Category: Fitness & Well Being

“Seiza” The Opportunity For Meditation Facts…

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with a fellow blogger who asked me an interesting question in relation to how I meditate. We had been discussing the ability and opportunity to meditate in the midst of being at home with family, pretty much around the clock. This discussion led to a question about what posture I use and how I deal with comfort issues and positioning during meditation. Since I effectively never do anything the easy way, the answer is not as simple as one specific pose or position.

The kneeling position, known in martial arts circles as “Seiza”

For the most part, I sit in a kneeling position during meditation. That doesn’t mean that this is always the OPTIMAL position, and I do tend to use a few different ones. But the position you see illustrated above is one that’s also associated with karate and some formal Japanese settings, so I’ve had most of my life to get used to it. Named “Seiza,” this position requires the person to kneel on the floor, placing their calves beneath their thighs and pointing the toes out behind them. The big toe on the right foot overlaps the left one, and the butt rests on the heels of the feet.

There’s a bunch of pomp and ceremony that goes into how to sit down and get up when using this posture, as well as when it’s appropriate and/or required to use it. But this post ain’t about all that. This is a posture that Sensei would often have us close out in, as it allows for a few moments of deep breathing and contemplation at the end of a workout. It also makes it significantly easier to bow respectfully when karate class closes. This posture is also used at the current karate school I train with, both at the beginning and the end of class.

From a meditation standpoint, I like this posture because it effectively forces me to sit up straight. I can breathe fully and unlike the lotus position, which I’ll cover off next, this posture doesn’t allow much room for me to slouch or slump. The downside is that sitting on one’s legs for more than about 20 or 30 minutes can lead to a condition called “paresthesia,” which is where some of the nerves and the blood flow in the legs become compromised resulting in the “pins and needles” sensation when a limb falls asleep. It’s never a good thing to block circulation, and since a Type-1 Diabetic’s circulation isn’t all that great to begin with, this can be a concern if you plan on meditating for a long period of time.

The next important posture is the lotus position. This is the classic and most recognizable posture in meditation. In fact, any time you see a statue of Buddha, he’s likely seated in the lotus position. This involves sitting with your butt on the floor with the left foot resting on top of the right thigh and the right foot resting on top of the left thigh in a cross-legged position. The hands are generally resting on top of the thighs, usually with the index and thumb of each hand joined together. This pose is not only used in meditation but is also used in forms of yoga, and is thought to promote the proper channeling of the body’s energy.

This can be a more comfortable posture to assume if you plan on meditating for a half hour or longer, as it won’t necessarily constrict blood circulation the way Seiza does. The problem I find with this posture is that unless I’m propped against a wall, I tend to let my shoulders slump or I start slouching at the upper back, which can become uncomfortable and damaging to the spine over long periods of time. Lotus has many variations to it and I usually favour the “half lotus,” which involves only setting one of the feet on top of the opposing knee with the other one simply being on the floor. This prevents the usual possible circulatory issues.

If you have Diabetes (or any other circulatory issues) there are a few things you can do to help facilitate meditation, regardless of what pose you use. You can get a meditation pillow. These are great as they keep your butt about four to six inches up off the ground, putting less stress on the knees, hips and various joints associated with meditative postures. The Japanese have special little folding stools that allow for the appearance of the kneeling position while taking the stress off of joints and allowing proper circulation.

Last but not least, you can try traditional postures, such as sitting in a chair. This is fine and I’d be lying if I said that I’ve NEVER done it. It just feels weird to me. Probably because I’ve spent my entire life using formal postures. Sitting in a chair just feels like it takes something away from the experience. You can also try lying flat, either on the floor, a yoga mat or on your bed. The only problem with this is if you lie on your bed and start breathing deeply with your eyes closed, you face the risk of falling asleep. Although I’m a big fan of naps and falling asleep isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it also usually isn’t my goal when I meditate. So I try to avoid this posture unless I’m having difficulty sleeping and I’m intentionally trying to meditate my way to dreamland.

