May 27, 2013

Reflection should be a part of life!

 Rant and Tip for May 27, 2013

Quote:
     "Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful."  Margaret J Wheatley       

                  Margaret J. Wheatley is an American writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior.

Jim Kipp and Tom Cencich

   It has been a while since I have written and it is way past time I get started again. I have been reflecting lately on a lot of things. I find it very helpful in all areas of life. Of course I have been reflecting on my recent 7th place finish at the IPF Masters World Bench Press meet and trying to find where my third lift went wrong. I have watched the video over and over again I know what I did wrong. I rushed myself with my set up and my grip on my left hand was off. The bar was not place correctly in the palm of my hand, this forced my wrist to cock back and change the direction of the bar on my left side. The bar had no choice but to propel towards my face. Which it did, I knew something was off just before the bar touched my chest. If I did not take the time to reflect on the lift and view the video over and over and over again chances are I would make that mistake again. I assure you that is not a mistake I will make again.
Left Wrist Is cocked back, bad set up
 This little story is really meant to share with my readers that reflection is needed and vitally important to be successful in our dietary and exercise needs and goals. If you feel you are failing in some area take the time to reflect on what is causing the failure and yes it is OK to say failure. Failure is a learning opportunity. In every opportunity there is a chance for growth.


If you diet is not going in the direction you want it to then start tracking everything you eat and determine what needs to be changed. A good diet sometimes needs to be modified based on your exercise needs. If you eat a low carb diet you may need to increase your fats in some way and an Avocado is an excellent way to do that. Try it an hour before a work out and see if that helps your. It is also full of potassium and this will help with cramping in the legs and other muscles.

You exercise needs to be tracked. You have probably noticed many guys and girls in the gym tracking their workouts. When done correctly and injunction with tracking your diet, you can tell a lot about your body. For instance if you track exercise and you note you felt weak or just lacked energy, you can reference you diet for the previous few hours and determine whether or not you ate enough.

Reflection can take many forms and be done at any point in the day.

Exercise tip: This one goes out to those of us who are obese, to the point that your knees are in pain and squats are out of the question. Take the time to get a partner and find a bench. Use your partner by holding their hands and sit back on to the bench. Do not plop down! Ease your self down and back. Making sure your knees do not go out over your toes. I will work on a video for this for you. I have found it has worked very well for a few people I know who are taking control of their eating habits and the rest of their life. 

Tip: Schedule a time to reflect at least once a week, but preferably daily. Jot down what you need to work on and make changes as needed.