Tag Archives: fitness

Kill a Snake

My Grandfather liked using the saying, ā€œKill a snake when itā€™s small.ā€ Heā€™d walk into your house and notice a loose tile, or drawer that didnā€™t fully close, or some other minor issue, and the next day heā€™d arrive with his tools and it would be fixed.

Deal with it while itā€™s a small issue. This is a great strategy, but one thatā€™s often ignored in the world of health and fitness. Maybe ā€˜ignoredā€™ is too harsh of a word, itā€™s more like not taken seriously enoughā€¦ the small snakes are not payed attention to until they get quite a bit bigger.

Sore shoulder? It doesnā€™t hurt too much, Iā€™ll just keep doing what Iā€™m doing and stop later if it really hurts.

Hernia pain is back? I donā€™t need to go to the doctor, Iā€™ll just monitor it for a bit and see if it goes away.

10 pounds overweight? Iā€™ll watch my diet for a week before I go back to my normal routine.

Too busy to work out? Iā€™ll just work out more when things calm down.

We ignore pain until itā€™s too painful to ignore. We watch our weight when itā€™s already a big problem. We give ourselves a pass on taking care of ourselves when we are busy, only to be busy more and more frequently. We ignore the small snakes, and wait for them to be bigger than we ever hoped theyā€™d get.

The snakes we ignore come back to bite us.

The slow road

In the last 8-10 months Iā€™ve seen some really positive results with my overall fitness. If I think about what Iā€™m doing differently to see these results, there isnā€™t a lot thatā€™s new. Rather it has been tiny shifts that Iā€™ve made after years of building positive habits.

The journey started in January 2019. If I want to think about the positive results Iā€™ve been seeing lately it stems from that long ago. People tend to want to see really fast results, and then one of two things happen: Either the unrealistic goals go unrealized (itā€™s probably unlikely youā€™ll drop 25 pounds in 2 months). Or the target is hit the first time then when the results are not repeated, it becomes disappointing, (you hit the 25 pound target but in another 2 months you only drop 5 more pounds and get discouraged).

Build good habits and consistent results are a natural byproduct. Then small tweaks really make a positive difference. I added 10 minutes to my cardio routine, and started doing the Norwegian Protocol once a week. This has improved my cardio (which I can see in my effort output increasing when I do the protocol). I also added a weighted vest to my incline walks on the treadmill, which Iā€™m sure has helped improve my cardiovascular stamina.

I have also focused more on pushing myself to fatigue when I do weights, because I am trying to be more efficient in the morning since I have 10 less minutes to workout because of my added cardio. So, Iā€™m not adding gym time, Iā€™m just being more effective. Doing cardio, stretching, and training one muscle group really hard still only takes about 45-50 minutes, but that time is focused.

I couldnā€™t do this with a 2 month goal. If I was worried about instant results, if I had unrealistic ambitions when I started this journey more than 5 years ago, I probably wouldnā€™t still be doing what Iā€™m doing. Now Iā€™m not saying having goals and targets isnā€™t good. I know weight or muscle size targets can be fantastic motivators. What I am saying is that being willing to develop good habits shifts those goals to more long term ambitions.

I want to be as healthy as I am now in 20 years. To do that I need to keep improving, knowing full well that my body will not be able to sustain itself in the same way in 2 decadesā€¦ into my late 70ā€™s. So Iā€™ll keep the small, positive changes going, with a focus on being consistent, and injury free.

Increasing my healthspan, not just my lifespan is my goal. And while improvements will be slow, the slow road is far more likely to get me to the results I desire, rather than creating big targets that are hard to accomplish and then taking psychological hits when I donā€™t hit my goals. I think too often we seek changes in our bodies that are either too great or too hard to sustain. A long term goal of a positive healthspan keeps me going at a pace and effort that I know I can maintain for a very long time.

The Grind 2024

My buddy Dave does the Grouse Grind once every year, close to his birthday. I did it with him a couple years ago, and back then we did it in just over an hour.

According to the website, ā€œThe Grouse GrindĀ® is a 2.5-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as ā€œMother Natureā€™s Stairmaster”.ā€

Well, thanks to Dave pushing me, I just broke the 1 hour mark this year.

