Monday, July 26, 2010

Listening To Your Body


Working out while we're tired, stressed, or sick .... we all do it from time to time. The reasons are various but usually pretty simple. It could be that you're afraid if you miss a workout that it'll slow your results, some of us use workouts as a stress management and feel incomplete when we don't workout, others just think a workout might make them feel better ... which can be true, but when should we take time off from our workout?

We all know that working out can be a stress reliever, however it can place more stress on your life. If you're stressed about your work, family life, and relationship and on top of that you're worried about not getting a workout in and you find yourself training without a clear head, then it might be time to take a step back. I would suggest sitting back and looking at your life and trying to address your stress at the root of the problem. You might also want to train with a partner or trainer to help you focus and vent your issues to get some feed back and advice. After all your trainer should be there for you as a professional but also as your friend. Your workout should add to your life in a positive way, never negative, it should be a time to leave your problems behind and focus one yourself and improving yourself to become the best you that you can be!

We all get tired and what ever the reason may be a lack of energy is a big problem when it comes to your workouts. It could mean you're not sleeping enough, you're not eating enough or enough of the right foods, or perhaps your stressed out (as mentioned above). First things first, take a good look at your diet, your body needs quality food to run at optimal levels. Make sure you have your caveman/primal/paleo diet on lock down. If you fill your body with crap ... it will run like crap, end of story! Second, take a look at your sleep and sleeping patterns. Make sure to cut out things that stimulate the mind before bed such as the computer, television, too much music etc. It takes quite a while for your mind to calm down after so much stimulation all day long so the earlier your cut it out, the better you will sleep. Also, make sure you are getting enough sleep, around 8 hours a night should be pretty decent for most people. When the time is right, a little nap never hurt anyone either! It's like recharging your batteries, you'll feel much more alert and fresh for the rest of the day after a good nap. If you have all this on track, and you're still not feeling the best, you might want to cut back on your workouts or the intensity of your workouts for a week and see how you feel. It can be very easy to burn yourself out when you're trying to reach your fitness goals, but remember that fitness is a journey not a destination, and you'll never reach your destination if you're burnt out!

Last but not least, working out when you're sick ... just don't do it! Working out is a stress on your body, and being sick is a BIG stress on your body! When you're sick just take the time off and make sure you're resting a lot and eating very, very clean. The good news is that if you're following a caveman diet along with a great workout program you should naturally have a very strong immune system! But, if you do find yourself sick please stay home, don't go to the gym and don't go to your trainer. Not only will you be doing yourself harm, but you're putting others at risk as well. If you get other people sick, they can't workout , and if you get your trainer sick, then all his/her clients wont workout and they lose a week or more of work! So take a step back, eat well, rest like crazy, drink a ton of water, and a little sun light never hurt anyone. If you just cant sit still and need to do something I would suggest some joint mobility training or light stretching/yoga on your own.

Just remember that some times you need to take a small step back to take a couple big steps forward.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The Jungle Fit Magazine


Health and fitness is a gift that myself and other health and fitness experts give to our clients on a daily basis. It's an amazing gift that in a funny way gives right back! Nothing in this world beats watching my clients progress and get stronger with every workout. Nothing can compare to watching them moving in ways they never though possible, lifting weights they never could have imagined, and freeing them selves from their battle with excess body fat! I love my client's, they're my co-workers, students, and most importantly my friends.

But why stop with my physical clients? What if I could share the gift of health and fitness with the whole world? What if I could share the insights of not just me, but also those of my fellow colleagues/fitness professionals? This would be huge, it would be a gift to the whole world, sharing with them our combined knowledge on a regular basis on a wide variety of topics in all of our areas of expertise.

Well, this is no longer a "what if", it's now a reality my friends. Jungle Fit will be releasing the first ever issue of "The Jungle Fit Magazine" with in the coming days. Just like any good gift, the gift of the Jungle Fit Magazine will be completely FREE! Free to share with your friends, family, co workers, facebook friends, YouTube viewers, and anyone else you feel like sharing this gift of health and fitness with.

This months issue will feature great articles on topics such as ..

- Blending your kettlebell and body weight training
- The basics of the Olympic lifts
- Macebell training tips from India
- Should you be using a weight belt or not?

... By expert health and fitness educators from Canada and around the world. This months contributors include myself as well as my colleagues and friends Kyle Pichie, Kirk Tyo, and Girish Sarma. Here's a little more info on each of them!

- Kyle Pichie, one of the most entertaining and well educated trainers I have had the pleasure of meeting. Kyle works as coach for CrossFit Cornwall, based out of Cornwall, ON (www.cornwallcrossfit.com) and has a passion for heavy lifts! His expertise in all things CrossFit (especially Olympic lifts/Power Lifting) makes Kyle a very dynamic trainer and someone I'm very excited to share with all of you!

- Kirk Tyo, not enough praise can be given to this man when it comes to the field of health and fitness as a whole. Kirk (a certified Chek Holistic Lifestyle Coach) trains out of Physical Limits based out of Cornwall, ON (www.physicallimits.com) and changes his clients lives by approaching fitness, nutrition, and stress management as a whole. His knowledge on regaining your functional strength or and improving your physique through the most scientific and up to date means possible is second to none. I am very proud to bring Kirks wealth of knowledge to all of you!

- Girish Sarma, an armature boxer and Certified Macebell Trainer based out of India. Girish has a passion for health and fitness that burns so strong it can be felt across an ocean! When it comes to traditional Indian training or macebell training, Girish is the man to seek out. His constant innovation, dedication, and nose to the grind stone work with his macebell training can't be touched. View his videos here (www.youtube.com/girishsarma180), you'll love some of his variations on traditional exercise. I could not be more pleased to bring to all of you Girish Sarma!

- Of course there will also be an article by myself, Timothy Bell Jungle Fit founder and body weight training expert. To learn more about Jungle Fit visit the website at www.Jungle-Fit.com or head to the YouTube page at www.youtube.com/JungleFit for some great videos as well as free workouts!

... So be sure to stay tuned to the Jungle Fit Facebook page or send me out an e-mail at tim@jungle-fit.com to be added to the e-mail list for your free copy of "The Jungle Fit Magazine"! It's a gift that will keep on giving, and just might change your entire life!