Category Archives: Fitness and Wellness

Power Number

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I wrote recently about the balancing of yang and yin forces in life as a way to find a sense of inner power and feelings of flowing-with-life. I often think of it also as a balance of (1) acting in a manner that manifests your best self, and (2) understanding and accepting who you naturally are.

So, understanding that I am inspired by long-term and big-picture perspectives, and knowing that I desire to maintain a perspective of my life in which my best self improves with age, I thought I’d come up with a strength training formula that might help me measure my progress.

Someone out there has probably already come up with something similar, but I came up with the following way of tracking my progress.

Perhaps, it might also be a way to level the playing field regarding age and inspire increased performance each year for the rest of my life (and disprove the assumption that our power peaks somewhere in mid-life)!

So here it is. (Yes, I am a numbers guy, too…)

Take your age and divide it by 10, and call it your age-factor. For me, 5.69.

For a given day of power measurements (performed within 90 minutes), measure your weight. For me, 184 pounds.

Measure your 3-rep maximum weight for the following power-lifting movements and calculate weight-to-bodyweight ratio:

Barbell (not Smith machine) Bench Press. For me, 200 lbs; 1.09.

Back Squat (thighs parallel to floor). For me, 300 lbs; 1.63.

Weighted Chin-Up (suspended weight above body weight). For me, 70 lbs; 0.38.

Barbell Deadlift. For me, 360 lbs; 1.96.

Add the ratios together and multiply the sum by your age-factor. For me, today: my “power number” equals 5.06 x 5.69 = 28.79!

Can I make this number get bigger and bigger for the rest of my life?

I know if I can maintain these power lifting numbers and keep my weight the same, the “Power Number” will increase with my age. That’s okay, as I see it. An upward trend is always satisfying and motivating.

But can I make this number increase at a faster rate than my age? And, can I do it for the rest of my life? The “Power Number” would motivate me to maintain or decrease my weight while getting stronger continuously while I get older… or even increase my strength at a faster rate than my age!

Maybe I’ll start with a goal of 30.00 for my next birthday in 3 weeks, and see if this Power Number exercise seems reasonable, and measure again every 1/10 of a year.

Thoughts?

I know this appears very yang-based, with a focus on strength and effort.  It is my perspective, however, that the internally-motivated factors which will drive improved yearly measurements will only thrive if I understand and accept myself as I am, and maintain a balanced perspective and a connected mind-body-spirit presence.

Boomer Yoga_Bob Image

Bodybuilding and Yoga

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I started lifting weights in my adult life primarily as a means, I told myself and others, to maintain an athletic lifestyle late into life… to be able to ski and ride well for as long as possible.

Inside, however, I think I knew it just made me feel good… it was easier to maintain positive energy, I became more active, I became more aware of my whole body (the union of body-mind-spirit), and I liked how I looked.

So, here was my dilemma: I believe my natural self to be relatively ego-less… or perhaps said differently, more comfortable in a non-attention-getting environment; I thrive when I feel like I’m helping things function better or people live happier in a behind-the-scenes way. My perception of the term “bodybuilding” seemed to be in conflict with my natural tendencies to not draw attention to myself. After all, weren’t bodybuilders just bringing attention from others to themselves? Wasn’t I just bringing attention to myself?

But as my strength training regimen continued, and my interest in understanding my whole body grew, I realized more and more that I was building my whole body. As my body adapted to how I trained and practiced living, my mind adapted, my emotions adapted, and my sense of self adapted. I knew my (whole) body better.

And as I knew my body better, I listened to my body better. I came to realize both from my expanding yoga practice and my expanding bodybuilding lifestyle, that my body, my whole body, knows innately how to be healthy and happy. I just have to listen and understand it.

I now know that modern Hatha yoga asana and bodybuilding grew together in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with the rise of an international “physical culture” and a growing interest in fitness and body-mind-soul health. (1) Many of these Western-influenced, posture-focused yogis were indeed also bodybuilders and gymnasts.

