Trying to keep Post-Workout meals simple

I do not really care about nutrition.  Seriously, what a boring topic.  However, I'm finding that, even working out as much as I do and eating as smart as I think I do, I am not getting the results that I would like.

One of the new "features" of my blog is that I will discuss some elements of nutrition in its simplest form.  Frankly, if there are too many rules, I will screw them up or completely ignore them. 

Today's focus is the post-workout meal.  I have read a ton of articles, blogs, opinions, and even a little  actual research.  You will not be surprised to hear that these articles were all fairly inconsistent with each other and there was very little they agreed on.  It was like playing a game of "2 truths and a lie", except it was more "18 pieces of gibberish and 1 usable nugget."

Some of the points that the articles do have in common:

• The post-workout meal is extremely important for muscle recovery.  You'll want to eat it within 1 hour and preferably within 30 minutes
• Your body needs protein and carbs to rebuild itself after a workout
• Fat slows down digestion, are not desireable in a post recovery meal

Many of the articles were intended for hard-core muscle-heads and recommended whey protein shakes with some sort of glycogen supplement mixed in.  Well, I don't really want to eat a shake or any supplements.  I also think steamed chicken and stir fry without copious amounts of soy sauce tastes like sh*t.  Tuna without mayonnaise?  F**k that.  My workouts are in the morning, and as a regular guy with kids and morning responsibilities, the act of making a separate breakfast just for me seems like an asinine waste of energy (and dirty dishes). 

I finally found a couple articles which were more my speed.  Their advice?  Drink a glass of milk!  In fact, Men's Health went so far as to say that chocolate milk was their #1 recommended recovery meal.  Another web publication, Stronglifts, showed a number of great reasons why milk should be your recovery meal of choice.

For me, a glass of milk isn't quite enough, so I'm going to add in a piece of fruit.  That's it - I'm going for it.  Milk and a piece of fruit for breakfast.  Since this probably won't be enough to get me through to lunch without raiding our Admin's candy dish (she always has Crunch bars and M&M's), my next step (and most likely, my next nutrition article) will be on mid-morning snacks.

Do you have any nutrition ideas or suggestions?  reply to my blog or send me a tweet @PMGeekAndy

Climbing the company ladder...with a mountain bike

Let's be clear:  I am a terrible mountain biker.  I literally have to apologize to the hikers and bikers I pass because I'm so erratic and unsteady.  While I haven't fallen off my bike in a while, I go so slow that I likely annoy everybody in front or in back of me.  It is not stamina or strength which I lack; I lack talent and practice.

I changed jobs a couple months ago to a team full of extremely technical, extremely introverted electrical engineers.  These are the sort of people who can figure out how to design circuits smaller than a gnat's buttcrack but cannot comprehend questions such as, "what would you like for lunch?" or "did you watch the Cardinals' game?"  My boss seems like a very nice person and is about my age, but I have no idea if he likes sports, has a family, eats Chinese food, reads books, etc...we only talk about work.

This brings me to my topic.  I was surprised to over hear my boss talk about mountain biking.  I poked my nosy head in and mentioned that I had a mountain bike (a pretty awesome one - Specialized Stumpjumper FSR) but I need lots of practice on it.  Well, as it turns out, he's got some sort of high dollar custom made wonder-bike and each weekend, he and a couple other managers from our organization get together and ride an extremely difficult trail in our area.  I have been invited to join them.



My awesome bike...which surpasses my abilities


My quandary:  I'd like to join as I think it would be a good chance to build team camaraderie, but my worry is that I will suck sh*t as a team bicyclist or have a spectacular accident for them to talk about.  Even worse, I fear that I will see these guys in their nuthuggers/bicycling shorts and that image will pop into my head each time I run into them in the hallway.  (note:  my bike shorts have the padding but hide my shame under normal looking shorts).

My strategy:  get out and practice on the local, easier trail a couple times a week, with the goal of biking with the group in October when the weather is a little cooler.  I will use the heat as an excuse.

Have you had to do a sport or some physical activity to bond with co-workers?  What did you do?  How did you prepare?  (and what were the results?) 

Reply or send me a shout-out on twitter:  @PMGeekAndy

Fitness PM Thursday: Problem statements (i.e. using your big fat body as leverage)

Have you ever noticed that it is often difficult to motivate people to take action?  Have you ever noticed that sometimes one of those people is yourself?

As a project manager, I often have to influence resources who do not report directly to me.  These may include the people who do the work on my projects, my project sponsor, and project stakeholders (e.g. customer, peer team members, suppliers, etc).  Sometimes I will see teams working...but they are not working cohesively, and they may or may not be addressing the appropriate problem with the urgency it needs.

