Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4/7/8 Breathing Method

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Dr Andrew Weil’ 4/7/8 breathing method. Read this. Zoom in. In fact, do a screen grab THEN zoom in on your phone. This page gives the details straight from the source. Use it. I hope it helps. I use it regularly. #bssbbooks #drandrewweil #478breathing #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #stressmanagement #relaxationtechniques #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 30, 2019 at 11:52am PDT

Books on Injuries, Prevention of Injuries

 

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The body has an amazing ability to heal…if/when we let it. Ultimately, the responsibility rests in our own hands. There is an abundance of information out there dedicated to improving health. Much of it is free. I like books. I own many. These are a few that I own that have helped my own movement and body work. Knowledge is key. I was told a long time ago: ask better questions and you’ll find better answers. When it comes to health and quality of life, being lazy should never be an option. Seek help when needed. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 5, 2019 at 7:30am PDT

Nutrition, Start with these: A Dark Leafy Green, Blueberries & Flax Seed (ground up/milled)

 

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Fruits, vegetables and many other “plant” foods are important for overall health. They provide many nutrients not found in other foods. Think of them as earth’s natural medicine. It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat and enjoy other foods. Just remember that for optimal health, fat loss and longevity, plant-food is vital. The typical American diet is stocked full with sugar, salt, protein and fat, often entirely too much to be considered healthy. Too much regular exposure to salt and sugar in food tends to make many fruits and vegetables taste bitter and/or bland. Keep this in mind when trying to add more “plants” to the diet. It may take time for the taste buds to adjust. With that said, make no mistake, we were designed to eat plants. Lastly, this week’s recommendations were: 1)a dark-leafy green 2)blueberries, 3)ground-up flax seed (flax meal). Sure you could eat these on their own but it might be a bit awkward and harsh if they happen to be new to you. Google some different ways to incorporate each of them over time. Experiment. This may even require learning to make new meals that include them. Start with just one at a time. Don’t worry about being perfect. Just aim for consistency. Take care of your body, we only get one. Fruits and vegetables are essential for this. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #fruitsandveggies #nutritionasmedicine #HowNotToDie #darkleafygreens #blueberries #flaxseed @nutrition_facts_org @precisionnutrition #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 15, 2019 at 5:29am PDT

Deadlift Photos

 

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Every photo above is an example of the exercise referred to as the DEADLIFT (this week’s theme). It’s an exercise that nearly every adult on earth would benefit from because it directly works the muscles involved with posture. Obviously, from the photos, there are plenty of options, even more than I have here. For beginners, whatever object is being lifted can easily be placed a few inches off the ground to make it easier and safer to learn. To do the exercise, just bend down safely to pick up whatever object (the dead weight) and then safely stand back up with it tall and straight. Don’t have any equipment? You don’t need any. Just find a small duffel bag and fill with stuff…water bottles, dirt, bags of dog food or water softener salt pellets. I’ve even used a cinder block which costs around $3 and weighs approximately 35lbs. The main thing to remember is to keep your back straight the entire time. Tighten your stomach muscles to help with this. Use your hips, not just your legs to lift the weight. If the weight is too heavy to allow for this, use something lighter. Stand up tall at the top. Squeeze your butt without leaning backwards. Aim for 10-15 reps. Once comfortable, maybe try going heavier so that 5-10 reps is heavier but still doable. Do this once a week would be my recommendation. Pick which day right now. Commit to it. *The man in the middle photo is Lamar Gant, arguably the strongest pound for pound dead-lifter of all time. He lifted 688lbs in the deadlift at a height of 5’2” and weighing 132lbs. Now that is impressive. He also had scoliosis. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltraining #austinpersonaltrainer #healthandfitness #heathsndwellness #deadlift #strongwomen #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on May 22, 2019 at 1:52pm PDT

Heart Rate Monitoring During Exercise – Karvonen Formula

My Resting HR as of Summer (Aug 2012) is around 49-59 BPM upon waking most mornings according to my portable finger Pulse-Oximeter SM-110. My Polar FT1 HR Monitor reads about 2-3 beats higher. But it’s probably safe to assume that my normal resting HR is an average of 55 beats per minute. It’s probably around 70 BPM while sitting around. Around 80ish while standing. I got it up to 172 BPM today during a 1 minute interval on my Schwinn Airdyne. I could have probably gone 10 beats higher going “all-out” but i was pretty uncormforable at that HR, which should be a good estimate of my current “anaerobic threshold/lactate threshold). According to my age, my estimated “maximum heart rate” is 182/183 (220 – 37/38 years of age) I will now use these numbers to estimate my heart rate zones using the Karvonen Formula. (Using this great website: http://www.briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm)

My 60% of HRM according to the Karvonen Formula is and average of: 131 (129-133 range = RHR of 50-60 BPM). This is the lower range of HR. Or what i will rest down to but not below during exercise. Below is a list of target HR ranges for an average of my resting heart rate, which i set at around 55 BPM…

 

 

The late Dr. Vladimir Janda’s Tonic & Phasic Muscle Reference Chart