A Friendly Nudge - Ease In
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
Transformations can be a little overwhelming and it’s easy to get convinced that we should be in the self overhaul business every year around this time. I think New Year’s resolutions are frequently long on expectations and rarely as productive or fulfilling as we’re hoping for.
I don’t know what your experience is with New Year’s resolutions but just using gym parking lots as a proxy, they start out strong in January and by March they’re fading fast. And because of that most people (including myself) don’t view themselves as being great at New Year’s resolutions.
Too often my New Year’s resolutions were constructed in a way that almost guaranteed disappointment. I’d set out to metaphorically boil the ocean only to run out of gas long before my exhaustive list of improvement targets were accomplished. Instead of working on one thing at a time, I’d tackle everything at once–daily exercise targets, alternating between caloric deficit and slight surplus depending on strength goals, meaningful meditation practice, X number of pages or minutes of writing daily, video library of completed videos for A Friendly Nudge and social media and let’s throw in a few global brand deals just to keep things interesting.
It’s a little overwhelming just reading that list, much less tackling big chunks of it all at once– especially if there’s any unidentified or unresolved resistance going on. That’s where curiosity, and maybe a little portion control, come in handy.
As tempting as it is to try to knock out 3 or 4 of these at once, history has taught me that focus is essential so I’m not even contemplating my chosen self refinement project until we get back in our house (still living out of a suitcase as I’m typing this). Once we’re back home, I’m going to spend the next 4-6 weeks working on building a more repeatable exercise routine. Most weeks I go to the gym 2 or 3 times and physical therapy twice but ever since we found out about our foundation issues my workout consistency really took a hit. My gym workouts got less frequent and once the jackhammers started punching holes in the floor they pretty much dried up all together.
I know that having our lives turned upside down with the foundation demolition/restoration project has wreaked havoc on my routine but digging into it a little I realized that it was more than just having my schedule disrupted. Jude’s been a trooper throughout this whole process and my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter have been incredibly gracious and supportive; opening up their home and making us feel welcome.
Even with all of that abundance and help this project was more of a punch in the gut than I was expecting. Jackhammering holes through the slab inside the house covers everything you own with a fine layer of concrete dust. Throw in the collateral damage, both psychic and financial, of busted water and drain pipes and the holes in the sheet rock needed to repipe the house and my mental resiliency waned a little. I was in a bit of a funk.
I’ve talked a lot about being kind to yourself and I know that I have to follow my own advice. The foundation project isn’t completely finished but it’s getting to a little more predictable phase. Until the dust clears literally, I’m going to cut myself some slack and call a handful of exercise snacks a step in the right direction. Once we get back in the house, I’ll redefine what “right direction” and progress looks like.
Exercise snacks were how my fitness journey got started four years ago and my guess is that they’re going to play a big role in helping me rebuild my exercise mojo. One set of kettlebell swings, pushups and walls sits at a time.
Now let’s do a batch cook of seasoned ground beef that makes hitting our protein target both tasty and doable.
I usually make a 2-3 pound batch of this at least once a week. It takes the hassle out of meal prep and it’s delicious and versatile.
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of lean ground beef (adjust the amount based on how many meals you’re prepping)
1 large shallot, sliced thin
Assortment of herbs & spices - I used ground ginger, smoked paprika, smoked black pepper, salt, coriander, cumin seeds and oregano
Preheat your skillet, on high to medium high heat if using stainless, carbon or cast iron since those can safely handle higher temperatures than non-stick skillets. If using non-stick, medium heat is probably the safer option.
Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef and spread it out to cover the bottom of the skillet or skillets depending on how large a batch you’re cooking. If doing more than 1 - 1 ½ pounds, use two skillets.
Add a fat pinch of salt, sliced shallots and then sprinkle on your spices and any herbs you’re using.
Stir to combine and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
We’ll put this on top of spinach or arugula and some days I top it with eggs or just avocado and kraut or kimchi to round it out for a midday meal.
Enjoy and experiment with it.
This week’s exercises will give you some options for the week.
You can do these as a circuit but I chose this group because they are some of my favorite exercise snacks.
As always, if any of these feel too much too soon, skip them for now and they may get more doable down the road.
Foam Rolling Duration: As much time as needed; Recovery 0-1 day
There’s a reason why every week starts with these. Foam rolling is a nice way to begin getting your muscles ready for exercise. When you find a sore or tight spot, hang out for 20-40 seconds. Check with your doc if you have osteoporosis, osteopenia or other health issues. Avoid your armpits, lower spine, neck, front or back of knee.
Easy Skater Duration: 30 seconds to 1 minute; Recovery is 0-1 day
For this exercise, take a wide step and balance on one foot. This one combines a gentle warm up with a balance drill. If you need something to help with balance you could do this behind two chairs and use their backs for support if needed.
Jumping Jacks Duration: as tolerated, but shoot for 30-45 seconds. Recovery 0-1 days depending on how you’re feeling
Jumping jacks are a great way to get your heart rate up and to get some movement in but they are demanding. I’ve also included the lower impact version of these below. The main thing that to think about is to be sure that you’re landing more on the balls of your feet.
Easy Version of Jumping Jacks
Farmer’s Carries: Duration 1-2 minutes. If you’re carrying heavy weight then make sure you give yourself 2-3 minutes rest if you’re doing more than one set. Give yourself a day or two recovery between multiple set days.
This is an excellent way to build functional strength and I’m a lot more convinced of the longevity aspect of grip strength if it was built with exercises like this.
