Syndicate Health

Temper your mind, less it betrays your body.

Training is uncomfortable, at least it should be at times because that means the stimulus is intense, and intensity is what drives adaptation!

The stimulus or environment in which you place your body will dictate how it adapts, or doesn't adapt should you stay in the same environment.

This has immense implications to creating significant change through exercise, nutrition and lifestyle change. We cannot get better in the same environment that caused us to get sick in the first place.

Your body has amazing potential for growth and change but your mind doesn't like the feeling of discomfort.

This is really the essence of discipline, you WILL NOT love it everyday but you WILL do it everyday, because you've taught your mind to accept discomfort as the gift that brings the change you wish to see in your life.

So what do you do to train your mind?
- Exercise
- Meiditation
- Heat/cold exposure
- Endurance training
🥵🥶🧠🧘‍♀️🏋️‍♂️🏊

Change Talk Series #3

Testing

This is a tricky, yet vital part of any habit acquisition or training program. You're not just doing this once and it's done, we are after a life long change!

One thing I wish I did more of when I first started training was measure and test myself. I didn't want to because I wasn't proud of where I currently was and in not being honest about where I currently was, I let my ego get ahead of me and injured my shoulder.

Not only can testing illuminate problem areas to improve upon prior to jumping under heavy loads, but it's also a powerful tool in motivation to see yourself improving and look back on how far you've come!

Test ➡️ Plan Actionable Steps ➡️ Consistent effort ➡️ Retest 🔁

When you workout, where is your attention?
The to-do list for the day ahead?
The movement?
The rep count?
Maybe the exit sign?

One thing I believe we don't pay as much attention to as we should is how the movement feels and how it looks 👀

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned gym rat, having a portion of your training dedicated to always improving HOW well you are moving is a must!

We often get caught up in seeing the progress on the weights and doing more overall work.

However, with more load comes more stability demands and what was once a good looking movement pattern may be compromised because of an ill-timed change in exercise or jump in load.

Remember your body is an adaptation machine! But it takes time, so be patient and keep going!

Change Talk Series #2

Visualise Your Why 👀

Our visual and motor systems are amazing in the way they interact and shape our experience.

When adopting a new habit it's important to know your Why, but it has to have meaning and importance to you (see yesterday's video for more on this)

When we can visualise an end goal, track progress towards it, and be reminded of it daily, our RAS (reticular activating system) starts to draw our attention towards anything and everything that is relevant to our goal/focus.

We also see changes in our body/physiology despite it not really moving. I'm sure you've felt your body experience all kinds of things from the video content you consume. Your body may not have moved but eyes are perceiving the world and preparing your body accordingly.

If you focus on the negative, you'll perceive the world more negatively.
If you focus on the positive, you'll perceive the world more positively.
If you focus on your why, you'll perceive the world as full of opportunities for you to action towards that goal.

Change Talk Series #1

As an Exercise Physiologist, I love working with people to make them move, feel and look better. The body is a fascinating and complex system with a stubbornness towards change (or maybe that's just the mind 😉) but that being said our body and brain are INCREDIBLY adaptable.

In this series I'm going to go through a number of key steps/information that I use both personally and professionally with my clients to handle obstacles, improve performance and see greater results from an exercise intervention.

The first is more of a self reflective skill, and that is to truly understand the value, meaning and importance of why you are undertaking this journey.

Thought Experiment Example:
Why #1. I want to start exercising to lose 5kg
Why #2. I want to lose 5kg so that I get back to playing with my kids without doing my back
Why #3. I want to play with my kids more so that they understand how important activity is, I wasn't shown this as a kid and I want to be a good example for them.
Why #4. I want to be a role model for my kids to start getting healthier because I want to be around to play with their children as well.
Why #5. I want to be around for my family to support, love and enjoy life with them because that's really what means the most to me...

I can't speak for everyone but that sounds much more meaningful. Your why could be completely different and that's the beautiful but also painful thing. No one person can show you or explain it to you, it's a journey inward, a brutally honest review of life right now and the things you do vs what life will be on this different path.

"One who has a WHY to live for, can endure almost any HOW"

The Lat Pulldown 🦾

It's crazy how often people miss key techniques when they are first learning to lift and then spend months/years developing strength in these "less than ideal positions".

Biomechanics is important for the efficiency and longevity of our joints.

Unfortunately the way out is relearning the fundamentals before you can load it back up.

The Lat Pull down is easily one of the more common lifts that people go too heavy, too quickly and compromise their form.

Why is this? 🤔

Well the Lat Pull down is focusing on loading the Lats (obviously) but what we often forget about our shoulder position and how well key stabilizers are acting on the shoulder.

Sadly these stabilizers are not nearly as big and strong as our Lats, so we can easily move more weight when we compromise our shoulder position.

In summary, don't let your ego dictate your training. Take the time to master the fundamentals or book an appointment with me now for inevitable shoulder problems 😅