Christopher McDougall: Are we born to run?
For the past 8 weeks I have averaged 60 to 70kms a week, I am injury free... oh and can I add, on a calorie restricted diet and low body fat? Yep! We are born to move. I find distance running quiet primal, I also find it is mentally challenging, its not usually the body that wants to give up, its the mind, lucky I live by MindSweat, makes it so much easier!
My fav quotes from this video:
'imagine a world where everybody could engage in exercise'
'restore our natural ability'
'whole lotta fun'
Trust me, it is fun. We are born to do it, so why wouldn't you?
Thanks so much to fellow B Attack instructor Heath for sending me this video :)
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Years Day Rant!
Yeah yeah Happy New Year blah blah blah.
I mightn't sound it, but trust me I am my 'usual' self full of enthusiasm, it's just another day thats all.
Don't be suprised that at some point last night I may have been over enthused and pushed my views upon unsuspecting guests at my house, now, don't think he reads this (but should my guest be reading this) don't take it the wrong way. As I said, awesome work, he has lost 10kg! Ok, but, here's where I started to preach.... If you loose weight through cardio alone, at some point, your body will start to break down muscle (if it thinks you are not using it) as an energy source to fuel you while you are in calorie deficit and preserve a little fat. So, perhaps not all 10kg is fat. If you have broken down muscle you will have reduced your metabolism (in simple terms you need less energy and therefore less food to function for the day).
Now, my second point was that to combat it you need to weight train PROPERLY! Stuffing around and moving some weights here and there on an inconsistant basis will not necessarily make your body believe it NEEDS that muscle and must keep it. You need to make your body feel the pressure, that functioning daily without that muscle will be hard... Body, don't even think about breaking that muscle down or it will hurt next week! CONSISTANT training, combined with CHALLENGING workouts will ensure you set your body up to not only hold your muscle but gain some, with that, an increase in your metabolism and therefore, you require more fuel (food). If you are not lifting heavier on at MOST a monthly basis, you are doing something wrong, ie, not eating properly for your training, or simply just not trying hard enough.
Now this is where it gets scary, I talk about this all the time with people, it scares the crap out of me, but apparently for most people, spiders, heights and snakes are more scary......
IF YOU DO NOT RESISTANCE TRAIN .... PROPERLY ( see my description of properly above :) ) you will loose about 0.5% of lean muscle mass every year from the age of 24!!!
What does that mean??? Well lets use me as an example. My lean body mass or LBM (ie my organs, bones and muscle) weight is around 48kg on a dexta scan. So should I decide today never to resistance train, new years day 2012 my LBM will decrease by about 240gm (48 x 0.5%) so with the reduced LBM, a reduced metabolism, and well, then accordingly I should reduce my food consumption on a yearly basis to match this so I don't put on weight with age.
If I decide not to train for the next 5 years, I weight 60kg today, and in 5 years time I weigh myself, and I weigh 60kg ........ how good am I? at 37 I weigh the same I did at 32!! (hope my sarcasim came through) but why does my body seem a little 'flabbier' must be age.....in reality oh crap! I have gained about 1.2kg of fat! (240gm over 5year) and lost 1.2kg of muscle! Trust me muscle feels better than fat so you will feel 'flabbier' even though you weigh the same.
Scared yet? because you should be.
Don't blame your age, you CAN combat this muscle breakdown. You just gotta use it! Not only can you combat it, you can make it go the other way, you can add LBM by building muscle (therefore increasing your metabolism)..... that means you can eat more, not less with age. Don't 'fluff' around.... Your body is MADE to move and lift things! Go heavier, go faster, do more reps, I don't care, just don't lift the same amount of weight for the same amount of reps week in week out. Get stronger.
New years day 2012, ask yourself, did I CONSISTENTLY train? did I CHALLENGE myself? am I in fact stronger and can lift heavier? If your answer is NO...... make sure you eat less in 2012, because your body will require less energy. Ask yourself today, do I need to eat less everyday in 2011 to ensure I don't put on weight because I lost muscle over 2010?
HAPPY NEW YEAR
oh and sorry if you have a hangover and feel sorry for yourself and this post just made you feel even sorrier for yourself...... :) haha
I mightn't sound it, but trust me I am my 'usual' self full of enthusiasm, it's just another day thats all.
Don't be suprised that at some point last night I may have been over enthused and pushed my views upon unsuspecting guests at my house, now, don't think he reads this (but should my guest be reading this) don't take it the wrong way. As I said, awesome work, he has lost 10kg! Ok, but, here's where I started to preach.... If you loose weight through cardio alone, at some point, your body will start to break down muscle (if it thinks you are not using it) as an energy source to fuel you while you are in calorie deficit and preserve a little fat. So, perhaps not all 10kg is fat. If you have broken down muscle you will have reduced your metabolism (in simple terms you need less energy and therefore less food to function for the day).
