Notch 8 Athletics

Specializing in helping people reach their full potential through a unique health and fitness approach. We train the heart, mind and body through a strong community, discipline and serious training.

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How Exercise Can Change Your Life

What is exercise? According to Dictionary.com, the true definition of exercise is: “bodily or mental exertion, especially for the sake of training or improvement of health.” The improvement of health is what really catches my eye. I think for the general population, most people don’t look at exercise as an improvement of health, rather than just a physical activity that we all dread to take on. So what is it that makes exercise so unappealing? Is it the thought of having to break from your recently addictive Netflix series or is it the fact that you’ll have to get all sweaty and add a little extra effort into your daily schedule? On another point, what makes exercise worthwhile? To me, exercise is more than just the physical perspective, it’s emotional. Exercise is one of my biggest stress relievers; and when life gets just a little too crazy to handle, I know there is always a bar there when I need it.

Now, most people look at me and assume I’ve always been involved with fitness in some way. This statement may be true, but what most don’t know, is the reason behind it all. I was a competitive gymnast for fourteen years and let me tell you, exercise played a major role during that time. In gymnastics, conditioning and exercise is practically a fifth event. However, I wasn’t the athlete that looked towards it, like most. It wasn’t until a shoulder injury, causing me to leave the sport I so graciously loved, that exercise was the only thing I had left to look forward to. It was a completely new road for me, because for the last fourteen years of my life, I ate, slept, and breathed gymnastics, and in one blink of an eye, just like that, it wasn’t. So, like I said, exercise is my emotional outlet. When I no longer had gymnastics to lean on, I leaned on the gym. Even though I lost a love in my life, I found one in fitness. Exercise brought many benefits into my life to void what I lost after gymnastics. Exercise was more than just keeping me in shape, it brought joy into days where I needed it most, and it taught me patience, perseverance, and hope. Exercise soon began to shape my life, and shape the person I am today.

There is so much more to exercise than most people realize, far beyond just the improvements of our well-being. I recently stumbled upon a New York Times Article explaining the seven surprising benefits of exercise, those being: Exercise is great for the brain, you might get happier, it might make you age slower, It’ll make your skin look better, amazing things can happen in just a few minutes, it can help you recover from a major illness, and your fat cells will shrink. Exercise does more for a person than just the physical aspects. Take a read and find out what exercise can do for you.

http://time.com/4474874/exercise-fitness-workouts/ 

- Coach Tara Heck

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How did you sleep last night?

I’m sure you’ve heard me or any of the other coaches talk about the fitness pyramid and what it means in our daily lives. I constantly stress on how the foundation is so important to your overall health and performance.

We all agree, the foundational component of general fitness/health is nutrition, but there is another major key component that is nearly just as important as what we are feeding into our bodies.

We live in a fast society. We are always going. Trying to get to the next thing. Caffeine overloads because the alarm went off too early and you got to bed a little later than expected. Since you are reading this, I know you care about your health and are looking for areas to improve. I’m sure you understand that working out and eating well are essential, but how often do you think about some of the other factors that play into your health? Remember, fitness and health is a package. As I said before, there are many components that entertain major roles. You can’t choose only a couple and ignore the others. How about your sleep? And I mean quality sleep. Not just the time you spend lying in bed catching up on Netflix or groaning in the morning trying to find the snooze button. I mean actual time spent REALLY sleeping. Tucked under those warm blankets with the fan on. Dreaming of ocean waves. Drool on the pillow. Beethoven symphonies playing in the background. Ah! Sounds so nice.

So many of us go all week not getting nearly enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is a common habit for many and gets ignored regularly. Oftentimes, I find myself failing in this area as well. If you truly care about your health, fitness, and well being, then sleep sufficiency should be very important in your lifestyle. I encourage you to take some time and figure out how you can effectively improve your time spent resting peacefully under the covers. Not only is sleep essential for day to day functioning but also long term vitality.

If you’re already getting around 8 hours then chances are you are just fine. On the other end, if you are only getting approximately 4 – 5 hours per night, then this is something worth working on. Set some targets of trying to get to bed even 30 minutes earlier on some of those nights where you are really struggling. You can see it doesn’t have to be anything drastic at first. For most of us, we struggle during the weekdays. With doing this 4 - 5 days a week you’ve already added an extra 2 – 2.5 hours into your weekly sleep cycle. Start small and see where you can dig out some time and improve. Keep working to increase those hours until you can get to a healthy optimal time. Sleep isn’t only for the weak!

