Fitness Archives - Page 2 of 2

Mental Toughness

February 11, 2012/4 Comments/in Blog Posts, Fitness /by Suz

I got to the gym a few times a week, where I do lots of strength work. This is a great complement to my Paleo diet and is making so many positive changes. I've been giving lots of thought lately to what goes through my mind in the middle of a really hard set. When I first started, I used to think

“This is so hard, I can’t do it, I want to stop”

And guess what, as soon as I allowed those thoughts to enter my head I did stop! This is clearly not a helpful thought to allow. I've noticed on the Biggest Loser that a few of the contestants have that defeatist “can’t do” attitude in training. When they think they can’t do it, it always seems to become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Once I realise how damaging this attitude was, I tried to distract myself from what I was actually doing, to not allow myself to think how heavy the kettlebell was and how much I wanted to stop the reps. Thinking about my plans for the weekend or planning my next holiday was a far better strategy than focusing on how hard the set was, but I still felt I could do better, especially in terms of technique. I don’t want to “just do” a set after all, I want to do it with good form.

I've been trying lots of different mind strategies myself, but the most enlightening thing has been speaking to the fit and strong people in my life and asking them exactly what they think about when the going gets tough. I’ve been really interested in the answers they've given me, and have been trying out a different mental attitude in each of my gym sessions lately. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the strong, fit people have devised such good mental strategies.

Kevin suggested I repeat the mantra “this is easy” with every rep – which is the exact opposite to what I used to say! This immediately made a big difference.

My PT Karl tells me he focuses on how much he enjoys a difficult set. I'm not quite at this stage yet, but I will get there!

I asked an Iron Woman what she does in the middle of a 180km cycle, when it starts to feel really difficult. She looked at me in surprise and said she can’t let herself think it's getting difficult. She has no option but to continue cycling – or she won’t get home! She focuses on the cycling, her technique and on cycling home.

A PT friend said he feels the set doesn't get going until it starts to get difficult, perhaps not until rep seven. At this stage he tells himself this is where he’s making the difference in his muscles, so he focuses on making these reps as perfect form as possible. The harder it gets, the more he focuses on his form.

Trying to copy these strategies is helping significantly with my training. But I still want to understand the mind set of more fit, strong people. I’d love to hear your mind strategy – how do you get through a hard training session? What goes through your mind?

HIIT

November 25, 2011/4 Comments/in Blog Posts, Fitness /by Suz

As I've mentioned before, I've been a regular at the gym for a couple of years now. My workouts are primarily HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which seemed to be unanimously agreed to be the best training method at both the AHS and Nora Gedgaudas’s recent seminar.

HIIT is designed to incorporate bursts of high intensity sprints with recovery intervals. The sprint sections are typically 60 seconds or so, enough to use every last bit of stored energy in the muscles. This is very different to “chronic cardio”, where hours can be spent in the gym mindlessly pounding the treadmill. HIIT improves endurance, fitness, lean muscle mass and oxygen consumption (including after the workout, resulting in fat burning for hours after the workout). Injury from over training is also a lot less likely with HIIT.

During the last two months of so, I've upped the number of HIIT sessions to three and am amazed at the difference in my fitness and strength. I can’t wait to see how much fitter I’ll be in a few months time. Before Paleo I went through phases of chronic cardio and never achieved anything like the results I am enjoying today.

I've been reading lots of differing viewpoints about eating post work-out, and am currently trying the not eating post workout approach. The idea here is that after using up all of your stored energy your body has to use body fat – and as soon as you eat it will stop that process and start using the food as fuel.

I've read how our bodies are capable of so much more than our minds believe. I've therefore been asking a lot of fit people how they deal with the mental aspect to training. There seem to be a few approaches, such as only focusing on the next five reps (instead of the whole set), complete distraction by focusing on music for instance, or focusing on the end goal. I'm going to try a few different approaches myself to see if changing my thinking can enhance my performance.

What kind of workouts do you do? I’d be really interested to hear how you approach the mind aspect of your workouts too.

Everyday Paleo

November 21, 2011/4 Comments/in Blog Posts, Books, Ex /by Suz

I was really pleased to receive a few new Paleo books last week – I've got quite a lot of reading to do! I thought I'd start with Everyday Paleo, which, as a longterm reader of Sarah Fragoso's blog, I've been looking forward to.

I hadn't realised how inclusive this book was going to be – it covers everything, including what the idea of Paleo is and how you can start from scratch. One of my favourite topics sleep is also covered, as well as stress. There is also a big section about fitness (understandable, given that the author is a trainer) and a lot of recipes.