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Push-Up or Chaturunga-Dandasana?

Come to think of it, when I lift (bodybuilding) I am present-moment focused, I am aware of my breath, and I am moving with my breath. That’s yoga, eh? When I practice yoga asana, I am flexing and extending my joints, I am working on body strength (stability) and flexibility (mobility), and I am focused on being my naturally awesome self… accepting how I am, yet putting in the dedicated daily work required to bring out my best. That’s bodybuilding, yes?

I also wonder now if bodybuilding, when viewed from the perspective of whole-body building, is a way for us to view a sustainable world. It seems to me that when I pay attention to my whole body, I eat more naturally and am healthier, I care more about the survival and happiness of our interconnected communities, and I maintain a long-term perspective of my life and our world. I am more resilient. I live, I learn, and I adapt. I value everything more, because I know what my body desires… and it desires whole health (for survival)… and it desires interdependent, supportive relationships with all (also for survival).

Through whole-body building and yoga-practicing, I know my body. And now I know that my body knows the way to be healthy and happy.

And yes, my body knows that being outside with others… skiing and riding, hiking and biking… connected… is where it feels alive!

(1) Singleton, Mark: Yoga Body – The Origins of Modern Posture Practice; Oxford University Press (2010).

 

Dignity and Mindfulness

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A few weeks ago, I shared a personal vision that spoke of my intention to lead in a manner that inspires dignity.

I defined dignity as follows: an internal state of peace that comes with the recognition and acceptance of the value and vulnerability of all living things. (1)

One might also think of dignity as practicing non-judgmental awareness in a manner which leads to kindness and feelings of compassion for yourself and for others. One might also just think of this as practicing a higher level of respect for yourself and for others.

Practicing this awareness in a sustainable way is what we might call practicing loving-kindness mindfulness.

Here are some steps to help develop this practice: (2)

  1. Find yourself in a state of support and safety, perhaps somewhere where you feel connected to nature
  2. Set your intention, answering the question “What am I practicing?”
  3. Cultivate a witnessing perspective, observing your thoughts like clouds drifting by, being aware of your inner landscape and old unhealthy autopilot reactions
  4. Stabilize attention and strengthen focus, using the breathe as a tool to nurture the harmony of intention and attention
  5. Strengthen self-regulation, settling negative energies intentionally and shortening the time that it takes you to recover from emotional hijackings
  6. Practice loving-kindness meditation, calming the inner critic and practicing non-judgmental acceptance and compassion for yourself and others.

Tetons- Bob Meditating

I have led workshops or classes intended to help people heal, build self-esteem and resiliency, and find happiness. Many of these workshops have utilized outdoor education and strengths-based adventure as a means to build a sense of self and self-efficacy. To me, however, successful experiences all start with a inherent culture of dignity and mindfulness.

It is time to practice.

What’s your perspective?

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(1) Donna Hicks, PhD (2011): “Dignity – The Essential Role It Plays in Resolving Conflict”

(2) Terry Fralich, LCPC, JD (2014): “The Five Core Skills of Mindfulness – A Direct Path to More Confidence, Joy and Love”

AbilityPLUS at Mount Snow

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It’s official. I’ll be returning to Mount Snow! I’ll be doing some coaching, training, and special program coordination work with AbilityPLUS, a couple days per week, starting now. Anyone want to be a volunteer adaptive ski or snowboard instructor at Mount Snow?

PRESS RELEASE:

West Dover, VT– Bob Speck, an accomplished adaptive sports coach and educator with more than 40 years experience in snow sports, adaptive sports, and outdoor education, has joined AbilityPLUS as Special Programs & Training Coordinator. Bob will be based at the adaptive sports organization’s Mount Snow location, where he will work with Program Director Linda Walsh to coordinate volunteer recruitment and training, facilitate PSIA/AASI events, assist in the development of special programs, and act as head coach of the AbilityPLUS Alpine Race team for Special Olympics and Paralympics events eligible athletes.

