Fitness Checklist

I like lists. They clarify and reduce waste (time and energy). This one can also reduce your waist. Take a look and see what you're doing from the list below, and what you're not. The missing items could be your bridge to success:

1. Drink enough water to keep your urine pale to clear.

2. Get in up to five hours of cardio each week (lower intensity) or at least 90 minutes at very high intensity.

3. Strength train with large, full body compound (moving at more than one joint at a time) movements, whenever possible, 2-3 times a week.

4. Challenge yourself so that when you finish a workout, you couldn't repeat it.

5. Eat more veggies than any other single food group.

6. Get .5 - .75 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight each day.

7. Spread that protein as evenly as possible across the waking day.

8. Get 6.5 - 8 hours a sleep each night.

9. Make sure your calories are as rich as possible in protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

10. Be honest with yourself about how you live and what you expect your body to look, feel and perform like as a result.

Work vs. Facebook (and other distractions)

Ok. I admit it. While I'm not exactly hooked on Facebook, it has become a bit of a habit. Currently I'm on it more often than I floss but not as often as I use the bathroom. I think I'm safe from an immediate intervention, don't you?

So my big plan to catapult my new website, http://www.trivalleywellness.com/ to astronomically high daily traffic has been (temporarily) stymied. But not my resolve to make it a long term success. In fact, because of the energy that I get from re-connecting with old friends, I'm actually more devoted than ever to making the website a success. Starting another bar band (after swearing I was too old to do that again) has had a similar effect. I'm having a blast and I want to harness that passion and direct it back toward enriching the content and promoting the website more aggressively.

Since I work for myself, I spend almost all my time either with clients, teaching Pilates classes or with my (two younger) kids. So the website development is slow, even though it's central to my long-term business growth plan.

But my kids will only be this young once. And I'm sure this is definitely the last bar band I'm going to be in (probably). And I'm sure this Facebook thing will peter out to a manageable level soon, don't you think?

Meanwhile, I'm happy, energetic and feeling inspired. Good thing I don't have a boss (or a three month review coming up...)

Weight Lifting with Still Sore Muscles?

Ever wonder whether you should strength train when your muscles are fatigued from a previous workout? Not sure what the protocol is? Simple - don't. Here's why: The soreness/fatigue in your muscles is a signal your body is sending you that the muscles you broke down in your previous workout have not been completely rebuilt.

And that's the purpose of the workout in the first place - to rebuild the muscles with slightly greater capacity than they had before. Hitting them again before the fatigue or soreness has left interrupts that critical process. So your next workout is not only not as pleasant, but it's not particularly productive either.

So wait another day or two. It's for the best.

Jazz Up Your Salads and Veggies

Ever tried these? They are simply roasted and seasoned, thinly sliced almonds. Years ago one of my clients mentioned she had made string beans with toasted almond slivers the night before, and teh image stuck in my head. Since I'm pretty lazy, I noticed these in the produce section the next shopping trip and opicked them up.

Now I use them in salads, on top of all my veggies, and even sometimes in cottage cheese for a nice taste/texture kick.

Give them a try!

Oil and Water

Don't do what doesn't work for you.

How do you know what doesn't work? Is it difficult? Is it painful? Is it a hassle? No, none of these qualities, in my mind, qualifies as a deal-breaker. Exercise is hard (especially at first), eating a disciplined, healthful diet may seem uncomfortable until you realize the benefits of increased energy and a leaner body. And meditation can seem boring and unnerving if you have trouble (as most do) quieting the mind and settling in for the longer haul.

It's more a question of "right fit". Are you better for it? Do you experience positive growth as a result of your involvement or actions?

Maybe the job or the relationship you're in at the moment is not the right fit for you. Maybe your lifestyle is easy but draining or dragging your spirit (and your body) down slowly. Most of us experience one or more of these situations at least once in our lives.


My advice? Learn as much as you can from the situation. Don't judge it (the person, the relationship, the job or the activity). Perhaps it's just not right for you.


If you move on, then you'll be able to do it with a sense of peace.


There's no subsitute for that.

Stiff Back in the A.M.?

Try this:

Before you get out of bed, push back the covers and pull one knee gently but firmly into your torso, exhaling completely on the pull. Then repeat on the other side. Then pull both knees in and hold for 10 seconds, breathing normally but deeply. Next, lying on your back and with your arms at your sides, roll your shoulder blades and upper back off the mattress, sliding your palms forward across the mattress top and gently return to a relaxed supine (belly up) position. Repeat four times. Then get up normally.

This should give you a chance to gradually increase the circulation in your back muscles while expanding your mobility before you raise your torso off the mattress, which can be hard on the back when your body is not warmed up.

Should You Work Out When You're Sick?

As a general rule, no. If you have a virus or bacterial infection and are at the very tail end of it with at least 90% energy, strength training at less than full intensity might be OK. Use your judgment and listen to your body. But aerobics and oxygen-intense cross training should wait. You won't suffer by waiting another day or two. And your body shouldn't have to decide whether to focus on recuperating fully from an illness or rebuilding itself after a tough workout. If it has to, it will do both poorly.

Better off playing it safe and making sure you're 100% before heading back to the gym (or the court, road, the trail...)