Dave did a bit faster than me. We took a 3 minute water break for my sake at the 1/2 way point and I had to slow down at the 3/4 mark. When I saw at this point that we were at 45 minutes in, I told Dave not to wait for me because I didnā€™t want to be the reason he didnā€™t break an hour.

So I finished at 59:52 and Dave made it to the top in 58:00. This climb is almost the same distance as our Coquitlam Crunch we do weekly but itā€™s 3 times the elevation, and takes us more than twice as long to the peak.

Iā€™m not going to lie, nothing about this hour climb is fun. Itā€™s gruelling from the time your heart rate spikes near the bottom and it is a push all the way to the top. But it feels great to know that we can still push ourselves to this level, and to actually do it faster than last time is an accomplishment.

That said, Iā€™m happy to put off doing it again for another year. Weā€™ll squeeze in another 40 Crunch climbs in before then.

Thanks for the push Dave, I expect the same next year.

Workout buddy

I work out at home. Getting up and just having to go to my basement with no commute time to and from the gym is great. There is minimal resistance, I have no excuse, and I Iā€™ve averaged working out more than 6 days a week over this year. If I had to travel to a gym, I wouldnā€™t keep that average up.

That said, itā€™s awesome to do a workout with a buddy. There are added motivations to really push when: you have someone next to you working hard; you know that they will spot you if you are struggling; and, admittedly itā€™s just easier to push yourself when youā€™ve got an audience.

I am doing a week long trail at my buddyā€™s gym and went for a workout this morning. We did a chest workout. It was fast, and yet it was more comprehensive than what I do at home, and I worked harder than I usually do at home. Realizing this is making me rethink my workout schedule. I donā€™t want to pay monthly fees for a gym I rarely use, I also donā€™t want to disrupt my morning routine or wake up even earlier to add 30 minutes commute time to my routine.

Not sure I can get the best of both worlds, but for at least a couple more times in the next week, I hope I get to work out with a buddy!

Sunday VO2 Max

I started doing Max VO2 training almost every Sunday a few months ago. I say ā€˜almostā€™ because my vacations this summer included a few misses, but as I head into the school year this will become the norm. However Iā€™m struggling a bit with motivation right now because the Norwegian 4X4 Protocol Iā€™ve been doing is really hard.

I always feel great having finished it, but dang itā€™s just not fun to start. 4-minutes at about 85-95% heart rate max, followed by 3-minutes recovery, four times. The total protocol is 28 minutes, but I canā€™t just get on a treadmill and go at 85-95% without getting winded and having to stop or slow down, so I add a 4-minute warmup which puts this workout at 32 minutes.

You might wonder, if it sucks so much why do it? Why do I bother? Because increasing Max VO2, (your maximum oxygen intake during exercise), is one of the absolute best things you can do to increase healthspan and lifespan.

See this Tweet by Dr. Rhonda Patrick:

Here is her podcast on The Longevity & Brain Benefits of Vigorous Exercise | Dr. Rhonda Patrick:

Writing this is my last bit of procrastination before getting on the treadmillā€¦ Iā€™ve got to figure out a habit routine that makes getting this workout started easier!

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PS. Iā€™m keenly aware that Iā€™ve written about this a couple times already (here and here), but itā€™s whatā€™s on my mind and itā€™s something I hope I can inspire others to do!

Holidays and routines

Exercise, writing, meditation, dietā€¦ even vitaminsā€¦ my schedule and routines are completely out of whack, and Iā€™m feeling the struggle. I donā€™t mind a few days off, but Iā€™ve been off of a regular schedule for over a month now and itā€™s getting to me. My back is achy, I have less energy, and Iā€™m not sleeping well.

I often talk about this, and I get comments like, ā€˜Donā€™t be so hard on yourself.ā€™ But the reality is that itā€™s not about me beating myself up or not giving myself a break. Rather itā€™s that I get huge benefits out of maintaining my routines, and I am not as energetic and vital when I let things slip.

Furthermore, when I lose my routines on holidays, I spiral a bit and end up missing things that are well within my ability to schedule. For example, Iā€™ve only meditated twice in the last week, but Iā€™ve definitely had at least 10 if not 20 minutes each day that I could have used to meditate. Also, Iā€™m writing this when I should already be sleeping.

