Gym of the stupid

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Josh

Neala Schwartzberg’s recent article on Examiner.com details the new “outdoor gym” in Albuquerque NM.

The fitness area consists of a walking course, with stations along the way where you can enjoy some reps on HealthBeat fitness equipment.

Funny, but this seems like something I remember from long ago…

Oh yes! Parcourse trails!

We used to have those in Virginia when I was growing up. But they disappeared by the time I left. I think there are one or two still standing, neglected, soon to be replaced by “HealthBeat” courses.

Sleeping

Awake

Imagine the difference in caloric expenditure between sitting in a chair and pushing some levers (like pushing yourself away from your desk all day…”office fitness?”), versus hanging from a rope with your feet on a piece of log and having to traverse a line of similar dangling targets.

Imagine the difference in attentive demand. Sitting (zzzzzz) versus stabilizing yourself while moving and holding on for dear life.

Granted, the “awake” picture above is from the Pilatus Seilpark in Switzerland (where they like nature, like to be in it, like to exert themselves, and drink a lot of beer), and the “asleep” picture is from Albuquerque NM…

A more realistic comparison might be to the original signs from Parcourse or Fit Trail courses that used to be scattered across the country. Like this one:

Moving a lot!

Overhead ladder?!! When’s the last time you got a chance to brachiate as an adult? I’m in the fitness industry. I look for opportunities to do this, and haven’t had a chance since the last time I was on a kid’s playground…about three or four months ago (adults aren’t allowed to be on kid’s playgrounds unsupervised by children in San Francisco…).

Again, the difference is palpable, even through the images.

Awake or asleep.

Living or dead.

You choose.

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Progressing back to barefoot

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Josh

I recently read Damien’s entry on his blog at AdventureinProgress called “The Case For Minimalist Footwear.”

Damien shares his own personal journey with becoming more barefoot oriented, and the benefits its given him.

I wrote a document after the last Exuberant Animal conference called Progressing Back to Barefoot. After reading Damien’s article, I figured I’d just put the document on my blog for everyone to read.

Progressing Back to Barefoot

Let me know what you think! I hope it’s helpful!

Thanks!

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Anatomy 1 – Basic Structure

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Josh

Anatomy means “to cut apart” or “to separate by cutting.” That’s how you figure out what’s inside the body, so it makes sense to name it that way!

Anatomy refers to the structure of the organism – compared with physiology, which refers to the function of that structure. Anatomy talks about the same structures as physiology, but only in terms of the way those structures are built. In another analogy, anatomy is to architecture, as physiology is to engineering. The architect designs the building, the structure. The engineer designs the function of the building.

You should have a good understanding of the basic anatomy of your body. At a minimum, know where the following muscles are, and what their actions are:
The Muscles of the Calf – Gastrocnemius, Soleus, and Tibialis.
The Muscles of the Thigh – Quadriceps and Hamstrings.
The Muscles of the Hip – Iliacus and Psoas, TFL, Gluteals, Hip Rotators, and Quadratus Lumborum.
The Muscles of the Abdomen – Rectus Abdominus, Obliques, TVA, Multifidi, and Spinal Erectors.
The Muscles of the Back – Latissimus Dorsi, Spinal Erectors.
The Muscles of the Shoulder Girdle – Rhomboids, Trapezius, Deltoids, Pectorals.
The Muscles of the Rotator Cuff – Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, Subscapularis.
The Muscles of the Arm – Biceps, Triceps, Wrist Flexors and Extensors.
The Muscles of the Neck – Levator Scapulae, Cervical Extensors.

Perform a Google image search for “human anatomy,” print out the picture, and review it on a regular basis. Name the muscles when you see them or use them. This will not only help you to understand the things we’ll discuss in future posts better, but it will also make you more informed generally, and better able to communicate with people like trainers, doctors, and physical therapists should you ever need to consult with one.

Most of all, the names of body parts are just words. They’re like the words “blue,” “skinny,” “jump,” or any other words. Because they aren’t commonly used, they seem very strange, but don’t let that strangeness put you off!

How does this relate to health? Well, the better you know your body, the better you’ll be able to identify the source of any issues you might experience with it. Being able to use specific names is a first step in that process. Remember learning how to read and write? First you had to learn the alphabet. The words above, and the other new words you’ll learn on this journey, are the alphabet for your language of your body. This way, we’ll all share a common language, and be able to understand one another when we talk about our bodies.

The Dunsmuir Games

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Josh

I placed third at the Dunsmuir Games in the C class last weekend! Good stuff.

If you haven’t tried the ‘Games, you should. Google “Highland Games” and your state’s name. There are bound to be some nearby. At the very least, go watch. They’re a blast!