As a regular guy (or gal), oftentimes we have similar problems in our personal lives...and our fitness is no exception!  It is all too easy to continue going through the motions and not taking focused steps to address our issues.  Further, our family and friends might not support our personal "projects" as they may not grasp how important these endeavors are.

This leads me to today's topic:  creating a problem statement.  A Problem Statement is used to gain agreement from stakeholders on what problem is to be solved, and what is the impact of not solving this problem.  I do this as a first order of business when establishing a new project team, and I have begun doing this for my home projects.  An effective problem statement will focus a team and garner attention from sponsors and other stakeholders who can remove "project roadblocks."

A problem statement is constructed as follows:

• <Current situation> <impact of doing nothing>
• Example:  Our XYZ website crashes when we have ABC users logged in simultaneously.  The impact is that we are lozing up to $ZZZ in sales per day and have experienced a

A couple of notes:  The problem statement should have some sort of quantifiable measurement, both in the current situation and the impact.  Making this tangible is the best way to grab people's attention and unite their energies.  The problem statement, in my opinion, should NOT include any solutions.  It also should not state Goals (this is a separate activity, see my goal-setting blog from a couple weeks back).  When a team is too focused on solutions and goals without first agreeing on a problem, this is analagous to straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Trust me - this applies to personal fitness!  My example:  losing weight!  At the end of graduate school, I was tipping the scales at 215 lbs.  In fact, my Nintendo Wii Fit character was round!  I needed to address this, and I needed support from my family.  Here's the problem statement that I came up with:

• My weight is 215 lbs and BMI is > 27.  The impact of this is that I have to buy new pairs of pants and snore heavily (which keeps my wife awake).  There are also long term health impacts including susceptibility to arthritis, back pain and needless risk of Type II diabetes.

Simple, powerful, and useful when focusing my attention on improving my diet and forcing me to work out.  There were measurements (weight, BMI...I could have gotten into my waist size, cholesterol, etc - but you get the idea).  The impact was also very clear - this would impact my wallet, impact my wife's sleep, and impact my family.  Creating this statement got my wife to allow me to buy P90X (and ultimately the Insanity and Rush Fit).  Yes - I ultimately lost 30 lbs (have gained 5-7 back - but am in good shape).

I hope this is helpful.  Have you ever had problems focusing your resources?  (or yourself?)  Send me some feedback or drop me a line on Twitter (@PMGeekAndy) if you have any questions or would like help crafting your fitness problem statement!

Demonstrative Wednesday - Performing a Lunge

Well, shoot...I'm one day late for Demonstrative Tuesday.  Whoops.

This week, since I'm still dealing with a slightly torn pec (or something..can't do much with my upper body), I decided to show you how to do a basic lunge.

Lunges are one of those punishing exercises which make your entire body and lungs hurt at the same time.  Watch as the poor dumb bastard (me) tries to demonstrate three types of lunges in 112 degree heat.  Enjoy!

Sweating like Nixon...

When I work out, I do not "perspire".  I often perspire while I eat or drive to work.  Supermodels glisten with perspiration on the beach.  No, I SWEAT.  HEAVILY.  Sometimes it's so bad that I'll actually throw my outfit away.

This has always been something which I've been somewhat embarrassed by.  I'm completely drenched, I can't sit down anyplace, my clothing stinks, my wife won't give me a kiss goodbye, and everywhere I walk becomes slippery.  Sweat has even ruined the volume buttons on my iPod Touch.  Sometimes my children run away.  My workout recently at the YMCA brought this to a new level though.

I did my typical brain-dead activity of jumping on the elliptical, setting it to level 18 hills, cranking up the "Metallica" and going for it for 45 minutes.  I began to sweat.  I happened to notice that, as I used the elliptical, the floor directly under me began to get wet.  Further, the floor in front of the machine (there are some "poles" that go back and forth with your hands/arms on the elliptical) began to get REALLY wet.

"No problem," I thought...I'll just use one of the three towels I grabbed to clean this up.  However, the puddles began to draw attention.  Everybody who walked in front of me looked down at the sweat and steered around it (most casting me a sideways glance).  However, one set of girls did something which I'll always remember.  (Note:  this was all happening no more than two feet directly in front of me as I worked out)

They stopped, called their friend over, and were pointing and laughing at the sweat on the floor.  Then they looked at me (as I continued toiling on the machine) while they were talking, then back at the floor one more time as they walked away.  By this time, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" was cranked in my ears, so I couldn't hear a damned thing, I will assume that everything they said was extremely positive.

