Everyone is an Athlete

...To some degree.

New Year's Goal: You would do better combining cardio training, strength training, and playing sports versus only doing cardio and strength training.

New Year's Truth: Plus, anyone at any age can participate in a sport. No, that does not only include poker or chess. No, you do not have to spend a lot of many to join a league.

There was a study done at Harvard about 30+ years ago proving that the addition of a sport improved fitness and physical activity level. Something happened in between. Somewhere in between that study and society's mode of thinking said, "in order to play a sport after high school or through adulthood, you have to be a professional." Not hardly the case. Even a professional athlete has a short career, which means that he or she will spend a high percentage of his or her life not playing at the professional athletic level that garners millions or thousands in some cases.

You have a few things in common with a professional athlete:

1. Paparazzi: for you it is selfies and posing for photos.
2. Busy Schedules: for you it involves work, school, home, drop off the kids all within a 10-hour period in some cases.
3. Money: OK, here is the vast difference. But, you still have to spend it wisely.
4. Time: for you it is tight as well.
5. Your Body: for you, your body may not be the primary source of your income; but it is an important part in making income. A major difference is that you may have to spend the income you made in order to train the body that you have or would like while still making income. I am telling you that it all comes full circle.
6. Consumption: what you put in your body really matters. How you metabolize the things you put in your body really matters. How you prepare really matters. Athletes practice and prepare for games. Busy and non-busy individuals practice and prepare for any grind during the week.

 But, it does come down to intensity, frequency, and duration. Athletes have an advantage at these descriptors. You can control them to get you through this first month of exercise in 2015!

With heart,
Derek

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

Lori's Corner: Jam Dot Cookies (Dec 2014)

You can see Lori's Corner on the website at www.teempt.com/loris_corner.html

T'is the season for over-indulgence! There is no stopping it, the holidays are here. Bring on the office parties, family gatherings and cookie exchanges! It is very easy to lose sight of our health and fitness goals this time of year. With a few simple steps, you can enjoy the holidays without packing on the pounds.


1. Do not skip meals the day of the party (or ever!). Skipping meals commonly leads to overeating as well as slowing down the metabolism. Enjoy a healthy snack before you go to the party.

2. Portion control. We are often faced with a plethora of foods that we would normally never eat. Have a small taste of everything but do not go back for seconds!

3. Avoid liquid calories. Limit yourself to 1-2 alcoholic drinks. Then choose to sip on sparkling or tonic water. Add fresh fruit to it for some flavor!

4. Bring a healthy dish or dessert to share. Check out the recipe below for Jam Dot cookies. These little circles of deliciousness are packed with protein, fiber and are lower in sugar!




Jam Dot Cookies

Yield: approximately 20 cookies (about 2 inches)
Preheat oven to 350*

1 cup almonds, ground to fine meal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats, ground to fine meal
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup organic canola oil OR melted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
pinch sea salt
Raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam (about 1/2 cup)

1. Line 2 half sheet trays with parchment paper.
2. Combine almonds, flour, oats and cinnamon in food processor. Process until all ingredients resemble fine meal.
3. In small bowl, whisk oil or butter, maple syrup and sea salt. Pour through the feed tube of processor and mix until all ingredients are well combines.
4. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop cookies onto baking sheet 2 inches apart. Using 1/4 teaspoon measure, make indentation in the middle of cookie.
5. Fill indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
* Whole wheat pastry flour can be substituted with 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Recipe courtesy of the Natural Gourmet Institute

Happy New Year - 2015!!

Give yourself #TheGiftOfFitness

H - have a plan to exercise and eat well to start off the year.

A - advance yourself past the 4-week exercise struggle. Use the holidays as checkpoints - i.e., Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break, and the homestretch to Easter - that should get you to April.

P - prepare a good attitude for executing your challenging yet achievable goals.

P - periodize your exercise to erase boredom, monotony, and injury

Y - avoid "yo-yo" dieting. As a matter-of-fact, do not call it "yo-yo" dieting.


N - eat as natural as possible within your food budget.

E - eat for fuel

W - walk often. Worry not.


Y - yearn for change in your health but do not quit when it gets tough.

E - exercise for results.

A - aerobic and anaerobic activities are heart-healthy, mind-healthy, and spiritually-healthy friends of yours.

R - rest

! - Do it with enthusiasm!

With heart,
Derek

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

Holly-Jolly Christmas Poem

Merry Christmas!

'Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the place

As you reflect on zero-fourteen

You might have run a race

Your shoes are torn, rightfully they should

Hopefully, you have influenced more people in your 'hood

You have taken off from all of your work

During this time, you could attempt a twerk (no, please, no...just massage your thighs afterwards).

Don't forget to stretch much if your muscles are tight

It will help to stay loose even at night

Sleep is encouraged, 6 to 8 hours per day

Laugh it off, you know that's 'cray-cray' (crazy)

But, do not skip breakfast, even during a feast

Nutrition is important and not among the least

Nutrition and exercise, they're married you know

Don't look at me like that, one helps the other go

Cardio and strength, they're married too

Face it, these things have four and five "boos"

You have shopped 'til you dropped with much grit and stick

Everyone knows that you are the real St. Nick!

Shhh, don't tell the little ones who yearn in wake

OMG! These babies have so much...energy! (oops, didn't rhyme)

Did you hashtag everything that you lifted this year?

Body weight, kettlebells, towels, c'mon stop all your jeer!

As you see zero-fifteen in the front there yonder

Stay true to your goals as you ponder

Don't lapse, seek help like a champion utters

You'll realize your skills are smoother than butter

More strength, weight loss, run a race, are those your goals?

Muster some movement, your results...they'll toll.

Eight, ten, no twenty pounds lighter

Look who's feeling fit like a nasty sharp fighter

Four, six, is that how many reps you did?

Congrats you entered the power grid 

Men and women can lift like pros

It does not matter if you are young or "old"

Just call out your target, and you will see

JUST WHAT IN THE HECK DOES MY BODY THINK OF ME!

Walk away, run away, bike away all

Swim away, stretch away, roll away, crawl!

Please have a Merry Christmas, and press on to your feats

If you ever need assistance, TEEM has plenty of seats!

 Many blessings to everyone!

Derek

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

 

 

 

 

Fitness and Race Culture

This piece was written prior to any recent tensions that have been brewing in New York.

You are only getting a taste of something special to come with this topic that is only a microcosm of other topics to arrive in the future from these grammar fingers on this keyboard.

The relationship: it is like having an injured vertebra or pinched nerve at C6 in your upper cervical spine (= BlackLivesMatter) that affects your ability to raise your shoulder and to produce a fluid movement (= AllLivesMatter).

When someone is racist or conducts racist behavior toward another race, the act insults that person's own race. So, what is the point of racism? In lieu of all of the protests that have occured around the nation in response to Ferguson, MO (Michael Brown) and New York City (Eric Gardner), many people have been confused over the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and saying that #AllLivesMatter. Well, both supporters are correct in their hashtags. But, do not read the hashtag in its literal meaning. In these cases and others, BlackLivesMatter due to the injustices that have occurred throughout history among black lives and authority figures. It is not and should not be a matter of disliking cops. They still do serve and protect. However, the impact of these current cases opens up deeply scarred wounds in the eyes of Black lives. It hurts to see why another black male must be killed over an arrest. All lives do matter. But, it is not putting Black Lives against All Lives. All Lives are the only lives being hashtagged that can stop Black Lives from the injustice. As a nation, we may be tired of seeing a derivative of protests from the 1960's vividly present in the 2010's. As a nation, we should be [proud] that All Lives are standing up for the huge discrepancy in racial tolerance.

Black Lives. All Lives. They are not separate. They are complementary. Hopefully, that can be understood...

OK. To more fitness.

A recent stat from a clip I saw on Netflix had me intrigued: 41.9% of African-American women have never been married. African-American women are the least coupled group in the United States.

While watching the documentary, "Dark Girls", so many emotions come forward. About forty minutes in to the film, one African-American male mentioned something riveting:

"I think sometimes we are afraid to talk about what we really need to talk about. I think what would make the situation better with black men and black women, if they would take the time to have just honest communications."

Personally, I say it starts with how and what is said in the home, in the media, at work, at the salon, at the barbershop, on the bus, on the train or plane, at a party. Stop me because I will list everything. First, and this applies to all races, for anyone of a particular race to mention that their race is not good at a certain skill or behavior because they are that race...is a downfall to that particular race. Yes, all races kick their own butts and drive off it. If someone says....someone said that "white men can't jump." Hey, they even made a movie. But, we know that is untrue - have you seen volleyball? Someone generalized that women cannot play tennis better than a men. Tell that to Billy Jean King. Someone generalized that a black quarterback cannot lead a team. OK, tell that to Doug Williams.

