Patience is Key
Like anything we talk about at UA – we always talk about lifestyle patterns as they relate to the whole person. By whole person, I mean physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Today, I am going to talk about patience, and I hope to discuss it holistically as I just mentioned.
First, let me ask: Do you have a positive or negative connotation with the word patience?
This might very well influence your perception of this blog post, but I am entrusting you to keep reading!
Second question: Can you think of a specific instance of patience or lack thereof?
I am going to share a personal example of patience that is both physical and mental. We’ll get to emotional patience in a bit…
My dad, like most dads, started as my sport’s coach and quickly became my life coach. For better or worse (mostly better), my dad was the head coach of my travel softball team, during my senior year of high school.
He should write a book on his opinions concerning mental toughness. However…I was a terrible hitter (but an amazing catcher…), and he needed to use every coaching phrase in the book to help me get a hit.
Wait for your pitch.
To which every player in a slump responds, “What do you meeaaan wait for my pitch!? I’ll be waiting forever!”
Waiting for your pitch is an example of being mentally patient – taking conscious control of your thoughts, telling yourself that you don’t need to act now.
This leads me to the part of my patience example that is physical. Something physical happens when you are mentally waiting for your pitch – as a hitter, your hands subconsciously stay back. There are physical consequences to your mental decisions. Seems simple enough!
But does it work in reverse? Can your hands stay back without first deciding that you are going to wait?
We can all relate differently to this, which is why I don’t want to give you any specific examples outside of my personal story.
But lastly, we also have the power to be patient with our emotions. To stay with my softball team example, you can imagine the frustrations that might occur within any team dynamic. If everyone acted on their very first emotion to surface, it would create a rather tumultuous experience…
That first emotion is incredibly valid, however other emotions often arise when you give yourself the time.
This week, be patient with yourself, as you try to be patient – in all areas of your life!
Cheers to you.
Growing impatient to get working out? Give us a call at 215-248-2130, or send us an email at urbanathletephiladelphia@gmail.com !
Rooted
There are so many wonderful metaphors to be made with trees, and I am sure you’ve already heard quite a few.
The first metaphor to trees I heard came when I was riding a horse. (Seems accurate enough…)
My trainer told me that my core was the trunk of the tree and my arms were the branches. With a wobbly trunk, I had a tendency to stiffen my branches. I looked forced and rigid, when I needed to be fluid and effortless for the horse.
I needed a stronger base, a stronger trunk – stronger roots.
Physically, I needed to strengthen my legs and core muscles, in order to take the load off of my arms, shoulders, and neck.
What are you rooted in, physically?
Trees are smart. When the temperatures start to drop in the Fall, trees send the chlorophyll from their leaves to their trunk. Here, the chlorophyll is stored so that it can later be used for energy.
The tree receives information (cold weather) and then takes action (stores chlorophyll). It understands that its leaves must fall, in order to preserve its trunk and branches.
It can be good practice to take note of how we respond to a change in events, change in people, or even a change in temperature. The lens that we use to process information is incredibly important, because it sets us up for how we will respond. Our lens is often what is most important to us.
What are you rooted in, mentally?
Am I being too forward, when I say that we’ve all picked bark off a tree? We might have done this absentmindedly or purposefully – admiring how easy it was to do.
The bark is the tree’s outermost protection, its first line of defense. As soon as we pick it off, all sorts of unwanted organisms are free to grow!
As humans, we might all have a different emotional protection, but we all know the feeling of when someone or something starts to pick at it. We can feel ourselves being tested and exposed, and it hurts.
However, we need this ability to feel, because it is at the root of our decision making.
What are you rooted in, emotionally?
Unlike trees, we can choose where we put our roots physically. mentally, and emotionally. We also have the freedom to decide just how strong they are.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can work out with UA while at home, please follow this link: urbanathlete.wodify.com or send us an email at urbanathletephiladelphia@gmail.com!
