Turning attention to your hands will bring you both cosmetic and health benefits. From the lofty perspective, hands are a symbol of social and intimate relations, spiritual connection, work, progress and protection. Contemplating all that hands can represent, we can say they are truly a universal metaphor. There’s like a good neighbor, I wanna hold your hand, let’s shake on it, lend me a hand, raise your hand, greasing his palms, blood on her hands, a clenched fist, a gentle caress, stop in the name of love, peek a boo, applause applause, high fives, pointing fingers, all hands in a cheer of team unity. Do we agree? Let’s have a show of hands.
Pick Two Things (& Ten Things): Your Hands (& Fingers)
Hands are one of the most used parts of your body for active everyday living, so the way they feel and the way they look is likely to vary depending on what you do with them. Over time, hands will have seen a lot of sun on top of a lot of action. So they do tend to reveal our age, along with our habits and activities. There are some things you might want to do to help your hands out in the cosmetic department. Then again, not all hands are meant to be models.
Guitar players have beloved calluses on their fingers, for example, and if they play Spanish guitar, they have long nails on the string-plucking hand and short nails on the other. Carpenters and outdoors men tend to have rough hands, with calluses on the palms. You can tell the difference when you shake a rock climbers hand versus a pianists hand. People without a lot of body fat might have rather veiny hands, especially as they get older and their skin thins; while people with extra body fat might have plump hands with hardly any lines at all. All that falls in the range of good and fine, but for those who want to go a bit further, I do have a couple of ideas that can help anyone along with the appearance of their hands.
Handy Suggestions
~My sister in law donned those big yellow gloves for washing dishes and other harsher household chores for years. We’re the same age, but her hands look way better than mine.
~ My friend swears by cuticle oil. In fact, she is addicted to it. It became a self-care ritual for her to use cuticle oil to soften and push back her cuticles, and then to moisturize and give gleam to her nails. Gotta admit, she has nice looking, handsomely groomed nails that even a truck driver could benefit from.
~ If you put lotion with sunscreen on your face each day as prevention, why not rub it on your hands, too? If you have a nighttime anti-aging routine for your face, you could use that on your hands as well.
~ Quit biting your nails and biting your skin. One great way to break the habit is to start taking care of your hands. With the soft skin and cuticle oil and lotion tricks mentioned above, you’ll find that it’s nice to look down and see good hands, instead stubby ragged ones. I used a mental tricks to help me quit. First, every time I caught myself biting my nails or skin, I stopped, rested my hands in my lap and thought, “hands, be still, be cool.”
That was what I wanted to feel and how I wanted to look, so it worked to remind me of what my intentions were. I kept thinking how bad it looked if I were caught gnawing away at my hands, say… in a waiting room for a job interview, or by a cute guy from across the room (I was young and single then). It really worked.
The Hand You’re Dealt
Can you improve your hands in any way besides cosmetically? Sure you can, at least a little.
~ You can strengthen your grip and squeeze strength. Functional movements will do this to a certain extent, as in tennis players and roofers tend to have strong hands. But simple gripping and squeezing exercises will work for those wanting something extra. Say, you want to register your hands as lethal weapons. Or you want to rip a deck of cards in half. Check out a training forum specifically for strong hands (and forearms, because those are related): http://www.bccorefitness.com/seriouslystronghands.html
~ You can increase the agility and quickness of your hands, too. Again, practice makes perfect. Take up guitar or piano or a woodwind instrument like clarinet or flute. You’ll get better at it the better your hands get at moving about quickly in a relatively small span of space and time.
~ Artsy endeavors beyond music will also help you with your hands. Hair braiding can encourage hand finesse, as can crocheting and knitting, paper crafting, oil painting, and calligraphy.
~ How about court reporters and data entry personnel? Them are fast hands. Learning to type and typing often helps keep your finger joints fluid.
On the other hand, there’s that darn repetitive motion syndrome to consider. And good ole arthritis. Joint pain, swelling, numbness, vascular constriction—all of these are the unfortunate symptoms of the dark side of having skilled and active hands.
Helping Hands
~ I started taking a couple of triple strength glucosamine and chondroitin tablets, once a day, a few years ago, and my hands are VERY much better off for it. I had early onset (in my 40s) of arthritis pain, stiffness and swelling in my knuckles and thumb joints, to the point where waking up some mornings I looked like I had been the product of a human/lobster mating. The glucosamine might not have tons of university research proving its effectiveness in humans, but it definitely works for dogs, and for me, so if you (or your dogs) suffer, maybe give it a try.
~ I also recently began supplementing with daily digestive enzymes. For digestion aid, mostly, but in particular I wanted to be more efficient in digesting proteins. And now, I’m certain I am. The addition of bromelein and papain further relieved my joint and hand pain (and my wrists, and knees and neck feel better too, by the way) to the point of I hardly remember that I have this arthritis to deal with. (Except I still stink at tennis.)
I now recover from my workouts better and feel better in my tummy when I eat extra protein. All good. I can’t vouch for these things medically, as I’m not a doctor, but I can tell you they help me. Enough to make me want to learn more about how and why and what else we can do with natural enzymes at our fingertips.
Here’s a book that leads to a list of others that I’ll be checking out in the next year: http://www.amazon.com/Enzymes-Digestive-Health-Nutritional-Wealth/dp/0972591869
In the meantime, put your hands in your own good hands. Pamper them a little, or pump them up, or both. They help you hold on to all good things in your life.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
You're In The Arms-ies Now
I love when people start to get into their arms, because it’s easy for me to help them make a plan and help them see results. Plus, I like arms. I like guys’ forearms enough to have apparently steered my younger dating life toward only guitar players. Married one, too. (I didn’t marry Keith Urban, I’m just sayin’ he’s got nice forearms. Like my husband.)