- Coach Zeke Cutler

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Take a moment.. and breathe.

It’s time to deliver that speech. My heart is pounding, my palms are sweating, and I feel like I could explode at any second. The only thing that comes to mind that will save me; is my breathing.

My breathing technique is something that I know instantly calms me down. Anxiety can make me panic stricken at moments where I need to perform at my best, or perform in public for others. Mindful breathing takes my mind off the fear and refocuses it to relaxation of the body.  It’s also proven to remove toxins and decrease tension.  It relaxes the mind and brings clarity while relieving  emotional problems and pain.  Breathing also improves posture and strengthens the lungs.

I definitely know that I am a shallow mouth breather, and would benefit from practicing mindful breathing each and every day. For some reason, I struggle to put this practice into place. But it’s like everything else, we practice what we want to get good at.

Taking 10 minutes out of my day to receive the benefits from mindful breathing is definitely worth it, and something that I will apply to put into practice today! Step one is, breathing  in through the nose and expanding the chest cavity, then exhaling through the nose.  Step two is breathing in through the nose and filling the diaphragm, then exhaling. Alternating these two techniques should deliver the greatest results.

I challenge you to test your resting heart rate for 60 seconds before this exercise, and again after it. Record your findings and see what benefits you can receive from mindful breathing.

-Coach Esther Stein

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What water does for us

H2Oh… Really?!

Yes, I went there.. Because today’s topic is all about the importance of staying hydrated. What does water actually do for us and why is it so important.. Keep reading to find out.

As human beings, we physically can NOT live without water. It is the most critical nutrient that we can provide ourselves. Take a few seconds to think about how you feel when you’ve gone all days or even hours on end without drinking water. Probably sluggish, exhausted, unmotivated and unable to focus, etc. So, what does water actually do for us?

Forms saliva (which aids in our digestion).

It is needed by our brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters- Our brain is actually composed of 95% water (which is why you might be having trouble focusing).

Acts as a shock absorber for our brain and our spinal cord- (sounds pretty important if you ask me).

Allows our body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive.

Regulates body temperature through sweating and respiration.

Lubricates your joints.

Flushes out body waste and toxins- (Keep track of how often you use the restroom throughout the day, you will notice a big change!)

Helps deliver oxygen through our entire body.

Essential in building muscle, strengthening, endurance, etc.

Let’s discuss number 9 briefly.. Water IS NECESSARY for building muscle, making your muscles stronger and increasing their endurance (aka how many reps you can do before fatigue!) Are muscles are made of mostly water so they NEED water to do the best they can do. Water helps transfer your nutrients and electrolytes to your muscles, keeps them full of energy and helps get rid of the toxins and wastes that your muscles might want to hold on to.. So drink that water and let's recover together!

- Coach Samantha Jones

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The 5 Why’s

The “5 Whys” was a system originally used by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It’s very simple and really cuts to the core of why we want something.

This blog post is simple and really helps you dial in why you are setting out to accomplish things you are setting out to accomplish.

All you have to do is dig down 5 layers when you are thinking about any one thing you set out to achieve. For example: “I want to cook healthy meals at home more often.” Why do I want to eat healthier? Because I want to lose my gut and spend quality time with my family in the evenings And why does that matter? Because then I’ll be more in control of my health and this exercise will give our family time together each day working on something constructive as a team. And why would that be good? Because I want to be at peace with my health and self image and I want the members of our family to have deep, caring relationships with each other. And why do I want to have good health and a family with strong relationships? Because when I am healthy and connected to my family I feel less stress, do my job better, and lead my family more effectively. And why do I want to be more connected to my family and do my job better? Because when I’m more connected and confident, I’m in control of my present state and better able to get what I want out of life. Wow. That’s a lot of insight for a few little questions. For this guy, cooking at home each night really meant being in charge of his life. That’s a crucial insight. He’s not just looking to lose a little weight or see a different number on the scale. He also wants to feel a certain way.  He wants to be more at peace and be a more effective husband and father.  He wants to be more confident, more assertive and more in control. And that’s what’s really important to him. The other stuff is just a way to get there. Your 5 Whys Ok, now it’s your turn to play. Below, write down your 5 Whys for this question: Why are you doing the whole life challenge? Coming to the gym? etc. Really. Give it some thought. Be honest. What really matters to you?  What makes you tick?  What do you want to feel?

Eating “healthier” is one thing, having a deep “Why” will make sure you have the motivation to keep going, even when the going gets tough!

- Coach Jake Sharp