Seeking Fulfillment

Our brains are hardwired for stimulus that provide us fulfillment. When we don't have a source of regular fulfillment we get depressed. We then look for a source of fullfillment. Often, it can be from visual or auditory stimuli like television or music. Or, from chemical stimuli like alcohol or drugs. Even eating becomes the a source of fulfillment, especially processed, sweet foods. In time, these sources of fulfillment become addictions, and we seek out the sources of fulfillment more frequently.

Exercise training, when programmed properly, can become a tremdously fulfilling experience. However, most people experiences' with exercise are unfulfilling, more like a dreaded chore. Recently, I had worked with a few clients whom told me they have hated all exercise their entire lives. Certainly not fulfilling. But, just the other day, I noticed one of them leaving a semi-private session smiling from ear to ear, and joking with me and another client. I thought to myself, "doesn't look like she hates exercise training anymore."

Many clients make regular exercise training a priority in their lives. They schedule the rest of their week AROUND their exercise training! The proper (and i use the word proper, because much of what people attempt is not proper) physical exercise training is a powerful, fulfilling stimuli that can help people stop using television and food to fill the void.

Consider it for a minute, what stimuli are you using for fulfillment? Does your exercise training provide you with a powerful, fulfilling stimuli for you?

Getting Back To It

This time of year, lots of people are traveling and their training gets sporadic. I decided to take ten days off from training to give my body a little recovery time while I went on vacation. Tonight, I trained for the first time since I took my break. While my lifts felt good, my body felt very stiff and it took me a long time to warm-up. It was obvious my body hadn't moved in a while.

Taking time off from training is a slippery slope. Many people physically take some time off from training, which is fine every once and a while. But, mentally it is often hard to get back into the regular training mindset. So, how do you prevent yourself from getting out of the habit of regular training? Here are a few ideas:

• Think of your training in terms of cycles. These cycles can coincide with your weekly, monthly, or yearly schedule. Plan on training until you have a break and then restart, possibly changing some variables in your training program at that point.
• Be accountable to someone. Whether that is a trainer, a partner or a group, having someone call you out is important when you get out of your training routine.
• Allow yourself to ease back into training. Auto-regulation works well. That is, think of training in terms of building blocks. Start with an easy session or small block. Gradually add more intensity and/or volume as your body tolerates it.

What We Can Learn From Butler Basketball

Saturday evening, the Butler Bulldogs continued one of the most improbable runs in the history of the NCAA men's basketball.  They beat Virginia Commonwealth University to return to the title game that they lost by one shot, just last year.  This year, at least 28 teams were more favored to win the tournament than last year's runner-up, receiving an 8th seed in their region.  But, they are back!  It is a fascinating story, though after watching just about all of the tournament games so far, the reason why is becoming evident.  Butler basketball knows how to win (not in the Charlie Sheen way, but the impressive way).  That sounds cliche.  But, at this point in the tournament, so many talented teams have failed because they lacked the mental, emotional, and team characteristics that Butler possesses. 

We could all learn a few things from how Butler gets things done and apply them to our fitness training.  Here are a few:

1.  Be Smart:  Most of Butler's success is because of Brad Steven's coaching.  He is a smart guy who knows how to put his team in the best position to win.  Most people don't have a smart coach helping them.  Sure there are a number of fitness enthusiasts willing to give you their two cents.  But, high-quality experienced coaching is harder to find, but invaluable.

2.  Do the Little Things Well:  Butler does a great job of consistently executing  fundamentals of basketball.  They run their offense well, box out, rotate on defense, rebound, etc.  These things are often overlooked as we get caught up in talent and athleticism, but usually the team that executes the fundamentals, wins.  How about your training?  Are you executing the fundamentals?  Do you have some basic goals?  Are you consistent with your training?  Is your technique solid?  Do you work on your weaknesses or go straight to your favorites?  If not, then don' ask about fancier training programs or nutritional supplements.  Master the fundamentals, they will take you further than anything else.

3.  Determined and Committed:  Butler demonstrates determination even when they are losing.  They were losing during several games in the tournament and at critical points, but never gave up.  Their body language said it all.  They fought for each possession and never hung their head.  Many other teams gave in before they did.  Are you determined and committed in your training?  Or is training the first thing to go when something else in life comes up?  Are you starting over every six months?  Do you give up because you aren't getting the results as fast as someone else? 

