Home Gym Quarterly Fall 2020

HOME GYM FALL 2020

QUARTERLY

ALINA RADINSKY ON STRENGTH TRAINING & MARTIAL ARTS

PREPPING YOUR HOME GYM FOR WINTER STAYING CONSISTENT DURING THE HOLIDAYS

WEATHER CHANGE AND MOOD TRAIN AWAY CHRONIC NECK PAIN 1

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HOME GYM

QUARTERLY

TABLE OF CONTENTS ON THE COVER

30 FEATURED

Train Away Chronic Neck Pain

Staying Consistent During the Holidays

How to make healthy eating sustainable - pg 9

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Home Value and Your Home Gym - pg 13 No More Smelly Stall Mats! - pg 19

by Laura Kummerle, PT, DPT, OCS

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Best Outdoor Gym Covering - pg 22 The Law of Sowing and Reaping - pg 45 Busy Dad Meal Prep - pg 54

Prepping Your Home Gym for Winter

Weather Change and Mood

Editorial Advisory Board Roberta Greaves Naomi Greaves

Graphic Editor/Director: Kellie Kilgore Graphics, LLC

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by Babatunde O. Awoyinka

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EDITOR’S NOTE We made it to another Fall! 2020 was a year of curveballs and unpleasant surprises. From the COVID-19 quarantine to the invasion of aggressive “murder hornets”, to violence in our streets, many of us were forced to stay in our homes around the clock.

That tested our resolve and while on the one hand, it validated our decisions to become home gym owners when public gyms were no longer available, it tested our love for our families and our creativity in entertaining ourselves.

Despite everything, 2020 was also the year that saw increased awareness of social injustice and increased creativity from home gym owners who began to handcraft equipment for themselves and others. 2020 was a year that saw giants pass taking some of their spark from us but also saw babies born full of promise and potential.

As we head for another Thanksgiving celebration here in the United States, despite it all, I’m grateful for 2020 and the reminders it brought us to cherish our families and to work for a better world outside of our home gyms for my children and all of the children of every color that were born in the year of ‘Rona.

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CONTRIBUTOR BIOS ROB BRINKLEY

N.A.S.M PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT SPECIALIST TRX SUSPENSION TRAINING CERTIFIED Rob Brinkley began his fitness quest in a Mid-West basement circa 1993, starting with calisthenics; then moving to: bodybuilding,powerlifting and kettlebell training. Rob has been a personal trainer for 11 years, and helps busy people simplify their fitness in person in St. Louis, MO and at www.simplify.fitness with online personalized training. You can follow him @simplify.fitness_

SHAWN DONALDSON Shawn Donaldson is the founder of Morning Lifter, a site dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and educating individuals through Strength and Leadership. A former collegiate football player and current high school teacher, he has a vast background in coaching, strength training and leadership development. Shawn helps others ask the right questions of themselves and see others in a new light.Follow him on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @morninglifter and find more articles, podcasts, and motivation on Strength and Leadership at morninglifter.com.

LAURA KUMMERLE Laura Kummerle is an orthopedic physical therapist by day and an online fitness consultant by night. She built her own home gym in 2018 in her apartment when she moved to Atlanta, GA, where she currently resides. Laura trains a mix of calisthenics, lifting, hand balancing, and some ninja warrior training. You can follow her on Instagram @paradigmofperfection or check out her website at www.paradigmofperfection.wordpress.com.

BAILEY BRYAN Bailey Bryan is a marketing and communications specialist with a background in graphic and web design. She has a passion for fitness and helping others by sharing her weight loss journey as well as exercises and gym motivation. Connect with her on Instagram at @baileybryan4

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CONTRIBUTOR BIOS DERRICK CLARK, SR. NASM-CPT Derrick Clark, Sr. is a Philadelphia based personal trainer who trains primarily in his basement laundry room. Derrick is the co-founder of Clark Family Fitness with his wife, Tina, the host of the Ricky Rambles podcast as well as a contributor to the Clark Family Fitness YouTube Channel. You can follow he and Tina on Instagram @clarkfamilyfitness

BABATUNDE O. AWOYINKA Babatunde is a former collegiate rugby player, currently living Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and daughter. While earning his master’s degree in Chemistry, he was drawn to the challenge of strength sports and powerlifting, which lead to the pursuit of building the best garage gym in Minnesota. Outside of training, he enjoys woodworking and building DIY garage gym equipment. Follow him on Instagram @babatunde.a

ZANE HODGE Zane Hodge is a 64-year old endurance athlete from Greenwood, Mississippi, who along with Pee Wee, a 25 pound Mountain Feist, owns and operates Plate City Gym. He teaches Bible along with Film, English Composition and Literature at Mississippi Delta Community College.

His hobbies include swimming, running, and lifting weights. Follow him on Instagram @zaned.hodge and YouTube at Endangered Swimmer, Zane Hodge.

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How to make healthy eating sustainable (and avoid the January 1st diet resolution culture)

by Bailey Bryan 9

I love the Fall! For those of us in Texas, it’s a relief from the extreme heat, but even better, it’s the warm and fuzzy time of the year with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I hate that food is so heavily promoted during the holidays, then as soon as January hits, you’re bombarded with ads telling you to GET HEALTHY. LOSE WEIGHT. BUY A TREADMILL. You can enjoy the holidays and the things you love as long as you have the right mindset.

A bit of background for you: I was once 220 pounds.

I was baking cakes every other day and I was so miserable it consumed me. I couldn’t get throughout the day without constantly thinking how awful I felt about myself. It took away my confidence as well as desire to even speak to people because all I thought about was how they would look at me and think, “Wow she’s so fat!”

I eventually decided enough was enough and I did lose the weight...and gained it back...and lost it and gained it back. Four years later and I’ve lost the pounds and kept it off.

Want to hear the crazy part? How I really kept it off ? The real trick is to STOP DIETING! The diet mentality is where I kept failing. As soon as I would lose the weight, I’d stop the healthy habits that helped me obtain my desired physique. I was forcing down extremely healthy foods that I hated and exercising in a way I didn’t enjoy. I hated it. It was only a temporary solution and ultimately, I would gain back the weight I’d lost AND more.

So now you’re probably wondering if I’m still eating things I hate and forcing visits to the gym. I can happily say that I love my life. I love the foods I eat and the workouts I do. It is a huge part of my lifestyle. I am never “on a diet” and I don’t punish myself for eating sweets or having a drink when I want one.

So, to help you, here are a few tips to help you transform your life from fad diets and Yo-Yoing weight: 1. Create a lifestyle that works WITH you…

Find things you enjoy doing physically. If you’re making yourself lift weights, or do hours of cardio, you will not continue. It just isn’t sustainable.

However, if you enjoy hiking or rock climbing, it’s much easier to get up and be active. Find a way to move a bit each day that isn’t a drag. If you don’t enjoy it, find something you DO. 2. Make better choices…

It may sound obvious but keep good snacks at hand that you also enjoy. Sometimes in a state of hunger we grab the first thing we can (chips, cookies etc.).

