Category Archives: Training Advice

10.09.12
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Why Do We Fail at Some Goals but Easily Achieve Others?

Recently I had a meeting with a former client to decide if he was going to start training with me again. He had lost 60 pounds training with me over the course of one year in which he trained two times per week, learning about nutrition and meal planning, and submitting a weekly diet log for analysis. He then began training on his own to see if he could maintain working out and eating healthy without coaching. He’s experienced ups and downs in staying consistent and we’ve met occasionally to implement new training programs.

I was going to email him, since I hadn’t seen him in months, and, as the universe often works, I saw him that very same day at the club. I asked how he was doing with his training and weight loss. He laughed and said he was planning to call me. He’d experience a few setbacks and wanted to get back on track.

We met a week later. Many of his friends were encouraging him, saying, ‘But it’s so easy. You should just work out’ and, ‘why don’t you do cardio five days a week? Why can’t you just workout on your own?’ What’s easy for his friends to say and do was not as easy for him.

He made a very astute observation trying to figure out why he couldn’t commit to physical activity on a regular basis. He easily excels in other areas of his life. In his career he could excel, get projects done on time and the work was second nature to him. But when it came to eating properly and being physically active on a regular basis he couldn’t get the same results as easily. These actions were not his ‘normal’, thus he was less inclined to put in the effort because he figured he would just fail, even though he would eat better and feel better when he trained on a regular basis.

My client made a brilliant self-observation. By comparison, I have many areas in my life where I feel challenged. It hadn’t occurred to me that I might not want to start a particular task because I’m afraid it might be too challenging and I will have to work hard to get the results I aspire toward. It’s easier to postpone or procrastinate than to have to do the work.

Therein lies the Catch-22. The hardest things in life are the things we need to face head-on and overcome. What challenges us helps us to grow and become better people? That challenge could be your desire to lose weight and get off blood pressure medications because you’re 50 pounds too heavy, or to put on five pounds of muscle and feel better about how your body looks.

We cannot grow and improve by standing still – an apt metaphor for physical activity. You can think about it and you can plan for it but nothing worthwhile happens until you get yourself to the gym, or put on your running shoes, or get out and play a game of volleyball or football and (as Nike says) ‘Just Do It’.

Be well.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

09.09.12
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Training Tips for Runners

I received a message from a friend on Facebook about training for a half-marathon. Although my answer is relatively generic in response, I thought it would be useful to share on my blog.

Hey Darren!
I’m training for a half-marathon this Nov ( for the charity I work on) and I was wondering if you have any good exercise tips? I’m doing two short runs and one long run a week, and two days of weight training (focusing more on quads, upper body). Any good exercises you suggest for runners? Thanks hope all is well and congrats on the anniversary again!
~ Paul.

Here is my response:

First, I’d suggest a running coach (which I’m not) if this is a sport you want to pursue past this marathon. I can look into contacts. Someone to help you with running form.

A yoga class.

A yoga class. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Second, but maybe more important than the first, stretch. Learn how to stretch if you don’t know how. Hatha Yoga is a good place to start or even a studio advertising yoga for runners. Alternatively, if you want to come and do a stretch session with me for an hour we can make a time for that.

Thirdly, train the entire body. As An example, I’ve worked with a client who runs the Boston Marathon, Berlin and other full marathons. He benefited immensely from training upper body which he had never done before. For example improving chest, back and even arm strength contributes to how the upper body works with the lower body in movement and propulsion.

As for the legs do not neglect the entire leg. Most importantly hamstring and glutes. Hamstrings are exceptionally important for the health of the knee. Some of the best exercises you could do would be traditional deadlifts and squats. Also calves and toe ups (the opposite of doing calves). Both calves and your tibialis anterior help with ankle strength, toeing up and pushing off the ground while running.

Finally, The foam roller and massage will be your friend. Foam rolling is very important for taking down the tension on your IT band, which is commonly tight for runners and is the cause of ‘runner’s knee‘ (the IT band will get tight and pull the knee cap to the outside of the leg, causing incorrect and often painful tracking).

Trust this helps. If you have any further questions please let me know.

