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What is 40fit?

40fit supports a community of athletes age 40+ with Fitness, Community and Lifestyle resources. The goal is to support performance, lifestyle and quality of life for 40 plus athletes. By combining the resources of evidenced based science, anecdotal experience, and the community, individuals are challenged to look at aging through a refreshing perspective and reach their maximum genetic potential.

Why?

The more I trained using various methods, the more I realized there was something missing.  I noticed that even though I was significantly more fit than most of my peers, my experience in training was not the same as the “younger crowd.” The higher my fitness level became, the more I realized the value of fitness and lifestyle factors that I paid less attention to in the past. This is true for almost any athlete seeking higher levels of performance and capacity. Any inexperienced athlete can make quick and sometimes astonishing gains.

40fit programming is based on my own personal experiences as an athlete, evidenced based science and the collective experiences of the community. The programming model is a conjugate of these inputs and represents an adaptive construct to support the maximum genetic potential of each individual athlete. There is no one system that can meet the needs of all individuals, and anyone who would tell you otherwise is selling something for the purposes of selling something. The programming in the training model will constantly change and be a work in progress. We will not follow fads or training techniques just because someone else recommends them or they have become sexy. The foundation of any training should be based on what works, not what sells. I know that puts us at a significant disadvantage to spread the word, but I hope that the results of those who engage in our training will be evidence enough.

May 31, 2019

Last week we discussed the importance of work -- especially physical work -- and it's impact on the mind and body. This week is a 180; we're talking about rest. Now, when we discuss training we often talk about recovery in terms of food and sleep. Sleep is a crucial part of rest, indeed, but it's not the whole picture. Rest is both recovery, in a training sense, and recuperation for your hormonal and mental health.

 

We know that psychological stress is stress on the body, just like stress from lifting heavy weights, doing a hard conditioning workout, or running a marathon. It's not as easily quantifiable as a workout, but psychological stress causes elevated cortisol levels, can impair mood, and, gone unchecked, can lead to "burn out," leaving you in a deep hole mentally and physically.

 

No one wants that! So Coach D walks through some suggestions for incorporating rest -- not just recovery -- into your life:

  1. Disconnect proactively -- before you hit the wall, unplug and disengage from your work and media/information consumption. Give yourself down time. Take the time to truly unplug… don’t 
  2. Meditate -- it's proven to increase brain cortex thickness (thus improving cognition and sensorium) and improve memory, willpower and drive
  3. Try yoga -- yoga is a low impact exercise with an emphasis on meditation and serenity. Look for yin yoga classes which emphasize long, slow, relaxing movements with deep stretches -- great for lifters!
  4. Hot bath / sauna -- a simple, quiet bath can help you calm down and relax after a stressful day.
  5. Journaling -- documenting your daily wins, struggles, and thoughts can help keep your problems in perspective, and prioritize long-term thinking.
  6. Set boundaries from digital world -- turn off ALL digital devices before bedtime, preferably an hour before. When you take time off from work, disconnect completely. Be clear with clients and coworkers about you availability, and fight the urge to check in when you're supposed to be off.
  7. Have sex! It's not just enjoyable in the moment, it releases hormones that help relieve stress, increase bonding, and strengthen relationships. 

 

These are just a few suggestions. Take some time for yourself, and rest. There's more to life than work, training, and recovery, but you need to give yourself space and perspective to discover what that is for you.

 

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