4.  Talent is Overrated:  Don't get me wrong, I do think Butler has many talented basketball players.  Though, they have played against many teams in the tournament with bigger, stronger, faster guys, and still won.  Many teams have lost with NBA lottery draft picks on their roster.  Just proving the point that talent, alone, is not enough to succeed.  You need all the other intangibles.  In fitness, talent is like genetics.  Some people were just dealt a great genetic hand.  They have great bodies and fitness in spite of their less-than-desirable training and nutrition.  Often, we can get frustrated when we compare ourselves to these people.  Though, most people can go very far with their genetic hand and smart, consistent, focused training.  Combined with a supportive environment and caring people, you will be surprised what you can accomplish.

5.  Passion:  Butler basketball is very passion-filled.  Watch a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse and you will agree.  The environment is electric.  The players don't talk a lot of talk, they simply play their hearts out for the love of the game.  How about you?  Is fitness a necessary chore to keep you somewhat healthy?  I am so surprised how many people talk like going to the gym is a chore.  They joke all the time that they would rather be somewhere else, and they are only there out of guilt.  If that is your case, you will never achieve much.  I speak for myself, many clients, and friends.  I love going to the gym to workout and relish the chance to work hard and improve myself.  I am passionate about what I do.  That is why I have been training for the last 18 years and plan to forever.  If you are not passionate, you won't get far.  You need to find a training program you are excited about, find a supportive environment, and surround yourself with great people- like we have at Hubbard Training Systems.   Good times, great results.  That's our new motto.

Is Your Training a Grueling Chore or an Invigorating Passion?

The other day I had a great conversation with a female client of mine about training.  She is an avid runner and is regularly in the gym five to six days per week.  She admits that her frequent training is for managing the stress of her busy life, but also fear.  She fears that if she doesn't keep her training frequency up, she will surely lose strength and gain body fat.  However, I had to explain to her, that she also was hurting her body.  Physically she was suffering chronic injuries, and psychologically she was suffering fear, anxiety, and a lack of self confidence.  I tried to explain to her that there was an optimal training stimulus to improve her strength and fitness, and she was beyond that.  After all, exercise training is a stress and your body has to be able to recover from that stress.  If not, you are not improving your fitness or health (but your weight on the scale may stay down). 

 

A Shift In Perspective

"Often, a shift in perspective makes all the difference in the world.  Don't focus on what you can't do.  Instead, focus on what you can do.  Use that familiarity and confidence as a springboard to pursue the things you didn't think you could do."


Last night I caught "Paralysis" on PBS.  As the title states, the program was about the condition of not being able to consciously use a limb or limbs due to injury or illness.  The program detailed Cody Unser's (daughter of Al Unser, Jr.) paralysis due to Transverse Myelitis, an autoimmune disease that struck her at age 12.  Cody, now 21 years old and a student at the University of Redlands in California, continues to recover from her illness and awaits a cure (with stem cell transplantation).  But, the cool thing about her story is the shift in perspective that she gained from her illness.

Motivation to workout is usually the limiting factor for many people's pursuit of health and performance.  For some it is cyclical, as they go through periods of high motivation, followed by periods of low motivation.  For others it is non-existent.  Your attitude toward training would improve if you had a different perspective.  What if you had to workout everyday for two hours, never getting a day off?  That seems excessive to most of us.  Fourteen hours per week?  Few people do that.  But, that is Cody's life.  She lives alone and is fairly independent.  She does just about everything that you and I do on a daily basis, but with no legs.  She has to bath, get dressed,  go to class, eat, travel, and go to the bathroom without the ability to stand or walk.  She is constantly rowing, dipping, or pressing her body in and out of her wheelchair.  How many sets of dips have you done this week?

The irony is that she is working so hard just to be able to walk like us.  She is not preparing for any athletic event or trying to look better in her jeans.  She just wants to do what we all take for granted; the ability to use our muscles.  So, the next time you feel unmotivated to work out, think of Cory.  Appreciate what your body can do, not what it can't.  Shift your perspective. 

Food Doesn‘t Make You Fat, You Make You Fat.

The obesity statistics are surely alarming. It seems like they are climbing daily. Every where you look you see the majority of people are overweight. Experts are quick to point the finger at the reckless abundance of processed foods and the enormous ‘normal’ serving sizes.  We debate macronutrient ratios and demonize foods that don’t fit those ratios. Hundreds of diet books are published every year, each claiming to be the answer for which you have been looking. Local governments propose anti-obesity legislation. However, as we watch these numbers rise, or even watch our own waist sizes increase, it seems like it is all ineffective. We seem to have all this knowledge about nutrition science and awareness of how to lose weight, but the results are frustratingly grim.