In my opinion, sweating like a pig at the gym is all positive:

• It's a sign you worked your ass off
• It keeps people from standing next to / in front of you for too long - ultimately keeping your view of the TV clear
• It functions as a personal swamp cooler, cooling you off as it evaporates from your skin (and preventing you from overheating)
• It's a personal "dehydration alarm" - if you quit sweating - STOP and get re-hydrated

So, rather than be embarrassed about my propensity to sweat like Nixon, I will consider it a blessing and wear the puddles as a badge of honor.  And I will leave the "perspiring" to supermodels.

And yes - I did wipe down the machine and the floor afterward.

Why I screamed like a girl in our garage today...

My wife gave me one simple mission:  "Try to get a chest like the guy who plays 'Captain America'".  She is evidently forgetting that I am a 39 year old project manager, dad and regular guy with wide shoulders and an extremely narrow chest.  But, I'm giving it the old college try...anything I do to make my wife more attracted to me is seen as a bonus because, let's face it, I've got a terrible personality and dependence on good physical appearance is really the cornerstone of a strong marriage.

After doing my workout (which is mostly functional - will write a review in a few weeks), I decided to do a couple quick sets of barbell bench press in our garage.  I had already done light lifting for 40 minutes, so I should have been pretty warm.  I put my weight on the bar, laid down on the bench, did one rep no problem, but...

ZAP!  As I was bringing down the weight, it felt like lightning struck my left pectoral muscle.  I let out a little yell and pushed the weight up (barely) and set it immediately on the bar.  Holy f-ing crap, that hurt.  Then...it felt like it went away when I stood up.  Like any true idiot would, I took off 50 lbs and decided to try it again.

BANG!  There it was again!  And I yelled again (this time, a little louder).  I was able to complete the entire rep but had to set it down.  This time, the pain didn't subside so quickly.  I had to (still have to) come to grips with the fact that I am injured.  I think I tore my left pec.

I am not sitting around in searing pain, but wou would be amazed at how many regular activities involve your pectoral in some way:

• Lifting my laptop bag up into my truck
• Making a right turn in my vehicle using my left arm
• Opening the door into our building (a pull motion)
• Holding the door open for the the person behind me
• Filling my soda at the soda machine
• etc

The list will go on and on as my day drags on and on...it's not killer pain, it's just my pec saying, "Hey, I'm here, you bastard..."  It's also a not-so-friendly reminder that I need to more gradually work my way up in weight.  Here's hoping that a weekend of hiking and ellyptical, some advil and some ice will be the cure.

Fitness PM Thursday: Risk Management (or...how to keep kids from ruining your workout)

If you haven't guessed by now, as a Dad, my workouts are not exactly the top priority for the rest of my family.  Frankly, as long as I have enough energy to drop my kids off at school, help coach their teams, help with homework, clean dishes, make dinner, get their "Rio" movie to play for the 500th time this week, etc... the kids are good.  Being a dad who is present involves much more than just showing up.

However, what my kids, wife, co-workers, neighbors and maybe even the weird guy who wears makeup at the grocery store will be unable to argue with is that I can be a complete prick when I am unable to get my workouts in.  I'm grumpy, less productive, and I have guilty feelings because I probably spouted off about working out (then didn't actually do it).  Further, when I'm having these feelings, I am much less present in the OTHER activities which fill my time.  Hence...my prick-ness.

In any sort of project, you need to be able to make certain assumptions in order to complete your assignment.  For instance, if I am a software developer, I need to be able to assume that I will have access to compilers, licenses, adequate disk space, a functioning server and expertise in order to build whatever software I'm building in a timely fashion.  If I am a general contractor renovating a kitchen, I have to assume access to the home we are working in, the subcontractors will show up when scheduled, the materials will be appropriate and show up on time, financing will come through, etc.  There are lots of variables and assumptions to be made, and (one of) the difference(s) between a mediocre project manager and a good project manager is they manage these assumptions.

If a blown assumption has a possible effect on the success of a project, it is known as a Risk.  The practice of planning for, identifying, analyzing, responding to and monitoring risks as they arise on a project is known as Risk Management (PMBOK ver 3.0, http://www.pmi.org/).  A risk can be thought of as an "If-Then" statement:

• IF <some things happens> THEN <consequence>

By identifying risks and analyzing their impacts, you can assess whether or not you need to worry about them.  When you perform your analysis, you'll need to get an understanding of what the likelihood of the risk coming true is and what would be the impact of the risk coming true.

How does this tie to working out?  For me, it's pretty clear that there are a few risks I need to manage.

