Do you ever have a day when you go from one thing to another? And at the end of all of it, you feel too tired to even think about exercise? When you get to the point in your day when the TV is calling with whispers saying, "Watch me. Come on, just one show." Your day has been filled to the brim and you can't imagine putting one more foot in front of the other. Maybe you feel:
It may in fact be mental rather than physical fatigue that drives you to the couch. Because on reflection you realize that most of the many activities in your day were in fact not active at all. This week, I had a day just like this. And believe it or not, I did not want to get to my workout. Negotiations began in my head. "Oh, tomorrow you'll get to it." "Oh, you deserve to stop and turn on Netflix." "Oh, Lisa, you are SO tired. How could you ever exercise now?" This may be something that happens to you every week (or day for that matter). Can you guess what I did? I recognized my thoughts. And I simply tried. Trying is all you can do. Was the workout the best? Nope. Was I pushing myself hard? No way. Did I get through it? Yes! One workout. One is better than none. So what can you do when this inevitability happens to you? Check you thoughts. Check them again. And maybe, just maybe imagine your thoughts AND feelings once you've completed your physical activity. Because moving your body might simply be a reset button and you might become surprisingly recharged. On the harder days, it may serve you to use your thoughts to your advantage and use statements like: I am capable. I am strong. I am a movement maven/master (I dare you!) Believe it or not, sometimes I use my own name to help me get through. With every step, pedal, or stroke, I cheer myself on with "WORK" then "MAN", "WORK", "MAN", "WORK", "MAN", "WORK", "MAN". It is amazing how my own internal personal cheerleader keeps me going! What are some positive thoughts you use on those hard days? Hit the reply button and share your moving/engaging/uplifting/energizing/invigorating thoughts with me! Stuck on finding the right words? Check out this recent article on moving mantras. It might help you solidify your encouraging thoughts on those hard days! Stay well and happy moving, Lisa
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The amazing thing about the human body is that it does SO many great things automatically without us even thinking about it! Sometimes it takes a bit of reflection to appreciate how our bodies work. More specifically, what movements the body does day in and day out to keep us functioning. This is human kinetics or the study of how the body moves. And this is totally my shtick! The hip for example, is so good at its job that we sometimes miss if it isn't working properly especially with the movements I talk about in this week's video. We can compensate by using the spine or twisting the pelvis to get the movements to "work". Take this time now to connect to your own hips with these specific movement patterns! Old reliable.
A constant team player. Unwavering devotion to get you from point A to point B. Hip flexion and extension are the unsung heroes of the hips! I hope you enjoy this week's video. If you do, please like the video and share it with anyone who you think might benefit from some concentrated attention in their hips! I am here to support you in your physical activity journey. AND by learning about how your own body works, connecting the dots of what works and doesn't, you will find increased ease in your body AND your physical activity and exercise routines. Stay well and happy moving, Lisa A common question that I get asked time and time again is about what type of exercise should I do first. Do I start with cardiovascular exercise (cardio) like using the elliptical trainer or do I start with resistance training (RT)? The great thing about this question is that there have been multiple scientific studies that have looked at this specific question and found some interesting results. The most interesting outcome has been the interference effect. When I hear the word interference I think of a sporting context where the defence has "interfered" with the offensive play. Kind of like in football where the ref signals a foul when one player is illegally tripping, pushing, or pulling the other player who was eligible to catch the ball. You know those big plays in the end zone! So within the exercise context, the interference effect means that the initial exercise mode interferes with the second mode.
When we structure our workouts with back to back cardio + RT or RT + cardio, it is possible for the interference effect to occur. More specifically, a moderately intense bike ride may fatigue the leg muscles so much so that when it is followed by squatting exercises, the legs are unable to produce the same amount of force they normally could if done without the prior bike ride. What is the common rationale is that the body is fatigued (physically and mentally) and is unable to perform as expected. However, it is also possible that the energy required to perform the second mode has been depleted and thus our performance is hindered as we don’t have the appropriate energy to complete the movements. Most studies (but not all) have shown that the second mode usually gets the short end of the stick. For example, Cardio + RT favours:
Whereas, RT + cardio favours:
Although science can provide some answers, it is also important to know what works best for your body. We have to remember that study results are not on you. And sometimes it takes some personal experimentation to determine the best order for you. I like to recommend to start with the mode that you want to focus on that day. Put all your energy resources from the start into the first mode then know the secondary may not get the best from you. To give you a glance into my exercise routine, I simply start with a brief cardio to warm-up then head into my RT, thus possibly limiting the fatiguing effects on my muscles by limiting my cardio time. When I want to focus on cardio, then I solely focus my efforts there. Little to no RT that session. Yet, in those time crunched moments, I jockey between intervals of cardio with RT for a real challenging session. I'll save more on that for another day! Finding the right balance of cardio and RT can be tricky. If you are finding you aren’t making the gains you'd like, sometimes it might be your exercise mode order. Feel free to reply back to this email if you need an exercise order tune up! I am here to support you in your physical activity journey. Stay well and happy moving, Lisa P.S. Need to read the science? This recent research article will have you covered! |
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October 2024
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