Not only do those not fill you and your actual bodily needs, but you’ll be reaching for more food faster as junk food doesn’t fuel your body as well as healthy fats, carbs, and proteins. If you don’t like salad or avocados there are other options. Also, don’t be

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fooled by fancy packaging or labels-KNOW what you’re eating. Sometimes something simple can be cheaper and better for you like a boiled egg over that restaurant salad secretly spiked with calories.

3. Create a POSITIVE relationship with food…

Being on a “diet” automatically puts you in a bad relationship with food. It actually makes us obsess over food more, creating more room to fail, slip, or binge. Dieting is a negative term and makes people feel poorly about themselves. “I’m on a diet.” Who says that and is actually happy about it? Diet also means temporary. Lifestyle, clean eating, healthy living are long-term ways to LIVE life. Yes! I can move, eat well and have that drink with my friends and STILL feel good about myself.

4. Enjoy and move on If you’re really maintaining a healthy and sustainable

lifestyle, you will be able to eat foods that are good for you and also foods you love. It’s about balance, not punishing yourself later for enjoying some treats.

You can have a cookie or piece of cake at a party, but don’t go nuts. Have it, enjoy it, and continue to move and make good food choices. Don’t starve yourself all day then binge crap. Also, remember that everyone has off days. We live in a culture obsessed with food. If you do have a day or two where you go off the rails, just take a step back and start again the next day. Its longevity. One or two bad meals will not ultimately kill you, however, ditching the healthy habits you are setting yourself up with will.

Get out of the vicious cycle of fad diets and New Year’s resolutions and instead create a LIFESTYLE that works with you and your goals. It is a day-in-dayout situation, not a 30-day cleanse.

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Home Value and Your Home Gym 13

Does A Home Gym Affect Your Home’s Value?

A home gym can affect the value of a home either negatively or positively, depending on a number of factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shutting down of gyms and fitness centers across the country and globally. This closure has driven more people to purchase weights, treadmills, stationary bikes and other gym equipment to maintain their exercise regimen while staying indoors.

So, How Does A Home Gym Affect the Value of Your Home?

A well-designed home gym will set the home apart from other properties and significantly increase its value in the market. People are becoming more health conscious than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic and having a set aside fitness space in a prospective home may increase its attractiveness to health conscious buyers.

On the other hand, a poorly fitted home gym will considerably lower the home’s value. Here are some things to consider: Do You Have Space?

In a majority of cases, extra office space or an additional bedroom is likely to provide more value as compared to a gym. However, if the home already has enough bedrooms and an office, then converting the available room into a gym will provide more value to the property. If you don’t have additional space in the property, you can always convert a room into a gym and then stage it later as an office or bedroom when you want to sell it. If you find yourself in such a situation, it is recommended that you safeguard the room from any wear and tear, which may occur from using the room as a gym.

Adequate Ventilation and Flooring Install rubber mats to protect your floor from dents or scuffs. Poorly ventilated gym rooms over time may also develop an unpleasant odor. Thus, you should consider purchasing an air-conditioning unit for the room.

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Ask A Real Estate Expert Local realtors can tell from their previous sales whether a home gym will increase or decrease the value of your home. If you are planning to put your home up for sale in a few years and only need the home gym because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that you consult with a local real estate expert before you decide to convert one of your rooms into a home gym. At the very least, consider putting your home gym in the garage or an external building if you’re nervous about converting a spare room into a home gym. Hygiene issues, hidden memberships costs, self-consciousness and long waits for equipment all make public gyms unattractive places to exercise and stay healthy. Driving to and from the commercial gyms several times in a week can be a daunting task – and at times, it can affect an individual’s consistency in working out and staying healthy. Having a gym at home reduces the chances that one will use excuses to avoid or skip workout sessions and carries less risk of disease infection.

Entrepreneur Drew Cameron joins us to tell GEARS us about how his new fitness ebook, his training philosophy as a coach and why it's important to have four income streams..

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

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Preventing Chronic Neck Pain Have you ever had to turn/rotate your whole torso because your neck was tight/restricted?

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or physical therapist.

If your aches and pains require a professional – please go see one (especially if you feel any numbness or tingling).

It’s a real pain in the neck, literally. In everyday life this can feel obnoxious. But in your Home Gym it can be a major does of kryptonite. You definitely don’t feel like the most athletic version of yourself.

At best you’ll end up exercising like a clumsy restricted moving Frankenstein. At worst it will require you to drastically alter your exercise practice.

After the pain/tightness has set in, you can seek relief with some SMR (self myofascial release) or from a qualified massage therapist. The SMR that 16

has helped myself and countless clients over the years has been wedging a tennis (or lacrosse) ball between your trap and a wall.

Video link of this: https://youtu.be/-cjI2CwFa_4 You could also try adding one of those gentle stretches where you bring your ear to your shoulder.

I must warn you, for me the results have been: • 33% positive (feel a little better) • 33% neutral (no difference) • 33% negative (worse) probably because I pulled to hard seeking relief So, the SMR (and maybe the stretch) can give you some relief. What’s better than relieving pain?

Preventing pain. To me, pains in the neck seem to pop up out of nowhere. After we feel them, we can assign what we think happened. “Hmm… must have been when I screamed ‘Yeah Buddy!’ during my main

pressing set.” But there was no repeatable pattern.

Sometimes screaming, “Yeah Buddy!” helped me summon extra basement strength.

The only true pattern I discovered was when studying for tests. Often around big tests I’d experience a very predictable pattern of stiff/tight/restricted neck. Maybe it was because I had my head down in books for hours. So, I tried the opposite. After a few hours staring at books, I took a short break; laid down on my back and let my head hang off the edge of the bed. It seemed to work. This felt like a great discovery. It saved me several stiff necks, and only took about 10-15 minutes, for every 1 to 2 hours of studying.

But when it came to lifting, the stiff pain in the neck didn’t always make sense. It didn’t appear every time: • A max attempt was made • High volume was trained • A lift was bobbled • A buddy did something silly that cased me to jerk my head over during a set Just sometimes.

So, what to do? Well for about 10 more years I continued to address the pain after it showed up. A few times I visited the massage school for some extra relief. But most of the time I did the SMR. Then I met Billy (not his real name). Billy was in a branch of the military. He spoke of it vaguely; and although he was respectful of everyone, he didn’t speak often. But more than once he told me, “I have another business trip to go on. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, take care of yourself.”

He said, “How good are your workouts when you have a tight neck?”

“Not good,” I admitted.

He continued, “If my neck is stiff and tight, my ability to move is limited. Not only do I put my life in jeopardy, but I put every guy on my team in jeopardy.”

The next day I started adding 10 head nods up, 10 down, 10 head rotations left, 10 right to all of my pressing and most of my pulling days. It helped. My stiff neck occurrences went drastically down. video link = https://youtu.be/lG6zBC_hfJY Then six years after meeting Billy, I met Tim Anderson of Original Strength. Tim can tell you all about head movements and your vestibular system and your reflexive strength. Now I do those silly head nods and rotations most days. Sometimes in weird places like waiting in line, at the gas station, or at the park. “Mom what’s that weird guy doing over there?” “That’s your father boys.”

