Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Captain Obvious

 

Update

I’m 6 weeks into running again. My body has responded to the old training stimulus {which is now new again} fairly quickly. Besides tripping on a tree root, I would say the transition from heavy strength training to running intervals has been pretty seamless. 

Captain Obvious

I’ve set the goal of running the Village Runner 4th of July 5k!  The last time I ran a race competitively was at the turn of the century and I was 24. {That seems like a lifetime ago.}  So I thought I would call my old coach to get his opinion on my training. 

Long story short, he told me I’m not 22 anymore and that I need to tweak my program. Now I should have figured this out on my own as being a very obvious fact, but it never donned on me until I spoke with him.  Sometimes we need our very own Captain Obvious to point us in the right direction.

I put a lot of value into his ideas because not only was he a coach but he also competed as a Master’s runner.  Who better to talk to than someone who has been there before? 

Who Is Your Captain Obvious?

Do you want to get results? Start asking questions from people who have been there!  Get a coach, a mentor, read books, or talk to people who have walked the walk and succeeded.  Their insight, experience and pitfalls {yes, they made plenty of mistakes along the way} are incredibly valuable to your weight loss, training, or performance goals.  Another set of eyes seeing things from another perspective can be the difference of getting there or not.

Wanna pick my brain regarding fitness, weight loss, or sports performance? Send me your question & I will answer via email & some questions may be featured on my YouTube Channel

Image Credit: Molly Taylor

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | The Battle To Lose Weight

 

It's Hard

The battle to lose weight is without a doubt one of the hardest battles I see on a regular basis.  There are so many layers when it comes to weight issues: emotional, physical, genetics and misinformation just to name a few.  Weight issues can be a constant battle that takes over a person’s life. I’ve seen firsthand the emotional pain that people suffer over it. 

These issues and layers are above my pay grade, but I can offer you some quick tips that I have seen work. 

What Works

1.     Awareness!  How much are you really eating?  What are your triggers that cause you to stress eat? Are you exercising?

2.     Walking is a perfect place to start.  Before work, on your lunch break, or after dinner.  Walking is a great way to clear your head, get some fresh air, and burn some calories.  Spring is here, it's time to get outside!

3.     Cut sugar! Even be aware of how much fruit you are consuming.

4.     Shop for your food.  Eating out leads to overeating.  Head to the grocery store and buy food that needs to be prepared and stay on the perimeter of the store. Do yourself a solid and make extra for lunch the next day.   Read more here.

5.     Set realistic and short-term goals that you will be able to accomplish. 

6.     Performance!  Look for something you have to work towards besides losing weight.  Walk a 5K, bike around the neighborhood faster than you did 6 weeks ago, walk 7000 steps everyday for a month straight.  Chase down that performance, it’s motivating, fun, and there is nothing better than seeing progression!

7.     Whatever you choose to do, have fun and have a positive attitude! You can do this!

8.    Need more tips? Check out this past newsletter & this one too.

Numbers

I will leave you with these staggering stats:

Diabetes has nearly quadrupled over the last the 35 years.  There are now 422 million people who are diabetic compared to 108 million back in 1980.  A very scary statistic! 

Need help with your nutrition or fitness? CALL ME TO SET UP AN IN-PERSON OR ONLINE APPOINTMENT 310.251.7420

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Issues With Your Tissue

 

Soft Tissue

I am one month into running consistently and I’ve noticed some changes in my body.  I don’t feel old, but my soft tissue is tighter than I can ever remember.  I have neglected my soft tissue for years.  Your soft tissue is made up of tendons, ligaments, skin, and fascia.  It’s job is to support, connect, and surround the structures of the body.  Taking care of it, without a doubt, is the weak point in my training.  As far as programming, sleep, strength training, and nutrition go, I can check the “Yes” boxes.  But, to be honest with you, I find foam rolling and stretching boring and always manage to find an excuse not to get it done.

 

Commitment

Now I know better, but no one is perfect, right?  Here lies the problem.  Running is a repetitive sport, which means the soft tissue in my feet and legs can end up being a hot mess.  That hot mess can turn into injuries pretty damn quickly.  So I’ve committed myself to doing at least something every day, whether it’s foam rolling, rolling my feet out on a lacrosse ball, or stretching.  It is not exciting or glamorous, but there is absolute return on the investment.  Healthier soft tissue equals a decrease in injury. 

 

The Takeaway

It’s hard to be perfect, unless you are part of the chosen few who are paid professional athletes.  But doing the little things can make such a difference on the end product.  No short cuts! 

 

 

Need help with your tissue issues? CALL ME TO SET UP AN IN-PERSON OR ONLINE APPOINTMENT 310.251.7420

Image credit: 2009 04 11 - 4118 - Altoona - Easter Rubber Band - Bossi by Bossi

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