Obviously, there are different types of meditation and postures that go along with them. Depending on what your goal is with meditation, you can’t really go wrong. The important thing is to find a posture that’s comfortable and suits YOU. It should accommodate your body and allow you to relax so that breathing, energy and blood flow are facilitated and you can focus on the mindfulness required for proper meditation. As I’ve often written, every person is different so it should be no surprise that each person’s needs and preference may be different from a meditative standpoint. ☯

Family Ties In The Dojo

We love our families and want nothing but the best for them. Sometimes, the best is not what we think it is and can only be sought out by the family members themselves. But health and fitness doesn’t discriminate, and it’s important that everyone in the family get off the couch and do something physical at least a few times a week. This isn’t always an easy thing to encourage, and some family members will often be less than enthusiastic about being put through the ringer; especially if you happen to be the instructor…

If you happen to be an instructor of a sports club or a martial arts dojo, getting your family involved can be a good or a bad thing. I’ve seen it all… Family members who have basically been forced or coerced to join and family members who feel it necessary to “tag along” even if their efforts are far below what would usually be required of the environment. It can be a difficult and awkward situation, especially since you need to go home and live in relative peace with these people once class is done.

Trying to teach Nathan the basics back in 2019. Kid can’t take a hit…

One of the best examples I can think of are Sensei and his son. As his only male child, Sensei expected his son to train diligently and consistently. And to excel. A bit of an archaic way of thinking by today’s standards but remember that I’m referring to 40 years ago. The son was made to attend every class, train every day and even to start teaching at a young age, despite the fact that by the time he reached his pre-teens, he expressed no interest in karate. As a practitioner myself, I can certainly relate to how heartbreaking that would be. But it’s important to remember that even if karate is your thing, it may not be your child’s.

The result of that forced learning is that decades later, Sensei’s son is no longer an active practitioner. Oh sure, he has skills that will always be with him. And appropriately, he was Sensei’s first student to pass black belt. Those are all important milestones for both of them. But when you compare it to someone like me, who has been eating, breathing and sleeping karate for over 30 years but who joined and trained of his own volition, the difference is I still make it a part of my daily life and have ambitions to teach.

Training with a spouse or loved one has its own set of complications. Imagine having your spouse in your karate class, yelling at her, making her do knuckle push-ups and basically flooring her physically. Then getting home that evening and expecting to share a shower or snuggling up as though you DIDN’T just make her life a living hell. Much to the same tune as working a job with a spouse, training with them can be rough waters to navigate. And if it’s to be attempted, clearly defined parameters and guidelines for what’s expected and what will be done need to be established. By the same token, making sure that nothing is done that could be considered favouritism needs to be kept in mind as well.

It’s important to remember that the familial title should be the priority. If you’re a husband, then that’s your role and it would be very difficult to be a slave-driving instructor to your spouse. They can hate an instructor all they want, so long as they get the results they seek. But it’s a little hard to release and use that hatred against your husband. The same can be said of your children, as forcing them into something they don’t want to do could potentially sour them from being interested in any similar activities in the future. And it’s just as important that ALL family members be active, albeit occasionally for different reasons.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t be active with your family. You can participate in a variety of sports and activities that can get the heart pumping without necessarily taking on an instructional role. Taking walks, snowball fights or sledding are great family activities. Even a good old fashion pillow fight, so long as you have the space and a safe environment to do so. Nathan and I often just roll on the floor mats downstairs, wrestling and grappling. He has a blast playing around while I’m slowly teaching him some grappling techniques. And he’s started showing interest in picking up the 3-pound dumbbells and imitating what I do during at-home workouts.

My wife does not train in karate, but we still work out together whenever we have the chance. Couples who get fit together, stay together. But it would be a different story if I had to act in a capacity where I had to constantly push her and force her to do more. Such student/teacher relationships can lead to resentment and hard feelings. That’s why it’s very difficult, bordering on the impossible for anyone to fill that role while still maintaining the relationship.

