10 Things I Think I Think....

Happy Last Day of Summer!! As of yesterday I am in my second year of perpetual weekend. Last September 19 was my final day working in the corporate world and the past year has been a blur. I've learned probably more than I can remember. And every day has felt like the weekend even though I'm working harder than ever. I guess that's what happens when you love what you do. Anyway, for today I am pulling a Peter King and writing 10 Things I Think I Think. These are the top 10 things I've learned in the past year. So, in no particular order:

1. "The Weakest Link Rules the Chain." I've always been aware of the interconectivity fo the body but not that it is. It amazes me how a left big toe injury can lead to right shoulder pain. As soon as one joint loses mobility or stability all other joints have to compensate all the way up and down the chain. Until the source is corrected your body will not function as efficiently as it should. Put in practical terms, if you have low back pain (like 75% of the population) you should NOT try to strengthen your lower back. Your pain has nothing to do with weakness. It likely has to do with immobile hips and immobile thoracic spine.
2. Unilateral Training can be much more effective than bilateral training. This is especially true if you have low back pain. A single leg squat or rear foot elevated split squat will take the pressure off your low back and allow you to build leg strength, especially quad and glute strength. This is true of deadlifts as well. If you have a history of low back pain you want to avoid bilateral deadlifts but single leg deadlifts are great. And you don't have to bring the weight down to the floor like in the video. Down to the knee and slowly progress to the floor is just as effective.
3. I like saying illiopsoas and thoracolumbar apperneurosis
4. What you remove is often of more importance than what you add. You don't need to add every cool looking new exercise to your program. Just stay with the basics and you'll get great results. And if you are eating grains at every meal you don't need to add some fish oil, you need to eliminate your grains (since grains are poison and all.) And if you smoke cigarettes you are an idiot.
   
5. Everyone should buy a juicer. I bought one about 2 months ago and have used it 1 - 2 times every single day since. It's the best thing I could have done for my diet. I now get an easy 10 - 12 servings of fruits and veggies each day. I look leaner (despite gaining weight), feel more energized, and just plain feel healthier.
6. Metabolic Resistance Training is far more effective for weight loss than long slow cardio. Metabolic Resistance Training not only allows you to maintain an elevated metabolism for up to 48 hours after your workout (due to EPOC), there are now studies suggesting you actually burn more calories during your workout as well. Then take into account sparing your joints from not running on a treadmill and there is really no reason to keep using long slow cardio strategy for weight loss.
7. Modern sneakers are a terrible invention. All this extra padding and sole support does nothing exept turn off muscles in the foot that are supposed to be working. As a result something needs to overcompensate and this is often the achilles tendon and calf. Injuries to the achilles, ankle, and knee have increased dramatically since the invention of the modern sneaker in the 1970s. So go barefoot. At least for your warmup. Go slow as to not make the same mistake I did. Your whole body will thank you.
8. A foam roller is your best friend. I continue on my quest to put a foam roller in every living room. Improving tissue quality should be top priority when you begin to train for anything and should absolutely not be skipped. It only takes a few minutes and difference you will feel will likely be immediate.
   
9. Do something! I have my strong preferences but every fitness program can be of value if it gets people active. You can do weight training, pilates, yoga, spin, zumba (not even sure what this is but but I've heard of it), P90X (though not recommended), etc. Just don't do Crossfit. That's a great way to get injured. Or anything they do on The Biggest Loser. That's bad too.
10. The people in this industry are awesome! This has been the most unexpected and pleasant surprise. Everyone I have spoken with or met have been extremely generous with their time and in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Many of these people had no idea who I was upon our first meeting. Their only concern is to give their best advice to help every single person who asks to the best of their ability. If I can apply that one principle to my career I think I'll be doing pretty well.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. And I'm looking forward to learning just as much during my second year as I did during my first year.