Now the only times I can say I experience the literal pain in the neck – is when I get caught up in being “busy” and realize I haven’t done any head nods or rotations while we have been traveling or when the kids where not sleeping through the night (something pattern breaking).

Now I’m a firm believer in the silly neck nods/ rotations. But don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself.

Billy did some impressive stuff. He regularly did deadlifts, presses, and several variations of pull-ups and weighted carries. But every time he stared with calisthenics and head movements. Specifically, he did a lot of head rotations and head nods. He did them: lying on his back, lying on his belly, seated, and standing.

I asked him, “Why all the head nods and rotations?”

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No More Smelly Stall Mats!

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Horse stall mats are a popular alternative to fitness flooring among home gym owners, but the smell can be overpowering, especially if a home gym is in an enclosed room like a basement or spare bedroom.

Here’s how to get rid of it.

1. Maximize Ventilation Proper aeration is crucial when eliminating odors in stall mats, especially during the first few days of installation. Luckily, setting up ventilation is not very difficult especially if you have a garage or outdoor gym. To maximize ventilation, begin by opening the windows or roll up the garage door (depending on where your home gym is located), and establish a breeze through the gym. Even if your home gym is in a basement, you can still run fans to circulate the air and push odor out of the gym. If your home gym is spacious, you can use industrial-sized fans to create air movement that is enough to ventilate the area.

When installing those fans, position them so that they can carry air through the room and out of a door or window. Strong cross-ventilation may help to air out space quickly. Ensure the windows are open and fans are running as often as possible until the odor reduces.

2. Use an Odor Neutralizer or A Neutral pH Cleaner Wash and air the stall mat before hauling it into your gym. This is especially important if the home gym is in your basement. When washing it, use a pH neutral cleaner such as diluted vinegar. You can mix a gallon of hot water with a cup of distilled white vinegar.

Scrub both sides of the flooring with a cloth, then set it out to dry. Air-dry it outside or in a well-ventilated area.

3. Let the Horse Stall Mats Sit Out in The Sun The rubber odor from stall mats comes from the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the quickest way of getting rid of that smell is by sunning them. The heat from the sun helps in opening and expanding the pores of the mat. This lets the bad smell and the VOCs to escape more quickly. It is recommended to sun your mats when the sun is strong. Getting rid of the odor using this 20

method may take a day or several weeks, depending on the intensity of the sun exposure and the amount of smell carried by the mat. When sunning your mats, position them strategically to ensure circulation on both sides. You can prop them in a shed or against a fence. Avoid muddy or dirty areas as well as laying them over grass because doing so will kill the grass underneath.

4. Be Patient The odor will dissipate with time, so be patient during the process. If you want to install the mats by a particular date, purchase them early enough so that you can have time to work on odor elimination.

What Makes Stall Mats Smell?

Stall mats are either made from Tire Derived Rubber (TDR) or New Rubber (NR).

The TDR, also known as crumb rubber or recycled rubber, comes from old tires. Manufacturers press and grind the rubber into a new form. They then hold the pieces together with chemicals such as urethane and sulfur, which leads to a stinky smell.

Nonetheless, stall mats made of vulcanized rubber are treated to minimize the odor. Generally, stall mats made from new rubber and other non-vulcanized rubber will have low odor.

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Best Outdoor Gym Covering

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Should You Install A Pop up Tent, Gazebo or a Pergola for Your Outdoor Gym? Outdoor gyms are great except for the fact that they’re vulnerable to the weather. If you reside in an area that is mostly temperate, this won’t be a serious issue for you. But no matter where you live, if you like exercising outdoors, at some point you will encounter bad weather. A tent, a gazebo and a pergola are some of the available options that you, as a home gym owner, can use to protect yourself from the elements; but which of the three is the perfect one for you?

Tents/Canopies Tents or canopies are popular for those looking to create an outdoor gym on a small budget. A tent is also easy to set-up, unlike other options. Its extendibility and flexibility mean that you can put up the gym and remove it at any time that you want; additionally, you can decide to extend it according to your specific needs. Tents are also easy to customize; they are available in different sizes from 3 meters to 80+ meters; and come in different shapes – cubes tent, dome tent, frame tent, and geodesic tent, etc.

The disadvantage of gym tents is that they need to be well secured so that they can withstand strong winds.

They are also not very good during heavy rains or heavy snow. Unlike a pergola or a gazebo, a tent gym isn’t that attractive, but it can provide sufficient protection if you live in a dry climate where dust storms are common.

• Weights/Bands • Yoga mat • Pull-up bar Additionally, you can equip your gazebo gym with ventilation systems, lighting systems, composite rubber mats, etc. to give it a more professional appearance if you also use your home gym to train clients.

Pergola A pergola is an open structure which consists of four main support beams with cross beams or a lattice design as its “roof.” Often, a pergola is confused with a gazebo. Although they have a similar design, a gazebo has a solid roof while a pergola has an open concept cross beams. A gazebo is usually round or shaped like an octagon while a pergola is rectangular or a square. Just like a pop up tent, a pergola will provide some protection from the sun as you work out. However, it will not provide you with sufficient cover for your equipment to avoid dirt, dust or rain and the potential rust that comes with rainy days! The partial shade of a pergola will protect you from direct sunlight as you work out, and it also leaves plenty of space for the breeze to come through, cooling you as you exercise.

Not Recommended: Tarps If you decide to just use a tarp for your outdoor gym and you live in an area that frequently experiences heavy rain, get ready to repair and re-adjust your tarp after each storm.

Gazebo When it comes to increasing your home’s curb appeal, a gazebo is a perfect addition to your property. Putting up a gazebo in your own backyard will give you the benefit of an outdoor exercise area with more stability than a tent. You can install equipment such as straps and pull-up bars in your gazebo and leave them in place when you have completed your work-out. Unlike gym tents, gazebo gyms can hold far more equipment safely. A gazebo gym can easily hold: • Waterproof/plastic storage box • Exercise ball 23

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The Effects of Shorter Days on Your Mood

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The Effects of Shorter Days on Your Mood According to Mental Health America, about 5% of the population is likely to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as winter blues or seasonal depression. SAD may affect your mood, or energy, especially if you work out in a poorly lit basement gym.

Causes of Mood Change During Winter and Fall The primary reason for the change in mood during shorter days is the low level of sunlight exposure during fall or winter. Less natural light can: • Alter melatonin – a hormone associated with sleep and mood The body produces melatonin when its dark to help you sleep. During the day, when there is sunlight, your brain stops the production of melatonin so that you can feel alert and awake. In the long night and short days of winter, your body can produce excess melatonin, leaving you feeling low on energy and drowsy.

• Lower serotonin levels Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood.

During winter, when there is less sunlight, there is less production of serotonin, and its deficiency can lead to depression.

• Disrupt your internal body clock which controls sleep-wake cycles The shorter days and long nights of winter affect your circadian rhythm- leaving you feeling sleepy, disoriented, groggy, and unmotivated during workouts.

