Keep it Positive.

Tracking progress is always important.  It’s good to know where you are compared to where you've been. It lets you know if what you are doing is working and can be an amazing feeling to see how you have progressed.  But the opposite can also be true.  If you haven’t been working out for a while you might not want to see the decline.

This is where apps like RunKeeper come in handy.  Most people have heard of RunKeeper for tracking runs, hikes, walks, and so on.  However they have also come out with some additional useful features. The good folks at RunKeeper recognized that it is important to always focus on the positive.  To this ed they were able to write there algorithms to congratulate you for any number of achievements.  This includes things like best time, most elevation change, and farthest distance.  These cover multiple time frames such as best this month, week, and so on.  This way you always get positive encouragement.  This is exactly what I needed on my most recent run.







I have not been training for a long time now.  I finally had some time to go for a respectable run the other day and I wasn't very impressed with myself.  That easy stride I used to have was completely gone.  By the end of the run I felt pretty crappy.  Thankfully RunKeeper pointed out that I was 9 seconds away from my best 5k time. (I race faster than I train) The point is that a positive attitude is key for improvement.  If your tough on yourself like many people are it's nice to have positive reminders.  There are many apps available that have similar notifications and tracking
options

Try Something That Scares You

This blog is normally about physical fitness but mental fitness is just as important. I posted on my Tumblr account not too long ago about the memory issues I have dealing with ADD.  It's not as bad as it's made out to be on TV but it is still pretty bad.  The short version is I was made to take pills to cope with my distractions all through school.  I resented my parents, doctors, and teachers who made me take them.  So when I turned 18 I took them until the bottles were empty and stopped cold turkey.  I'm almost 31 now and have done very well for myself without medical assistance.  However, now my distractions are causing issues with my relationships and I've recognized that I could do better at work if I could concentrate better. But after all the animosity I have for pills and medications and all the time I spent proving that I didn't need them it sure feels like I would be giving up if I just caved now.

Of all the things I took away from 3 years of graduate school, I appreciate the life lessons the most.  One thing that really stuck with me was this quote.  "What got you hear is not going to get you to the next level". Different accomplishments require different skills.  Sometimes you have to make changes to obtain those skills.  So here I am looking at the new addition to my cabinet at work.  I decided to go with a homeopathic remedy first.  This way I don't have to deal with the doctors or insurance companies.  I'm also not being monitored in any way so that is something to consider.  However the Triple Complex Brain Tonic that I decided to try has no listed side effects, at least according to the internet.  I know the name makes it sound corny but if it works who cares. I'm not going to say that it fixed all my issues but I will say that I have been forgetting less and that has help me at work and personal life which makes me happier in general.  

This Brain Tonic is made by Native Remedies and costs about $33-$35 depending if you go through their site or a re-seller like Amazon.  The site makes it sound like you are going to get pills but I ended up with the liquid form.  Directions are to take .5 mL every hour if you are just having "one of those days" (does this actually happen to non-ADD people?) or .5 mL 3 times a day for chronic issues.  That second one would be me.  I tried morning noon and before bed but that didn't seem to do much.  Now I leave it at work and take it at 8, 11, and 3.  That has helped keep me on track at least during work and gets me home.

Long term I would love to find out how I could not do supplements and just change my diet but I have yet to find anyone who thinks this is possible.  We shall see how everything pans out but one thing is true.  I have overcome a fear and changed for the better. 

Just stay still (workout without moving) - Part 2 Wall Sit

The most dreaded of the static exercises, or maybe just my personal nemesis, is the wall sit.  It is all the more daunting because it looks so easy.  We lean up against stuff all the time right?  That's all this really is.  You are just at a funny angle.  Here's how it goes: stand a foot or two away from the wall then lean back.  Slide you back down the wall until your knees form a right angle.  Then just hold it as long as you can.  Sounds simple right?  I think I made it about 30 second the first time I tried.

I hate photos like this.  Don't smile, be realistic. Grunt, grimace, grind your teeth in frustration, something, anything to show this exercise is not a pushover.  She is such a faker or she does this constantly for some kind of crazy wall sit competition.  

As you might have guessed, this is going to work your legs pretty hard.  First your quads. Quadriceps are the ones on the fronts of your thighs. These work to straighten you knee.  And your hamstrings. On the back of your thigh these are used to bend your knee. Needless to say after a couple sets of these your thighs might be a little warm (Warning: the previous sentence was a massive understatement)



Hope these are helping.  The next one is going to get a little weird.  It involves being upside down!


Just Stay Still Series:
1 Planks

He's going to pump..... You up!

My favorite fitness social media site, Fitocracy.com has teamed up with biggest fitness icon of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Together they have created something called the 1% Challenge.  Together they have created 5 workout routines (so far) that take about 15 minutes each.  There are strength and cardio as well as equipment and body weight routines. Where does the 1% come in?  15 minutes is roughly only 1% of your 24 hr day.

I've talked about Fitocracy before but adding in these routines takes it up a notch.  Your not just blindly trying out exercises to see what works, though that's not always a bad way to begin.  All of these routines have video tutorials which is great for beginners who aren't sure of correct form.  In preparation for writing this post I watched a couple and I would even recommend them to people who know the exercises.  There are some good tips on how to keep your form all the way through the routine.

My favorite Routine is B or the Body Weight Circuit.  These means you can do all the exercises without buying any equipment going to the gym or even being at home.  If you live out of a suitcase you still don't have an excuse for not doing these.  Once again this is a great routine for beginners because it's much harder to injure yourself with no heavy objects around.  If this gets too easy you can always up your repetitions or jump over to the intermediate body weight routine D.

To ease myself back into working out and make sure I don't injure myself like I did last time this is how I'm starting off.  Personally I have added in some crunches and side planks but as with any exercise routine only do what feels comfortable to you.

//Actuator//