Reflections and Connections

December is the time of year where all sorts of different media outlets post and list their favorite items/events/people of 2013. My reflections on the year are a bit more private and may remain so ( I haven't decided yet). However another kind of reflection that I am doing this holiday season is connecting with people who I haven't kept up good contact with this past year.

I am lucky enough to have some time off during the holiday season. I have made a list of people, in no particular order, that I have thought about and realized we haven't talked in a while. Each day I will call and talk with them, or leave a voicemail if they don't answer. Yes CALL them, not text, email, tweet, or facebook message. The point is to make this personal and not something out of courtesy during the holidays. 

If you have time during the holidays I would encourage you to do the same. I am excited to hear about how the people on my list are doing, and hopefully it propels us to not lose our renewed connection and builds stronger friendships and bonds because of it.

Happy Holidays,

DJB.

Post surgery Vol. 3: The sling is gone!

It is time to get things moving along with my rehabilitation from my Type II SLAP tear. I have officially been cleared out of my sling as of a few days ago.

Yesterday, I went to physical therapy and got cleared for full range of motion in all planes.  However, I am not close to full range, yet. As hard as it might be for me progress slowly and know my limitations, I know that this new intact labrum is an expensive new chance to do things the correct way. I became aware and educated on how to protect my shoulder too late for surgical intervention, but now it is time for me to become proactive and make sure that this surgically repaired shoulder lasts me for as long as possible so I do not have to have any more surgeries on my left shoulder any time soon.

Unfortunately, I have seen this case with a lot of people I have observed. The movement patterns are performed with little care and technique until there is signs of pain and dysfunction that puts a limit on what can be performed. It is a reactive nature instead of proactive.

Being proactive to improve movement to build both inner and outer strength is something, now more than ever, I hold dear to my heart since I have been on the other side. I know how it feels to not be able to do basic movement patterns because of pain and movement dysfunction that couldn't be improved without surgical intervention.

It is time for me to put my words into practice, I have been learning and teaching more and more, and now am very excited to be going through the trials of re-learning how to use my left arm and create movement patterns that are fluid and pain free

It is time for a more proactive you.

Post Surgery Vol. 2

This post is long overdue.

The past few weeks have been a pretty consistent linear climb to getting back to fully functional. I went in for my two week post-op appointment and was able to get my stitches out which was a relief because I can actually take a shower without worrying about getting the stitches wet. The sterile strip in the scar in the back of my shoulder fell off today and the scar is barely noticeable.

I made it my goal to get at least 10,000 steps on my fitbit each day, I have only missed that goal one day since I set it. I have been making myself get up and go walking early in the day since it has been so hot and humid the past few weeks.

I started physical therapy on Thursday and i have limited range of motion until I am four weeks out and then I can get a bit more before I am cleared to be out of my sling (my appointments is in 22 days, not that I'm counting).

Overall I am still happy with how everything has gone. I have tightened up my nutrition so that I am not gaining weight since my activity level is lower than normal. I have also been able to refocus and devote a good amount of time to working on my Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification.

It is a waiting game to make sure this labrum is completely healed and once I get to the 6 week mark I will be good to go to start getting my activity levels back up to where I want them to be.

Post Surgery Vol. 1

Tuesday I finally took the step and got surgery for my SLAP tear in my left shoulder. The past week has been a little spacey with lots of sleeping throughout the day to recover.

Here is a brief day by day review

Tuesday- By the time Tuesday came around I was beyond ready to get this over with. The doctor said that the surgery went better than expected and they were able to do everything they needed to do through the scope which is nice to help keep the scaring to a minimum.

Wednesday- The nerve block was finally wearing off so i was actually starting to feel pain, however I did end up sleeping for most of the day because the pain killers and I were not getting along.

Thursday- This was the first day of the week where I felt back alert and more like myself. I even threw my fitbit to see how many steps I got in during the day, my goal was 1000, and I got pretty close.

Friday (Today)- Today is the first day I don't have to ice constantly so I am able to move around a bit more. I was able to take off the bandage and see the 3 scars healing on my shoulder. I have gotten up to 2,000 steps and went out and saw my chiropractor to get some acupuncture done.

