Stayfitanywhere’s Blog

As per usual I started off the week by teaching our 6am WinterFit class at our studio and then I met up with a client for a workout at her home gym.  During the two workouts I instructed and my commute around the city I got to thinking about a few things and I would like to share them with you.

·         My group class this morning did a warmup of standing on one foot and throwing a ball back and forth.  As they woke up and got warm I began to introduce some new challenges, catching with one hand, catching and passing left handed, and finally adding more balls.  The group of 4 was able to progress to left handed throwing on one foot with 2 balls with few drops so I decided to introduce a 3^rd ball and see how they did… and the balls began to bounce all over the place.  At first there was laughter but as the balls started to drop more frequently frustration set into place and it was at that time that I had to regress the drill.  So we finished with standing on two feet one handed passing and catching with 3 balls, and SUCCESS!!  There are times when it is great to introduce a new challenge to the body and mind, however as an instructor you have to be prepared to modify the exercise/drill in order to give your participants a developmentally appropriate challenge.  We have all been asked to do something that was either physically or mentally beyond our abilities and those tasks can cause even those with the strongest will to be discouraged but if we break down a task to simple pieces we can eventually achieve what seemed to be impossible.  Oh yeah the laughter came back when the 3 balls started whipping around the circle!

·         A second thought arose when throwing balls around this morning, and it came from the statement “why am I not better at this?”  I replied to this with “when was the last time you threw a ball around like this, I bet it was the last time we did this exercise,” I saw 4 heads nod “yes.”  Quite simply put the only way to get better at something is by doing it!  Want to throw and catch a ball better?  Spend more time throwing and catching a ball.  Want to be a better lacrosse player?  Practice playing lacrosse more.  Want to be a better runner?  Run more.  Want to be better at Deadlifting?  Perform more Deadlifts.  Those are the simple answers, however to be better at something you need to do more than just doing it, you need to do it PERFECT!  Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfection.  If you were to practice Deadlifting with improper technique you are going to get really good at doing Deadlifts with improper technique, same thing with running, throwing, catching and playing sports.  That is the amazing thing about your nervous system it is incredible at remembering patterns (good and bad ones).  This is precisely why it is so important when exercising that you focus on proper technique and nothing else, once technique is in place you can begin to play with other variables!

·         Breathing during exercise is a very important skill, and I call it a skill because it needs to be practiced along with technique in order to exercise perfect.  As I have seen many times with my clients is that they forget to breathe when performing exercises, especially when they are focusing on engaging their “core.”  I like to teach my clients who do this that it is very much possible to contract a muscle and breathe at the same time; I do this by having them put their hand out and resist the pressure I put on it while they tell me a story.  At the end of the story I ask if their arm is tired and if they felt like they had to work hard during story time and the answer is always “yes.”  We then work on learning how to consciously engage the “core” while breathing (usually counting aloud from 5 to 1).  This is a great way to prepare the body for other “core” bracing techniques that are necessary for lifting.

·         Finally as I was driving around the city this morning I saw two signs that read: Thank You for Supporting the Games, Please Keep Walking.  Sadly I saw these signs while I was driving in my car.  I had spoken with many people in the past week about how the Olympics games proved how easy it is to walk around the city and that I hoped people would continue to do it.  I walked around the city before the Olympics came, I walked around the city a ton during the games, and I have increased my amount of walking  in the past week (walked to and from the movie theatres, and for a few errands I would normally drive, etc.) and plan to keep walking more.  It is great to see that the city of Vancouver is taking the initiative to promote active green forms of transportation (Dunsmuir viaduct is now a bike lane like Burrard St bridge), and it is now up the citizens of the city to participate.

Throw balls, breathe when you exercise, walk/bike around the city, and make sure you do it perfect!

Josh Neumann, BHK, PTS, TSCC-1

jneumann@stayfitanywhere.com

Monday and Thursday #FitTip at www.twitter.com/stayfitanywhere

In my last blog post, Exercise & Breathing, I discussed breathing as it relates to exercise.  More specifically, I discussed both proper and improper breathing techniques more as they related to resistance training.  This week, I will dive more into breathing as it relates to cardiovascular exercise, and help to discern the difference between proper and improper breathing technique when engaging in such an activity.

To fully understand the importance of proper breathing when it comes to cardiovascular exercise, we must first understand and appreciate the anatomy of the lungs.  When you inhale, air is passed through your mouth, down your trachea (the big tube in your throat- similar to a vacuum cleaner hose), down the bronchioles (smaller branches), and finally to the alveoli.  The alveoli are small sacs in the deepest part of your lungs.  This is where gas exchange takes place!  Why is this so important to know?  Because as you exercise, you need oxygen. If you are breathing shallow breaths, you are not effectively absorbing enough oxygen!  This is the importance of deep, rhythmical breathing while performing aerobic exercise.  Breathing shallow breaths will only fill the ‘dead space’ (vacuum hose tubes), and no oxygen will get absorbed. This is why I cringe when I see exercisers doing the ‘dog-panting’ type breathing when doing their cardio.  It is highly inefficient!  

Another important breathing technique to be aware of is Hyperventilation.  Hyperventilation is the state of breathing forced, rapid breaths, bringing about lightheadedness and other undesirable symptoms.  According to good, old Wikipedia, Hyperventilation ‘reduces the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood to below its normal level, thereby raising the blood’s pH (making it more Alkaline), initiating constriction of the blood vessels which supply the brain, and preventing the transport of oxygen and other molecules necessary for the function of the nervous system’.

A simple strategy that you can use to breathe properly and to pace your deep rhythmical breathing while performing your cardiovascular exercise is to inhale for 3 steps (of your lead foot) and exhale for 3 steps.  For myself, I inhale for 3 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds.  Try it.  Good breathing is something that is difficult to teach and must be figured out by practicing.  If you can learn to master your breathing, I guarantee that you will get way more out of your exercise sessions.

Want to know more about breathing?  I have an entire chapter dedicated to breathing in my upcoming EBook, ‘The 12 Keys to Fat Loss’.  Stay tuned for its release this December!

Happy Breathing!

One of the simplest and most important aspects of exercising that is most often overlooked and poorly executed is breathing.  Many people who exercise not only have not mastered the art of matching their breathing to the type of exercise they are doing, but are not breathing as effectively as they could be, given their activity.  The worst breathing technique that one can possibly do while exercising is known as the ‘Valsalva Maneuver’.   Simply stated, the Valsalva Maneuver is the act of holding your breath while exerting force.  So what actually happens when you do this, and why is it so bad?  The definition provided by the textbook, ‘Concepts of Physical Fitness’ describes it best:

‘Exerting force with the epiglottis closed.  This action increases pressure in the thorax and raises arterial blood pressure.  When released, arterial pressure drops rapidly, blood vessels expand and are then filled, causing a lag in blood flow to the left ventricle.  When this occurs, the subject may become dizzy or feel faint.  May be caused by holding the breath while exerting force.’

So here a few reminders when it comes to exercise and breathing:

1)  Remember the ‘EX-EX’ principle:  When you are EXERTING, EXHALE!  Anytime you feel tension and pressure building up in your body when you are resistance training, EXHALE IT OUT!  This means to ‘exhale the tension’.  Do not hold your breath. Many individuals do this when exercising, which is not only a bad habit, but is dangerous.

2)  Learn to match the type of breathing to the type of activity:  There are different types of exercises and different intensities to these exercises.  Yoga, Powerlifting, sprinting, jogging, walking, are all different activities that require a different style AND intensity of breathing.

3)  Shift your awareness to breathing:  Next time you do your workout, focus on your breathing more than the actual execution of your movement.  You may find that your executing of the movement feels more economical.

I will discuss more breathing strategies in Stayfitanywhere’s upcoming EBook, ‘The 12 Keys to Fat Loss’.  Stay tuned for its release next month!

Happy Training!

On Friday, July 17th, I presented ‘Fitness Considerations for Seniors’ to the South Granville Seniors Centre.  The seminar was one hour and I had about 15 attendees.  I’m really beginning to love presenting to seniors because they are truly a fun audience.  I suspect that most of those seniors in attendance were 75-90 years old, and at that age, they’ve had enough serious stuff and want everything they do to be fun & enjoyable (It’s a real fine line between making the presentation serious and not overly serious).  There were many practical components in the lecture, and I provided many simple and easy exercises for them to implement.  Most of them found the exercises that I provided very useful, and they seemed to be really engaged throughout the lecture.  For the most part, we shared a lot of laughs and we all had a great time.  For me, that was the best lecture that I have presented to date, and looking forward to the next one!

On Sunday, July 19th, we had our ‘Grouse Grind Challenge’.  For me, this would be my first ‘Grind’ of the year, so I didn’t want to go all out.  I have done the Grouse Grind many times and I know from personal experience how to approach it in such a fashion so that you feel great when you finish (not like death).  So here, I will share with you 3 tips on how to make your Grind experience more enjoyable (and less painful)

1) Use a heart rate monitor.  Watch your heart rate, and try to keep it as low as possible initially.

2) Start SLOWLY and focus on DEEP BREATHING!  I can’t tell you how many people start off too quickly and end up hitting a wall.  If you are doing the ‘dog-panting’ breathing- you’re done!  If you go slowly for the first 15-20 minutes and focus on a good breathing rhythm (3 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale), you will achieve somewhat of a steady-state of exercise and YOU will be passing the people who passed you later on. 

3) Move at a consistent & steady pace and take efficient steps.  The Grind doesn’t have to be a race, but if you focus on taking solid steps (movement economy) and a steady pace (tortoise vs the hare), you will get up to the top in good time and feel great!

Happy Grinding!

-Andrew

As I was doing some research the other day, I stumbled across a section of one of my books about the importance of proper breathing.  Having worked with hundreds of clients over the years, a common theme that I continue to come across with exercisers is inefficient breathing patterns.  I strongly believe that most individuals haven’t really developed a sufficient relationship with their breathing patterns while exercising and in their day-to-day activities.  I also strongly believe that if you do begin to really work on your awareness and efficiency of your breathing rhythms, it will change your energy levels- and your life.

I want to share with you a couple paragraphs from the book ‘The New Rules of Posture’ by Mary Bond (Rolfer and structural practitioner) that captures the importance of breathing and how we aren’t even aware of how much we neglect it:

“Spiritual teachers of every tradition emphasize the importance of mastering one’s breathing as a key to balanced living as well as to achieving higher states of consciousness.  Contemporary Westerners take breathing for granted.  We are too busy to breathe well.  Only when we have some respiratory problem- a head cold or labored breathing from unusual exertion- do we pay much attention to it.  Good- or- poor breathing habits affect every aspect of our bodies’ functioning, from our mental state to our digestive efficiency.  Breathing is central to our posture and the way we move.  It has huge influence on our appearance, health, mental outlook, emotional resilience, and capacity to manage stress.  Dysfunctional breathing is so rampant in Western culture that it amounts to an epidemic.”

If the above paragraph resonates with you, then ask yourself the following question: 

‘What could I do everyday to develop a better relationship with my breathing?’

It may just change your life!

-Andrew