It's a good Tuesday everyone! Thanks for stopping back in to check out part II, otherwise known as deux to some, of my How to Get Started series.
Part II: Food and Eating Weâve got our workout routine nailed down, and even if itâs not 100% down, weâll get there. Now, if you only did weight training and light cardio, ignored what goes on to your plate (literally...wait no...yup, literally), you would absolutely see results, but they would hit a big ole brick wall in the not too distant future. Depending on what youâre currently eating, would determine if that wall the wall arrives sooner or later, but youâre still going to arrive at it. That means that we canât just ignore this elephant, as it were. Fair warning, this is probably the thing that most people find to be the toughest when it comes to fitness (*raises hand*), so you are not the only one, I promise. There are others going through it too and we all understand, but letâs try to set some basics so you donât lose that mind of yours and can keep this journey sustainable. Letâs start with the simple thing, eat food, yeah actual food, it sounds silly, but seriously real food. Supplements take a back seat to eating actual food. The less processed a food is, the better itâs going to be. Think of where you usually find the good stuff for food, on the outside edges of the grocery store. I want you all to keep this in mind, because people often get confused because of things like this. Whatever diet (keto, vegan, paleo, atkins) your neighbor is doing or your friends brotherâs boyfriend is doing, if itâs working for them, awesome, itâs working FOR THEM. It may not work for you, and thatâs ok, donât get intimidated if they get preachy and borderline psycho they get about their diet. It is not the only way to lose body fat. âTake a look at the graphic posted recently by the amazing people at Precision Nutrition and you'll notice there's a few ways that people find success, so which is the best way comes down to the person. â
The basics of most of the diets out there are; lean protein, a colorful array of vegetables, minimal added sugars, lower calorie sauces & dressings and 0 calorie beverages. Letâs be real we are chronically dehydrated as a society so stick to water. Also, remember that fat is not a bad thing necessarily, it just depends on which type. I want you to keep in mind, you are in this for the long game, as in, for life! So in order to sustain it, you need to keep your brain from going haywire. Start with finding good foods that you like, at least. If you can't find some fruits, veggies and protein dishes that you really enjoy, to make a crux of your new eating habits, then it won't last. That also means, in the event that you have this issue, time to branch out and try different things. You might be surprised by what new things you like. Here's another part of making this thing sustainable, you are going to go off track, but it will not be the end of your universe or your journey. If you have a day where you donât eat the good stuff, itâs ok, don't just throw your hands up in the air and say screw it Iâm going to smash a carton of ice cream to my face for the next 2 weeks (though weâd all like to do that some days). Itâs going to be OK, just keep plugging away. The only way you lose is if you give in and you give up completely. As long as you donât quit, good things will happen. Super restrictive diets have been shown to lead to binge eating, so instead, just give yourself some slack. Unless you want to be a dungeon troll and not to be social with friends & family, you'll need some wiggle room. Just be mindful of it and then get yourself back on track the next day. Finally, donât be beholden to the number on the scale, on the tape measure or what the tags on your clothes say. Thatâs just all information, but it doesnât make you any less or more successful, focus on how you are feeling. Come back tomorrow for part III, something less talked about in this healthy living journey, rest and sleep. Until next time Team First XV, go out there and get after it.
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Happy Monday to you all. Hopefully some of you got some sleep and didn't stay up too late watching some silly game...oh wait I do that too, just not that particular one. In any case, I've got a little series of posts I'm putting together seeing as around this time of year tends to be a time that people get inspired to be healthy. OK, you’ve finally said enough is enough, you’re going to get (back) into fitness…what now? There’s a load of ways to attack this and really there’s no one way to go after it, but if you’re constantly being bombarded by 1000 opinions and so on, you can feel extremely overwhelmed and paralyzed. Well, here’s one more opinion, I promise I will try not to overwhelm you. I actually want to break this down into a few segments, so let’s start with the easy stuff and work our way to the more complicated and fine tuned items. Part 1: Workout routine Once again, this is an area that can feel really overwhelming. So many different things you can do, so much (confusing) information out there and you don’t know who’s right, who’s wrong and what’s right for you. The last part I just mentioned is the most important, what is right for you? Carve out 45 minutes or so for your workout 3 days a week. Yes, I know you’re busy, so are people like Gary Vaynerchuk, yet they still manage to get it done. Find gaps in your schedule that you can squeeze something in. An apartment gym will certainly be fine, but if yours is really THAT bad, you don’t need to spend a wild amount of money on a gym membership. It’s amazing that some people equate the price of a gym membership to have healthy they’ll be or how fast they’ll get fit. Now, what do you do when you get to the gym? There are some really good, free programs that exist out there, but in case you’re not prepared to do that leg work let’s start from scratch. Most trainers and coaches would give you some really complicated warm-up and that’s not wrong, to a point, but let’s not spend your valuable time doing exercises you have no idea why you’re doing them. Try this: Glute Bridge x10 Bird Dogs x10/side Scap Floor Slides x10 Split Squat x5/side Repeat a 2nd time through and bang, you’re ready to rule the world. Well damn now the fun stuff, what’s your workout look like? If you’ve been following me for longer than a 5 minutes, you likely know my general rule is to do 5 major movement patterns; Squat/Lunge (getting down and getting back up) Hinge (bending over to pick stuff up) Push (name a day you went through without having to push something) Pull (see above) Carry (groceries anybody?) Example Day (perform matching letters in alternating fashion with at least 60 seconds rest between): A1- Goblet Squat 3x8 (Squat/Lunge) A2- Standing 1- Arm Cable Row 3x10/ (Pull)
B1- Dumbbell or Kettlebell RDL 3x10 (Hinge) B2- [Elevated] Push-Up 3x8 (Push)
C1- Farmer’s Carry 3x15 yards (Carry) C2- Front Plank 3x15 seconds
Now obviously you want to do these exercises with good, so you don't get hurt and you likely don't want to do the same exact ones every single day for months on end, if not for anything else other than you’ll get bored. There’s tons of amazing coaches putting good content out there about exercises like these, all else fails, ask someone else that might be in the know. To solve that other issue, here’s a few variations that are easy to do for each movement pattern, that you can interchange with the ones above; Squat/Lunge- Reverse lunge, step ups, split squats, bulgarian split squats Hinge- Pullthroughs, 1-leg bridge, hip thrusts Push- DB Bench press, db floor press, landmine press Pull- inverted rows, chest supported rows, face pulls Carry- suitcase carry, goblet carry, rack carry The weights on these are up to you, start conservative and work your way up as you see fit. If something feels like it’s way too difficult, don’t be a hero, lower the weight until you get the hang of it. Now, if you mix this with a good walk or maybe a group exercise class with a friend, you’re off to a hell of a start. Finally, if you feel pain, not discomfort, not an owie, not a hit to your ego, pain. DON’T FIGHT THROUGH IT. It is 100% not worth it. Stop the exercise, pick another one or, if it’s bad enough, get it checked out. Don’t worry, the weights will be right where you left them. Hopefully this was a helpful start to figuring out how the hell to kick start this thing. Ask questions always, whether it’s me, or a coach/trainer you trust, ask them. Tune in Tomorrow for everyone’s favorite part (ok maybe not) FOOD! Until next time Team First XV, go out there and get after it! |
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AuthorJarrod Dyke, CSCS Archives
April 2024
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