So, once again Iā€™m sharing my complaints, but neither for sympathy nor for comments about not being so hard on myself. Rather Iā€™m sharing because outwardly discussing this, putting it ā€˜out thereā€™ is a way I hold myself accountable. And so Iā€™m just saying that I need to do betterā€¦ and tomorrow Iā€™ll make things better.

This is my way of manifesting the behaviours I want for myself. And Iā€™ll feel better both physically and mentally.

Keeping with it

Habit versus motivation: habits win.

I am lazing around on holiday. Thereā€™s nothing outwardly wrong with that, if only I could feel better about it. Yesterday my wife and I did a walk up a big hill in 33Ā° weather (91Ā° for my Fahrenheit friends). It was hard, but rewarding. I was impressed with my wife who had us jogging down the hill, when I would have chosen to walk.

Today it feels hotter, but I procrastinated all morning and now I still havenā€™t worked out yet and itā€™s mid afternoon. I have no idea what Iā€™m going to do for a workout, but I know Iā€™m going to work outā€¦ itā€™s just that my motivation in this heat is very low. Our tent is a steam room, too hot to stay in, and Iā€™m sticking to the chair, sweaty, as I write this in the shade.

I have no problem working out regularly at home, itā€™s a habit. I wake up, start my morning routine, and before going to work Iā€™ve worked out, meditated, and written my blog post. Meanwhile Iā€™ve been here 3 nights, missed one workout, and didnā€™t blog or meditate until after 9pm 2-out-of-3 nights so far.

Itā€™s simple: Habits are easy, motivation is hard.

Iā€™ll need to figure out some new routines because Iā€™m spending a good part of my holiday thinking about and avoiding things I usually get done before 7am. As for right now, Iā€™m going to do a meditation and push myself to complete a workout despite the heat. I want it to hurt today, to motivate me to not wait until this time tomorrow. In the world of motivation Iā€™ve learned that I prefer the stick to the carrotā€¦ the avoidance of pain rather than the promise of reward.

With good habits, I can just avoid the need for motivation altogether.

Lift heavy things

Inspired by Peter Attiaā€™s book Outlive, I purchased a weighted vest. My buddy Dave and I have been doing the Coquitlam Crunch, weekly during the school year, for a few years nowā€¦ and today we did it with 16 pound weighted vests.

I did a couple incline treadmill walks with the vest on before trying it on this average 10% grade over two and a half kilometres long walk. But I have to admit that for the 457 stairs section I was huffing and puffing at the end. Still, our time to the top was only about 20 seconds slower than last weekā€™s walk, so overall it was an excellent workout that was well within our capabilities.

According to Dr. Peter Attia, the best things we can do increase our healthspan (not just lifespan) is to:

  • Increase our Max VO2
  • Increase our muscle mass
  • Lift heavy things

The biggest downfall (literally as well as figuratively) are falls and injuries that stop us from doing the 3 things mentioned above. Case-in-point: fall and break a hip and suddenly you arenā€™t likely to be doing any of the above for weeks if not monthsā€¦ and then getting back to it afterwards you probably arenā€™t going to be as able to continue where you left off. Inversely, doing the 3 things above make you stronger, more vital, and less likely to do things like accidentally fall and break your hip.

So, we put on our vests this morning and started up the hill. On Daveā€™s recommendationā€¦ which I likeā€¦ for the next 6 months weā€™ll do our Coquitlam Crunch with weighted vests the first Saturday of every month. In 6 months we will re-assess and maybe go to twice a month. It was hard enough today that I donā€™t think Iā€™d be motivated to do this every week (yet) and we arenā€™t in a race, so once a month seems like a good start.

So this is my public service announcement: Lift heave things!

Be the hero that carries all the grocery bags from the car to your house in just one trip.

Haul your ass up the stairs rather than taking the elevator or escalator.

Increase the weights you lift so that you are actually working you muscles to fatigue rather than finishing 3 sets of 12 at a weight where the last 2 reps are almost as easy as the first 2.

Find ways to push your body without being stupid about it. My vest came with 40 pounds of weight, but today I did 16, and Iā€™ll keep it at 16 for a while, eventually increasing the weight on my treadmill first. Again, this isnā€™t a race, itā€™s more about making lifestyle choices and lifting heaving things is a choice that will help you be able to do things you want to do for much more healthy years.

