fit for life (TM)

What do you think of the world

What if the change you want to see in your life depends upon acting in or at one particular moment in time, but in that brief instant, your distraction, your feelings about your past or present, clouded your vision obscuring the truth and sending you down a path in the opposite direction.  Are you sure that all that you want is not mistaken?  What things in your life are trying to improve?

Is it possible for us to change despite our feelings of failure, or other missteps?

I am often struck by how easily we all become overly conscious of the passage of time and how we believe that it unfolds before us.    Do you think this way?

Do you feel that your existence is mathematically formulated in a linear way and ever will be?

Does it matter?  

Then why do we structure our lives that way?  Or judge ourselves and others using this limited measure?

Certainly, each of us have felt a moment of magic, - of beauty - feeling so strong that all that has passed before or ever will melts away.  time stands still. 

Cultivating a life that is filled with this connection to timelessness and beauty, I believe is an essential part of being human.  Can we not devise a way to better "see this" journey than simply "time"?

My daughter said something the other day that changed everything for me. When asked what she thinks of the world,

her reply was:

"The world loves me."

Why there is no formula to figure out perfect weight

I just finished writing a response to Gina Kolata’s latest article Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter and Tara Parker-Pope’s Column on the NY Times Well Blog The Best Weight for the Best Workout.

I am not a fan of Gina Kolata mostly because I don’t think she is daring enough nor does she believe in training.  She also seems to craft articles that are fraught with issues of direction and lack of purpose.  To me this entire article could be summed up in the following with the following line:

”... people vary so much that there is no formula to figure out the perfect weight. ”  done.

On the most basic level, this article represents a missed opportunity to discuss issues about training - eating, resting and playing.  About finding a balance and forgetting about the scale.  I guess I like British Style journalism better.  Opinionated. Purposeful. Filled with Facts. Searching.

- If it were me writing the article:  I say something like this:  Stop getting on the scale.  Train, Eat, Rest and Play. Repeat and look for ways to improve this mix.  That’s it.  If you do that right you will enjoy yourself and ultimately if you are taking care of yourself properly (not over eating, smoking, using drugs/alcohol to excess), you will look and feel great too.
________
For those of you who want to read more.  Here’s my full response:

I’d actually like to know which sports are not “particularly” affected by the tug of gravity? Do we live on Mars? I knew it

I’m being a bit facetious in case you didn’t get that here.

On Earth: Any Purposeless excess weight will penalize you. period.  Whether it is muscle or fat. it is by it’s very nature: dead weight. hence the saying.

Surfers see this when big beefy guys try to paddle out using their brawn. Climbers know this too.

Doesn’t all this discussion of ideal weight somehow miss the point entirely here?

This reductionism is confusing me and honestly perpetuates a lot of bad body image mythology. Examples abound:

Men’s Health talks about functionality yet fills their pages with articles and ads about how to get bigger “guns”, etc.. Women’s magazines do the opposite and needlessly worry women that their arms or legs might become too muscular if they use too much weight. The song there is all about toning and losing the fat.

Would not a better question be:

How can I get to my ideal weight based upon the things I love to do most?

Why? Because the Next Question is the One Question Worth Answering:

What do you LOVE to do?
or asked another way how do you like to play?
What are the demands of these activities that you love? Can you analyze the requirements:
- Skills
- Movements
Are there examples of individuals who practice these things at an exceptional level? What do they do?

Could you devise a systematic approach to training and improving your experience of those activities?

You get the point?

The further you pursue these questions the more detail you get.

Examples:

What to eat to fulfill the calorie requirements of your training and activities?

What kind of capacity you might have to build so you can move and function optimally?

But to review:

All of this is derived from the answer to the question:

- What activity/sport do you love? How do I train/play it?

Unfortunately, you will be sad to learn that none of this is easy nor will 9 mins. a day get you what you want nor should it. There are no blue or red pills and even with liposuction, tummy tying and all the performance enhancing drugs in the universe you will still have to find the answers to the original question and figure out how to train for it.

This is in essence what is missing from 99% of these fitness discussions online: - Where’s the biomechanics? the physics, the chemistry of it all?

