WELCOME TO WEEK 2
"Never in the history of human civilization has a 90-year-old said, 'I wish I had less muscle.'"
- Peter Attia
What's Your Why?
A little thought exercise for you guys this week. I want you to think about why you're taking on this challenge? Is it to lose weight? Is it to improve your cardio endurance? Get stronger? All great reasons and there's no wrong answer. But what will the result of losing X amount of pounds, improving your cardiovascular efficiency or having more muscle mass do for you? Reduce your risk of disease when you're older? Have more energy to pursue bigger personal goals? Wanting to live life on your own terms and kicking ass when you're 80?
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There's a little trick to getting to the root of any issue or problem - Ask "Why?" five times. When you start to peel the layers of the onion off, you get to the root of that what that the real issue or goal is to you. So take some time today to sit in quiet and ask yourself why you want to get healthy. When you have an answer, ask why again. Repeat that a couple times. When you get down to a really core, personal reason, write it down, put it in a frame and place the frame somewhere where you'll see it every day as a reminder why you're sacrificing the ease of laziness and junk food for hard workouts and health food. When you get to that core reason, and you remind yourself daily of that reason, these healthy habits and good decisions become easier to implement.​​
Supercharge Your Results with Strength Training
This program is largely centered around heart rate based exercise, meaning cardio. However, I want to get it out there early on the critical importance of strength training. And it's why this week's quote is the one from Peter Attia above.
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​Muscle mass begins to decrease around 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline increases after 60 years of age. Later in life, muscle mass will help you carry your groceries, climb up stairs and prevent you from falling and potentially breaking a bone. Maintaining a regular strength training regimen can help push off the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength and function. It’s literally never too late to start lifting weights. And in fact, it's MORE important to lift heavy things the as you age.
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The benefits of strength training are huge. Among them: ​
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Improves functional ability for everyday tasks (lifting, carrying, climbing stairs)
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Stronger muscles stabilize joints, lowering injury risk
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Stimulates bone growth, reducing osteoporosis risk
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Boosts metabolism and burns more calories at rest
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Improves posture and balance
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Builds resilience
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Counters sarcopenia (age-related muscle decline)
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Helps mobility and daily self-care later in life
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Releases endorphins, reducing anxienty and depression
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Supports cognition, memory and focus
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Lowers blood pressure, improves blood flow and supports heart function
For this week, incorporate strength training if you aren't already doing so. Be sure to wear your cardio monitor when you do it, because it can encourage you to push yourself and earn you time in both the grey and blue zones. The strength and core workout downloads are basic programs that can be done at home. These exercises alone will build strength and help you feel and move better. It can be more complicated than this. An overall goal would be to fit a strength workout in 2-3 times per week.
Initiate Rest & Digest When Eating
The body can’t experience stress and properly digest at the same time. What this means is when you eat when you're in a state of stress, your body will not absorb nutrients appropriately which can lead to a host of health problems, regardless of how healthy your meal is. So this week, before every meal, take a couple minutes and get into a relaxed state. ​​​
In the app, there a section for 'Stress Management'. Tap on 'Mindfulness' to get a handful of meditations. For one more exercise this week, get into the parasympathetic nervous system before you eat by doing one of these meditations. If you're stressed for time (no pun intended...ok, maybe a little), a simple trick that takes just a couple minutes is 4-7-8 breathing:
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Breathe in for 4 seconds.
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Hold for 7 seconds.
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Breathe out slowly for 8 seconds.
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Repeat that cycle 4 - 5 times.
If you control your breathing, you're sending a signal to your brain that you're not in danger. One clue to tell if you're in a relaxed state is to smell your food before eating to get the salivary glands going. Once the saliva is pumping, you’re tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system.
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If you want to do a deeper dive into this and get into some nerdy shit, read more here:​​
This Week's Recipe
For breakfast, post-workout or a mid-afternoon snack, smoothies are awesome. This smoothie is my go-to breakfast 3-4x a week. It's loaded with protein, complex carbs, dietary fiber and healthy fats. This will provide you with sustained energy, feed your gut microbiome with good gut bacteria and make you feel more satiated, leading to less hunger later.
Ingredients
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8 oz of milk (I use almond or flaxseed milk)
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1 banana
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1 cup of mixed berries and/or 1/2 of an apple
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A big handful of greens (spinach, kale, mixed greens)
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1 or 2 scoops of protein powder (Refer to the serving size on the container. Orgain is in our cabinet at the moment.)
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2 tbsp of chia seeds
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2 tbsp of hemp seeds
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2 tbsp of flaxseed
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Throw them all in a blender.
​Tips for the Smoothies
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Unless it's freshly picked right off the vine, use frozen fruit instead of stored fruit (that which is in the produce isle at the store). The freezing process helps to lock in nutrients, preventing further nutrient loss during storage, unlike stored fruit which can lose nutrients over time.
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As much as possible, choose organic fruits and vegetables to reduce exposure to pesticides and synthetic chemicals.