“AbilityPLUS at Mount Snow, our volunteers, and the individuals and families we serve are extremely fortunate to have Bob Speck join us as Special Programs & Training Coordinator. Bob is a remarkably insightful, mindful and compassionate person, with a wealth of experience in the adaptive sports world and beyond,” said Walsh. “This season, we are poised to exponentially strengthen our programs serving the Mount Snow family, and Bob is the perfect addition as AbilityPLUS continues to grow and move forward!”

Bob is a PSIA/AASI certified ski and snowboard instructor, a former member of the PSIA-E educational staff, a registered yoga teacher, NOLS outdoor educator, and certified personal trainer. He teaches yoga at Heart of the Village Yoga Studio in Manchester (www.heartofthevillageyoga.com) and is involved with non-profit organizations dedicated to working with combat veterans with disabilities, including www.warriorsliveon.org and Wounded Warrior Project. No stranger to Mount Snow, Bob was formerly a Mount Snow ski school instructor, staff trainer, program manager, and mountain bike guide more than a dozen years ago.

“The thing about Bob is he knows no limitations – as a coach, mentor or leader – and he instills that attitude naturally in the individuals and families with whom he interacts,” noted Walsh. “We’re truly blessed to have someone of his ability and dedication accept our invitation to devote his skills to the AbilityPLUS family.”

In addition to his work with people with disabilities, Bob is a registered professional engineer in the State of Vermont and currently performs consulting work with Stevens & Associates in Brattleboro. He maintains a part-time practice designing timber-framed structures and helping develop design concepts for homes and barns that integrate efficient structure, design aesthetics and sustainability. Bob bases his work on the concept that everything is connected – personal wellness, healthy homes and community, and the natural environment. Bob, his wife Jo, and their dog Emma, live in Manchester, Vermont.

AbilityPLUS is a not-for-profit charitable organization that offers life changing athletic and recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities, to create freedom, promote independence, support inclusion and help those individuals and their families discover their full social, emotional and athletic potential. AbilityPLUS serves people with any physical or intellectual disability, from injured service men and women to people with autism across the spectrum. AbilityPLUS is a chapter of Disabled Sports USA, and is a Paralympic Sport Club. For more information about AbilityPLUS programs, volunteering and financial needs visit www.AbilityPLUS.org.

About Eating

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A few years ago, I became friends with a young athlete, strength and conditioning coach, and independent-thinker who volunteered his time to travel from his home in California to participate in some physical health and wellness workshops that I was facilitating with others for disabled combat veterans. Upon graduating from college with special interests in kinesiology and nutrition, Tyler had caught my attention with some of the articles he had written (www.evolutionaryhealthsystems.com) and work he had done both locally in his home community and with other coaches with whom I was familiar (www.ericcressey.com). He also impressed me with his thorough investigation of actual science, not just believing public hype or influential spokespeople. I’ve come to realize the importance of his teachings in my life and his simple yet far-reaching approach to whole body-mind health.

More and more, public information and media are paying attention to the importance of a healthy digestive system for overall human health- physical, mental, and emotional (which to me are all inextricably connected). We are finally learning as a society that our problems begin with sugar.

I’ll list Tyler’s workshop guidelines in order (from Evolutionary Health Systems, 2011). They are a few years old, but still very relevant to me. Each of us are built differently, so the further you go down the list, the more you will probably want to see what works for you and what doesn’t.

In his presentation, he basically starts with the obvious premise: eat real foods (as our species did for many years). These include vegetables and fruits. The list below was intended to emphasis the changes most people might want to consider, assuming that eating fruits and vegetables was a given practice for most of the audience.