All these factors directly impact your mood and can affect your workout routine. The common symptoms that you are likely to experience during this time include: • loss of pleasure or interest in working out • feeling anxious, angry, irritable and stressed • low self-esteem and depression • weight and appetite changes

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• feelings of hopelessness, despair, and sadness • unexplained pains and aches • use of alcohol or drugs for comfort The symptoms may vary depending on the environment, gym condition, and genetic vulnerability of a person. In most cases, the symptoms will start mildly at the beginning of fall, then get progressively worse in the darkest and shortest days of winter.

How to Treat SAD and Lift Your Mood During Shorter Days Light Therapy This is one of the best ways of dealing with winter blues. This therapy aims at replacing the missing daylight in winter by exposing you to light that mimics outdoor light. Daily exposure will suppress your brain’s secretion of melatonin to help you stay more awake.

You can administer light therapy using a lightbox then work out at least 12 inches in front of it. Don’t stare directly at the light. You can also use a dawn simulator. The device will increase the light in your home gym to simulate the rising sun and motivate you to work out.

If you work out in a spare bedroom, a garage gym, or a basement gym, you can open curtains or blinds to let in more light during your workouts. If it’s not very cold, you can briefly open your garage/shed or barn door to let in the sunlight. However, if you work out in the mornings when it’s still dark, you can improve your mood by: • Dressing in warm and comfortable clothes • Listening to music or • Finding a workout buddy.

Using Music During Workouts Music triggers physical changes that indicate emotional arousal. When you play your favorite songs, the cerebellum is activated and triggers blood 28

flow to your legs. This is one of the reasons why playing music makes us want to work out more, even if it’s just jogging or doing cardio. Cheerful, bright music can also make you feel more energetic, alert, and happy, hence lifting your mood during the shorter days.

Regularly Exercise Regular exercise will boost endorphins, serotonin, and other feel-good hormones. During winter, you can find exercises that are rhythmic and continuous such as weight training, cardio, or running on the treadmill.

Daytime Exercise Get as much natural light as you can. If it’s not frozen, you can schedule your training during the day. By doing so, your body will produce endorphins, which will trigger positive feelings. Additionally, sunlight, even in small amounts, can improve your mood by boosting your serotonin levels. You can maximize the amount of natural light in your gym by opening blinds or drapes or exercising near a window.

You can also paint the gym in brighter colors or use bulbs which emit enough light.

Using Supplements Supplements are best taken at the beginning of winter when symptoms are not severe. The supplements increase the levels of serotonin in your brain and lift your mood for instance the vitamin C supplement. Additionally, you can use some preworkout supplements such as caffeine and creatine to boost your awareness and stamina as you train.

Find A Workout Partner Getting active and having regular exercise boosts both your mental and physical wellbeing during dark and shorter days. Having a workout partner will help you in combating the feelings of depression and uplift your mood. The partner can offer motivation and push you a little further or hold you accountable for going to the gym.

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Strength Training for Martial Arts with Martial Arts Instructor, Alina Radinsky

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Strength Training and martial arts often go hand in hand, but many home gym owners struggle with how to balance the two. Not so Alina Radinsky, NASM-CPT, PN1. Alina is a practitioner and instructor of Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian and Western martial arts who says that she evaluates whether or not to do something by whether it will make her a better martial artist. Find out in this excerpt from our YouTube interview, how Alina blends different influences into a holistic daily practice.

John Greaves III: You got your orange belt in Taekwondo in 1995. Was that your first experience with martial arts?

Alina: Yeah, I was a small kid then when we first came to Canada. So that was the first time. My parents and my sister wanted me to learn how to fight. And it suited my personality. I loved kicking and punching things and it was probably best to get that out of my system in a dojo.

John Greaves III: Well, you didn’t stop with Taekwondo. On your website, it says that you started exploring Non-Classical Gung Fu when you were looking for something beyond boot camp. What led you to train that way as opposed to just saying, “Well, I’m just going to go back to Taekwondo?” Why did you choose Non-Classical Gung Fu? Alina: I had been backpacking and I was grabbed, and my initial reaction was to right hook him with my camera. He dropped to the ground and then I didn’t know how to follow it up. But when I came back, I decided, “Okay, I’m done with boot camp, I need to learn some self-defense.” And I wasn’t really interested in doing like a belt system, BJJ. I just wanted something immediate, something that I could take to the street right away. So, I found this community and started learning NCGF and then through that, I met more people in that community and a lot of it was Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), Silat and all these different, beautiful arts.

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John Greaves III: You said in 2017, “My body changes each month depending on my martial arts skills. So, one month my deltoids will pop and another month my traps. It’s been interesting to see the many changes over the few years and it stopped being about aesthetics for me since I fell in love with martial arts and I like it that way.” So, it looks like you approach your strength training from the standpoint of doing whatever makes you a better martial artist, but you’ve also said that it grounds you mentally. So, talk about the dynamic of picking exercises that make you a better martial artist versus exercises that ground you mentally.

Alina: Martial arts is how I get into my zone. So my warm-up will be inspired by martial arts or even during the movement, I’m focusing on how this movement translates to something happening in the street or whatever the situation, like, I’m always visualizing things in my head – there’s so many different arts I was studying and I can’t be good at everything at the same time. So, my focus was JKD to start with and just all that chain punching, you know, just had my deltoids popping. So, I would do lots of resistance band training. I got really fast, really strong. And then I went to amateur boxing and I just couldn’t do the type of strength training I was doing.

So, I really had to wind back on that too.

John Greaves III: That’s why the traps got bigger, because of the boxing.

Alina: Yeah, so I started accepting the journey and appreciating it and not panicking “Oh no, this is getting smaller and I’m not as fast.” But this other thing is getting so much better.

John Greaves III: Well, I mean you have the thing where you were doing calf raises. And you’re like, “Yeah, I’m training my closing distance muscles.”

Alina: Ha ha! Perfect.

John Greaves III: I mean, you know how many people skip calves? And you’re looking at it like, “Okay, if I train my calves, I can get from where I am to within reach of my opponent faster. And every jab I throw is going to be harder because my calves are stronger. Every right cross is going to be harder because my calves are stronger.

That’s what I mean by it’s so, you’re really thinking like an athlete, whereas so many people who train at home are mostly just like, “Eh, I just lift.”

first ACL tear, I dove into a lot of learning. So, I started learning about how to, how I need to release my fascia. Just getting connected with all the, with all the misalignments in the body and then when I moved here, I found my teacher Mia in Oakland, and she does a lot of internal martial arts so she started teaching me. You’re just kind of rotating the hip a little bit here, looking an inch over there. It looks like absolutely nothing. But it’s the hardest thing to do.

Alina: Yeah.

Alina: And to realize that I cannot relax my shoulders, just holding my arms out, that was kind of a light bulb moment for me. So that really got me interested in understanding it more. It’s not something I actually wanted to look into at any point, but she introduced it to me and I realized how much more I aware I am and how much more it helps me before doing a kettlebell session for example.

John Greaves III: So, when martial artists in the past didn’t lift weights it was because some of them had manual labor jobs and so they were naturally strong. They just needed to a way to defend themselves.

