Since there's not much going on (that I can prudently write about :) I'll go ahead and share one thing that's really helping me get through deployment: smoke sessions.
Not that kind of smoke session-- the Army kind-- intense physical activity-- only without a Drill Sergeant standing over me yelling obscenities.
Before I got here I was planning on working out a lot while I was serving my time here, but I didn't really have a plan. I suppose I vaguely thought I was just going to run regularly, lift some weights, do some push ups. I didn't know--
I have to give a lot of credit to this guy I met here-- he's been here four months and has a routine that mostly stays the same. He's 40 years old and can pretty much crush me on any measure of physical fitness. He attributes much of his discipline to recovering from a broken hip a few years back. I'm not copying him, well, maybe I am kind of copying him. I'm using him as an inspiration and I'll share the inspiration here.
The first inspiration: do two-a-days as often as possible. I used to do these when I was crazy about triathlon, but they always seemed excessive and luxurious, especially if you had to work, be a parent, those kind of things. I'm sold on two-a-days here, because I have the time, and also because once I start doing them I realize that I can actually sustain them. For most people it's hard to get a two hour block for exercise during a typical day, but if you split it into two, one hour blocks, or even two 30-45 minute blocks, it is much more feasible and it can double your exercise volume in a week, making it easier to gain or maintain fitness or lose weight.
The second inspiration: do regular abdominal work. I've always been half-assed about working my abs even though EVERYONE knows it's good for your back, good for stabilizing hips and knees, and generally complements any physical activity. I now do a 10 minute ab workout six days a week. It goes like this: 1 min bicycle crunches, 1 min traditional crunches, 1 minute vertical leg crunches, 1 minute traditional sit ups, 1 minute boat pose (with bent knees) and then you do it all over again, no rest between exercises, for a total of 10 minutes. The first day I did this I almost died. It goes by in a flash.
The third inspiration: do more than I think I can. If I can run for 30 minutes, why not run for 40 or 45? I'm typically a 45 minute guy if I'm just out for a quick run but I've been doing at least 60 here, just slowing down if I fatigue. Also, I thought the stationary bike would be torture (it's so not like riding a bicycle) but it gives me enough of an approximation of a real bike that I'll chug out 30 or 40k, imagining I'm somewhere else. I ignore the clock and have found that if I think I can do more, I do it easily.
The fourth inspiration: keep it simple. I can do almost everything I need to stay fit without any equipment, just some shorts and shoes and a shirt. The art of the sit-up, push-up, the pull up, and the dip-- body weight exercises that work the major muscle groups of the upper body. The body weight workout to failure is fast and can be done almost anywhere (well, push-ups at least). It takes about 20-30 minutes of constant motion and I'm cooked. (See: An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-up). This year I've become a huge fan of the push-up.
And the last inspiration is actually Michael Pollan's well known mantra: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Okay. Indulgent self help session is over.
I'll get back to war-blogging tomorrow, maybe.
Not that kind of smoke session-- the Army kind-- intense physical activity-- only without a Drill Sergeant standing over me yelling obscenities.
Before I got here I was planning on working out a lot while I was serving my time here, but I didn't really have a plan. I suppose I vaguely thought I was just going to run regularly, lift some weights, do some push ups. I didn't know--
I have to give a lot of credit to this guy I met here-- he's been here four months and has a routine that mostly stays the same. He's 40 years old and can pretty much crush me on any measure of physical fitness. He attributes much of his discipline to recovering from a broken hip a few years back. I'm not copying him, well, maybe I am kind of copying him. I'm using him as an inspiration and I'll share the inspiration here.
The first inspiration: do two-a-days as often as possible. I used to do these when I was crazy about triathlon, but they always seemed excessive and luxurious, especially if you had to work, be a parent, those kind of things. I'm sold on two-a-days here, because I have the time, and also because once I start doing them I realize that I can actually sustain them. For most people it's hard to get a two hour block for exercise during a typical day, but if you split it into two, one hour blocks, or even two 30-45 minute blocks, it is much more feasible and it can double your exercise volume in a week, making it easier to gain or maintain fitness or lose weight.
The second inspiration: do regular abdominal work. I've always been half-assed about working my abs even though EVERYONE knows it's good for your back, good for stabilizing hips and knees, and generally complements any physical activity. I now do a 10 minute ab workout six days a week. It goes like this: 1 min bicycle crunches, 1 min traditional crunches, 1 minute vertical leg crunches, 1 minute traditional sit ups, 1 minute boat pose (with bent knees) and then you do it all over again, no rest between exercises, for a total of 10 minutes. The first day I did this I almost died. It goes by in a flash.
The third inspiration: do more than I think I can. If I can run for 30 minutes, why not run for 40 or 45? I'm typically a 45 minute guy if I'm just out for a quick run but I've been doing at least 60 here, just slowing down if I fatigue. Also, I thought the stationary bike would be torture (it's so not like riding a bicycle) but it gives me enough of an approximation of a real bike that I'll chug out 30 or 40k, imagining I'm somewhere else. I ignore the clock and have found that if I think I can do more, I do it easily.
The fourth inspiration: keep it simple. I can do almost everything I need to stay fit without any equipment, just some shorts and shoes and a shirt. The art of the sit-up, push-up, the pull up, and the dip-- body weight exercises that work the major muscle groups of the upper body. The body weight workout to failure is fast and can be done almost anywhere (well, push-ups at least). It takes about 20-30 minutes of constant motion and I'm cooked. (See: An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-up). This year I've become a huge fan of the push-up.
And the last inspiration is actually Michael Pollan's well known mantra: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Okay. Indulgent self help session is over.
I'll get back to war-blogging tomorrow, maybe.
