Gary’s Fitness Blog

This week has been a highly stressful week for most Americans as we watch the financial stability of our banking system challenged, as we fear our retirements being pushed back or dissappear, as our small businesses worry about payrolls and slowing business and as we watch our government operate as usual (ineffectively and unintelligently).

It’s been tough as I see clients come in to the personal training studio with all their built up anxiety, hoping for some type of escape from their day.  But it isn’t easy to escape the stressors because everywhere we turn the news cycle is focused on the worst and we are all curious what will happen.  In fact, as I type this I have C-SPAN on in the background listening to the represenitives speaches as they prepare to vote in a couple minutes.

The one thing that my clients and I agree on is that after each workout, they feel a little better then they did as they walked into the door.  The reason: Exercise is a great release for acute stressors and a hedge against future stressors.

How does exercise help relieve stress?

When you look at the common stress response that the body goes through, we have two natural responses when encountered with a stressor.  We can choose to either fight or flee.  This flight or fight response is the first step in the General Adaptation Syndrome, which is a model of the entire cascade of changes and responses that the body goes through as a response to the stressors.

While this reaction was a positive response and reaction in our earlier history (for safety and survival), it poses many problems related to our current lifestyles.  The biggest problem is that while we are getting this injection of adrenaline and cortisone into our system, we are often left “reactionless”.

By involving ourselves in an exercise session while stressed, we allow our bodies to use that heightened state opposed to allowing it to cascade further and ultimately become a liability to our immune system and mood states.

This theory of exercise improving mood and relieving stress has been tested in many research projects and laboratories over the years.  While I was in graduate school, the impact of exercise on mood states was something that I did a lot of literary research on.  Specifically, I was interested in what types of exercise would prove to be beneficial for reducing stress or improving mood.

Here are some lessons that I learned:

• Make the exercise aerobic in nature.  For example, jogging, walking, circuit training, swimming, etc.
• If possible choose an activity that is rhythymic in nature.   This helps facilitate a “moving meditation” component.
• Don’t go all out.  While you want the intensity to be enough to allow you to start breathing deeper and to build a sweat, you don’t want to completely fatigue your body - which often leads to lessened mood states opposed to improved mood states.
• Don’t make the exercise session competitive.  The competition can be stressful itself, there is no need to add on to the pile.

Those guidelines leave the door open for many different activities, so I suggest you chose something you find enjoyable.  If you read this blog, then I’m guessing you like to run, swim and/or bike - all of those can be great options (if you don’t have to deal with stressful traffic).

The goal of the exercise session is to counteract the negative impact that the stressor caused through the flight or fight response.  While exercise is a great method to do this, another method that I’ve discussed over the years is by eliciting the Relaxation Response.  The great thing is that use can use exercise to elicit this reponse (which maybe the reason exercise works in the first place).  Read my post, “Mental Training for Endurance Athletes” to get more ideas on how these two can work together.

How does exercise hedge against stress?

As mentioned above, the response to an acute stressor is rapid.  The repsonse involves activity from the cardiovascular, respiratory, hormonal and muscular systems (more become involved soon after).  The idea about exercise acting as a hedge is similar to training for a 5k run.  The concept is that when you are in better shape (physiologically), that stress response is not as dramatic to the system.

In some cases, there is research that shows that the body not only responds better to the heightened state resulting from the stressor, but that the response to the stress is not as elevated in the first place.

Most of the research that I’ve in this area measures fitness in terms of cardiovascular and respiratory fitness.   In fact, a lot of the reseach is done with cardiovascular patients with a history of ischemia and their responses to psychological stress before and after a conditioning program.

Because of the research, I would again suggest that the best training methods would be to include regular aerobic exercise (with your Dr’s consent).

Final thoughts on exercise and stress reduction:

One of the individual’s that lead me into this interesting field of study and topic was Wes Sime, Ph.D. Dr. Sime had a doctorate in exercise physiology and clinical psychology (he liked school!).  And it was interesting to listen to stories of how he would use knowledge from both disciplines in his sport psychology and consulting work.

