Personal Training

On being a god

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So you want the body of a god. Pick your pantheon. Greek, Roman, Norse. All images are interpreted by artists and storytellers, so what you’re actually wanting is the body that a painter, sculpter or mosaicist created to symbolise their desires. I wanted the body of a god and got Dionysis.

Anyway, god, or goddess, it is.

First, to be like a god, live like one. Perhaps without the destruction and disinterest in the humans, but in other ways, train, sleep, eat like a goddess.

The norse gods would have had fish, grains, meat, washing it down with beer (mead is for celebrations). The greek or romans? Fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, olives, breads, cheeses. What you put in, is what you get out and eventually the body composition will follow the diet.

The one thing none of the diets would had would have been confectionary (other than sweet cakes, ambrosia and dried fruits), and processed foods.

As for training, for the greeks, lots of running, throwing, lifting (think olympic disciplines). The norse, heavier lifts, walking, hunting and rowing. They created their gods from what they knew.

To be like a god, first live like one.

What has any of this got to do with a sports injury clinic?

Firstly, I firmly believe that we forget the basics to follow the latest trend or fad. Secondly, we are what we consume. Thirdly, even the gods needed help and support sometimes and having an expert at your side when you go on the journey is a good thing.

We can offer nutritional reviews, training and planning support and treatment for those injuries sustained in the cause of achieving your goals.

On: Obesity

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We all know what obesity looks like. Too many ‘spoons pie and pint nights, too many burgers, not enough gym time.

Except, we don’t.

It might be visually obvious if the T shirt barely covers the waistline, but how do you define it? If you use the BMI scale (weight in kilos divided by height in metres squared), then obesity is considered anything over a BMI of 30, overweight is over 25, healthy is 20-25 and so forth.

But then a lot of athletes, especially power althletes, are obese. Of course, the more mass you have to move around, the greater the load your body has to manage, both for joint health and cardiovascular load but this doesn’t take into consideration the positive effect of muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, and any other number of markers for health. The only use for BMI in most aspects is to tell you what you already know, when its far too low or far too high. For reference, you probably don’t want to be below 20 (not enough muscle mass) and above 30 (increased risk of joint issues).

A preferred methodology, for a rapid ready reckoner, is height to waist ratio. This ignores mass, but can idicate central obesity, which has been shown to have a detrimental effect on internal organs and general health. This is simply calculated as a ratio of height to waist circumference (waist divided by height in m), and should be less than 0.5.

As for markers of fitness, define your own. Markers such as the amount you can lift, or how fast you can run, are spurious goal setting. And no matter what the companies might say, you can’t tell your fitness from blood tests. Those are for if you are sick. Otherwise the levels will constantly fluctuate and tell you very little.

Be able to run, if you have the physical capability. Then try to increase the distance you can cover. Lift heavy things safely, then do it again. Move regularly, as smoothly and freely as possible. Constantly develop your capacity.

Train as though your life depends on it.

It does.

On: failure

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If you try to do too much in one go, you’ll fail.

You’ll fail because change requires effort and energy to sustain and you only have so much of it to go around.

Getting up earlier requires going to be earlier. But you can’t do that if you have commitments that keep you busy.

Cleaning up your diet requires knowledge, planning, effort.

Going to the gym is bullshit. I love gyms, they’re generally my safe place, but they are not the panacea sold by fitness grifters. Gyms are a place of effort, learning, painful self reflection. Go when you are ready for the lesson and can take humility in your kitbag.

Meditation and mindfulness are not solutions, they’re tools. If you can’t accept the dancing monkeys in your head, you’re not going to want to spend any time with them.

And after all that negativity?

Get rid of something. Less is far easier to manage than more.

Stop drinking. Stop smoking. Stop scrolling. If you can’t, accept you might have an addition issue and ask for support.

Walk more, drive less.

Throw out something from your house. It’s almost certainly clutter and there’s a probability someone else could benefit.

Positive deeds are loops. One feeds another. Make space for positive things.

We can offer some of this support.

An exercise review. A safe space to work through basic coaching issues, treatment to give your body space in itself to heal. A motivating kick and gentle reminder that being human takes effort but is worth it.

But make space. Do less, just do less better.

Be kind, be curious.

On: Fitness

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A colleague had started going to the gym “to get fitter”. While admirable and absolutely to be celebrated, I did wonder how they would know when they had achieved that goal.

After some reflection, and a walk, I developed the thought that fitness can be broken down into 2 main components. A duration / distance one, and a strength / durability one.