Obesity, though, itself is not the problem. It is the manifestation of a deeper problem facing us. Food is simply the medium that we use to deal with the increasing prevalence of psycho-social issues that we face in our modern lives. Interestingly, weight loss does not solve these deeper psycho-social issues. Julie’s story is a testament to that. 

The following are a list of reasons which may lead one to overeat. Or, another way of looking at it, large doses of food (providing a drug-like effect) may be used by people to cope with these common issues:

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic psychological stress
Social isolation
Fatigue
Sleep Deprivation
Body image disorder
Insomnia
Lack of control
Lack of creative output

Essentially, our mal-adaptation to modern life leads us to seek food to help cope with these psycho-social issues. We don’t need the food for simply nutrition and energy, but for stimulating reward pathways in neural circuits in our brains. Processed foods do provide a more powerful punch and can be used more effectively than whole foods.

Lao Tzu

Figuring out how to break this cycle is the key to weight loss, fitness gain, health, and happiness. Fulfilling your psycho-social needs in appropriate (non food) ways will allow you to change your relationship with food. Figure out what psycho-social needs you are using food to cope with and you will be on your way to changing your body. But, it is not a quick fix. It may require a reevaluation of your priorities and how you spend your time. You may have to simplify your life, say ‘no’ more often, ask for help, cut-off negative relationships, cultivate positive relationships, spend less money, manage your time, get organized, learn to accept who you are, love yourself, appreciate what you can do, develop a good balance of work and rest, disconnect from electronic media more regularly, and find a creative output. This is a very eastern philosophical approach and is also important for success in any aspect of your life.

When I work with a client who desires fat-loss, I know on paper exactly what they need to do to achieve those results. I have had many clients achieve their goals. At the same time, I have seen many clients fail. The critical factor is their psycho-social state. If they aren’t able to fulfill their psycho-social needs in non-food ways, then they will fail. They need to have a healthy state of mind if they are to develop an appropriate relationship with food. 

Food doesn't cause obesity, no matter how calorie-dense or processed it is. Using food to cope with the highly prevalent psycho-social issues our culture faces is the underlying problem.  Address these underlying psycho-social issues if you wish to achieve any long-term fat-loss, health, fitness goals. 

The Value of Training Goals

Training goals are important.  Without them, we lose direction, motivation and focus.  Our training then becomes less effective and less consistent.  I feel that is the value of the personalized training program I write out for my clients.  They have a plan (that is specific and appropriate for them) that gives them a center of focus, raises motivation, and improves consistency.  These intangibles provide the mental basis for which specific, physical, objective goals can be pursued.  Your mind and your thoughts are a powerful determinant of your success. 

I spend a good part of my week writing out programs to help clients pursue and achieve their goals.  I sometimes lose focus in my training and end up just doing whatever I can.  I know better.  I know specific goals will help me stay focused and improve my motivation.  Yes, even I lose motivation time to time. 

An important component of effective goal-setting is to make the goals as specific and objective is possible.  Also, goals should include not only outcome-orientation (losing twenty pounds), but also process-orientation (training four days per week, for 45 minutes).  You can read more about outcome and process-orientated goals here. 

So, one of my goals is to improve leg strength, power, mobility, and single-leg stability (I partial tore my left hamstring two years ago).  I have pursued maximal strength lifts in the past (barbell squat and deadlifts), but want to stay in my philosophy of "moving well."  While I still see value in training the "big lifts" and use them as part of my program, I want my goal to be more specific to my needs.  I figured out my new training goal, yesterday.  The Pistol (single-leg squat)-Lateral Hop complex is it.  I was able to perform six good reps yesterday and in the past have done 8-10 Pistols in a row.  However, single-leg stability and endurance (my heart rate was 160 bpm after only 6 reps) are challenged more with a 48" Lateral Hop.  Check out the video.  My new goal is 30 good reps of the Pistol-Lateral Hop Complex without falling down.

Subconscious Commitments Trump Conscious Commitments

Last week, I blogged on the topic of how your subconscious thoughts can sabotage your intentions to apply my Food Rules (or any diet or exercise training program). I distilled it down to intellectual thoughts versus emotional thoughts. Essentially, learning to address situations where you may be apt to give into emotional eating and intervening with a mantra to help you ignore the triggers of emotional thoughts. HTS alumni, Julie added some excellent points.

