This is a blog I wrote a while back, but I really think the message is important.
Anyone who knew me in high school is thinking, "You didn't run track in high school?!?!" Well, I was on the track team for two weeks. I was looking for something new to do and I decided to join track. I told the track coach and he told me when practices were. I went to every practice for two weeks. The coach was never there. Sometimes one of the other track kids would have a note of things to do, a sort of work out that was written in what was to me at the time some secret track code. There wasn't much running going on.
Having not had one session of coaching, a track meet was coming up. I had no idea what I was doing, so I went to the track coach after a class and told him I was quitting track.
He laughed.
Then he asked me why, I told him there was a track meet coming up and I was not ready for it.
He said, "Well whose fault is that?" I walked away, he laughed a little more. If I had been as bold then as I am now I'd have said something back.
I didn't even consider running again for twenty years after that. When I did, it turned out I was kind of good at it.
So I'd like to thank my high school track coach for some important lessons.
Always be there for others.
When you are the one in charge of something, be involved.
Never laugh at a kid.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Why I Wore My Shirt in the Pool
It is in our nature to hold on to what we believe. Studies have shown that once we are emotionally invested in an idea, then we become resistant to arguments against it. When this happens, no matter if new facts are presented, no matter if circumstances change we will hold on to that belief. Often, in the face of overwhelming evidence against the belief, we will just start holding on even harder.
This is why I used to always wear a t-shirt swimming. In the pool, in the lake, it didn't matter, I wore a t-shirt when I swam.
I'm sure it had something to do with this:
This is why I used to always wear a t-shirt swimming. In the pool, in the lake, it didn't matter, I wore a t-shirt when I swam.
I'm sure it had something to do with this:
When I graduated high school I was 5'7" tall and weighed 120 pounds. In my mind, the idea that I had become invested in, I was a scrawny little wimp. I was pale skinned, weak, and frail.
Negative body image affects boys too.
Even when it was no longer true, I maintained that idea in my head for years. Even now, I feel uncomfortable taking my shirt off to swim. To this day, I get embarrassed when I come out of the water shirtless.
What the advertisements try to tell us is that if we can change our bodies, become more muscular, or thinner, or more tanned, or more toned, we will like ourselves, and others will too. For me, and I am willing to bet for a lot of other people too, changing the way my body looked did very little to change the way I perceived myself.
I'm still uncomfortable in shorts.
For me, fitness is not about trying to make my body acceptable as defined by others, it is not about trying to fix the way I look. For me fitness is about enjoying life to the fullest.
I want to live longer. I want to always be able to put the 50 pound bag of dog food in the cart. I want to be able to run after my dog if he manages to get off his leash. I want to be able to play soccer in the backyard with my daughter. I want to be able to keep up with her when she wants to go for a bike ride. I want to be able to give her a piggy back ride even when she's all grown up and comes home to visit.
I don't emphasize the idea of exercising to fit into an outfit, or into a mold that someone else set up as ideal. If goals like those get you exercising, I will be glad to help you fit into those pants, but my real goal, my ulterior motive, is to get you healthy and strong so you can minimize illnesses and injuries and maximize your time enjoying life.
If you want some fitness training or advice, let me know, I'll be happy to help.
Steven O'Nan
stevenonan.trainerize.com
https://www.facebook.com/StevenONanPersonalTrainer?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark
www.gettonedfitness.com
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Ways to Overcome Fitness Intimidation
OK, if you are new to the whole idea of fitness, if you have been sedentary and need to be less so, if you know it is time to make some changes, I'm talking to you.
I'm not going to tell you to train for a 5K race.
Or a marathon, or a triathlon. While many people have success stories about getting fit by committing to big goals, these things are not necessary.
I'm not trying to sell you a fitness program.
I'm in mission mode today, not career mode.
I'm not going to tell you the "one weird trick to lose belly fat fast!"
I'm going to keep it simple today.
I'm not asking or telling you to completely overhaul your lifestyle, I'm just sharing some easy things you can do that if you work them into your life can increase your health and happiness. Of course you should always discuss changes to your fitness routines with a doctor first, but these things are simple.
