Of course you can set goals and aim to make some positive changes in your health outcomes. At the end of each day are you in a health positive or health negative balance? Did you reach your goal(s)? If you set your standards vs. goals as the minimum needed for a health positive day then there is no need to worry. You got yourself covered. Standards are not negotiable!
We need to resistance train and get cardiovascular exercise for our health.
There is no getting around it. Some think it comes easy for trainers like me. I'm here to tell you it's not. I take being a role model for health very seriously and I'm committed to help others change the way they age by example. I'm just a big experiment. Never been 60 before and lately I've come to realize that part of it is really horrible!
Set Standards Not Goals
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon speaks on the Huberman podcast about needing to establish some core principles to be well:
"If you set a standard for how you operate and how you execute you know that regardless of how you feel you do it. Standards are non-negotiable."
GOALS VS. STANDARDS
Something that might happen vs, Something that does.
Desired Outcomes vs real behaviours and actions.
Improving Cardiovascular Fitness vs scheduling your walks/hikes/runs and getting it done.
Lose 10 pounds vs. reducing or eliminating sugar and alcohol.
Saying you will try to floss your teeth everyday vs. never missing a floss day.
YOUR STANDARDS LEAD TO YOUR RESULTS OVER TIME.
As I continue to learn and make informed decisions for myself I would be remiss if I didn't share the passion, the movement, and the accomplishments both physically and mentally with you - so you in turn can build a stronger version of yourself. If I needed yet another "ah ha" moment around the benefits of resistance training I got one when listening to Dr, Gabrielle Lyon on the Huberman Podcast: How to Exercise & Eat for Optimal Health & Longevity
Typically we think of resistance exercise as something that will keep us strong, reduce age related muscle loss (Sarcopenia), improve bone density, and improve aesthetics. Now with the research Dr. Lyon explains in the podcast we learn that the metabolic activity of our muscles plays a huge role in our health from improved blood chemistries to disease improvement, reversal and prevention.
How do we improve the metabolic activity of our muscles? Strength training for the win! My "ah ha" moment revealed as historically I feel the medical system looks at your diet first when trying to distill down why you have high blood sugar or high cholesterol. I'm not saying diet doesn't play a role but simply encouraging one to improve their diet and exercise more is not enough - specifically here I'm saying you are going to hear a lot more that, "Muscles are Medicine."
Muscles Are Medicine
Abundant evidence points to a key role of altered muscle metabolism in the genesis and therefore prevention of many common chronic diseases.
- Quote from: The under appreciated role of muscle in health and disease. Author: Wolfe, Robert R
A change in my standards this year:
Have you heard of the Grouse Grind?
Located in North Vancouver, British Columbia the Grouse Grind for some is a no go, others a one and done, and then as I have come to know there are those that go fairly often, sometimes multiple times a day.
It’s steep, hard, and relentless. After about a 20 year break from hiking the Grouse Grind I starting hiking the trail again over the last few years. This year I was encouraged by my son to set my sights on participating in an event at Grouse Mountain that he has participating in where you complete the Grind trail as many times as you can in one day.
I was unexpectedly welcomed by a community of regular "grinders" that contribute to the unique history of this trail. A diverse group who share the benefits of getting to know the stairs of the grind and the many other trails all that lead you up to the top of Grouse Mountain!
The Grouse Grind® is a 2.5-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster".
Trail Facts: 2.5 kilometers, 800m elevation gain, 2830 stairs!
The blog feature picture is of me on the Multi Grind day where I successfully completed the climb 5x.
What does this really accomplish and why mention it in the blog? It tells me a lot about my commitment to consistency. The standard was set for hiking the trail 1x per week. It motivated me to continue my strength training program, along with healthy amounts or mobility and core exercises. If I was going to do this I wanted to be smart about it and not get injured.
The standards were set. It was a non negotiable part of my week. I built it into my schedule.
In the end it was a positive experience and I highly recommend it to anyone with Grouse Mountain in their backyard, or any hill for that matter. Uphill climbing is becoming a popular mountain sport that is gaining momentum worldwide. It's pretty much anywhere that you can take a gondola or chair down so you only hike the vertical.
There is a part of me that understands the human need for sharing how many times I completed the grind with you - in an effort to gain your respect. Walk the walk kind of thinking... This goes back in time to the stone age where you might have challenged me to lift some gigantic rock to become the fittest female to survive. If I can't walk some sort of walk on my health journey just how do I become a trusted resource to those that are looking for one?
Are we not all trying to become the strongest versions of ourselves?
In today's world there are many choices, too much information, and an inherent paralysis on where to start and what to do next.
We need to be stronger together.
Think for a moment about what motivates you to move?
It's great and all that I can hope to serve as your role model but at the end of the day it was not me that got you to get off the couch and out the door, just as I didn't in turn put the fork in your mouth downing a quick extra 500 calories last night. Did that really happen?
I'm beginning to understand this as your inherent chemistry - the chemical response your body gives you as a result of the stimulus. The feel good hormones of movement don't get released from the couch. "I'll try", and "I aim to", are lost before the effort has begun. Don't set yourself up for repeated failure by thinking you can rely on will power or some other super power that is hanging on a hope and a prayer.
Look forward to how you will feel after completing your daily or weekly standards. I encourage you to trust the natural chemicals we all have within us to build on our capacity to live our healthiest lives. Each health positive day builds in ever so interconnected ways to help us become stronger, happier and more resilient to the challenges life sends our way.
What's next for you?
I like thinking in "chunks of time" for change. Often we don't give ourselves enough time to feel the benefits of our efforts. The fall is a great time to set some new standards for yourself. We have plenty of classes online every week for you to join, as well a weekly class is now posted on the Movement Garden Youtube site. Please subscribe and share the strength love.
What's next for me?
I'm on a learning path this September as I'm heading to Austin, Texas for the Internal Strength Model course presented by Functional Range Systems.
Later in the month I will be attending Brett Jones' Iron Cardio Workshop, and attending Strongfirst Level 2 as a student.
I look forward to sharing the learning with all the Movement Garden students upon my return. Let's all have more health positive days, set and raise our standards by the work we do to become stronger together.
Written by: Sheila Hamilton Copyright September 2024 Written without AI tools.
Reach out to us: admin@sheilahamilton.ca
At the Movement Garden we hope to provide practical suggestions and support in our classes and private sessions for improved wellness so we can all move, feel and live better. Consult a physician before starting a new exercise program if you have medical issues.
Lift Your Spirits, Cultivate Your Health and Grow Your Strength with us soon.
