Month: August 2012

260812 Regaining your ability to comfortably get under the squat bar

To compensate for any lack of shoulder range of motion when squatting I suggest using the safety squat bar. This is a great way to build up your legs as long as you don’t become too reliant on it. By this I mean if you aren’t able to comfortably get under a straight squat bar then it’s time to change your routine.

One of the ways to regain this lost range of motion is to use a four-foot dowel rod. Put it on your shoulders as low as you are able and then carefully lean into an open doorway. Let your bodyweight carry you farther into the opening while the dowel is held in place on the doorjamb.

Hold each position for ten to twenty seconds or as long as you can tolerate the stretch. Do not force yourself into this position; instead let the shoulder structures themselves tire out thereby moving you further into the stretch.

Take a look at the photo and you will get a clear picture of the exercise. The bar is in the low position and as I lean in I am purposely pulling it lower on my shoulders for an added amount of stretch and range of motion.

Over the past two and a half months, I have been steadily losing weight, from 221 to 205, due in part to paying careful attention to when I my appetite is satisfied.

No longer am I following the vortex eating style of my youth. I still eat fast but not as long as I used to do. Now it is more controlled, at least enough to where my wife isn’t eating alone for ten minutes while I sit there waiting for her to finish.

The time I spend exercising has not changed. The diet has. It is a truism you cannot exercise your way to lower muscle mass if you eat everything in sight. This weight loss has lowered my blood pressure systolic numbers by 25-30 points and diastolic by 20. Those doctors and scientists are right when they talk about the link between weight and blood pressure.

The literature is in unison when it discusses the connection between weight loss and blood pressure numbers. I found that when my weight dropped below 208 my blood pressure dramatically dropped into below normal ranges. I want to see what they are at 200-205.

Will there be another drop?

240812 Getting things done

It’s 0431 and the day is starting out with a bang.

I have a hard time deciding what part of the day I like the best. It is either going to bed at night, or getting up early the next morning.

One thing I do know for sure, going to bed gets me into the busy part of next day sooner.

Once you know when you’re at your best, take advantage of it and get things done when you are the most productive.

In my case before going to bed, I make up my next days to do list. Sometimes I can’t wait to jump up early the next morning and get going on it. My lists are not impossibly long or detailed but it does tell what I want to accomplish during the day.

Others list things they want to get done the next day; however, their lists are sometimes so long it is difficult for them to finish it and if they don’t, they feel like failures.

So make your list manageable and start seeing better results sooner.