It doesn't get better

  As a kid you wake up every day and make choices.  Who will I sit by at lunch?  What color trapper keeper will I have?  Is Jimmy my best friend or is Matt?  Tough decisions; every single one.  As we progress through adolescence we are faced with even tougher issues.  Will I get to sit with the cool kids?  Are my clothes cool?  Who should I take to winter formal?  And this cycle of increasingly difficult daily choices goes on, and on, and on, and on.  High school gets worse.  College seems impossible.  Working to live is terrible.  And working to live and going to college at the same time is just the worst.  I can't even imagine going to work, paying for school, paying a mortgage, and raising a tiny parasite person.

  The fact is life is hard.  More importantly life is subjectively hard. Growing up we didn't have the tools to deal with the stresses of carrying around the wrong color trapper keeper.  Our date to winter formal was a life changing decision.  What you choose to major in college will set the course of your entire life.  

  I was working the other day when a young lady, about my age, entered the gym.  I greeted her with a casual, "Hi there, how are you?"  Her dismayed response genuinely surprised me.  "Just terrible.  I don't have any time for anything I want to do.  Works taking over my life and I am just so stressed."  I gave her the "oh god I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to say to that" customer service smile and feigned any sense of caring and understanding with a half hearted reply of, "Well it gets better."  She huffed off and left me with my own words spinning in my head.

  Like a programmed robot I just spat those words from my mouth.  Not even truly believing them myself they spewed out of my mouth.  So I took a moment to think about what I said.  "It gets better."

What a crock of shit.

The truth is it doesn't get better.  Life only gets harder.  And nobody seems to want to say that.  We walk around with a false sense of confidence that tomorrow will be better.  Or once I get my degree then everything will be great.  Or after I get my dream job or go here or do this or do that, life will be better.

  Life is always hard.  But what matters is that through every hardship we face, whether it be a failed high school romance, the death of a loved one, or just facing the toils of every day life, we are growing.  We are growing and learning how to face these tough decisions every single day.  And it's not a matter of life getting easier.  It comes down to you getting better at life and having more tools to cope with these tough situations.

So whatever it is you are struggling with, don't give up.  Today maybe wasn't your day.  Hell, tomorrow might be worse.  But get through it.  Because even if life doesn't get better, you will. 


With good health and strong hamstrings,
Mike

Chunks! Do the Truffle Shuffle! An American Epidemic

    On June 9th, 1989, the world was graced with a beautiful baby boy.  In a time before the internet blogs, (maybe you've seen mine?) cell phones, and 500 cable television channels, this charming boy would grow up playing street hockey with other neighborhood boys, running and jumping on the playground equipment, and exploring the great outdoors that was Nancy Rd in Waterloo, IA.  Fighting childhood asthma and crippling allergies, this boy never spent a moment indoors if he didn’t have to.  Mostly because my parents would lock the door and only let me back inside to eat or drink.  Did I mention that boy was me?  Must have slipped my mind. 

Ask me if I still wear this outfit.  The answer is yes.

 I grew up in a time where children didn’t stare idly at an iPad for hours on end.  Before your number of twitter followers determined how cool you were.  A time where you spent your leisure time running, jumping, and playing with the neighbors.  Times have changed with dire consequences.  Today children are less active than they have ever been.  This sedentary lifestyle in children is creating an epidemic that is slowly killing our nation.

As I began researching youth health and fitness I had a general idea of what I was getting into.  I was getting into a population of youth today that are overweight, sedentary, and according to many recent studies not going to outlive their parents.  Wait, what?  How could scientists believe that with medical advances our generation wouldn’t have longer lifespans than our parents?  This is where I realized I had opened Pandora’s box on a topic that we are only beginning to truly understand.

I knew the numbers weren’t going to be pretty.  I have done previous research on the current state of our nation’s health.  70% of our nation is overweight, 1 in 3 adults are obese, Type II diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases; everything sucks, ad nauseam.  As I began to research specifically how this epidemic is affecting our youth I was shocked by what I found.