1. Eliminate sugar and flour. Eliminate all foods that contain sugar and/or flour. This includes soft drink and fruit juices, and anything containing high-fructose corn syrup.
2. Add healthy fats. Use healthy fats such butter, meat fat, ghee, olive oil, lard, coconut oil, whole cream, and coconut milk to replace the calories that were coming from sugars and flours.
3. Eliminate vegetable/seed oils. Use the healthy fats listed above to cook with instead.
4. Reduce grain intake. Particularly wheat, barley, and rye. Replace these foods with more nourishing and nutrient-dense safe-starches.
5. Eat plenty of animal food. Beef, lamb, deer, elk, moose, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish and eggs.
6. Vitamin D. Go get some sun on your skin or start taking a generic Vitamin D3 supplement.
7. Exercise: Focus on strength training and interval type training to get the most benefits. Find something you enjoy and do it several times a week.
8. Balance your omega 3’s. If you aren’t regularly eating fish, consider a teaspoon a day of cod liver oil or fish oil to balance out your fats.
9. Reduce legumes. Soy, peanuts, etc.
10. Intermittent fast: Consider consolidating your eating in to an 8 hour window each day. As far as meal frequency goes, 2-5 meals per days is best, depending on your goals. Don’t be a grazer.

Recently, I’ve expanded my understanding of digestive health through experimenting with eliminating foods containing fodmaps, but that will have to be the subject of another post.

Left Brain – Right Brain

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Eoin Finn, founder and leader of Blissology yoga, shared the following graphic with our group last week as he prepared his teachings on the FLUID BODY:

Left Brain Right Brain

 

Of course, as an artist and an engineer, a feeler and a thinker, an instructor and an outdoor adventurer, I often live in both brains.

I have found professional success living in both.

But, I have floated down powdered mountain slopes, ridden through powerful ocean surf, flown with wings above majestic peaks, pedaled through landscapes near and far, and today, taught my first yoga class.

I have tasted the hands of Divine experience through fluid movement, and feelings of wonder and Oneness…  a peaceful and dignified connection to everyone and everything around me.

I can live in my left brain.

I thrive in my right brain. It’s hard to switch. With my right brain experiences, I feel a relentless and overwhelming pull towards feelings of freedom, happiness, bliss and enlightenment.

Right now, how do I move now from the joy and inspiration of teaching yoga an hour ago, to the required work of determining the structural feasibility of a complex of historic Vermont barns built a century ago?

By taking one joyful step at a time.

Live, learn, and live some more… in both brains!

My next yoga class tomorrow morning is going to be awesome!

September Fitness Goals

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A few months ago I discussed having a strength and conditioning coach to help me achieve personal fitness goals. I am at the end of my summer outdoor season during which I work towards leanness. At the end of the month, I’ll switch it up and work on strength and mass gain leading into the winter sports season. In addition to previous friends and mentors, in both fitness and in yoga, I have recently been working with Dave Knight of Spectrum Fitness Consulting in Beverly, MA.

Yes, I’m trying to eat pretty clean (here in Vermont, we’re usually eating organic and local anyway) and cutting my calories down. I am also adding more HIIT cardio to the ends of my workouts… and actually trying to walk more daily. I’m 56; but I’m hoping to get down around 8% bodyfat by the end of the month (I’m currently at 10%) while maintaining strength and lean body mass.

Right now, I’m alternating full-body workouts for strength training, usually every other day. After warming up and rolling, mobilizing primarily my spine, shoulders and hips, my white-board work out is as follows:

White Board Workout

I’ll start here, then adjust weights and reps to challenge myself each week. My end of workout cardio will be a series of mountain climbers, lunge leaps and burpees.

Starting in October, I’ll work more on muscle hypertrophy, which will involve working specific muscle groups on alternate days, more specific muscle-group loading, and more calories in my diet. Being outside for many days during the winter on skis or a snowboard, I usually want to be stronger and “thicker”!

Comments?