Today I continue to hear more and more stories of psychologists and psychiatrist prescribing exercise as a way to help manage mood states and to reduce stress.

When I see a client walk into the studio stress out, I realize that I can help make their day a little better (as long as we don’t ruminate about the issues together).  By inserting a little more cardio into their program, less rest between their strength training, and constantly getting them to focus on the task at hand - they’ll be able to walk out with at least a half smile on their face.

Links to Individuals that research around this topic (that I have learned a lot from):

1.  Wes Sime, PhD (was at University of Nebraska - Lincoln)
2.  Bonnie Berger, EdD (did a lot of the exercise type and mood state research, Bowling Green State)
3.  James Blumenthal, PhD (Behavioral Medicine, Duke)
4.  Herbert Benson, MD (Mind Body Institute, Harvard)
5.  Robert Thayer, PhD (his book Origins of Everyday Moods jump started me some, Cal St. LB)

– Back to your regularly scheduled crisis! —

We all need athletic “blinders” … most of the time.

This morning Nikki and I got into an argument during our run. It centered around a workout that I had given the Chicago Marathon group that we were in the middle of completing. I was trying to get a message of “experience” across, while she was trying to get the point of “perfection” across.

In the end, we both had reason to feel frustrated. But the workout ended great and another life lesson was learned while taking part in this endurance lead life.

Upon thinking about this mornings run, I have continued to think about this idea of training with an emphasis on perfection. I am actually in favor of training for perfection, but only within the right mindset. For example, training with a focus on perfect experience and not perfect outcome.

This may seem like an argument in semantics, but I don’t think so. I’ll share more on this subject when time allows, but here’s a quick thought:

Perfect Experience vs. Perfect Outcome

I find that when I become more devoted to challenging an aspect of my own physiology or mindset I obtain a higher satisfaction out of my endurance lifestyle, versus the times that I become focused on obtaining some external outcome (i.e. Boston Qualifying, top 3 age group, etc.). The irony is that I often perform my best when I am able to completely detach myself from those external influences (times, paces) and allow my body/mind to focus on self-perfection in my performance.

This is a fine line (as in today’s workout) when a workout or race is governed by specific external factors. It is difficult but it can be done.

Creating our athletic blinders.

Elaine Breeden is a swimmer at Stanford University that just qualified for the USA Olympic Team in the 100 and 200 fly. Back when Elaine was a swimmer for the Wildcat Aquatics program, I had the opportunity to work with her for a short period of time in one/one and team settings.

At that time there was also some interest in sharing ideas with her about how to prepare mentally for competition, I wrote my “Mental Training for Athletes” article as a response to thoughts that I wrote out to share with her. As time passed, I continued to see personality traits in her (at 14) that I felt were an essential part of her success. I wrote some of those thoughts in a blog post titled, “Personality of a Champion“.

After Elaine qualified for the Olympic Team she was quoted in the paper and interviewed on tv, which lead me to send her some questions regarding her mental preparation. I feel that one thing she said in her reply, really addresses this topic of “perfect experience” vs. “perfect outcome”.

Here is that specific question and answer:

Me: I am really interested in some things that they quoted you saying in the Lexington Herald and in your interview, specifically: “I had my eyes shut and was focused on my stroke” interview after the 200.

Elaine: Closing my eyes is more of a natural reflex while racing than something I plan on doing. Its my way of putting “blinders” on so I think about my stroke, not the rest of the heat.

Most of us do not understand what it means to compete at such an elite level - I don’t. But I can only assume that the temptation to feel motivated or driven by an outcome is significantly greater at that level of performance than any level I have competed in. Especially when your competition is ultimately determined by finishing first or second (and not some personal best).

Elaine’s response is the reminder that I sometimes need. I need to focus on my experience and ultimately the performance will be there and the outcomes will take care of themselves. This is another characteristic of a champion, they understand what they can and can not control - then they perfect what they have the power to manage. In fact, earlier in her response she wrote:

“My focus going into trials was to stay confident and positive and to concentrate on the things I had control of. “

It appears that she is much better at implementing some of the mental training and preparation ideas that I shared with her than I am myself. Not surprising to me. As I have said many times since meeting her, she is very talented physically, but there is something about her personality and character that sets her apart (and she is only 19!).

