Family Exercise Success - By Teri Gomes

Enjoy this piece by TEEM Performance Training client, Teri Gomes - teacher, mother, wife. She has worked very hard!:


It is important for families to work together when it comes to health and fitness. Children often imitate what they see adults do. I have worked with children for the past ten years and I’ve noticed that often times they will speak or act like someone who has a strong influence on them. During free play in our classroom’s drama area, I see students dress up or pretend to drive cars as if they were other family members. During lunch I see children selecting food choices based on what their families do. So, while it’s great to make an impact on little ones, it’s important that we do our best to make daily exercise and selecting healthy foods a part of everyone’s lives.  

Courtesy of Teri Gomes

Exercising keeps our bodies healthy and builds up our immune systems.  It puts us in a good mood and helps us deal with stress and other challenges we may have to juggle. Eating healthy also provides fuel to keep us going throughout the day. Making the choice to exercise encourages our kids and other family members to exercise and eat right. When they see us making it as part of our life style, over time it will influence them to make the same choice.

Working out together also brings families closer together. By setting some time aside to go for a run, to walk around the neighborhood, or even to play at the park or in the yard, we do not only build our bodies; but we also build up our relationships with the people we care about.  And sometimes, when we feel that we may not have the time to exercise, our kids will be there to remind us saying, “Hey this is our time to exercise,” or “Hey, lets eat some carrots instead of eating junk food.” Both my kids are involved in sports and one of my daughters is currently running track. Seeing her involved in this sport brings back so many memories of my own days as a runner, and all the hard work that goes into it. But, the most important thing to me is the joy and fun I got out of seeing her exercising.  

Courtesy of Teri Gomes

Courtesy of Teri Gomes

My children have an interest in exercise and choose more healthier meals than fried food because of the influence that my husband and me have shown them. We are all busy, and it takes time to fit it into our schedule. But, just starting small will make a difference. Start off by two or three times a week to go for a brisk walk; two to three times a week drink between 6-10 glasses of water; try to add a salad or bake food into a meal. Each week increase it. There’s nothing wrong with starting small. As I mentioned before, my daughter is now running cross country. Over this summer we went on short runs. It started off by running to one block and then walking the next block, to eventually being able to run without stopping for a mile. Now in the fall, I can say she has been able to build up enough stamina that she can run longer distances. As for myself, I completed my first road race 2.2 miles since 1998. Families get out there and exercise! Let’s Go!

Teri Gomes

In Defense: Of Not Fighting When It Is NOT Allowed in Sports

The four-part "In Defense" series continues. First a disclaimer: fighting is not encouraged outside of sports, especially in sports where it is allowed. Can athletes control their behavior outside of sports? Yes. Can they lose control? Yes. Either way, the act of fighting affects training just as training affects how someone physical and mentally fights. Yes, a fight is a one-on-one battle. But, it is also a journey - something that every athlete and every exerciser endures.

Hopefully, we all mentally fight.

Arguably, one of the most personally frustrating things to see in sports is fighting when it is not allowed. Baseball, basketball, football and other sport brawls make very little sense. At least, the other sports (ice hockey, boxing, martial arts) have it permissibly written in their rules. You would be surprised by how many other people like to see fighting when it is an uncontrolled melee. Does it take away from the skill of the game? Yes. Does it bring down the toughness and intimidation level when fighting is not allowed and it occurs? Yes. No grey area here.

Toughness. So, an opposing player gets in your face in one of the above non-fighting sports. You want to engage but back off. The next best thing is use the skill in that particular sport to drive in some points or a slick move to make the opposing antagonist look...stupid and clumsy. Toughness is backing away from an antagonist. It is also capitalizing off the near skirmish.  

As an exerciser, there most likely are not as many times when you want to go toe-to-toe with someone in a physical-sense. But, mentally there are plenty of battles. Think about the runner who does not want to get passed or the runner who needs to pass another runner. Think about the person whose bones and joints ache; everyday is a struggle. Most deeds take longer than 10, 20, and 40 years ago. Think about the person who suddenly gained 40 pounds due to a life crisis or depression.

They are all fighters when they attack their issue and, well, score by changing their physical structure.

Unlike athletes who fight in sports where physical fighting is not allowed, the exerciser can always fight physically (or with body) and mentally. In this case, the grit takes discipline and a lot of persistence.

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS       www.teempt.com       TEEM Performance Training

Period It!

Oh my! It is surprising that the topic of periodization has not been talked about on here over the past eight years. Oops! Sorry about that. Well, here is a first: why is periodization so important to your workout and to to exercise, in general? There are many answers, but it gets good results, controls training levels, and teaches your body that it does not have to do the same thing all of the time.