John Greaves III: Okay.

Alina: Mm-hmm yes.

John Greaves III: But now we have people who are becoming martial artists who may not have manual labor jobs. They’re office workers. And they don’t understand why you need to get stronger in order for techniques to actually work.

Alina: Yeah. I was exactly the same. I thought, “Why am I going to do these deadlifts and bench presses?

I work out every single day sweating my ass off. Why do this?” But I got convinced and it started when I wanted to get competitive. because I wanted to test my limits and there was just no way around it. You have to get stronger, especially if you’re small.

John Greaves III: Talk about how you use internal martial arts, because you said that’s going to be something that you’ll do more of when you get older.

Alina: Yeah. So, for I don’t know how many years.

I kicked ass in the gym, in the dojo and then I was so broken outside of that. I didn’t know what it felt like to be not stiff, not sore— and I think after my

John Greaves III: I’m glad that you explained it because people think, of the internal martial arts as, like, this mystical thing. Right? And when you just said you realized that you can’t relax your shoulders with your arms out, that, is such an easy way to explain it! How long did the process take? I mean, was this, like, something that took years to get to point where you’re like— Alina: I’m still doing it. Yeah for the rest of my life.

Ha ha! Yeah.

John Greaves III: I got you.

Alina: I mean, some days are better than others.

That’s why I don’t necessarily know how my training that day will feel. I have to go through my different movements. If I’m feeling stiff somewhere, I’m just not connecting with, I just can’t release tension then it may not be the best session for whatever I wanted to do that day, for example. But it’s just the many years of JKD and a lot of this. This is the hardest part for me to, to learn how to manipulate better.

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John Greaves III: So, with all the things you do, anybody who has seen your Instagram may not understand how it all works together. because all they see is one minute, you’re knife fighting in the park. And then next video you’re doing a Kettlebell Get Ups in your living room. Oh, now she’s hitting the cat scratching post with a stick. All right, now she’s squatting. So, take me through a typical workout week.

Alina: Well, right now since COVID started, I gifted myself the ability to have more time to learn something new. So, I’m diving into kettlebells. I hired my coach, Denzel Allen, and that is a five day a week schedule. And he understands my training with martial arts, the Filipino martial arts and all the types of movements that I need to maintain. Um, and he understands the internal aspect as well.

Alina: So, I have the kettlebells five days a week and then the two days off will either be running, or hiking. I don’t want to overdo it on my days off. It’s my active recovery days.

John Greaves III: Okay. So, but are those five days consecutive? So, is it Monday through Friday? Or is it go three days, take a break, go two days get a break— Alina: Thursdays and Saturday are my days off. And then I’ll have my one day a week with my training partner. We’ll usually do an FMA, Silat blend. It’s kind of more difficult now during COVID. We want to try and not be in each other’s faces too much— and then on either one of the days if I’m not running, I’ll just go heavy on the bag, shadowbox 10 rounds, six to 12 rounds on the bag and that’s my favorite day Ha ha! And that’ll be my learning time, my play time, just explore, work with a pendulum, flow, or go running after or before. But I will also flow and do the internal stuff either as a warm-up or a cool down depending on how my day aligns.

John Greaves III: As a home gym owner, you, it’s very easy to spend too much time in the gym to

where it becomes counter-productive. So, do you like doing multiple sessions throughout the day, like, as a movement snack? Or do you prefer to do it like boxing coach Ross Enamait who will go in his home gym and he’ll just say, “All right.

I’m starting here and I don’t leave until I’m done with what I needed to do for the day”?

Alina: In a perfect world if I don’t have clients all day in the morning for example, I do really like to move my body more than once a day. So ideally it would be two to three sessions a day. because if I’m training for an hour and then I find myself sitting for too long working or getting distracted, I still don’t feel my best.

John Greaves III: Do you find that that helps you in work too because you’re constantly getting that break?

Alina: Oh yeah. I mean, to get rejuvenated, absolutely. Like if you have the luxury of working for yourself and you can break up your day that way or if you’re a new parent and you can’t get that full hour in, I would do whatever you can to get it in throughout the day. But I think it’s the most natural thing for our bodies. because we’re not meant to be in the office eight hours a day.

John Greaves III: You had this huge smile on your face when you got your first Olympic barbell in 2018. How do you approach adding equipment as a martial artist who lifts?

Alina: I just decide what my goal is for the next three months and then buy what I need in that period of time. Kettlebells, I don’t think twice. Especially right now if it’s in stock for example. I don’t need that many plates. I’m not trying to go into Olympic lifting. I just want maintenance in that area and then improve kettlebells for the time being. I need a hook in the ceiling for my pendulum work. That’s a tennis ball filled with something and then I can flow around with it.

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Alina: I’m regretting just buying poor quality equipment like the rack which is not great, and I will probably replace it. I’m not doing bench presses on the bench, I’m doing it laying down, mostly with kettlebells.

John Greaves III: So, you do floor presses and do gymnastics rings and things like that?

Alina: Yeah, so I don’t really use the bench. I have rings set up on the pull up bar. And resistance bands.

I’m very much pro resistance bands. I know some people don’t, but for me with my JKD background, absolutely. Yeah. Um, what other equipment do I have? Dip bars. I think that’s it. And then a BOSU ball. I know a lot of people hate on it, but it transformed my ACL rehab.

Alina: I have battle ropes which I got because I couldn’t run after my second ACL reconstruction.

And I still want to get my heart rate up and I didn’t want to just do chain punching. So that was a really

nice, way of doing seating training. I had to get really creative with all my stuff in the house, uh, for seated training.

John Greaves III: Did you get hurt training for a fight?

Alina: It’s always for competition training. I don’t get hurt doing my own stuff. I’m very well connected with the body but doing combat sports— you get kicked in the legs by a 200-pound man and the ACL on a small person will tear.

John Greaves III: I saw a video of you doing some Z-presses. Did you find that you’re actually building muscle in areas that you normally wouldn’t because you couldn’t train your legs?

Alina: Yeah. I mean, I had all that strength and all those movements already in my program, but I was doing so much more of it because it’s all I could do.

Like, half my body I just couldn’t use for strength

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during the rehab months. So, yeah, especially after the first ACL reconstruction, my upper body got really jacked. But I had little chicken legs Ha ha!

John Greaves III: How do you deal with it when something doesn’t go the way you want it in the gym?

Alina: It’s a very humbling experience. Ha ha! It’s happened so many times. Listening to your body and accepting when you just have to walk away. You may not finish the set. That’s okay. Better than having to take five months off after.

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Hear more from Alina by watching the full interview on the Garage Gym Life Media YouTube channel. Alina talks about how she uses internal martial arts as a warmup, how to integrate fasting into your nutritional habits and how it benefits you plus much more! You can follow her training on Instagram @aradinsky or reach out to her for coaching at alinaradinsky. com.

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Preparing Your Home Gym for Winter

by Babatunde O. Awoyinka 40

Cold weather doesn’t have to mark the end of your home workouts even if you train in the garage or shed. Prior to getting to the winter season, you should take the time to review your training plan and modify it appropriately to meet your requirement to stay warm.