There’s no problem with encouraging family members to exercise together and get fit together. In fact, in can even be an inexpensive way of keeping the family involved together during trying times while getting some much needed exercise. But the day your spouse or child decides to walk into your dojo may require some wariness and caution on your part. The difference between “Yes, Sensei!” and “Yes, Dear!” or “Yes, Daddy!” can mean the difference between a happy household or a few slammed doors. ☯

What You Need For An At-Home Dojo

I hear a lot of people complain that they can’t go to their regular gym or that their dojo has shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions. And while I can understand (and share) their frustrations, there’s nothing preventing anyone from getting some solid workouts at home, which include karate and martial arts. All you really need is about 24 square feet of space, which allows a traditional martial artist to do all their forms, squats, push-up as well as most dumbbell and kettlebell exercises with very little difficulty.

That being said, the video below shows the setup I have in my basement, which I fondly refer to as my “home dojo.” I’ve kept it pretty simple, as you’ll see in the video. But I’ve included black, foam matting, some light weights fro some resistance circuits as well as access to music because, well… a true martial artists sometimes needs to get his groove on during a workout!

It should be clear that even in the midst of the current state of the world, there’s really no excuse for NOT working out. Where there’s a small 24 square-foot space, there’s a way. Workouts can be done in your living room, at the foot of your bed or anywhere you have a small amount of floor space to work with. And since exercise is needed for increased health, better mood and life perspective (not to mention overall Diabetes control), we need exercise now more than ever. So keep bringing the sweat! ☯

You’ve Lost That Vegan Feelin’…🎶

I’ve often said that I have absolutely nothing against people who choose different diets and/or lifestyles, so long as it isn’t harming anyone (those people included) and isn’t being shoved down my throat like some unwanted rhetoric. Unfortunately, most people who choose such diets or lifestyle choices are prone to wanting others to jump on the bandwagon; either through a sense of not wanting to be alone or because they seek validation for their choices. Whichever reason they may have, it’s almost a safe guarantee that if one of your friends or family members has made the decision to consume a vegetarian or vegan diet, you’re gonna hear about it! And today, I’m gonna be one of ’em! Buckle up…

In recent weeks, I’ve slowly groomed myself to reduce the amount of calories I consume in a day. No, I don’t starve myself! I can certainly promise you that I’m not going hungry and the pool floatie I seem to be carrying around my mid-section would sustain me for weeks without food, anyway. But I digress… I recently wrote that as part of an unofficial “New Year’s resolution,” I would be trying to maintain a certain level of calorie-deficit in my daily diet in an effort to coax my body towards tapping into its rather substantial fat stores. I’ve also been aware for some time that I tend to consume far more calories in the course of a day than I generally require.

It’s been going rather well, with no lingering hunger and no visible effects that I can report. I’m still exercising regularly, but one significant side effect is that I’ve noticed better, more balanced blood sugar levels overall. This is due in part to the fact that for about two meals a day, I’m only consuming a negligible amount of carbohydrates for my insulin pump to deal with. In fact, when you factor in meals such as a tuna steak with brussel sprouts, I occasionally don’t have to bolus at all! This means that I can maintain blood sugar levels that are in range for longer periods of time than my usual diet.

That’s been nice and all, but as a 210-pound man, I frequently crave certain foods that would be better off left in the grocery store. One of those guilty pleasures (besides cheeseburgers) is buffalo chicken. I absolutely love the stuff, despite the fact that the after-effects very much dislike me. I’ve had buffalo chicken in almost all of its form, including buying plain chicken strips and/or nuggets and simply making my own buffalo sauce at home using hot sauce. After all, buffalo sauce is only hot sauce mixed with butter. (I’m drooling through the chest pain here, folks!)

Recently while doing groceries, I decided that in the spirit of eating better and trying to reduce the number of calories I consume, that I would purchase and try a package of vegan chicken strips. They boasted as being “hot buffalo” so I thought to myself, “Hey, I’ll try anything once…” I’ve had friends serve me vegetarian meals over the years, and I can freely admit that they’ve been delicious. It’s isn’t all tofu and quinoa. Given that the vegan strips were on special, it was a perfect time to try them out. I baked ’em. I ate ’em. I went out and bought more…

They were quite delicious, and I did indeed purchase more while they were still on special. But as with al things in life, there should be a balance. And there is in fact, some good news and some bad news. For obvious reasons, I won’t be naming brands or locations and before I dip into information from everywhere else, here are the facts I collected during my own consumption of these vegan chicken bites. The first problem is that they’re comparatively more expensive than traditional chicken strips and/or nuggets. Even while on special, factoring in the portion size shows the vegan option to be more expensive.