Children today are not as active as they used to be.  A study conducted in 2011 showed that only 29% of high school students had participated in 60 minutes of physical activity over a 7 day period.  14% of those surveys had not participate in 60 minutes of physical activity on any day over a 7 day period.  Most experts believe this is due to playing video games, watching television, and surfing the internet.

Before we start a “the ‘gun’ killed the child’s health, not the child’s decision,” argument, let’s look at the bigger issue.  Stupidity.  Despite all of the information that is out there on health and fitness, the general population still is not educated properly on the benefits of physical activity.  To me, this lack of information starts in our school systems.  

Physical education today is not given the level of importance it deserves.  Programs in all levels of schooling are being cut back; that is if they even exist in the first place.  Only 52% of high school students attended physical education classes on a weekly basis in 2011.  

Reading this research took me back to my middle school PE class at Sacred Heart Parochial School.  Twice a week we changed into our gym class uniforms, did some jumping jacks, and all the stronger kids who hit puberty way before me physically belittled the rest of us with dodgeballs.  Good on the physical, not so good on the educational, traumatizing on the emotional.

So why put our kids through this gauntlet of rubber balls, plastic butt scooters, and emotional emasculation?  As I said earlier, times have changed.  Today’s typical physical education program is very different in a very good way.  Physical education focuses on teaching children the importance of being active and that everyone can be active.  Gone are the contests that favor the big strong kids.  They have been replaced with programs that challenge kids to set personal performance goals that support good health.  

The finger pinches still hurt.

When I was researching, that was probably my favorite thing to find.  Not the picture of the butt scooter but that adults are trying to teach young people how to live healthy and be active.  That despite budget cuts people are still trying to educate their children.  I loved to see that we as a country are starting to open our eyes to this growing problem.  It was my favorite thing to find because it gives me hope that I will be able to find a job doing what I want to do.  And that is educating young people on the importance of being active, playing outside, turning off the XBOX and turning on their imaginations.

If we are to move forward as a healthy, successful nation, our children’s health must become a priority.  We must hold ourselves accountable for our own health and future, taking a person responsibility for ourselves and for those around us.

 It was in the blog title.

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike

Fitness 101: An Introduction to Exercise

Today, you need only to have a stable internet connection and a small amount of curiosity to find a workout program.  However with all of the information regarding workout programs it is hard to decide what program is best for you.  So I have sifted through the garbage and will give you some fundamental information I feel everyone should  know about exercise and fitness.

Step into your local gym and you will find a plethora of people grinding out hours upon hours on treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, and all sorts of cardiovascular machines.  While many of these fitness enthusiasts know cardiovascular, or aerobic training is “good” for them, most do not know why.  The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise a week.  This type of training is categorized between a 3-6 difficulty on a scale of 1-10 for that person.  To get more specific, it would be exercise where your heart rate is between 55 and 75 percent of your calculated maximal heart rate.  This type of exercise usually last 20-60 minutes at a steady level of difficulty.  When looking at a general population at the gym, typically this is the type of exercise being conducted on a treadmill or elliptical.

So why spend two and a half hours a week on a treadmill?  This moderate level of aerobic exercise does wonders for the cardiovascular system.  Short term effects include decreases in adipose tissue, increased energy, improved mood due to the release of endorphins, better sleep quality, and improved skeletal muscle endurance.  Where some of the best benefits are seen is in the long term.  With a healthier cardiovascular system we see lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, decreased risk of major diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and an overall longer lifespan.  

Moderate aerobic training is an excellent way to start working out.  However over time most people will start exploring HIIT.  HIIT is high intensity interval training. HIIT incorporates a very different training approach.  Instead of maintaining  a steady elevated heart rate for a long period of time, HIIT rapidly increases and decreases the heart rate over a shorter period of time.  This type of training uses time intervals usually between 15-30 seconds to rapidly increase the heart rate followed by short rest periods to bring the heart rate down.  These exercises bring the heart rate up to 75% of the calculated maximal heart rate for that individual.  Common exercises in HIIT training include short distance sprints,  kettlebell exercises, and jump training.

