The Fitness Guru

Is it just me, or does it seem like this past December was a resounding kick to the stomach and we are only now starting to stumble up? The Flu? Possibly. The economy? Could be. Maybe it is just me but everyone seems a little tweaked, and not just in the Oh-my-God-Oh-thank-God-Apocalypse-Deliverance-Good-Cop-Bad-Cop reactions to the Massachusetts election. In the small sphere of the studio, things are off: Rippy Cutty boy shows up looking like a deer in the headlights instead of the noble morning warrior; the Boot Camp seems to have overdosed on Xanax; and with nerves frayed, many seem to be edging for a fight of one kind or another, even if they are not quite sure of the topic.

Did we all quit sugar and caffeine at the same time? Was that the group resolution and I just missed the memo?

No, it’s more than that. Folks are freaked. No one is quite sure where we’re headed, there is very little faith in “the system”, and many want to simply stay huddled up in the cave until the storm passes. Perfectly understandable, I say. Understandable, sure, but impossible to do. We have to get up, get out, go to work, the whole nine yards.

And I see all of this anxiety and stress wear away at all these people. And what’s the first thing to go out the window? Health and well-being. You’re not quitting the sugar and caffeine. You’re OD’ing on them. You are tanked and you are reaching for that muffin or that extra cup of coffee (or three). At the brand new DUMBO candy store, Tootsie Rolls are flying off the shelves. Anything for that little burst of energy.

But that just creates a vicious cycle that brings us further and further down. More sugar, more caffeine, more stress at work, less sleep, less peace, more tired, more sugar……..you get the idea.

So how on earth are you going to break this cycle?!? I know, I know!……it’s out of your control, it’s tough at work, you can’t get it all done, there’s too much stuff, too little time, aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!……………

Wrong.

Here are three simple ideas, not the be-all-end-all, but certainly a good start:

1. Start to cut back on the amount of sugar and caffeine you consume. It’s tough but it’s an addiction like any drug, and this drug is bringing you down, baby. If you want the coffee and sugar, have it but then back off after lunch. You’ll probably have to take a nap on your desk, but that’s better than getting a poor night’s sleep.

2. Schedule one 5-minute period at one point in the day when you can simply breathe and relax. Five minutes is all it will take to allow your system to reload. And once you calm yourself down, it’s like a second wind. You’ll find you have more focus and energy and can accomplish more than you could a few minutes before. Not sure about this one? Try this 5-minute Relaxation podcast. Or just set a timer, close your eyes and breathe.

3. Be present. So much going on, so many responsibilities. It is very easy to get perpetually distracted. Have you been in a conversation with someone recently and noticed that you have no idea what they said for the last few minutes? Take some time for yourself and practice being present. Be aware of where you are and that that is all that is important for the moment. Nothing is going to change, nothing is going to destruct. Just enjoy that moment and be present for yourself. You will find that, as an exercise, it is very refreshing. And, as a practice, it will give you a brand new source of energy and power. And couldn’t we all use a little bit of that?

If all else fails, take a moment and watch the video:

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

Thank God! The Times Wellness Blog has been kind enough to post the results of yet another study suggesting that we can get fit in six minutes a week. Think of everything else we will have time for now. More work, more Blackberry, more emails, more Facebook, more Twitter, more blogs on wellness, more reality television. It’s like a dream come true.

Needless to say, I’m bothered yet again. You’d think by now I would stop reading these articles. The truth is–I have. This one was sent to me by my buddy, Seth, so I read it. Some day I will learn. My time could be spent doing other things.

The study is an interesting account of endurance training. The results suggest that endurance gains made through long term training can be matched through six minutes of very intense interval training per week. Great! For all the endurance athletes out there, that is good to know. As I am training for a marathon, it warms my heart to know that, if I am in a pinch, I can train for six hardcore minutes each week and that will benefit my endurance.

Here’s the problem: there is a suggestion, though no proof in the study, that the intense intervals will improve weight loss. Also, there is only brief mention of how INCREDIBLY taxing these all out intense intervals need to be. So Joe Average American is kicking back with the morning coffee and reading that maybe he can get rid of his gut (and 2 out of every 3 Joes in this country has a gut to get rid of) by running all out intervals for six minutes. He wanders off to his neighborhood gym where there is little in the way of supervision and he busts a move on the treadmill. His body, in no way, shape or form ready for such intensity, starts to break down, and in little to no time at all, Joe is injured, out of the game, and spends the next six months bemoaning his ill-fated attempt to lose his gut, which, due to his inactivity, continues to grow.

And even that doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is this: this is all being written up in the Times WELLNESS blog. Wellness. Well-ness. That word, for me, suggests a balance of mind, body and spirit. Where is the balance in reporting on a study like this?

