Battling the "Low-Energy Demon" and Winning!

Why do so many people struggle to make time for fitness?

We are all aware of the benefits of being "in-shape", here are just a few of them:

- More energy
- More strength
- Longevity
- Less depression
- Better sleep
- More confidence
- Sharper memory
- More physical capabilities

I am pretty sure most people would want all of that! So again, why do so many people make so many excuses about not being able to exercise regularly? Why is it that on average only 10% of members of a gym attend regularly (3 or more times/week)? My personal belief is that many people are afraid of the pain that "LED" lies to us about!

Let me clarify. Often, most people have a moment of mental debate before they decide to exercise. It is at this point when the "Low-Energy Demon" (LED for short!) pops up! LED tells us "You don't have enough energy to workout hard enough to make a difference! You might as well not go to the gym today." LED also tells us "Do you really want to put yourself through that much pain right now? You are plenty cozy doing what you are doing. Besides, you really need to spend more time with your family! Why are you trying to be so 'selfish'!"

LED is a liar! In order for you to be successful with your fitness goals, or any virtuous endeavour for that matter, you have to put LED in its place! You must first pray and then do as Ephesians 6:10 tells us and "Put on the full Armor of God". LED is a reminder that our battle is not physical but spiritual. God wants the best for you! Cast your cares upon the Lord!

Once you have prayed, keep these points in mind:

• Exercise actually creates energy, it doesn't take energy away. If you have low energy, then give what little energy that you have to exercise and it will compound that energy and give it back to you! Just as the Scriptures tell us, "What you sow, so shall you reap!" Your energy levels will continue to climb as you continue to put forth energy.

• When LED pops up again trying to scare you about the "pain of exercise", remind LED that being diagnosed with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and depression will be one thousand times more painful!

• If LED tries to tell you that you need to skip spending time at the gym to spend time with the family, tell LED "Spending 30-60mins/day on myself will allow me to be a fit daddy or fit mommy and that sets a far greater example to my children than spending that time with the kids in front of the television!" Also tell LED "I am going to the gym so that I CAN have energy to chase after my children and not be so exhausted anymore!"

By following these recommendations, you can keep LED at bay! Remember, when you listen to LED you can wind up Dead!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV

Caffeinated Craziness!

Most people consume some type of caffeinated product regularly. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), approximately 150 million Americans drink coffee every single day! This does not account for people who consume other caffeinated products other than coffee, such as energy drinks and other performance supplements that contain caffeine. Of course, this information should come as no surprise to anyone reading this. Who doesn't like that alert buzz that you get from a few sips of hot joe!? We all need that extra pick-me up to stay on top of the game at work or at school or even in the gym, right?! Besides, for the past 25 years, "The best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup!"

Caffeine Pros:

Caffeine consumption has been growing considerably over the past few years. To help accelerate this, more health research studies have discovered positive health outcomes for people who drink coffee regularly. Some of these studies show a decreased incidence of diabetes, Parkinson's disease and asthma.

In addition to these health studies, performance supplements have been increasing the caffeine market. There are quite a large number of supplements that can help workout performance because of the amount of caffeine in the supplement. Caffeine can help increase focus and endurance, which can help many athletes perform better.

Caffeine Cons:

Unfortunately, many of us forget that caffeine is a drug. The more we use it, the more dependent on it we are! For people who consume at least 2 cups of coffee each day, skipping a day may create withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include: headache, fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting and muscle stiffness and soreness! For someone who is active, it's quite a challenge to stay active during withdrawal! In addition to that, our moods are greatly affected by how much, or how little, caffeine we have consumed. If you skip even half the amount of caffeine you normally consume, depression usually ensues! Of course, if you have the caffeine your body craves or maybe give it a little bit more (which is what most drug addicts want to do!), you will have that nice elated feeling of control and peace and the whole world will sing in harmony!

Personally, I have found that caffeine can be a helpful servant, for a little while. However, it quickly becomes a ruthless master! I have used (and still use, because I am hooked) multiple types of caffeinated pre-workout beverages and supplements. Caffeine can give you a bit more focus when working out and help you push yourself a little harder than you normally would. However, keep in mind that the more you use a caffeinated product prior to working out, the more you will need to keep using it, just to be "normal". Try working out without caffeine after you have used a caffeinated product daily for 3 months! The birds outside will stop chirping so peacefully!

Caffeine Intoxication

In addition to caffeine withdrawal, there is a much worse situation that could develop. Caffeine intoxication! Just like alcohol, you can have too much caffeine. Of course everyone's individual tolerance is different. Symptoms associated with intoxication may include: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, flushed face, muscle twitching, seizures, heart palpitations and death. High amounts of caffeine consumption can be a factor in developing anxiety disorders and depression according to the American Psychiatric Association. For some people, the above conditions can develop with as little as 250mg of caffeine/day (about 2 cups of coffee) other people would need 1000mg to notice those affects.

My recommendation:

I personally believe that using caffeine for what it is intended for, as a stimulant, can help give you an advantage when you use it, infrequently. I remember having one small cup of coffee before I took a test and it helped me concentrate during that exam. However, I would make sure to not consume anything caffeinated for a couple of days afterwards to make sure I didn't develop a habit. I would recommend trying to keep caffeine consumption infrequent to allow your body to recognize the caffeine when you consume it and not become dependent on it.