HIIT has many of the same short term benefits as moderate intensity aerobic training.  However these benefits are often greatly exaggerated.  HIIT has been found to burn more fat during and after working out.  In training the upper tier of cardiovascular capacity we see great improvements in cardiovascular health.  These improvements mirror that of moderate intensity aerobic training in almost every way.  HIIT is often seen as a more efficient way to conduct cardiovascular training as it usually only takes 15-30 minutes.

Bros knocking out curls, powerlifters squatting 400+ pounds, pushup century sets; let’s talk about strength training.  Resistance training is an essential part of a well rounded fitness regimen.  The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends two or more days a week of resistance training.  This guideline places emphasis on training the major muscle groups such as back, legs, chest, arms, and shoulders.  Types of resistance training exercise include weight lifting and body weight training. Pick up a set of dumbbells and you can get started on any number of resistance training programs.

Resistance training does not train the cardiovascular system as it is anaerobic. The benefits for resistance training are seen in the skeletal muscular system.  Short term benefits of resistance training include increased muscle mass and stamina, improved posture, increased flexibility, and reduced stress.  The long term benefits are outstanding.  These included improved bone mass linked to a decreased risk of osteoporosis, lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure, decreased risk of cancer and diabetes, and decreased risk of injury.

Resistance training programs can become very specific depending on your own personal goals.  Different set and rep ranges coupled with rest periods can yield very different results in strength gains.  Some of my personal favorites programs include 5-3-1, 5x5, PHAT, and German Volume Training.  I intend to write more on these topics later.  But in the meantime be sure to research what specific benefits each program offers and choose a program that coincides with your own strength goals.

Between these three types of exercise methods there are countless ways to improve your health and fitness.  Each type of program has very different benefits that can help anyone become a healthier individual.  However it is important to know that the best results are achieved by incorporating all three of these types of exercises to create a well rounded fitness program.

Before you start throwing weights around and literally running in circles there is one major fitness myth I want to dispel.  That is the myth that doing “X” exercise or “Y” fitness class you will become ripped and lean and mean in 30-90 days.  This is a blatant lie.  Don’t get me wrong, you will notice small changes in your body within the first few weeks of starting an exercise program; the key word there is “SMALL.”  Things you’ll notice might be falling asleep a bit faster, not hitting that 2:00 PM energy wall, or your legs being less tired after a long day on your feet. These companies, individuals, and organizations are only trying to sell you the idea of get fit fast. 

The important thing to remember is that fitness is a long slow grind, and consistency is key.  I don’t mean to discourage you from trying a certain program but don’t be disheartened if you don’t have those six pack abs John Basedow promised you after 30 days.  That being said, find a program, stick to it as strictly as possible, and before you know it you will be writing a fitness blog that only my mom reads.  Love you mom.  

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike

The Rules: Revisited, Volume 2

6.  Read for fun

  This rule is the leg work of rule number 2.  In order to know a little bit about a lot of things reading is essential.  While I am a huge fan of Netflix documentaries and learning though them, they are too passive.  Reading actively engages you in the material you are learning about.

Reading doesn't have to be a chore.

  Whether you are reading a dissertation on "The Differential Effects of Bilateral Tax Treaties," or this weeks Deadpool issue, the important thing is you are enjoying reading and learning.  Find something, anything you enjoy reading and do it!  Reading and learning will broaden your horizons and make you a more well rounded individual.  

  Besides making you more interesting it is common knowledge that reading has many benefits.  Everything from reduced stressed to improved memory and analytical skills can be achieve just by picking up a book.

