Returning to Working Out Following Time Off

Falling off the wagon and failing to get to the gym on a regular basis is common and occurs for many reasons. They may include an approaching deadline for work, a recent injury, family commitments, or a general lack of motivation. Getting back into an effective exercise routine can be easy but it requires patience. You will be more successful starting slow and being patient than if you dive in full speed ahead with unrealistic expectations. A reference to a popular children’s story seems to help people in this situation. In the story of the tortoise and the hare, you want to be like the tortoise. He consistently worked to the best of his abilities to get to the finish line, whereas the hare whom may have been able to jump out to a larger lead out of the gate was distracted and could not consistently perform to finish the race.

Time away from the gym effects your body on many levels. First, when you stop exercising you are simple not burning off as many calories as if you are working out. Because you are burning fewer calories your body will be begin to store them as fat. Also the more time you take off from the gym the less efficient your cardiovascular system becomes at performing its function and subsequently the lower your VO2max will be. (more on this later) Because the cardiovascular system does not perform as efficient as it did in the past you can not workout as hard and gain the benefits of those efforts.

Another issue that occurs is less stored energy in your body called glycogen. Glycogen is a complex form of energy that is stored throughout the body primarily in the muscle cells and in the liver. Glycogen is one of the primary sources of fuel you use when you are exercising. Also occurring at the cellular level is a decrease in mitochondrial density within your muscles cells. The mitochondria is the power house of a cell, it produces the energy needed for the cell to carry out its specific function. A person with a higher mitochondrial density will be able to exercise longer and at a higher intensity than one with a lower density. This allows you to burn more fat and sculpt the body you are striving to achieve

All of these issues can compound and contribute to a lower fitness level once returning to the gym. Typically when returning to the gym following a layoff you may feel dizzy, light-headed, nauseous, short of breath, or a general weak feeling. These symptoms occur due to the reasons I have highlighted above. First your body has become less efficient at bringing in and using oxygen and less efficient at dispersing the byproducts of exercise: carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Lactic acid is generally associated with the burn you feel while exercising. The more you workout the more efficient your body becomes at eliminating these byproducts of exercise and subsequently you can exercise at a higher intensity longer to burn more fat. Another adaptation of exercise is the bodies ability to store glycogen more readily. Having higher storage levels of glycogen enables you to workout for longer and harder.

As I stated above, when you take time off from the gym your VO2max decreases. This is a measurement used in the exercise physiology field to describe a person’s highest level of oxygen they can use during sustained aerobic efforts. A higher VO2max is generally correlated with having a higher level of fitness. Intense exercise whether it is cardiovascular in nature or resistance training derives adaptations in your body to become more efficient. In general your body gets better at bringing oxygen to the cells and taking the carbon dioxide out. All of these adaptations allow you to exercise at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. This in turn burns more calories and helps you come leaner.

The best plan of attack to returning to the gym is to start at a lower intensity in which you can complete a specific workout. From there you can establish a baseline fitness level and progress your workouts.Workouts can progress by increasing any of the following: duration, workout intensity, and workout frequency. An effective method to progress your workout routine is by manipulating your work to rest ratio. For any given exercise you may work at a 2:1 work to rest ratio. Meaning your work for twice as long as you rest. For example, if you were performing step-ups a proper work to rest ratio would be 2:1, meaning you would perform the exercise for twice as long as you rest; thus, if you exercised for 60 seconds you would rest for 30. As you become more fit you would change the ratio to where you are working much more than you are resting. For someone returning to exercise a 1:2 ratio would be appropriate. You would then progress to 1:1 and so forth. This method can be utilized with any type of exercise whether it is resistance based or cardiovascular in nature.

Another very effective method of exercise progression is lactic threshold training. Using lactic threshold training you exercise using a progressive program that gets harder the further into the workout you get. I like to describe these workouts in terms of pushing back a curtain, an expression I learned from Juan Carlos Santana a strength and conditioning coach who trains several high level athletes. The curtain is your highest perceived level of exercise you can reach. The workouts in which you are pushing back the curtain you push yourself to the point of reaching the curtain and pushing it back slightly. Each day you push this curtain back a little further. However you do not want to break through the curtain because more than likely you will not be able to complete the workout which will not allow you to be progressive.

Returning from a layoff can be physically and mentally challenging. You return ready to work at the same intensity as you left, however your body has changed and you may not be able reach the same levels.Take it slow at first, to gauge your fitness level, and then continue to progress from there. You will be more successful than diving headfirst into the same routine expecting to pick it back up instantaneously. The most important piece of information you can take from this article is to be patient. Patience and consistent hard work will lead to the results you are looking seeking. Always remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.

Transformation

Transformation. Mind, body, and spirit are directly related to the balance of each other. My father has always told me that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. We all have the power within to attract what we want in life, as well as what we do not want. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “Be careful what you wish for because you’re going to get it.” The energy you project out into the world will be exactly the type you receive back into your life. Your quality of life is what it is because of your thoughts, your energy, your health, and your lifestyle. Transformation doesn’t happen overnight but everyone has to start somewhere. Start where you are with what you have. Do not wait for something to change. “Don’t wait for an external change to make an internal move.”-Zig Ziglar. The time will never be just right; you have to want the change. You have to want to see the transformation take place in your life. Create a plan, maybe just start out writing down some thoughts about where you want to be in 3 months from now, a year, then 3 years, and 10. It’s funny how things begin to flow out of your mind and on to that sheet of paper or computer screen. As soon as you start thinking and writing, the energy begins to pour out and flow in the exact direction of your thoughts.

