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“Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” – Bruce Lee

 

Oftentimes, when faced with a long workout with repeating elements, I might suggest to my fitness clients that they find a pace they think they can sustain, and then wash, rinse and repeat as long as they can. But this is in fact an oversimplification of what I mean.

 

 

 

In fact, as I work through these kinds of workouts, I am constantly making adjustments as I go. My intent is to be consistent, but sometimes, well, I might get slower on the bike as I tire, or realize I went out too hot on those burpee box jump overs. But I might also realize I can push those hang power cleans a bit, or jump up and rip off those toes to bar sooner than I anticipate. By thinking this way, I learn how to adjust as needed in order to keep working towards my ultimate goal of being smooth and efficient in my work, which, in the end, typically makes for the best result I am capable of at that moment.

This is a good example of the idea of persistence vs tenacity.

 

Persistence means you implement your strategy, check the results, and repeat the strategy over and over again until you get what you want. This sounds pretty good…at least at first glance. However, blind persistence can in fact become a closed-loop system, where no matter how flawed the methodology, you stay on the same track in the hopes that hard work will in the end pay off.

 

 

Tenacity takes a more strategic approach. Tenacity means you implement a methodology, analyze the results, then make adjustments to improve efficiency as you move forward. Both the persistent and the tenacious person possess tremendous will to realize their goals, but the tenacious person uses the information at hand to improve their outcomes.

The result is you work smarter, not harder. Can you see how this is applicable to whatever you’re working on at the moment?

Food for thought. Happy Saturday!

When the pandemic hit, and we all had to stay home for a while, many of us turned to the kitchen to help us cope. The Internet exploded with sourdough and banana bread recipes. One of the fastest selling items in grocery stores (besides toilet paper and booze) was chocolate. We all, it seemed, wanted to do nothing but eat our feelings, Netflix, and chill.

As the days turned to weeks, and then months, and then finally, finally, things began to reopen, we shook ourselves from our COVID hibernation and took a good look in the mirror. Huh. The COVID 15 had come to visit, unwantedly depositing itself on our stomachs, hips and thighs. No bueno. We got better about our home exercise routine, and started getting to the gym once it opened up again. Awesome! But we know from experience that the old adage is absolutely true – you can’t out train a bad diet.

 

It’s time to reacquaint ourselves with a simple prescription for a healthy diet: “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.” In other words, back to the basics. It’s no mistake that CrossFit’s “Fitness in 100 Words” doesn’t start by saying get to the gym and lift weights – it starts with what you put in your mouth.

 

 

According to the New York Times: “The characteristics of what doctors call the metabolic syndrome — excess fat around the middle, hypertension, high blood sugar, high triglycerides and a poor cholesterol profile — suppress the immune system and increase the risk of infections, pneumonia and cancers. They’re all associated with low-grade, body-wide inflammation, and Covid kills by causing an overwhelming inflammatory response that disables the body’s ability to fight off pathogens.”

 

So it’s in our own best interests to get our diets back on track.

Keep it simple to begin with. Here are a few tips to help you get back on the nutritional fitness wagon:

1. Shop the perimeter of the store. This means you avoid buying foods that are pre-packaged and processed, like frozen dinners or mac n cheese in a box. The exception I would make is that it’s perfectly acceptable to buy frozen fruits and veggies. They last longer and have a high nutrient value because they are frozen at their peak.
2. Make sure you eat enough protein. When I work with clients, I find that on average, people aren’t eating enough. A good rule of thumb is at least .7g of protein per pound of body weight, and more if you’re athletic or want to lean out.
3. Eat veggies or fruits at EVERY meal. If you’re like most people, veggies turn up maybe once a day, in a small amount. If you make a goal of adding some kind of vegetable or fruit to every meal, you’ll greatly increase your exposure to micronutrients, which are critical to good overall health. The more colors on your plate, the better!
4. Get enough sleep. At least 8 hours a night, or close. What is this doing on a nutrition list? If you don’t get enough sleep, everything else suffers, including your body’s response to your improved diet.
5. Drink plenty of water. But you don’t have to go overboard. Drink to quench thirst. If your urine is light yellow, and you’re rarely thirsty, you’re probably getting enough fluids. According to the Mayo Clinic, a general rule of thumb is around 4 liters of fluids per day for men and 3 for women.

 

As the saying goes, let food be thy medicine! There’s no better time than now to start.

Resources:

New York Times: How Poor Diet Contributes to Coronavirus Risk

The Mayo Clinic: Water: How much should you drink every day?

 

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Fred Rogers

In everything we do, we have a choice – to react, or to respond.

A reaction is instant. It’s survival-oriented. It’s grounded in the moment and doesn’t take into consideration the long-term effects of what you do or say.

To react is to let others do the driving. We allow negative events to whip us into a frenzy of panic and despair. We allow others to tell us how to feel, and we throw ourselves fully into feeling it before we’ve actually taken a moment to consider what our true response might be.

To respond allows perspective to enter the picture.

I originally wrote this blog a little before Memorial Day. I woke up that morning wondering how I could be of better service. While I am not comparing myself to the men and women who risk their lives defending our health, our safety, or our country, I do feel called to offer something of value to others and the community we choose to create together. I was thinking about the sacrifices we are asked as a society to make in service to a greater community good – such as wearing a mask in public – and how little is actually asked of us compared to the brave women and men who defend our country and freedoms.

Then George Floyd was murdered.

The racial injustice and senseless violence against George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many others forces everyone into the sunlight. It’s too bad it took days of protests and civil unrest to force many of us to finally stand up and, as Brick Fitness said so well, “Be about some sh*t!” To respond.

Racism persists. We need to connect, listen, and learn from each other in order to make ourselves and our communities stronger. We can no longer sit idly by while those in power abuse it. None of us are truly free until we are all free. And it’s incumbent upon those of us who have the privilege to make sure that we don’t stand in the way of those who strive for what we have, and that we actively fight those who would stand in the way.

My friend Martin said it best. “We must all hold ourselves accountable…It is our duty to clean our own house.”

In other words, be a helper. That’s one way to respond.

And I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for all the helpers I can find.

Image courtesy of Joey Chase at Chase Art. Check her out on Instagram