I’ve found that a lot of people train only certain parts of the body for a sport, usually because the dominant media markets fitness training in that way. It sells more articles to promote, ‘Strength Training for Runners’ than something less specific.

In truth, of course, you can’t really train for a sport. More importantly you should train your own weaknesses first, and then determine what aspects of your physical preparation you need to improve (Flexibility, Strength, Speed or Endurance). For example, in Paul’s case, let’s pretend that he wants to improve his run time. Without getting into a complicated exercise routine description, I would want to potentially focus on his squats and deadlift strength to improve his power. With squats, we could work on his ability to move the weight quickly and maybe jump squats, if appropriate for his body. I’d also work on his chest and horizontal pulling (like cable rows or bent-over barbell rows) to improve his arm cycle while running. Finally, after an analysis of his flexibility, I would recommend a series of stretches to create more range of motion and reduce injury potential. By increasing his range of motion, he can take a longer stride, thus fewer foot falls over the course of the marathon and therefore a lower energy cost.

Got a question like Paul’s? Feel free to comment below or email me and I will do my best to answer.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

05.31.12
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The Weekly Spin: 31 May 2012

I’m a bit behind with my Weekly Spin. What gives? The Victoria Day long weekend in Canada was a 4-day vacation for me and I simply got side-tracked, and dare I say it, a bit lazy the week after. Life is like that. Sometimes we lose focus on what we want and need to do. I know that I need to write. More. Often. PERIOD. It’s also a thing that scares me the most, because I know that my honest and personally revealing writings are my best work. Stay tuned! I am on track to deliver some meaningful writings.

In the meantime, here are some useful health and fitness tips for the week.

Sunscreen: The Good and the Bad

I think this is a bit of a ‘buyer beware’ article, since I don’t know who the writer is, or her qualifications. However, the information is useful and one can easily use Google to learn more about the chemicals you probably want to avoid in sunscreens.

Vitamin D: The Next Cold & Flu Cure-All?

I’ve been reading a lot about the benefits of Vitamin D, and how it can also improve testosterone production in men. I’m going to have a blood test done to see what my Vitamin D level is. I’m excited to know the result considering I spend a lot of time outdoors on a daily basis walking my dog.

The Perfect Pushup and Variations

Here’s a great description and video of the perfect pushup: http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com/the-perfect-push-up-challenge.

I did 3 sets of 10 reps and a fourth set of 20 reps during my workout this week. Love the one-second hold above the ground. If you found this too easy, then add some variations like these, just because you’re a masochist!

7 Lies of Health & Fitness

Tom Dyer is a friend of mine and he and his business partner, Gavin, run Ultimate City Bootcamps in London, UK. They’ve just launched a 14-day fat burning program that is worth the investment. These guys know what they are talking about and they have the physiques to prove it. Check out Gavin’s article on what he considers to be some of the biggest fitness lies.

All About Nutrition & Mercury Toxicity

Everything you need to know about mercury toxicity from Precision Nutrition. How to best avoid it, minimize it and reduce its use in industrial production.

9 Training Strategies for Knee Pain

Great strength training techniques to deal with knee pain, starting with basic, corrective exercises for a beginner or someone just out of an injury, to more complex movements for a more advanced lifter.

Shout-Out

And finally, a shout-out to a great blog I just discovered from a (former?) member of the Adelaide Club, where I train my clients. Beth is a great person. I’ve chatted with her a few times on the gym floor and was fascinated to read her story about having Asperger’s Syndrome. Read her blog here.

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

05.08.12
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The Weekly Spin: 07 May 2012

Here’s what I’ve found to be of interest in the last week for health and fitness news.

Improve Your Posture with Your Hands?

Turn up your palms! Just like in meditation, this small change can help the alignment of your shoulders and thus your back. Read the entire article here.

The Best Ab Exercises?

Article titles are all about luring you in to read the article. There are some great exercises, most of which are relatively advanced. My advice is to do what is appropriate for your level of skill and conditioning. If you are not able to do a crunch into a full sit up under control and with a slow speed of movement (and without pain, jerking or momentum) then many of these exercises may be too challenging. Click here for the article.

