The Fitness Balance Scale

      One question I get rather often, is, “What does fitness mean to you?”  In a word, I would say:  Adaptability--Move more.  Sit less.  Eat better food. 

This usually leads to a discussion on what specifics I advocate.  I must state this clearly, I am not a medical professional, nor a personal trainer, so all suggestions must be taken with a grain of salt.  All of the following suggestions are based on my personal experience and the results they have yielded for me.  Each person is different.  In kind, our bodies will react differently. 

This is why having a goal is important.  Having a goal will alter your fitness needs.  But to answer more generally…here is how I scale and define fitness.  I call it the “Fitness Balance Scale” and it is comprised of three parts:

1.    Endurance

2.    Strength

3.    Balance

1.     Endurance

For a quick definition endurance training is any lower intensity exercise engaged for a sustained period of time.  

Endurance is a key component to the Fitness Balance Scale because of its long term effects.  The endurance aspect of fitness facilitates mental focus, resilience in the face of tragedies and flexibility during major life changes.  On the mental side of endurance, this type of training has also been linked to calmness in the face of adversity and increased mindfulness in everyday life.  Martin Paulus has begun a landmark study on the subject, you can read about it here   

On the physical side endurance training will:

--melt white fat (the bad fat) off your body

--is one of the quickest ways to detox

--encourage the body to store brown fat (the good fat)

--facilitate quick recovery and muscle repair

--increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis

--regulates/produces consistent energy

--increase sleep quality

--increase insulin sensitivity (reduces the chance you’ll get diabetes)

--increase the production of white blood cells

--makes you a certified badass.

Personally, I would also argue that endurance training also helps develop greater empathy and compassion.  I don’t have any hard science to back this up, but this aspect of endurance training has been one of the most prevalent in my own life. 

2.     Strength

As weird as it may sound, strength training mixed with endurance provides a much needed balance to the body.  Too much training of one specific movement without variation can cause injury.  (I.E. all the data shows if all you do is run, or bike, with no cross training or movement variation, you are more likely to get injured.)  Strength training when mixed with endurance training helps build lean muscle and keeps all areas of your body strong.  Strength training also keeps fast twitch muscle fibers in order, which will help you maintain speed and explosiveness.

For my purpose I incorporate HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for most of my strength workouts.  HIIT workouts are just what they sound like.  You train in intervals for a set amount of time, or set amount of reps, have little to no rest in between and continue until the time runs out or all your reps are complete.  HIIT training also aids in quick recovery while you are exercising--a term often named "active recovery."  It is my preferred method because I can build strength without adding bulk.  In my book, being too huge exceeds your bodies natural state of balance and puts you into the realm of diminishing returns in terms of overall health.   What's the point in being able to bench press 450 when you can't chase your kid around the park without getting winded? 

I include speed work and tempo runs into the strength category because both provide similar benefits to a strength training workout.  The intensity is turned up and different muscles are utilized when speed or maintaining a certain pace are required. 

3.     Balance

Balance is the glue that holds strength and endurance together.  While strength and endurance form a balance of their own, since you need both to reach optimum performance, balance itself aids in reaching peak performance in both areas.  How does this work?

Coach Monk says, "Add balance drills
to your regimen...NOW!"

In a nutshell, incorporating balance work into a fitness program fine tunes the efficiency and effectiveness of micromuscular movements.  Micro muscles are responsible for numerous processes our bodies undergo.  From adjusting your posture, to adjusting the way you stand up, to changing your gait because of that annoying callous on your left toe…all of these are effected by micromuscles.  Micromuscular movements are also greatly embedded by our muscle memory.  Balance training can reprogram bad muscle memory systems and optimize other good muscle memory systems.  Thus when the micro is more aligned and attuned so is the macro, i.e. strength and endurance.

What are some easy and common examples of balance training? 

--Planks and bridges            --Squats

--Running downhill.            --One-legged squats

--Any type of hold               --Conscious breathing

--Agility drills                      --Wall sits

--Jump roping                      --Handstand pushups

Add a couple of the above (there a tons more a quick google search will yield) into any workout regimen and you will see and feel the results quickly.

 

WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU PUT IT TOGETHER???

Below I’m going to list my general fitness goal, my basic weekly training core and how it incorporates this “Fitness Balance Scale.”

My goal:  To have a weekly core training program that will allow me to run a marathon in under four hours.  To be able to add on extra training in case I want to tackle different events.  To have sustained energy and focus throughout the day.