Duration / distance is comparatively simple. Can the person go further, for longer, or faster. These are goals that can be defined, measured and checked. Walk for a mile, walk for an hour, finish a 5k event, run a marathon, cycle for 3 hours, push the wheelchair to the shops.

The other component is harder to measure. Yes, strength can be measured by increasing the amount you can move against resistance and for how long. But that doesn’t tend to serve an end purpose. I would posit that the role of strength for the vast majority of people, athletes included, is to help them carry out a defined task with more capacity, to be more durable and to recover faster. In Crossfit this may be to complete the prescribed workout faster, or with less fatigue. For others, it may be to be able to carry a child, lift down a suitcase or spend longer with their family before tiring. And for all, it should help reduce the risk of injury.

By redefining our initial goal of fitness, we can review the strength component in this capacity and then prescribe the correct stimulus to get the desired response.

Instead of saying you want to get fitter, define a goal, and a measurable, meaningful outcome. Then tune the exercise to that.

On: The power of words

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Words have power. This has been known for a very, very long time.

The words we say to each other, the words we say to ourselves and the words we use to describe the world around us.

By reframing the words we use, we can change the way we view the universe. Even the language we speak with changes the way we interact with the world around us.

The internal monologue we have can change our entire day, or even path of life. So does everyone elses. And of course, these things can be deep and challenging to deal with, so are far beyond the remit of such pages here.

With that in mind, the following are suggestions that can allow us to catch ourselves in simple situations that may then offer benfit to the way we approach certain circumstances.

For example. You injure a knee on a run, which limits your mobility while it heals. If you start telling yourself that you cannot do things because of your knee, then you are creating limitations within your mindset. However, simply by saying that in spite of the knee you can do activities that maintain your fitness, you will optimise recovery, improve your mindset and view the current difficulty in a better light. That is not to say that it is not a difficulty, but the perspective shift of the barrier changes its height.

Or. Change “I can’t” to “how can I?” Shift the view of the problem.

Within a medical setting, we often get patients expressing suffering. Suffering is subjective, valid and to be believed. However, as a professional, you can help reframe the situation by the use of your language patterns to check in with what they are experiencing. From suffering to experiencing does not and should not invalidate their personal reality, but may help explore what it means at that point.

Again, within a medical or caring setting, empowerment is important. If we help someone, we can often disempower them and either create passisivity or an unbalanced dynamic. So instead of helping, consider or ask how you can support them. If they have limited abilities for any reason, then this can help set the correct tone for them to communicate their needs, rather than having your “help” thrust upon them.

If you have repetitive and perhaps tedious tasks to help those around us, from small children and work colleagues to aging relatives, and find yourself saying that you’ve got to, reframe it to get to. I’ve got to take the kids to football – I get to watch them learn new skills. I’ve got to see my grandfather this afternoon – I get to spend time with my grandfather. And so forth.

And sometimes, if you don’t know what to say, say nothing. Supportive silence is much underrated and certainly underused. Slow down, check in with yourself and say nothing.

In spite – because of

Can’t – how can

Suffering – experiencing

Got to – get to

Silence.

Onwards.

The big secret the fitness industry doesn’t want you to know.

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They’re lying to you. They have been for years and maybe even they’re lying to themselves.

They’re selling you all these messages and machines and plans and regimes. And they’re not going to work, leaving you disappointed and looking for the next big secret. The next short cut.

So, what is the secret they don’t want you to know?

Exercise won’t make you lose weight. Diet won’t get you fitter.

All the booty classes and HIIT training and smoothies and shakes don’t work alone.

Maybe if you’re running 5-6 hours plus a week then yes. You may lose some weight. You are going to create a significant enough caloric deficit to see a difference. But not much and not for a sustained period. If you don’t back it up with a solid refuelling and recovery strategy.

You’ve got to do both, in the correct proportions.

Look at a visually super fit person, that influencer, gym bunny. Not only are they exercising frequently, they’re looking after their nutrition. They’re not completing the circuit class and immediately down the coffee shop for a syrupy latte. The inside is reflected on the outside.

Exercise is for fitness, nutrition is for weight management. The combination leads to improved health. Which is reflected in your physique.

You don’t need their latest method or protocol or supplement. It’s been said before but you don’t like it because it’s hard and slow and repetitive and dull.

  • Eat to sustain activity, refuel and recover.
  • Eat occasionally for pleasure.
  • Exercise to improve muscle mass
  • Exercise to improve cardiovascular health
  • Exercise to maintain balance and skill
  • Exercise because it’s fun
  • Do it regularly and seek healthcare advice when something seems wrong for a while.

Simple is not the same as easy. But consistency and iteration works.

On: Simple

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Simple is not easy.