Diet Soda Is Just as Bad as Regular Soda

Even though there is no sugar, the artificial sweetness tricks the brain into wanting more sweet and thus the potential for unhealthy weight gain. My simple rule is this: if you don’t want sugar, don’t eat it, and don’t try to replace it with a chemical alternative.

Tips for Being Consistent with Your Exercise Routine

From putting time for exercise in your calendar, to having a regular training buddy, or signing up for an online fitness social group like fitocracy, these are not new tips, but they are probably the best tips to keep you active.

This Is a Guy Thing…

It makes a man feel good. It’s good for his prostate and it boosts mood and immunity. Spanking the monkey gets the ‘thumbs up’ for men’s health!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.30.12
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The Weekly Spin: 30 April 2012

Here’s what I’ve found to be of interest in the last week for health and fitness news.

Hit a Training Plateau? Change It Up!

Our bodies are designed to become accustomed to routine physical activity. When you do exactly the same thing over an extended period of time (e.g. the same weight training program), adaptation slows down as the body attempts to return to homeostasis. To keep getting results, you have to shock the body into having to ‘re-adapt’. Generally speaking adaptation tapers off in 4-6 weeks, at least for strength training for the average population. That’s when it’s time for a new program or routine.

Relaxation and Meditation as Crucial to Health as Diet and Exercise

I can tell you from my own experience just how important meditation is to both my mind and body. If my mind is racing or if I’m upset, so is my body in response. My heart rate and blood pressure go up with mental stress. This happens to all of us. Exercise helps to calm the body and to calm the mind as a side effect. The converse is also true. If you find that you are still stressed out even after exercise focus on calming the mind as well.

Avoid Foods with More Than 5 Ingredients

The more ingredients in processed food, the greater the chance of chemicals, preservatives and other additives that more than likely should never enter your body.

The Health Benefits of Having a Dog

I know of people who have lost 50 pounds or more by adopting a dog and thus a more active lifestyle. For others, having a dog means more ‘human’ interaction with other dog owners.

When I adopted my dog, Buster, from friends, I had been looking for almost two years. I knew why I wanted a dog and was willing to design my life around having a relationship with my dog to increase my quality of life. I have never regretted my decision. My happiness and level of calm increased and I learned more about myself in learning how to handle having a dog.

Here’s a picture of Buster and me last September, at the cottage.

Tips to Keep to Your Exercise Routine

Keeping a regular exercise routine is, well, all about being ‘regular’. One of my favourite tips is to exercise first thing in the morning. It’s great because you accomplish something ‘for you’ before working for anyone else, and you feel more energized and happier all day long.

(Thanks to Tzabia Siegel @foodcoach for the Tweet!)

Want to Build Muscle?

This is a great program for guys who want to put on muscle. I enrolled in the program a couple of years ago and found the coaching format to be of great value. I also use other services offered by the same company, Precision Nutrition, to help coach my clients in nutrition. You can’t go wrong with these guys!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.23.12
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The Weekly Spin: 23 April 2012

I have a lot to share with you this week and if you read all the way to the end, you’ll get a bonus tip from yours truly!

Cardio Confused?

As a personal trainer I get asked about cardio all the time, from, ‘How much cardio should I do?’ to, ‘When is the best time?’ and, ‘What should I do for cardio?’ All of these are great questions, and like the author of this article, I will prescribe based on the individual’s needs.

‘Cardio’ can involve the traditional machines like a stationary bike and the elliptical machine and the way in which you train while lifting weights. The author gives a great description of the proper uses of cardio and how to decide what to do.

Get Out Into Nature to Calm Stress

It seems that living in the city is stressing us out! I know how riding my bike on the busy streets of Toronto, being blasted with the sounds of construction, the white noise of building heating and cooling units, and even the sounds of people talking can take its toll. The urban environment overwhelms our senses.

This article looks at how getting out into nature (real nature and not just a city park) can calm you down physically, psychologically and neurologically. It’s a fascinating must-read!