In girls, I really dig shoulders, but who can resist a strong-armed woman ala
“Yes We Can”? Arms and a working bandana?
Sign me up.
Everyone can answer the call to arms with relative ease. Although, please note that not everyone gets dealt the cards for wonderfully-defined arms. You have no control over the insertion points of your muscles, so if your biceps are an inch longer than the guy next to you, you can do the same workouts and drink the same shakes all you like, but his muscles might still be shorter/rounder, and thus have more bulge.
Same is true if you carry extra body fat in the arms—ladies, this point is for you. Some women will never have the defined triceps they have long admired in Madonna,
or their yoga instructor,
or boxer Laila Ali (yep, that Ali).
Not because their arms can’t make it past Olive Oyl,but because in the end, the shapes of our bodies do depend on several factors, not the least of which is special locations of fat cell storage and body type and muscle fiber type distribution and on and on.
If you Pick One Thing and that Thing is Your Arms…
I suggest you select simple, accessible mix of exercises that you can repeat a few times a week. Get real good at them. Take a couple of “before” pictures, flexing, from different angles, too. Get some shadows on those arms. When you see the difference, oh, say as soon as six or eight weeks from now, you’ll realize it, clear as anything: Your arms are hot. So here’s a laundry list of ideas for the care and keeping of your arms, and why that might be important to you. Take those flexy pics and go.
“I've been having fun with ropes workouts lately … been doing a little something at least once a week … great for the arms, and really seem to do a number on the wrists & forearms which I've always had a hard time figuring out a way to work….Right now I'm focused on whole body compound movements for the most part, but I still like to tack on a little extra arm work at the end. The usual 'Guy Stuff' like curls, dips, tri kickbacks etc. Pull ups and chin ups too, all different grips to hit different parts equally.”
“I'm a sucker for pushups. I like doing them, I like being able to do them, and I like my arms (and chest) from them. I like them with my feet elevated, with just one arm elevated on a medicine ball... I also like my slosh tube and inverted shoulder presses.
“Triceps dips, skull crushers, hammer curls and pull ups are some of my favorites...really anything that gives me the results I am looking for I have a thing for great arms and shoulders…it is usually the first thing I notice when I look at someone”
“My favorites: rows, deadlifts and chest presses. These three have helped me build stronger and leaner arms. Compound movements…My favorite part of my arms on me is my forearms. I have popping veins in them now.” (that's girl talk, by the way)
“Lateral shoulder raises, military shoulder press, and triceps dips (whether for dip bars or bench [weighted on a bench though]. I got to play on TRX ropes today, and the dips from those were amazing. I think hammer curls are fun vanity exercises, for what it's worth.”
“My favorite arm exercises are hammer curls and one arm triceps extensions (on a cable machine) and bench presses, which also mess with the triceps. My (and my wife’s) favorite arm parts are my forearms. Though the hammer curls and other curling exercises aid my forearms, a continued diet of regular and reverse wrist curls (both of which are my least favorite arm exercise) are what keeps them the way they are.”
“I do military press & deadlift but it's not until I do about 150 - 200 push ups every other day that I start noticing how much firmer and defined my triceps & biceps are. Think the best workouts for me (body weight - no equipment) are Intense Push Ups and Chin Ups or Pull Ups. With equipment: Push Press or Military Presses, and Bench Press (although since I do Push Ups, I don't do this anymore).”
“I like Push ups, Dips, Plank Ups, Dive Bomber Push ups and Pike Presses...do 'em every day...in some form or another.”
“It took my trainer months, maybe a year, to make me forget about my arms and just do compound movements. She promised me my arms would not get smaller. A couple years later after mostly compound movements, my arms are a lot stronger. I can't say they bulked up or anything. But I just recently decided to try arm exercises again and I'm way ahead of where I left off a couple years ago on arm exercises. So I am a huge proponent of compound, functional lifts in place of isolation exercises. Arms, legs, shoulders - doesn't matter. I like compound best.”
“Here is one isolation exercise I can vouch for. It is a rotational exercise for the forearms. So many forearm exercises are curls. These are not curls. I discovered this while doing rehab work for bicep tendonitis. It happened to do very good things to my forearms. This is a movement that doesn't get much work in compound exercises. It also does a lot to strengthen the muscles that are attached to the tendons leading to the biceps.”
“Weighted tricep dips, military press, tricep pushups (ouch). Also yoga. Dolphin = amazing. And, I never use a supermarket trolley: take a basket every time, carry it round the store, carry your groceries to the car, etc. Your arms will love you for it!”
From Faith: Add to the above shopping basket tip—carrying around babies does some great things to baby-mama arms, that’s for sure.
And, although I don’t do it, I admire rowing as a sport and wish I had those skills. And arms. One thing that I always think of high rows and low rows--I do a lot on the TRX straps and those row movements (along with tri presses) are so killer with body weight hanging out there like that. However, I was just thinking of a rowing machine as well. Don’t have access to one, but functionally, people who row…well, they have such great bodies, and their arms are beautiful.
These pics are from the World Rowing Network site and US Olympic site...now let's get to work.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
May the Sun Shine on Your Shoulders
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.
When it comes to the care and keeping of your shoulders, I’d like to suggest you consider them as beautiful, inside and out. I feel that way about all of you, of course. There’s so much more to a person than the sum of their body parts. But with shoulders, I feel the need to more strongly make that point. Shoulders can look so broad, but still be so frail. They can form a united front with brothers, but also freeze. They can be stood on, rested on, and cried on, but they can also carry around an ugly chip that gets in the way. Hair tumbles down over them or they are bare; either way, they are sexy. And they say so much about us. Curved forward is different than held back at attention; shrugging is different than shimmying.
