Obstacle races have become a huge thing lately.
They are physically challenging and mentally stimulating. The best part about
participating and completing an obstacle race is the confidence and self
gratitude it gives you. Participating in even the smallest of these races is a
great way to stay in shape or to gauge your level of fitness, as some of them
are timed for a competitive aspect.
My goal for next year is to run all three of the
races that Spartan Race has to offer, the Sprint, Super, and Beast, in order to
earn the Trifecta medal. I have already completed one Tough Mudder and one
Warrior Dash. They were fun and challenging. There was a very wide demographic
of people that participated and varying exercise levels.
One thing I did to train for such a race was to
grab a few very large tires from a local shop for free and I trained with them.
I flipped them for training my legs similar to a squat. I stacked them and
jumped onto them like box jumps. Along well as some calisthenics and other
simple exercises, I ran about a mile, round trip, from my back yard in between
sets. This helped to keep my heart rate up, incorporate cardio, and simulate
the obstacle experience for as cheap as possible. I would also look at each of
the obstacle race sites' WODs (or workout of the day) to mix my routine up and
keep it fresh.
I encourage anyone at any fitness level to at least
attempt one of these races to obtain that confidence that they give you upon
completion. I also encourage you to set ambitious goals for yourself to
achieve. I hope to achieve my goal of obtaining the Trifecta medal from Spartan Race and one day being invited to the Ultra Beast race!
This week's topic is all about posture and healthy
snack options. Posture is an essential part of our health. We are usually
sitting or standing for the majority of our day. Whether it is at your job,
playing in a Magic: the Gathering tournament (or at home), exercising, playing
video games, or watching television, having proper posture is needed to prevent
future damage.
This article from clevlandclinic.org
provides some really great tips on how to sit, stand, and lay with proper
posture. They pulled their information from the American ChiropracticAssociation as well as the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. The
link to the latter of the two organizations provides some easy exercises you
can do to help strengthen the muscles around your spine to assist you in
maintaining proper posture. Some basic tips, when sitting, are to keep your
shoulders back without sticking your chest out and to keep your feet flat on
the floor. Another good tip is to get up and walk around every so often as it
is not advisable to sit for extended periods of time. This helps me to reset my
posture so that I am not slowly slipping into a slouching posture. Poor posture
can lead to many things like arthritis, backaches, and muscular pain. Proper
posture can lead to prevention of those aches and pains as well as a confident
appearance.
It is sometimes difficult for anyone to resist the
urge to just grab a snack from the pantry or grocery store that may not be the
best choice for them. I find it hard to resist the temptation of sticking to
just one snack. The good news is that there are plenty of healthy snack options
and many of them are portable. I feel that healthy snacks are a great way to keep
hunger down so you can eat smaller, healthier portions for your main meals.
Healthy snacks are also great for work, to keep your stamina and energy up, and
other places where you may stay for an extended amount of time like a
tournament at your local gaming store. I found this list of many healthy
snack options on a blog about reducing dependency on processed foods.
Some of my favorite snacks include bananas with peanut butter, or pretty much
anything with peanut butter, in moderation of course, cucumbers, and cashews.
Some healthy portable snacks that are easy to take wherever you may be for a
long period of time are nuts and seeds, as well as whole grain crackers.
Posture is important for everyone to consider
because we all sit, stand, and lay. Eating healthier can start with filling
your pantry/cupboards or refrigerator with healthy options so you limit your
ability to choose the bad things. As with anything in life, moderation is key as
well as easing into a new process with confidence and small steps towards your
goals.
Welcome back to Brainz & Brawn. Hope everyone
had a great Easter weekend. I also hope, since we will be talking about
wellness, that you didn't go overboard with eating junk this past weekend. This
week we will kick off the first Brawn section of this blog. Talking with my
family over this weekend, I have discovered that a few of them have started
their own journey to seek the benefits of fitness and wellness. They have taken
a big step in becoming well and fit, getting a gym membership.
As the title suggests, this post will be about easing
into the exercise process. I'll start by outlining a few very basic things we
all should do become more well and fit. The first easy thing we should do is
park further away at the grocery store, or any store. This simple task of
parking, and essentially walking, a greater distance to your destination will
help you burn more calories. Another thing that we should do is to take the
stairs more often. Taking the stairs is a great compound exercise that uses
many different muscles. Using the stairs whenever possible is a great way to
assist in achieving your fitness goals. If you work on the 25th floor of an
office building, for instance, I am not suggesting that you climb all 25
flights of stairs. What I am suggesting is that you start by climbing a few
levels then take the elevator either the rest of the way or most of the way for
a break. Then, once you've taken a break say to the 22nd floor, you can climb
the rest of the way on the stairs. This is a great way to start exercising
without a gym membership. Another thing we should do, especially pet owners, is
to walk our dogs. Not only is this a good way to build our cardiovascular endurance but
it also helps us to both bond with our dogs and maintain our "pack leader" status. If you don't have a pet then walking for
even 30 minutes or more will help to assist you in obtaining your fitness
goals.
For those of us who want a little bit more, we can
do simple calisthenics (exercises requiring no equipment) at home. These
exercises can include push-ups, sit ups, burpees, and lunges (among others). There
are many different variations of push-ups that you can do to train different
areas of the chest and arms. I recommend starting with basic push-ups. This
usually means that your feet and hands are shoulder width apart. Then, keeping
your back straight, lower your body to the floor and just barely touch your
chest to the floor. You should keep your elbows near your side. Sit ups are
also a very basic and easy exercise. They can be done by yourself or with a
partner holding your feet. I recommend putting something soft, but not too
bulky, underneath your lower back for some support. To do a sit up you should
have your feet shoulder width apart and start with your back and feet flat on
the ground. Then, utilizing your core, lift your body up till your chest
touches or comes near your knees. Some people cross their arms across their
chest and touch their elbows to their knees at the top. This is fine as long as
you are not extending your elbows to touch your knees. For burpees, or squat thrusts,
I have inserted a video that explains how to do them visually.
These exercises and tips that I have explained are
all beneficial to your health and wellness if performed properly. Always
remember to keep whatever muscle you are training engaged. What this means is
that the muscle(s) should not rest during the duration of the exercise. One
last thing to consider when thinking about exercising or encouraging someone
else to exercise is that everyone learns at their own pace. Starting off fresh
or getting back into exercising should be a slow process. I can tell you all
about the benefits of fitness, wellness, and exercise but it is up to YOU to
put these tips to good use. Exercising takes willpower and YOU have to be the
one to stick with it. It is in your best interest to be fit and well.