1. Walk your dog.
You need it, your dog needs it, take your dog for a walk. Go out the door, walk for 5 minutes, turn around and come back. Don't have a dog? Go to the humane society and volunteer to walk dogs there.
2. Find a fun way to get moving.
Do you like to take pictures? Go for a walk seeking out photo opportunities. Do you like to write? Go for a walk to find inspiring scenes to put on the page. Like video games? Get one that requires your body as the controller.
Whatever it is that you like to do. Find a way to make movement part of it.
3. Take up something new.
Try a new something to get you moving. Pick up some new fitness routine that you think you will enjoy, if you don't enjoy quit doing it and find something else. It can be anything from tennis, to Nintendo Wii sports to golf.
4. Take up something old.
Find an activity you enjoyed before and start doing it again. It can be anything from tennis, to. . .
The main thing is, to overcome a sedentary lifestyle, find something you like. You don't have to become a marathoner or an ironman triathlete, or Iron Man for that matter. All you have to do is start moving. Get up and do more, make it fun, make it a habitual part of your life. Once it is in your routine, if you want more, do more.
If you want help getting fit, contact me.
onansm@gmail.com
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
Words From My Wife
My wife is training for the "Atomic Man" triathlon. This is a half distance triathlon in Tennessee, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. She wrote this and sent it to me. She was also gracious enough to let me share it here.
Top Ten Perks from Training for The Atomic Man Triathlon
10. I can eat and enjoy WHATEVER and WHENEVER I want without concern of over fueling. Cereal at midnight is crucial.
9. I truly enjoy the look of shock on people's faces when I tell them how many miles I did or am doing. I hate to admit it, but I really do.
8. Running so long, I get to watch the sun set after a scorching summer day and give way to cool breezes rustling over sun baked, wheat fields.
7. Swimming a mile in cool water and peeking at the moon after each breath.
6. Traveling from county to county on my bike to notice what can never be seen in a car, such as turkey feathers for Emma, potential bonsai trees for Steven, and a turtle in a stream below the bridge for Jordan.
5. Realizing each day that people are CRAZY not to reach for their full potential, and they think I am the crazy one.
4. Profoundly shocked each day that I can do so much more both physically and mentally than I ever allowed myself to imagine, and so can everyone else, if we just embrace effort and give up the illusion that a couch and internet will bring happiness.
3. I am so stinking STRONG thanks to my fabulous coach, Steven O'Nan.
2. Sharing the experience with Jordan, Steven, and Emma.
1. Listening to Emma describe what it feels like to ride the bike she just mastered because she wants to do what we do: "You know...it's all smooth and balanced and smooth and peaceful."
Yes, it is Emma.
Top Ten Perks from Training for The Atomic Man Triathlon
10. I can eat and enjoy WHATEVER and WHENEVER I want without concern of over fueling. Cereal at midnight is crucial.
9. I truly enjoy the look of shock on people's faces when I tell them how many miles I did or am doing. I hate to admit it, but I really do.
8. Running so long, I get to watch the sun set after a scorching summer day and give way to cool breezes rustling over sun baked, wheat fields.
7. Swimming a mile in cool water and peeking at the moon after each breath.
6. Traveling from county to county on my bike to notice what can never be seen in a car, such as turkey feathers for Emma, potential bonsai trees for Steven, and a turtle in a stream below the bridge for Jordan.
5. Realizing each day that people are CRAZY not to reach for their full potential, and they think I am the crazy one.
4. Profoundly shocked each day that I can do so much more both physically and mentally than I ever allowed myself to imagine, and so can everyone else, if we just embrace effort and give up the illusion that a couch and internet will bring happiness.
3. I am so stinking STRONG thanks to my fabulous coach, Steven O'Nan.
2. Sharing the experience with Jordan, Steven, and Emma.
1. Listening to Emma describe what it feels like to ride the bike she just mastered because she wants to do what we do: "You know...it's all smooth and balanced and smooth and peaceful."
