The Weekly Word: January 23, 2022

What I've Been Thinking About...
The role of a parent and making tough decisions. Our daughter will be four in March and we are at a point in the year where we have to get registered for next school year. The options are endless: no school, 3 days, 5 days, half days, full days, home school, etc. This year we are doing 3 half days and it seems to be working well. We will be exploring 5 half days in the future to see how Emi responds to it. 

As we were thinking about our time with her, we realized as she gets older, the hours together will slowly fade. School will occupy most of her day and when you add in extra-curricular activities, that leaves little time to spend together. There is no way to know what the right decision is in advance. You just have to make an educated choice and roll with it. That being said, the more time we spend thinking about it, the more we realize what is most important. It is not about what serves you most as a parent, it is what is going to best serve your child. It is our job to get our child prepared for the world and to be a positive force in it. At some point, we are going to have to "cut her loose" and start experiencing life. It just kind of stinks that it starts at such a young age! 

Fitness Tip of the Week
Last week I broke down how I planned to train in the new year. This week, I will be sharing my Six Week Training Plan for cardiovascular training. Having a fitbit has been a great way to monitor heart rate and I have been using Age Related Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) to decide intensity levels. This number is found by taking 220-Age. It is a crude equation for exercise intensity but one in which I think works for beginners. Here is how I plan on progressing things...

• Week One: 3 times a week for 15 minutes at 60% MHR (45 minutes)
• Week Two: 3 times a week for 20 minutes at 62.5% MHR (60 minutes)
• Week Three: 4 times a week for 20 minutes at 65% MHR (80 minutes)
• Week Four: 4 times a week for 22.5 minutes at 67.5% (90 minutes)
• Week Five: 4 times a week for 25 minutes at 70% MHR (100 minutes)
• Week Six: 4 times a week for 30 minutes at 72.5% MHR (120 minutes)

If you can combine this with strength 3 times a week, you are going to start reaching goals in a hurry!

Revolutionary Resolution
This weeks focus was on ORDER. As Franklin writes, "Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time"

The hardest thing about working from your property is differentiating between when you are working and when you are not. When things like computer work need to be done, you almost need to remove yourself from the home and go elsewhere to get the time you need. If you don't do that, your child or significant other assumes you are home and are open to questions, play, making food, cleaning, etc. During these times I found that I end up being short with them and not always receptive to conversation. This isn't fair to them so I feel a change is needed. A great goal (and big challenge for me) will be to make a detailed work schedule and a home schedule so everyone knows the difference between the two. Then, once this schedule is made, the hard part begins: actually sticking to it! 

What I've Been Reading...
Kids Must Strength Train - A Call to Action (article in NSCA's Personal Training Quarterly)
 
The state of our country kind of worries me. As each year passes, we tend to get more out of shape and less active. When you look at the numbers, a sedentary lifestyle is the leading cause of preventable death. What makes this worse is that the longer a sedentary lifestyle is predominant, the more serious the comorbidities become. This lack of physical activity in our children will lead to a generation, or generations, of ill adults. 

The past two years of lockdowns and school closures has led to a huge increase in BMI and weight gain in children. We are at a critical point in time where this needs to be reversed. The only way I believe we can do this is to live this lifestyle ourselves. We need to be a good example for our children and show them that physical activity is an important part of life. Conversations and education on the matter is not always enough. We must walk the walk. This goes for coaches, teachers, relatives, or other role models that may be in your childs life. Surround your child with positive role models who will hopefully lead them towards a healthy life. 

Quote of the Week
"Just because the window is open there is no guarantee the breeze will blow in. However, if the window remains shut- there is no possibility the breeze will enter" -- Krishnamurti