Hot, humid, and stinky!
Huh? More after the jump…
Paying it forward! That old meme again…
In previous posts, I’ve hit on the importance of paying it forward with regard to nutrition, rest, and physical performance. The underlying idea, of course, is that how one treats his or her body during a given 24-hour period largely determines physical performance during the next 24-hour period. Pretty simple.
I’ve intentionally experimented with this in the past in order to really buy into it myself. Eat junk food one day; perform to a certain level the next. Switch that 48 hours later with a focus on healthy foods, and performance levels increase the following day. Same thing goes for getting insufficient and sufficient amounts of sleep–5 hours of sleep produces one level of performance the following day, while 7 – 8 hours produces another effect. Again…too easy.
What I’ve failed to mention is how environmental conditions can affect one’s performance.
Drop the gym membership–DIY…
As much as I appreciate my home gym (particularly while I’m experimenting with P90X), there are some elements of my gym that must change and without haste.
I’m a do-it-yourself kind of guy, so I naturally built my own workout area. Nothing fancy. Just enough space and equipment to challenge the gladiator within. I know Spartacus trained in the hot and humid conditions of the Mediterranean, but did he train right next to his garbage can?
Feng shui? Perhaps not…
An obvious oversight, I failed to take into account how potent a stew the extreme temperatures of the southwest coupled with organic refuse such as veggies, fish, chicken, and whatever else goes into the garbage can all make when given 3 days to meld with one another in my garage. Did I mention the ventilation system I installed in there? Of course not, because I’ve done no such thing.
Needless to say, my workout this morning suffered a bit. Sure I knocked it out. Sure I got in a few more reps than last week. But I know it would have been even more righteous given a better, healthier workout environment.
My short-term solution: move the garbage outside the garage. Of course long term that means I need to build an outdoor housing area for it. I’m on it…soon. For now, it’s up to the street critters to figure out how to open the lid.
Coming up…
I’m getting ready to take some much-needed time off from work. I cannot wait! Wednesday, we’ll talk about the importance of R&R as it pertains to overall health and wellness.
Until then, I hope you are ll making progress toward your mid-term fitness goals. This is the third week. By next week, if you’ve really stuck to it, you should definitely see some tangible results. From there, it’s time to refocus on some short-term goals. The cycle continues like that as you forge ahead on your journey to actualizing those mega goals. Keep up the great work!
Warmest Regards,
~Aj
Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Aj's Focus on Fitness 
Sound off!