Wellness – Page 3 – tomtypinski.com

Simple Structured Training

SHOW SIMPLICITY, HOLD FAST TO HONESTY – LAO TZU

Thirty spokes surround the hub:

In their nothingness consists the carriage’s effectiveness.

One hollows the clay and shapes it into pots:

In its nothingness consists the pot’s effectiveness.

One cuts out doors and windows to make the chamber:

In their nothingness consists the chamber’s effectiveness.

Therefore, what exists serves for possession

What does not exist serves for effectiveness.

What is half shall become whole

What is crooked shall become straight

What is empty shall become full.

What is old shall become new.

Whosoever has little shall receive

Whosoever has much, from him shall be taken away.

Whosoever knows others is clever

Whosoever knows himself is wise.

Whosoever conquers others has force.

Whosoever conquers himself is strong.

Whosoever asserts himself has will power.

Whosoever is self-sufficient is rich.

Whosoever does not lose his place has duration.

Whosoever does not perish in death lives.

A stanza of this poem accompanies each chapter in this book, aligning thoughts and requesting an honest assessment of where your present condition is, in order for you to get to where you desire.

SIMPLE STRUCTURED TRAINING

Introduction

What you hold in your hands is a guidebook to better athletic performance and intelligent attention toward life. Simple Structured Training contains the training necessary for all sports at all levels. This book benefits athletes with techniques for strength, stability, flexibility and transformation. It teaches you to dwell on the weaknesses until they become strengths.

In a non-competitive vein, the everyday tasks of carrying groceries, picking up children or working in an environment with repetitive movements can be enhanced by paying attention to what your life does to your body on a daily basis, and how Simple Structured Training can turn obstructions into pathways. As long as your life contains gravity, you can benefit from Simple Structured Training. Strength comes from the self-assurance of making the “eventful” the “every day.” Repeatedly proving your own capabilities ingrains success, until even failing is welcomed because it shows where work needs attention. Training means making practice harder than a game can ever be, so the game becomes an event played at its highest level, always, and the body flies as it should, on autopilot.

Just as the concert pianist practices so as to not make a mistake the day of the concert, the athlete practices, and on game day, plays flawlessly. Practice and training come in many forms, from visualization to single maximum effort. But just like the artist, the athlete must let creativity and intuition win from time to time so “happy accidents” will manifest into higher insights of what the body and its performance can achieve. By occasionally deviating from the normal methods of sets and repetitions, the athlete learns about his body through open-mindedness, as the “feel” of certain movements register in the brain as well as the body.

EVERYBODY HAS A SPORT

Every person has a sport, be it working with weights or walking, tennis or triathlon. By taking a subjective look at yourself, applying the stepping stones of training from the core of what you have to start with, to higher and higher goals of what you can feasibly obtain, every person can improve their performance, lifestyle and health by paying attention to what they are doing to their bodies at work and at play.

Small adjustments in focus can brighten the big picture of what proper training can do for you. With the growing number of athletes involved in organized or recreational sports, and the variety of activities and equipment available to them, the need for balance, definitive plans and guidelines for achievement are absolutely necessary for safe, healthy progress.

Many aspects contribute to superior performance, from breathing to body mechanics, from how much and what goes into your body, to what comes out from it in terms of energy expenditure. Intelligently reviewing these aspects on a periodic basis, adjusting nutrition, exercise and rest in proportion to available time, and carrying through with plans, goals and scheduled routines to the end, will garner higher results, greater rewards, safer techniques, a wider knowledge base and stronger approaches toward every sport, every season.

YOU ARE A COMPETITOR

Competing with yourself is the ultimate struggle. We do it daily on many levels. Attending your workouts makes attending meetings, appointments, presentations and anything else easier, because confident, positive action started you off fresh, first thing in the morning.

