Self-Ideal : Who we would like to be.
Self-Image : Who we think we actually are.
Self-Esteem : The distance between the two.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Effort.
This is the latest post from Zuzana on Bodyrock.tv - I've said the same thing so many times, it's nice to hear someone else say it. Dig it.
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Hi BodyRockers,
There is a dead simple way to find out if your approach to exercise and diet is the right one for you. Ask yourself this one simple question: Does your body look dramatically better than it did 3 months ago?
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. If you spend any amount of time in the same gym day after day, week after week, as the months go by you start to get familiar with the people coming out of the spin class, and the rest of the crowd that frequents the weight room or the cardio theatre. What I noticed back then, is that even the people I would see at the gym everyday looked exactly the same month in month out. There was no change.
We know that it possible to make visible changes to your body in just 3 months. If you are consistent for a whole year, you can create an outstanding physique with massive improvements in your health and performance. So here is the kicker. If you have been exercising for years and you don’t have the body of your dreams, if you haven’t made dramatic changes, then what you are doing is not working. Maybe it’s time to take an honest look at how hard you are pushing during your workouts, what your diet looks like and how consistent your training is. If you have been spending 45 minutes a day on the elliptical trainer for the last 4 years and you look the same (or worse) than when you started you are long overdue for a change.
People in general don’t like change. They tend to resist it. It makes them uncomfortable. Easier to go to the gym for an hour and watch Dr.Phil on the TV while your legs move up and down at a leisurely pace on the stair master and your mind wanders in a numb semi vegetative state. As a general rule if you are watching TV or reading a magazine while working out, chances are you are not focused on putting your max effort into the training – and the end result will not get you closer to your goals. Remember it’s 3 months of killer effort to start seeing noticeable changes – 1 year of consistent training to completely transform yourself physically. There are no short cuts, but if you are putting in the time, why not reap the rewards and actually make those changes?
The kind of changes you can achieve are mind blowing. I’m not talking about dropping a dress size here – I’m talking about a complete body transformation which will have positive effects on every aspect of your life. Your self confidence will go through the roof, your energy will blaze through – it’s worth every drop of sweat to increase the quality of your life to such a high degree. That’s the goal and thats the journey. That’s what we are trying to share here on BodyRock.Tv with our workouts and diet challenges and we hope that we can all continue to press forward towards our goals together.
Best,
Zuzana & Freddy
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I love this so much. I keep thinking about effort recently. I used my heartrate monitor tonight and was consistently over 180 - once up to 187. It dipped down to 169 once in the middle during one of the recovery exercises, and as soon as I noticed, I picked it back up to the 170's. If you can get a heartrate monitor, it's a great investment. Mine is the simple Polar F1 (cheapest strap model) and only does active HR. It doesn't do graphs and charts and stuff that some others do, but I can always look down and see where I am. Think about it - sometimes we might think we're working hard, but in reality, could be going harder.
If you want results - serious results - you have to dig deeper, push harder, bring more of it.
------------------------
Hi BodyRockers,
There is a dead simple way to find out if your approach to exercise and diet is the right one for you. Ask yourself this one simple question: Does your body look dramatically better than it did 3 months ago?
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. If you spend any amount of time in the same gym day after day, week after week, as the months go by you start to get familiar with the people coming out of the spin class, and the rest of the crowd that frequents the weight room or the cardio theatre. What I noticed back then, is that even the people I would see at the gym everyday looked exactly the same month in month out. There was no change.
We know that it possible to make visible changes to your body in just 3 months. If you are consistent for a whole year, you can create an outstanding physique with massive improvements in your health and performance. So here is the kicker. If you have been exercising for years and you don’t have the body of your dreams, if you haven’t made dramatic changes, then what you are doing is not working. Maybe it’s time to take an honest look at how hard you are pushing during your workouts, what your diet looks like and how consistent your training is. If you have been spending 45 minutes a day on the elliptical trainer for the last 4 years and you look the same (or worse) than when you started you are long overdue for a change.
People in general don’t like change. They tend to resist it. It makes them uncomfortable. Easier to go to the gym for an hour and watch Dr.Phil on the TV while your legs move up and down at a leisurely pace on the stair master and your mind wanders in a numb semi vegetative state. As a general rule if you are watching TV or reading a magazine while working out, chances are you are not focused on putting your max effort into the training – and the end result will not get you closer to your goals. Remember it’s 3 months of killer effort to start seeing noticeable changes – 1 year of consistent training to completely transform yourself physically. There are no short cuts, but if you are putting in the time, why not reap the rewards and actually make those changes?