You need to know this stuff on a basic level. It’s a part of you. It will improve your performance and reduce your risk of injuries. So, here’s a quick list stuff to look up and understand better

- Dynamic Warm Up
- Mobility
- Core/Pillar/Torso Strength
- Quickness
- Balance
- Strength
- Power
- Speed/Agility/Coordination

You should be familiar with these terms and understand how your body uses these systems so you can create a methodology for yourself that will systematically and progressively get your body to adapt and develop the ideal amount of muscle and fat for you to sustain your training and the activities/sport you love.

Am I making sense here?

You learn how to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, shouldn’t you learn how your body works and how to use it optimally to do the things you love most?

Isn’t this process the heart of fitness?

Call me a nut. But my search is to find the perfect balance of these four elements:

- Training
- Eating
- Resting
- Playing

While at the same time enjoying my life, my family and finding some meaning to why I’m here. For me this is basic. critical and important. it connects me the physical laws of the universe and every thing around me inthe most profound way. There are times when I can balance these four elements well and I feel a sense of “flow” like I’ve reach my fullest potential. Then it fades and this all starts up again.

so, my advice:

Answer the first question.

What bring you the most joy and positive experiences, physically?

Train, eat, rest and play. Repeat this. everyday

The rest will follow including the ideal body weight.

Tomas Anthony
founder
everyday athlete®

http://www.everydayathlete.com

fit to play™ essentials: how to thrive mentally - omega 3’s

everyday athlete® guide to living well
I get a bunch of common questions all the time so I thought I’d create an everyday athlete jump start guide to living well:  For now I’ve tagged and titled it:  “fit to play” essentials, this list will outline the basic and most effective things that I have found to help you thrive.

Note:  To view all the posts on this topic I will collectively tag these posts so you will be able to view all these posts together by clicking on the tag:  fit to play essentials.  Eventually,  they will appear in another form for download and use on your mobile device.

The three main categories will be:

nutrition
training
play

_______ first topic

Nutrition

To start, the question I get the most often these days is goes something like this:

- Tomas, I don’t take any supplements what do you take and why?

Supplements have a place in everyone’s life for one simple reason:  None of us eat perfectly all the time and in some cases there are things that we extra of if we want to overcome challenges and experience our lives optimally.

The first supplement I take and consider of primary importance above all others is:

Omega 3s, specifically Fish Oil.  The reason is simple and my rationale is backed by science and research.  - There’s ample evidence that proper amounts of Omega 3s improve:
  - Mood (Depression, and even more serious mental disorders)
  - Cardiac Health (#1 cause of death)
  - Joint Health (Healthy joints prevent injuries, keeping you fit and happy)

What kind of supplement? 
When considering a Fish Oil supplement you need to look very carefully at the company producing it.  There are serious quality, purity and potency issues with essential fatty acids.  Improper sourcing from contaminated supplies, oxygen based processing and irregular potency are all significant problems that many Fish Oil supplements can have. 

I prefer two companies:  OmegaBrite & Nordic Naturals both which make excellent products that are meet and exceed the highest standards and are third party tested.

How many should I take?
This is a much more difficult question to answer and should be addressed on an individual basis based upon numerous factors including goals, age, weight, height, gender, and other factors.  To determine your proper dosage speak with your health care provider and do your own research.

here are the websites for OmegaBrite and Nordic Naturals

www.omegabrite.com

www.nordicnaturals.com

Joe Klotz, editor & everyday athlete, nominated for an Oscar

A Huge Congratulations to Joe Klotz, editor of “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”  which was nominated for an Oscar. 

While this does not surprise me or others at all given his talent, I’ve been smiling all day because of this and I am so glad that your creativity, hard work and positive persistence has been acknowledged. 

On behalf of the staff of everyday athlete®
You are a true gentleman, scholar and athlete with the best vertical leap of anyone I’ve trained.  I know I speak for everyone in the 6:30AM crew when I say:
- We all are incredibly happy for you.  Your presence with us is always positive and thoughtful and we look forward to working with you every day no matter how early in the morning!

On a personal note:
Joe, you have always been a big fan of everyday athlete and supported the development of the studio’s programs and all or my video content.  You, along with Trevor King, were pivotal in providing the creative, practical and inspirational advice I needed early on and in the darkest hours that every project experiences.  Your no nonsense approach and simple, direct and intuitive editing style are the backbone to liquid fitness®‘s how to and follow along material.
Your generosity, commitment and creative vision continues to inspire me.  I admire you immensely and feel very honored and happy to count you as one of my friends and strongest clients. 