This is a problem, especially if you’re as cheap as I am! And as the old saying goes, “as long as a burger costs $1.37 and a salad costs $6.95 at my favourite restaurant…” Right? Am I the only fiscally responsible one here??? Maybe? But the biggest aspect is looking into what you actually get from these vegan bites as opposed to chicken-based bites. In order to make this comparison, I matched up the vegan chicken bites against their popular, fast-food chain counterparts in order to see how they stacked up against one another.

First, let’s look at the chicken version. For a popular chain’s pack of just 4 chicken “nuggets” or bites (approximately 58 grams), you’re looking at about 170 calories, 10 grams of fat and 10 grams of carbohydrates. Not too bad, right? 10 grams of carbs for a meal is manageable. Throw some greens into that equation and it’s a pretty low-cost meal, especially since it would only represent ROUGHLY 10% of my daily caloric intake. Not a bad start to the show, if my second meal is just as low, followed by a “all bets are off” meal of about 500 calories.

Now for the vegan option. This is based on the brand I tried, either buffalo or plain so that my wife could partake (she isn’t a fan of buffalo). For a 51 gram serving, which is about two strips, you’re looking at 90 calories and about 4 grams of fat. So there’s a reasonable reduction in those respects, but it’s a negligible difference of 8 grams of carbohydrates for this serving. Considering the fact that this serving is a bit smaller than the chicken alternative, you’re basically getting the same level of bang for your bolus. But it’s still ideal for a bit of a reduced-calorie serving.

Here’s the real kicker: some of these vegan alternatives are often made to look, smell and taste like the meat they try to replace. And there’s a fair bit they do to accomplish this. Meat replacement options can often contain high levels of sodium, fillers and preservatives to not only give them a signature look, but to make them palatable. And you’ll have less nutrients and vitamins than their meat-based counterparts.

To be clear, a vegan diet isn’t inherently bad for you; but these specific frozen meat replacements aren’t GREAT for you. That’s the point I’m trying to make. In fact, an article posted online by Men’s Health names frozen meat alternatives, tofu deli meats, frozen vegan meals and veggie chips as food alternatives that are inherently bad for you. In defence of vegans, those foods aren’t the greatest for you in their original iterations, either. It’s all about watching the sodium and calorie levels and reading your nutritional labels properly.

My verdict on all of this is that your local grocery store may be selling vegan options that are boasted to be “healthier,” but this just isn’t so. Eating these vegan strips/bites on the odd occasion when they come on special won’t harm you any more than going out for fast-food once a week. As with all things in life, it’s about moderation. But from a Diabetes standpoint, you can burn through just as much insulin eating these vegan options as their genuine counterparts. Sorry, folks. Be wary.

If anyone has their own stories or information on this topic they’d like to share, feel free to post them in the comments. Please, keep it kind. I’ll mention that I wrote this post in the interest of sharing the information and my experience, not to pick a fight with anyone whose lifestyle is based on a vegan or vegetarian diet. I’m still reeling from the unfortunate blogger who thought she had to attack me personally for writing a post about the differences between meat and vegetarian diets. Seriously. Grow up and quit arguing, people. As the theme song goes, “The world don’t move to the beat of just one drum…” Can’t we all just get along? ☯

Why You Shouldn’t Force Kids Into Karate

Every parent wants what’s best for their kids, and that often involves putting them into sports, after-school activities and variety of different hobbies and groups. But what should you do if your child isn’t interested in the things you have them try? This video provides my perspective on why you should never force your children into karate, or the martial arts in general. ☯

My New YouTube Channel

Hey folks! I know I’m not in the habit of drafting two posts in a day and it’s a bit late in the game to be posting a second one, but I’ve decided to put my face on camera and started my own YouTube channel. I only have one video on there, which is scheduled to go live in about ten minutes. But I’m hoping to use the video aspect to discuss and demonstrate things that are a bit difficult to explain with words and photos. If y’all wouldn’t mind visiting the channel and clicking those little “like” and “follow” buttons, I can start pumping out videos in tandem with my blog posts. For any one interested, here’s the link to the YouTube channel.

