The 3 Month Block

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3 MONTH BLOCKS. I cannot recommend enough the power of planning ahead. Planning requires action and mindfulness. Often, when there is no plan, there is no action, only re-action. Why not be better prepared? I prefer Seasonal Goal-setting. With the 4 seasons, we get roughly 12 weeks each go. Many improvements can be made during this time with proper planning and dedication. It works especially well for making improvements to nutrition AND fitness habits. It also helps keep things fresh with regular intervals that serve as reminders to change things up. I typically tweak my exercise for the first half (~6 weeks) then shift my focus to my diet and nutrition the second half (~6 weeks) while keeping the exercise component more-or-less on auto-pilot. This of course could apply to many other areas in life. The idea is to get to it. Brainstorm. Write some stuff down. Figure out some useful, achievable Goals, Improvements. Go after them. Figure out your plan. Put it into action. Enjoy the process along the way. Remember, Life is short. Tomorrow was never promised. Be thankful each and every day. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #goalsetting #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 16, 2019 at 11:52am PDT

A LEGIT CONCERN WITH AN “ALL or NOTHING” LIFESTYLE.

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A LEGIT CONCERN WITH AN “ALL or NOTHING” LIFESTYLE. This is especially true with regards to Fitness & Health. I also call this “Feast or Famine”. High Intensity exercise is very popular but not necessarily a great fit for the average American. The average fitness enthusiast in the USA exercises primarily to lose body fat. High Intensity would surely seem like the best choice since it burns the most calories right? Yes & No. A lesser talked about issue is this: The average American is EXTREMELY Sedentary. This may invite injury if not careful. Even if someone exercises 2 hours each day but sits most of the rest, they are still considered Sedentary. Contrast the all-day sitting with intense exercise and hopefully you’ll see where I’m going with all this. I love high intensity. I also love heavy weights. These things have their place when programmed appropriately. And Yes, some people do tolerate them well (however, I would argue that most do not). My key point is this: It is important to move and expand your body’s range of motion throughout the entire day, every day. Don’t just do nothing all day then go completely crazy if/when you exercise. Realize the body benefits from frequent movement and a wide variety of motion. Not all exercise needs to be High Intensity. Learn to move more OFTEN throughout each day and not just when or while exercising. Make sure to properly warm-up before exercise as well, especially High Intensity Exercise. Prevent injury by not inviting it. Injuries stall progress. So yes, we may burn a lot of calories with some intense exercise but it might all come to a screeching halt if we are forced to stop exercising altogether because of some avoidable injury. Use that beautiful brain! I highly recommend learning to create a personalized 5min daily “Yoga” Flow for yourself to help with body maintenance, overall health, flexibility and mental focus. More on that later… #blueskystrongbox #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #highintensityworkout #injuryprevention

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 9, 2019 at 11:27am PDT

Counting Calories TIP

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IMPORTANT TIP: When it comes to counting calories, round UP when estimating food (and drinks)…but also round DOWN when estimating calories burned during exercise or daily movement. Rarely is there such a thing as an exact measurement. Even the “calorie” itself varies in measurement. For this reason, numbers are often NOT exact. Even in the wonderful age of digital technology, fancy phone apps, watches and other high tech wearables, etc can only “ESTIMATE” how many steps you walked, heart rate, calories from food, calories burned, etc. Truth is, most of us think we eat (and drink) LESS than we do. We also think we move MORE than we do. Today I rode an exercise bike for 30 minutes at a medium pace. The computer “estimated” that I burned 276 calories. If I were counting calories, I’d round that DOWN to 200 calories, which is only about a can of Coke. A pound of fat is said to be roughly 3,500 calories. Again, this is all an estimation. It should be obvious that using only exercise to lose body fat might not be the best strategy. It must be combined with improvements in nutrition and lifestyle as well! The math can become discouraging quickly. That’s why I don’t typically recommend counting calories and if I do, not for long. But don’t let this get you down. It’s about healthy habits, discipline and consistency. Start slow, build strong. Never stop learning. Never stop improving. Expect delays and obstacles but always keep your head up. Remember that the changes you make only stay that way if you continue to do what is working. In the end, it’s ultimately not about calories and measurements, it’s about health, happiness and quality of life. You want to lose body fat in a healthy way? Eat more vegetables & fruit. Walk a lot more each day. Regularly pick up heavy things (safely) and move really fast (safely). Get proper rest. Drink mostly water. Laugh and smile. Open your heart. Help others. (PS. Don’t let calories rule your life.) #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #countingcalories #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 29, 2019 at 8:43am PDT

Inspiration from Centenarians

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This inspires. 100+ years young. Look at them go. #seniorsprinters #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 22, 2019 at 7:59am 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

Standards & Limitations

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STANDARDS & LIMITATIONS. We need both. In fact, I believe we need to include both Minimum AND Maximum standard limitations to help keep us in the “sweet-spot” of success. We see it all our lives. We either do too much or we do too little. The magic, the “good”stuff, lies somewhere in the pocket of the vast middle. We each have to find a perfect balance and vigilantly work to keep it there. This could apply to anything. The main idea is to make it easy. Make it repeatable. Keep it simple. That’s why I prefer both a High & Low threshold. Most of us are more familiar with what too little looks like. Too much might not be as common but it’s just as disastrous. Remember to be reasonable. Burn-out is very high when the flames burn too hot. My best advice is to seek balance and consistency. Find your greatness. Don’t wait forever. Tomorrow was never promised. What real reason could you have to not start today? #bssbbooks #motivation #healthandfitness #healthylifestyle #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 22, 2019 at 10:51am PDT

How Well Can You Crawl?

 

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I appreciate simple things. I also appreciate that simple and easy are not the same thing. They say you can tell a lot about someone by the shoes they wear and how they walk. I can do the same watching someone crawl. A very simple thing to try (but may prove to be more difficult for some) is to walk/crawl down to the ground and come back up to standing using mostly your upper body and whatever flexibility you currently have. Try to do several in a row if you want. (After years working as a fitness professional, I can honestly say that, as easy as this may be for regular exercisers, it’s often quite difficult for those that are sedentary.) Did it make you breathe heavy? Was it challenging to move the weight of your body around? Did you feel tight in a few areas? Perfect. This would be a great place for you to start exploring movement with your body. Yes, it also burns calories too. Just make sure nothing hurts when you do it. It is ok if it doesn’t look perfect. The point is to begin getting more comfortable being uncomfortable. I recommend practicing this daily. You don’t need to get all sweaty while doing it. Not yet anyway. For now, don’t even worry about counting any reps if you don’t want to. I would rather you put all of your energy toward simply moving better. You’ll know you’ve made progress when it feels easier to do AND begins to look more and more graceful over time. You can always upgrade to BEAST MODE later on if or when things drastically improve. But for now, master the fundamentals. They are never to be overlooked. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jun 27, 2018 at 9:52am PDT