Yep, there’s a lot more to shoulders than meets the eye. Take their location, midway between your brain and your heart. Right there in the middle of all those nerves, all that breath and blood! The shoulder joint is pretty miraculous, a lot like the miracle of opposing thumbs. Because of our shoulders we don’t need giraffe necks or elephant trunks or alligator tails. Our homosapien shoulder joint works for us.
But its possibilities, arising from all that range of motion and flexibility, also lead to its potential demise—as a major joint, it seems like maybe it coulda shoulda been built a bit stronger, considering all it does. Ask a major league pitcher. Or a volleyball player. Shoulder injuries hurt. Bad. Then again, too much sinew might take away from some of the shoulder’s glorious freedoms. It’s the most flexible joint with the biggest range of motion. So, like a lot of great things, shoulders must be strong and liberated to be at their best. Atlas holds the world, after all, on his shoulders.
How about you? How much weight do you tend to carry on your shoulders, and how well do you seem to manage it? Please think about this question both literally and viscerally. With shoulders being so valuable on so many levels, it's about time we picked them. Let’s look at some of the small tweaks and bigger fixes you can make to honor your beautiful shoulders, inside and out.
“God gave burdens; also shoulders.” –Yiddish Proverb
I love this saying. Regardless of any spiritual bent, or not, and whatever your proclaimed faith might be, or not, doesn’t that quote just ring true to the core? Buddhists say life is suffering but enlightenment is the path out of suffering and into peace. Taoists tell us to let nature take its course and ask us to be strong enough not to control everything. Personal trainers want us to know that strong shoulder muscles help protect us from injury. The bottom line: there will always be work for you to do, obstacles for you to overcome, and people you need to help, including yourself. And you will. And you’ll be better for it. Build your shoulder up and offer it to ease the burdens of others, but don’t forget…
“He who lets the goat be laid on his shoulders is soon after forced to carry the cow.” –Italian Proverb
If you take everything upon yourself, your shoulders will eventually weaken. But people won’t know it because you keep taking everything on, and so in their ignorance they will try to put more on there than you can reasonably be expected to handle. That is unhealthy for you. It’s quite healthy and acceptable seek the shoulder of another when your burdens have been weighing you down. Think about someone you’ve never helped out or lent a hand or an ear to, never sympathized with, or did a favor, or forgave. How close do you feel to that person? Giving and receiving help is what bonds us in a very real way.
“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” –Jacques Cousteau
Outstanding advice from the guru of the sea. Water is a most wonderful workout for shoulders. Actually, many of our nasty joints (hips, low backs, knees) respond beautifully to water, for the very reason Jacques has stated here. It unbolts you, frees you from gravity, both supports you and sets you in motion. When you are set in motion, you tend to heal yourself. If you have a bad shoulder, get in the water as soon as the doctor clears you, it's therapy for life.
“I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.” –Steve Martin
Well, that one is mostly for fun. Laugh–it relieves tension! Tension relief is invaluable to the whole of you, but your shoulders and neck especially. The trapezius muscle is ginormous, connecting the base of your skull to the backs of your shoulders to the upper and middle parts of your ribs. When the upper trapezius gets tense, your neck and shoulders mess up. When your neck and shoulders are messed up, certain areas of the upper trapezius (“traps”) will get tense. Headaches may happen. Range of motion diminishes. You’re not in good shape if you can’t lower your head, turn your neck or lift your arm, right?
Massage works wonders. Roll out tight spots with a tennis ball or rolling pin. If you’re painting a room or moving stuff onto shelves or climbing rocks or wearing football or hockey pads all day, your traps need relief even before your shoulders and neck start screaming at you the next day. If you’re up for it, a bit of chiropractic care will often cure what ails you in this region. And quit it with the huge heavy purse or phone being held in one ear. Please stretch the traps regularly and don’t over work them. Start attending to this now, then maintain it. You’ll avoid much misery, I promise.
When it comes to the care and keeping of your shoulders, I’d like to suggest you consider them as beautiful, inside and out. I feel that way about all of you, of course. There’s so much more to a person than the sum of their body parts. But with shoulders, I feel the need to more strongly make that point. Shoulders can look so broad, but still be so frail. They can form a united front with brothers, but also freeze. They can be stood on, rested on, and cried on, but they can also carry around an ugly chip that gets in the way. Hair tumbles down over them or they are bare; either way, they are sexy. And they say so much about us. Curved forward is different than held back at attention; shrugging is different than shimmying.
Yep, there’s a lot more to shoulders than meets the eye. Take their location, midway between your brain and your heart. Right there in the middle of all those nerves, all that breath and blood! The shoulder joint is pretty miraculous, a lot like the miracle of opposing thumbs. Because of our shoulders we don’t need giraffe necks or elephant trunks or alligator tails. Our homosapien shoulder joint works for us.
But its possibilities, arising from all that range of motion and flexibility, also lead to its potential demise—as a major joint, it seems like maybe it coulda shoulda been built a bit stronger, considering all it does. Ask a major league pitcher. Or a volleyball player. Shoulder injuries hurt. Bad. Then again, too much sinew might take away from some of the shoulder’s glorious freedoms. It’s the most flexible joint with the biggest range of motion. So, like a lot of great things, shoulders must be strong and liberated to be at their best. Atlas holds the world, after all, on his shoulders.
How about you? How much weight do you tend to carry on your shoulders, and how well do you seem to manage it? Please think about this question both literally and viscerally. With shoulders being so valuable on so many levels, it's about time we picked them. Let’s look at some of the small tweaks and bigger fixes you can make to honor your beautiful shoulders, inside and out.