Check out this first video, which I recoded tonight…

Hopefully, it doesn’t bore everyone any worse than my long-winded posts usually do. I look forward to sharing more in the future. If anyone has any thoughts on something I should be posting in video format as opposed to in written form, please let me know in the comments. ☯

Seeing It Through…

If you have uncontrolled Diabetes, having the motivation to see something through can be pretty difficult. I have unfortunate memories of my behaviour through my late teens and 20’s where my erratic blood sugars often caused mood swings and a deep apathy for life that went way beyond the point of being lazy. It was hard, because my lack of energy and motivation would usually result in me just wanting to “sit and relax,” or get some “rest.” This was usually code for simply not having any motivation. Honestly, I often wonder how I was able to make my way through the martial arts ranks.

The lack of energy and motivation is what usually hit me hardest. I like to think that things are much better for me these days, and I use my motivation in ways that continue to grow my fitness and increase my control over Diabetes. And sometimes I like to try new things. You may have heard me mention that, once in a while. During the first week of January, I joined a fitness challenge through my RunKeeper app that involved logging 50 kilometres of distance within the calendar month. One would think that this shouldn’t BE an issue, since I usually log more than that in one cycling session. But it’s kind of difficult to cycle on snow, and walking roughly involves three times as much time as cycling.

I started by taking time to walk a few kilometres during the daylight hours. This was made all the more difficult by the fact that Nathan was remote schooling when I started this, and he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t let him join. When he started going back to school in person, I would see him off on the bus then take my walk immediately after that. It would be a touch on the colder side, since the sun wouldn’t be up at this point. But I would usually manage to get three or four kilometres logged within an hour of walking, which was a good pace and started growing my monthly total to bring me closer to the 50 kilometres I needed.

Sometimes, it was actually nice to get out of the house and have a walk. On clear, sunny days I could listen to music or simply be alone with my thoughts while getting fresh air and some mild modicum of exercise. I started to see some of the advantage behind walking every day. On other days, it felt tedious and very much like an obligation. This is where I started to run into trouble, towards the end. With only 8 kilometres left to log, I lost motivation and started avoiding walks. It’s not like I was even actively trying to avoid it, I simply didn’t;t have the energy. Inclement weather and the recent snow storm with power outages certainly didn’t help.

Ultimately, I reached the minimum I needed. I believe I even went beyond the 50 kilometres I originally set out to log. Completing this 50 kilometres also enters my name in a draw for a potential prize of cross training sneakers that I would never afford on my own (or wouldn’t PAY for, normally) so there was some outside motivation involved, as well. But the experience was good and my wife and I have discussed making walks a family thing, now that the fitness challenge is done. This simply goes to show that you can start working on your fitness with something as easy as taking a walk. The motivation be sometimes need to be found first. But all it takes is getting off the couch and doing it. ☯

If You’re Going To Be Salty, May As Well Soak While You Do…

There are a number of things that I do to promote healing and recovery after workouts, including proper diet, proper sleep (when life and my body allow it), heat and/or cold as required, meditation and stretching. But one of the more relaxing things I enjoy doing is taking a hot bath with Epsom salts. Even if you’ve never used Epsom salts, you’ve no doubt walked past them numerous times at your local retailer’s or pharmacy. They come in either a sealed plastic bag or a pourable plastic tub.

If you’ve never used it, you may be asking what the hell Epsom salt is? Well, in simplest terms, it’s a white crystalline powder that composed primarily of magnesium and sulphate, hence the “salt” aspect. Apparently, the term “Epsom” is the place where it’s mined. But the idea is to pour a couple of cups of this stuff into a hot bath and it will dilute and break down into the individual magnesium and sulphate, which can then be absorbed into the body during your soak to reap the benefits of these two mineral salts for a variety of reasons.