From 0 to 60
A Porsche goes from 0 mph to 60 mph rather quickly, whereas a Station Wagon goes from 0 mph to 60 mph rather slow…
While everyone may love a good Porsche, your body needs you to have a Station Wagon mindset when it comes to starting or returning to high-intensity exercise (i.e. 60 mph) when gyms reopen.
I don’t need to tell you that our current environment has given us serious cause to think about our health. Under that umbrella of health is exercise.
We see someone jogging down the street or leading an exercise class from their front porch (me…), and peer pressure starts to settle in. We skip the part of taking an inventory of our medical conditions, injuries, and goals. Instead, we jump head first into an exercise program that was never our own.
Exercise, at its finest, is a lifelong habit. Something that you always did, so you always will do – something that you’ll always find a way to do. It’s chronic.
There’s a phrase that gets thrown around in Kinesiology courses – “exercise adherence.” This phrase asks the question, “What keeps someone exercising?”
Let’s focus on one of the major factors of an exercise program that keeps you exercising, or keeps you adhering.
This factor is whether the program, routine, or goal is realistic. The exercise program you begin today, tomorrow, or at the end of the month needs to be realistic, in order for you to maintain it (i.e. to be that ever reliable Station Wagon). It is critical to your health that your exercise program is realistic for you and only you.
Begin by taking inventory of your body, like we mentioned earlier. What movements make your body hurt? Which movements do you do most often or the least? What type of exercise does your body love to do?
Making the decision to exercise? Please be like a Porsche, and make that decision pedal to the metal.
Deciding what type of exercise to partake in? Be like a Station Wagon, starting out slow and steady.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can work out with UA while at home, please follow this link: urbanathlete.wodify.com or send us an email at urbanathletephiladelphia@gmail.com!
Water You Drinking?
You might be familiar with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation for how much water to drink daily, which is at least two liters.
You might also be familiar with how vital water is to the human body, especially as it works to fight off…well viruses.
Writing about water is exciting, because our circulatory system is so fascinating! Bear with my enthusiasm here…
Knowledge check: Water is responsible for carrying and circulating the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in our blood.
We also can’t talk about water and blood, without talking about the heart! Oh no…(Catch my sarcasm?)
From an exercise perspective, let’s talk about why water is so important!
When we exercise, our muscles are working incredibly hard to keep our bodies moving and afloat. Consequently, they need a lot of oxygen, which helps to create energy, and they accumulate a lot of waste products.
I mentioned two important factors there:
Oxygen (Muscles need this.)
Waste/Carbon Dioxide (Muscle don’t want this.)
This is where your blood comes into play! Water allows your blood to travel smoothly and quickly to working muscles, picking-up what your muscles don’t want (carbon dioxide) and dropping-off what they need (oxygen).
There exists this beautiful network (I’m still excited…) of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. This circuit exists, because water keeps your blood flowing.
Without water, your red blood cells would not make it to your lungs to pick-up oxygen and dump-off carbon dioxide. Without water, your muscles would not receive the oxygen that they need during exercise. Without water, your muscles would be forced to hold onto carbon dioxide.
I don’t need to tell you that life without water would be rough!
I also don’t need to tell you to drink more water, because our bodies are pretty amazing when it comes to letting us know if we’re dehydrated.
Here’s to staying in tune with what our bodies are telling us.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can work out with UA while at home, please follow this link: urbanathlete.wodify.com or send us an email at urbanathletephiladelphia@gmail.com!
What’s In(Your)Body?
Whether it’s been at a doctor’s office or in the comfort of our homes, we have all stepped on a scale at one point in time! Within seconds, a number pops up that tells us how much we weigh.
But what if we had something where not only a number popped up, but also a detailed analysis of what exactly made up that number?
In October 2019, Urban Athlete integrated the InBody scan into our lifestyle design. The InBody is a two minute scan that uses eight electrodes to determine your body composition – skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and water.
