Who is the proper authority that has the best information available to help you improve your overall well being? YOU ARE!
All the figures, statistics, data, and so-called counsel available seems overwhelming. As I do my own research I can't help but laugh at the programs some suggest as the best way to get healthy and fit. I laugh because I did similar programs and know they did not work for me. I also get a little bummed out when I read about some programs because I wish they would be beneficial but deep down I know they are beyond my capabilities. What I have found important is the fact that I recognize that I am an individual and unlike anybody else...as are you. What may not work for me might do miracles in the life of another. We all have to learn to TRUST ourselves as overseers of our mind and bodies.
At one point in my life I worked with a personal trainer. I was living in New York City, working all day in an office, and feeling the life getting sucked out of me all the while my stomach was expanding against my belt. I signed up for some early morning sessions two days a week. I lasted two weeks. After three of the four sessions I was coming back to the office and throwing up. I discussed my post-workout traumas with my PT who's only response was a shrug of the shoulders and a suggestion that maybe I wasn't eating right. I have worked out plenty on my own, pushed myself to extremes, but have never had to throw up after a session. This trainer had no interest in coming up with a program that was best suited for me. He had too narrow of a focus of what he thought worked for others and it definitely wasn't suited for me and he made no plans to adapt his strategy to benefit my best interests. No wonder he was available...
I considered several approaches to endurance training before deciding to go with Dr. Phil Maffetone's. After the first few sessions of training I thought he was kook but not because the sessions felt bad; they felt weird. Training according to a Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF) felt completely strange. I could paddle at a somewhat enjoyable pace but I could hardly break into an easy jog without breaching the maximum heart rate according to my MAF. I wondered how any of this could benefit me but upon further examination I decided to let go of my inhibitions and TRUST the program I had undertaken. Quite soon I came to realize that putting my body in motion, especially at a slow to moderate pace for long periods of time, felt really really good. Down the road, as in 6 weeks later, I reaped the benefits.
Listening to the body is the best way to determine whether a program works for you or not. I used to love the phrase "pain is weakness leaving the body" but these days I am not a big fan of feeling pain during my workouts or on any of the days after. Being a little sore is different than being hurt. Feeling weird is different than feeling bad. YOU are the authority when it comes to your own body and a personal trainer, or anybody you work with in the fields of health and wellness, should be a guide, not a dictator.
Just the other day I was at the gym working on fun balance exercises while a PT was putting a woman through hell only a few feet away. The woman struggled to move from one exercise to the other while her PT stood over her staring down like a gargoyle. After her session was over the poor woman could not walk the fifteen feet to the entrance of the women's locker room. Her PT barked at her to sit down. She obeyed and when she looked up at him I could read her face. There was no sense of enlightenment or wellness; there was only defeat. I hate seeing that look on a person's face after they are supposed to be doing something good for themselves. After my own bad experiences with a personal trainer and witnessing several friends experience a lot of emotional turmoil resulting from sessions with a personal trainer I wanted to address the TRUST issue.
TRUST when it comes to diet can be even harder to obtain. Deciding what to eat, if you want to listen to what others say, can make your head spin until you get so hungry that you will take whatever is quick and readily available. Use common sense to develop a sense of trust when it comes to food. Keep food simple and balance all the food groups and you cannot go wrong. Does it really make sense to fill the body with only one aspect of nutrition, such as protein, when we are made up of some many complicated parts? Using your body, say in terms of energy levels, sleeping habits, and levels of comfort, will determine the best methods to TRUST when it comes to nutrition.
*QUICK DIET TIPS I HAVE LEARNED TO TRUST: I would like to suggest that you trust only food that has ingredients you can pronounce and know what they are. Also, eat food you prepare not what is prepared in a big building hundreds of miles away from where you reside. (Paraphrased from: Food Rules - An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan) Also, be careful with low-fat and non-fat because these items will leave you still feeling hungry!
Learning not to trust certain suggestions can be as difficult as learning what to trust. I have always admired Laird Hamilton so when he came out with a book I rushed to the bookstore to buy it. Being that he is the ultimate Alpha Male in terms of looks and athletic ability I thought to myself - that is my kind of program. After looking at a picture of him and reading about his accomplishments who wouldn't think such? Well...I heard a little voice say skim the book before buying it, so I did. Laird doesn't like cheese. If I recall correctly he doesn't see any of the value of having cheese in the diet. As it turns out Laird and I are not in accord. A late night snack of a few apple slices and a couple cuts of good cheese will satisfy my cravings and hold me over until morning. I see a big benefit of keeping cheese in my diet. I ate a lot of cheese on a 28 day Outward Bound trip and got in the best shape of my life! Putting that book back on the shelf was a huge disappointment. I had been so excited about purchasing it but then decided Laird's way was not my way.
I still go to gabbyandlaird.com to research various aspects of diet and fitness but I am very frugal about what I take away and apply to my own lifestyle. Laird has been on the ocean all his life and has developed some super-hero like physical and mental qualities to be able to do what he does. Coming to grips with the fact that trusting many of Laird's suggestions for wellness wasn't the best idea for me was a disappointment, but a very healthy decision on my part.
Think of your body as an instrument. When you are out of sorts it is usually as obvious as an out-of-tune guitar being strummed. When it is in tune you should recognize that good feeling. While this cliche may be much overused it is a good example of how to recognize ways to TRUST what works and what doesn't work. The path to wellness should start to feel better and better as you progress in positive directions just like a guitar string starts to sound better as you tune toward the correct pitch. As your instincts develop you will soon be able to recognize what is working and what isn't whether you are on the journey alone or with a guide. Just make sure you are the one giving the final go-ahead for each step because you have learned to TRUST what does your body good!
Work toward an even keel and enjoy a smooth ride in your life...
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