In this day and age, we have too much interference on a minute-to-minute basis with our well-being. We are so busy focusing on everything around us that we rarely take the time to take care of ourselves. Disagree? Fine. Turn off your email for a day. Avoid Facebook or Twitter or your cell phone or your television or Youtube. Let’s go Hardcore Thoreau and just focus on you and the world around you, in that moment. Won’t happen. Can’t happen. We’re not wired like that anymore. And, consequently, we are left doing damage to our bodies and souls because of this unconscious addiction to stress. If you like studies, check out the one from MIT regarding Blackberry addiction (Crackberry) and stress. (Author’s note: the iPhone, with its 15.2 billion apps, ain’t a whole lot better.)

Exercise is your opportunity to free your body and your mind. Take an hour to do something that you enjoy doing and the benefits are tremendous, from healthier organs to happy moods and greater productivity in the workplace. A gentleman mentioned in the NYT Wellness article that six minutes is perfect for him because, as a 41-year old father of two, he doesn’t have the time to exercise “for hours.” I’m the 42-year old father of two and I say “Horse Feathers!” It’s not a question of hours. It is a question of making time on a regular basis to tend to yourself. Weight loss becomes the added benefit of that care. You want to lose weight? Feed yourself the right fuels, stay active and do things to reduce your stress level. It’s always the people who say that they don’t have an hour to spare that are most in need of sparing the hour. It’s your personal meditation. Not hippy-dippy-trippy Eastern meditation (though, folks, if you haven’t tried it, you really really should), but meditation in the spirit of relaxing and refocusing your energy to better serve your well-being, your family’s well-being, your goals and your quality of life.

Wellness Blog: get it together. There is no room in my schedule for six minutes a week. I’d rather run for an hour.

My good friend, Ron Navarre, is taking part in the TENTH ANNUAL World Tai Chi-Qigong Day Celebration in Central Park. Ron is a world class Tai Chi teacher and he is taking part as a special demonstrator. He is also the creator of Stress Defense, a program designed to help people deal with stress through the Eastern arts (show of hands– who’s stressed?!?! Check out the link).

Ron Navarre

If you have time this Saturday, head out to Central Park and check out the event. If you don’t have time ’cause you’re just too busy– all the more reason why you should carve out the time and attend.

You could see the writing on the wall at the Oscars last week. The Best Supporting Actor award goes to the handsome actor who was struck down at the height of a very young career for a role in which he mocks the seriousness of the world around him. “Why so serious?” For some reason, I mutter that to myself every so often. It’s not just a little disconcerting.

I’m giving up my subscription to the NY Times. And I’ve stopped reading most major publications for that matter. The Times, my friend since high school, has simply become way too much of a downer. Things are bad, we all know that, and the papers just seem to want to hammer it home. I’m not sure if I know anyone out there celebrating– well, one person, actually, but I won’t say names because then he stands a chance of a being hunted down and beaten with sticks.

I received these two videos over the weekend within about 15 minutes of each other:

(From Josie Namaste)

(From Rippy Cutty Boy)

“Hope isn’t a strategy.” You have no idea how many times I have heard that phrase recently. It is supposed to be a battle cry, I think, our generation’s “Don’t just sit there, do something.” But its also a dismissal, and that’s problematic. Hope isn’t a strategy, but neither is fear, anxiety, depression or apathy. Take away hope and you take away courage.

What does this have to do with a fitness blog? Stress is a killer. Not simply a killer of the human body but a killer of the human spirit. And as we are moving forward through this time of crisis in the world, it becomes even more important to take a look at how we deal with stress individually and as a community.

I have always suggested to people that they look at their exercise time as true recreation. Its an opportunity in our busy days to re-create ourselves in the image of what we want to be. We control our destinies. That’s why I love what I do– taking people past their own images of themselves and introduce them to potential they never knew existed.

In this time of intense pressures and unknown, offer yourself the opportunity to re-create who you are and offer the idea to those around you. Change your point of view.

When I was running the NYC Marathon a few years ago, I spoke to my friend, Christopher Bergland. Christopher is the ultra-endurance runner’s ultra-endurance runner. He has competed in every major ultra-endurance challenge you can imagine. Certainly a man with this sort of background would have great advice for me. I asked him what to do when the race gets tough, those moments when you just don’t remember why you are on the road. He said, “smile.” Come on, Chris, give me something more– what’s the trick? The TRICK?!?! Smile, he said, and you will feel the change come over you. Sure enough, mile 14 was a bitch, and I thought about what Christopher said and I….smiled. It was the same race, thousands all around me, fourteen miles behind me and over twelve miles to go. But the moment that I smiled, all the pain and confusion washed away. Why? I don’t care. I only know that it worked.

One last video, also from this weekend. It’s tough, but stick around for the end. Wait for it: