Be nice!

Do you remember what it was like to be the new one at the gym?  I sure do.

It was actually my second day, not my first that really left a mark.  The first workout, a bootcamp, was really tough.  I forgot to bring water but figured I could manage since at that point I was already running distance.  I was wrong.  I asked the instructor for water halfway through as I saw my life flash before my eyes.  I finished and felt weak as ever, but I knew I had started a good thing (if you are in Austin, TX and you need a good gym, let me direct you to one of the best things that ever happened to me, Barron Jackson and X-train Fitness).  My first class was a Thursday, and I went in again the following Monday, when I was mildly able to walk normally and lift my arms again.  That Monday was a weight training class, my very first. I had always wanted to strength train, but I never knew how.  Lucky for me I stumbled upon this gem (no pun intended) by accident.  It changed my life.  That is another blog entry.  Anyway, I really enjoyed the class.  I finished up happy and was ready to rush off and start my day, when two ladies stopped me and asked me how it went.  That small gesture meant so much to me.  I would later learn that Barron calls his gym a fitness community, and these ladies definitely made it feel that way.  I was new, I didn't know what I was doing, but I wanted to continue, and that stronger, fitter people would check in on me, with no incentive at all, really solidified that choice for me.  Maybe you know by now that I stayed at that gym until I left Austin.  I still call those ladies (and so many of the other members I would meet over the three years that followed) friends.

Being new to the gym can be really intimidating.  Some newbies are simply returning from a long hiatus.  They are former athletes who have gotten out of shape, and packed extra fat onto their bodies.  Some are truly new, and have zero strength, never having lifted a thing heavier than a grocery bag in their lives.  Some people are in great shape, but completely new to lifting (like I was).  Etc, etc.  But the reality is, that no matter their story, all newbies can benefit from your kindness.  Here they are, having made the difficult choice to step into a new place and try something difficult for their hearts and their health.  Everyone else is on the sofa, but they have decided to make a change in their lives and get active.  They watch the more experienced people use double the weights they are using (and struggling with) and seemingly do it with ease!  They try a new movement for the first time, and try to comprehend the 70 tips the coach gives them to do it right.  Can you remember how this felt for you? Seems pretty discouraging right?

So gym vets, I'm calling on you.  Be nice.  The new faces in our gyms could be so discouraged by all of the above.  They could beat themselves up for being so weak/fat/slow/tired and refuse to put themselves through that ever again.  But they don't.  They give it their best shot anyway.  The least we can do is give an encouraging word as they walk out the door.  We might be the reason they walk back in.

*Addition: As someone who moves a lot, you should be nice to newbies outside the gym, too.
**Additional addition: As someone who tries to be nice to everyone, you should try to be nice everyone.  The world could really use more kindness these days.

Giveaway!!

I'm super excited because I just booked a flight to run this race!!  And guess what, you can too!  It's in Louisville, CO (right outside of Boulder), but if you aren't local or don't care to travel, you can win a virtual race entry!

What you get:
$50 gift certificate to Skirt Sports
race bib for the 5K, 10K, or 13er! Your choice!
finishers skirt (or bra, or top)
swag bag

Enter the giveaway here!  But hurry, you only have a week!  Best of luck!!

Why I'll always be overweight

I took off my running skirt and dri-fit top, applied my swim cap, and sat there anxiously in my swimsuit.    No, I was not about to jump into a pool, I was using one of the most accurate methods of analyzing body fat percentage, the Bod Pod.  You sit in a chamber for a few stints of 50 seconds, and this odd looking machine works its magic to determine your body composition through what is known as "whole body air displacement plethysmography".  It is as accurate as underwater testing, and far better than other methods, like calipers and bioelectrical impedance analysis (which in my experience is a complete joke).

Knowing your body fat percentage has several benefits.  One, it can be used to determine your RMR, resting metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body burns when doing absolutely nothing.  There are lots of great resources online that can help you estimate this value, but it's nice to have the number that is specific to you and your composition.  I compared my notes from the Pod Bod and an online calculator and the online calculator overestimated my RMR by about 100 calories.  What this means is if I used this number in an effort to maintain my weight, I'd potentially gain an extra pound each month.  Not cool.  Another benefit is measuring progress.  The scale can fluctuate a lot from day to day (and hour to hour even), simply based on hydration, sodium consumption, and activity level.  If you reduce sodium, increase water intake, and eat lean foods, you can move the scale 2-3 lbs from one day to the next.  Obviously this is not 2-3 lbs of fat loss overnight.  And of course if you get in the gym and pack on muscle as you drop fat, you might not see a change on the scale at all, or even see an increase.  So it can be misleading to judge your progress based on weight alone.  I think the scale can be a good starting point, but as we become more active it becomes a bit less useful.  On the other hand, if we see our body fat percentage, or lbs of body fat decrease, we know we are doing something good, even if our weight stays the same or increases.

This is the primary benefit of body fat testing for me, actually.  I'm 5' even, but I'm not nor will I ever be "thin."  I remember in third grade I got weighed and even though I was more or less the same size as the other kids, I was heavier (80 lbs; why do I remember that?).  I have never been "chubby", but I have always been overweight.  And it is likely I always will be.  If you have been to a doctors office you have probably seen this chart:

If I put a caption here it would have too many curse words.

I'm getting angry just looking at it.  I am 5'0 and according to this bullshit chart, a healthy weight for me is 97-123 lbs.  Are you fucking kidding me??  My legs alone are probably 97 lbs!  The US Army uses similar standards.  So all over the country, doctors and superiors are telling people they are overweight, when in many cases, particularly for black and/or athletic people, their weight is a result of a high muscle mass.

My body fat test confirmed this for me yesterday.  My lean mass by itself is over 100 lbs.  If I had 0% body fat, well, I would be dead, but I still wouldn't be 97 lbs.  I'm (still) overweight according to BMI, but when I look at actual fat pounds, I am at a very healthy level.  Going forward, I'm striving to decrease not lbs, but lbs of fat, as that will truly reflect consistent training and healthy eating.  It is my hope that this shift in focus will spread to our doctors, to our military, and to ourselves.  Happy fat loss.