Let’s Start with You Shop for Layers.

It sounds obvious and simple, but it is still important to consider how many layers you will need given the normal temperatures in your area. You want to evaluate your wardrobe with a view to maintaining the flexibility to add or remove layers as necessary easily throughout your training session. As the weather gets colder, you should be adding a long sleeve t-shirt over your normal training clothing; follow that with a crew neck sweatshirt, and as necessary, add a hooded sweatshirt. As for bottoms, you’re going to move to fitted or tight long underwear, and jogger style sweatpants, followed by loose fitting sweatpants. Using this layering strategy has worked out well for me, allowing the addition or removal of layers as needed, and can be adjusted easily for the individual. Moving to your feet— thick wool socks are nice to keep your feet warmer on cold floors. I’ve even worn winter boots on days that didn’t require athletic shoes. Also remember to have a winter hat that will keep you warm and still be comfortable when you work up to a sweat, and consider keeping a pair of mittens or gloves nearby for in between sets. If you start shopping now, you should be able to shop in catalogs that cater to outdoor endurance athletes such as skiers and hikers as both groups need clothing that keeps you warm but wicks away sweat and other unwanted moisture.

time workouts for the warmest part of the day when practical.

Programming Evaluate your training for the upcoming winter to take advantage of the weather situation rather than being a victim of it. For example, in late fall, or early spring, it might be best to add in supersets to have you moving more than normal. Then in the coldest part of winter, you could make your entire session a circuit to keep you in a constant flow to stay warm.

This might make it easier for you to enjoy those extra calories around the holidays guilt free.

As it warms back up, you could move back to supersets. There are many resources available online regarding supersets and circuits. I’d recommend doing your research ahead of time to find out what fits your goals and programming best.

Warming Tools Some of these tools are relatively easy to find all year, like hair dryers, but others might not be as readily available once winter hits. Start shopping around now so you can get the best deals instead of settling for what’s left after the outdoor construction crews snatch up the high-quality items!

Create a Personal Almanac Provided you have the freedom to do this, monitor the temperature in your gym space throughout the day as the seasons change. You may find for example, that at around 3pm every day, your gym is at its warmest and therefore the best time to get out and train. Keep that in mind as this will allow you to 41

Hand warmers You’ll want to grab enough of these to last throughout the winter season. There are various forms of hand warmers; many gas stations and hardware stores carry disposable brands that last a few hours each. Other options include DIY heat packs filled with uncooked rice, corn barley, or even oatmeal sewn into a cloth pouch. These can then be heated in the microwave and brought out to your gym space to keep your hands or equipment warm.

If you choose the DIY route, be aware that these will not stay warm as long, so it is helpful to have a few available for use and again if you start now, you will have time to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Hair dryers and Heat Guns These can be used to effectively heat up the equipment you will need to hold for your workout.

A shop heat gun works faster than a blow dryer, but sometimes can leave your barbell or kettlebell a little too hot to touch! These can also be helpful toasting up the gloves you may be wearing between sets. You can obviously find hair dryers at the local Wal-Mart, but a shop heat gun will be available at a home supply store like Lowes, Home Depot or Harbor Freight.

Heating Blankets A heating blanket can be used to warm your equipment or to drape over yourself between sets on the extremely cold days. Shop around and find one you like best.

Gym Space Insulate your home gym Properly installed insulation will keep the heat you are able to generate in your gym space and eliminate cold drafts. Covering up the smallest cracks and gaps can make a huge difference. The process is straightforward and requires minimal tools. You need to first determine what type of insulation you would like. The easiest and least expensive are typically using rolls of insulation batt. For this process, check online for the recommended resistance (R) value for 42

your area of residence and application. You’ll then measure and purchase the insulation batts. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, typically requiring only personal protective equipment, a utility knife, stapler, and time. You will also want to be sure any doors, exterior and garage doors, are insulated.

Most hardware stores carry insulation kits for garage doors, or Styrofoam can be cut to size and glued to the garage door. A final consideration for insulation is the ceiling. If you have open rafters to your roof, you may also want to insulate the ceiling to make the full project worthwhile.

Space Heaters There are a huge number of styles and heater types to choose from which are dependent on the size of the space you would like to heat, and whether it is already insulated or not (and if you plan to).

The first decision you will have to make is if you want to heat your entire space, or just have a heat source nearby your workout area. If you are ok with just a source, a radiant or space heater should do well. This can be used to keep warm next to between sets, or keep a small, immediate area a little warmer throughout the workout. If you opt for heating your full space, you will want to determine the square footage of the area you’re heating. This information will help you to determine what size of a heater you will need. Be sure to pay attention to the requirements of the heater you end up picking out. Most require an additional power line to be run to where the unit will plug in. Some mounted units will also require a natural gas connection and exhaust vent. Other torpedo style will require a propane or kerosene fuel source. In all cases remember to follow manufacturer’s safety recommendations and remember that local ordinances not only affect whether you can have a propane or kerosene heater, but also the availability of fuel for each. Kerosene tends to heat a larger space but propane will burn cleaner and have a less noticeable odor.

Prepare to Relocate If you train outdoors or in a cold garage, consider preparing a secondary workout space in a space

inside your home. Moving your essential equipment to a temporary, winter space in your home will allow you to continue training without the effort of purchasing heating equipment, bundling up or fighting through the cold. The tradeoff is that you may need to change your winter programming to smaller, portable equipment that fit inside your home.

Consider altering your programming in the winter to dumbbells, bands, kettlebells, bodyweight, or other minimal space and equipment styles of training.

Wrapping Up In all aspects of training, there will always be an element of embracing the suck— cold weather is just another layer. It is important to understand there will be times where you will have to mentally combat your discomfort regardless of how well you feel you prepared. There are many solutions to combat freezing temperatures provided you prepare yourself before the cold weather arrives. By evaluating yourself, programming, available tools, and gym space, you will be rewarded by a successful winter training environment at home.

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The Best Ways To Heat Your Home Gym As The Weather Changes Sticking to a workout routine isn’t easy, especially during cold weather. In winter, most people feel the need to hibernate, and getting out of bed can become a problem if you train early in the morning.

However, you should not quit exercising due to freezing temperatures.

Below are some tips on how to keep your home gym warm and conducive for exercise as the weather changes- (whether it is a garage gym, basement gym, a spare bedroom gym and other types of home gyms) Insulate Take a look at your garage or basement gym and locate where the cold air is coming from then insulate those spots. Some of the areas that may need insulation are: Gym door. You need to insulate the thin metal door to keep your gym warm. Check if the door covers the entire width of the door and replace it if it’s wornout or doesn’t fit. You should also check if there is an open space between the door and the frame. If there is a space at the top or on the sides of the door, call your local home improvement store to fix it for you.

Windows. Windows can let in a lot of cold in the room, and most garage and basement gyms do not have insulated windows. Consider insulating the windows and covering them with plastic window films. This will be an effective and energy-efficient method of keeping your gym warm.

Exterior walls. It is common for garage and unfinished basement gyms to have at least one exterior wall that is not insulated. Find any wall that is not insulated and fix it to prevent cold from getting into the gym.

