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

Part 2: Injuries, Pain, Soreness

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PART 2 : INJURIES-PAIN-SORENESS. Just because a medical professional “cleared” you does not mean all problems are over. At some point, all medical/therapy roads come to an end. When they do, then what? Ask a lot of questions. Anything you can think of. Most importantly, find out what things you should probably limit, avoid or NOT DO in the future. But after that, most likely, you’ll be on your own. Discomfort, pain and things-in-general “not feeling the same” might be a reality. Do everything you can not to take pain killers unless you really need them or your doctor has had a long conversation with you about the option. The most important thing now is to get back to as normal of a life as possible. With regards to movement and exercise, you will need to start VERY slow and experiment with everything. You may be surprised at what you CAN do but also what you CAN’T do, at least not yet. Remember, first make sure there aren’t things you shouldn’t be doing. Besides that, always listen to your body. Start LIGHT, SIMPLE AND SLOW. Learn to move well using only your bodyweight. If using some form of external/manual resistance, start with very light weights, simple movements (that you understand), and can perform near-perfect form. Lastly, make sure to start by moving SLOW. If something hurts, see if you can safely modify or maybe try doing something different. There might very well be some things that you won’t be able to do. It’s ok. Learn to work around them. There are many options. Research. Explore. Don’t be too cautious but also don’t be reckless. Use that beautiful brain! #blueskystrongbox #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 2, 2019 at 8:46am PDT

…more thoughts on Resting Heart Rate & Heart Rate Zone training

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You don’t need to own a heart rate monitor to exercise effectively. That is a myth. With that said, I do think monitoring heart rate has value. Just know that you can absolutely gauge most any exercise of any type by the way you feel while doing it. This is often referred as the Talk Test. If you can easily talk, the exercise is considered lower-intensity. If you can’t, it’s more intense. Obviously, there is plenty of room in between. Don’t make the mistake of thinking all exercise need be intense to be effective. It’s not just about burning as many calories in one session as possible, it’s also about sustainability. In other words, can you repeat this for a long time to come without quitting? The average person quits exercise within the first six months. I would argue that the average American needs more lower-intensity exercise… done more often. I’m talking about something like dedicated Walking most days of the week. It’s great if someone does some form of really intense exercise once or twice a week (if they are healthy enough to to so) but not if the other 5 days are all rest days. Move more often, even if it’s low-intensity. Adequate DAILY movement is always the correct choice. Our bodies were made to move. Walking is the best choice, that is why we have legs. Aim for a goal of lowering your resting heart rate by the end of the year. (For healthy heart rate zones, Google: “karvonen formula calculator”). If you really want to do higher-intensity (HIIT) exercise, try getting your resting heart rate UNDER 60 before doing so if possible. Consult with a medical professional if you have any specific concerns or conditions. #bssbbooks #restingheartrate #walkingasexercise #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 8, 2019 at 7:34am PDT

Resting Heart Rate is important…

 

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RESTING HEART RATE. This number can say quite a bit about health and fitness. Keep in mind, it doesn’t say everything. It is pretty easy to check. You can download a free app and check it using your phone. The best time to check it is obviously while RESTING. Lol. So first thing in the morning is best (before sitting up) or lie down for 2-5 minutes then check it. Check it for a few days, or even a week. Just get an average. Don’t overthink it. The goal is to get this number under 60. It’s ok if it’s not. The average person is in the 70’s. You could be higher. How do you get this number down? Get better rest. Exercise regularly but not too hard or too long. For most folks, I recommend daily walks for 30minutes. 1-2 weekly resistance training sessions (45min max). Get a minimum of 7 hours each night of quality rest. Avoid unnecessary stress whenever possible (this one may be the most challenging but worth the effort.) PS if you want to do intense HIIT exercise, i highly recommend getting that number down as quickly as possible by doing lower intensity work for a while. #bssbbooks #restingheartrate #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 5, 2019 at 7:25am PDT

