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Fitness Tip of the Week
I had a conversation this week with someone who was looking to shed a few pounds. After thinking on the topic, I realized there are a few ways we can go ahead and address this issue. In this weeks newsletter, we are going to focus on the phrase "what gets measured gets managed" to help get you on the right path towards trimming some poundage. In order for us to get to Point B (our bodyweight goal) we must know our Point A (our current bodyweight). So, lets say you weigh 212 pounds and by the end of the year, you want to weight 200. The next step would be to reverse engineer the problem and realize that in order to get to 200, I have to lose one pound a month. This is nothing drastic. That is roughly one-quarter of a pound per week. I think we can all agree that is reasonable. Now, here is the important part, schedule a weekly weigh-in to ensure you are staying on track. Remember, what gets measured gets managed. So here is what I would recommend: Every Wednesday check your weight to see how the week is going. If you hit your goal for the week, then what you did worked, nice job. If you do not hit the goal, then give yourself a day of redemption on Friday and re-check. The weekly weigh-in is not a life or death experience. It is a learning experience. What I've Been Thinking About... Something has to give. For those who read this newsletter weekly, you all know this is set to be delivered to your inbox at 7:30 am on Sundays. Well, it is 6:15 am on delivery day and I am still writing, hoping to get it done by the scheduled time. Writing on the same day as delivery is usually not the case. I try to plan ahead and get the bulk of it done during the week so I only have to edit and send over the weekend. But this week, something had to give. My work schedule for the summer is roughly 7:30 am to 12:30 am. Prior to work, I try to read and exercise. After work, time is spent with Emilia as Marisa's work has really started to pick up (which is great by the way). Then, when we are all home, it is family time where we put the horses out, water the garden, spray Emi with a hose for 30+ minutes as she runs away and giggles, and then bedtime. As you can see, there is no mention of writing in there anywhere. I was speaking with a local business owner and we were talking about working and being a parent and in my opinion, having a career and being an involved parent is no easy task. If your work demands are 40+ hours per week, it leaves very little time to spend with your child. If you don't like that, then something has to give. If you aspire to be a parent, be prepared to give. There is another little life form who depends and needs you! Fitness & Adolescence Roughly 8 years ago I was coaching high school football and we had a baseball player join the team prior to his senior year. He shows up to the weight room one day and realizes something: I am weak! He doesn't have the technique down and his strength is poor. He looks more like a 7th or 8th grader lifting for the first time than a kid who can drive to and from practice. Meanwhile, his senior classmates who have been in the weight room consistently for 3-4 years were able to pack on strength at incredible rates. Every year, 25-40 pounds were added to their main lifts. Where, as an 8th grader they were lifting 100 pounds for reps, by the time they graduated they were using 225 for reps. When parents ask when is a good age to begin an organized strength training program, the age 11 or 12 usually comes to mind. This is the beginning of those middle school years where the child is starting to mature. The thought is this: teach the techniques prior to puberty, then, when puberty hits, the strength improvements tend to soar at incredibly fast rates. If you want to have a strong child, take advantage of this window of opportunity because when its gone its gone! What I've Been Reading... Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Carol Hooven A few months ago I heard the author on a podcast and I was immediately intrigued. One of the topics discussed was that of South African track star Caster Semenya. The story of Semenya is a complicated one but basically she was born with a Disorder of Sex Development which, in her case, has both male and female reproductive parts. Due to her disorder, her testes are internal and she has lived her life as a female. Now, because of the internal testes, her body produces high levels of testosterone for a female. BUT, because of her disorder, her body cannot use that testosterone which is why she presents as a female. Confusing, I know. Either way, this is why I bought the book to try to gain some clarity on the issue. So far, so good as I am about half way through. More on this book to come... Quote of the Week "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers" -- Socrates I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck
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Fitness Tip of the Week
George Bernard Shaw once said, "We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing". I was listening to an interview with Erwan Le Corre, owner of MovNat, an organization that focuses on building real world physical competency, If you are like me, you may be asking, "what is real world physical competency?" This is our ability to navigate our way through anything that life has to offer in the physical domain. This is allowing us to be someone who can be useful if there is an emergency and not be a hindrance. It means we are able to walk or run long distances when your cell phone no longer works to get help. It means that we should be able to balance on a beam or walk across a downed tree, pick up and move something heavy, carry objects for distance, jump from one thing to another, hang or pull yourself over a bar, swim a certain distance, or any other thing we may encounter in life. The natural environment provides us with plenty of opportunities to train these areas. I am sure if you look out your window you can find something heavy to move, something to balance on, a tree to hang from, and something to jump from. If your yard doesn't provide this, we can bring this obstacle course mentality to the gym. Drag a sled, carry a weight, walk across a beam, throw an object, climb something, roll on the ground, crawl, and whatever else you can come up with. Training doesn't always have to be conventional. Start playing around with some of these ideas and see if it brings any joy to your training. What I've Been Watching... Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Netflix documentary) This documentary is about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka the FLDS. This religious sect is a fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon religion. They split from the church due to their adherent belief in polygamy, and a few other things, and set up their community in multiple towns across Arizona, Utah and Texas. I remember first hearing about this group in the early 2000’s when their leader Warren Jeffs was accused, arrested and found guilty of some pretty heinous things. Jeff's is a gross man who somehow rose to a position where he had thousands of followers believing he was their prophet and listened to every word he said. I discussed this documentary and other cult-ish behavior in my latest podcast episode which can be viewed here: When Does a Religion Become a Cult? or listened to on any major podcast streaming service. What I've Been Reading... Confessions by Leo Tolstoy No matter what it seems from the outside, you never know what someone is going through on the inside. Every time I hear a story about a seemingly happy person taking their life or when an ER doctor told me their rooms are full of suicidal teens, I think back to this book written by the great Leo Tolstoy. For me, the pivotal moment occurs when he writes, "and it was at this time that I, a fortunate man, removed a rope from my room where I undressed every night alone, lest I hang myself from the beam between the cupboards; and I gave up taking a rifle with me on hunting trips so as not to be tempted to end my life in such an all too easy fashion... All this was happening to me at a time when I was surrounded on all sides by what is considered complete happiness" This was the most successful writer of his time and he couldn't trust himself to go into the woods with a rifle or walk into his room with a rope out of fear he may take his life. This was a man who seemingly had it all, but yet he lacked something. He was never satisfied and always looking for more. He wanted to understand his purpose and what was the meaning life. Eventually he found what he needed and was able to live to the age of 82. This is a very quick read and the perspective gained from it is invaluable! On a Lighter Note... Last week we were at the Saucon Valley Farmers Market and once again and it was a great experience. We were able to meet a lot of people and have some interesting conversations. In addition to that, we were lucky, once again, to be placed right next to the music tent. Last month, Arianne Rox was incredibly nice and had a wonderful voice and the same could be said for this month with Christine & Company. While there, a catchy little tune came on that I couldn't quite place. My dad was singing it but he had no clue who it was. I got my phone out and started plugging in the lyrics and what came up was Fire by the Pointer Sisters. As it turns out, this song was written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. My father is a big Springsteen fan so that explains how he knew it. Anyway, I don't know much about the Pointer Sisters but this song was stuck in my head all week! Check the link out above to get a little Fire going in your life. Just be prepared to have this in your head all day... Well, Romeo and Juliet Samson and Delilah Quote of the Week "We lost because we told ourselves we lost" -- Leo Tolstoy I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck What I've Been Thinking About...
July 3rd was a long day. With fireworks rattling off in the distance, I was looking forward to getting some rest. As I made my way through the kitchen looking for a book, I took one big step and SMACK! I walked right into my daughters stool hitting my shin off the edge of it. It hurt like hell. I said to Marisa, "maybe today is just not my day". She said, "maybe today is your day". A few hours prior to this shin smacking incident I was driving on Interstate 78. As I was rounding a bend driving onto an on ramp, a vehicle next to me decided they were going to change lanes. The problem with this is that I was in the lane they were attempting to move into. I knew the contact was coming and it seemed like one hundred thoughts went through my mind in the one or two seconds prior to the accident. Once contact was made, it almost felt like we were playing a high speed game of bumper cars. As I got home, my daughter was a little sad hearing about what happened. She gave me, and the car, a few hugs as she was checking for damages. As we looked over the car, I realized that the accident occurred in the exact spot where she would sit if she were with me. That would have been terrible for her. I also wondered what would have happened if the other driver hit a little closer to the rear of the car. I guess I saw one too many NASCAR races where a driver gets spun out of control. Anyhow, accidents on the Interstate aren't always pretty. Maybe Marisa is on to something here and it was my lucky day that it wasn't worse! Fitness Tip of the Week This week we got our daughter signed up for pony camp in New Jersey. This is usually the highlight of the summer for Emilia as she would stay there all day if the farm would let her. During this time I looked up a few local trails and found a nice one to exercise. I spent the past few months doing some longer runs and building up a decent aerobic base. The pace for these runs was pretty slow but having Emi home in the summer and with work being busy, I haven't been able to continue to include these long runs and/or walks. They were taking up too much time! So, at this point in the summer, I changed the conditioning protocol to performing shorter, faster runs. Most of these runs are done between 20 and 40 minutes. If you are tired of your current plan or bored with steady state training, give this 40 minute workout a try! Here is how you do it…
