Life Lessons from Running

First, a little history:
I'd been a confirmed gym rat for years, and about a year or so ago I was stuck at a plateau that I couldn't break with cardio or weight training. I'd hit a wall and no matter what I tried or how hard I worked, I just couldn't break through this final plateau. Oh those last 10#s are stubborn! Someone suggested I try running. Now, I never could run and the thought of it was NOT something I wanted to entertain. Finally, begrudgingly, I gave in and tried it.

I first started on the treadmill, could run maybe 30 seconds then walk a minute or more. I persisted until I was finally able to achieve a 5 minute run/1 minute walk. That didn't really take as long as I thought it would, but persistence paid off. I was tied to the metrics on the treadmill and had never considered running outside. First, I figured I'd just walk more frequently, sit down when I could. Also, I felt I needed the treadmill to move in order to keep me from slowing down or stopping altogether. See, I was running for the purpose of reaching a goal and not for the process. I really didn't enjoy it, but I was committed to the process.

One day a friend from the gym grabbed me on my way in and took me running outside. We ran the Silver Strand from IB to Coronado, wow that really is a beautiful run (or bike ride!). Needless to say, I was hooked and haven't been able to get back on a treadmill since. I also found, surprisingly, that I ran faster and longer outside than I did inside. I didn't need the machine to pace me. I was even able to run a full 5 miles without a single walk break. Surprised myself!

Some months later I experienced a severe high ankle sprain and stress fracture. The result of both over-training and failing to slow down on a trail. 2 months on crutches and unable to do much in the way of any training put me back to nearly ground zero on my training regimen.  Back on the road again, but with a new run/walk training method. It took awhile, but I'm back to running a full 5k without a walk break. Not the 5 miles I used to do, and not at the pace I used to run, but I'll get there. I can't say I love running, or that I'll always do it. But I don't hate it anymore, more often than not I really do enjoy it, and there's no arguing with the results: lower body fat and increased cardiovascular fitness...so I press on.

I've learned a lot through this experience. Most of which I apply to my training schedule, but much of which also applies to life and business.  See, cross-training isn't just for the gym, it's also for the mind and spirit.

1. Pace Yourself:
Go at your own pace and take breaks when you need them. Walk when you need to, and sometimes when you want to. as long as the "need to" is more often than the "want to" then you're fine. This helps your training, but also your business plan. Sometimes you need to slow down, catch your breath, then pick up the pace again. You have to go at your own pace, not one set for you by someone else. Yes, a defined pace or program can be helpful, but in the end you run your own race and have to modify it for yourself.

2. Set Goals:
Set a goal and then strive to beat it. I like setting a minimum goal that I need to reach and then exceed that. Some people try and set their maximum goal and then reach it. Either way, the sense of accomplishment is motivating. Without a goal, you won't notice progress. That's fine for a hobbyist, but for serious training, and serious business, goals matter. They matter a lot. Now, once you've reached those goals comfortably, change them. Make them a bit more difficult. Rinse and Repeat.

3. Run Your Own Race:
Competition can be a good thing. It can be motivating to compete against others. But at the end of the day, the best person to compete against is yourself. Beat your own time. Exceed your own goals. Forget what's right for someone else. How fast they run or how well their business appears from your view. Your goals, your pace, that's what matters. As long as you're moving forward, you're doing great!

4. Enjoy the Process:
Find something you truly enjoy and then just dive in. Do you love to run? Then do that. Do you prefer cycling? Dance? Swimming? Machine-based cardio (Elliptical/Stairs)? Whatever you truly enjoy, start there. You shouldn't have to hate your workout, or your job for that matter. Take some time to find out what you love and do that. Within that there may be parts of the process you don't love, but you should enjoy it overall. Make it fun!

5. Cross-Train:
Now that you've found something you enjoy, switch it up some. Try something new. Don't just be tied to one thing, your body and mind need variety. If you run or bike and it's a rainy day, don't just hit the treadmill or indoor cycle, dance or do some other indoor cardio-fun. Using different muscles will benefit you in the long run.

