Not 'exercising' but TRAINING

Sometimes I really do forget the most basic things and it's nice to be reminded of them by someone more cleverer. ;) A few days ago I read this post, which references an exercise intensity study on Alwyn Cosgroves blog. Alwyn is famous for being a successful fitness coach and also for having beaten lymphatic cancer twice. Maybe it's his experiences with cancer, or maybe it's just his natural style, but he has a very 'straight to the point and no fluffing around' way of approaching fatloss that really appeals to me.

The thing with training is that you can do it in a half-arsed manner and still get some results if your nutrition is good. BUT, it's way more mentally satisfying, and far more exciting on the results front, if you focus your mind and give it some intensity. For me, intensity has always been the key to getting results from my training, but I've let it slide. Injuries, especially my back injuries, made me very cautious in the gym and my training became less effective, then I lost my groove and never really got it back. There's another reason for my groovelessness. An intense training session gives me a mental lift that seems to power me up in other ways, but I'd forgotten about that feeling until I made a decision last week to get my training back on track. I was sitting in the changing rooms having given the stepper 20 minutes of high-intensity hell (it was begging for mercy) and suddenly I felt that clearheaded sense of wellbeing that had been missing from my life. It's been a winding road toward figuring out 'how' to work that hard without injuring myself. In the past, I only knew one way to increase intensity - add more weight. It's no wonder that I was always getting injured. Now I've discovered that it's not all about how much you can 'bench' (or squat, or curl). There are many ways to change it up and make it more difficult - add reps, superset, reduce rest periods, use isometrics (plank for two minutes? arrrgh), or eccentric moves, get more of the body involved (walking lunge with DB press), you can hit stuff, throw stuff or use a sliding device on your foot. I've also discovered that there are a lot of ways to make cardio hurt that don't involve jolting the spine. It's really just a matter of research coupled with innovation and surreptitiously checking out what other people do. And as for duration, I think that if 30-40 minutes isn't enough then the intensity isn't there.

And now for some toilet humour.

Bums are a very hot topic right now at the pre-school that my niece goes to. Bums are the funniest thing ever and need to be mentioned at every opportunity. I also don't know how she figured it out but the Niece has learned that she gets a wonderfully shocked reaction if she says 'touch my bum' or 'x touched my bum' to someone, and therefore, she says it a lot. Obviously we are discouraging this and hoping that the phase will pass quickly. Apparently the whole over 3's department at pre-school (my mum works there) is in bum-mania.

Conversations over the last three days.

She is hiding in the bed covers
"Aunty Sara, can you see me?"
"No, I can't see you my sweet little angel"
"But... can you see my BUM? (hysterical laughter)"

In the car, Jase reaches over to secure her in the child seat
"Aunty Sara, uncle Jase just touched my bum"
(shocked look from Jase)
"No he didn't, I saw him and he didn't touch your bum, did he?"
"I mean, he touched my arm"
Jase: "Do you think she goes around saying 'Uncle Jase touched my bum'?

This morning in bed. She comes in for a cuddle as is usual when she stays the night.
"Aunty Sara, there's wees in my nappy"
"ok, let's change you"
"But first I want you to.... touch my bum, touch my bum, touch my bum... (hysterical laughter and bouncing on the bed)'

Lunchtime, a slight variation
"What would you like for lunch, Miss J?"
"Toast. And.... poooooos!! (hysterical laughter)"

How long does this phase last?