“God gave burdens; also shoulders.” –Yiddish Proverb
I love this saying. Regardless of any spiritual bent, or not, and whatever your proclaimed faith might be, or not, doesn’t that quote just ring true to the core? Buddhists say life is suffering but enlightenment is the path out of suffering and into peace. Taoists tell us to let nature take its course and ask us to be strong enough not to control everything. Personal trainers want us to know that strong shoulder muscles help protect us from injury. The bottom line: there will always be work for you to do, obstacles for you to overcome, and people you need to help, including yourself. And you will. And you’ll be better for it. Build your shoulder up and offer it to ease the burdens of others, but don’t forget…
“He who lets the goat be laid on his shoulders is soon after forced to carry the cow.” –Italian Proverb
If you take everything upon yourself, your shoulders will eventually weaken. But people won’t know it because you keep taking everything on, and so in their ignorance they will try to put more on there than you can reasonably be expected to handle. That is unhealthy for you. It’s quite healthy and acceptable seek the shoulder of another when your burdens have been weighing you down. Think about someone you’ve never helped out or lent a hand or an ear to, never sympathized with, or did a favor, or forgave. How close do you feel to that person? Giving and receiving help is what bonds us in a very real way.
“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.” –Jacques Cousteau
Outstanding advice from the guru of the sea. Water is a most wonderful workout for shoulders. Actually, many of our nasty joints (hips, low backs, knees) respond beautifully to water, for the very reason Jacques has stated here. It unbolts you, frees you from gravity, both supports you and sets you in motion. When you are set in motion, you tend to heal yourself. If you have a bad shoulder, get in the water as soon as the doctor clears you, it's therapy for life.
“I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.” –Steve Martin
Well, that one is mostly for fun. Laugh–it relieves tension! Tension relief is invaluable to the whole of you, but your shoulders and neck especially. The trapezius muscle is ginormous, connecting the base of your skull to the backs of your shoulders to the upper and middle parts of your ribs. When the upper trapezius gets tense, your neck and shoulders mess up. When your neck and shoulders are messed up, certain areas of the upper trapezius (“traps”) will get tense. Headaches may happen. Range of motion diminishes. You’re not in good shape if you can’t lower your head, turn your neck or lift your arm, right?
Massage works wonders. Roll out tight spots with a tennis ball or rolling pin. If you’re painting a room or moving stuff onto shelves or climbing rocks or wearing football or hockey pads all day, your traps need relief even before your shoulders and neck start screaming at you the next day. If you’re up for it, a bit of chiropractic care will often cure what ails you in this region. And quit it with the huge heavy purse or phone being held in one ear. Please stretch the traps regularly and don’t over work them. Start attending to this now, then maintain it. You’ll avoid much misery, I promise.
Monday, July 19, 2010
This Little Piggy Went Wee Wee Wee
Poor ole' feet.
They're at the bottom. All that impact, every day...all that upright energy draining down into them...just look at the noble way they carry you across this earth your whole lifetime, and still, hardly anyone seems to truly appreciate the beautiful, complex structure of their feet.
Your feet are like the high-pressured iron core beneath the molten rock and magma of your body, far below the crust at the surface with all it's pretty landscape and wonderous resources. They were made for the job, and sadly, might be pretty beaten down by the job. So lowly and underrated. What about the proper care and keeping of your feet?
It's no wonder so many people like pampered footsie things like rubs and pedicures. Think about that: pedi = of the feet and cure = fix or heal. It's no surprise Jesus fell for the lady who bathed his feet and visa versa. Of course business girls in short skirts and long jackets like to kick off those pumps at the end of the day and have someone bring them a nice foot pillow and some peppermint oil.
You've got 20 muscles in just one foot! 1/4 of ALL the bones in your entire body are in your feet! Yet, I find that most people will walk around with a certain amount of foot pain and/or podiatric problems their entire adult life, as if it's normal, and never even think seriously about doing something to correct it, until it's practically debilitating. Why is this?
I dunno. Probably because your feet might keep functioning even under extreme duress. If you're losing your eyesight, eventually you can't read or drive so you have to go get your eyes checked and you have to get your vision corrected. With feet, not so dire, maybe. People have really curly toes and overlapping ones, too, bones that stick out and rub against their shoes, nerves that are compressed and send zinging pain up from between the toe bone...and they kinda just live with that. Corns and calluses are self-treated and regularly messed up--but, in comparison to the eyesight analogy, I guess you can only squint for so long? So the feet lose out. No wonder that little piggy cried all the way home. Your feet deserve more.
Pick Your Piggies
There really is a trickle up effect when it comes to toes, ankles, gait, knees, hips and posture, and they all affect balance and physical performance. (Not to mention, quality of life!) But a lot of people are so very quick to dismiss the idea of doing foot exercises, or seeing a foot specialist, or even using a foot spa. It all seems so indulgent. You'll put conditioner in your hair everyday and go get it trimmed, even colored, several times a year (hair which feels no pain in its disrepair), but won't bother to bend over and pumice those heels, or perhaps have those fallen arches checked out by a foot doctor at least once this year.
Now this isn't meant to be a lecture to make you look down at your feet and feel bad for overlooking them. (Although, you might, because maybe you've been ignoring the amazing feats of the feet and spending way more time on body parts closer to your field of vision.) Instead, this is meant to remind you (and me! I'm not big on foot care myself) that we can easily get into the habit of acknowledging how our feet handle all the pavement they've covered for us. A little extra massage here and there, put your feet up once in a while, and how about investing a couple of shoe inserts if you need them?
YOUR SHOES. Rid your life of all toxic footwear. We shall NOT wear uncomfortable shoes! Period. If you use fitness shoes for anything from running to tennis to Zumba, get good ones that feel supportive, but not like cement. If you work out regularly, you'll probably need a pair at least every year, every 6 months if you're putting a lot of miles on.