Let me say it with a hashtag: #StopTellingLies #GetOutMore #NotTrue #IKnowSomeone #AnyoneCanBeSkilledIfTheyWantIt
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What is your fitness and race culture number?
Add a "1" for every person in the following couple who you know has an active exercise regimen. If you get between 8 to 10 points, then you have an excellent surrounding of fitness and race culture. If you get between 5 to 7 points, then you have a fair to good surrounding. If you get between 1 to 4 points, then this surrounding needs improvement. Ready? Go!:

African-American/Black: Wife = 1; Husband = 1
American Indian: Wife = 1; Husband = 1            
Asian/Pacific Islander: Wife = 1; Husband = 1       
Caucasian/White: Wife = 1; Husband = 1
Latino: Wife = 1; Husband = 1       

If the couple is bi-racial, then select "1" for only one race that the couple represents. For example, if the wife is African-American (AA), and her spouse is Latino and they both exercise, then select "1" for either AA or Latino.

With heart,
Derek

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

Why Is Volunteerism Included In This Small Business?

Well, for one, it is about empowerment - one of the "E's" in TEEM.

If you have the energy to volunteer for a charity or program that assists an under served population, it should give you the energy to carry on with something with which you may struggle. In this case, that something could exercise, motivation, inspiration, behavior, character, or even respect. Sharing your energy may help someone else act or live in a manner that will change his or her life. And you...well, you may never know it since you volunteered to be a part of empowerment.

TEEM's first volunteer efforts:

• Friday, December 26, 2014 with Age-in-Place (DC)
• Saturday, January 17, 2015 with Community Servings (Boston)

With heart,
Derek

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

Rock Your Hair How You Rock Your Fitness Level

#GiveTheGiftOfFitness

Very quickly, my hair and my fitness level are not synchronized. Typically, the hair lacks the level of the fitness; but it looks stunning on my son. On the other hand, in this New England cold and in the overall winter cold, I grow my winter "sheep-do" just fine.

It is apparent that many people will not increase their fitness level due to their hair schedule. I get it. Do not sweat out the hair. Rock the do before the do is rocked! Plain. And. Simple. So fine, you can adopt a hair rocking exercise routine. I only know because I have asked.

Scenario #1
Hair appointment date: Monday
Potential Exercise Days: As noted by a female:

She probably wants to keep her ‘do’ fresh for at least 3 days (4 is ideal) to maximize the money spent on it.  There are new scarfs out there that supposedly help.  So, ideally – work out and sweat hard before appt,  then, ideally, Pilates-type non-sweat activities Tuesday through Thursday (inclusive), then ramp up intensity again Friday (a little sweat) Saturday (a little more sweat) Sunday (more still)  Monday (full on sweat before appt) repeat (assuming a weekly hair schedule).  By the way – many women get their hair done towards the end of the week, so styles are freshest during the Friday weekend period (including Saturday events and Church), etc…

There you have it. I will leave it there.

Scenario #2
Hair Appointment Date: Wednesday

Potential Exercise Days: Read above. But, given that the weekend is nearing, optimal exercise days could be Sunday (after church or mass, if attends), Monday, and Tuesday.
Fitting Exercises: high intensities on Sunday and Tuesday with a low or moderate intensity on Monday.

Scenario #3
Hair Appointment Date: Friday
Potential Exercise Days: Forget working out on the weekend - unless you read Monday's appointment date guidelines. So, it leaves Monday through Thursday. Four straight days is very ideal.
Fitting Exercises: Higher intensities on Monday and Wednesday with Tuesday and Thursday as low intensities. Or, moderate intensity for two days, one day is high, and the other is low.

Scenario #4
Hair Appointment Date: Saturday

Potential Exercise Days: This day is stealthy. It's already Saturday. Sunday is tomorrow. There might be a function on Monday or Tuesday, leaving Wednesday and Thursday as the only two days. Friday could be used as a workout day unless there is a No-Sweat-Friday (day before the appointment) clause.
Fitting Exercises: Low or moderate intensities on Wednesday or Thursday. Or, high intensity on Wednesday with low intensity on Thursday.

Of course, it depends on the person, including exercise experience and whether sweat + hair affects workout potential. Intensity levels definitely depend on how a person tolerates or responds to exercise.

With heart,
Derek

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