Good Results
The term 'periodization' or 'periodizing your workout' is mostly used in the athlete world. But, if you are exercising year round, then you will need it as well. It can be easily defined as changing up your workout. Yes, but my body likes what I do - bet your body is totally accustomed to the typical workout that you have been doing...it is time to move on.

Controls Training Levels
Intensity is a large part of the exercise game. Start with an athlete's regimen. A football player will do very functional training right now, in the middle of his/her season (an ice hockey player will begin to work on his/her weaknesses at this point of the off-season). Most people know that football players lift a lot of weight, so it can be assumed that they lift a lot of weight all of the time. Deal. The deal-breaker suggests that once the season ends there is a rest period in working out at the in-season pace. When workouts begin again in the off-season, weights are included - it is a prime time to emphasize bulking up or working on weaknesses. But, there is an adequate amount of sprinting and agility work accomplished in the off-season - it is not all about lifting.

Then, there is another break in the off-season.

Camp begins. Intensity levels rise. The goal of this period shifts again. 

Teaches Your Body
Intensity is a large part of the exercise game. If you exercise at a high intensity all of the time, then you can damage your muscles, and joints. If you exercise at a low intensity all of the time, then you are not putting your body through the necessary intensity levels that it can actually endure.

Cue in the rest of the population. There are many walkers and runners out here. Walking and running are great activities. In order to improve either one, it is good to do strength training versus the thought process: in order to improve either one, just keep walking or running. Even if you only walk or run to improve walking or running, then you can at least walk or run at different intensities during the course of a year.

For example: January to March = walk/run 12 miles every week. April to June =walk/run 15 miles per week. July to September = walk/run 12 miles per week at a faster pace than from January to March. October to December = walk/run 8 miles per week at a more intense pace. Again...only an example.

There are various ways to approach talking about this topic. Leaving it here for now!

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS       www.teempt.com       TEEM Performance Training

Indoor Cardio Ranked

Below is a non-ordered ranking of some of the best non-machine, indoor cardio activities:

Swimming. If you can swim, you are in! If you are have access to an indoor pool, then it is even better. Everyone should know how to swim no matter what age you start learning. And wow, this activity helps out with rehabilitation, bad joints, cardiovascular health, polar bear club training. Well, may be the latter does not exactly apply. But, the training is in the same family. One tidbit that you may not hear about a lot: if you have weaker upper body strength, then you might achieve some very sound strength rehabilitation by hitting the still waves of the pool!

Jump Roping. Bad knees? Jump rope. Good knees? Jump rope. Bad knees that tell you not to jump? No jump rope. Why a "yay" for bad knees? Well, it depends on how your knee hurts. If your knee cannot sustain the impact of running, but it can take some impact, then jump roping might be a viable activity. But, if your knees hurt...S-T-O-P! Jump roping is the one activity that gets in cardio, power, strength, agility, balance, proprioception, and works the upper and lower body. All you need is a rope...batteries not included!

Trampolining. Not the aerodynamic kind but the cardio-leg-burning kind. First, it is safe. Second, you feel like you are still bouncing once you walk on firm ground. Thirdly, you need a routine; otherwise, you may look like an intoxicated circus performer. But, your heart will thank you. Trampolines assist in leg strengthening, balance, and proprioception - where your body is in space. You do not need a backyard with bordering nets. You need music, a motivator, and a towel to wipe up the sweat.

Dancing. Whether you are ballroom dancing or doing a mean salsa, dancing gets the sweating percolating. Has anyone noticed that individuals dress their best while dancing? What happened to sweat pants? You need agility, balance, and flexibility to make dancing look elegant and less same-footed. Have you practiced using your dancing muscles? Thighs (quads), calves (gastrocs), butt (glutes), shoulders, back, and abs? OK, the whole body.

Others receiving votes: marching in place, walking around a room, indoor obstacle course.

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS        www.teempt.com        TEEM Performance Training

Would You Rather Be...?

Eight Questions:

1) Would you rather be an individual who was the jock in high school or college and continued to be athletic throughout your life?

Or..

2) Would you rather be an individual who was the jock in high school or college, but afterwards you let it all "hang out" throughout the rest of your life?

3) Would you rather be the individual who had no athletic ability in high school or college and then developed athletic ability afterwards?

Or...

4) Would you rather be the individual who had no athletic ability in high school or college and continued to withdraw attention from this ability throughout life?

Also...

5) Would you give advice to your young athletic son or daughter to be athletically ready for how players play a given sport now?

Or...

6) Would you give advice to your young athletic son or daughter to be athletically ready for how their generation will play a given sport a generation from now (meaning, they would be ahead of their time)?

7) Would you fake being in shape for your young son or daughter, so he or she thinks that mom/dad is with me?

Or...

8) Would you make it noticeable that you are trying to get in shape in order to set good habits and to keep up with your son or daughter?

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS       www.teempt.com          TEEM Performance Training