Norwegian Protocol

Iā€™m procrastinating. I should have got on the treadmill a couple hours ago, but Iā€™m wasting time and avoiding it. Sundays have become my Norwegian Protocol days: 4-minutes running at the maximum speed that I can maintain for the full 4-minutes, followed by 3 minutes at a very slow walk to recover. It takes me 32 minutes because I start with a 4-minute warm up.

This is one of the best ways to improve Max VOā‚‚, which is the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can absorb during exercise. This is a measure of aerobic fitness and has one of the highest correlations with health-span, meaning maintaining good health at an order age.

This is my tenth Sunday in a row that I am doing this. And today itā€™s messing with my mind. I know itā€™s only 16 minutes at my maximum speed. I know Iā€™ll feel great when Iā€™ve finished. But the idea right now of willingly stepping on that treadmill knowing that Iā€™m gonna put myself through this is something Iā€™m suffering with right now.

I need to get past this mind game Iā€™m playing with myself. The reality is that when I played water polo almost every workout was harder than this. I am a crappy, inefficient swimmer, and I trained at a pretty high-level. What that means is every workout I was the last person in my lane; the last person to finish a swim set; and, I worked as hard or harder than anyone else in the pool. I know how to push my body hardā€¦ thatā€™s what I have to remind myself as I get older.

Because Iā€™m not on a team anymore, Iā€™m not training with a group of people who I donā€™t want to let down. Itā€™s just me. Me and this once a week push for a measly 16 minutes broken into 4 sets. This is my reminder that I know how to push, how to mentally psych myself up to do something hard.

However, right now Iā€™m kicking myself for doing a quad and glute workout yesterday. My hip flexors are sore and I donā€™t want to get on that treadmillā€¦ and yet I will, so this procrastination delay is just torturing myself for no reason. Itā€™s time to rip the metaphorical bandaid off and get my butt on the treadmill.

Norwegian Protocol, here I come!

___

*Update* – Protocol completed. First time that Iā€™ve done all four sprints at 8.2MPH (7.31 Minute mile or 13.2KMH). But Iā€™m not writing this update just to share that I pushed myself, Iā€™m also sharing to make a point: I feel great now and the pain of procrastination wasnā€™t worth it! I gained nothing but mental anguish by delaying my workout.

A Slippery Slope

Iā€™m at a conference downtown, but staying at a hotel a 10 minute walk from the conference center. On this rainy morning I checked out and made arrangements to leave my car in the parking lot until the conference was over. Then, listening to Peter Attiaā€™s audio book ā€˜Outliveā€™, I headed to the conference center, umbrella in one hand and protein bar in the other.

Not 50 feet from the entrance of my hotel there is a field with a diagonal, muddy path.

Listening to the chapter on Stability, literally at the point where Peter is discussing how important stability is, and how falls can be the pivotal point in a seniorā€™s health, I started down the grass rather than muddy trailā€¦ and I wiped out.

I muddied my pants and my hand that was holding my umbrella. Back to the hotel I went to change my pants and wash up. Thankfully they let me back into my room I had just checked out of.

I donā€™t think I hurt myself further but now I do feel a bit achy in my hips. Itā€™s not serious but something that will need to be monitored, and I will need to think more about my stretching routine over the next few days.

Oh, the irony of listening to this chapter and specific content around falls exactly as I made the decision to take this muddy shortcut and fall myself!

But what a great wake up call this was. Two things come to mind. First, did I really need to take this muddy route and save myself 20-30 seconds? I should make better, safer choices. Secondly, Iā€™ve just started doing some stability work, specifically implementing balancing on one foot with my eyes closed as part of my workout regimenā€¦ I need to do more stability work. It might not have helped with the choice I made to take this path, but it could help with my ability to fall a bit better.

In the end I got a life lesson with a small slice of humble pie, or actually mud pie. šŸ˜œ

As I get older a careless slip or a poor choice to push my capabilities, or climbing a ladder, or paying attention to my phone instead of uneven pavement, can lead to an injury and a slippery slope towards a less mobile and less healthy future. My focus on fitness needs to include strengthening my muscles that support my balance and ā€˜trainingā€™ for everyday living, as described in Outlive by Peter Attia.