Over the last thirty days, our world has changed on a fundamental level. What once was our regular routine has, for most of us, been distilled down to the four walls of our residence. Combined, of course, with occasional trips to the grocery store to resupply.

If you are a close follower of One with the Water, or merely a resident of Los Angeles, you know that all the public pools are closed. This has affected our livelihood, yes, but fundamentally our way of life. For many of you, your livelihood has been impacted, too, causing more anxiety, fear, and worry on top of the stress of avoiding the virus.

Maintaining mental health.

The specter of depression and poor mental health in this unprecedented season is very real for many, many people. And of course, the very things that help the most – community, counseling, exercising at a gym, swimming at the pool – are the things we’ve lost as a way to cope.

The good news? There is hope. There is still a myriad of simple ways to use exercise safely to keep our mental and physical health from spiraling downward. Over the next few weeks, we will focus on different activities that can be done from home to improve and maintain physical fitness and a positive mental outlook.

Start walking.

Start with walking. Researchers from St. George University in London found in one 2015 study that just 25 minutes of energetic walking can add up to 7 years of life and slow the aging process in our bodies. Walking is a great way to start and maintain a moderate fitness level. (Plus, your furry friends may be really grateful for the added attention and exercise too!)

Experts agree that just 30 minutes of walking a day can improve your body composition, creating a higher muscle to fat ratio, decrease blood sugar, decrease the body fat around the waist, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure – all of which lead to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type II diabetes.

And critically, in this particular season, moderate to intense aerobic workouts release the natural compound endorphins, the “feel-good” chemicals produced in your brain. Increased endorphin levels work to lower stress, increase pleasure, and reduce or manage pain. In addition, the release of endorphins can help to significantly lower anxiety and relieve depression. For a detailed description of an ideal walking program done to improve conditioning, read Coach Rippetoe’s recommendations here.

The bonus? Walking requires no expensive equipment, can be done with the added addition of music that buoys you up and can be done with a partner while still maintaining a safe social distance of the CDC recommended six feet.

Friends, we are all in this together. Check-in with each other, maintain accountability, and start walking!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Maintaining Mental Health During the Covid-19 Crisis appeared first on One with the Water.

“As a coach, teaching a lifter to perform potentially complex, multi-joint exercises correctly and consistently is a skill.”

Besides offering premium swim lessons to the greater LA community, Coach Rippetoe is also a strength training coach, utilizing the Starting Strength method to help clients become fitter, stronger, and faster.

We’ve discussed Starting Strength methods many times before on the blog, but if you aren’t familiar with the tenets of the program, here is a quick refresher.

“Starting Strength System makes use of the most basic movement patterns that work the entire body as a coordinated system, gradually increasing loads that make the whole body stronger, in a logical, understandable, time-tested manner – the way athletes have gotten stronger for millennia.” – About Starting Strength

The foundational exercises of Starting Strength are the Squat, Deadlift, Press, Bench Press, and Power Clean/Power Snatch. (Below is a list of articles on our blog discussing the various exercises and proper techniques). Unfortunately, if these exercises are not done correctly, you can end up with injuries, muscle imbalance, and loss of flexibility.

Are you squatting correctly? 
How to train for a chin-up?
The number one way to burn fat faster. 
Wonder Women Strength Training. 
From Weight to Weightlessness. 

“The coach’s cue is some form of communication that the coach employs during a lift, or part of a lift, that is designed to produce a physical response from the lifter, usually in the form of an adjustment or correction to the lifter’s movement.” – Starting Strength

These are primarily in the form of verbal communications but can be visual and tactile as well. Starting Strength offers a theoretical approach to developing the coach’s cue, from both the lifter and the coach’s perspective. Effective cues come from both the strength coach and the lifter’s shared understanding of the lift, knowledge that comes from training, experience, and trust. As a lifter, make sure you choose coaches (not trainers) that exercise an in-depth comprehension of appropriate cues, used in a manner designed to support the lifter effectively.

Coaching requires building a program that will accomplish a fitness goal. The best way to do that is to use a proven system used for over 40 years. Build your strength, and you’ll meet your goals. Use the Starting Strength system, and you’ll build your strength. Call Coach Rippetoe to schedule your first lifting session.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Does your strength coach communicate effectively? appeared first on One with the Water.

The simple truth is, strength training is the number one way to increase metabolism and burn more fat. Increasing muscle mass is the ticket to losing fat. Metabolically speaking, muscle tissue burns calories by using the energy produced through contraction – i.e., strength training, using barbells, specifically.

Strength Training to Burn Fat

Barbell strength training provides you with the most efficient way to gain strength, lose fat, and increase your conditioning. For beginners using Starting Strength, the method we coach, with just three exercises, you can work the body’s most muscle mass at one time per exercise. Learn to use your body as the beautiful system it was created to be, and effectively burn fat in the process.

The squat: A compound exercise involving the bar resting parallel to the ground on your shoulders while squatting down to a set point, then rising from the squat position. The parallel back squat trains the erector spinae muscle groups, as well as the gluteal region, the hamstrings and the quadriceps. The only squat method we use and recommend is the technique outlined in the Starting Strength method.

Press/Bench Press: The bench press, another compound exercise, trains the pectoral muscles as the primary mover, but uses the triceps and deltoids as secondary muscles. The exercise as we teach it merely utilizes the bar, a flat bench, and barbell weights: no expensive gym equipment and no complicated machines.