There is a big family and children focus with the book too, which I'm sure would be a great help for families looking to make the move to Paleo. There is lots of advice on introducing Paleo to children and even Paleo lunchbox suggestions.

The recipe ingredients look like they will convert quite well to Australian availability – but I'll be trying a few out myself later this week. I'm particularly looking forward to cooking up the Albondigas Soup and the Meaty Pumpkin Souffle.

Pink Boxing Gloves

November 2, 2011/2 Comments/in Blog Posts, Ex, Fitness /by Suz

My first ever pair of boxing gloves arrived at the gym last night (er, a Birthday present to myself?)! They’re pink and quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve even got matching pink gloves to wear inside (though on reflection, perhaps that’s a bit silly as I won’t be able to see them?) I can’t wait to wear them with my pink VFF’s!

In the five weeks since I moved from a big commercial gym to a small, independent gym (my PT moved – and I followed), my fitness and strength have increased significantly. I notice it every day, whether I feel the need to run up a flight of stairs two at a time (which I’d previously have walked up) – or even just lifting previously heavy things at home.

Since the move, my gym sessions have got harder and much more challenging. My two weekly sessions are based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and typically involve a lot of strength work and short bursts of cardio. Every session is completely different; the only constant is that it’s never easy! I used to hate exercise, but now I love it and am always looking forward to my next session. I think it takes a while for people new to exercising (as I was two years ago) to go from hating it – to loving it; but trust me, if I love exercise – anyone can grow to love it!

Last night’s session involved the bike and the rower, kettle bell swings, kettle bell cleans, medicine ball, sprints, squats, core work, and stretching. I moved up to a 16kg kettle bell last night for the first time, which I’m very excited about. Hopefully that will start feeling less heavy soon! I recently started doing a circuits class once a week – and adding more sprints into my commute. I’m sure these factors alongside my fairly strict Paleo nutrition plan have all had a part to play in this sudden increase in fitness!

Future sessions will feature my new boxing gloves – and some heavy ropes which will be arriving at the gym very soon – I’m intrigued to see exactly what we’ll be doing with those?!

I'm excited to see how much fitter and stronger I'm capable of becoming!

Is your style of exercise completely different to mine? Are you the fittest you’ve ever been?

My Current Fitness Mission

October 7, 2011/9 Comments/in Blog Posts, Ex, Fitness /by Suz

In addition to walking & running, I have two or three sessions a week of high intensity interval training style workouts, which I love. I’ve been doing this for over a year now and have made significant progress. The more progress I make however, the more my fitness ambitions grow.

Originally I wanted to be able to do “proper” man push ups. I can finally do these now, though they aren't pretty. Yet.

My biggest fitness ambition is to be able to do proper, unassisted chin-ups. I’d be thrilled to be able to do one, but ten would be incredible. I’ve been using an assisted chin up machine at the gym to help me achieve this. It has a counter weight, which you can gradually reduce – until the day arrives where no counter weight is required. The counter weights are gradually reducing – and my other strength routines are no doubt helping towards my aim.

My aim is to be able to do a few proper chin-ups by April – at PrimalCon 2012. That gives me six months to get stronger. I will conquer them!

Can you do chin-ups? Do you have any fitness goals that you’re working towards? Share in the comments, below

My Daily Commute

October 6, 2011/3 Comments/in Australian, Barefoot, Blog Posts, Ex, Fitness, Paleo, Primal /by Suz

When Mark’s Daily Apple launched this video competition, it seemed like the perfect excuse to learn some new Mac skills, after buying my first ever MacBook Pro a couple of weeks ago. I’d been thinking about making a video of my commute into work, as the sun rises behind the Sydney Opera house, whilst I run/ walk over the Harbour Bridge. Perhaps with a cruise liner going under the bridge, at the exact same time I ran over it. Yeah, didn't happen like that. By the time I found my camera I completely missed the sunrise and the weather was terrible.

So, let me know what you think of my first ever video!

I think walking is one of the best forms of exercise there is. For me, walking to work is perfect. There are no excuses or putting it off – I have to get to work, I have to walk! My commute is 4.6km (2.9 miles), each way, so door to desk, via shower, it is well under an hour. I'm increasing the amount I wear my Vibrams each week too, I'm almost up to every day. If I were to get the bus, by the time I've waited around for a bus, it wouldn't be that much quicker – not to mention the unpleasantness of buses at rush hour. On the way into work it’s mainly downhill and I often run. I've got particularly bad at needing to overtake EVERYONE in front of me. I used to walk most of the way home, but since I've upped the fat in my diet, and decreased the carbs, I often have so much energy I feel compelled to run. Even after a long day at work. Crazy!