Here are a couple of pics of yours truly on his worst event, the Heavy Weight For Distance (56lbs):

And one of the crew, C’s and Master’s:

Trying to catch up with the past…

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Josh

My client said this to me the other day.

Josh, he said, “I realized that I’ve been trying to catch up with the past.”

Wow, I thought. That’s deep.

The more I think about it, the deeper it gets.

How far down does the rabbit hole go?

First, I guess, you need to decide what this means for you. For me, it means that there are places and things that I keep trying to get to that are based on ideas I had in the past. They aren’t current. It’s like trying to go someplace with a map of a different area. Some of the streets have the same names. You might get somewhere. But you won’t get where you want to be, because you aren’t admitting where you really are.

Where in your life are you trying to catch up with the past? Where are you doing things based on old ideas of yourself, or hopes or dreams you had years ago, instead of dealing with yourself in the present moment?

Once I started to think about it this way, a lot of things came up for me. I’m still trying to learn this lesson – to drop old ideas and start from right here, right now.

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Live Free, as an Integral Part of Your World

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Josh

Two recent comments/commentaries struck a deep chord with me.

The first was in an email from Tony at TrackersBay, a local group devoted to primitive survival skills.

Tony’s email had a very salient point. To provide my own interpretation of his message, his point was that we’re only truly part of an environment that we actually take part in.

Most of us take a very limited part in our local environment (aside from leaving waste in it). As Tony points out in his email, even if we’re very active in our environment, and taking part in community supported agriculture, or growing our own “victory gardens,” we’re still not participating in the environment-at-large.

For those of us in cities, the type and extent of participation we can get is limited. However, that doesn’t reduce its importance. Many of us can still get into contact with our local environment with a little effort. Find a local tracker organization in your area, or a local hiking and hunting group, and go on a few trecks. Start making dandelion wine, hunting for mushrooms, and fishing in your local streams (provided they aren’t polluted) for food.

The second message came to me from Erwan Le Corre’s most recent blog post. Erwan asks the question – “Fit for what?”

That is, what is it we’re getting fit for? Erwan says that we should be getting fit “to be strong, healthy, happy and free,” and that our ultimate goal should be to “explore our inner nature.”

I couldn’t agree more. So many of the messages we receive from the world of fitness are related to fitness as “fitting” a certain image, or expectation, of being “fit” to perform (what? our desk-jobs?), or of being “free” from fear of death from all of the dangers out in the world.

No messages of joy, exuberance, or the exploration of the miracle that is our own unique life as part of the Whole (well…there are a couple I can think of, but none that are “popular”).

Go read Erwan’s blog. Hook up with an Exuberant Animal trainer. Play with kids at the playground and forget about rules. Read Eckhart Tolle’s book “The Power of Now.” Explore your world and yourself, through movement, through communication with the world around you.

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You are going to die

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Josh

This isn’t a joke! You are going to die…someday.

I hope that it isn’t soon, and that it isn’t painful. But nevertheless, it will happen someday. That’s how life works.

What strikes me as strange is the obsessiveness with which we often approach our prejudices toward certain things. Specifically, for this blog, I’ll discuss this with relation to fitness – but it’s true of anything.

People in the fitness world have all sorts of “rules” that you’re supposed to follow. Eat this, don’t eat that. Exercise this much, but no more, and no less. Do this ten times a day. Do that once a month. Eat these pills once after every other meal on Wednesdays.

You’re supposed to “activate your core” and build [insert bodypart here] “of steel.” You should only drink non-flouridated water from a holy stream that trickles from the top of Everest for one month every Spring.

You need to “challenge your proprioception and balance.” You need to do “multiplanar exercise” and get into your “heart rate zone.”

And you do! You race around, doing all this stuff. You eat organic, you drink the Yogic water, you practice your Asana’s, you give your Pilates instructor a cash gift every Christmas.

Then you die.

And not only do you die, but you probably die roughly around the same age as everyone else in your generation. Maybe you live ten year longer than your fast-food-abusing classmates. And maybe not.

Maybe you live a couple of years less than the person who ate moderately well, and exercised moderately, all those years. And maybe not.

My point is this – there’s little credence to most of the bullshit we try to sell ourselves and each other every day.

Will fast food kill you? Yes, in excess. In excess anything will kill you. Unhappiness is a killer if sustained for too long. Too much sunlight (plus other environmental stressors…like sunscreen) will give you cancer. Too little, also, can kill you.

You are going to die. The most important thing is that, while you’re alive, you get the most out of it, and help others to do the same (so that they, in turn, will help you, etc.). Do things you love to do. Do things that make you really effing happy. I mean – EXUBERANT. DO THEM NOW! And help others to do the same.

And forget about all those bullshit “rules.” You know what’s good for you. Do it.