Stretching is very misunderstood. Keeping/restoring flexibility (for instance from spending lots of time sitting and making your hips used to "being short") can have benefits like helping avoid injury. But stretching is a work out like any other and damages tissue. You need time between sessions and other strenuous activity to heal or you actually risk injury more. Stretching to alieviate soreness from a work out is scientifically silly. The other common stretch reason- pain in daily life can also be silly. Many times it isn't a "tight" hamstring causing problems, but one where weak hip flexors have allowed it to stretch too far. Stretching more may temporarily make you feel better but makes the problem worse. For those people it is better to increase strength and endurance of those muscle groups so that they no longer hurt. Stretching isn't bad- it's good. But like any work out you need to have a purpose and follow the "smart path" and not "overtrain." understanding is key.
Oh! Also- don't grab the backs of your leg like that when you stretch. You have muscles/tendons/ligaments right there not far from the surface. If you're stretching them (they're under stress) and you put physical pressure on them you can injure yourself. Especially if you're over stretching to the point you need to "hold on" like an anchor to your legs to maintain the position. Stretch gently, hold where it's a little uncomfortable but not painful for about 30 seconds, then as things release stretch further and repeat. Don't force it, and listen to pain. Never "bounce" to try and reach further or in a stretch either. Imagine quickly bending a paper clip back and forth. You fatigue your tissues and stress them. Slow, steady, controlled, deliberate stretching.
I’m happy to help in whatever way I can. The broad advice I can give is this:
1. Listen to your body. Vague I know. But through training you learn and can better feel and control muscles and the like. You learn “normal” and “bad” discomfort.
2. In that vein- take it slow. Everyone wants “6weeks abs” or whatever. It’s bullshit (... well... not entirely. Drugs and unhealthy or unsustainable training can get results like what many “miracle” programs claim. Other than that no.) Dont try and start with extreme exercise. Start below what you know you can handle- even if it’s a “waste of time” and slowly add each work out or at set periods little bits so that you are never making huge leaps, but baby steps. You’ll gradually approach your comfort limits and then slowly stretch them.
3. Rest. No work out gives benefits on its own. The benefits are made between exercise periods when your body heals and adapts. Most healthy plans stagger activity periods and generally will give at least...
... a day between sessions. In this day love life normally but try not to perform any activities that are too strenuous or put lots of strain on you, especially the things you stressed in your work out. Get your sleep. 8 hours plus, or as close as possible. The harder you rest the harder you can work out. If you aren’t getting full sleep then adjust your activity so that it’s mild enough to recover from with the sleep you can get.
4. Patience. Again- there’s no healthy way to get in awesome shape from 0 point or below in a few weeks or even months. It will take time. The bigger the change you hope to make the longer, You will improve, but it can take years to get into “red carpet” shape depending on where you started. Don’t be discouraged. Most people see changes at 3-6 months of a serious plan, but just know it’s a life style change and not a quick one tile thing.
5. Diet is king. Nothing will effect your health like diet. The calories you need, fat, etc, that gets more dependent on what you’re trying to do and your body type and chemistry. The simplest things you can do for your health are to stay inside the calorie guidelines- or make your own. Starting with either the default calorie count, or a total of what you’re taking in average now, adjust your calories daily up or down based on if you’re gaining or losing weight, and how body composition is looking. Moving them up or down 500 calories a day every week or so is a good gradual way. Wether gaining or losing is the goal, more than about 1lb a week is generally too much. You can gain about .25-.5lbs of lean muscle a week, and seldom is gain ONLY lean muscle, so gain should generally be 1lbs or under. Loss- people with more to lose can lose more a week healthily, but in general 1-2lbs a week is a good goal for loss. Most people will lose too much muscle at 2lbs a week so I advise to stay...
.. closer to 1lbs for most people in weight loss. But- it’s all very individual. What’s important is what works for you.
6. What works for you. That’s the guiding star. Metrics are great. It’s much easier to try and run another mile, shave seconds off a time, life X lbs, have X% body fat or weigh X lbs, even just an aesthetic metric like “have arms like X,” but they don’t tell the whole story. Setting goals and milestones keeps us on track, and setting healthy and achievable ones that challenge us is key to training right. However, strong caught up in metrics is a trap for most people. If you aren’t a competitive athlete you likely have other goals in mind. To “feel better” or “look better” to live longer, or to just not be winded going up the stairs at home. Whatever the goal- that’s your real reason for doing what you do. Not some number. People push for numbers, do things their body tells them not to, or things that hurt their goals. They get discouraged if they don’t...
.. hit those numbers. Make it about you. The goal. If you’re working, you’re slowly feeling better and doing more. You’re on track to your goal and even if it will take time, it will take less time than if you were doing nothing. The 1lb gain/loss for instance- those are maximum healthy guidelines, not rules. The scale is a tool to help track what your body is doing internally with what you are giving it. The mirror is a tool too though. One trying to “look better” is ultimately going to use the mirror- if they don’t like the changes they see, they can modify things. One trying to be healthy can also use these tools. Things like BMI and weight tables often don’t account for athletic activity nor do they reflect every person. They are also good guides, but if you feel good, are performing well, and the mirror shows you what looks like a healthy person, you are likely on track.