Elaine has shared some more thoughts with me and I have a few more questions to ask her, but I’m going to wait until she gets back from China.

Seek the perfect experience. Control what you can. Find the blinders you need … and allow the outcome to occur!

The subject of when to eat and how often to eat is a common question that we get as trainers and coaches. There is a lot of discussion in the media about this topic that often leads us to believe that there is a magical formula to meal timing as it contributes to weight loss or weight management. So what are the facts?

Bottomline: There is no way to lose weight if you don’t create a calorie deficit. The timing of those meals may be helpful, especially if you look at behaviors and food cravings.

A common theme that I see in many people’s behavior patterns is that they eat very little in the morning before they head off to work, they grab a smaller quick lunch (if time allows) and then they find themselves needlessly tired and hungry by early afternoon. This hunger craving might be alleviated by a trip to the vending machine for a quick “satisfying” treat (like snickers, right?), followed up that evening by a large dinner at a restaurant or home.

I have been through these cycles and patterns too. The two sabotaging behaviors in this scenario are:

1. Eating too little during the first half of the day.

2. Which leads us to choose poor foods during the afternoon and overeat at night.

A commonly heard meal timing theory is that you can’t eat after 9pm (or any other time you may have heard). The issue isn’t so much that you eat after a specific time of day, it is likely due to the fact that you are overeating to make up for what you feel you didn’t eat earlier that day.

Another issue with late night eating is related to the behaviors that are associated with those hours of eating. Eating at late hours can often be done while sitting around trying to relax from a hard day of work, family (and hopefully exercise). Again, this situation is the perfect setting to mindlessly eat foods that are not as healthy and to mindlessly consume too much of them.

In the most recent Issue of Fitness Matters, put out by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), they tackle the meal timing discussion. Their suggestions:

1. Let hunger be your guide (but don’t eat mindlessly)
2. Eat a healthy breakfast - with whole grains and fruit
3. Create a calorie deficit - through consuming fewer calories than expending (add exercise)

So should we be concerned about when we eat during the day, while trying to lose weight?

My answer would be yes and no.

Yes - Because it appears to be beneficial to consume high quality foods earlier in the day so that we don’t overconsume later in the afternoon and evening.

No - It is ok to eat foods later in the day, as long as that food is part of a normal meal plan and not the result of mindless consumption or binging episodes to manage emotions or boredom.

My Challenge to you:

1. Over the next 5 days commit to eating a breakfast with at least 1 piece of fruit.

2. During those 5 days keep a food log. Watch your own patterns and see if you find yourself eating food without even thinking about what you are eating.

Resources for more information:

Books:
1. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think - a great book that discusses the topic of why we overeat

2. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto - my favorite book on nutrition lately. It just breaks down the subject into something as simple as “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.” Simple, yet complex in execution.

Web Links:
1. Thoughtful Decision vs. Decisions Made Without Thought - a post I wrote in January of 2006 discussing my own struggles with becoming “aware” of what I feed myself and why.

2. Fit Day.com - a free website to help you journal your food intake.

3. Meal Timing - Zone Diet Webiste - interestingly, they suggest an 11:00pm pre-bed snack

4. Tri Fuel - Meal Timing, Composition, and Amount - article by Ellen Colemen, RD, MA, MPH, I’ve always enjoyed her stuff on nutrition for runners and triathletes

5. Men’s Health - Meal Timing Examples - just a sample of three scenario’s, not for everyone but gives an idea

– the picture is just a reminder of what truly makes me happy–

On September 9th I accomplished a goal that I’ve had since around 1999/2000 (I can’t remember the exact date that I put it down on paper but somewhere around then). I finished an Ironman Triathlon. I swam 2.4 miles, I biked 112 miles and I ran 26.2 miles all in 11 hours and 12 minutes.

What a great accomplishment and milestone in my life! But the question that I’ve been dealing with for the past week and a half is this; If accomplishing a goal like that meant so much to me, after sacrificing so many hours of my life, after sacrificing financial rewards and stability, after involving so many friends and family in my circle of support - why do I feel so empty?

If you read my analysis of the race results you will see that even then I was having a little difficulty enjoying what had just happened. Enjoying the moment.

I don’t want everyone to think that I’m walking around all depressed and feeling sorry for myself, that’s not true. But I do have this inner feeling that makes me feel like I should have enjoyed the finish a little more than I did.

Possibly the fact that I’m not really satisfied is a good thing, from a performance perspective. The dissatisfaction might be a strong motivator for me to train this winter and race more in 2008. That personality characteristic just might be an ingredient that exists in the personality profile of champion athletes.

I don’t have clear answers to these ideas, I have a lot more questions. Here’s a big one; If I’m not as happy as I want to be right now, What will give me a “10″ on the happiness meter?

A book that I’ve been reading has put some light on this subject, Stumbling on Happiness. The book isn’t a self help manual or workbook that leads you to happiness, so if you need help finding happiness, this is not a whole lot of help. But the author (Daniel Gilbert) does go through all the issues that humans face when trying to find happiness. The following are some interesting ideas that I’ve pulled from book that have helped me put my Ironman experience in context. Maybe they’ll help you understand your little journey too:

1. We commonly do things now so that our future selves will be happy. But how well do we know our future selves? How well do we know what will make us happy in the future? — We all think we know exactly will make us happy in the future. We are almost always wrong. — So even if I won an Ironman, would that give me a 10. What are you chasing to be happy?

2. When people day dream they see themselves succeeding rather than fumbling or failing. — This makes sense, why would you want to day dream about failure? The issue that I see becoming a problem is that when we day dream we rarily inject any reality into those dreams. Or, we may not set forth a plan that would help those day dreams become a reality. — How many Ironman goals are just day dreams that are not based upon any signal / sign of real events. i.e. my cycling times at Wisconisn. — I had a major problem seperating day dreaming in high school in relation to basketball. Unfortunatley a lot of day dreaming occured during games! I had troubles seperating out the thoughts of the crowd (girls) and actually competing. Good thing I’ve matured?

3. Fear and anxiety can prove to be a powerful motivator.

4. “When we imagine the future, we often misimagine the future events whose emotional consequence we are attempting to weigh.” Therefore when we actually experience that future event we maybe in a position of dissappointment. — I think this is a big reason why people always look toward the future in general and feel like it will be better than today (unless there is serious depression), the ability to find happiness is to realize the “now”. Today can make us happy. We can become fulfilled today.

5. “Researchers have discovered that when people find it easy to imagine an event they overestimate the likelihood that it will actually occur….. we tend to overestimate the likelihood that good events will actually happen to us, which leads us to be unrealistically optimistic about our futures.” — Yikes!

To finish my notes from this book for now I’ll share a quote the author shared from Blaise Pascal (philosopher and mathematician):

“All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves.”

Will winning an Ironman make me happy? Probably not. Not if I can’t find a way to be happy with where I’m at right now as a triathlete. I may say that it would make me happy, but remember, we are all pretty poor at determining what will make us happy in the future. It isn’t always better tomorrow, so start living today.

Spend some time in prayer, meditate for 10 minutes, tell someone you love them and mean it, go have the most passionate sex you can, spend some time helping someone … those things are not goals, you can’t “accomplish” them - but you can do them today. You can be happy.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” - Albert Einstein

I recently began reading the new biography on Einstein written by Walter Isaacson called, Einstein: His Life and Universe. I wanted to read the book to learn some basic facts about the man, but I have also gained some insight into the world of triathlon too. (Of course I had to be looking for it, but hopefully it’s entertaining / insightful none-the-less.)