My Weekly Routine:

Monday- Easy 6 mile run (Endurance)

Tuesday-Crossfit or HIIT Circuit Training + 2 mile Run.  (Strength)

Wednesday-8 mile tempo run or 10 mile easy run  (Endurance + Strength + Balance)

Thursday- Crossfit or HIIT Circuit Training + 2 mile Run or agility stations and jump-rope.  (Strength + Balance)

Friday-10 mile run, hill repeaters, or speed work (Endurance + Strength + Balance)

Saturday-1/2 marathon or HIIT Training with Pool Drills or a rest day.  (Strength + Balance) 

Sunday-Planks, stabilization and balance drills, freestyle hike or run/walk (Balance)

This is a core training plan I have developed for myself over the past two years. I have utilized this plan to maintain a training core that allows me to run a marathon in under four hours with no additional training.  This cycle also allows for room to add more rest time when necessary or add additional training for other goals or events. 

Again, this is what I’ve developed and catered to my fitness goals.  But the “Fitness Balance Scale” applies to whatever goal you may have in mind. 

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

I know you’ll knock it out of the park.

The Secret Spots

       One of the things that has absolutely captivated me about running long distances is the opportunities the practice affords me to get into places that would normally be barred from access.  No, I don't trespass (most of the time.)  But typically, I'll use hiking trails as running routes.  Or utilize winding country roads at the behest of my workout and meditation.  The meditative quality of distance running is another fringe benefit.  You get in killer shape.  But you also fall into a meditative state.

       Over the past three years, as I've trained for different events, I've seemed to have lost my attachment to a regimen.  By that I mean, counting miles, time on my feet, strength workouts, speed workouts, etc.  Granted, I still get all these components covered during my usual core fitness cycle.  But the more I run, the more I enjoy what I call the "adventure run."

         The adventure run is pretty much what it sounds like, er,--an adventure.  You take some water, maybe a few calories, leave your watch at home and get lost.  Below I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite finds from some of my recent "adventure runs."

Ahhhhh, take a whiff of the fresh scent of the pines.  Can you feel the tingling in your nostrils?  This shot of the pines was taken somewhere in Bastrop County, on the rim of where the historic fires of 2008 struck.







Below is a prickly pear cactus sprouting beautifully.  Notice the figs on the top of the plant.  They will soon open into flowers.  This cactus, strangely is on the same route as the pines, less than two miles apart.  All I can say, is only in Texas can you have pines and cactus in the same locale.

To the right is a secret pond, I found somewhere behind the Colorado River Refuge.  Good stuff.  Shortly before I took the photo, there was a family of raccoons going for a dip.

To the left is a shot of the Colorado River through a canopy of at the top of a rise on the Colorado River Refuge.  After a fun section, skirting through gently rolling meadows, you'll climb up a ridge that will put you level with a canopy of sycamores and cottonwoods.  If you position yourself just right, you'll see that the river awaits.  (I usually hike down and take a dip, then continue on my run)

The picture to the right is a place the locals affectionately have named, "Quesadilla Rock."  It is just below the canopy pictured above, and is one of my favorite places to meditate.  It's a couple miles in from the Dragonfly Trailhead at the Colorado River Refuge.

 One of my favorite overlooks ever.  This is the top of Bluff Ridge at McKinney Roughs Nature Park.  For the trailrunner, it's a 3-4 mile trek in depending on which route you take.  A good reward for the climb before you head back down.  For the hiker, bring a picnic and soak it in!












Soak up what's around you, my friends!  There are secret spots all around you.  Stake your claim and make it fun.  Let the world be a witness to your fitness.

Building Fitness Fun into a Busy Lifestyle

     I would work out but...
     I would go for a run but...
   
     I would write this blogpost but...

     I get it.  A job.  Kids.  The spouse.  The commute.  Where and how can we find time for the world to witness our fitness?  

     We've all been there.  Knowing that we need to get out there and be more active but...something always comes up.  Or there are the days when we just. don't. feel. like it.

    In this week's post, I'm taking you all on a run with me!  (Pardon the shoddy camera work, I was my own film crew, director and stuntman).  Along the way, I'll share some tips on how to build fun into your fitness and build fitness into a busy schedule.

Tip #1:
Exercise is a ritual.  Find a way to build it into your day.  I usually find a place to go on my way      home from work.  Here I am at McKinney Roughs Nature Park.

Tip #2:  Enjoy the scenery and find your ease.  Here's how I do it:

                                 Public Service Announcement:  Relax!

Tip #3:

Build in a Reward.  You're working hard.  Pay yourself for the effort :-)

Tip #4:

Mix it up.  Take advantage of your environment.  

Awaken the spirit of adventure!

Tip #5:

Revisit Tip #1.  Build your workout into your commute.  If you live close...you can run or bike to work!  And...always keep some workout gear in your car.  

Happy trails, my friends!  Share how you build fitness into your schedule and we'll give you a shoutout on the Facebook page!

Love you all.

-Matt

Is Great Teaching Really Just Great Customer Service?