7. Find your motivation and know yourself: you need a goal and a reason, but you also need something to keep you on track. A work out buddy or activity partner or group can help with this. It’s harder to put off a work out when your partner relies on you or the class will miss you. If you start solo you can make friends while doing your activities and they can help you. In the end you’ll require discipline regardless. The process builds that discipline though. Staying motivated requires being realistic. If you can’t do your program you won’t try for long. I won’t travel to the gym. So I know that wether it’s a dance class, weights, gymnastics center, track, pool, etc- if it is not either near my home/work or on my route I wouldn’t stick to it. That’s my self knowing myself. I always make sure that I set up activities that are in that zone so I know that I won’t quit or decide one day it’s too much of a commute to go. You likewise have things you need to consider to create a program...
... you can stick to. If you can’t or won’t prep meals, a plan or a goal that relies on it won’t work. That’s realism. Say you want a pet, but you work long hours and have low energy, you have no yard and a small home. Any pet will be a drain. However a dog would be ill advised even if you want it, a couple hamsters or fish might be better. As to the analogy- setting a goal like pro athlete performance, A list celebrity or fitness model looks, or completely holistic living- those things may be unrealistic if a person can’t dedicate the time, money, or attention to it. That does not mean they shouldn’t try for improvement, but trying to train and eat and live to such lofty goals but doing so sporadically is more likely to cause frustration and even quitting.
That ties in to gradual change as well. For some people starting out “this rather than this” is the best way. Sudden and extreme change tends to not work well for most people. So gradually increasing your activity and supporting lifestyle to match the progress you are making is a good way to help keep yourself from being worn out or scared off. “I can’t do this” is the usual failure. People just feel they can’t or won’t make the sacrifices needed. That slow change helps you adjust and realize it isn’t so bad. Like slowly changing the water temperature versus jumping into a hot or cold water. It also helps give you time to see and feel how your changes are affecting you. The “this rather than that” style is to substitute things that aren’t healthy for ones that are- or at least are more healthy. If you have a coke in the morning- but aren’t ready to give that up, have half a coke, or a black coffee. Chocolate covered raisins are relatively healthy for junk food versus a chocolate...
... truffle. Plain Raisins or grapes are healthier than most candy. Celery is a healthier snack for idle eaters than grapes. A 3 musketeers bar is all sugar. A snickers at least has nuts. A walk is not the best exercise- but it is activity and is fairly low impact. Swimming would be generally a better exercise, so I’d put swimming ahead of walking, but walking ahead of sitting- and if you were going to sit and watch videos for 2 hours... walking is a healthier waste of time. If you have a treadmill or stationary bike you can do both of course. So starting with little choices can help. Taking stairs instead of elevators, leaving food on the plate if you have large portions (or better taking less.) Replacing 4 strips of bacon at breakfast with 2 strips and some fruit, then maybe some fruit and some lean protein like chicken.
Man. I didn’t realize how long this would be. It’s a simple subject yet has some complexities. I apologize for gettin. Carried away. I’m going to give it a rest, but if there are any specific ways I am help, let me know.
Well that's me fucked. I can't bend that far because of my CP. I can't even reach to touch my damn calf muscles! And when I try to pull my toes towards my knees my right foot skews off to the right. Weirdness.
1. Listen to your body. Vague I know. But through training you learn and can better feel and control muscles and the like. You learn “normal” and “bad” discomfort.
2. In that vein- take it slow. Everyone wants “6weeks abs” or whatever. It’s bullshit (... well... not entirely. Drugs and unhealthy or unsustainable training can get results like what many “miracle” programs claim. Other than that no.) Dont try and start with extreme exercise. Start below what you know you can handle- even if it’s a “waste of time” and slowly add each work out or at set periods little bits so that you are never making huge leaps, but baby steps. You’ll gradually approach your comfort limits and then slowly stretch them.
3. Rest. No work out gives benefits on its own. The benefits are made between exercise periods when your body heals and adapts. Most healthy plans stagger activity periods and generally will give at least...
4. Patience. Again- there’s no healthy way to get in awesome shape from 0 point or below in a few weeks or even months. It will take time. The bigger the change you hope to make the longer, You will improve, but it can take years to get into “red carpet” shape depending on where you started. Don’t be discouraged. Most people see changes at 3-6 months of a serious plan, but just know it’s a life style change and not a quick one tile thing.
6. What works for you. That’s the guiding star. Metrics are great. It’s much easier to try and run another mile, shave seconds off a time, life X lbs, have X% body fat or weigh X lbs, even just an aesthetic metric like “have arms like X,” but they don’t tell the whole story. Setting goals and milestones keeps us on track, and setting healthy and achievable ones that challenge us is key to training right. However, strong caught up in metrics is a trap for most people. If you aren’t a competitive athlete you likely have other goals in mind. To “feel better” or “look better” to live longer, or to just not be winded going up the stairs at home. Whatever the goal- that’s your real reason for doing what you do. Not some number. People push for numbers, do things their body tells them not to, or things that hurt their goals. They get discouraged if they don’t...