Numbing the Pain

My prayers and thoughts go out to the families of the Connecticut shootings, may God give them strength to make it through the hard times.

I have a daughter that age and the thought of something like that happening is unbearable.  As I drove home after hearing about the tragedy and the number of innocent kids, I could barely contain my emotions.  The anger and sorrow I felt was just too overwhelming and I had to figure out a way to release the emotions that kept on rising to the surface, lucky for me my first stop was the gym.  Exercise plays a big role in my emotional state and in my opinion, on the emotional state of humanity.  At the end of the day, the majority of what ails us can be taken care of through some form of exercise. 

 As I pulled into the gym parking lot I was already feeling like a zombie and my poor body was going to take the brunt of my pain.  As I began my exercise routine, I found myself increasing the speed on the treadmill, faster and faster, I’m lucky I didn’t fall and injure myself.  The amount of reps and weight increased way beyond what I normally do and still I could not get the tragedy out of my mind.  The televisions had the news on all screens and it just fueled me even more, “numb the pain” I said to myself and before I knew it I could barely move.  My muscles were stiff, my mouth was dry, my head ached and I realized I was smoked well beyond my “redline.”  My physical pain may last a few days but the sorrow of this tragedy will remain with me for some time to come.

I’m not sure what the point of my story is other than this tragedy has impacted me and probably all of us in one way or the other and we all have our ways of dealing with emotional pain, I only wish I could do more for the families.  What has happened or is happening to humanity these days, one can only wonder.  I guess all we can do is try and prepare ourselves and our families for the battle that at some point some of us will have to fight, so stay fit, motivated, and be consistent.…… “Fitness for Battle” my friends!

"God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” - Reinhold Niebuhr

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Fitness Future

Many of us have often fantasized about knowing the future and how we would take advantage of that knowledge to improve our lifestyle in one way or the other.  There are also many things in life we can’t stop, change or control, even though we know they will be occurring in the near future.  One future all of us can see and change is our “Fitness Future.” 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we will all age, our muscles will deteriorate and gravity will over power our bodies, if you get my drift!  One of the things I try to tell people and a large part of my exercise philosophy is that you must keep an eye on the future, your fitness future that is.  After all, at the end of the day one of the many reasons people get into fitness is to look good.  Looking good when you’re young is easier than when you’re older, that is why exercise selection and developing a good routine early is crucial to long term fitness.

THE SAGGY FUTURE

What the future has in store for us is a saggy butt, arms, chest and an oversized waistline, this is one future we can all see coming.  Obviously there are other body parts (muscles) that will be affected by age.  The body parts shown, in my opinion, have the most impact on external appearance and have a wider impact on surrounding muscles when exercised.  In order to prolong this particular “saggy” future, an exercise routine that consistently, efficiently and safely works these muscles must be developed and utilized.

EXERCISE ROUTINE

As I have mentioned on earlier postings and on my website "Exercise Philosophy" certain body parts must be exercised every time you exercise or hit the gym, every time you go, not every day.  I also mention the importance of having a base routine or foundation that provides the consistency needed.  There are hundreds of exercises, moves and routines available, but not all are efficient, safe and long term capable, so be careful when developing your base routine, some are just show-off moves. 

For those that get bored or feel they must do something totally different, just keep your fitness future in mind and realize that at some point you will have to be more consistent and realize it just has to be done, bored or not.  In the working environment, the longer you perform a certain task the better and more efficient you become.  When it comes to fitness the more consistently you perform a certain group of exercises the stronger and more shapely you become.  So when it comes to exercising pay particular attention to these muscles that have a “saggy” future.

                 “It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step
                   must be itself a  goal and a step likewise.”
                                                ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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