The bottom line when thinking about caffeine is to remember that it is a drug!

It all starts with drinking one cup of coffee each day to help you get off to a "good start". Then, your body gets used to that and you need 2 cups to give you that alert edge! Then that medium at Dunkin' Donuts turns into a large (approx 3 cups) when you want to be extra focused for your presentation. Then, before you know it, you will need the whole pot before lunch time just to get the wheels turning! Anxiety then starts to accelerate and you find you can't sleep as well at night. Ibuprofen becomes your next best friend because of all the headaches you are getting from caffeine withdrawal and you take that with some Tums because your stomach hurts from new peptic ulcers that develop from the intense amount of caffeine (and ibuprofen) that you need to consume, just to feel normal! Definitely the picture of health, right!?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

The Wounded Warrior!

Training hard can sometimes, but hopefully not often, lead to an injury. Most athletes have suffered some type of injury which is often associated with the high frequency and intensity of training. In fact, if you are interested in getting your body into great shape, it is important to understand the more often you train with vigorous effort, the greater your chance for injury will occur. However, being afraid to work to your maximum capacity because the threat of injury scares you, should not occur! The occurrence and severity of these injuries can diminish greatly by paying attention to a few key points during exercise.

Focus on Form!
When doing most exercises, take your time to focus on the form of the exercise. Try to take twice as long to lower the weight as it does to contract the weight. There are multiple studies that show the slower a repetition is executed, the more muscle is actually developed. In addition to that, the slower the repetition, the less likely you will use momentum. Using momentum is a great way to achieve only half the results and more than double your risk for injury!

There are two parts to an exercise repetition. There is the "eccentric" motion and the "concentric" motion. The concentric motion is when the muscle you are working is contracting or getting tighter. For example, if you are doing a bicep curl, this is the part where your arm is "curled" and your bicep muscles are very tight. The eccentric motion of an arm curl is when you are lowering the weight and the bicep muscles are getting longer.

By taking your time with the eccentric motion of an exercise, you can actually produce greater results faster because you will more thoroughly work the muscle, allowing more blood and lactic acid to build up faster which will help to fatigue the muscle more quickly. More lactic acid leads to greater deterioration of muscle, which will lead to a greater amount of muscle rebuilt! Also, controlling the lowering phase of the exercise significantly decreases the likelihood of injury since you won't be putting your joints at risk for injury with momentum.

Improper form with the use of momentum is usually the culprit of many ligament tears. Momentum will rapidly cause the deterioration of joints!

Stretch!
Stretching is another great way to help prevent significant injuries. This is often one of the aspects of exercise that is overlooked by a good majority of exercisers from the amateurs to the professionals! Stretching is typically placed in the "if I have time for it" category. We all know that we never have "time for it", so it often never gets done! Avoiding stretching will greatly increase the chance of a torn muscle. Exercising with tight muscles greatly increases the risk for injury because your body may not be mobile enough to perform a proper exercise. Stretching and massage are very helpful tools in loosening the very tight muscles that occur through regular strength training and cardiovascular exercise.

Stretching and holding the stretch ("static stretching") for 20 seconds is a great way to help lengthen the muscle so it can allow greater blood flow and mobility of the muscle. It may require multiple "reps" (20 second holds) to thoroughly loosen up the muscle.

Most everyone has some area of their body that is tighter than other parts. If you workout regularly (3-5x's/week) then your chance of having some muscle that is tighter than another is extremely high. It's just a normal part of exercise and recovery. However, continuing to train major muscle groups without consistent stretching will increase the likelihood of an injury to one of the major muscles since your mobility is decreasing.

Vigorous stretching prior to strength training or cardiovascular exercise is generally not a good idea. Doing so can create small tears in the muscle and increase the chance of an injury to that muscle during your workout session. However, by spending approximately 40 seconds (but not much more) between exercise sets, stretching the muscles that you worked can help delay fatigue and decrease muscle tension allowing you to push yourself a little harder to achieve greater results. Then, after your exercise session is over, spend approximately 10 minutes stretching all the muscles that you worked that day. Doing this will help to not only prevent further injury, but it will help to increase (not just maintain) mobility and flexibility.

For some people who have significantly tight muscles (determined by exercise testing), it may be a good idea to make use of a foam roller before and after you exercise. A foam roller is a hard foam roll that you lay on for 30 seconds to 1 minute that helps to release tension in a muscle which will then allow you to stretch the muscle more effectively. The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) highly recommends foam rolling or "self-myofacial release" for tight muscle groups before and after exercise. If you have any questions about using a foam roller, I would recommend speaking with a personal trainer before using one for the first time, since using one inappropriately may lead to further injury.


Even by following the above steps, there is still the probability of an injury. This is especially true if you continue to train vigorously quite often (5+ days/week). However, the severity of the injury and how often you get injured will significantly decrease in likelihood. Doing these above steps should help you feel comfortable in knowing you are doing your best to protect your body, now it's time to push it as hard as you can! :-)

"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him deeds are weighed. The bows of warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength." 1 Samuel 2:3-4 (NIV)