Also, if you're not actively stretching and strengthening your feet doing things like walking around barefoot and tippy-toeing and flexing them back once in a while, why not start now? Foot therapy is simple and it can happen when you're sitting down doing other things like watching TV or getting out of bed slowly on Sunday or taking a nice warm bath.
So there you go. It's time to pick your feet. But don't pick your toenails because you might get an ingrown one and those really hurt. They get infected easily and you should really have a professional deal with them. Also don't pick your feet as a nervous habit at, like, a barbecue. It's gross. This Little Piggy had Roast Beef is just a figure of speech.
They're at the bottom. All that impact, every day...all that upright energy draining down into them...just look at the noble way they carry you across this earth your whole lifetime, and still, hardly anyone seems to truly appreciate the beautiful, complex structure of their feet.
Your feet are like the high-pressured iron core beneath the molten rock and magma of your body, far below the crust at the surface with all it's pretty landscape and wonderous resources. They were made for the job, and sadly, might be pretty beaten down by the job. So lowly and underrated. What about the proper care and keeping of your feet?
It's no wonder so many people like pampered footsie things like rubs and pedicures. Think about that: pedi = of the feet and cure = fix or heal. It's no surprise Jesus fell for the lady who bathed his feet and visa versa. Of course business girls in short skirts and long jackets like to kick off those pumps at the end of the day and have someone bring them a nice foot pillow and some peppermint oil.
You've got 20 muscles in just one foot! 1/4 of ALL the bones in your entire body are in your feet! Yet, I find that most people will walk around with a certain amount of foot pain and/or podiatric problems their entire adult life, as if it's normal, and never even think seriously about doing something to correct it, until it's practically debilitating. Why is this?
I dunno. Probably because your feet might keep functioning even under extreme duress. If you're losing your eyesight, eventually you can't read or drive so you have to go get your eyes checked and you have to get your vision corrected. With feet, not so dire, maybe. People have really curly toes and overlapping ones, too, bones that stick out and rub against their shoes, nerves that are compressed and send zinging pain up from between the toe bone...and they kinda just live with that. Corns and calluses are self-treated and regularly messed up--but, in comparison to the eyesight analogy, I guess you can only squint for so long? So the feet lose out. No wonder that little piggy cried all the way home. Your feet deserve more.
Pick Your Piggies
There really is a trickle up effect when it comes to toes, ankles, gait, knees, hips and posture, and they all affect balance and physical performance. (Not to mention, quality of life!) But a lot of people are so very quick to dismiss the idea of doing foot exercises, or seeing a foot specialist, or even using a foot spa. It all seems so indulgent. You'll put conditioner in your hair everyday and go get it trimmed, even colored, several times a year (hair which feels no pain in its disrepair), but won't bother to bend over and pumice those heels, or perhaps have those fallen arches checked out by a foot doctor at least once this year.
Now this isn't meant to be a lecture to make you look down at your feet and feel bad for overlooking them. (Although, you might, because maybe you've been ignoring the amazing feats of the feet and spending way more time on body parts closer to your field of vision.) Instead, this is meant to remind you (and me! I'm not big on foot care myself) that we can easily get into the habit of acknowledging how our feet handle all the pavement they've covered for us. A little extra massage here and there, put your feet up once in a while, and how about investing a couple of shoe inserts if you need them?
YOUR SHOES. Rid your life of all toxic footwear. We shall NOT wear uncomfortable shoes! Period. If you use fitness shoes for anything from running to tennis to Zumba, get good ones that feel supportive, but not like cement. If you work out regularly, you'll probably need a pair at least every year, every 6 months if you're putting a lot of miles on.
Also, if you're not actively stretching and strengthening your feet doing things like walking around barefoot and tippy-toeing and flexing them back once in a while, why not start now? Foot therapy is simple and it can happen when you're sitting down doing other things like watching TV or getting out of bed slowly on Sunday or taking a nice warm bath.
So there you go. It's time to pick your feet. But don't pick your toenails because you might get an ingrown one and those really hurt. They get infected easily and you should really have a professional deal with them. Also don't pick your feet as a nervous habit at, like, a barbecue. It's gross. This Little Piggy had Roast Beef is just a figure of speech.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Non-Fat Half Calf, Please
While thighs are such a thunderous concern for some, the lower level leg love is really lacking for others. The bottom line is this: there's only so much you can do if you're going to focus on your calves. Go ahead, pick calves as your one thing, though. Because mostly, after the basics, you're going to need to learn to appreciate them for all that they are.
For example, they are almost always on duty. They are built that way, to hold you up all day long. Your calves are the direct conduit for whatever ideas your feet have about travelling you around. But, like Popeye, they are what they are and that's all what they are. You've inherited most of your calf qualities already. Yes, you can affect them with diet and exercise. A little. But if you want to wear the tall black boot and can't get the dang zipper up past your soleus no matter how hard you try, I gotta tell ya', you may have to just rock the pumps and strappy sandals in this life instead.
Here's an article overview that answers the calf reduction (or calf-building, if you turn the info. around) question in a pretty straightforward way. It's on eHow, written by me.
Calf Reduction
For example, they are almost always on duty. They are built that way, to hold you up all day long. Your calves are the direct conduit for whatever ideas your feet have about travelling you around. But, like Popeye, they are what they are and that's all what they are. You've inherited most of your calf qualities already. Yes, you can affect them with diet and exercise. A little. But if you want to wear the tall black boot and can't get the dang zipper up past your soleus no matter how hard you try, I gotta tell ya', you may have to just rock the pumps and strappy sandals in this life instead.
Here's an article overview that answers the calf reduction (or calf-building, if you turn the info. around) question in a pretty straightforward way. It's on eHow, written by me.