Every article I’ve read and every source I’ve looked into claims that there’s no definitive evidence that there’s a benefit to soaking in an Epsom salt bath, but many people swear by it. I should know; I’m one of them. With our upstairs shower not functioning properly at the moment, the whole family is limited to baths. And I do find a soak with some Epsom salts to help with a faster recovery and better relaxation. You can get the salts as is, or you can get them scented with a variety of different things like lavender, mint and many more.

As with everything in life, there’s some good and some bad to using Epsom salts. Considering the profound lack of clear scientific evidence that proves it, most people would be inclined to believe there’s no point in using it and one would be just as well to simply soak in a hot bath. But it simply wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t present both pros and cons. So here are some of the benefits of using Epsom salts in your bath.

Soaking in a bath with it is supposed to help reduce inflammation, soreness and aches from working out as well as help with skin health. It’s also good for foot health, with many people using it to treat ingrown toenails. No need to tell you that this is an important concern for people with Diabetes. But overall, it can be used to relieve soreness and stiffness of varying types, as well as being used as a mild laxative if taken orally. Magnesium is also said to help produce melatonin, which can help you get a better night’s rest. Last but not least, it can help to reduce stress. Granted, a saltless bath can do that as well.

The down side is obviously the lack of definitive evidence on the supposed benefits. But in all honesty, a hot bath will help ease sore muscles and reduce stress anyway. And there’s very little downside or danger to using Epsom salts in every bath you take. That being said, if you take Epsom salts orally for whatever reason, there’s a plethora of different ways you can harm yourself with them. Just be sure to check with your medical professional if you’re going to attempt it. But taking a bath with it is safe enough. Most packages will have clear instructions on how much to add and such.

I genuinely enjoy baths with Epsom salts. It’s a great way to relax and unwind when the stressors of life are getting you down. And it can definitely help speed up recovery. But it’s one of those things that you basically have to try out for yourself in order to make an informed decision. All in, Epsom salts are pretty cheap. In fact, they’re less expensive than bubble bath and to be honest, there are more benefits. Give it a try, next time you need to relax. ☯

Read This Post While You Recover

One’s health and fitness depends on a number of different factors. Age, weight, body type, current level of fitness, medical conditions and how big of a wuss you are, all contribute to how much you can push yourself and how often you can work out. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a subjective opinion. But what you do and how often you do it will depend on these things and more. And at some point, no matter your level of fitness, you’ll need some time to recover.

Let’s start by examining the simple concept being effective fitness. When you work out, you tax and exert your muscles causing damage to them. Then, provided you consume an adequate diet of foods, your body will repair the muscle tissue, making it bigger and stronger than what it previously was in order to accommodate the exertion you previously put it through. This is what pop culture refers to as getting “gains.” It’s also how you’re able to push longer with more weight when you do strength training.

Although cardio is meant to provide something slightly different than strength training, most of the same factors are present. Otherwise, how can you grow, progress and run for longer distances (or walk, cycle and/or elliptical). But have you ever tried using a broken tool? You may still accomplish your goal, but it will likely be more difficult. And the end result may not be exactly what you were trying to achieve. This is why repairing a broken tool before reusing it (No, you’re a broken tool! I know you said it…) is important. Ans it’s also where getting proper rest and allowing your body to recover comes in.

An exact answer is a little difficult to gauge. After all, if you rarely work out then foolishly participate in a Marine Corps workout with your fitness-obsessed, psycho friend (wink, wink!) you’ll likely need recover immediately the next day and possibly even the day of. If you consistently work out and have a good fitness base, you may be fine with taking a day to recover every few days, or once to twice a week. But even your level of fitness is only one of the factors to be considered in terms of recovery.

Honestly, I’ve found so much contradictory information when I researched this post that I’m not even certain what sources to quote. Some have the opinion that you should take 24 to 48 hours to properly heal and recover after a workout. Other sites boast as much as 72 hours to recover for specific muscles groups, before performing a workout with them again. It’s a balance that depends on the intensity of the workout you do coupled with the bodily factors I mentioned earlier.