Its simple to do the right thing in any situation, but most of the time it is neither easy to discern, nor to act on.

The discernment is the first and possibly most challenging step. This requires much reflection and patience.

Once you have identified the overall goal, it is easier to understand the steps to progressing.

To simplify, and once you have removed the obviously superfluous, you can also:

  • Delegate
  • Habituate
  • Automate

If there is something that you do daily, can you automate it? Is there a way of making technology support you, so you don’t need to worry about it?

If you can afford it and have no love for it, or no skill for it, can you delegate it?

If you have to do it yourself, can you make it a habit so that it is an unconsious process?

Looking at 2 common goals, weight loss and fitness.

Very broad brush and one reason why most people fail is that there is no end point, and therefore no positive feedback or marker of success.

Rather than weight loss, focus on improving a marker for health thats pertinent to your, whether that is HbA1c (a long term marker of blood sugar), cholesterol, blood pressure and so forth. The changes you will make to improve those will often have a positive side effect of improving your weight as well. Or, improve your height to waist ratio, which will have the same outcome.

How? Simplify – remove the things from your cupboards that you know tempt you, or ask people to reduce your access to them. Delegate: See input from a qualified professional who can provide both motivation and expert guidance towards your goal, not just an internet celebrity. Automate: Set up reminders,

With fitness, choose an event you wish to complete. Then tell people about it. By putting a public commitment up, you will have more drive to do the work necessary to succeed. And you will improve your fitness almost as a side effect.

Distraction

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What’s stopping you from making progress?

How do you even know if you are?

Far too many of us turn up to a gym environment, do random things, post about it on a social media channel, and leave again, thinking we are training.

That’s not training bro, that’s messing around.

If you’re mid way through a long cardio session, where you simply have to keep moving for a prescribed time or distance then perhaps letting your mind wander is no bad thing. Especially if it’s getting tough and listening to something else allows you to continue.

But for the rest of us, get your mind out of your phone and into your muscles.

Focusing on your form, the load, the way your muscles are moving has been shown to improve performance significantly, so why throw a free benefit away?

No one on Facebook is going to change your body, only you can. No one on instagram really cares about your latest posed bicep shot.

Stop distracting, start performing.

On: Inputs

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You are the sum of your inputs.

Obvious, really. But go deeper. Look in a mirror. What you see is the cumulative effect of your past.

You. Are. The. Sum. Of. Your. Inputs.

Everything you consumed, whether that is food, fluid or information. The external influences surrounding you. The choices you made.

Sometimes we cannot change our external influences. Whatever some 20 something instagram influencer may say, you always don’t get the choice about where you currently work, where you live or the demands placed upon you by life.

But you do get to choose the nutritional quality of what you eat, what you drink, the activity you do and how much time you spend on specific activities.

If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, start to change it.

Look hard. Not at the superficial aesthetics, but at your root health, fitness and attitude and work on those.

Less time idly scrolling through your phone, more time reading real books. Less pizza, more fresh food. Less sitting on your sofa, more activity.

Small positive changes can accumulate.

And of course, if you have any concerns with regards to your fitness, aches and pains and if you would appreciate professional support, we are here to help.

On: scheduling

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There are 5 main barriers to exercise and lifestyle change.

  • Enjoyment
  • Access
  • Convenience
  • Affordability
  • Environment

Enjoyment: if you don’t enjoy the activity you aren’t going to be able to sustain it. This is not the same as not enjoying it during, when it’s challenging and perhaps painful, but whether it provides a sustainable level of enjoyment that reinforces its benefits over the discomfort.

Access: if you can’t access the appropriate facilities to support the activity then you aren’t going to participate. For example, if you like swimming but the nearest pool is 15 miles away then you are not going do it. Similarly, if the only gym is in a building with stairs and you are less mobile then you won’t go.

Convenience: you’ve found an activity you enjoy and a place to do it. But the timing is wrong, the only available slots or classes are when you are at work, or putting the kids to bed then you aren’t going to make it work.

Affordability: even if the location is good, it’s an activity you enjoy, and the timings are convenient. Another block is affordability. If you cannot afford it you simply won’t be able to do it.

Environment: you’ve got the activity, you’ve got the access, you’ve got the convenience. You can even afford it. The last one is environment. If it feels wrong, or doesn’t allow you to feel right then you won’t do it. From dark streets in the ending preventing you in feeling confident running, gym bros laughing and filming everything, to a crowded and cluttered family lounge preventing a home workout, the environmental barriers can be quite subtle but significant.

Simply being aware of these potential barriers can help all concerned, from health and exercise professionals to patients and clients, plan and adapt their goals to better serve their outcomes.