Oxygen = LIFE

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Oxygen is our best friend. Remember to breathe. It sounds silly but research clearly shows Americans as bad breathers, like clinically dysfunctional. In other words, we don’t do it well. Obviously, most of us get by. We survive. We just don’t thrive. Thriving happens when we optimize any given situation. Of all the things worthy of optimization, oxygen (breathing) is arguable the best choice. Proper breathing should involve inhaling in through the nose and exhaling out the mouth. It should also involve the diaphragm muscle, which sits just above the stomach and under the bottom of the lowest rib. It’s not too difficult to find it or understand how it works but I do recommend might reading more and maybe watching a few video examples. Once we learn to breathe better, then it must be practiced. Repetition reinforces this habit. I feel the absolute best time to do this is while being active or exercising. It could be walking, Yoga, weight-lifting, carrying your luggage at the airport, etc. The video tip above will also help my favorite suggestion. Lastly, know that active movement/exercise is not only the best way to teach the body to breathe better but also to better use oxygen once it is within the body. This, my friends, is key to surviving and thriving. Why would you not start practicing breathing today! #bssbbooks #breathingexercises #breathingladders #diaphragmbreathing #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 8, 2019 at 8:25am PDT

Seek Balance of the BIG 3: Flexibility-Strength-Stamina

 

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There are many reasons why exercise is important. All you need to know is that it is. So do it. Keep doing it. Don’t stop, can’t stop, won’t stop (hopefully). But if you are gonna go to all that effort to move and exercise regularly, why not do it right? There are 3 BIG areas that I strongly feel need balance and dedicated attention: 1) Strength 2) Flexibility 3) Stamina. In general, it does very little good to excel in any one area while lagging behind in another. Unfortunately, this is what happens so much of the time for so many people. We all know someone that fits the bill. I was once one of them. You may be right now as well. If so, its ok. Why not do something about it? It helps to think of each of these 3 areas in terms of a glass that is full (or a bucket-thanks Mike Boyle). If any one glass needs filling, then make it happen. Don’t let it stay low forever. If any one area starts to overflow, just pull back. Seek balance. It is crucial. It’s sad to see really strong people that can’t touch their toes or get tired walking up stairs; or the Yogi who struggles to lift something relatively heavy or the runner who’s strength, flexibility and posture are so bad, they struggle to understand how they keep getting injured year after year running. Balance is the key. This could apply to anything. Keep in mind, there are other areas that need attention. These are just what I consider to be my big 3. I like limiting most ideas to 3 for simplicity. The main idea is to always master the basics, the “big fundamentals”, first! #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #heathandwellbeing #StrengthFlexibilityStamina #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jun 14, 2019 at 10:12am PDT

Thoughts on Cardio…

 

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We’ve all heard the term “cardio”. It means many different things to many different people. Sadly, there are also a great number of misconceptions that come with this. Just remember, doing Cardio can help with health & fitness goals when done in appropriate doses. Too much or too little is typically not recommended. Do know that Cardio does not magically burn off body fat. It can help but should never be a substitute for a sh*tty diet. When I teach most of my students about Cardio I often explain it in terms of Gears (by the way, I like limiting most things to 3.) So for Cardio, I think…Low Gear, Middle Gear & High Gear. A great example of a low-gear exercise is Walking. Walking Hills would be a great example of the middle-gear and a HIIT Spin Class would be a great example of high-gear. For most beginners or anyone that doesn’t already have great stamina, Low Gear is the best place to start. It doesn’t mean you can’t do the other stuff but just be careful. Test the waters. Start slow, build strong. The secret to improving anything Cardio is learning to breathe better when the going gets tough. It’s all about the oxygen. This is why I prefer the middle-gear most often. It can act like a bridge and really help keep the focus on breathe control. Most people only use 2 gears, a low-gear that allows for easy breathing and an all out high-gear that leaves you devastated. THE GOOD STUFF IS OFTEN FOUND SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE! (yes, you can quote me on that. Lol) Since I’ve been doing this stuff for a lil’ while and my stamina is fairly decent, I prefer to mix things up regularly. It keeps boredom at bay and helps me add more movement variety to my portfolio, which also helps with injury prevention. I like to use a simple old-school-low-tech stopwatch set for 30 minutes and perform 5-10 minutes of a variety of exercises till my time is up. Some call this a Circuit. I call it Gumbo. At the end of the video above you will see a few quick examples of what I actually did today. This is just to give y’all some ideas… #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Mar 5, 2019 at 7:47am PST