1. IF I do not start my workout before 5:10am THEN it will not complete in time.
2. IF I make noise getting ready for my workout THEN the kids will wake up and I will not get to work out
3. IF there is no water for our cooler THEN I will not be able to complete my workout.
4. IF there is clutter in my workout area THEN my workout my not complete in time

While analyzing these risks, I must plan for each of them differently.  For risk #1, I am an extremely deep sleeper, and my morning has a tight schedule.  While it is not the end of the world if I'm a little late, it is much better to be done before our kids are awake so that I can help to get them prepared for school.  My risk mitigation plan is to set my alarm on my cell phone for 5:00am and have my equipment ready to go the night before.

For risk #2, if I wake up my kids, I'm toast.  That is a show-stopper!  They will want to eat, watch "Sponge Bob" and make a ton of noise.  This risk is also high probability, so I have to be very careful.  To prevent this, I actually sleep in my workout clothes and have my workout shoes waiting in the living room.  I keep lights off and have the DVD play on our Mac at an extremely low volume.  My only contingency (what do I do if it happens anyway) is to work out later in the day (which generally never happens).

Risk #3 is extremely low probability.  Honestly, I could probably suck it up and drink tap water if I had to.  While I'm aware that this risk exists, this is not a risk I will monitor regularly.

Risk #4 is extremely high probability, but the impact is somewhat less severe.  I'm going to be stuck moving some clutter so that I can get my workout in.  I accept this risk, and I wake up a little earlier or move it the night before.

Does this make sense?  What risks do you face in trying to accomplish your fitness goals?

Yes - I did P90X too (and here's my review)

Overview:
This is an extremely overdue write-up (I originally shared it only with a small group of friends).  I completed P90X originally in September of 2009.  I was in decent shape before I started the program, and was in much better shape after I completed it.  

A couple friends from graduate school mentioned the success they were having with a program called P90X from a company called Beach Body. I had never heard of it (I do not watch TV unless it’s MMA-related or children’s cartoons) – so I hopped on the Google machine and looked it up. It is a program of fairly intense exercise and nutrition planning; the main portion of this program was a set of 12 dvds, each featuring a different workout. The program was created by a man named Tony Horton, and he leads each of the workout videos.  These workouts run, at a minimum, 55 minutes (and some are up to 96 minutes!), and combine strength, cardio and flexibility training. They are big into doing pull-ups and push-ups (you can modify them if you are not able to do them or are fatigued). The program costs about $130, and the equipment (dumbbells, yoga mat, pull-up bar, resistance bands) probably cost more (I had all of this already). 

There were some principles that were paramount in the workouts:

1. Muscle confusion:  The scripted workouts ironically do a good job of switching things periodically so that your body doesn't get into a rut.  The P90X guys claim "muscle confusion" does a better job stimulating your body so that you achieve more gains.  My perception is this is probably true, but it certainly keeps you from getting bored from doing the same old thing.
2. Rep count:  They explained in the videos that you do push-ups and pull-ups to failure (or near failure).  For exercises with dumbbells, you pick a weight which allows you to do 8-10 reps if you're trying to build muscle, and 12-15 reps if you are trying to slim down or tone.  The last three repetitions need to be difficult - so pick the right weight.

I won't give away all of the secrets of their program, but I will tell you that it is divided into three phases, with a "recovery week" between each phase.  The recovery weeks are  just as hard as the normal weeks.  You push push push yourself the entire 90 days of this workout.

Things that were great (for me):

• Intensity: Working out on something to the best of your ability, rather than going through the motions, is the best way to make improvement. For example, I used to do a set of curls with 35 lb dumbbells for 8 repetitions in my workouts. In the pre program fitness test, I used 35 lb dumbbells for the “curl to failure” exercise, and did 22 reps (again – this is BEFORE starting P90X). I was leaving reps “on the table” for years.
• Synergistic exercises: Exercises that do more than one thing made a huge difference. Ever wonder why people in the military have such flat stomachs (Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard excluded)? Doing sit-ups or crunches alone is not enough. Pushups, for instance, work your chest and shoulders, but also require you to have strength in your lower back, buttocks and abs to keep good form.  The "Core Synergistics" workout, my favorite workout, is tougher than the line drills I used to do in high school football or the PT which I used to do in the Army.
• Journal of exercises: On Beach Body's P90X website, I found an excel worksheet that had all of the exercises in a journal form.  I’m into numbers. It was great for referring to previous weeks’ weights and/or rep counts, as well as notes like “hard as hell, use less weight” or “try harder, p*ssy”. It also enforced accountability as I do not like graphs with unexplained dips or gaps!
• Proper equipment: Of the fitness equipment I have (and I am spoiled in this area) the most important piece for P90X is a pull-up bar. Power Block dumbbells were great as well.
• Stretching before and after workouts:  The P90X videos each began with a thorough warm-up and stretch.  In my experience, other workout programs do not do nearly as well with this, but P90X makes improved flexibility one of your goals.
• The videos:  I thought Tony Horton was a good instructor, pretty funny, and I found myself keeping track of the other participants rep counts on the videos. 