12 Simple Rules for Buying and Cooking Fish

Fish can be a daunting item to purchase at the store. How do you know if fish is fresh? What signs do you look for on the fish itself? What about the store? Click here for all the details.

The Art of Sleeping

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the mornings? Are you constantly stressed out or irritable? Your sleep may need a wake-up call! Although not an exhaustive list, these 10 tips may help you to improve your sleep. I’d add to the list that you buy the best bed that you can afford and one that is comfortable and supportive for your body. A good bed will last at least 10 years and we sleep one third of our lives, so why compromise!

5 Ab-Exercise Upgrades

Here are five interesting and extremely challenging variations from Men’s Health on some traditional abdominal exercises.

Eating Before Bed

And here’s another question I get all the time. It’s a bit of a yes and a no answer. I would add the following: if you’re lean and or very muscular and on a lean-mass gaining program, then you probably need to eat very close to bed time, because you are trying to pack on the pounds. The issue will be to eat easy to digest proteins and non-reactive foods to not disturb the quality your sleep. Read more here.

Hotel Workout

So many of my clients travel for business and not every hotel offers a gym, let alone a gym with decent equipment. If your schedule is such that you don’t have the time to travel to a nearby gym, try these easy-to-understand bodyweight exercises that you can do in your hotel room. My own tip: pack a jump rope.

BONUS!

I have protein shakes all the time, but sometimes they bother my stomach. The other day I added a lot of fresh ginger and have been doing so ever since. The ginger helps with digestion, tastes awesome and really opens up the taste buds making the shake even yummier!

Yummy, healthy protein shake recipe

  • 1 cup frozen mango
  • I large, ripe banana
  • 4-6 slices fresh ginger
  • 1-2 Tbsp raw almond butter
  • 2 cups water, milk or almond milk
  • I scoop vanilla protein power (20-30 gr protein)

Add the frozen mango to the blender first and then the remaining ingredients. Blend on high power until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

03.20.12
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Proud Body Program. Introduction: Getting In Shape For Summer

With spring around the corner, the anticipation of summer is close at hand. I know my thoughts keep wandering to walking barefoot on the sand and sun tanning at Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island. Summer is a great time for vacations, going to the cottage, enjoying a meal on a patio and hitting the beach on the weekend. But for many people this is not a happy time if they are concerned about the shape of their body or the extra body fat they want to lose. I know some people who wouldn’t be caught dead taking their shirt off in public.

If you want to improve the shape of your body and summer is your deadline let’s start now. To make some big changes you’re going to need 3-4 months so the time for delay is over! If you get started on both a fitness and healthy nutrition program by April 1st, 2012, you will have three full months to make visible changes to your physique and improvements to your health by July 1st.

You’re in luck, because that’s what my Proud Body Program is designed to do for you. Over the next few months I will be publishing articles on healthy eating, eating to gain lean muscle mass, eating to lose body fat, and actual workout programs with video instruction to help you get in shape for summer.

So how do you transform your body to get a physique that makes you feel proud?

Having a health and fitness program in place based on your individual needs is the best way to achieve your goal. Following the latest program or diet out of a magazine is a haphazard approach. This is like getting in your car and driving somewhere, but you haven’t decided where you’re going. Where do you end up? Sometimes you get there and sometimes you don’t!

For example, reading my Twitter feed one day I came across this post: “Is fasted cardio best?” The link went to an article from a popular website that I follow. I was very interested to see what the writer had to say, someone whose work I also follow. Skimming through the article to get to the protocols, I read,

 “The final solution was this: a small dose of leucine-enriched casein hydrolysate consumed during the cardio session. [Supplement X] fit the bill perfectly.”

I couldn’t help myself and tweeted,

You have to ask yourself if the content of an article in a magazine is truly useful, or if the apparently fantastic results of the tester are pure hyperbole to sell a product. Also know that all diets work for some people some of the time. This is why you will find testimonials from people who swear by the latest diet, usually starting something like this: “I’ve tried hundreds of diets and none of them worked until I tried…” Exactly!

To effectively reach your fitness goals, you need to consider a host of factors. These factors are all fundamentals. Fundamentals are like the foundations to a strong and sturdy building. Screw up the foundations and everything above will collapse. But when you have solid foundations, you can do almost anything on top of that base of support.

