Let's Break It Down...

One of the biggest excuses for why we don’t exercise is time.   But let’s just take a second to break that down.  Starting with that fact that each day has 24 hours, a 1-hour workout is ONLY 4% of our day.  Let’s not forget about sleep though…so let’s say that 8 of those hours are spent sleeping (probably an over-estimation for the majority of us), that leaves us with 16 awake-hours every day.  Of those 16 hours a 1-hour workout only brings us up to 6% of our day.  What’s the excuse now?

I know it is easy to say and hard to do, but make exercise a priority everyday and eventually it will just become part of your routine.  In fact, you’ll get to the point that when you miss a workout you’ll notice it and wish you had done one.

Let’s get away from scheduled exercise though now.  If you look at those same numbers from another perspective, we have 94% of our day that we can make more active.  This ultimately means cutting down on our daily sedentary time.  Use the stairs, purposely park your car further, walk the dog (or your neighbours dog…), take frequent breaks at work to stand up and move, decrease screen time (TV, computer, video games, etc), and less time on the computer (both at work and at home).  All of these are simple ways in which we can make our everyday lives at little less sedentary and a little less active.  And trust me, the little things make a big difference overtime.

To finish off I’ll provide you with an example of why small changes make big difference.  Say you increase the active time in your life and burn just 100kcal more per day then usual (100kcal is burnt with 20 minutes of walking). One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories; therefore over a year you would see 10lbs loss.  And that’s not even factoring in structured exercise!  Be warned however, this can easily go in reverse, adding 100kcal a day to your diet can lead to that same amount of weight gain in a year.

“Don’t make excuses, make things happen, make changes.” – Doug Hall 

Progress and Change

There is this thing called “change’’...we’ve all been there, wanted to change something about ourselves; wanted to change the way we act, we behave, etc.  Have you ever sat down and thought about what goes on when working through a behavior change or better yet how to make a change more attainable?  Today I am going to talk to you about a theory of change that I find most relevant and useful.

There are many different theories of changing behaviours, the one I am going to talk about today is the Transtheoretical Model or just Stages of Change.  According to this model there are 6 steps a person goes through to change their habits and behaviours and integrate these changes into their lives.  With a better understanding of how we go through change we can ultimately better understand our own barriers and enablers to change and the influence our behaviours have. 

Step One: Precontemplation

-> Not interested in change, no intention of change

-> Tend to avoid information, discussion, or thought about change

-> Resistant to change, unmotivated

Step Two: Contemplation

-> Awareness of problem and need to change

-> Starting to thing about making some changes, recognizing problem and should do something to make lives better

-> Weighing the pros and cons 

Step Three: Preparation

-> Motivation to make a change

-> Change is about to happen, decision or commitment to change has been made

-> Gathering information, making plans

Step Four: Action

-> Initial adoption of new activity or behaviour

-> Real and over changes or lifestyle modifications have been made

-> Relapse and temptation may be strong

-> “Willpower” stage, benefits from short-term rewards to sustain motivation

Step Five: Maintenance

-> Working to consolidate any changes in their behaviour by maintaining and preventing relapse or temptation

-> Maintenance of new activity and integration into lifestyle

-> Coping strategies put in place and working

->Important to remind oneself of progress already made

Step Six: Transcendence

-> Former behaviours are no longer desirable

-> Can have element of advocacy

This theory can be applied to a wide variety of behaviours and situations.  For example, to name a few: stress management, depression prevention, weight management, smoking cessation, and exercise program initiation.

So now that you’ve read through and have somewhat of an understanding of the stages of change…try and incorporate a change you’ve made to your life through these stages.  Maybe you are motivated and wanting to make a change, so try to track your progress through each of the stages.

“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living.  Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope.  And out of hope, progress.” – Bruce Barton

Cheers, 

Lindsay 

The Importance of the Heart Rate

First of all let’s start by defining your resting heart rate.  The Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is your heart rate when you’re at rest; lying down, awake, and not having recently exerted yourself.  RHR is pretty simple to find.  First, find your pulse on the inside of your wrist, just below the thumb, using two fingers to feel the pulse.  If it cannot be felt hear you can check it on your neck over the carotid artery (just off the centre of your neck).  Count the beats once you feel your pulse, counting the first beat as zero and count for 15 seconds.  Take this number and multiply it by 4 and you’ve got your resting heart rate in beats per minute.  The normal range for a resting heart rate is between 60-100bpm, although some don’t always fall in this range.  Many athletes have resting heart rates between 40-60bpm and elderly individuals often have higher heart rates.  A few tips to ensure accuracy: be well rested, avoid stimulants (e.g. caffeine), and ensure you are well hydrated.  

 

Generally speaking, the lower the number the better, the lower the number the more fit you are.  Why?  Simply, because the more blood your heart can pump with each beat the less times it has to beat each minute to supply adequate blood flow to the body (i.e. a larger heart capacity).  How can you lower it?  Again, the simple answer, by engaging in regular aerobic exercise. 

It is important to note that everyone’s RHR is different and there are several factors that can affect it.  Some of these factors include: caffeine (increases), how well rested you are (lack of rest can increase), dehydration (increases), and even overtraining.  The last one may be surprising, but a rising resting heart rate could indicate that your loading on too many high intensity workouts causing your body to fall behind in repairing itself, leading for poor performance and injury

What’s the relevance?  It can be used to calculate Target Heart Rate (THR) zones for training.  This is done through the Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or Karnoven method (about the most accurate we can get when prescribing training zones).