Things that weren't great (for me):

• Workout duration: These take WAY TOO LONG! Even though the workout videos themselves are generally 45-55 minutes, if you are a human being, you need to take small breaks.  On average, a workout lasts about 1 hr and 20 minutes.
• Arizona heat: If, Heaven forbid, you wake up late, workouts take place in the afternoon when it is >110 degrees F in the garage. Brutal, but I would end up losing 3-4 pounds net during a workout (that includes drinking 2-3 32oz mugs of water).
• The Yoga Workout: I worked my ass off on this, it was extremely tedious, and it never went well. Ironically, flexibility was one of my biggest improvements. Balance...is another story.

Key results:
I will let the table below tell most of the numeric story. I accomplished just about everything I wanted using this program, i.e. I look better and feel better. I’m not quite sporting a 6-pack…but I’m sporting a 4-pack (and hey, some things come in 4-packs). The biggest surprises?

• Much skinnier legs and ass. Good gravy, I didn’t think my legs and butt were that fat. I lost about 2” per thigh and 2.5” off my hips. The bummer is that ab exercises began to hurt because of a massively skinnier pooper.
• Drastic improvement in ab and core exercises, and I only expect to get better at these.
• Massive improvement in flexibility. Before, I was about as flexible as a corpse post rigor-mortis, and my final reach test revealed a 350% improvement in reach (from 1” past toes 90 days ago to 4.5” past toes).
• Increased definition in upper legs, abs, arms, back and shoulders. No real improved definition in chest, and my calves may have gotten weaker.
• My wife bought me new clothes because she was sick of seeing my old ones hang off of me. I have gone from squeezing into a 34” waist to having a comfortably-fitting 32” waist for jeans. She also bought a couple shirts, and now I can fit into a large rather than an extra-large.
• If you push yourself in these workouts, your heart rate stays up (even in the resistance workouts).  A benefit that I found AFTER doing the program is that, when I hike, run hills, etc, my recovery period is much shorter than it used to be.  I attribute this all to P90X's workouts.

The only key result that frustrated me was my final fit test. I felt as though I had an off-day, and ended up messing up one of the tests (the wall squat) and didn’t do push-ups to failure. Oh well, I’ll do better next time…

I left out the reps but showed the % improvement...

I couldn't write everything that I'd like, but I hope this was helpful.  If you have any questions about the workout, please feel free to ask!

Demonstrative Tuesday - How to Perform a Push-up

I reviewed a workout that I suggested in one of my previous posts.  I looked at how I described the exercises and found myself wondering, "How on earth did I pass first grade?"  My descriptions were pretty terrible, and I am sure they have resulted in mass chaos and possible injuries (which I claim no actual liability for).

This leads me to "Demonstrative Tuesday"...where I'll create a video of me showing you how to do an exercise.  Some of these exercises will seem simple, but not everybody (including me) is an expert.  In fact, people do exercises incorrectly every day - preventing them from gaining the full benefit from performing the exercise.

This week, it's an exercise near and dear to my heart, the push-up.  It's near and dear to my wife's heart, too, since she wants me to get a massive chest like the dude in the movie "Thor" or the other guy in the movie "Captain America".  However, as a person who's done tons of push-ups in the Army, P90X, the Insanity and RushFit, I feel somewhat qualified to demonstrate how to do them.  As it turns out - I need to do even more.

This is a little simplistic, so try not to laugh at me too hard!  (wow - my hair is getting THIN)

And hey - if you've got any requests for exercise demonstrations (as long as they're relevant to exercise and don't involve me leaping from great heights) - send them to me.  The likelihood is, if you have the question, so does somebody else.

A Salute to Brain-Dead Activity: Elliptical Machine Cardio

I do not like lines.  I hate them, in fact...and whatever I'm waiting for better be worth the wait.  This is a big reason why I cancelled my gym membership in 2001 and bought my own equipment.  That...plus I'm married and find no need to repel the masses of women that might be flirting with me at the gym.  Mostly it's the lines that I dislike.