If you weight train, and you should, then you should also do some yoga or pilates on your off days. Not only will this benefit your weight training, but it will also benefit your cardio workout as well. Yoga and Pilates, while both being a form of strength training, focus heavily on developing your core as well as stabilization muscles and flexibility. All of which you need for total body conditioning.

In life and business, find a hobby that's completely different from your job. Now that can also be your workout, or it can be volunteering for a cause you believe in. It can also be using your business skill-set to benefit another business or individual as a volunteer. Take a class. If you excel at numbers, take a marketing class. If you are a star-networker, take an accounting class. Stretch your mind and you'll find areas you never knew you could use and grow. Your primary gift remains, but cross-training your mind will help you grow in amazing ways.

6. Reward Yourself:
It's hard work, hard on your body and mind. Take time to enjoy your life, de-stress. Go shopping for something fun. Go out with friends. Spend time with family. Get a massage.  This is critical, life is meant to be lived and loved. Appreciate what you have, where you've come from and where you're going. Enjoy the process! At the end of the day, and the end of your life, these details matter.

Organization Matters

Whether it's your life, your job, or even your workout, organization is a vital part of the process.
A cluttered room or desk can distract your thoughts and keep you from achieving the productivity you are seeking. It can cause your mind to jump from one thought to another, leaving you in a disorganized mental state that mirrors the physical.  The first step is to reduce both physical and mental clutter.

Organize your space. There are many organizational materials, the stores are full of them, but I bet you have enough shelves and drawers to handle most of it. Files and paper are another matter, that just might require a trip to the closest office supply store. But remember, the organizational system has to work for you. There are many ways to file and organize, but it does have to work naturally with your brain. Permission to shop around for just the right item(s) :)

Organize your mental space. Start your day with a plan, put it on paper. Write down the things you need to accomplish for the day, week and month. Don't tie yourself to it, life happens and sometimes items on today's agenda get moved to tomorrow. Then again, sometimes things on tomorrow's agenda get accomplished today so it all works out. But without a plan, we often just spin our wheels and never progress to the next level. Don't forget to plan in fun and healthy activities, things that make you happy and help reduce your stress.

Even for your workout, if you approach it without a plan you will find yourself overworking certain body parts and completely ignoring others. A great workout requires planning and direction in order to achieve your goal.  Whether you choose to meet with a trainer or research it yourself, write down your workout on a card, plan it out and keep track.  Also, remember you can't out-exercise a bad diet, so your fitness log should also include a food diary.  Lots of free apps available for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android phones, or just a simple notebook will do just fine.

Plan for yourself and your sweetheart. Flowers, candy, dinner, oooh, a massage, all great ideas for both of you.  No sweetie this year? Be your own sweetheart. Give yourself a day to enjoy all these things :)

For planning assistance for your business or lifestyle, contact us, we have just the right consultant to help accomplish your goals.

Product Reviews: MyFitnessPal vs LoseIt

New Years Resolutions almost always involve Health & Fitness goals.  To that end, we'll continue this week with another product review.  Last week I reviewed 2 fitness apps to get the new year off on the right 'foot' (pun intentional). This week we'll look at 2 apps that help you keep track of your nutrition.

Last year I spent 2 months on crutches following a wretched little mishap on the running trail.  That, combined with another couple of months of slowly getting back into a decent fitness routine and lots of lessons learned.  

Lesson 1: You can maintain your weight without exercise.  Well, you can but you have to eat WAY less, and that's really hard to do, especially if your body is used to a certain level of both activity and fuel.  Besides, it's no fun at all. 

Lesson 2: Keeping track of your food intake is critical, regardless of your activity level, if you want to attain even the most modest of fitness goals.  I've heard it said that you can't outrun a bad diet, and that's true. No level of exercise will compensate for poor nutrition.  And no exercise and no food monitoring will most likely equal weight gain :(

I've always preached the benefit of a food diary, and for years I just used a self-created excel spreadsheet but it wasn't always practical to carry around my laptop, so when I got my first iPod Touch, I found an app called LoseIt.  It's free and has been very helpful and convenient.  I just moved to an iPhone and was interested in comparing other similar apps, so  I decided to also try out MyFitnessPal, also free.