Calf Reduction
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thigh Me to the Moon
It was the core, or center of the body, that received the nickname "powerhouse" from good ole’ Joseph Pilates, guru of the gut. I’ve often thought if the abs, back and butt are the powerhouse, then we should recognize the thighs as the workhorse of the body, and give them their proper respect.
Women often hate their thighs. Especially women with bigger thighs. Even women with lovely average-sized thighs will tend to find something lacking in their legs—they wish they were longer, thinner, more defined, tanner, smoother, etc.
Men often love women’s thighs. In my experience they aren’t nearly as picky about them as most women are. Many men like a meatier thigh shape, a thigh with curving lines. Some men love “legs up to here” and other men just like legs, period, for their function--all those places they can reach, move and wrap.
Men seem to be somewhat attached to the appearance of their own thighs, often wishing they weren’t skinny (if they are). But it’s not nearly as profound of a thigh-rant as many women go on. Women also seem to be fond of men’s thighs, ranking them as a very appealing body part when well-developed. We might find even more women envying a man's thighs when they are on a beautiful drag show Cher or Tina. “Look at those legs. Those are perfect thighs. It’s not fair!”
Well, it might not be fair but it is what it is. Thighs of every shape and size all around you, and as for yours, with all they do for you, you really should love them up a little more.
Pick One Thing: Your Thighs
Thighs are the home for the two largest, strongest, heaviest bones in your body, your right and left femur. Femurs are the connection between your lower and upper halves, so you figure, they better be made to last. If you don’t have a femur then you don’t have use of a leg. Think of it this way: a replacement leg is now made of titanium, the space age metal with the highest weight-to-strength ratio of any metal. Now that’s an important limb. Proud. Precious.
The muscles of your thighs are a rail system of propulsion for you. Which way would you like to go? You’ve got more than a dozen muscles in your upper leg to help you get anywhere you’d like. Some of them are rope-like long extenders, some of them thicker braids of stony strength. Forward, backward, to the outside, to the inside. Bend, reach, jump, land, kick, squat, lunge, get up from a chair or into a car, jitterbug or pirouette, ski, skate or do the splits….there’s gonna be some thigh in there somewhere.
Want to know the best way to take care of your thighs? Exercise them and feed them. Attend to both muscles and bones. You need some light impact from things as simple as walking or doing step aerobics. Make sure you’re consuming enough bone-building minerals like calcium and magnesium. Strength will come from doing many of the movements I listed in the previous paragraph. If you can’t squat big, that’s okay, do some knee bends. Dig a garden and keep it free of weeds. If you can’t ski, that’s okay, hike. Walk up the stairs sideways.
If you happen to lift weights, your thighs have it made in the shade. They have a chance to really respond. If you’re a skinny-legged soul trying to build more size, work that barbell with low reps and heavy weights. Ask the best-looking legs at the gym what the routine is and you’ll usually find out that it’s tough work, but pretty simple. For power, add some plyometrics, which are jumping/explosive movements. If you’re a mighty-thighed wonder wishing to be a bit more willowy, try dancing. Dancing moves you on various planes at various speeds with gravity as your resistance, and of course your own body weight. Plyometrics are built right in, and stretching too. All good for thighs.
If you’re currently losing body fat, give your thighs some time to catch up if they need it. They tend to be one of those stubborn areas that like to be their own deciders. They might be last in line when it comes to letting go of stored energy. After all, your thighs were made to move you. They might feel it’s still their duty to keep some energy at the ready should you really need to run. You know, like you used to, from the saber tooth or the charging rival tribe or the avalanche or whatever.
Whatever the size and shape your thighs, it is useful to remember their value to the survival of our species above all else. Without the heritage of thigh genetics that has been passed on to you, your ancestors wouldn’t have been able to escape the dangers presented them, or move on to the making of more ancestors, which became successful generation after generation of the very thighs that have miraculously led to yours. Don’t hate on your thighs. Thank them. In fact, if you can, call someone over on to your lap right now, to pay homage.
Women often hate their thighs. Especially women with bigger thighs. Even women with lovely average-sized thighs will tend to find something lacking in their legs—they wish they were longer, thinner, more defined, tanner, smoother, etc.
Men often love women’s thighs. In my experience they aren’t nearly as picky about them as most women are. Many men like a meatier thigh shape, a thigh with curving lines. Some men love “legs up to here” and other men just like legs, period, for their function--all those places they can reach, move and wrap.
Men seem to be somewhat attached to the appearance of their own thighs, often wishing they weren’t skinny (if they are). But it’s not nearly as profound of a thigh-rant as many women go on. Women also seem to be fond of men’s thighs, ranking them as a very appealing body part when well-developed. We might find even more women envying a man's thighs when they are on a beautiful drag show Cher or Tina. “Look at those legs. Those are perfect thighs. It’s not fair!”
Well, it might not be fair but it is what it is. Thighs of every shape and size all around you, and as for yours, with all they do for you, you really should love them up a little more.
Pick One Thing: Your Thighs
Thighs are the home for the two largest, strongest, heaviest bones in your body, your right and left femur. Femurs are the connection between your lower and upper halves, so you figure, they better be made to last. If you don’t have a femur then you don’t have use of a leg. Think of it this way: a replacement leg is now made of titanium, the space age metal with the highest weight-to-strength ratio of any metal. Now that’s an important limb. Proud. Precious.
The muscles of your thighs are a rail system of propulsion for you. Which way would you like to go? You’ve got more than a dozen muscles in your upper leg to help you get anywhere you’d like. Some of them are rope-like long extenders, some of them thicker braids of stony strength. Forward, backward, to the outside, to the inside. Bend, reach, jump, land, kick, squat, lunge, get up from a chair or into a car, jitterbug or pirouette, ski, skate or do the splits….there’s gonna be some thigh in there somewhere.