So today I have started to feel more human again and get back to a routine. I am hitting my goals of getting more steps in each day and being slightly more active each day. I have made sure to keep my diet in check as to not overeat junkfood but also to make myself eat when the painkillers don't let me have an appetite.

I'll be back in a few days with hopefully more energy!

Coach vs. Coach

A lot of people call themselves coaches or trainers however seeing a person coach or train is a totally different story. The action of coaching is what makes a person a coach, not just because they call themselves it. It doesn't matter if it is fitness or sports or even life, some action has to be taken by the coach to coach. However it seems that we can get lost along the way and that a title is more important than the action. I have been spoiled in the fast of I have been taught to coach on many different topics. Was I good at it whatever I was coaching at first? probably not, but I had a coach supervising that coached me on how to get better. This coaching helped me become a better coach whether it be swimming, strength and conditioning or other topics.

If we as coaches don't coach our clients and athletes we are doing them a disservice. We are not educating them on what they need to improve on and we are not doing our jobs to make them better. Coaches coach not babysit.

So go coach to be a coach.

backwards to go forwards

As much as I have not wanted to have surgery in the past to fix the SLAP tear in my shoulder, it is time to get it taken care of. I may not be looking forward to 6 weeks of my dominant arm in a sling but in the long run if I am able to throw without pain again and even possibly get back into the pool again I am ready to do so.

Going backwards to go forwards isn't something that most people like to do, I know I don't but I need to, and it is frustrating because we all have an ego that doesn't want to go back to that beginner or novice level, no matter what the situation. However, in my case this scenario provides (forces) me opportunities to learn how to do things with my right arm. I may even try and teach myself how to write right handed giving me a shot to write legibly for once in my life.

When you have to regress to go forwards realize that it provides great learning opportunities that you might not have been forced to do before. Don't take a narrow frame to the situation and realize that going backwards before you go forwards is the direction you need to go.

Why not you?

A question  I have asked myself many times is why is there a disconnect between the people who innovate and become an entrepreneur and others who sit by and watch the world go by as they punch in and out at their 9-5 job?

What gives some people the right or gall to start something and what causes others to not launch on anything they want to do and only be the coffee shop dreamer?

In a blog post from my former boss Tony Gentilcore, he wrote about personal trainers "getting comfortable with being uncomfortable." I feel that holds a lot of weight and not just with personal trainers. As a person marketing themselves as their own brand has to be comfortable with rejection due to a myriad of factors that can't be taken personally, even though more often then not they are. It can be a tough task to achieve, because being comfortable is well, comfortable. With the age of news feeds and timelines and reader pages attention spans are getting shorter making it more difficult to get staying power in any business.

As far as internet fitness goes I have heard that it is easier for all the new professionals in the industry because of the wide reach that is available and what knowledge is already floating out around the interwebz. From my perspective it is harder because you have all of the information that is available and has been presented and you have to figure out how to get your small piece of usually what is the already small piece we are all going after. It takes extra creativity and passion to be able to find your niche along the way but it can be done.

So go do it. yes, you.

(If you don't someone else will)

"The Magic Box"

I had a first session with a client the other day and on the interest paper it read "searching for the magic box."  I thought to myself keep looking and let me know when you find it. I met with the client and while we were talking about how to reach the realistic goals we were setting again they mentioned "I want that magic box."  I told them "me too, I would be a 6'4" 250 middle linebacker in the NFL if I had that magic box. But as much as we wish for it, it isn't realistic. It takes a good amount of effort to get even the smallest goal achieved.

Unfortunately I still find myself occasionally searching for that elusive magic box in the ways of burying myself in books that I may find the secret  and shortcut to whatever it is I am looking for. I laugh when I realize I am doing it, whether I am trying to figure out the ins and outs of economics and finance, because I have no formal background in it, or looking for the next research study or therapy book to learn from and pull new information out of it.

While searching for this magic box I have realized I have had it all along and all that I learn through formal education, informal education and interaction are different tools that fit into the box that make it magical. Some of the information will be more important at different times, and some of it won't fit until a specific time or place. However, it all helps along the way.

So when you find yourself looking for the magic box realize that you already have it and you just need to pull the right tool from it. The answer might not be right in front of your face, or at the top of the box, but make the effort to find the right tool for the situation and it will work out.