So let's compare the 2 apps:

Similarities: 

Both are Free. MyFitnessPal is ad supported, while LoseIt is just plain free.   

Both have community aspects, such as friend requests, community bulletin boards, things of that nature.  The community aspect seems a bit stronger on MyFitnessPal, and there are some weight loss tickers you can add to your profile if that appeals to you.  I don't much care about virtual friendships, they don't motivate me, but it's very helpful for many to have a circle of supporters in your journey.  I have added friends who I've convinced to try an app to my friend list and that was helpful to encourage and motivate each other. 

Both will calculate both calories and comprehensive nutrition information, include an activity tracker, barcode scanner, and reports function. MyFitnessPal has multiple reports that you generate online, LoseIt has a few reports that can be automatically emailed to you as an excel spreadsheet).  The reports function is a great feature, especially if you are working with a physician, nutritionist, or trainer - or if like me, you just want to track your own data.

I love the activity tracker since you get to see it give you extra food to eat - that's the best motivation for exercise I've ever found ;-)  Unfortunately, you do get a serious wake up call when you realize it's not that much more food, but still every calorie helps.

The barcode scanner is just cool! I didn't have that on the iPod Touch since I bought mine before it included a camera, so I had to enter any new foods that weren't in the database manually.  Most foods are there, but it's still way-cooler to scan than search :)

Key differences:

LoseIt: An app-based program with a web back-end.  The app was developed first and web-based logging came separate.  What that means is yes, you can do whatever you need from either the app or the web but the power really is in the app. 

Like it's name, it is weight-loss focused. There are no options for those wanting to use it for weight gain.  Well, I suppose you can, there's just no setting for it.

It's also a simple algorithm, so whatever you set it for, it will allot a calories/day limit that sometimes is far below safe.  I hope that's something they will address in later updates.

LoseIt has a much cleaner interface and you can move foods from one meal to the other within the app. You can also easily access previous meals so you can just add or modify them for a different day.

MyFitnessPal: A web-based program that seems to have added the app as a secondary support for the web.  You can do most things from the app, but some things can only be done from the web (like move an item from lunch to dinner instead of delete/add). 

There are weight gain or weight loss options, which is great for bodybuilders or those needing to gain weight. While gaining weight has never been difficult for me, I do have friends and family for which it is a problem and being able to set that goal is quite helpful for them.

The program will not let you go below 1200 calories/day - which is a safe limit, and without medical supervision no one should go below that anyway.

There are more food options in the database, which is very convenient for eating out or if you have a more international diet.  I've often used the MyFitnessPal website to custom-add foods to my LoseIt app.

You must actively save meals for the app to remember it. That works if you really want to save a meal, but I'd still rather it remember meals automatically without having to save it since I may or may not have the same thing again. Not a big deal, but still...

The app remembers recent items only by meals, so if you want to have the same thing for dinner that you had for lunch, you won't see it under recent items for dinner - you'll need to re-add it and then the next time it will be there. Again, a minor annoyance.

The app-interface is a bit cluttered. The web-interface is a much better user-experience.

Recommendations:

I'll start by saying I'm still using both, and I do like them both - for different reasons.  On this one, I find no clear winner and which app you prefer may ultimately depend on how and when you use it.  

If you want a primarily web-based program where you access your app only when you're out, then MyFitnessPal is probably your best bet.  Also, if you're looking for weight gain, it's one of the few options out there.

If you want a primarily app-based program with occasional web access, then LoseIt offers a much better user-experience on your mobile device. There are fewer foods in the database, and if you eat out or have a more international diet then you may find yourself having to custom-add foods.  And if you're only looking for weight-loss or maintenance, then this app could be for you.

Whichever one you choose, and I do highly recommend choosing one, use it daily and you will reach all of your fitness goals for 2012 and beyond!