Want to know the best way to take care of your thighs? Exercise them and feed them. Attend to both muscles and bones. You need some light impact from things as simple as walking or doing step aerobics. Make sure you’re consuming enough bone-building minerals like calcium and magnesium. Strength will come from doing many of the movements I listed in the previous paragraph. If you can’t squat big, that’s okay, do some knee bends. Dig a garden and keep it free of weeds. If you can’t ski, that’s okay, hike. Walk up the stairs sideways.
If you happen to lift weights, your thighs have it made in the shade. They have a chance to really respond. If you’re a skinny-legged soul trying to build more size, work that barbell with low reps and heavy weights. Ask the best-looking legs at the gym what the routine is and you’ll usually find out that it’s tough work, but pretty simple. For power, add some plyometrics, which are jumping/explosive movements. If you’re a mighty-thighed wonder wishing to be a bit more willowy, try dancing. Dancing moves you on various planes at various speeds with gravity as your resistance, and of course your own body weight. Plyometrics are built right in, and stretching too. All good for thighs.
If you’re currently losing body fat, give your thighs some time to catch up if they need it. They tend to be one of those stubborn areas that like to be their own deciders. They might be last in line when it comes to letting go of stored energy. After all, your thighs were made to move you. They might feel it’s still their duty to keep some energy at the ready should you really need to run. You know, like you used to, from the saber tooth or the charging rival tribe or the avalanche or whatever.
Whatever the size and shape your thighs, it is useful to remember their value to the survival of our species above all else. Without the heritage of thigh genetics that has been passed on to you, your ancestors wouldn’t have been able to escape the dangers presented them, or move on to the making of more ancestors, which became successful generation after generation of the very thighs that have miraculously led to yours. Don’t hate on your thighs. Thank them. In fact, if you can, call someone over on to your lap right now, to pay homage.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Kick One Thing
I realize this is a little different concept than Pick One Thing. If you've read anything I've ever written about NOT making New Year Resolutions, then you might even say this is contradictory to my previously touted philosophy. I've been saying for years we should evolve instead of resolve each year. We should become a better/happier/more knowledgeable/more capable version of ourselves instead of setting ourselves up for what often ends up being failure. I feel that way because a resolution isn't fluid, it tends to exist outside of you, it doesn't necessarily grow you. Instead of resolving to do this or that, or to stop doing this or that, you can make a goal of growth or revision or refinement. That helps you evolve.
So, kicking a habit seems a lot like a resolution. It can be, but in this case, it's not. Remember, we're talking about ridding one's lifestyle from a dominant vice. When we were last reviewing the subject, we learned that a major vice hurts you or takes away from your other priorities. Biting your nails is a habit you might like to kick. If you aspire to be a hand model, then it's probably an Alpha Vice.
If we're going to oust our Alpha Vice, it does involve kicking a habit, yes--but it's more than that. When you kick a habit, the process is usually one that requires awareness and dedication to the cause; the consequences are usually some sort of withdrawal, plus feelings of loss or even fear of change. When you challenge and replace your Alpha Vice, the process demands you stand up for yourself and fight for your best interests. The consequences mean you'll think, act and live differently. Your consequences will all end up tremendous and positive, though. Because the coup returns so much to you, including power you gave to your Alpha Vice.
Whether it's sugar or fast food or chocolate or junk food...smokes or booze or some other drug you feel you can chase out of town without professional intervention...shopping or cheating or tanning or plastic surgery or insecurities or perfectionism or sitting on your butt too much of each day...whatever it is, if you want it gone, it might not easy, but here are some excellent methods to help you overthrow the choices you have made that have overstayed their welcome or overstepped your originally intended boundaries.
1. Find the emotion in your reason for doing this, now. It won't work unless you believe it's worth it--not just in your head but in your heart. Human behavior tends to boil down to two motivators: avoiding pain and gaining pleasure. What is the pain today, and/or what will it be as time goes on, in your Alpha Vice behavior? What pleasure will be yours when it changes? What will you gain that could literally choke you up? More years with your children? Money to enjoy a special activity you once loved but had to give up?
What pain will you remove? The stigma attached to your vice and thus to you? The sickness of hiding something away from those you love? Hours of wasted time each week?
2. Don't do it alone. So many people don't tell others when they embark on a personal journey to leave something behind. I recommend you tell EVERYONE. Don't be sorry, just be true. Family first, including kids and spouse and siblings and even your parents. Everyone at work, at school, at church, and the neighbors, too. Invest a little bit of every single one of your interactions and relationships into your quest. Bring everyone with you--not just for support and not just for watchdog accountability, but also for true lifestyle change.
People in your environment are a big part of your environment. All around you, you should see, hear and feel your new version of yourself (sans Alpha Vice) reflected. You'll also get help. Possibly even annoyed. Oh well. It won't be annoying anymore once you get to a certain new stage. The one where the former vice has faded and simply isn't all that much of a hot topic.
3. Add desirable new behaviors to replace the old. And if a new Alpha rises to power, it should not be a vice. It should be a grace. When you add to your graces and charms, it makes the things you did before that weren't good for you seem so much less appealing now.
4. Identify and address triggers. What sets you off? Avoiding triggers isn't always possible, but expecting them and knowing what works for you at those times is very helpful. A journal can be useful in the identification process. Practice may be needed to learn what works for you when presented with a wooing from your Alpha Vice. If you do succumb to a trigger, you need to remember that it only means you learned something: what not to do. Good for you. Now carry on. Recover and shine.
5. Impose conflicting new behaviors on yourself to compete with your former controlling vice. This can be anything from going for a quick jog to see your friend instead of smoking, to eating a pickle instead of the daily donut at work, or brushing your teeth instead of lecturing your kid.