Life involves carrying things. Groceries, grandkids, luggage–something is always needing us to move it from point A to point B. Kettlebells are great, but if you’re just getting started a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Start where you are.
Proud chest, shoulders back, core engaged (including your pelvic floor) and go for a walk.
Slam Ball: Duration 5 “slams”; Recovery is 3-4 days
We’re working on our force and power production and we’re letting off a little steam.
The reason that we’re doing so few reps is because we want them to be explosive. I want you to throw the slam ball down like you mean it.
This is another time where you will double brace your core. Hopefully it’s becoming a little automatic by now.
Single Leg Balance Reach Duration: Start where you are and don’t hesitate to have a chair or wall next to you for stability. See if you can work up to 1 minute each leg
Balancing on one leg is a great way to improve your balance. Adding a reach with the unplanted leg dials it up a little and better prepares us for real world scenarios. You can do this with a chair or a wall nearby if needed for support. When you’re starting out, 10 seconds can feel like a long time but as you get better at this you can extend the time.
Bird Dogs Duration: 5-10 reps each side. You can work up to 3 sets. If doing multiple sets give yourself a recovery day
There’s a reason that you see this so often in these workouts. It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of an exercise. If your knees are sensitive but not too problematic, you might put a folded blanket under them to make this more comfortable.
Shoulders, back, legs, glutes, core and even a little balance as a bonus.
Long neck, chin tucked, brace your core, squeeze the pencil between your shoulder blades and reach with your arm and opposite leg to feel that length in your spine. That sounds like a lot, but it feels great.
Start with 5 on each side and build up.
Ground to Stand w/ Yoga Block Duration: Work up to 10 each side
Getting off the ground under our own power is essential to preserving our independence.
Using a yoga block under your thigh and hinging forward from your hips while pushing off with your hand makes this a little easier. A blanket under your knee may help with knee discomfort.
Pushups (Pick One)
Wall Pushups Duration: Start where you are but gradually work up to 10-12
Wall pushups are a great place to start. You can vary the difficulty depending on how close or far your feet are from the wall. Recovery 1-2 days between multiple set days
Start with your hands just outside shoulder width apart with your arms at a 45° angle to your body and place your hands on the wall about shoulder height. The closer your arms are to your body, the more triceps dominant the exercise becomes and we’re wanting to target the chest so let’s go with 45°.
The closer your feet are to the wall the easier the pushup.
Slowly bend your elbows and retract your shoulders like you’re trying to squeeze a pencil between your shoulder blades and lower your chest toward the wall. Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels. Press back to the starting position and repeat.
Once you can do 3 sets of 12-15 wall pushups with a 3 minute rest between each set you’re ready to move on to counter top pushups. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the process.
Counter Top or Table Pushups Duration: Start with 8 pushups and gradually increase until you can do 3 sets of 12-15 pushups with a 3 minute rest between sets. Recovery 1-2 days between multiple set days
The set up with these is very similar to wall pushups. The further your feet are from the table the harder it is. Arms just slightly wider than shoulder width apart, arms forming 45°angle with body. Hands placed on the table under your shoulders. Slowly bend your elbows, squeeze the pencil between your shoulder blades and lower your chest to the table and then press back up. Repeat.
Regular Pushups Duration 4 - 40 and if you’re doing 40 real pushups I salute you! Recovery 1-2 days between multiple set days.
Real pushups are hard. I’ve finally worked back up to 12 decent ones almost a year after my shoulder replacement and it’s been work.
Real pushups mean lowering your chest almost to the ground and then raising all the way back up. Sort of going through the motions isn’t a pushup. Embrace quality over quantity.
Same set up as the rest. Hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, arms at 45° to body, hands at shoulder height, feet hip width apart. Slowly bend your elbows, squeeze the pencil between your shoulder blades and lower your chest until it almost touches the ground and press all the way to the top.
Kettlebell Swings Duration: Start with a weight that lets you do 8-10 with perfect form
KBS uses the hip hinge like deadlifts. Your arms are just holding on to the kettlebell, but the force is generated by the hip hinge.
Keep your back flat and let your hips do the work.
I started with a 25 pound kettlebell until I felt comfortable with the movement, so please start with light weight or even no weight until you’re comfortable with the movement.
KBS are a great way to get your heart rate up and build overall strength.
Lateral Step Ups Duration: 30 seconds up to 2 Minutes. As you get more comfortable with this one you can do 2-3 sets with a minute rest in between each set. Recovery 1-2 days
Life is three dimensional so it makes sense to practice moving in more than one plane of motion. I’ve had several people let me know that traveling has gotten easier for them since they’ve been doing this and the step up to balance drills.
I’m using a 12” platform and as you get more comfortable you could graduate to the 18” platform. You want to make sure you’re using something that is stable and that you establish your balance on the platform before stepping down. It’s not a race, so take your time.
Exercise is unparalleled in its ability to transform our health but it’s also an amazing resource for boosting our spirits and helping us put life into a more realistic perspective. Exercise snacks give us a doable way to ease in. Putting a kettlebell somewhere that you see it throughout the day or setting some other type of trigger that reminds you to knock out a quick set of pushups, kettlebell swings or wall sits is a helpful strategy.
If you’re struggling to get started, you might want to get curious about what might be getting in your way.
Let’s see what we can accomplish together this year!
Wishing you a happy New Year and a wonderful week.
Until next week,
Jim
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