Art, and the fun doing it

I have had more time on my hands recently. It is time to use that time productively and get some writing done.

This morning I finished The Icarus Decpetion, Seth Godin's latest book and it was time for me to suck it up and finish it, I bought it in January. I usually breeze through his works and really enjoy reading them. It was a bigger factor that it took me a longer time to get the book back off the shelf and finish it. Life has been interesting for me in the past few months with multiple waves of instability and being unsure thrown my way.

The sum substance of the book is to make art, and make it well, if it isn't clicking with an audience, find a different one and make better art. There lies my problem. I have been complacent without making art, therefore regretting the opportunities not taken. It is time to start again making the art and realize the journey and process is the fun of it.

Art isnt your typical paintings or drawings (however in my case part of my art is my black and white ink drawings) but it is doing the work that you love to do and putting the effort in to care about the work. When I give myself a chance to reflect on the art I can make everyday I realize how important the art is and what can be done to make a difference no matter what size.

We are now at Step 1 (We completed 2 steps)

I have been at my new job for just under two months now. And like with any new job there is a lot to do to get things the way they you like them at the beginning. Dealing with teenagers, it can take a little bit and be an ongoing challenge to get them to focus on working out and training the way they should. But it has been a challenge that I have welcomed, because after all it is my job, and everyone deserves a great coach to help them get better (I hope I can be that for my athletes). These first two months have been where I am almost on repeat making sure to cue the same little nuances over and over to ingrain it in my classes heads what they need to do. Looking at how far they have come in such a short amount of time has been amazing and there is definite improvement just by the looks of their attitudes towards training. After yesterday's sessions I thought to myself then said to the other coach "we have gained 2 steps.... We are now at step 1." He laughed, looked at me puzzled and asked what I meant by that.

Here is what I meant

Step -1) We eliminated bad habits

Step 0)  We started good habits

Step 1) We have practiced good habits


It takes work to get to step 1 but once you are there you will know, think of getting to step 1 as the beginning results for all the effort that you put into to your task through consistent diet, training and lifestyle change. It is all worth it once you get there.

Looking at Increases in Strength a bit Differently

The past few months, since kick starting my journey to be awesome at CP, I have been able to work around my "injuries" and have been able to get a training effect.

With all of the issues I have dealt with, torn left labrum, chronic left big toe pain, severe left anterior hip tightness, occasional  right anterior knee pain, right jammed ankle, one would think that I would be relegated to only training my right arm. However not the case. Working with all the coaches at CP I was able to find exercises that I could do without pain. If I did them correctly. When talking with Eric about it he did tell me that a positive of my shoulder pain was that if it hurt during specific movements, I was doing it wrong. Honestly, I had never thought of it that way before.

That one statement made me actually think about what I was doing in the weight room, and probably overthink, to make sure that I would relearn movement patterns correctly.

Doing this was and still is a humbling experience. For most upper body exercises I had to crank down the weight to relearn the patterns. I had to took my ego out of lifting. It helped. Slowly and steadily over the past 5 months I have been working on getting my movement patterns back and increasing my strength. I have gotten back to a solid weight of 193lbs and increased my lean tissue that I lost over the summer.

However, by the looks of my numbers on my logs you wouldn't really say my strength has been increasing, even though they have. Given the state that I have been in I have to judge my increases in strength a tad differently. Because of the shoulder pain all vertical pressing or rowing has been taken out (on my left side). Leaving me to rely on horizontal rowing variations, bilateral and unilateral, and mostly pushup variations.

In the past 2 months I have been able to go up 5 pounds in a standing 1 arm cable row on my left side. That is pretty weak for a baby boomer let alone a 23 year old fitness professional, but the quality of the repetitions  I have been able to do have increased dramatically. My rowing pattern has started to get synced up so that scapular retraction will initiate the movement allowing me to use my lower trapezius to stabilize my shoulders and letting me keep my core tight throughout the movement. So even though my traditional number of how much weight I can do is still very low, I know that my strength and coordination is increasing because my pain levels have decreased and the quality has increased.

Think about assessing the quality of the exercise next time you are in the weight room and you have gone up in weight, not just making sure you have good form, but actually getting a sense of what your body is doing during the movement. You will see that the high number isn't everything.

Take the ego out of it.
Do it well, then do it heavy.