Yes, it is Emma.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Burning Calories
An enormous, old, dead tree stood alone in the field, I sat in the back of my Dad's truck, my Dad and two other men were working at the base of the tree. They alternated between using a chainsaw and hammering wedges into the cuts on the tree. Occasionally the tree would groan and shift a little. Finally it started to lean, then it rolled to one side just a bit, then with a pop and crack the beast of a tree was falling, crashing to the ground.
After my family had moved out of town and into the country we had to adopt certain new chores. The only heat in that house when we moved in was a propane furnace which didn't provide enough heat and cost us a lot to get the propane refilled so we got a wood burning stove and had to get firewood and split it. There was no trash pickup, so we had two methods of dealing with trash, a drive to the dump or the burn barrel.
While I was out on my long run today, I was thinking about the phrase "burning calories" (I think about all sorts of things while out on a long run) and it occurred to me that different people have very different ideas about calories.
I've divided people's thinking about calories into two categories. There is "burn barrel" thinking and "firewood" thinking.
Burn Barrel Thinking
Growing up, one of my chores was often to monitor the burn barrel. All the paper trash would go into the burn barrel and be lit, then I would be left to make sure nothing fell out or drifted out, and to occasionally throw in more trash or stir the trash in the barrel to keep it from smothering itself out. We burned all the garbage, the idea was to get rid of it, get it out of the house, dispose of it and not deal with it anymore.
Burn Barrel thinking when it comes to calories is viewing the calories the way we viewed the garbage. It was something that came into our house and we needed to get rid of. It was undesirable, it was sort of the enemy, it's only place was to be disposed of.
Burn Barrel thinking is when the workout serves the purpose only of getting rid of these awful calories that we consumed.
I challenge any burn barrel thinkers to start adopting firewood thinking.
Firewood Thinking
Firewood thinking is almost the opposite of burn barrel thinking. Yes it is still the process of burning something, and getting rid of it, but approaching it from a very different perspective. Firewood is what kept us warm and safe in the winter. Firewood made our house comfortable and livable. There were so many evenings in the winter that I would eat a big bowl of my Mom's Chili, then lay on the floor next to the wood burning stove and take a little catnap in the heat from the stove.
So firewood was not something we desired to get rid of. We knew that to keep our hose warm (to fuel your body), we needed to get firewood (you need to consume calories). My Dad had types of wood he preferred over others, he really liked to burn hickory (there are foods you should prefer too). Firewood was not the enemy, but something we needed to fuel our home (calories are what you need to fuel your body). The colder the winter was, the more energy we needed to expend to warm the house, so the higher quality and higher quantity of wood we needed. (The tougher your workout, the more energy expended, so higher quality and quantity of calories you need to fuel your body.)
Of course, that doesn't mean the solution was to cut down every dead tree, cut it up, split it, and stack it. If we got too much, it would not all get used and it would sit in the stacks and rot. The goal was to get the right amount of the right kind of wood to provide the fuel we needed.
When it comes to calories, I want you to think of them as the fuel you need to get through your life. Make sure to get the right kinds and the right amount. Not too many, not too little, and not garbage. Garbage goes in the burn barrel.
After my family had moved out of town and into the country we had to adopt certain new chores. The only heat in that house when we moved in was a propane furnace which didn't provide enough heat and cost us a lot to get the propane refilled so we got a wood burning stove and had to get firewood and split it. There was no trash pickup, so we had two methods of dealing with trash, a drive to the dump or the burn barrel.
While I was out on my long run today, I was thinking about the phrase "burning calories" (I think about all sorts of things while out on a long run) and it occurred to me that different people have very different ideas about calories.
I've divided people's thinking about calories into two categories. There is "burn barrel" thinking and "firewood" thinking.
Burn Barrel Thinking
Growing up, one of my chores was often to monitor the burn barrel. All the paper trash would go into the burn barrel and be lit, then I would be left to make sure nothing fell out or drifted out, and to occasionally throw in more trash or stir the trash in the barrel to keep it from smothering itself out. We burned all the garbage, the idea was to get rid of it, get it out of the house, dispose of it and not deal with it anymore.