7.  If you talk to dogs in a normal voice, I can never trust you.

  This one is pretty simple.  Dogs are the best people.  They are loyal, loving, and just plain fun.  Essentially making them furry four legged toddlers.  And who talks to toddlers with stern and precise statements?  Sociopaths.  That's who.  Treat all dogs like you would a small child and I will trust you.

8.  Your friends are the family you pick, treat them as such.

  As we grow older and take with us the knowledge our parents have imparted onto us, we tend to gradually grow apart from them as we discover ourselves.  I'm not necessarily saying that is a good thing but it happens.  However throughout our lives we need love and support from other people.  

  Enter your friends.  Take a second and think about all the things your friends do for you.  A stupid text that makes you laugh, a pick me up phone call when you are having a bad day, encouraging you to write a blog.  Everyday these people you surround yourself with are there for you.  Maybe not in a physical sense but emotionally and mentally they always have your back.  As our families fade our friends pick up the slack.

  And that is why you should treat them as family.  They are loving you, caring for you, and supporting you in all the ways your family has.  To me, other than minor genetic differences, there is no difference between family and friends.  Show them the same kind of love you would show a brother or sister and you will be amazed how much stronger your friendships will become.

9.  Don't take yourself too seriously.

  In the words of the great Van Wilder, "You shouldn't take life too seriously.  You'll never get out alive."  What a role model.  There is some real truth to that quote though.  In my experience if you take yourself to seriously you miss out on the joys of everyday life.  

  I like to tell people the story of how I literally choked while trying to talk to a cute girl.  When I say literally choked I mean I physically choked on my own spit and couldn't even speak to her when she approached me.  It was quite the experience.

  Now I could have taken this one of two ways.  I could have gotten all huffy puffy and butt hurt over how I looked ridiculous and stupid to this young lady.  Or I could have a hilarious story to share with my friends.  Guess which one I went with.

  Everything isn't going to go your way.  Some days are really going to pile on the suck.  But if you learn to check your ego and laugh at yourself you will be much happier.

10. DO MOAR SQUATZ!!!

  Finally!  I'm talking about fitness on my fitness blog!  If you haven't heard the "good news" yet, prepare yourself for a small sermon on the squat.

  In the weightlifting kingdom there is a king, queen, and prince.  King Deadlift is a mighty ruler who's ability to promote gains amongst his lesser subjects is infallible and undeniable.  However I find King Deadlift's spouse, Her Majesty Squat, to be just as important in governing your muscular gains.  Prince Bench Press is there better known, more commonly used on #flexfriday, adopted son.  

  Whether you are looking to gain muscle, lose fat, increase sport performance or just improve the quality of your daily life, the squat should be a center piece for your exercise program.

  As a compound, or multijoint, movement the squat engages a larger number of muscles than a single joint movement such as the court jester, the bicep curl.  This greater muscular recruitment creates an anabolic environment in your body that actually promotes muscular growth in areas that aren't even technically engaged!  This is done through the release of hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones that will flow throughout your entire body.

    Once you have gained a bit of muscle from squatting your basal metabolic rate will increase.  This means you are burning more calories as you are just sitting around.  This is because your body uses more calories to support and sustain muscle than it does for fat.  Boom.  Bye bye fat, hello lean muscle mass.

  On a more subjective note, who doesn't want a tight and firm booty?  I mean the muscular gains and health benefits of squatting are great, but really I just want to have a nice but.  And I'm sure you do too.

  There are a billion million zillion ways to program the squat.  So many so that a quick google search of squat programs can be a little intimidating.  To me, the barbell squat is the gold standard.  I would recommend any person new to weightlifting start there.  Keep in mind that doing compound exercises for a larger number of repetitions can be very difficult, but on the other end finding a good 3x3 weight while still learning form and technique can be just plain dangerous.  

  So, find a weight that you can comfortably squat for 3 sets of 10-12 reps to near fatigue.  Near fatigue being you have the ability to do 1 or 2 more reps if you had to but don't do those reps.  Eventually you will be able to move into higher repetitions with lower weights or higher weights with lower repetitions.  Just give yourself some time and consistency and you will get there.  The possibilities are endless once you learn how to squat properly!  Be sure to find someone to coach you through the basics of the movement as you are starting out too.