Another huge benefit I see in walking, particularly in the summer, is that I get a lot of sun exposure – but not the intense midday sun. Great for keeping my Vitamin D levels topped up. I also really enjoy the time to just be mindful and enjoy the fresh air and scenery, or listen to music and podcasts. I wouldn't swap this part of my day for anything!

Before I moved to Australia, my commute used to be 19 miles, in a car, on a motorway in the UK. It doesn't get much less Primal than that!

In addition to walking, I also do high intensity intensity training two or three times a week, with my fantastic PT, Karl. In the year since I started these sessions, my strength and fitness have improved significantly. I’m making slow, but steady progress in my push-up and chin-up ambitions! I will master the unassisted chin-up, I will!

What does your fitness look like? Do you walk to work too?

How to Get Cheap Vibrams

September 26, 2011/9 Comments/in Barefoot, Blog Posts, Fitness, Running, Where to Find /by Suz

As I explained in my previous post, I love running barefoot, in VFFs.

My Vibrams – I've got a pair of pink Treksports and black Classics. So far.

When I was in America for PrimalCon & the AHS this year, I was so shocked to see how cheap Vibrams were, compared to here in Australia. I bought two pairs, the Treksport in pink from a big outdoors store in Texas and a pair of Classics in black from another store in San Francisco. Each pair worked out at well under $100 AUD, including taxes. Not only were they cheaper, but the stores stocked so many different models, colours and sizes. I should have bought more. It takes going overseas to realise how expensive things are in this part of the world.

The bigger sports shops in Sydney seem to carry just a few models, and you can forget about getting them in exciting colours. The bigger Rebel Performance stores sell a small selection, for upwards of $169.99 AUD, which is a lot of extra money to pay, especially for a small selection.

Vibrams can be expensive in Australia

I bought my first pair of Vibrams on Ebay last year. I carefully researched the model and tried an equivalent pair on in the city, to make sure I ordered exactly the right size. I still paid about $100, so not that much of a bargain. They arrived and I was instantly disappointed with Vibrams in general. The toes were all the same length – meaning only my big toe would fit properly. The top of my other toes didn’t even reach the bottom of toe section! I initially assumed this was just how they made them, perhaps I had freaky toes, as they weren’t all the same length? On close inspection it became apparent that the box and literature in the box was quite odd too. It was upside down and back to front. I think I probably spent my hard earned cash on a pair of fake Vibrams. So my word of warning is be really careful where you buy them from. If you buy them online, be sure they are genuine!

Luckily I wasn’t put off and after meeting so many VFF owners at PrimalCon I soon realised how they were supposed to fit and behave. I bought my next two pairs earlier this year. The difference is incredible! They are an amazing fit. Wearing them feels as close to barefoot as I’m realistically likely to get in the city centre.

Prices generally do seem to be coming down in Australia. I found a sale today at the Adventure Mega Store in Sydney CBD selling VFF’s starting at $99, which seems to be a great deal (but I'd love to find a better price in this country). They had by far the largest range I’ve seen in Sydney. I also saw an indoor yoga style for the first time (with 40% discount) which looked perfect for dancing, though I’d need to see how they would compare to my existing dance footwear. I don’t have the “Sprint” model, and think this might be a good choice for my next pair, I’m very tempted.

I found a good sale on Vibrams in Sydney today…

If your toes do happen to all be exactly the same length, I could do you a great deal on a second hand pair of VFF’s. Unworn…

Have you found any good deals on Vibrams in Australia and New Zealand? Have you found a great stockist with lots of choice? Have you managed to get any “real” ones shipped here at a good price? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it’s NLPaleo Boy…

September 25, 2011/5 Comments/in Blog Posts, Fitness, Paleo /by Kevin B

Author: Kevin Bees (whole 30 sceptic-turned convert)

OK, a Marathon run (42.2km / 26.1m) is not very ‘Paleo’. But, let’s play for a while to find out how ‘Paleo’ eating could impact a distance runner and ask the question:

What would happen if you mixed the Paleo diet, 28 degree heat, with a Whole 30 sceptic-turned-convert into the Sydney Marathon?

I did just that… and the results are in, and have been counted and verified… and you want to hear this, especially if you are non-Paleo runner (or any non-Paleo athlete for that matter).

Pre-run preparation:

Training– my training was actually not exemplary.
- Between 21 May and 14 August I did not run.
- Between 14 August and the 18 September Marathon, I squeezed in six runs only.
- In this time, and before I started the Paleo diet, I had to drop out of a training run at 22km due to lack of energy.
- Two weeks later and fuelled by the Whole 30 Paleo diet (and some simple and powerful NLP techniques), I accidentally ran a whole marathon when aiming at 30km. (I don’t run with a watch or Satellite Navigation, and I have never made that mistake before – since my reducing energy would prompt me to stop… which in this instance it didn't!)