What are your dreams? Your dream job? Your dream car? Your dream fitness level? Write them down and post those dreams, ideas and goals all around the house. What do you do first thing in the morning? Those goals should be right there staring you in the face to remind you, to help you hold yourself accountable. It is only you that can create this change, create this momentum of positive action. Of course you’re going to have your up days and your down days. This is not an easy process but it is absolutely achievable. If being fit, healthy, and positive was easy then everyone would do it.  Losing 20lbs takes EFFORT, it takes FOCUS and you have to TAKE ACTION. Getting to that next level takes DISCIPLINE, it takes HARD WORK, and it takes COMPROMISE. Everyone has the ability to change his or her current status to a higher, healthier, happier level.

Do not just settle for where you are, even if you think it’s great, it can be BETTER. You must change internally to move forward, you must make compromises to fully transform your life. You must be willing to skip out on the happy hours and hit the gym for an hour. You do not have to jump into training for a marathon. You can start small if you have to by getting outside and walking. You don’t have to change your entire group of friends. Start by not being the crutch for that one person in your group of friends, co-workers, or family anymore.

Starting with small, obtainable goals will help you to reach your overall transformation. Dave Ramsey always says “Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.” This is one of my top five favorite quotes. I love motivational and inspiring quotes from great leaders. Just as you can post your goals somewhere visible to continuously stay conscious of your direction and progress, you can post positive, uplifting quotes as well. It’s simple; don’t think too long about this process. Use a quote as your screensaver, desktop, laptop, or Smartphone background. Post them on a sticky note at your desk or office, on the dashboard of your car, or on the mirror in the bathroom. If you take these little steps to create change and momentum in your life, you become an enthusiastic, motivated, positively contagious person. You start to impact your friends, family, and co-workers without even knowing it. You literally exude an energy that everyone around you can feel. All you have to do is start, there is no deadline to complete a transformation, it is an ever-evolving journey. Nobody is perfect and there is no flawless way to live. You can however improve your own life and the lives of those you around you, you can take the reigns and point them in another direction. You can lose that weight, you can get that job or promotion, you can be a great father or mother, you can eat healthier, you can be a leader. You can transform your life. The start line is right here, right now. You are the one with the power to change, transform, and create the life, the mindset, and the body you have always wanted.

In 2006 I watched Apolo Anton Ohno speed skate in the Winter Olympics and thought, “Man I could do that, I like speed, I like active, aggressive sports.” So I went to a local speed skating organization and asked if I could practice with them. After letting me skate for all of about five minutes with them, they quickly learned I had no clue what I was doing and everyone got a pretty good laugh out of it. So I thought, Ok, I am not meant to be an Olympic speed skater but I chose to try. Though I gave it my best I was pretty bummed out. All of a sudden I developed this passion to find a sport I was good at and start competing. I tried everything from power lifting to motocross but couldn’t seem to find a sport where I excelled and was able to compete against the best. That was until the 2010 Winter Olympics came along. I was sitting on the couch watching Seth Wescott (two time Olympic Gold medalist) dominate the field in men’s Boardercross. I was unfamiliar with the sport but it is very similar to motocross, but performed on snow. I googled local boardercross events and set out to try one more sport.  I won all four races I entered that season and ended up qualifying for the United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) Nationals in Colorado. It has been two years now and I have qualified for and competed at Nationals two seasons in a row, completely surprising myself. It is a true testament to what you can accomplish if you choose a goal, focus, persevere and set your mind to it. It may have taken me four years but I did it. It was not easy struggling through my own personal battles, as I am sure it is not easy for you.

Start your transformation right now, create your vision, commit it to paper and persevere.  You CAN do anything you want if you set your mind to it.

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This article was written by certified trainer, Adam Foote

E-mail: afoote@fxstudios.com

Consistency Leads to Excellence

“I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you’ll win–if you don’t, you won’t.” – Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medalist, Decathlon

Remember the responsibilities when you were a kid; going to school and going to practice.  It was not an option to miss a practice and if you did, you either had a really good reason or you know you were going to let your team down.  Most of us start out playing a sport as a means of fun and recreation. But somewhere along the way, in the midst of all the fun, we realize that sports can often be a metaphor for achieving success in life, because of the lessons it teaches us about life.

It teaches us about being a part of a team, the importance of working together to accomplish a common goal. We learn to shoulder personal responsibility, and how to cope with defeat and failure. It teaches how to remain focused on a task for the period of time required to achieve it. We learn about consistency and concentration, how to overcome weaknesses, and go beyond our limits.

“You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” – Jerry West.  I love this quote!  Getting right to the point, don’t let your team down and don’t let yourself down.  Stay consistent with your workouts, practice everyday, stay accountable to yourself, and work hard!

Please leave your comments below!

This article was written by certified trainer, Alicia Obriecht

E-mail: aobriecht@fxstudios.com