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Use Forced-Air Heater You can install a forced-air unit to heat your basement or garage gym in winter. The heaters range in size and price, and they are cheaper than the infrared heating source. The heater can be connected to your home’s gas or propane line. These heaters will blast hot air in your gym as you train. The downside of this heating method is that the forced air can blow debris and dirt around the room.

Get A Baseboard Heater This is a small, low-to-ground, out-of-the-way conventional heater for warming single rooms. It is cost-effective and ideal for home gyms that are not connected to the HVAC system of your house. There are a variety of top quality baseboard heaters that you can purchase for lea than $50 from your local store.

Install Heating Vents Around 84% of houses in America have an HVAC system. Although adding a new heating vent into your HVAC system may be more expensive than having a space heater. Its long-term convenience makes it a worthwhile decision. If you have a central system, installing one in your garage or basement gym will not have a significant impact on your electric bills.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

By Shawn Donaldson

You reap what you sow. We’ve all heard this before.

It’s an ancient story that describes what you put into something is what you get out of it. It goes deeper than just that, however. The law of sowing and reaping is one that all of us are held accountable to.

None of us can beat it either.

This is a powerful law to understand and is applicable to any area of our life. It’s applicable especially to the time and effort we put into training, nutrition and our mental state. When you focus on the details you will soon find that come harvest time, your body has developed the way you want and your mind is sharp and continuously learning.

The Keys to Sowing and Reaping If you are looking to make the most of your situation in life, you must understand the importance of the law of sowing and reaping and how you can apply

to maximize your own success. There are seven key points that I have adopted from the late Jim Rohn, who masterfully crafted them for easy understanding.

Master them and you will surely be on your way.

1.The Law is Negative Simply put, the law of sowing and reaping is negative.

If you don’t sow anything, you won’t reap either.

Another way – if you put forth little effort, don’t expect a hefty reward as you did not put any care into your own crop. If a farmer planted a crop and let it bake in the sun without caring for it, come harvest time there would be no crop. If you train 2-3 hours a day, but your diet is garbage, you won’t see the results you expect. You may get stronger, but your body won’t display that.

2. The Law is Positive Conversely to number one, the law is also positive. If 45

you put forth extreme effort and discipline, you will reap a bountiful harvest. If you train and eat right, eventually you will see the benefits of the hard work.

You will get exactly what you deserved from the effort.

3. There are Many Ways to Sow There is no “one size fits all” model. We all can sow in a different way and still reap the same rewards.

What is important is that you sow into the wind in order for the world to take your gifts and reproduce

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them. Don’t sow against it for it will fly back into your face. Recognize opportunities and seize them.

4. You Get Much More This is almost always the case for both the positive and negative effects of the law. When you sow positively, you will get back much more than what you expected. It may not show up directly in the harvest, but rather as an after effect. The same goes for the negative effect. If you don’t reap well, you will lose much more than just the crop. No food leads

to starvation, perhaps the loss of family, and more.

Therefore, you must be careful with what you plant.

5. Anyone Can Sow a Plan Opportunities are limitless. They may not be in a golden box, but anyone who has an idea, goes to work and puts in the time will surely reap a reward for it. The difference is that anything good takes time. You can’t plant a Chinese Bamboo tree into the ground and expect it to grow after seven months.

The Chinese bamboo tree develops massive roots underground as it is watered and fertilized for five years. After that, in a span of 5-6 weeks, it sprouts from the ground to 90 feet tall. You have to be willing to play the long game and put forth the effort every day.

“Ten years from now, you will surely arrive. The question is where?” -Jim Rohn 6. You Could Lose This the harsh reality of life. It isn’t fair. We can’t understand it and we never will. After all, you can’t beat it. It is a reality we all must be aware of.

The successful individuals who see past it are the ones who understand they could lose. We all could lose. That is part of the curiosity of life. It’s the uncertainty of life. Without it, life would be boring.

Take the risk knowing you could lose.

7. If You Don’t Sow You Don’t Reap If you don’t make an attempt, it will never happen for you. This applies to our businesses, our fitness, our lifestyle, our health, our mindset – everything.

You have to get started. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you. You have to do it for yourself. There needs to be a breaking point somewhere in your life where you decide that you are going to make a change for the better. It could be a business, a new job, your health, losing weight or something else.

Without an attempt, you never seize the opportunity to reap.

a plan. Otherwise, you are walking in the dark. A goal without a plan is a wish. Write down how you will accomplish your goals on paper, or in a word document. Have it somewhere so you can see it everyday and you know what you need to accomplish.

But you need to have enough reason.

“If you had enough reason, you could do the most incredible things.” – Jim Rohn Once you gain enough reason to accomplish something, you will be surprised how far you can actually go. Those reasons can be the catapult to take you to levels you never dreamed of, because reality makes it all too easy to bring us back down. We have to live in reality, yes, but that doesn’t mean we are bound by it. The dreams and reasons you have for success are available to you – if you decide to act on them.

So, my question to you is, what do you have to lose?

Start sowing. When you do, the rewards will grow and when you look back five years from now, you’ll be happy you did. #StrengthAndLeadership Shawn Donaldson is the founder of Morning Lifter, a site dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and educating individuals through Strength and Leadership. A former collegiate football player and current high school teacher, he has a vast background in coaching, strength training, and leadership development to help others ask the right questions of themselves and see others in a new light. Find more articles, podcasts, and motivation on Strength and Leadership, visit morninglifter.com.

Set Goals Once you’ve decided to go for it, you need to have 47

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10 Strategies For Being Consistent with Training Over the Holidays

by Laura Kummerle, PT, DPT, OCS 49

Let’s face it, working out at home can sometimes be hard at any time of year, but even more so during the holiday season. Especially with the crazy year 2020 has been and the holidays coming up, we can experience some lack of motivation, getting in a rut, or be overwhelmed with the extra stress.

You go from having somewhat of a routine during the year, to traveling or having the family visit and it feels like all your hard work has gone out the window.

Here are some strategies to prevent your gym equipment from being a very expensive drying rack come February!

The holidays are a great time to experiment with family and friends with sports that require more people. It’s a time where more people focus on quality time with those they care about. Although it may be cold, a gym may have an indoor court that you can go to for a bit and play!

1. Remember your why.

Whether you are working out to feel better, be able to show up for others, for your health, for your children, or whatever your why is. Remember this. Think of this when you are struggling to workout. But know that it is also okay to adjust your workout a little based on how you feel to help you achieve these goals. Remember that you don’t have to workout just because it’s something you’re “supposed to do;” you’re doing it for yourself, for your family, for whoever or whatever your why is. Especially over the holidays, think about how you want to be able to show up for those you care about, have more energy while visiting, or have an excuse to get away for a little bit!

2. Find something you enjoy.

Think back to what you did when you were a kid.

What did you do to stay active? Did you throw a ball around with some kids in the neighborhood? Cool, go join an adult league near you a few nights a week.

Did you hang out all summer by the pool? Go find a pool you can use! Wasn’t a very active kid? What do you see others doing that you say, dang, that looks like fun? Is it rock climbing, archery, ninja warrior?