Burn Barrel thinking when it comes to calories is viewing the calories the way we viewed the garbage. It was something that came into our house and we needed to get rid of. It was undesirable, it was sort of the enemy, it's only place was to be disposed of.
Burn Barrel thinking is when the workout serves the purpose only of getting rid of these awful calories that we consumed.
I challenge any burn barrel thinkers to start adopting firewood thinking.
Firewood Thinking
Firewood thinking is almost the opposite of burn barrel thinking. Yes it is still the process of burning something, and getting rid of it, but approaching it from a very different perspective. Firewood is what kept us warm and safe in the winter. Firewood made our house comfortable and livable. There were so many evenings in the winter that I would eat a big bowl of my Mom's Chili, then lay on the floor next to the wood burning stove and take a little catnap in the heat from the stove.
So firewood was not something we desired to get rid of. We knew that to keep our hose warm (to fuel your body), we needed to get firewood (you need to consume calories). My Dad had types of wood he preferred over others, he really liked to burn hickory (there are foods you should prefer too). Firewood was not the enemy, but something we needed to fuel our home (calories are what you need to fuel your body). The colder the winter was, the more energy we needed to expend to warm the house, so the higher quality and higher quantity of wood we needed. (The tougher your workout, the more energy expended, so higher quality and quantity of calories you need to fuel your body.)
Of course, that doesn't mean the solution was to cut down every dead tree, cut it up, split it, and stack it. If we got too much, it would not all get used and it would sit in the stacks and rot. The goal was to get the right amount of the right kind of wood to provide the fuel we needed.
When it comes to calories, I want you to think of them as the fuel you need to get through your life. Make sure to get the right kinds and the right amount. Not too many, not too little, and not garbage. Garbage goes in the burn barrel.
Friday, June 20, 2014
"We Need One of the Men For This"
I never want my daughter to have to say, "We'll need to get one of the men for this."
In the workplace I have heard that phrase a lot. I couldn't decide whether that was discriminatory against women, men, or both. I once saw a physically demanding task handed to a male who was less capable of lifting heavy loads than the female standing next to him.
I also cringe when I hear modified pushups (knee pushups) referred to as "girl" pushups.
Yes I do understand that physiologically men tend to have higher upper body strength than women; however, I also have met women that could bench press me while I am bench pressing my one rep maximum.
Each person has a right to live their life their own way, but as long as I can influence my daughter I want her to value fitness, strength, and self sufficiency. I want her to be the one who says, "We don't need a man to carry that box upstairs, it's only 25 pounds and I squat 150!"
Lifting weights is not just about bodybuilding, it is not just about proving yourself in the gym. Most of us in the USA today are privileged in that we have the opportunity to live pretty soft lives. Our daily routine does not have to include heavy exertion. In fact, in many cases our daily routines make it hard to find opportunities for heavy exertion.
Then benefits of strength training include:
In the workplace I have heard that phrase a lot. I couldn't decide whether that was discriminatory against women, men, or both. I once saw a physically demanding task handed to a male who was less capable of lifting heavy loads than the female standing next to him.
I also cringe when I hear modified pushups (knee pushups) referred to as "girl" pushups.
Yes I do understand that physiologically men tend to have higher upper body strength than women; however, I also have met women that could bench press me while I am bench pressing my one rep maximum.
Each person has a right to live their life their own way, but as long as I can influence my daughter I want her to value fitness, strength, and self sufficiency. I want her to be the one who says, "We don't need a man to carry that box upstairs, it's only 25 pounds and I squat 150!"
Lifting weights is not just about bodybuilding, it is not just about proving yourself in the gym. Most of us in the USA today are privileged in that we have the opportunity to live pretty soft lives. Our daily routine does not have to include heavy exertion. In fact, in many cases our daily routines make it hard to find opportunities for heavy exertion.
Then benefits of strength training include:
- Weight maintenance
- Weight Loss
- Arthritis Relief
- Stronger Bones
- Leaner Body
- Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
- Being able to carry your luggage up a set of stairs
- Never needing to say, "We better get one of the men for this."
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