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer As I look back on books that played a pivotal role in my interest in reading, this book is on the list. Under the Banner of Heaven is written incredibly well and it tells the story of the Mormon church and splinter cell groups like the Fundamentalist Church of Ladder Day Saints (This is the church that made headlines in the early 2000's due to their leader Warren Jeffs arrest). This book touches on the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, murder, the Mormon churches founding, frauding the government, polygamy, child brides, and dozens more controversial things associated with the church. What I've Been Reading... The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m Final by Richard Moore The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to one of the greatest, and most infamous races in the history of the sport. The 100 meter final saw Ben Johnson overcome his rival Carl Lewis and set a blazing World Record of 9.79. Since that day, only five people have ever posted a time equal to or better than that. It was a truly remarkable performance. The joy of this feat didn't last long for Johnson as he, and the rest of the world, were notified that he tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of his medal. Since then, the athletes involved in this race, their coaches, and Track & Field organizers have been embroiled in controversy, including America's golden boy Carl Lewis. If this topic interests you, Ben Johnson's coach Charlie Francis has an incredible book titled Speed Trap where he outlines the history of doping in the sport and how his athletes trained while using performance enhancing drugs. It is incredibly insightful. One other resource on the topic is the documentary Icarus which is available on most streaming services. Quote of the Week "It is better to starve to death in a calm and confident state of mind, than to live anxiously amidst abundance" - Epictetus I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck What I've Been Thinking About...
One of the first jobs I ever had in the fitness industry was at the LA Fitness in Easton, Pa. During my breaks I would pull out a book and read until the next appointment arrived. Each day there was an older gentlemen who came in with a newspaper and would talk to me about what I was reading. One of the days he asked if I ever read the newspaper. I told him that I did not and generally didn't have much interest. He was surprised by my response. My focus and attention was on the things of the past, not on the present day. He then said, well when are you going to read about the events of today? In 10 years when it comes out in the form of a book? I laughed and said probably. As it turns out, that is exactly what I am doing! News stories today live in an echo chamber. Depending on which network you go to, all you hear is dramatized talking points that get the people fired up. The anchors sell each talking point like it is World War Three and encourage all of you to get on the right side of history. The problem is that choosing a side creates division. At this moment in time, I do not believe our country needs any more division. We need more unity. Until the talking heads start doing that, I will be sticking to the history books! Fitness Tip of the Week 'Tis the season for vacations. I had a question this week about what to do while traveling and after some thought, I decided the 30/30/30 concept would get the job done. Here is how you do it: Perform an exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and continue doing that until 30 minutes have passed. The simplest way to do this is to select ten bodyweight exercises and perform them top to bottom for three total circuits. Here is an example of how I would format it...
Creating Moments... Last week we had our first Girls Camp at the farm and during the last day, I learned/realized something valuable... We had a five year old in the group who could not climb the rope all week. She kept trying and trying but it just wasn't happening. On the final day, she gave it another attempt. As she starts the other 12 girls, who happen to be much older, circle around and start chanting her name. She keeps fighting. She keeps climbing. The cheering doesn't stop. It gets louder and louder the closer she gets to the top. Then, the goal is reached. She made the climb and everyone cheers. I shared that video with her parents and they were appreciative of her effort but more appreciative of the moment that was created that day for their little girl. A moment that she will hopefully never forget. As a gym owner who works with kids, I came to realize the value of creating moments like this for everyone that walks in the door. It may not be as dramatic as everyone chanting and cheering your name but recognizing good effort and encouraging kids to try things they've never done before has incredible power. To learn the value of accomplishment through hard work and effort is one of those lessons that can last a lifetime. What I've Been Reading... Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willinck A few years ago I stumbled upon the man known as Jocko. He is a former Navy SEAL, blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, best selling writer, consultant for organizations, and much, much more. His book, "Extreme Ownership" changed the way I think about life. This field manual covers a lot of things. It is not a book that you would typically read front to back. It is a manual that you pick up when you may need a little jolt to get back on the path. Each page tells a story and gives the reader a little insight on how to apply some of these concepts to everyday life. Some topics covered include strategies and tactics for conquering weakness, procrastination, fear, physical training, sleep habits, food intake and more! Quote of the Week "Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things" -- Robert Brault I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck |
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