Now, my second point was that to combat it you need to weight train PROPERLY! Stuffing around and moving some weights here and there on an inconsistant basis will not necessarily make your body believe it NEEDS that muscle and must keep it. You need to make your body feel the pressure, that functioning daily without that muscle will be hard... Body, don't even think about breaking that muscle down or it will hurt next week! CONSISTANT training, combined with CHALLENGING workouts will ensure you set your body up to not only hold your muscle but gain some, with that, an increase in your metabolism and therefore, you require more fuel (food). If you are not lifting heavier on at MOST a monthly basis, you are doing something wrong, ie, not eating properly for your training, or simply just not trying hard enough.
Now this is where it gets scary, I talk about this all the time with people, it scares the crap out of me, but apparently for most people, spiders, heights and snakes are more scary......
IF YOU DO NOT RESISTANCE TRAIN .... PROPERLY ( see my description of properly above :) ) you will loose about 0.5% of lean muscle mass every year from the age of 24!!!
What does that mean??? Well lets use me as an example. My lean body mass or LBM (ie my organs, bones and muscle) weight is around 48kg on a dexta scan. So should I decide today never to resistance train, new years day 2012 my LBM will decrease by about 240gm (48 x 0.5%) so with the reduced LBM, a reduced metabolism, and well, then accordingly I should reduce my food consumption on a yearly basis to match this so I don't put on weight with age.
If I decide not to train for the next 5 years, I weight 60kg today, and in 5 years time I weigh myself, and I weigh 60kg ........ how good am I? at 37 I weigh the same I did at 32!! (hope my sarcasim came through) but why does my body seem a little 'flabbier' must be age.....in reality oh crap! I have gained about 1.2kg of fat! (240gm over 5year) and lost 1.2kg of muscle! Trust me muscle feels better than fat so you will feel 'flabbier' even though you weigh the same.
Scared yet? because you should be.
Don't blame your age, you CAN combat this muscle breakdown. You just gotta use it! Not only can you combat it, you can make it go the other way, you can add LBM by building muscle (therefore increasing your metabolism)..... that means you can eat more, not less with age. Don't 'fluff' around.... Your body is MADE to move and lift things! Go heavier, go faster, do more reps, I don't care, just don't lift the same amount of weight for the same amount of reps week in week out. Get stronger.
New years day 2012, ask yourself, did I CONSISTENTLY train? did I CHALLENGE myself? am I in fact stronger and can lift heavier? If your answer is NO...... make sure you eat less in 2012, because your body will require less energy. Ask yourself today, do I need to eat less everyday in 2011 to ensure I don't put on weight because I lost muscle over 2010?
HAPPY NEW YEAR
oh and sorry if you have a hangover and feel sorry for yourself and this post just made you feel even sorrier for yourself...... :) haha
Monday, October 19, 2009
Why?
Such a simple question really. When I was a child I would ask dad 'why?' he would always say 'because Y is a crooked letter and can not be straightened'. Does that suffice??? :)
Ok, before I start, was great to see some awesome pics from the Olympia, looked like a fantastic weekend and congrats to all the competitors! It was on my mind all weekend, really wanted to be there.
Back to Why? Well, I decided a while ago that I would compete next year. I will always love the sport, so it made sence to stop 'fighting' the urge and just do it. The main reason I have tried to fight it is that I am at peace with all things nutrition and body. Without sounding 'up myself' I like what I see! Damian laughs at my morning ritual which involves some ab poses and a booty look.... I like it! hell, why shouldnt I, I eat clean and train hard, I DONT make EXCUSES and I deserve to like what I see!
It hasnt always been that way and thats what scares me. I sit a few kg above my comp weight now, but when I was competing I was 10kg above comp weight off-season. SO have I perfected things??? well, perhaps. So why am I competing again? Because I love the sport! Great answer Sam! If I had of said 'to motivate me to loose a few kg' 'or retain my training motivation'.... then my reasons would not be right. Not right for me anyway.
Everything is different (and has been for the past year+) I eat different, I think different, I train different to I ever have! Once I look control of my mind, I took control of my body.
On a different topic, I am waiting for my summer planting to be done in my veggie patch. I put in an organic veggie patch a month ago when we moved house. I will have to take photos! Hoping to be mainly self suffiicient when this next planting sprouts. We missed winter planting (have just a few veggies at the moment).
I teach Body Attack on Monday nights and I have the worst hami DOMS from training saturday, tongiht is gonna hurt especially when doing the kicks!