6. Reward yourself and make it good. Ousting the Alpha Vice is hard work. You'll reap plenty from what you sow, but an extra nudge along the way can work wonders. Each week you keep the vice at bay could buy you a new book or CD, or take you out to breakfast with the kids on the weekend, or earn you a hot bath with no interruptions. Each month, make it bigger. At the end of 3 months, boy oh boy, you deserve sumthin' real good. Spa day? New tree for the yard? New outfit, with accessories to match? It's up to you.
7. Know when you need more help. This is important. If you struggle with addiction, or have been self-sabotaging for the long term, or are dealing with psychological or personality disorder, or anything that you just can't get rid of on your own (so far) please get professional help! How do you know that's what you need? No reward seems great enough, nothing seems strong enough to combat your attachment and attraction, triggers are everywhere and you can't escape them, no new behavior can compete with the ruling power, or you have no support and no accountability and no one you feel you can tell.
You choose your life. If your life can move forward without some big vice that's holding you back, imagine how freeing that is. Imagine how your relationships--with yourself and others--can deepen and grow. Imagine how much pain you'll avoid and how much pleasure you'll gain. Imagine how great you will feel and how refreshing that will be. If you go ahead and give up One Thing, the very best thing you have to Kick from now on, is simply your own butt.
So, kicking a habit seems a lot like a resolution. It can be, but in this case, it's not. Remember, we're talking about ridding one's lifestyle from a dominant vice. When we were last reviewing the subject, we learned that a major vice hurts you or takes away from your other priorities. Biting your nails is a habit you might like to kick. If you aspire to be a hand model, then it's probably an Alpha Vice.
If we're going to oust our Alpha Vice, it does involve kicking a habit, yes--but it's more than that. When you kick a habit, the process is usually one that requires awareness and dedication to the cause; the consequences are usually some sort of withdrawal, plus feelings of loss or even fear of change. When you challenge and replace your Alpha Vice, the process demands you stand up for yourself and fight for your best interests. The consequences mean you'll think, act and live differently. Your consequences will all end up tremendous and positive, though. Because the coup returns so much to you, including power you gave to your Alpha Vice.
Whether it's sugar or fast food or chocolate or junk food...smokes or booze or some other drug you feel you can chase out of town without professional intervention...shopping or cheating or tanning or plastic surgery or insecurities or perfectionism or sitting on your butt too much of each day...whatever it is, if you want it gone, it might not easy, but here are some excellent methods to help you overthrow the choices you have made that have overstayed their welcome or overstepped your originally intended boundaries.
1. Find the emotion in your reason for doing this, now. It won't work unless you believe it's worth it--not just in your head but in your heart. Human behavior tends to boil down to two motivators: avoiding pain and gaining pleasure. What is the pain today, and/or what will it be as time goes on, in your Alpha Vice behavior? What pleasure will be yours when it changes? What will you gain that could literally choke you up? More years with your children? Money to enjoy a special activity you once loved but had to give up?
What pain will you remove? The stigma attached to your vice and thus to you? The sickness of hiding something away from those you love? Hours of wasted time each week?
2. Don't do it alone. So many people don't tell others when they embark on a personal journey to leave something behind. I recommend you tell EVERYONE. Don't be sorry, just be true. Family first, including kids and spouse and siblings and even your parents. Everyone at work, at school, at church, and the neighbors, too. Invest a little bit of every single one of your interactions and relationships into your quest. Bring everyone with you--not just for support and not just for watchdog accountability, but also for true lifestyle change.
People in your environment are a big part of your environment. All around you, you should see, hear and feel your new version of yourself (sans Alpha Vice) reflected. You'll also get help. Possibly even annoyed. Oh well. It won't be annoying anymore once you get to a certain new stage. The one where the former vice has faded and simply isn't all that much of a hot topic.
3. Add desirable new behaviors to replace the old. And if a new Alpha rises to power, it should not be a vice. It should be a grace. When you add to your graces and charms, it makes the things you did before that weren't good for you seem so much less appealing now.
4. Identify and address triggers. What sets you off? Avoiding triggers isn't always possible, but expecting them and knowing what works for you at those times is very helpful. A journal can be useful in the identification process. Practice may be needed to learn what works for you when presented with a wooing from your Alpha Vice. If you do succumb to a trigger, you need to remember that it only means you learned something: what not to do. Good for you. Now carry on. Recover and shine.
5. Impose conflicting new behaviors on yourself to compete with your former controlling vice. This can be anything from going for a quick jog to see your friend instead of smoking, to eating a pickle instead of the daily donut at work, or brushing your teeth instead of lecturing your kid.
6. Reward yourself and make it good. Ousting the Alpha Vice is hard work. You'll reap plenty from what you sow, but an extra nudge along the way can work wonders. Each week you keep the vice at bay could buy you a new book or CD, or take you out to breakfast with the kids on the weekend, or earn you a hot bath with no interruptions. Each month, make it bigger. At the end of 3 months, boy oh boy, you deserve sumthin' real good. Spa day? New tree for the yard? New outfit, with accessories to match? It's up to you.
7. Know when you need more help. This is important. If you struggle with addiction, or have been self-sabotaging for the long term, or are dealing with psychological or personality disorder, or anything that you just can't get rid of on your own (so far) please get professional help! How do you know that's what you need? No reward seems great enough, nothing seems strong enough to combat your attachment and attraction, triggers are everywhere and you can't escape them, no new behavior can compete with the ruling power, or you have no support and no accountability and no one you feel you can tell.
You choose your life. If your life can move forward without some big vice that's holding you back, imagine how freeing that is. Imagine how your relationships--with yourself and others--can deepen and grow. Imagine how much pain you'll avoid and how much pleasure you'll gain. Imagine how great you will feel and how refreshing that will be. If you go ahead and give up One Thing, the very best thing you have to Kick from now on, is simply your own butt.
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