Guess what?  Last year my wife signed our family up for the neighborhood YMCA.  I generally work out at the house, but on Sundays, the whole fam-damily heads to the Y for a workout.  I must admit, it's pretty cool.  We can put the kids in the day care center and workout with little to no line.  My tool of choice?  The Elliptical Trainer.

Yes - the elliptical machine is a little boring...it's the Toyota Prius of the health club world.  Don't be a hater - there's some cool stuff about ellipticals:

• Programs:  I absolutely love that I can select a program, e.g. Rolling Foothills, and a level, and the machine changes incline, resistance, etc.  With the variances in a hill program, you can go from struggling at 3mph to sprinting at 11mph.
• Synergistic:  If you're not cheating and holding onto the stationary bars, you can work out both your lower and upper body.  In fact, on the harder levels, you absolutely have to use the motion bars with your arms to help your legs.
• Self-contained:  You don't have to worry about balance, impact, bumping into people, getting run over by a car, getting bit by a snake, stepping on your dog's foot, etc.  You can literally close your eyes and crank up the "Kid Rock" MP3s (because that's how I roll) and go for it.

Unless you're one of the poor bastards stuck on the elliptical machines next to me, there are no real negatives.  Frankly, it's kind of nice to get my heart rate up without uber-focus required on my normal workouts.  It's the workout equivalent to watching a Bruce Willis movie - turn off your brain and go.

Argh! My Alarm Didn't Go Off!

The only problem with working out in the morning is waking up.  In fact, for me the HARDEST part of morning workouts is getting up at 4:50am.  Why 4:50am?  I need:

1. Time to quietly find my shoes and socks
2. Time to let Dennis (our dog) out
3. Time to quietly stumble to the bathroom
4. Time to get the extremely f****ng slow blu-ray player started
5. Time to do the workout
6. Time to shower

All of this must be done before my kids wake up at 6:30am.  I have to be quiet otherwise the kids wake up.  I have to do most things in the dark otherwise the kids wake up (yes, their doors are closed).  I have to keep the volume down on the blu-ray otherwise the kids wake up.  Can you take a guess as to what unpredictable variable I have to be extremely cognizant of?

Today, my stinkin' alarm clock didn't go off, and I didn't wake up until 5:40am  Or maybe it did, and I turned it off without actually waking up.  Whatever.  I'm not here to cast blame (or accept responsibility as it turns out).  If I do not get this workout done in the morning, it is likely I will not get a chance to do it until after 9pm.  Aside from avoiding my little monsters, I have a number of reasons for working out right away in the morning (before eating):  

• Physiologically, working out on an empty stomach pulls energy directly from fat reserves within muscles (according to Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, published in 2008).  Since I'm still working on the 6-pack of rock-hard abs, this is important.
• Productivity at work goes up - this is not just my perception, there have been studies (e.g. 'Exercising at work and self-reported work performance' from Carnegie) which show that incorporating exercise into your work day enhances focus and calm and improves performance.
• If the rest of my day goes to sh*t - at least I got my exercise in.  This is just common sense.

If you are used to exercising in the afternoon or evening, exercising in the morning is quite a bit more efficient.  Personally, I feel like I can accomplish in 30 minutes in the morning what it would take me 60 minutes later in the day (I'm sure there is data to support this - I just didn't feel like looking for it).  You should, however, be aware that exercise is much more difficult in the morning; your runs may be slower than you are used to, you may not be able to lift as much weight or do as many reps, etc.  You are also limited in how much exercise you can do before running out of energy; it may be wise to limit your workouts at first.

Now, if I can just remember where that damned alarm clock went...

Fitness PM Thursday: Setting Goals...and getting my ass kicked by my old man

In real life, I am a project manager.  In fact, I have a Project Management Professional (PMP) (TM) Certfication.  Yes, that is a sexy title.  No, it doesn't bring in as many groupies as you'd think.  In my feeble mind, the worlds of project management apply very well to fitness.  So well, in fact, that I am creating a weekly feature entitled Fitness PM Thursday.

My goal for Fitness PM Thursday is to introduce a relevant concept from the field of Project Management and demonstrate how it can apply to fitness.  Yes, the nerds have a voice in my blog!

Now - today's topic...when I was a teenager, my dad would occasionally tell stories about his time in the Marine Corps.  One of the stories that sticks with me to this day was about some sort of pissing contest he got into with one of his buddies.  Evidently, my dad and this guy were 1-2 when it came to all of the physical fitness tests in their platoon.  After "beating" his friend in the run and push-ups, their platoon's next exercise in the test was the pull-up.