The first theory of relativity that Einstein provided was called “special relativity.” (He later came up with his general relativity theory.) The take home idea from special relativity is that if there are two objects, determining who is at rest and who is in motion is relative to the “observer” and is not an absolute. The scenario used to best describe this idea was a man sitting in an armchair versus a women in an airplane flying above. In both scenarios the same laws of physics apply, therefore each person (man and women) could consider themself at rest, while the other is in motion. Neither is right or wrong. (Isaacson, pg 107-108).

In triathlon training and racing, I believe a similar understanding of relativity can be valuable. Follow my thought process for a couple steps:

- When training with a group it can be hard to do the training appropriate for you. We ride too fast to keep up or we want the group atmosphere, so we swim a masters workout that does not address an Ironman triathletes’or an individual’s needs.

- When developing a race strategy we make decisions and goals based upon what we would like (hope) to achieve. These decisions are not grounded in the honest assessment of our current fitness levels. (It would be ideal if specific workouts have been completed to assess those fitness levels… check out my last two race simulation posts as my examples: race sim #1, race sim #2). An even more frieghtening scenario is when we start setting race goals based upon our training partners’ race goals, keeping in mind their race goals may not be based upon an honest assessment either.

Even worse…. basing them on ideas, reports and race strategies you see posted at online forums or blogs (even mine)!

The relativity link..

The connection between special relativity and triathlon is that there rarely is a right or wrong when it comes to training programs or race strategies, there is only an appropriate program based upon the athlete (the observer).

When we complete workouts and follow our training partners’ lead we may be involving ourselves in a scenario that leaves us sitting “at rest” while our partner is reaping the benefits of the workout and maintaining momentum. The program has to be based upon the individual athlete to know for sure that progress is occurring. After all - it’s all relative.

Special Ironman Wisconsin 2007 Note:

I wrote this blog entry last week, but last night (8/10/07) found myself in the middle of a conversation that made me understand this idea a little better. A group of us doing Ironman races in September were sitting around eating at a local resturant, naturally the conversation lead to: How much training we were currently doing, How much training we would do ‘x’ weeks out, etc. I almost began to have an internal anxiety attack, because I came to the “realization” that I wasn’t doing enough.

It took a few minutes before I remembered this topic and understood that I was getting caught up in someone else’s experience. Their experience was robbing me of my own. I took on the attitude that what they were doing was right and therefore my experience was less-than-positive.

I pulled myself out of that place quickly and thought back to the positives that I personally have had lately. I also realized that if I was doing the training they were talking about (25 hour specific prep weeks) I would be left to heaps of dust come September 9th. Perfect for them, not reasonable for me.

How do we know if we are “at rest” or “in motion.”

There are ways that we can set up a program that encourages us to learn about ourselves enough to make those “honest assessments.” Here are several that I’ll share now:

- Races: A race is not only exciting, but a great testing ground to see if we have improved our fitness. Use shorter races strategically placed to enable yourself to make several observations throughout the year. Alan Couzens wrote a recent piece that includes an analysis of Jack Daniels’ Formula and using racing as test. (Use the link and check it out.)

- Fitness Tests / Test Sets: Set up your own fitness test and test regularly. Gordo has talked a lot over the past year about his 3 mile aerobic run test. Some things that I use are:

• –> 3 Mile Aerobic Run w/heart rate
• –> Thursday 6.3 mile group run w/heart rate
• –> 10 x 200 yard main set
• –> 4000 meter time
• –> North Middletown Bike Ride w/out and back, heart rate/time
• –> Valley View Ferry Climb time

- Meditation: I realize this may appear to be non-physical. It may or may not be, but one thing that regularly practicing a mindful state does is open up your awareness so that you can become more aware when you are training. Instead of looking at your training partners’ performance for validation of yourself, you maybe more comfortable looking within your own ability. (I do this well in training, not so well in the day-to-day).

Final Question:

Are you “in motion” or “at rest”? Remember, don’t confuse movement and progress!

It has been a long time since I made an effort to consciously work on
my mental approach to racing. The last time I remember doing anything
consistently regarding my mental approach to health, fitness or racing
performance was the 2003 season.

That season happened to be my most consistent year from a performance point-of-view and one of the healthier years in my life. Here are some thoughts that I shared back then: Mental Training - for endurance athletes.