Here’s one of the many segments Joe helped cut for me at a time when I needed his help the most:

All the best to you. 

Tomas

blueberries are delicious and rich in the phytonutrients specifically anthocyanins

blueberries are delicious and rich in the phytonutrients specifically anthocyanins.

Eat them in abundance and feel confident that you’re getting some of the best things that nature has to offer for good health.
 

Also check out this most recent article:  NY Times Article

Here’s a peek at how much fun and how challenging training can be..

liquid fitness complete power circuit #3
 

smart women strength train

There’s more and more evidence that intelligently designed resistance training improves cognitive functioning.  The latest findings published on the New York Times Website in an article Vital Signs Exercise: In Women, Training for a Sharper Mind written by Roni Caryn Rabin highlights some of the improvements older women experienced after a year of strength training. 

” A year later, the women who did strength training had improved their performance on tests of so-called executive function by 10.9 percent to 12.6 percent, while those assigned to balance and toning exercises experienced a slight deterioration — 0.5 percent. The improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli.”
 

What’s your experience?

what are your favorite things to do?

Ski or snowboard?
tennis?
rock climb?
skateboard?
surfing?
Dance?

What keeps you motivated, fit and trim?
Here’s a few clients doing what they love most:



Tomas in Cali



Tom E. at Stowe



Trevor K.,  Whistler, BC


 

George D. Whistler, BC

Over 50% of married women in the US want a thinner husband

Over 50% of Wives/Partners/Girlfriends report that they want their “husbands” to lose weight.  It’s more likely that they really want is for them to be in better shape and lose that belly.  (comments anyone?)

Tara Parker-Pope writes in her Well blog on the NY Times that:

“Just over half of married women in the United States want a thinner husband…”

In my experience, married women want their husbands to be in better shape.  It’s not simply about body weight but rather more specific:

- a bulging stomach, no butt and flabby muscles is simply unattractive to women.

So Dads & Married Men.  Here’s my advice:  Have fun and figure out how to lose that belly.  Make sure that whatever you chose you don’t over do it at first.  Injuries lead to more fat accumulation.  Being out of shape is not helping you or most likely your sex life.
PS. Single Males and Hipsters

- that bulging mass is not helping you out man.  using your body to make a statement about how you don’t buy in to the “mass marketing of fitness” while admirably is simply foolish.  Go climb some rocks, skateboard, or take a survival course but whatever you do:  Lose the gut.

what’s it going to take to get you moving?

so, what’s it going to take to get you moving? 
-  high cholesterol - cardiovascular weakness- out of control and stressful life - 20- 30 extra pounds - bad knees - injured back
- pain and discomfort everywhere - depression?

Do things have to be really bad before you do something about it?

Perhaps it’s part of our hunter - gather genetic programming to “settle down” and put on the fat while the eating good.  But I doubt it.  Predominantly, the “wait in see” crowd are men.  The same individuals who are going to die younger and are at higher risk for every major killer. 

For those mathematicians, I’ve looked at the cost savings on investing in your health and come up with the following simple formula:

For every $1,000 invested wisely* in your health and fitness today you save $10,000 in potential health care costs later in life.

Ratio of 1 : 10 (this is a very conservative estimate and doesn’t take into account “quality of life” improvements)

Examply:  Open heart surgery or cancer treatment can costs upwards of $250,000.00 to treat.  Moreover most health insurance companies won’t pay for your “special” treatments by the time you suffer from one of these illnesses the way things are going.

* wise fitness choices: I believe that fitness is quantifiable and that there are specific and measurable results that any program should produce.  Most importantly, fitness should help you realize:  - a reduction in body fat and body mass, help prevent serious injuries and NOT provoke significant or repetitive stress injuries;  improvements in:  - cardiovascular function - static and dynamic posture and movement - and should help you modulate your mood and enhance your experiences by improving your ability to enjoy the things you love and encourage you to Play more.

So, what did it take to get you moving? 

or are you still waiting?
 

I’m interested in hearing from you?