Let’s consider a few questions in this article so that you can be prepared to start working on your health and fitness plan.

First question: Where do you find yourself on the body-shape continuum?

Body Fat Loss <————- + ————-> Lean Mass Gain

Is your focus dropping body fat, gaining lean muscle or somewhere in between? Knowing this will affect how you manipulate the following factors in your strength training and cardio program design:

  • Total workout time
  • Total number of sets, reps and exercises per body part
  • How intensely to train; types of exercises to use
  • The amount of rest and recovery required to avoid injury and over-training
  • The amount of cardiovascular activity required (and when/time of day) to reduce body fat.

Another ignored and highly debated issue is flexibility. I teach that flexibility is one of the greatest keys to your physical health, which transfers beneficially to your state of mind as well as lean mass gains. If your muscles are tight, tense and pulling on your joints you are ripe for injury and you will not have the range of motion to maximize the full length of your muscles to grow. If you are currently not stretching or have no idea about how to stretch, this should be the first area addressed and programmed to suit your needs.

Most importantly, meal planning will have the biggest impact on your results. Everything from meal timing, frequency, nutrient balance, portion sizes, etc., needs to be considered and planned. I have loosely addressed meal planning in the following articles:

For weight loss or gain, most people should be eating about every three hours, be that three meals and 2-3 snacks or 5-6 smaller meals every three hours. Each meal needs to be a balance of lean protein, vegetables, and/or fruit (less fruit if weight loss is your goal), healthy fats and limited starchy carbohydrates. You need this frequency to both gain and to loose. What will change is the amount of food and the type of food you eat depending on where you placed yourself on the body-shape continuum. Keep a written record over several days of everything you put in your mouth. This is the only way you will know what to change.

Many people think if they simply eat less they will loose weight. This is a huge misconception. By starving yourself your body will convert as many calories you consume as possible to body fat. By eating with regular frequency the body burns calories more efficiently. Some quick tips to start dropping unwanted pounds include: remove all sugar sodas (cola, tonic etc.) from your diet and replace with water (not sugar-free pop). Most importantly, add a quality fish oil supplement and/or flax oil to your diet.

Fats are not bad for you and most people are not eating enough of the healthy fats. Fish and flax oils contain omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of heart disease, assist in muscle tissue repair and help the body metabolize (burn) stored body fat as fuel. Drop or limit partially hydrogenated fats, remove chicken and turkey skin, limit whole milks and cream and fatty cuts of beef and pork. Add nuts, nut butters, olive oil and cold-water fish. For detailed recommendations on your nutrition and supplementation or for safe weight loss products, contact me directly.

Perform a self-assessment and take a look at your life: what’s your stress level like? How long is your workday? When and how much time can you commit to working out in the week? Are you dealing with any injuries or imbalances that are challenges to your current workout? What are you willing to change, eliminate or start doing? Do you cook or eat out? Knowing the answers to this self-assessment will again help you to determine what you can do, and what you will choose to change.

Program design, when done on a holistic level, can be a complex task. Very few trainers know how to do this and they simply teach the same thing to all of their clients. I’ve seen many trainers put their clients through the exact same program on a single day. If you want to get in the shape you desire by this summer, the best thing you can do is to work with a professional who will custom design a program based on you current mind, body and nutritional needs. Think of this as the map you will follow every step of the way, with course corrections along the journey as required. If you’re working with a trainer who doesn’t have your program in hand every time you meet (and a pen to make notes), you’re wasting your time and your money.

In the coming installments of the Proud Body Program I will discuss and teach posture, flexibility and stage 1 of the strength-training program. Until then, perform the self-assessment and answer the questions presented in this article so you can be ready to get started!

Resources:

Precision Nutrition Strategies For Success.
Precision Nutrition System. This is the system I work with to help people eat healthy and for physique changes.
Healthy Eating Jump-Start Tips. A month-long program of daily nutrition tips, created by dietitian Leslie Beck for the Globe & Mail to change your lifestyle.
Healthy For Life.
Working Out, Working Within

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

02.28.12
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Does Posture Affect Self-image or do Emotions Affect Posture?