You have to prove to yourself that you are the one in control of your day, your diet, your direction, your health. Take the time to take care of yourself, first thing in the morning. Start your day with silence, darkness, calm introspection, a good breakfast, a powerful thought, an attitude of being in control rather than frantically setting out in opposition to all the things vying for your time and attention. By taking charge from the outset, by writing dreams, praying, meditating, stretching, lightly exercising, going inward before going outward, turning everything off instead of on, you will accomplish all the to-do’s on your list with little effort. Life will yank on you from every handle you give it. But if you choose to pull your own weight, you’ll choose which direction you’ll go, what you’ll do first, and what you’ll discard.

As long as we eat, move and breathe, we must exercise. And we must do it before injuries occur, on the front end, to ensure maximum health, happiness and productive contribution. If you’re here to stay, than so too should your workouts or some type of physical activity, every day. The sooner you rest this in your mind, that exercise is just as essential to life as sleeping and eating, the faster you can find an activity which both meets your activity level and style.

Walking is exercise. Biking is exercise. Even gardening is exercise with its reaching and pulling, lifting and moving. If it fits your lifestyle and you enjoy it, stop begrudging it as “work” and respect the benefits available in everyday things. But learn how to do them safely, and to get the most from them, so they benefit your body as well as your mind.

Three (Wellness-Spoken) Women

Here are three distinctive women who have helped me in the past year to improve my overall understanding of diet and nutrition for myself, my family and my clients, on a day-to-day level.

Ella

The first one is a podcast called, “On Air With Ella”; http://onairwithella.com/category/podcast/ whose supporting website is a wealth of health, fitness, nutrition information, recipes and support on the whole spectrum of wellness.

Ella brings noted guests and experts on a wide range of topics to discuss mental health, fitness, relationships and tips to improve your family’s health. Her show is definitely for the audience, with support materials and liner notes to tell you exactly where to go to find more on the things she discusses.

She asks intelligent questions, then gets out-of-the-way to let the guest impart on the knowledge of the chosen topic. Her website, onairwithella.com is well-balanced, with a mix of products, routines, recipes and in-depth, down to earth conversations. Ella strikes the best balance with solid questions, lists of products and information avenues to pursue and peruse on your quest for wellness.

Dr. Sara Solomon

Ella is the reason I’d found the second great site of Dr. Sara Solomon. She walks the talk on http://www.drsarasolomon.com. Dr. Solomon is a past IFBB Bikini pro and a bodybuilding.com sponsored athlete who brings fire and energy in an entertaining, yet clear-cut way to the average person aspiring to be above average.

Ella’s interview with Dr.Solomon on intermittent fasting http://onairwithella.com/025-dr-sara-solomon-intermittent-fasting/ was the best explanation for one the smartest ways to lose weight and keep it off. The method was pioneered by Paul Bragg in his book The Miracle of Fasting on the benefits of fasting for spiritual and physical rejuvenation. I began the intermittent fasting program in February, fasting 2 to 3 nights per week, and lost over 22 pounds to date, by July1. My son convinced me to try it and since then, I have continuously lost weight effortlessly.

Dr. Solomon is very much into her own methods and programs and advertises them blatantly. Dr. Solomon hits with a barrage of products from her host sponsor, but is clearly comfortable in showing her results with lively video courses, books, and a host of supplements and products. Her energy and humor are contagious and by seeing her execute the methods she proposes, invites you to try them for yourself, daily, weekly, monthly. She teaches by leading the way with short, simple home-based routines and regimens.

The Food Babe – Vani Hari

The third life-changing savior in this trinity of fitness, wellness and food is Vani Hari and her site thefoodbabeway.com. Vani is globally focused toward the education of the public on her ongoing battles with food labeling; while uncovering big company cover ups in the food industries. Vani Hari is outward focused, very informative, and deeply analytical of what the food industry gets away with by means of the poisons our foods include. She tells it like it is and makes you seriously reconsider every single food choice you make.

She also has many simple recipes for foods the whole family will enjoy, from smoothies to pastries, to main dishes; with an emphasis on organic, non-gmo choices. I learn from this site every time I go to it for information. If you have a question about any of your food choices, answers are found here to not only save you time and money, but your overall health as well.