Now that I have neglected this focus for some time, I’ve been reading some new
materials, re-reading some old books, going back through my journals
and just trying to re-establish some old practices, such as my mindfulness meditation practice.

It has been an effort, just like any positive behavior change - I guess.
What I would like to do is start sharing some of the thoughts and ideas
I am having and trying to implement.

Here’s the first idea: Talk yourself into a better triathlon performance.

I just read Bobby McGee’s book, Magical Running : A Unique Path to Running Fulfillment. If you have ever wanted to move beyond the typical sports psychology ideas, then I would suggest that you pick
up the book and work through it. It reads more like a workbook than a
text book and the practice is worth the time in my opinion.

The chapter that I seem to be going back to again and again is chapter two
- “Affirmed Running”. The shortest explanation of the material is, we
are who we say we are. And this is in a very literal sense. This means
that the words and vocabulary we use to describe ourselves is who we
will become.

As I take the effort and give attention to my vocabulary, I notice some interesting things. One thing that I’ve noticed is that I always describe myself as a slow/weak/poor/terrible swimmer. This self description of my swimming has become habit over the years and is so common that it has become almost a joke to myself. The interesting aspect is that by characterizing myself in this way, others’ perception of me is one of a poor swimmer too.

There are two aspects to this concept that I see:

1. Self-fulfilling prophecy. When we talk about ourselves in specific ways, our behaviors will commonly reinforce those attitudes. This results in our reality confirming what the perceptions of our “Self” has always been.

I usually describe myself as a poor swimmer, therefore I don’t enjoy swimming. That attitude means that I often skip a swim to go run/bike or anything else. The lack of swimming reinforces my perception because I don’t swim enough to improve my ability.

2. It doesn’t have to be a conscious vocabulary. The example of my swimming attitudes and behaviors is easy because it is a fairly observable behavior and apparent in my conversations. But what about the conversations that I have within myself that I am not consciously aware of? Are there negative discussions about who I am, what I have become or what I want to accomplish that I am not aware of?

What about this example: A triathlete begins their training as a young adult and works themselves into great shape over a period of 5 years. They set a goal to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona and it is a real possibility for them. As the race nears, they continue their efforts towards their goal, but then begin to have a little self doubt. They notice thoughts creeping in that don’t support their goals. Things like,

“You can’t compete against people who have trained for longer”

or

“Your competition has been doing this since childhood. How can you compete with that?”

The thoughts seemingly come from nowhere because the athlete is naturally a confident person in all areas of life. The idea here is that sometimes there may be some thoughts that are implanted or ingrained into our thinking that are not the way we perceive our self.

The key that I am learning is that positive self affirmations are an activity we need to participate in whether we think we need to or not.

Bobby McGee mentions in his book that we don’t have to even believe the things we tell ourselves. Why? Because the subconscious mind is not a logical mind, it will believe and/or absorb whatever we feed it. It then leaves the conscious mind to do the analysis. This is a great lesson!

This idea isn’t only valuable within athletics. I’ve seen positive affirmation activities used to improve one’s health too. Specifically, I remember a discussion where a cancer survivor made it a habit to look at herself in a mirror everyday and speak positive affirmations about her cancer. The one I recall her saying was,

“My body is cancer free”

It didn’t matter to her if it was true or not. She was trying to create a new reality.

Sharing my current affirmations:

I sat down and wrote a list of current statements that I wanted to keep in front of me on a regular basis. Here they are:

- I am a STRONG Swimmer.
- I am HEALTHY!
- I prevail and persevere when others do not.
- I have a DEEP fitness built from 9 years of training.
- I train wisely.
- I always race well and according to plan.
- I only have to be excellent in this moment, this breathe, this step, this stroke, this pedal stroke.

That’s the first lesson on mental training I wanted to share. Here are two activities for you to do:

1. Make your own list of 5 positive affirmations about yourself.

2. Hang that list where you can see it daily or share it with someone who
is supportive of your goal. Share it here in the comments if nowhere
else.