"When a person sabotages his intended goal, it is often because there is an underlying commitment to something else. To use the goal of improved diet as an example…Someone may verbalize his nutritional goal and take some actions at achieving it. Nonetheless, if he self-sabotages by eating an order of supersized French Fries, he needs to stop and evaluate his true commitment. Is he committed to the purported goal of a healthy diet? Or is he committed to something else…a need to feel like a failure, fear of achievement, a belief that he is not good enough, or the need to feel badly about himself? The subconscious mind takes underlying commitments seriously. If someone has negative beliefs about himself, those beliefs/commitments will override intended goals. Without addressing those core commitments, we often find ourselves on roller-coasters of success/failure----whether we are talking about health, relationships, employment. Negative underlying commitments must be acknowledged and let go before we can truly fly in any aspect of our lives."

Great information, Julie! So, essentially your subconscious 'commitments' trump any conscious 'commitments' that you attempt (starting a diet or exercise training program). That is, psychological/emotional issues (such as lack of self esteem, fear of failing, etc.) are always going to limit what you can accomplish consciously, no matter how much you try consciously. These underlying issues must be addressed for any diet or exercise training program to be successful.

I am getting better and better at identifying these underlying/subconscious issues in clients. I feel that these issues need to be continually addressed for any training program to be successful. Often clients will place the blame on something or someone else when they fail. Yet, they will continually be seeking new and different ways to consciously 'fix' the issue. They may start a new diet every two weeks, only to fail to commit to one for even one week. They may blame a "crazy week" for not working out at all. In reality, if it was important several, lesser important activities (watching television) would have been skipped.

While I tried to simplify this psychological issue with my last post to help clients easily apply my advice, I admit there is much more to it. It is amazing how much our thoughts affect our behaviors, which affect our habits, which affect our lifestyles. Even elite-level athletes turn to sport psychologists for help. As Dr. Tom Amberry said, "We are more limited by our beliefs than our ability. The obstacles to success exist more in your mind than in the physical world." He would know best. He did something that Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, nor any other basketball player ever did. He made 2750 basketball free throws in a row without missing. He only stopped at that number because the gym was, after 12 hours, closing for the night! Now that is one remarkable 'subconscious commitment'.

Sabatoged By Your Thoughts

Today, I was talking to a client about her recent problems she was having with her fat loss efforts. Over the past six months she was steadily lowering her body fat, but more recently she gained some back. She said that she was following my Food Rules, but on the weekend she felt she would lose control and eat way too much. She knew it was setting herself back and she didn't like how she felt afterwords, but couldn't stop herself. Does this behavior pattern sound familiar?

Her thoughts were sabatoging her efforts. We all have that "self talk" when we are in a situation where we need to decide what to eat. My client did fine eating during the week at home, but when she was in more social situations, like on the weekends, she would convince herself that it was ok to eat the foods that would cause her to eat out of control. The emotional part of her brain was convincing the intellectual part of her brain that it was fine to eat these foods. This leads to out of control eating, even if it only happens on the weekend.

I reminded her that you should shoot for a 90% rate of application with the Food Rules. Not 100%. That means every tenth time you eat, you can have some food that doesn't follow the food rules (processed carbohydrates, sugars). But, you must tell yourself, that you are "enjoying" this one food item, and you are still following the Food Rules. The emotional part of your brain can't take over. The intellectual part of your brain should stay in control.

After you have "enjoyed" some of these non-Food Rule foods and are still in these social situations, you must make sure the intellectual part of your brain is still running the show. You may see and even crave eating more of these non-Food Rules foods, but must tell yourself that you are still following the Food Rules. Tell yourself you will be full and satisfied by the Food Rule foods. You know intellectually that you will. You just can't let the emtional part of your brain override what you know intellectually is true. I recommend having a mantra to say to yourself when these emotional eating thoughts try to sabotage your fat lose efforts, such as "I am still following The Food Rules and I will feel better with myself when I don't give into emotional eating."

Don't Pursue Skinny, Pursue Strong;It Will Accomplish Both

Blame it on Hollywood, or the media, but 'skinny' continues to drive most women (and some men) when it comes to health and fitness. Often, it is even at the expense of their health and fitness. As a fitness professional, it upsets me that the majority of the population thinks that exercise is just to lose weight and get or stay skinny. A day doesn't go by where I don't see or hear someone talking about a weight loss supplement or emulating the nonsense that is perpetuated in 'fitness' magazines like Shape and Prevention. Unfortunately, the media will continue to pedal the images of anorexic waifs.