As some of you already know, when I’m not chasing a toddler around, running a ridiculous amount of miles, working on one of my various writing projects or out rescuing puppies from burning high-rise apartments, I am a teacher at a high school for at-risk youth.  Last week I had the opportunity to present a development seminar to colleagues in my district about changing the educational paradigm and how it really starts in the heart of the teacher.  Later in the week, after having a horrible experience as a customer in dealing with a representative of a particular company, I had a marvelous revelation:  Great customer service and great teaching are parallel.

I know what you’re thinking, especially if you’re one of my fellow teachers reading this,  “Students aren’t customers.  They can’t choose not to be in my class and I can’t choose not to work with a student without some serious legal gymnastics.”  Bear with me.

For those of you on the customer service end, you may be thinking, “Yeah, I’m in this business because teachers are crazy people.”  I won’t debate that.  But you may say, “I’m not trying to teach my customer anything.  I just want to create a good experience for them.”  That’s when I say:  B-I-N-G-O.

A Yucky Classroom experience and
Bad Customer service 
both feel like the above photo.

Two of my big takeaways from the last week both in my teacher training and through my terrible customer service experience are:  1.  Great teaching and great customer service both create a positive experience.  2.  Great teaching and great customer service employ action to build trust.  I will talk about both briefly below.

                 1.  Great teaching and great customer service both create positive experiences.  In my work environment I generally deal with what are known as “reluctant learners.”  That is the politically correct way of saying most of my students are at very low levels academically and socially, usually several grades levels below their current grade level.  In other words, my average student may be in 10^th grade, but may only be able to read at a 4^th grade level and write at a 3^rd grade level.  This being the raw material I have to work with, forces me to ask another question:  What isn’t the educational system doing to get this child where he/she needs to be?  Why is this student shutting down?  The simple answer is that these students have not had very many or any positive experiences in an educational setting.  In the world of a teacher, if I can create a positive experience for these learners, their reluctance dissipates and they will go above and beyond any of their or my expectations.  If I create a negative experience, why is a student going to work for me?  My students lose out if I create a negative experience in my classroom. So do I. 

The Monk says:
Customers and Students 
require trust.

It’s the same in customer service.  My wife and I really love Kerbey Lane Café in Austin.  In particular, we love their original location over on Kerbey Lane.  We just can’t stop going there.  Why?  We love the food.  We like the building.  The staff is friendly.  Put all of that together and what do you get?  A positive experience.  Because we have a positive experience we keep returning.  On the flip side, earlier this week, Stef and I had a very bad customer service experience with a certain representative.  As a result, we are no longer working with this individual.  While we could have been sending the representative a ton of referrals, both the representative and company are losing since our experience was terrible.  Our recommendations and future business will now go elsewhere.

 2.  Great teaching and great customer service employ action that builds trust.  Kids are the masters at holding adults to their word.  Any parent can attest to this.  If mom and dad promise little Johnny he’ll get an ice cream if he finishes his homework, once that homework is finished, mom and dad better have ice cream for him.  If mom and dad do not get him the ice cream, not only are they risking a level 47 meltdown...  mom and dad also run the risk of Johnny never doing his homework again AND more importantly, Johnny is going to think his parents are full of crap.  In other words, Johnny will not trust mom and dad, and will continue to push the limits thereby creating extreme scenarios for his parents to regain control. 

Teaching is the same way.  If a student asks me for something and I affirm that I can arrange to make it happen, I better make it happen.  If I don’t, the student then thinks I’m full of crap, and I run the risk of losing that student for the rest of the year.  As a teacher, my most powerful words are, “Go ask the principal.”  In all seriousness, NO is one of the most powerful things I can tell a student when I can’t back an affirmation up with an action.  The student will get over it and I will have maintained trust in our relationship.  In the student-teacher relationship it is imperative that a YES is backed up with immediate action. 

On the customer service end, please do not tell a client one thing to make them feel good and not back it up with an action.  This will immediately break the trust of the client and they will think the representative and the company for which the representative works is full of crap.  This was the bane of our bad customer service experience this week.  Stef and I were told one thing, no action was taken on the part of the representative.  This broke our trust and confidence in the representative.  So we quickly terminated the relationship and went in another direction.  Because the representative did not take action, his company lost immediate and potential business.

"The man who doesn't reach decisions promptly when he has all the necessary facts in hand cannot be depended upon to carry out decisions after he makes them."  --Napolean Hill

To conclude:  Action builds trust and trust builds positive environments.  Students need positive environments in which they feel safe and empowered.  I find the relationship intriguing and empowering.  I’m excited to delve into this topic more in future posts!  In what ways can you employ these concepts to empower you own life?  Let me know and let the fun commence!