The kind of changes you can achieve are mind blowing. I’m not talking about dropping a dress size here – I’m talking about a complete body transformation which will have positive effects on every aspect of your life. Your self confidence will go through the roof, your energy will blaze through – it’s worth every drop of sweat to increase the quality of your life to such a high degree. That’s the goal and thats the journey. That’s what we are trying to share here on BodyRock.Tv with our workouts and diet challenges and we hope that we can all continue to press forward towards our goals together.
Best,
Zuzana & Freddy
-----------------------
I love this so much. I keep thinking about effort recently. I used my heartrate monitor tonight and was consistently over 180 - once up to 187. It dipped down to 169 once in the middle during one of the recovery exercises, and as soon as I noticed, I picked it back up to the 170's. If you can get a heartrate monitor, it's a great investment. Mine is the simple Polar F1 (cheapest strap model) and only does active HR. It doesn't do graphs and charts and stuff that some others do, but I can always look down and see where I am. Think about it - sometimes we might think we're working hard, but in reality, could be going harder.
If you want results - serious results - you have to dig deeper, push harder, bring more of it.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sore Muscles
How do you feel about being sore after a workout? Personally, I LOVE it! Well, ok, I love it in my upper body, but not so much in my lower. Walking like you just rode a bicycle for about 100 miles isn't so fun, but still, soreness lets me know I worked it.
What is that soreness? Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is most prominent within 72 hours after a tough workout. Usually it goes away quickly after it peaks around that time. OK, we know this right? Why does it happen?
Many people believe that DOMS is caused by the build up of lactic acid in your muscles that grows during the final reps of each set of muscle building. This is actually not correct - while lactic acid does build up (and is what leads to failure on that 8th rep) the soreness is actually caused by tiny tears in your muscles. The tears come during the stretch part (or extension) of the exercise. For example, the tears come on the extension of the bicep on the curl, not the contraction. After the tears occur, the body works for the next 48 hours or so to rebuild the tears, and in fact, will build them slightly bigger than they were before. This is what makes your muscles grow and get stronger.
A word of caution however. If you aren't sore - it DOESN'T mean that you aren't working! Often the biggest tears only happen the first or second time through a new routine. After that, you're still building, but the DOMS might not be as noticeable. I do a routine between 4-6 times before I change it up to utilize muscle confusion. (Just like the P90X schedule!)
Here are a couple ways to help DOMS. It won't cure the cold - just relieve the symptoms...
POWER THROUGH!
What is that soreness? Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is most prominent within 72 hours after a tough workout. Usually it goes away quickly after it peaks around that time. OK, we know this right? Why does it happen?
Many people believe that DOMS is caused by the build up of lactic acid in your muscles that grows during the final reps of each set of muscle building. This is actually not correct - while lactic acid does build up (and is what leads to failure on that 8th rep) the soreness is actually caused by tiny tears in your muscles. The tears come during the stretch part (or extension) of the exercise. For example, the tears come on the extension of the bicep on the curl, not the contraction. After the tears occur, the body works for the next 48 hours or so to rebuild the tears, and in fact, will build them slightly bigger than they were before. This is what makes your muscles grow and get stronger.
A word of caution however. If you aren't sore - it DOESN'T mean that you aren't working! Often the biggest tears only happen the first or second time through a new routine. After that, you're still building, but the DOMS might not be as noticeable. I do a routine between 4-6 times before I change it up to utilize muscle confusion. (Just like the P90X schedule!)
Here are a couple ways to help DOMS. It won't cure the cold - just relieve the symptoms...
- Over the counter anti-inflammatory meds or pain relievers (ex. Ibuprofen) in safe doses can help the pain if it's too bad.
- heat vs. ice: heat or cold compress helps decrease swelling in muscles and helps the pain while the tears are healing (growing!)
- Massage the muscle - of course - duh!
- Stretch after your workouts! You should be doing this anyway right? A short cool-down and stretch will help so much more than the drag of doing an extra 10 minutes right after your hardcore workout.
- ACTIVE RECOVERY!!!! This is my favorite!
POWER THROUGH!
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