Do you know what a pull-up is?  The standard pull-up is performed with both hands grasping an overhead bar, palms away from you and hands shoulder-width apart.  Starting from a fully-extended arm position, you pull your body up into the air until your chin is above the bar...then lower yourself back down until your arms are fully-extended (straight) again.  Pull-ups are no joke.

Back to the story - my dad's friend's turn to do pull-ups arrived.  He cranked out 45 pull-ups...but he really strained on the last few.  My dad had NO CHOICE but to ". . .whip out 45 pull-ups. . ." as well, and then he pretended to strain for the last one and STOPPED at 46 pull-ups.  How charitable of him!

Now, this all happened sometime between 1957 and 1961 - well before I was born.  I have some doubts, yet I have seen my dad demonstrate several feats of strength which I would not be able to do myself.  The old man is strong as a freaking ox, but 46 pull-ups?  This number has been driving me nuts for 25 years.  I have not reached 46 pull-ups yet.  I am not close.  However, I have increased my number of pull-ups significantly in the last three years, and for me, goal-setting is the key.

As a project manager who is tasked with showing results, I do a lot of goal setting - it's part of a concept called "Management by Objectives" where employees have a say in the results of the company (first coined by Peter Drucker in the '50's).  In my mine, this applies directly to fitness, and I (and most others at our company) utilize the following guidelines for setting a goal - you just need to remember the acronym SMART:

• S - Specific:  Make sure that the goal you are setting is specific, i.e. it is easy to tell what you are "producing".  In my case, my goal is about doing a larger number of pull-ups.
• M - Measurable:  There is a quantifiable, inarguable success indicator.  In most cases, this is a number.  46 seems like a pretty good (but pretty f'ing high) number.
• A - Attainable:  The goal can be reasonably accomplished (aka "passing the snicker test") from your current situation and anything less would not meet the goal.  46 is a ton of pull-ups...how about 20?  Or how about 10?
• R - Relevant:  Is this in your business (in this case, getting fit) goals?  Will doing a sh*tload of pull-ups make you a better marathon runner?  Will doing a bunch of pull-up give you better back, shoulder and neck strength?
• T - Time-based:  The completion date is clear.  "Before I die" is not a good example.  "Before my reunion on September 15th, 2011" is a  good example.

To me, ensuring my goal is attainable from my present situation is the key.  So, based on all of this, here's my intermediate goal for pull-ups:

• I will do a set of 30 standard pull-ups by December 31st, 2011.

This is a challenging but (hopefully) reachable goal for me.  You can apply this method to pretty much any diet or fitness goal - but remember - you really need to measure where you are at before you set goals.  So, whether my Dad's pull-up record is true or not (I think it is), that number has been nagging at me for years.  I hope he's still around when I finally get to 47 pull-ups!

PS - I would like to give credit where it is due - while I won't share resources from inside our company, you can find more globally accessible information about goal-setting and SMART at this link.

On the Road Again

Travelling is a must for this regular guy, either for work or just for fun.  Even though I might be stuck in a hotel, a tent, or maybe my parent's house, there are still a ton of ways to get a rigorous (and fast) workout in. 

Equipment:

I generally travel light, but i have a few favorite pieces of equipment which i like to bring with me on the road:

• I always have room for resistance bands.  You can get resistance bands in a variety of sizes; I have a small bag in which I carry bands from 5-20 lbs of resistance (the brand is Go-Fit).  The really cool thing about resistance bands is that the farther they stretch,  the higher their resistance.  
• I love bringing a jump rope...you can get some high intensity cardio from jumping rope. 
• Running or other workout shoes.  Duh.
• Under Armour or some other clothing that dries out... so I'm not stuck bringing home a disgustingly wet set of workout clothes.

I have also improvised and used gallon jugs of water, rocks or furniture for weight when resistance bands were not appropriate for a particular exercise (e.g. trunk rotations).  What are some must have pieces of equipment you have used for working out on the road?