   

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike

The Rules: Revisited, Volume 1

  About a year ago I was trying to figure out what kind of person I was.  I wrestled with the ideas and things that I found to be important and hold the most value.  I assembled these ideas into a list of rules to live by.  The list was extensive, including over 50 rules that I thought were important to my own happiness.  After revisiting that list I have decided to reevaluate and share that list and my reasoning behind each rule.  I plan to do this over a series of entries in the weeks and months to come.  I am sharing these not only because I'm super arrogant and am living a better life than you and think I can tell you how to live your life, but also as an exercise in self-reflection.

1.  Allow yourself to experience every emotion and every feeling you have, good or bad.

  I'm a bit of an oddball as a male.  I have never had any problem understanding, expressing, and sharing my feelings.  While many men seem to bottle up and hide how they feel, I wear my emotions on my sleeve.  I believe this is central to who I am as a person and has shaped me in every way.  Every day we go through a range of emotions.  From happy to sad and back again our feelings are in constant flux.

  Where people seem to miss the point of connecting with those feelings.  We get upset over a bad day at work, stress from school, and any number of things.  I see so many people who don't step back to truly understand WHY they are feeling that way.  Most people will take a bad day and be sad or angry and fall into a spiraling pit of emotions that will affect their daily lives.

It's ok to be sad.  It's ok to be angry.

  That took me a long time to realize.  Once you embrace, accept, and understand that sometimes you just need to cry it out, the good days get that much better.  Not every day is perfect and once you learn to live with those harder feelings life becomes so much more enjoyable.

2.  Know something about a lot of different things.

  I have always loved the idea of the Renaissance Man, or the man for all seasons.  The idea was that a true gentlemanly man was well rounded.  He could speak several languages, play a musical instrument, he studied sciences, philosophy, and wrote poetry.  While it is somewhat romanticized, I believe the same idea can apply to our own knowledge and interests.

  

  Fitness is my biggest passion.  However I don't spend hours every single day reading and studying fitness.  I pursue several different areas of intellectual interest.  Anything from astronomy to politics.  And I believe this basic knowledge has made me a more rounded person.  

Once you step outside of what you already know, that is when you begin to grow as a person.

  There is something beautiful to me about seeking knowledge.  And if you are only sticking to one field you can never see or begin to understand someone else's opinion.

3.  Love everyone

  Hippie alert!  I know it sounds like poorly written 60s music lyrics, but I believe loving all people for who they are is one of the bravest things we can do.  

  Today there is an "us versus them" mentality everywhere you go.  Liberals vs conservatives, whites vs blacks, gays vs straights, Muslims vs Christians, rich vs poor.  You get the idea.  There is something we all forget all too often.

We are all people.

  Everyone comes from somewhere or someone or something different.  Our lives and upbringing and current situation may be nothing alike.  But once you step back and see in front of you a human person, not someone who is different from you but someone who has hopes and dreams and fears and family and friends just like you, you can begin to love them for who they are.

4.  Don't be a dick.

  This kind of goes back to rule 3.  Everyone has something going on in their life.  Whether they are struggling financially, maybe their mother just died, maybe they just lost their job and don't know how they are going to provide for their family.  The fact of the matter is life is hard for everyone.

There is no reason for you to make it harder on them in any capacity.

  Being a dick is simply being selfish.  When you place your wants or needs above someone else you are a dick.  If we could step back and try to understand what someone else is going through then maybe we can start to love everyone a little bit more.  If we respect each other then there is no reason why we can't help each other ride this crazy roller coaster of life.

5.  Find something or someone you love and give it/them your everything.

  Rule 5 plays hand in hand with the idea that you get out of something what you put into it.  I've learned that my best experiences and my best relationships, romantic or otherwise, are the ones that I invest the most into.  Once you invest into something you love, the payouts are nothing but amazing.