Sam
Ok, before I start, was great to see some awesome pics from the Olympia, looked like a fantastic weekend and congrats to all the competitors! It was on my mind all weekend, really wanted to be there.
Back to Why? Well, I decided a while ago that I would compete next year. I will always love the sport, so it made sence to stop 'fighting' the urge and just do it. The main reason I have tried to fight it is that I am at peace with all things nutrition and body. Without sounding 'up myself' I like what I see! Damian laughs at my morning ritual which involves some ab poses and a booty look.... I like it! hell, why shouldnt I, I eat clean and train hard, I DONT make EXCUSES and I deserve to like what I see!
It hasnt always been that way and thats what scares me. I sit a few kg above my comp weight now, but when I was competing I was 10kg above comp weight off-season. SO have I perfected things??? well, perhaps. So why am I competing again? Because I love the sport! Great answer Sam! If I had of said 'to motivate me to loose a few kg' 'or retain my training motivation'.... then my reasons would not be right. Not right for me anyway.
Everything is different (and has been for the past year+) I eat different, I think different, I train different to I ever have! Once I look control of my mind, I took control of my body.
On a different topic, I am waiting for my summer planting to be done in my veggie patch. I put in an organic veggie patch a month ago when we moved house. I will have to take photos! Hoping to be mainly self suffiicient when this next planting sprouts. We missed winter planting (have just a few veggies at the moment).
I teach Body Attack on Monday nights and I have the worst hami DOMS from training saturday, tongiht is gonna hurt especially when doing the kicks!
Sam
Friday, October 16, 2009
I Am An Artist
One of my favourite parts in the Pumping Iron DVD is when Arnie describes himself as an artist. He describes his body as 'his work' and that his work has taken him years. The body is the hardest material to work with.
The past few weeks have repeated Arnies motto as I have entered the gym for my training. I AM AN ARTIST. I see the beautiful muscle I have created (nature creates the most beautiful things, what is more natural than muscle?). I see the areas that require a little more muscle. I see the areas with 'the right amount' of muscle. My sculpture requires continual improvement and maintenance. Arnie, I am an artist too!
I am at the highest of highs with my trainng at the moment, just thought I would share how I was feeling :)
Been a little sleep deprived :( which wouldnt be helping this artist deal with her material! (muscle needs sleep right). Jethro's been ill, unfortunately if I am up all night its just too bad! gotta go to work the next day! I have my fingers crossed tonight I will be able to sleep, tomorrow (Saturday) is 7.30am start for leg training!
Speaking of my little rascal, take a look at how big he is now! I think I last posted a pick about 6 months ago, thats probably about how long I have been gone. I moved house while I was away, gotta show some pictures soon, I love my house :)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Interesting Read
Last night before I taught RPM, my training partner had been for a run and brought up an article she had sent to me a few months back. This prompted me to re-read it. Have a look it is quiet interesting.
How Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Performance
With all the changes in hormone levels that occur during your menstrual cycle, you'd expect speed workouts to suffer during your period, right? Wrong. Surprisingly, near the end of your period, your body is actually geared to pegging track workouts and tempo runs. However, your long, slow runs will suffer. Read on to learn how your training and racing is affected by your menstrual cycle. Read it here: http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/training/women/menstruation.asp
How Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Performance
With all the changes in hormone levels that occur during your menstrual cycle, you'd expect speed workouts to suffer during your period, right? Wrong. Surprisingly, near the end of your period, your body is actually geared to pegging track workouts and tempo runs. However, your long, slow runs will suffer. Read on to learn how your training and racing is affected by your menstrual cycle. Read it here: http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/training/women/menstruation.asp
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I am so glad......
…. that weight training is a part of my life. Sometimes I look at people doing endless cardio sessions (with no change) and feel sorry for them. Don’t get me wrong, I love hard core cardio! But 2 or 3 times a week, is good for me. I am an Attacker through and through. But I consider myself one of the lucky gals who discovered weight training and understand the benefits it has for keeping lean and building LBM.
Almost weekly I am asked ‘what I do to stay lean’ and for most girls, they do not understand that I can stay in shape with just 2 to 3 cardio sessions. Consistently the response to adding weight training to your program is not positive. This is why I consider myself ‘lucky’, I found weights, took a chance, and gave them a go. I hope in the future, I am not one of the lucky few, but one of the lucky many.
Move some weights girls :)
Sam
Almost weekly I am asked ‘what I do to stay lean’ and for most girls, they do not understand that I can stay in shape with just 2 to 3 cardio sessions. Consistently the response to adding weight training to your program is not positive. This is why I consider myself ‘lucky’, I found weights, took a chance, and gave them a go. I hope in the future, I am not one of the lucky few, but one of the lucky many.
Move some weights girls :)
Sam
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