Fuel – Whole 30 Paleo for the four weeks prior to the Marathon. Therefore pre-race pasta feast – gone. This was substituted for the much tastier and enjoyable Chicken, Sweet potato and pumpkin… which I incidentally had for breakfast too the next day. (My only Paleo cheat in this process is GU gels whilst running).

The BIG day:

Arriving at the race with a face full of banana, I meet my Non-Paleo running partner.

I thought it would be a good idea to join this running partner since she is younger, fitter and well trained. Her personal best is 3H 44Min and mine is 3H 47Min – so, hopefully some inspiration to knock a few minutes off of my best time. (Plus she has a very nice bottom, so it would be a pleasure to run a few steps off of her pace!)

The Start

Bang… the gun goes and we push across the start line to the tune EVERYDAY I'M SHUFFLING (and my slightly amended lyrics):

Paleo-Grok is in the house tonight,

Everybody just run a good-time

So fit you gonna keep your mind

Everybody just run a good time.

And we’re off. For the first 10km we settle into a comfortable pace. Only, I am noticing that I am going a little faster than my pace setting friend… and she is getting to check out my butt instead. Lucky girl.

At this point, I have no idea if I am faster or slower than hoped (still no watch), but I just keep running at the pace that feels comfortable. Only another 2km and I fully settle into my faster stride and my friend and I run our own races.

It wasn't until the finish line at 42km that I actually realised what had happened. I thought my friend was having an off day and going slower than we expected, but in actual fact, I was faster than I could have even dreamed.

I smashed my personal best by 13 minutes.

In the heat.

With very poor training.

That’s 13 minutes off of my personal best.

‘Chuffed’ doesn't quite cover it – especially when I understand the story of the post run statistics:

Energy consistency
1. My 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd 10km were all 50 minutes (give or take a few seconds). Over this distance you would expect a degradation of performance… impressive since I had no pacemaker… just my own feeling of energy.
2. My 4^th set of 10km was also very close to the 50 minute mark and probably would have been equally consistent except for the two convenience stops.

Comparative performance improvement

My rank Vs other runners in the race at each set of 10km went:

1,027
596
383
369

And the last 2.2km – arguably the hardest:

57

Put another way – in the hardest 2.2km, I was in the top 1.5% of all marathoners.

Do you think I might have got higher if I didn't stop and pose for these too??

The Paleo diet delivered me consistent energy to make this achievement a reality and left me with enough juice in the tank to finish very strong.

FINISHING STRONG

Watch my finish video here, I'm the fast one!

The best part about this is that I know there is more to come.

30 days of Paleo, poor training, and I smash a personal best.

What if I combine this new fuel source with a training program that is greater than six runs!?

With a Paleo diet, you too can see, hear and feel your goals coming to you faster too, can you not?

Give it a go… NLPaleo Boy say so!

The Problem With Shoes

September 23, 2011/5 Comments/in Barefoot, Blog Posts, Fitness, Running /by Suz

I used to wear heels every day, and bigger heels at weekends. When I wasn't in heels I’d be wearing my supportive, shock absorbing, high-tech trainers. After a lot of running I ended up with shin splints, apparently cause by incorrect over pronation. My physio had some impressive equipment & software which took measurements of my running and feet, to create a pair of orthotics to put in my shoes. These forced my feet into the correct pronation.

Since I've been leading a Primal lifestyle, I became very interested in barefoot running.

At PrimalCon earlier this year I was fortunate enough to have a lesson with Barefoot Ted, which was an amazing experience. I'd never given much thought to running style before, so it was very eye opening. When you try to heel strike with barefeet it is not easy to do – yet when you wear trainers with lots of cushioning, it's easy – and lots of runners do heel strike. Running in shoes constricts the natural movement that your feet would otherwise take. Our ancestors had to hunt for their food and walk and run considerably more than then average office worker today. So it makes no sense that we now need to wear expensive high-tech shoes, in order to be able to run safely.

I now wear very soft soled ballet style shoes every day, and of course vibrams as often as I can the rest of the time. Since doing this I've noticed that my footprint has changed – indicating that I have managed to improve my pronation. I've had no leg or feet related injuries – despite now walking (with the occasional sprint) my daily 5km commute to and from work.

Vibrams are great practical way to go barefoot around the city. Tomorrow I'll share my tips about buying a reasonably priced pair in Australia.

Posts