The pursuit of skinny doesn't work. The idea of starving yourself and performing chronic 'cardio' is a prison. Not only do you physically feel worse, but the 'skinny' mindset is mentally self-destructive. I have seen so many women trapped in this 'skinny' mindset, continually beating themselves down physically and mentally.










Fortunately, and what I am most proud of, is that I have been able to help so many women replace the 'skinny' mindset with a 'strong' mindset. It often takes weeks or months, but I am able to show them that training to get stronger is the key to not only improving your body composition, but improving your body image and feeling better about themselves. Once women see that they don't have to starve themselves, they don't have to spend 10 hours a week in the gym, and they don't have fear getting 'bulky' (the most idiotic, and damaging fitness myth), they can actually enjoy strength training. How about that, actually looking forward to going to the gym because you enjoy the process of getting stronger. You can have balance and enjoy all aspects of your life to the fullest because you are not only stronger, but have a new-found confidence and happiness. Yup, all of that can happen when you cast away the mainstream, fitness conventional wisdom, break the pursuit of 'skinny' cycle, and pick up a barbell.

The 25-Foot Free Throw and What's Missing In Fitness

The free throw line is 15 feet away from the rim. The NBA three-point line is 23 feet and nine inches away. So why would I practice shooting a 25-foot free throw?

Because it highlights any deficiency in body awareness, movement efficiency, coordination, or collectively what we call our technique. It would be expected that my technique would change in order to shoot the ball from a further distance. But, that is exactly the problem. I don't want to change my technique ever. I want it to be fluid, consistent, and unconscious. I shouldn't change my technique ever. Every shot, whether it is from three feet or 20 feet should look the same.

How does this relate to fitness training?

To often, our focus is external and not internal. We focus on moving the weight or not falling off the treadmill without considering how we are doing it. Analogous to the free throw, our technique and our mechanics should always look the same and not be dependent on the external environment. Though, this rarely happens.

Body awareness is the missing element in modern fitness training. Our focus shifts to the object and whatever output is desired, ignoring how our bodies move. We should always focus on how our body is moving. Ideally, we will move as efficient as possible. Adding an implement, such as a barbell or a kettlebell, will not change our technique if we are mindful of what we are doing. In fact, every rep, every stride, should appear fluid and effortless. If not, you have some work to do.

Optimal Psychological Characteristics of Long-Term Success

We love hearing stories of success, whether that is in sports, business, or just health and fitness. Often, we seek to emulate those who we deem as 'successful', such as Bill Gates or Tiger Woods. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he explains that hard work, practice, and opportunity are key factors. But, what about the average Joe or Jane? And more specifically, what determines success for them in health and fitness?






Our most accessible window to 'success' for the average Joe or Jane in health and fitness is The Biggest Loser. We hear about contestants losing 100 pounds in three months. However, everyone questions whether these individuals can keep this weight off long-term, especially when they return to their regular life.





Another example of fitness 'success' is the life-long runner. He may be 60 years old and have an arthritic hip, but he consistently runs 30 miles per week, and has done so for the last 40 years. He isn't breaking any records, but his running is like clock-work. No matter what is going on in his life, he gets his millage in, and everyone marvels about his impressive motivation (or just chalks him up as 'nuts').

What can we learn from these two 'success' stories? They showcase two different types of motivation. The Biggest Loser contestant is highly 'outcome-oriented.' The runner, in this case, is highly 'process-oriented'. Most people and a lot of clients I see are 'outcome-oriented'.

"I want to lose 15 pounds."

"I want to be able to run a half marathon."

These are both examples of 'outcome-oriented' approaches to fitness and health. Nothing but accomplishing these goals would be considered a 'success'.

We all know that most average Joes and Janes never reach these goals. Inevitably, something gets in the way. They may realize that their initial goal was too lofty and their motivation wanes. They get frustrated and quit. Twelve months later (perhaps in January) they start this cycle all over again.





What's missing is an optimal balance of 'outcome-oriented' and 'processed-oriented' drive. The most successful athletes, business people, or fitness enthusiasts all possess this balance. Not only do they love the day-to-day process (like the life-long runner), but they have some specific goals (like The Biggest Loser contestant). I see it in my clients and myself. As much as we want to improve and reach certain performance and health goals, we enjoy the process. Enjoying the process is what sustains you day in, day out; week in, week out. You look forward to your training as much as reaching your goals.

How about you? Do you have a good balance of outcome and process-oriented drive? Where do you currently fall on the outcome-process spectrum?