The InBody scan is well known for its reliability, or its ability to produce consistent results on consecutive scans. When pre-scan protocol is followed, the InBody removes the human error often seen in traditional body composition methods that require the use of equations.
If you choose to use the InBody scan at Urban Athlete, here is an idea of what you can expect:
- First, you will be asked to step on the scan with bare feet, with your heels aligning with the heel electrodes.
- Next, you will be asked to provide your height, age, and gender. These will not affect the results, but they will be used to create normative ranges from the World Health Organization.
- You will then be prompted to take the handles with electrodes designed for your thumbs.
- Lastly, you will see a percentage at the bottom of the screen. Once this reads 100% (in roughly 30 seconds), you can step off the scan!
Once the scan has been completed and printed, a coach will take the time to discuss the results with you. This is a great time to ask questions about what different measurements mean, as well as come up with a plan of action!
As mentioned earlier, the InBody scan will break down your weight into body fat mass, lean body mass (muscle and bone), and total body water. However, the InBody scan will also provide you with a segmental lean analysis – my favorite part! This section tells you how much skeletal muscle mass you have in each limb and if it has the capability to support your body weight. You will find answers to questions, such as, “Is my lower body stronger than my upper body?”
Urban Athlete is excited to provide clients with more than just a number on a scale, and we would love to answer any questions you may have about our InBody machine! Scans are complimentary with our Urban Athlete membership and are taken every six weeks.
Interested in having a scan, but aren’t a member of Urban Athlete? Contact us at 215-248-2130 or urbanathletephiladelphia@gmail.com to set-up a time to meet!
“I just want to have more energy!”
I know there have been times in my life when I’ve said this.
Just as I know, there have been times in your life when you’ve said this too! Maybe you’ve even said it recently.
Unless there is some sort of underlying factor, chances are in order to have more energy you simply need four things to get you started and keep you going on the path to having more energy.
- Consistent Activity
- Supportive Nutrition
- Quality Sleep
- Better Life Balance
Don’t get me wrong…None of the above are either easy right out of the gate, nor are they going to be game changers overnight. When done with purpose and consistency, you will begin to see noticeable differences in your energy levels, your mood, and likely your body composition, among other things. At Urban Athlete, we like to think about this like Lifestyle Design.
It shouldn’t feel like you are making all the hard changes all at once. It shouldn’t feel like you can’t enjoy yourself, whether it’s having a relaxing day or an indulgence of food or drink. It should feel like you make good choices the majority of the time so that when you want to treat yourself you are able to without guilt.
There is no one right path for all of us to take. There is no one right nutrition plan or exercise plan. Or waking time. Or bed time. Or career path. Or number of hours worked. (I think you get my point.) There is no simple equation that balances out to the perfect answer. Above all else there are no quick fixes. I don’t write any of this to discourage you. In fact I write all this to encourage you to take the next step because change is good, and small change should feel manageable.
What is the one thing you could do today to move you closer to having more energy in your day?
Perhaps it is:
- drinking more water
- going to bed 15 minutes earlier
- taking a walk
- creating sleep specific space, free of electronics
- eating a vegetable with every meal
- starting a morning stretch routine
And the list can go on. Eventually we would aim to do all of these things, but for today…in this moment, pick just one thing that you can manage to start to make an impact on your own quality of life and gain some energy back. Each day keep with the same one thing, make a promise to yourself that you will stick with it. Notice I didn’t say for how long…That’s intentional, for now at least. The goal is to create a daily, small success that lets you believe in yourself to encourage you to do more.
As you start to master this one task and eventually more you might choose to make larger commitments like:
- getting a personal trainer or joining a group training program close to home or work
- scheduling your day to make sure you get at least 7 full hours of sleep each night
- doing food prep 1-2 days a week for optimal nutrition even on your busiest of days
- knowing when to say no to the things that aren’t a priority to you
When you’re able to make these larger commitments and incorporate them into your lifestyle you find you will have created a new path to walk in. One that likely feels better to you and is how you will gain more energy in the long haul, along with many other benefits.
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