Train Like an Olympian: Swimming

I know I'm not the only one who envies swimmers' bodies. They are cut like steel without an ounce of fat on them. Though a lot of it probably has to do with how exposed your body is during swimming, it mostly is because you need strength to take those strokes, especially in your core (which explains the rock hard abs). Swimmers can train in the pool for like 20 hours a week, which most of us can't do. But have you ever looked at their bodies and wished that were yours? Well, let's steal a few exercises from their playbook besides just swimming.

The Diagonal Wood Chopper: Michael Phelps' trainer had him do this exercise to strengthen his abs. Basically, you hold a medicine ball above your right shoulder (like you would hold an axe), and then swing it until you use the ball to touch the floor on the outside of your left foot. As you do this, keep your abs tight and your knees slightly bent. Make sure the movement comes from your core, not your lower body.

Planks: Swimmer David Roberts does a pre-workout warm-up by doing various forms of planking for about twenty minutes. Yes, I know, that's some people's whole workout. He mixes it up by doing regular planks, side planks, and all sorts of variations. 

Sit-ups: Ryan Lochte, who is expected to dominate the pool during the London Olympics says he does core workouts for about an hour 3 times a week. Yes, that's just his core. He mixes a variation of planks, sit-ups, and other core exercises to give him that definition. 

One major conclusion is that core workouts are very important to get the strength required to push through the pool. Maybe you're not a swimmer, but it sure doesn't hurt to have those abs. Try these workouts today.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

The Avid Exerciser vs. The Over-Exerciser

You've watched fashion shows where models are pressured to lose more and more weight. You've seen these body pressures lead to eating disorders and other negative body issues. You've even judged people with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. But have you ever thought of over-exercising as an issue? Frankly, I think we talk about overweight people a lot, but not underweight folks. We don't help our kids grow up with a healthy image of their bodies in an environment where stick thin is seen as beautiful.

With the pressures we face with society everyday, it is very easy to swing the "body issue" pendulum from healthy to obsessive. But on the other hand, when it comes to exercise, it is sometimes difficult to determine what excessive is. 

So let's try to analyze, shall we? How do you know if you are simply an athlete (or an avid exerciser) that pushes your body, or if you are addicted to exercise? The first thing to look out for is how your mental state relates to your physical state. Athletes would generally work towards a target, like a marathon or being able to do 50 pushups. Overexercisers just work out because they cannot function without it. This means one day of exercise takes precedence over everything else.

Another sign is when a person cannot eat a meal without the need to burn every single calorie. Athletes understand the body's need for fuel to perform at their peak. But an overexerciser sees food as the enemy where every calorie must be eliminated. In fact, this is the same mental state a bulimic person has, where what goes in must come out.

Lastly, if exercise trumps a hurt body, if you find yourself going for a run even after you have hurt your knee, that is a clear sign. What use is it if you totally destroy your body and then can't exercise even if you wanted to? Like any other addiction, it is about the now, and so overexercisers don't really think about the future.

It is very important to have a healthy perspective when it comes to our bodies, exercise, and food. That perspective has to all go together for our bodies to function properly and work like a well oiled machine to maintain weight. If you are constantly stressing about your body and exercise, you may not be getting the most out of your work out. Trust me, I struggle with this balance sometimes. I want to push my body to its limit to see what I can achieve (so I'm an athlete, yay!), but sometimes, I think like an overexerciser. Sometimes, I feel like I need exercise to function like a human being. When you find yourself getting to that place, make sure you reel it in.

So what side are you on? Or are you simply struggling to like exercise at all?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Ezinemark.com