Go find somewhere around you where you can do those types of activities! You get the idea. Go find something you enjoy doing that gets you active. It doesn’t have to be a “traditional workout” as long as you’re moving.

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3. Something is better than nothing.

Went to a holiday party the night before, woke up hungover/dehydrated/tired, and don’t feel like doing anything? Yeah, everyone has those days. It’s okay to listen to your body on these days by doing something a little lighter, a little shorter, maybe even just some stretching and mobility work or a light walk. The habit of doing something keeps you going...this way you don’t get out of the habit or routine you have created.

4. Schedule it in.

6. It’s not just about the workout

Everyone has a different schedule. Make your workouts fit in with your schedule. If you prefer to work out in the morning before work, schedule it in.

If you prefer to work out during your lunch break or during your kid’s nap time, schedule it in. If you prefer to work out after work, schedule it in. And stick to this schedule. You aren’t allowed to do the next thing until it is completed. It is your priority to get it done. It will make you more productive for the next thing to come your way!

The workout doesn’t just occur during the workout time. Prepare yourself before it is time. If you need, set aside clothes/snacks the night before or earlier in the day to have fewer excuses. Make sure you adequately fuel yourself with hydration and nutrition throughout the day and have these things planned/ easily on hand. This way, there is no, “I forgot to eat or have nothing to eat with me so I can’t workout today.” Create a plan and stick to it to prime yourself for your workouts to make them more effective and efficient. Obviously, over the holidays, there will be some exceptions to this, but remember, one party/ meal/gathering doesn’t mean the rest of the day or the following day is off. Remember to enjoy yourself, but also take care of yourself!

5. Listen to your body Sometimes you wake up and your body is tired, your mind is going, etc. You can (and arguably should) adjust your workout to this! You know yourself best, so listen to yourself. If your body is tired, do something light/mindless like stretching/mobility, lighter weights, or go for a light walk/run. If you’re stressed, choose something to relax or get your mind off the thing that is bothering you (for me for example, this is a run, but for you, it may be something else). Especially this time of year, when people are running around trying to get things set up for the holidays, use your workouts as “me time” to destress, put things aside, and mentally take a break.

7. Find an accountability partner if needed It’s okay to need or benefit from an accountability partner. It is someone who can either work out with you, check in with you, or keep you motivated. If you need one, find a good one, and not someone who will justify your excuses so they don’t have to workout either (let’s be honest, we all have that 51

friend)! You can use a spouse, friend, neighbor, or someone online or in person. They do not have to be a trainer, but can be if you’d like. They just have to be someone that you will listen to as they encourage you or work alongside you. If you need to pay someone, think of it as an investment in yourself or a holiday gift for yourself. If you need to convince a family member/friend, use it as time together.

week during that time. Another idea is to have little goals for the day within these workouts to give you something to look forward to. Feel free to make occasional adjustments based on how you feel (see number 5), but if this is an everyday thing, the plan needs to be adjusted.

9. Have some “play” time at the end of your workouts Have fun trying new exercises or working toward new skills! Saw someone trying an exercise that looks fun? ...try it out. Always wanted to learn a handstand? ...start working it at the end of your workout. Miss playing the sport you did growing up? ...add some sport specific drills. Adding an extra 1015 minutes at the end to play will allow you to look forward to your workouts and enjoy moving again.

If you’re really feeling out of it, make it your whole workout occasionally to keep yourself motivated.

10. Set performance based goals When you’re planning your workouts, create performance based goals for yourself to help keep you focused. This can be anything from getting a skill like a muscle up or pull up to squatting or deadlifting a certain weight. Choose something that will make you feel empowered, keep track of your progress, and crush those goals!

8. Plan it out, but feel free to modify based on time/how you feel Have a plan for what you want to do that day. Bonus points if you plan out for the week or month at once.

This way workouts don’t require as much mental effort. You know what you have to do, and you do it.

You can have as much or as little detail as you want/ need from only the body part to the specific exercises with specific reps, sets, and weights. If you know you won’t have as much time a certain week due to travel, or you have to do hotel/park workouts, adjust things as needed. You could even schedule a deload 52

Hopefully a few of these tips resonated with you and can give you something to focus on to keep consistent throughout the Holiday season and through the rest of the year. Keep working hard, stay motivated, and remember to have fun!

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Busy Dad Meal Prep

by Derrick Clark, Sr. CHOCOLATE BANANA RICE CAKES (Desert) pre bed snack Prep time 10 minutes Ingredients Banana 50 grams Calories 44 Carbs 11 Protein 0 Fat 0 Quaker Rice cakes (plain) Calories 35 per rice cake Carbs 7 Protein 1 Fat 0 Chocolate Casein protein I’m using my protein chocolate smooth 15 grams 58 calories Protein 13 Carbs 1 Fat 0 Unsweetened almond milk 150 grams 26 calories Carbs 0.9 Protein 0.9 Fat 2.2 Or 150 grams of water Sweetener of your choice 54

Teaspoon I recommend Stiva Monk fruit Or my protein flavor drops chocolate Available on there website at myprotien.com Total macros per rice cake Calories 163 Carbs 18.9 Protein 13.9 Fat 2.2 Instructions -Combine casein and sweetener in a bowl -add almond milk or water If it’s still thick add more -once thick spread on rice cake -chop-up banana and place it on top of the rice cake And enjoy!

Great for a end of the night snack!

Macro friendly and filling Also a great way to get rid of a sweet tooth!

You can also add sugar free chocolate syrup on top to make it feel like a cheat meal!

EZ VEGGIE SOUP Dinner Prep Time 10 to 20 minutes Ingredients 1 Can corn low sodium or frozen corn 70 calories per serving 85 grams 16 carb .5 fat 1 protein Mixed veggies peas corn and Lima Bean blend or canned if frozen is not available 70 calories per serving 85 grams 11 carb 1 fat 2 protein Salt to taste Pepper to taste Garlic powder To taste Chicken or veggie broth 240 grams 1 container 5 calories per serving Total macros 85 grams of veggie blend 240 grams of broth Total macros 75 calories 15 carbs

1 fat 2 protein I Measured it like this so it’s easy to track Add broth first 240 grams then 85 grams of veggies Instructions Drain can corn or veggies and wash or if you use frozen you don’t have too Wash well if canned Set pot for high heat with water and boil veggies if frozen for 5 to 10 minutes Till veggies are Thawed out Drain water and add broth to pot Add veggies Add salt and pepper garlic powder to taste Cook for 10 minutes let it cool You can eather eat it like a soup or drain the broth and enjoy!

This is a cheap and versatile resipe you can eat During these troubled times Or if your on a budget and want something healthy here it is! You can also add many different spices to give it more flavor Lemon pepper seasoning Oregano for a Italian style veggie blend Paprika etc Enjoy! And be safe!

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DID YOU MISS SOMETHING?

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G E T A L L O F O U R B A C K I S S U E S F O R F R E E A T H T T P S : / / I S S U U . C O M / G A R A G E G Y M L I F E

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