A few years ago after working with a new client I had reason to think about the subject of how we physically express ourselves in relationship to wellness. After working with the client on her own postural awareness and what she could do to improve her stance, as well as analyzing her gait (how she walks), again with corrections on what she could change, she offered the following observation: “I feel more feminine.”

"How Does Your POSTURE Line Up" - NA...

In that moment of changed and improved movement, she was ‘moved’. She was moved to feel something that she hadn’t experienced for some time. That she so clearly stated, “I feel more feminine” brought up a host of emotions for her. For one, the smile on her face, the joy beaming from her being, was incredible. She felt good about herself in that moment and it showed – she had found and re-claimed her personal power, she was declaring a connection with her physical, emotional and social identity. She captured and moved into her power as a person and her gender identity as a woman. She was improving her overall wellness in that moment.

All of this came about with movement – with more natural, easy and fluid movement. We cannot experience emotion without a corresponding physical reaction. The origin of the word emotion comes from the Latin, ‘emovere’, which means ‘to move outward’. So when we emote, when we express emotion, we manifest the feeling created in the brain to our physical body. In many meditation practices, often the mediator will tense up every muscle of the body, from the feet to the head, holding the tension and then letting it all go. The reason for this preparatory exercise is to release any physical tension and associated emotions so the meditator can completely let go and relax.

Our language is rich with descriptions of feelings associated with movement. Phrases like, ‘I was moved to tears’, or ‘I was moved to tell you…’ Even our facial muscles move to express what we are feeling internally. Our facial expressions are immediate and universal in describing what we feel.

English: Managing emotions - Identifying feelings
Image via Wikipedia

When we repress our emotions, what normally happens? We feel uncomfortable to the degree of the intensity of the emotions or feelings we are holding back. Think of a time you were really upset or angry at something that was significant to your well-being, like a relationship challenge. If you held in any of those feelings for whatever reason (perhaps you were at work or you didn’t want someone to know how you were feeling), I am sure you were physically uncomfortable, possibly manifesting redness in your face, increased heart rate, laboured breathing, tight shoulders, churning stomach, sore back, and so on. By the end of the day you were probably physically, psychologically and spiritually exhausted.

We are meant to physically express our feelings, thus releasing tensions. By not doing so we may create dis-ease in our mind and body, that could in fact lead to or further aggravate any number of real diseases, including cancer, colds, high blood pressure, etc. When the mind and body are at ease everything moves without hindrance.

The deeper we go into understanding our mind-body connection, the better we understand every tightness, every tension, every pleasurable sensation, and all of the relationships to how we physically communicate our ego, our sense of self, to the outside world, and how we respond and react to external stimuli. The better and more easily we move, the better we feel. Emotions is truly in motion.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

02.18.12
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Fitness Regimens Increase Energy and Confidence in Cancer Patients and Survivors

By Guest Author: David Hass

Going through the rough treatments of cancer can completely drain a person of all physical energy and can leave a person with a bleak outlook on life. Cancer patients have many worries and stresses that seem to accumulate and the effects of chemo, radiation, and surgery add to the physical and emotional depletion that many cancer patients and survivors experience. Exercise has consistently been one of the most recommended activities for cancer patients to make efforts to take control back over their lives. Exercising can increase energy levels and slowly begin to strengthen muscles that have been weakened due to the illness.

Whether a mesothelimoa doctor, general physician, or oncologist has recommended exercise to a cancer patient, or whether the patient is simply taking assertive steps to regain confidence and raise his or her energy level, mild forms of exercise are a great way to begin a fitness regimen. Many people have found that making the exercise fun and social has inspired them to stick to fitness routines that normally would be boring and monotonous.

It is important for a cancer patient to maintain good social contact with family, friends, and people in his or her church or community organizations to keep spirits lifted and a positive outlook. Dance classes, mild water aerobics classes, park walking with friends, and golf can be enjoyable forms of exercise that can be done with friends or family. Keeping exercise and fitness routines fun will inspire the patient or cancer survivor to maintain his or her commitment to the regimen and this will help to provide steady, positive results in confidence, muscle toning, and an optimistic outlook.

