High Intensity Interval Training – Of Undisputed Origin

Sparking Joy and Spontaneous Fun

August 15, 2015August 15, 2015 Madeline JohnsonLeave a comment

When your body is spinning towards a heart pounding, sweat streaming, muscle burning exertion rate of 9 out of 10 it’s really difficult to find room in the mind for limiting beliefs. All of the focus is on breathing, pushing and moving forward. There is a sense of freedom in this state of motion that has helped me get out of my head. I have found getting out from behind enemy lines, free from the worry and anxiety, to be the most empowering place to be.

Turning Pro

Getting to Spinning at Covert Fitness on a Saturday morning is trying enough, let alone getting my body to an exertion rate of 9.0. I’m always wondering, is this my 9? Should I push harder? Load up the resistance? So I tap it on. I tap it on because I want to believe I’m turning pro. Turning pro means doing what professional athletes do. Call me crazy, but I think that’s what it takes to get you where you want to be.

“When we’re living as amateurs, we’re running away from our calling — meaning our work, our destiny, the obligation to become our truest and highest selves. Addiction becomes a surrogate for our calling. We enact the addiction instead of embracing the calling. Why? Because to follow a calling requires work. It’s hard. It hurts. It demands entering the pain-zone of effort, risk, and exposure.” Quote by Steven Pressfield

Wanna Go Pro?

Sparking Joy & Spontaneous Fun

The idea of spontaneity, trying things on a whim, letting go – it all seems so foreign to my ambitious, list-making, task-master lifestyle. No more.

Starlight Pajama Sails

Last night we went sailing under the stars with friends in our pajamas. The intention was to unwind with a glass of wine and a one hour sail around the sound on a beautiful summer night. Jib and main up and a nice breeze to move us along, we sliced through the water, jogging waves, by the beautiful star lit sky. We rowed in at midnight, rather tired as we crashed on the bed in our salt-water soaked bottoms. We were nine years old again, and it felt so right.

Karaoke Spinning

Karaoke singing during Spin class this morning felt the same way. Our instructor had us belting out pop tunes through our most difficult climb. It felt ridiculous and it was fun as hell. I like ridiculous.

spotify:track:63dETSxIKCdUHGzlUyCjWb

Try a bit of letting go. Next time, do it in your pjs or take it outside – camping, workouts, cooking. Sing out loud while you scrub the kitchen floor. All engines running. Super-charged. Switch it up. Have some fun.

Mount Climbers, Transhumanism and Being Bored to Genius

August 11, 2015August 12, 2015 Madeline Johnson1 Comment

Never one to get too comfortable with my routine, I’ve added mountain climbers (fat burning, toning and strength-training all-in-one) to my daily workout, which now includes – 60+ minutes of interval cardio with strong sprints, 100 bicycle sit ups, 30 push ups, 50 squats, 50 forward and 50 backward lunges, 25 side lunges and 30 mountain climbers. I am aiming for 100 of each daily.

Podcast Picks

Tim Ferriss and Srivanas Rao of The Unmistakable Creative both had interviews with artificial intelligence experts this week. You can listen to a fascinating interview about the future of technology and the human race with Zoltan Istvan, the transhumanist running for U.S. president here.

What exactly is a “Transhumanist?”

Transhumanism (abbreviated as H+ or h+) is an international cultural and intellectual movement with an eventual goal of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. Think bionic eyes and robotic hearts. Note: I am not a member of this tribe, I just find their stories of the future very intriguing.

One of my favorite Zoltan (his name even sounds transhuman) quotes from the interview –

“I do not let emotions be part of my decision making

process because it leads to dangerous things.”

Zoltan warns of the dangers of “going with your gut” when making big decisions. He claims that one should really consider the long term effect each decision may have. Emotions shouldn’t dictate every decision because they may lead to irrational choices – and you know what happens then.

I must remind myself that today I am a result of the decisions I made yesterday. Deciding to workout each day a year ago, has made me a healthier and happier person today.

The takeaway: Decisions are what get you where you want to go. Everything you are today is a direct result of a decision you made at one point in time.

Some should be made through the prism of reason.

In the meantime, back on the treadmill, I can make bigger decisions because I have Fitbit technology to track my workout habits and success. Habits + technology help free up the brain. Not having to think about tracking my movements or what to eat for breakfast, leaves more brainpower for the bigger, creative ideas. Read more about the science behind being bored to genius.

Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband, Black, Large

Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black

As you think, so shall you become. – Bruce Lee

the wisdom of your body, keystone habits and the side (lateral) lunge

July 28, 2015 Madeline Johnson2 Comments

I workout every day because I am reminded that past performance is not an indicator of future results. What I do today will determine what my tomorrow(s) will be. Workout wisdom has it that you should never miss more than three days in a row or it’s really difficult to get back in the habit. I say, never miss a day.

Keystone Habits

Daily exercise has become a critical ritual for me because a.workouts are a keystone habit and b. I sit way too much and sitting for too long each day can have serious side effects on my health.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death — and Exercise Alone Won’t

Movement & the Mind

Movement also helps me mentally, maybe even in more impactful ways than I know. A great workout helps clear my brain and keep the worry and anxiety at bay.

Although I am a member of three gyms, take spin and dance classes and I am looking into downloading Class Pass to try new workouts, I train outdoors as much as I can.

Today’s work out included biking along the beach (2.5 miles) to and from the gym, 30 minutes (hard) on the eliptical, High Intensive Interval Training training for 15 mins at the lacrosse field adding side lateral lunges as recommended by my daughter @lanathecowboy on Instagram and then a swim back at the beach.

Our body’s are so intelligent. This morning I read a beautiful essay from John O’Donghue’s
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

The body is also very truthful. You know from your own life that your body rarely lies. Your mind can deceive you and put all kinds of barriers between you and the truth; but your body does not lie. Your body tells you, if you attend to it, how your life is and whether you are living from your soul or from the labyrinths of your negativity. The body also has a wonderful intelligence. All of our movements, indeed everything we do, demands the most refined and detailed cooperation of each of our senses. The human body is the most complex, refined and harmonious totality.