Another Path Begins: Teaching at HOTV Yoga Studio

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After a dozen years of attending yoga workshops and teacher-trainings, usually in the background accompanying my wife, I am finally beginning to teach yoga myself at the Heart of the Village Yoga Studio. My inspiration to teach has been growing for years: I’ve witnessed the healing effect yoga brings to people’s lives through the seemingly simple practice of focused breathing and coordinated movement; I’ve seen how present-moment mind-body awareness can improve athleticism and reduce injury; and I have a keen awareness of how the practice of yoga can put each of us in a better place to deal with stress, aging, changing circumstances, and fast-paced lives.

Oahu 2013

Oahu 2013

For 3 years, my wife and I worked out-of-town with combat veterans through our work associated with the Wounded Warrior Project. I was engaged intimately in developing and facilitating experiences intended to help participants transition from combat to community in ways that were holistic in nature and based on our understanding of yoga and mindfulness-based practices. These experiences changed lives (including mine) and I will be forever grateful for these experiences. They form the basis for my understanding of the integrated nature of wellness… and the foundation from which I hope to develop my yoga teaching career.

As an experiential teacher and intuitive person, I am used to feeding off of the natural talents and energies of the group; I hope my teaching style will bring a sense of learning through group interaction as well as personal practice. As an athlete and trainer, I hope to include movements that I’ve learned over the years that will help athletes become both stronger and more mobile. As an outdoor educator and team-builder, I hope my classes will bring a deepened connection to our place in nature and within our community. And as a caring human being, I hope to heighten a sense of inner peace and renewed energy through a flowing and joyful asana practice.

I enter this work with both a sense of excitement and apprehension… I will do my best to live up to the heart-felt standard students have come to expect at HOTV Yoga Studio, and to “co-create” (with students) life-enhancing and educational yoga class experiences!

Another Path: Leading Upward and Onward!

Sight on the Light: Teaching, Training, Coaching and Mentoring

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It’s wonderful how things unfold.

As I’ve written, I recently returned home from a 100-hour Yoga Teacher Training Immersion with Eoin Finn and Blissology Yoga with the intention of doing more teaching, training, coaching and mentoring.

Well, I’ll be finalizing plans this week to work part-time with Abilities Plus at Mount Snow to coordinate staff training and special programs (Special Olympics, Paralympic Sports, Wounded Warriors). Abilities Plus is an adaptive sports program affiliated with Disabled Sports USA, and specializes at Mount Snow in life-enriching programs for people with visible and invisible disabilities. See www.abilityplus.org/mtsnowprograms. More to come soon…

I’ve also committed to start to teaching yoga at Heart of the Village Yoga Studio. I’ll begin with two classes per week focused on yoga for athletes. See www.heartofvillageyoga.com. More to come soon…

I’ve also been approached about doing some mentoring work locally. More to come? We’ll see.

Also, an organization we help start a couple of years ago in San Diego, CA, called Warriors Live On, is planning their first mentoring programs for this fall. I hope to be involved helping to develop these important programs over the next few weeks. This work is very close to my heart. See www.warriorsliveon.org.

All part-time work to supplement my normal design and consulting work, but it’ll be nice to get some traction again doing things that will get me out-of-the-office again, with people, doing more teaching, training, coaching and mentoring… with a sense of excitement and wonder!

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Twin Lights. Photo by Eric Berkander

Always more to come…When you keep your Sight on the Light!

Day 2: PTSD and Me

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I’m starting my second day back from Vancouver. I just finished a morning workout incorporating a bit of Blissology (see below).

As I’ve discussed before, my wife was previously diagnosed with PTSD as a result of things which happened in her life before I met her. The severe symptoms didn’t manifest themselves until years later in our marriage when events triggered behavior we couldn’t explain. Because we have endured much and survived, we walk together now in many ways as one spirit, though we try to walk paths respecting the dignity (see definition from August 8 post) of each of our unique spirits. Thus, one could say I have PTSD too.

You see, I live through the roller coaster ride of emotional response too. This morning, like many other mornings, we smile at each other, give each other a hug, but I know she is struggling, I know she had intense dreams. I also know that it will be through her walk with her dog and her teaching at her yoga studio, as well as my validating, dignified and non-judgmental response, that she will find her way back.