According to an article I found on BodyBuilding.com, a person should immediately recuperate for 2 to 4 hours following a workout, but as long as 72 hours afterwards. The article also explains that some of the issue lies in the fact that most people train to much and too often, as opposed to too hard. This ties in with my recent post about getting too much of a good thing. It’s important to listen to your body and recognize when you’re doing too much.

An article by MensHealth.com claims that muscle damage isn’t necessary for proper gains so long as you hit the gym regularly. They indicate that long recovery periods aren’t necessary for proper fitness, provided a bunch of factors are in place. But they don’t necessarily cover off recommended periods of recovery. It can be pretty difficult to know how long you should be resting after an intense workout.

One of the important things to remember is that recovery doesn’t mean being off your feet and doing nothing afterwards, either. You need to keep yourself moving in order to avoid seizing up. This might mean taking a light walk the day after, or doing some light stretches combined with soaking in an epsom salt bath. This will help ease and relax muscles as well as loosen stiff joints.

At the end of the day, be sure to listen to your body. Starting back before you’ve recovered will cause injury as opposed to normal muscle soreness associated with working out. If you wake up barely able to move, it stands to reason that you should probably take it easy and save the 10k run for a different day. But if you’ve rested for a day and you feel good and only slightly sore, you may be ready to kick back into gear. It will be entirely dependent on you. Last but not least, don’t forget that if you have Diabetes and injure yourself, healing and recovery will likely take longer.☯

Feelin’ The Burn When You’re A Weirdo…

Exercising means burning calories. If you aren’t aware of that by THIS point, I can’t help you. Light knows I’ve written about that very thing quite often during the previous 700 posts I’ve put up. And although intense exercise and movement is the best option for a calorie burn that contributes to one’s overall fitness and weight loss goals, It may come as a surprise to some people that there are a number of reasonably strange and everyday activities that help you to burn calories.

One good example of this is what happens within your body while you sleep. Most people refer to being “at rest” during the night, but there’s a plethora of internal activity that takes place while a person sleeps. Muscle and tissue repair, digestion, brain activity and whole bunch more… I would be curious as to what amount of calories are burned by the average person during an 8-hour sleep. This got me to thinking about some strange or “non-fitness” activities that can burn calories, as well.

The first and most prominent one in my mind is meditation. Although I wouldn’t necessarily refer to mediation as a workout in and of itself, a person does burn calories during meditation. Just to be clear, it’s important to understand that calories are burned for any and all movement that the body performs. How little or how much is the question. And it can be a different amount for different people, based on age, level of fitness and body chemistry. But for me specifically, I’m burning approximately 90 calories an hour during meditation. This means that the 10 minutes of restful meditation I perform at the end of my workouts will burn roughly 15 calories. Does that tip the scale on the mount of calories I just burned during the actual workout? No, but it exists nonetheless and it’s still a calorie usage.

For example, did you know that taking a hot bath for about an hour will burn about 140 calories? This is according to a study performed at Loughborough University and explained in a post by theconversation.com. This somewhat makes sense to me, since sitting in a hot tub of water increases one’s core temperature resulting in sweating and a bunch of other functions of the body. Where there’s movement, there’s calorie burn, remember? Even things like drinking multiple cups of green tea a day or cleaning your house can burn well over 100 calories over the course of a day.

According to an article posted by HealthLine.com, 6 unusual ways to burn calories include exposure to cold weather or drinking cold water. This makes sense as it forces your body to work in order to warm itself and this can only be done by burning fuel. But the article also describes things such as chewing gum, donating blood and even constant fidgeting. If that last one genuinely burns calories, how do I not have a freakin’ six-pack yet? I fidget like a maniac. I can barely EVER manage to sit still. last but not least, the article also describes laughing more often, which will also burn off extra calories.

There are plenty of articles and studies out there that describe all sorts of different activities that will accomplish an extra amount of caloric burn. Some of them are a bit on the surprising side, and it should be noted that many of them depend on a person’s body chemistry and overall metabolic rate, as well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go fidget some more… ☯