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How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

September 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Goal Setting, Lifestyle, Motivational /by Rick Adams

People come to me with goals they hope to accomplish to improve their lives. Their attitudes towards how they will accomplish their goals often gives me a good idea if they will succeed. Some of these people truly want to achieve their goals, while others only wish for them. Let’s look at the difference between […]

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

July 31, 2018/0 Comments/in Exercise, Health /by Rick Adams

When exercising, it is important to select the appropriate resistance, use proper posture, and select the correct number of sets and repititions. To obtain the best results from your exercise routine, these are required. One important topic that often is overlooked for best results is properly breathing during your strength exercise routine. Proper breathing during […]

How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

September 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Goal Setting, Lifestyle, Motivational /by Rick Adams

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

July 31, 2018/0 Comments/in Exercise, Health /by Rick Adams

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How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

September 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Goal Setting, Lifestyle, Motivational /by Rick Adams

Early last year I was invited onto a podcast to discuss New Year’s resolutions and if they were a useful tool to reach health goals. I explained that a New Year’s resolution can be a good time to improve on health goals because It takes place after holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s when people are more stressed, traveling, and usually eating more sweets. The biggest barrier to having a successful New Year’s resolution is how people approach their goal. They treat their goal only as a wish.

Far too often people treat their resolutions as a wish, like they discovered a genie and would be granted a wish. There is usually little to no planning on how to actually achieve their goal, just the outcome the desire. When you only wish for your goals, they are very likely to never come true. When you actually WANT your goal, you will be willing to plan, seek out help, and work hard to achieve your goals. If you really want to achieve something that will better your life you will go through hard times to get it.

A recent example I can give is my goal to improve my public speaking ability. It would open up doors to improve my career, so I decided to make it a priority and professional goal of mine. I began by researching and asking around about where I could improve on my public speaking skills. I learned there was a local Toastmaster’s chapter where I live. It is a group that meets, gives speeches in front of other members, and you receive feedback on how to improve your public speaking. I attended a few meetings and realized it would be a great tool to help me achieve my goal. Though I may not always feel like going because I may be nervous to speak in front of more experienced members, I know that it will help me achieve my overall goal of becoming a better public speaker. Sometimes to accomplish our goals we have to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations that we know will help us.

What can you do?

If you have a goal for yourself, whether it be health related or otherwise, consider what you need to do to achieve that goal. It may require studying, practicing, or joining a group. You do not want to have a goal with no way to accomplish it. Then your goal becomes just a wish, and unless you have a genie, that wish is most likely not going to come true. Think deeply about how you can achieve your goals and then act on it. WANT your goals, do not only wish for them.

CHES, ACE Health Coach, AFPA Nutrition & Wellness Consultant

Want to work with and learn more nutrition, exercise, and how to improve your health? Contact Rick to set up a free consultation now

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

July 31, 2018/0 Comments/in Exercise, Health /by Rick Adams

Before we look at the positives of proper breathing during your strength exercise routine, let’s take a look at the negatives of improper breathing and how it can affect your health and safety. The greatest mistake is to hold your breath throughout your exercise. Some individuals are naturally inclined to hold their breath while straining to lift a heavy object. Without proper breathing, they can experience lightheadedness, dizziness, a dull headache, or in more extreme cases, they may lose consciousness. Holding your breath while lifting a heavy object triggers a reaction in the body that causes blood pressure to increase rapidly. People that hold their breath while lifting a heavy object become red in the face due to the pooling of blood as they strain themselves.

Let’s address what we can do to avoid the negative health effects while also getting great results from our strength exercise routine. The solution is simple but can take time to master. As a personal trainer, I have some clients that understand and utilize proper breathing techniques quickly and others that struggle with the concept. Here is what you want to do: when exerting yourself (concentric phase), breath out, then breathe in as you come back to the starting point of your exercise (eccentric phase). Exhaling during the concentric phase will help avoid drastic swings of blood pressure, and inhaling during the eccentric phase will assure that your muscles receive enough oxygen and will not fatigue as easily during your workout.

When lifting a particularly heavy object, it may also be appropriate to use a technique called the “Valsalva Maneuver.” This technique slightly delays the exhale on your repetition to help create more force. You may hold your breath for the first half of the concentric phase of the repetition while breathing out once during the second half to complete the repetition. The breathing is slightly delayed, but you still must exhale on the concentric phase and inhale during the eccentric phase.

Use these breathing techniques while doing your next strength exercise routine and notice your results. I’ve seen several clients notice that their exercises seem easier now than they did when they were not breathing correctly. This can lead to increases of exercise resistance or volume and better overall results.

ACE Health Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer, AFPA Nutrition Consultant, CHES

Want to work with and learn more nutrition, exercise, and how to improve your health? Contact Rick to set up a free consultation now

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How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs WishSeptember 20, 2018 - 9:56 pm
People come to me with goals they hope to accomplish to improve their lives. Their attitudes towards how they will accomplish their goals often gives me a good idea if they will succeed. Some of these people truly want to achieve their goals, while others only wish for them. Let’s look at the difference between […]

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

How to Approach Your Goals: Want vs Wish

What can you do?

Proper Breathing During Strength Exercise

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