What’s so special about them?

So why do these three mean so much to me?

I admire their honesty in uncovering the unhealthy aspects of the models, companies, practices and products we try to emulate in fitness magazines and videos; from the joke of competitive beauty sports, to the contradictory health practices of said competitions and the hidden dangers of a bodybuilding lifestyle that everyone else seems to be so afraid to talk about.

I learned more from these three women about cultivating healthy attitudes and lifestyle over the past 6 months than I had from the countless years of false supplement claims and contradictory, “unhealthy” health practices by the proposed giants in the health fields; those who continue to sell magazines and supplements while continuing to endanger the public for the sake of profits. The only healthy thing about the fitness industry is its revenue.

Ella, Sara and Vani are women with real issues that are the concern of every person, young and old, male and female, in regard to healthy living. Their concerns are with helping people to understand that looking and feeling good takes common sense, priorities, planning and thought; not thousands of dollars or hours. They understand what it takes to obtain and keep a respectable physique that pleases you first, not the critics, judges or food manufacturers. They know that it is done through diligence and consistency, not any magic formula. Food should be grown, not manufactured, eaten and enjoyed, not “consumed for fuel.” These women have helped to filter through the bad information and done it as women so often do, with a loud voice and a firm following.

The Proof Is In The Person

Look at any of their sites and you will see that they are not “in-season, off-season”; they look good all the time and don’t bounce from plump to perfect on a yearly basis. You can see that the things they advocate are things they use themselves, and share what is dangerous and why it is, as well. They are passionate about what they’re doing and that passion comes through as a gift to the reader/listener in a sincere manner. They love sharing the information and are generous in their resources. When they are wrong, doubtful or questioning, they’ll let you know that as well.

and, Dr. Ann

As a final suggestion, Dr. Ann, http://www.drannwellness.com is a newsletter worth joining. She is also a doctor, mother, health advocate and down to earth informant for what we should be putting into our bodies and what we should keep out. Her weekly tips are family based and she encourages the “normal” things we like, from fruits and vegetables to chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate… Her site is well-organized and she offers many services and products. She has a full line of books, seminars, videos and guides to get you started or to continue your gathering of information on health and wellness.

Never Stop Learning

I have dedicated my life to fitness, health and wellness; and I’m still learning something new every day, from podcasts, newsletters, websites, books and tapes (yes, they still exist, as do CD’s) and with as much time and effort as I’ve poured into learning new approaches, there are still questions, strategies and techniques I learn from. Check back here often, subscribe, add resources and look for new ideas for improving the health of yourselves and your families. SHARE THE HEALTH.

WHERE IT BEGAN

WHERE DID IT BEGIN FOR YOU?

Think back to the first inspirations you’d had to make you want to lift weights, body build, or compete in sports. What are your earliest memories? It could have been seeing Arnold on Wide World of Sports as he went from a huge muscular phenomenon to an absolute freak as the muscles flexed and his body became statuesque. It could have been your father or brother or neighbor, or seeing professional athletes up close at your first real sporting event.

It could have been the “Feats of Strength” freak at the carnival sideshow, or a movie clip from one of the “Beach Blanket” movies. It could have even been Jack Lalane with his chair, “breathing in, breathing out…” as he brought fitness to the living rooms of women all over the country in the ’60’s.

WHERE IT BEGAN FOR ME

There are two distinct things that stand out from my memory that helped to shape my life as a bodybuilder.

I must have been 5 or 6 years old. A guy from down the street, Wally, who came around infrequently, came walking from the end of the block in skinny, rolled up jeans, white Converse tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt that fit him like paint. He was smart, articulate, and kind with a joking demeanor. His shoulders hid the sun, his arms, contoured and veiny, lean as a hunting dog, stuck from his shirtsleeves like deli salamis. His black Elvis “waterfall” hung over one eye; and it took all of us to get the courage to ask him our request. The reputation was that he could lift a car off the ground by the bumper.