People who are in the process of going through cancer treatments often worry about things that are indirectly related to the disease. Treatments often cause people to be ill enough that they are unable to work; medical bills pile up while household bills must also be paid. If the person has children, it can seem daunting to try to take care of the family and his or her health at the same time.

Exercise helps a patient not only to regain small to moderate amounts of energy levels, but the person also will have a physical outlet to relieve stress and anxiety. WWW.cancer.gov is a reputable website that features helpful articles explaining the vast benefits of how cancer can improve a person’s physical health and energy levels. Many patients feel they do not have the energy to begin a fitness routine, but if the strength can be mustered to do so, even the mildest of exercise activities will be a benefit.

To learn more, visit David Hass’ website.

Joining the organization in 2011, David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.

02.07.12
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Working Out in the Winter

Come Rain, Sleet or Three Feet Of Snow, Do Your Workout!

I remember a January morning in Toronto: Clear skies, and a bitter, face-burning wind-chill of -35° C. The next morning there was a heavy snowfall, no sun, and a slightly warmer -15° C. Everything seems to slow down. There are fewer cars on the road. People remain indoors with the heat turned way up.

If you want to work out there’s no better time. The gym will be be mostly empty because it’s just too cold to go outside from point A to point B.

How many times have you decided against going for a workout, a run or a yoga class because of the weather?

If you’re a competitive athlete you’ve got external influences, such as a coach or a team that you’re accountable to, so you stick to your training regardless of the weather. Or maybe you have a workout partner or a trainer who will be waiting for you at the gym for a session, forcing you to be there. It hurts to have to cancel last minute when there is a cost associated with cancelling.

But what if you are going to the gym on your own and the weather is getting you down? This is understandable to a point, but is it the weather’s fault or just your decision not to go? The truth is that bad weather is only an excuse. If you live in Toronto or any similar climate where we get months of winter, the more you make excuses the harder it will be to keep up with your fitness goals.

Here are some suggestions to help you stay on track with your fitness plan during the winter months:

Morning Workouts
Go to the gym first thing in the morning. This is especially important in North America when we have less exposure to the sun, since we are not outside as much, and we have less daylight hours. The early morning activity will boost your metabolism, mood, energy and lower the possibility of getting SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

Prepare the Night Before
Pack your workout bag and lay out your clothes to wear the night before. This is a psychological trick: you won’t be able to use an unpacked bag as an excuse. Also make sure you prepare your post-workout shake or meal the night before.

30 minutes Extra
Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and go to bed 30 minutes early. You might be getting up in the dark and this can be a challenge for some people, but that extra ‘slow’ time in the morning might be what you need instead of rushing out the door. This way you can ease into your morning and look forward to your workout

Visualize
When lying in bed after waking, visualize how you want your day to happen: mentally prepare for your workout, see yourself going through the motions of the exercise and feel how good it feels to be at the gym.

Shower
Upon getting up, immediately shower. The water will stimulate your skin and senses and will wake you up more ‘cleanly’ and effectively than any coffee. Don’t check voicemail or turn on your computer. (I’m guilty of this one!). It’s so easy to loose track of time and then it’s too late to go to the gym.

Eat
If you get up 30-minutes earlier this won’t be a problem. Keep it simple if you’re not used to eating upon waking (after your shower). I try to eat within 30-minutes of waking up. Here are some easy meals: Eggs, vegetables and/or fruit, slow cooked oatmeal; whole grain toast with organic, pure peanut butter and banana; a meal replacement shake with flax oil and fruit; a fruit smoothie with low fat organic yogurt, flax oil and protein powder.

Grab Your Buddy
Get a workout buddy or plan to meet someone at the gym. The synergy will help you as much as your partner.

Success in fitness is not the result of one task, one endeavour, one program or method. Success happens first in the mind. Everything after that is victory made manifest in reality. So have a big WHY or reason for going to the gym, share it with a good friend (or your workout buddy or trainer) and get out there this winter and keep fit!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.