This can be scary at first.

  Self doubt is the only thing stopping you from doing this.  The fears of, "What happens if it doesn't work out," or "what if I don't succeed?"  What if, what if, what if!?  Our fears keep us from taking that chance and going after something that deep down we know we want.  So, stop being afraid and take that chance.  Once you have invested yourself in whatever it is you love and want then you can step back and ask the right "what if" question.

What if I never would have?

  Something, something, Robert Frost, the road less traveled. 

   

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike

  

   

New Year's: Resolved

 The holidays are over you Christmas-ham-eating, eggnog-slurping, candy-laden, lazy-Susan abusers.  It’s time to resolve to be a better, healthier, more fit version of yourself.  And don’t give me that “New year, new me!” crap.  Just because it’s January 1st doesn't mean you all of a sudden don’t love eating bacon and watching Game of Thrones on your friend’s HBO Go account. But this year?  You have me.  I’m going to teach you how you can improve those New Year’s resolutions and make them last longer than Allen Iverson’s music career.

 Just like being a community college graduate with a blog doesn't make you a writer, setting a New Year’s resolution doesn't mean you have set a goal.  One of the most common resolutions people have every year is to lose weight.  Unfortunately this barely qualifies as a resolution,  nowhere close to being a goal, not quite a concept, maybe almost a notion.   The “goal” of losing weight is as vague as the end of “Inception.”  In order for something to be a goal there are a few simple requirements.  

When setting a goal, be specific.

 How much weight do you want to lose?  Being even pickier, when do you want to lose it by?  These two simple questions will give centralize your idea and help set up a plan to achieve that goal.

 Alright, so now you have your goal of losing 30 pounds before Valentine’s day because I’ll be damned if I am spending another Valentine’s day drunk by myself at the Olive Garden...

Kevin Spacey says it best. Always.

 

Goals have to be achievable.

 Setting a goal is like cooking bacon.  You have to cook it to the right amount of crispiness without burning or undercooking it.  That is, in goal setting there exists a sweet spot between a goal that is too easy and a goal that is too difficult.  (For those of you keeping score, that is two bacon references.)  Set a goal that will challenge you but not one that is so difficult that it will scare you away.

 So now we have taken your ambiguous/ambitious resolution and turned it into a specific, time- bound, achievable goal.  What used to be, “I want to lose weight,” now sounds more like “I will lose 15 pounds by April 1st.”  Or “I want to get stronger,” is now quantified as “I want to increase all of my power lifts by 10 lbs by March 1st.”  See how much cleaner that sounds?!

Your next step is to make a plan.  For everything.  Things like when and where you will work out, what you will do on days that you can’t work out, what you’re going to eat, when you are going to cook, when you are going to grocery shop.  Having flexible contingency plans for different situations will make you more successful in the long run.

Planning is the most difficult and most important step of goal setting.   

 Planning how you will achieve your goal can often be tedious and time consuming.  Once your plan is set you will find that following through with that plan is much easier than you thought.

 Last and certainly not least is going out and doing it.  Follow through with your plan.  Whether your plan involves eating healthier, adding more physical activity to your daily routine, or spending 3 hours at the gym every day; get out and do it!  But I’m going to let you in on a big secret.  

You are going to fail.

 How is that for positivity?  When I say fail, I don’t necessarily mean you won’t achieve your goal; I mean your plan is going to fall apart.  You are going to stumble and end up on the couch waiting for that second box of macaroni and cheese to finish cooking instead of being at the gym.  And that is completely okay.  We all fall off the fitness wagon from time to time.  The important thing is to dust those potato chip crumbs off your t-shirt and get back to it.

 While this entry has centered around weight loss, it is important to note that these goal setting tips can be used for any type of fitness related goal.  Set a specific, time-bound, achievable goal, make a plan, and go out and become a better, healthier, more fit version of yourself!

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike