr. Sue Pedersen, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism in Calgary, told me. "The studies show that exercise alone is not going to result in weight loss."

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This does not mean people should avoid exercise and just watch their calories. Exercise has benefits beyond the scale. And you shouldn't avoid weights. The real benefit muscle has over fat is volume. Both the fat and the muscle in this image weigh one pound, but the fat takes up about 20% more space. Same number on the scale, but smaller waistband. Working out with weights may not make huge changes in your weight, but they may help with your size.

Easy calorie burns

One of the most common excuses for not exercising is time. There are plenty of ways to add some movement to your life, without having to set aside hours at a time.

Park at the far end of parking lots. This will probably save you time and frustration, because you won't be driving endlessly looking for a great spot.

Carry your purchases from the store to your car, instead of taking the cart with you. This will add some muscle work to your shopping trip.

Use a hand basket instead of a cart, if it's possible. It adds muscle work while you're shopping. It also makes you more aware of what you're buying because you have limited space for the items.

Leave the car parked. Is your errand only a few blocks away? Walk or bike there. It won't take much more time, but it will make you feel better.

Avoid the escalator and take the stairs. It takes the same amount of time, possibly less time and is good for you.

If the escalator is the only option, walk up it anyway. This will give you some of the benefit of taking the stairs.

Avoid the elevator. In Chicago office buildings, this isn't possible because the stairs are locked and you have to use the elevator. If that isn't the case in your office building, try the stairs.

Take the long way around. If there are two routes to a common destination at home or work, take the longer one. It may add a few seconds, but those extra steps add up.

Do calf raises when you're stuck standing. Waiting for the bus, train or elevator? Why not do this barely noticeable exercise with that spare time? You can do calf raises on the train, too. Don't be this guy, though.

Do knee raises at your desk or while stuck in that boring meeting. It will burn a few calories, tone your legs and give you something to think about instead of your coworker's brown nosing.

Sit up straight. Remind yourself to make sure you're not slouching at your desk or while watching TV at home. It takes a little bit more energy and strength to hold your body up straight and will improve your posture. You may need to raise up your monitor to do this comfortably. I used books at my job to get sufficient height.

These are just a few suggestions to build fitness into your life without having to reschedule everything. You can take these ideas and expand them to fit your life. If you can burn an extra 100 calories a day, you can lose 10 pounds in a year without thinking about it.

Exercise and thinking

I know that one of the things I love about going for a run is the mental clarity I get. Some of my best ideas come to me while running. I have also found solutions to problems that had been stumping me for ages. This is a great side effect, but merely anecdotal. Luckily, scientists are studying this effect and how to best harness it.

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A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control in 2010 looked at more than 50 studies in this area and found more than half showed positive links between exercise and classroom performance, said Carol Girdler, a clinical instructor at the University of Iowa College of Education. Less than 2 percent demonstrated a negative correlation.

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This may not be definitive, but looks to be a pretty safe bet that exercise will help you think better.

The 12 Days of Christmas

They mark the time from Christmas to Epiphany. It's also a time of year when many of us sit on the couch, eat leftovers and recover from too much drinking and eating. This is not a good way to get started on New Year's Resolutions or recovering from all the Christmas cookies and snacks. I found a set of exercises to help with all that sloth. It's set up just like the song, so you could do day 1 on December 26 and keep progressing until January 6. Or, you could follow the suggested workouts that they have at the link.

When January 6th rolls around, let me know how you did.

Day 82--Sinus infection

My cold's been gone for about a week, but it morphed into what I think is a sinus infection. I think I'd rather have the cold. The sinus infection is causing headaches and a loss of my sense of balance. It's been almost two weeks since I've worked out and I have only the rest of this week until my run. I've lost a lot of time that I was hoping to use to build up to the run, so I'm now hoping that I can finish in under 45 minutes. Honestly, I'm just hoping that I'm able to finish.

I did get a heart monitor yesterday, which I'm also excited to try out. I know I'm improving my heart's strength, but it will be nice to be able to graph that change.

Day 80--Death

Ok, no one actually died, but there were moments when I wished for death. I'm sure that all I have is a cold, but it kicked my ass. Even with a constant flow of decongestants, I still went through several boxes of tissues this weekend. I made it into work on Tuesday, but barely made the two block walk home from the train. I feel like crap, and not being able to work out for a week just adds to it. I am hoping that I feel up to it tonight, though.

My run is just a bit over a week away. The race packets go in the mail tomorrow. I'm also hoping to get a run in tonight, now that the weather is above frigid. I did stop my transit beginning May 1, so that's when I will begin biking my commute each day.

Day 79--Deltoids

Yesterday's workout really hit my deltoids. I swear that's a muscle that I don't use in normal life. Think about it; how often do you lift your arms straight up to the side? Or lift a weight over your head? They're a bit sore today, but not as bad as I was anticipating. I also did push-ups yesterday. The More Workouts has you do them with one hand off to the side of the board, which corrects the narrowness issue that many people have with the Wii Fit push-ups. My fix had been to hold onto the side of the board, instead of putting my hands on top of the board.
Yesterday did bring me some weight loss, too. I'm just a hair away from 130, now. I'm hoping that I hit that line before the weekend. I'm attributing some of the weight loss to the home-made instant oatmeal I've been eating for breakfast. I think it's lower in sugar and calories than the Quaker stuff I've been eating. I'll have to get the recipe from http://weightinglist.blogspot.com/ author to find out.