How do I calculate?  Using the formula below:

THR = (HR Max – HR Rest) x % Intensity + HR Rest

HR Max = 220 – age

E.g. For a 20yr old with a resting hear rate of 55bpm wants to work at 60% of his HRR.

60% Intensity THR   = (220 – 55) x 0.6 + 55

                             = 175bpm

What should your target HRR training zone be?  Well that really depends on what you’re training for and the intensity your looking to attain.  Here is a general breakdown of the different training zones and intensity according to the HRR method.

<20% HRR	Very Light
20-39% HRR	Light
40-59% HRR	Moderate
60-84% HRR	Intense
>85%	Very Intense
100%	Maximal

As a general recommendation for aerobic training working between 50-85% HRR (moderate to intense) is a good guideline.  Anything lower than this you are going to have a hard time seeing results, and anything higher is going to be incredibly difficult to sustain.

Ultimately, having an understanding of your resting heart rate, and what happens to your heart rate when your exercising can be a very helpful training tool.  Try out a heart rate monitor the next time you go for a run and see for yourself!  Side note of caution: Don’t rely on the heart rate recordings on cardio machines.  If you’re going to measure your heart rate invest in a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap for more accurate readings.  You can pick one up for anywhere between $100-200.

That’s all for now,

Lindsay

“Repetition is based on body rhythms, so we identify with the heartbeat, or with walking, or with breathing” – Karlheinz Stockhausen 

Get Motivated

The right amount of motivation is not only crucial for getting yourself to the gym or starting an exercise program, but also to hitting the right volume and intensity of training to attain your goals.  There are two types of motivation; extrinsic and intrinsic.  Extrinsic motivation comes from outside sources, for example, a personal trainer, training partner, or an award of some sort.  On the other hand, intrinsic motivation comes from within, for example, increased self-esteem, satisfaction of mastering a skill, etc.  Although both types of motivation are important, ultimately, it is intrinsic motivation that is crucial to success.  One key thing to note is that motivation always needs to stay POSITIVE J

Here are a few ways to help improve and keep us motivated:

Self-Talk

One way to help improve motivation is through becoming aware of your “Self-talk”.  Self-talk is the talking you do in your own head, often happening automatically and we are unaware of it.  When self-talk is negative it not only produces negative feelings but results in physical tension and decreased athletic performance.  However, positive self-talk can be very beneficial to our performance.  If we are able to control such talk, it can be encouraging, confidence boosting, and motivating.  One of the first steps towards improving our self-talk is becoming aware of it.  When you start to become aware, identify negative self-talk and stop those thoughts.  When you are able to stop negative self-talk in its tracks start replacing these thoughts with a more positive outlook.  A few tips for positive self talk; use first person, develop positive phrases and repeat them often, keep phrases short, and say phrases with meaning.  We all talk to ourselves, so use it to your advantage!

Goal Setting

Another way to help boost motivation is thought goal setting.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are goal setting to ensure continual motivation and attainability.  The acronym I’m going to use is ‘SMART’, and some of you may have heard of this before.  ‘S’ is for specific goals; setting goals that have a specific focus.  Something too broad may seem unattainable or not as appealing.  ‘M’ is for measurable; ensure that you are able to measure your goal in some sort of manner.  This helps when tracking the progress in your goals.  In order to see improvement and progress you have to have a measuring tool.  ‘A’ is for adjustable; make sure your goals aren’t set in stone so that not attaining them becomes negative.  As life situations or circumstances change we may have to periodically adjust our goals, and this is okay, we can adjust for it.  ‘R’ is for realistic; setting goals that are attainable.  Setting a goal that is so far-fetched will only hurt out motivation because we will likely not achieve it; so set smaller goals in increments to work your way up to the bigger long-term goal.  Finally, ‘T’ is for time-based; putting a time-line on your goals.  By setting a time line you are motivated to achieve a certain goal by a certain point.  Without a time goal it is easier to procrastinate and push-off working toward our goals.

Recording

Going along with goal setting, it is incredibly important to keep track and record of these goals.  Go out and buy yourself a notebook.  In your notebook you can write down your specific goals and go back to them every once in a while to track the progress you are making.  In addition, keep track of your workouts as this can also be motivating.  If you are able to see improvements in time, distance, or weight lifted it is a very positive reinforcement.  After recording each workout also note how you are feeling that day and how you felt your workout went.  This way, you are able to go back and reflect on when your best workouts were and the ones you seemed to enjoy the most.  

Rewards

It is of course important to reward yourself.  Although I did mention that intrinsic motivation is crucial to success, extrinsic things keep us going along the way.  These rewards do not have to be food based (which most tend to think).  They can be things such as buying yourself flowers, going to a movie, or buying yourself a new outfit.  It is not only nice to treat ourselves every once in a while, but is keeps us happy!

Mix It Up

Finally, keep your workouts fresh and fun.  It is easy to get bored of the same routine over and over again so switch it up as this will help to keep you motivated.  Exercising doesn’t always have to be done at the gym or inside for that matter.  If it’s a nice day go outside for a walk, or take your workout to the backyard.  If you’ve got a free evening think about joining a sports league or get involved in a group fitness class (E.g. yoga).  Finding ways to help you enjoy your workouts is so important.  If we don’t enjoy what we’re doing, we definitely aren’t going to stick with it.   

That is it for my thoughts and tips about keeping yourself motivated. I hope you enjoyed the read J

“Ability is what you're capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.”

-- Lou Holtz

Cheers,

Lindsay