PTSD stifles the lives of many. Yes, post-traumatic stress affects the lives of almost all people, in my opinion; it is the “D” part with which we all struggle. We don’t want the past to get in the way of our ability to function in the future, so we avoid the “D” label; but, sometimes it does. We’ve recently left meaningful jobs because of the fear that the work environment would trigger negative responses; we did not want those reactions to burden others… and we know that in order to help others, we will need to work in supportive environments ourselves.

It is easy to blame others. Sometimes, it seems so natural and rational to blame our situation or circumstance elsewhere. But in the end, it is our responsibility to care for ourselves and move on. Moving on involves letting go of expectations for what we envisioned life “should” be, practicing mindfulness and not letting our thoughts become our identity, and connecting with other supportive people, nature, our bodies and our spirits. Yoga is a practice that has saved my wife and me… it helps us live through the “D.”

She came home from our workshop yesterday in an anxious place, perhaps triggered by feelings of being trapped in an unsafe environment, perhaps feeling detached from her home (yoga community and Emma), perhaps feeling overwhelmed by the emotions of others. With PTSD and with intuitive powers in hyper-drive, one becomes very susceptible to the emotions of others, in my view.

Last night, a student of hers texted while enduring a downward spiral. A friend of mine (combat veteran) texted me while struggling with current and past issues in her life. We want to help. It is our nature. It helps us. We just try to remember that through our practice… whether it be walks in the woods with Emma or together, engaging ourselves as best we can in our daily routines, or practicing (or teaching) yoga and expressing love, tuning in mindfully, we will ask the right questions and get truthful answers.

My workout “cave” above the garage has been my morning retreat. This morning, it went as follows (below)… with Emma at my side… and my wife teaching at her studio. Life goes on. And it is a miraculous ride. We are thankful for all of our experiences, light and dark. There are lessons in all experiences. We are thankful for all of our friends, those who are struggling and those who are between their struggles. Just like all of you, we seek our light… by helping to illuminate others’ lights.

photo (4)

My Cave

My morning Blissology workout in my cave:

A Long, Loving Self-Hug

An Intention to be at Peace Today

A1: One-leg rear lunges with 2- 25 lb dumbells, 3 x 10 each leg, tree hugger engaged, with the breath, hips extended, integrated legs.

A2: Chin-Ups, 3 x 10, integrated arms and shoulders, focus on open chest, stable anterior serratus, isolated lats…. and core suspenders engaged.

B1: Squats, 3 x 10, 185 lbs, engaged sole arches extended hips and tree hugger core, spreading floor.

B2: Push-ups, 3 x 18, Chaturanga, open chest, DUO engaged, tree hugger core, slow.

C1: Inverted rows on gym rings, 3 x 12, integrated arms, tree hugger and back body engaged, open heart, serratus and low traps engaged.

C2: Planks, 3 x 45 sec, alternating one leg up at a time slowly, 5 sec count, tree hugger, integrated arms and shoulders, extending out through heels.

D1: Slightly bent lateral shoulder raises, 3 x 12, 20 lb dumbells, tree hugger, with the breath slowly focusing on eccentric movement, sole arches angaged.

D2: Shoulder presses, 3 x 18, 20 lbs, same as above.

Inverted head stand on shoulder stand, boat pose, and bridge.

Savasana

Write this.

Feeling better now. I’ll do some flow yoga later at Heart of the Village, maybe transpose a vinyasa flow routine to start getting ready to teach myself this fall…

Jo came home… a big class… and many compliments on her softness.

Life is interesting, eh? A big miraculous puzzle…

Getting ready to go up to Stratton to help design a large summit deck for next year’s Wanderlust… and work this weekend on the design of buildings being restored in Wilmington, VT… a couple years after being vacated by the effects of Hurricane Irene…