Workouts:
If you're like me and aren't a big fan of hotel gyms, or you are in a place that does not have a gym, you can still get a great workout without waking the neighbors.  Since my core always needs work, here's a great workout that scares away the jet lag (including a wordy description of each exercise):

• Standard pushups:  Start from the "front-leaning rest position" - hands shoulder width apart, back and legs straight.  Go down until your upper arm is parallel with the ground, then push up until arms completely extended.
• Standard lunges:  Start with feet together.  Step forward with one leg and lunge until your front thigh is parallel with the ground.  Make sure your front knee is directly over your front foot as you lower yourself down.  Use your front leg to push  yourself back to the start position.  Now repeat above with the other leg.
• Banana rolls:  Lie down on your back, and lift your legs 6" off of the ground and your arms , above your head and about 6" off of the ground.  Stay in this position for 5 seconds, then roll to your left side (still with arms and legs off of the ground).  Hold again for 5 seconds and roll to your stomach (keep those arms and legs up!).  Hold for 5 seconds and roll to your right side (arms and legs still up!).  Hold for 5 seconds and roll to your back (arms and legs still up!).  Repeat going in the opposite direction...keeping your arms and legs suspended the entire time.
• Wide arm pushups:  Same as the standard pushup, but make sure your hands are much farther apart than shoulder-width.
• Reverse lunges:  Similar to the standard lunge, but you step BACKWARD instead of forward.  As you step back to the start position, you can raise your knee to increase intensity)
• Leg raises:  Lay flat on your back, legs straight.  Lift your legs up so that your body is at a 90 degree angle.  Lower your legs until your feet almost touch the floor and repreat. 
• Combined push up / side plank:  Use the same position as for the Standard Pushup, however keep your feet separated slightly.  Do a pushup; at the top of the pushup, turn your back toward your lright arm as you reach your left hand to the sky; you will need to pivot your feet.  Hold this position for 5 seconds and then lower your hand to the ground.  Repeat pushup and side plank for your right arm.
• Steam engine:  In a standing position, put your hands behind your head.  Raise your right leg up and touch your left elbow to your right knee.  Alternate legs.
• Alternating side to side lunges:  Start in the standing position, feet together.  Step with your right leg directly to the side and lunge downward until your thigh is parallel to the ground.  Stand
• Squats: Start in the standing position, feet shoulder width apart.  Keep your back as straight as possible while squatting down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.  Stand up straight again and repeat.

To make things simple, do an exercise for one minute, rest no more than twenty seconds, and move to the next exercise. Repeat the whole series and really bust your ass.  I picked these exercises because they are simple, low impact and don't require a lot of room.  If this gets too easy, try each exercise for two minutes.

Who knows?  Instead of growing a spare tire on your boondoggles, you may end up with buff arms and tight abs... 

"Core" .... What the hell is it and why is it important?

One of the most cliche things that I hear people say is that "You need to strengthen your CORE" or "That's really good for your CORE" or "blah blah blah frigging CORE".  Part of me wants to say "thanks" and that OTHER part of me wants to say "do YOU know what a CORE is?"

Oversimplified, your Core is the band of muscles from your knees up through your shoulders, front and back.  Wikipedia's definition of Core reads, ". . . major muscles of the core reside in the area of the belly and the mid and lower back (not the shoulders), and peripherally include the hips, the shoulders and the neck. . .".  The Core is used to balance and stabilize your body. Frankly, if you do any sort of real work using your body, you are depending on your Core.  Seems pretty darned important, doesn't it?

So if your Core is used in every real physical activity we do, how the heck does it get so out of shape? 
Wow...tough question.  My hypothesis is that most people exercise to either focus on one body part (e.g. Doing bench press or flies) or they focus on one specific cardio activity (e.g. Running) and forget about Core.  That can make you more injury prone...which will take you OUT of commission.   If you work on your Core, you will reduce the likelihood of injuries when you get into the real world.

What are some simple exercises which can improve my core?
There is a question I can answer!  If I had to name the most useful exercises for improving my Core (and frankly, reducing my waistline) , three exercises spring to mind:
*  Pushups:  There not just for "Grunts" any more.  In general they are good for your chest, shoulders and triceps, but to do effective pushups you need to keep your abs and buttocks TIGHT.  There are a zillion variations of pushups, including side-planks, which are great for tightening and reducing those love handles.
*  Lunges:  I love lunges. Forward, backward, sideways, unweighted, weighted, you name it...these puppies are good for you.  Your butt, hamstrings, quads, loiter back and and will all get pressed into service when you do lunges.  Getting bored?  Try doing them on your tip toes...or try incorporating curls or shoulder presses...you'll find that your getting a pretty decent cardiovascular workout at the same time.
*  Isometric Ab exercises:  These are a little tougher for me to explain, but these are similar to the exercises you soul perform in a yoga class. Some good ones include Boat, Bow, Superman and Banana.  These require a lot of discipline, and you will really news to reach and/our squeeze to make them work.

Do you have any good Core exercises you would like to share?

So..next time you are out taking e leaves, carrying bricks, lifting children or even just setting the table, you can thank your Core for always being there.  And you can thank me ...by knocking out ten pushups!   And ten more for the CORE!