The Deadlift: Commonly referred to as the king of weightlifting, this exercise involves lifting the loaded bar off the ground, rising to a standing position with the bar at hip level, then lowering it to the ground. It targets the largest group of muscles, including the gluteus maximus, all major muscles in your legs, your lower back (Erector Spinae), your neck, (the Trapezius muscles), and both your rectus abdominus and your obliques. To avoid injury, it is imperative that you train the exercise correctly, and for that, once again, we use the Starting Strength method.

Secondary Methods

Cardio is secondary to strength training for fat loss, but a tool nonetheless. Of course, our preferred cardio method is swimming. Because water is so much denser than air, swimming provides a full-body resistance workout, building lean muscle and burning calories. Swimming for an hour at a medium intensity or higher burns anywhere from 600-900+ calories, depending on your weight.

Additionally, swimming is kinder to your body than other traditional forms of cardio, especially your joints, with the bonus of supporting overall cardiovascular and mental health. In fact, there is scientific evidence that swimming and other aerobic activities specifically help lessen the systemic inflammation that leads to heart disease. Also, swimming can help reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of depression. Aerobic exercise relieves depression and decreases stress thanks to the rush of endorphins and other mood-lifting chemicals in the brain. Alongside the brain boost, swimming incorporates the same alternating stretches and regular breathing patterns of many yoga and other relaxation practices, creating a calming, meditative experience.

The bottom line is, if you want to burn fat, you have to get under the bar.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post The Number One Way to Burn Fat Faster appeared first on One with the Water.

The short answer is this: It’s about keeping your spine rigid and aligned throughout the full movement. Thrusting your hips forward at the end of the exercise takes your spine out of alignment and reduces the productive work on muscle mass. The forward thrust movement creates an arch in your back, breaking the plane of your spine and making your movement inefficient and ineffective. It’s all about the angles.

Squat Mechanics

How do you keep your spine rigid and aligned? According to Starting Strength (the method in which I coach my clients), and contrary to popular opinion, the squat utilizes a non-vertical back and neck angle (generally accomplished by fixing your gaze at a natural point on the floor in front of you.) Your squat should be a hip-dominant movement, and this is only accomplished with the correct back angle. Keep the angle of your hip flexion the same as the back angle to keep the spine rigid, and your back an efficient conveyor of force.

In short,

• Use your hips when you squat. This involves a more horizontal back angle than you are probably used to using.
•  Keep your spine rigid, and aligned, not necessarily vertical.
• The angle of hip flexion has to equal your back angle to keep your spine rigid and the components working together correctly.
• An easy way to ensure correct angle is to point chest at the floor or utilize your natural gaze at a point on the floor.
• Don’t look up. You are just fighting the correct angle.
• As you come out of the squat, drive your hips up while maintaining the proper angle until about halfway up, then simply stand up straight.

Interested in learning more?  Barbell strength training provides you with the most efficient way to gain strength, lose fat, and increase your conditioning. Focused on just 5 exercises, you can work the body’s most muscle mass at one time per exercise, using your body as the beautiful system it was created to be. Sign up for your personalized fitness coaching utilizing the Starting Strength method.

Kenneth Rippetoe

Kenneth is a Life-time member of the American Swimming Coaches Association and holds certifications as a Level 4 Disability Coach & Level 3 USA Swimming as well as US Masters Coach. Coaching since 1985, Kenneth specializes in Swimming, Strength and Conditioning coaching.

The post Are you squatting correctly? appeared first on One with the Water.

The average American will consume a whopping 3500-4500 calories on Thanksgiving day.

So what are some ways you can combat the onslaught of unhealthy, albeit delicious calorie bombs lurking on the Thanksgiving table? Before you chow down tomorrow, consider these three simple ways to counteract the seemingly inevitable holiday weight gain.

Three ways to beat the Thanksgiving bloat.

1. If your house is anything like ours, there is a bevy of snacks set out long before the Thanksgiving meal actually begins.  Intentionally use this opportunity to choose healthy snacks. It’s so cliche, but it’s true – garbage in, garbage out. Don’t waste your Thanksgiving calories on your snack choices. Make sure you are setting your body up for success by choosing fruit, nuts, or lean meat to snack on.

2. It’s dinnertime, so now what? It seems obvious, but portion control is critical! Just because Aunt Greta brought a gallon size bucket of sweet potatoes, doesn’t mean you have to eat half of the gallon. An easy way to gauge appropriate portion sizes is using your hand.

• Your palm determines your protein portions.
• Your fist determines your vegetable portions.
• Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
• Your thumb determines your fat portions.

Small helpings mean you can successfully enjoy everything on the table without feeling the guilt and physical discomfort of overindulging.

3. And finally, choose to #optoutside. Originally started as an ad campaign by REI a few years ago, #optoutside means just that. Instead of pounding the pavement in search of the best deals, go take a walk, a hike, or dare I say it, a swim? Regardless, get your body moving to burn off some the excess calories from the day before.

Now go eat some guilt-free turkey!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Kick Those Excess Thanksgiving Calories appeared first on One with the Water.

The benefits of napping.

First, let’s talk about the benefits of napping. The research is clear, and there is a lot of it.

• A quick midday nap can give you better reaction time, a higher emotional tolerance, increased alertness, and improved memory.
• A 2010 study done by UC Berkeley shows that napping can clear the brain’s short-term memory storage and make room for new information, boosting your cognitive performance post-nap.
• And finally, a new study published in 2018 shows that napping can sort through our subconscious clutter, improving our decision making processes post snooze.

The perfect length.

There is an art to the length of a nap so pay attention.

• A 10-20 minute nap leaves you feeling refreshed. (Also known as the famous power nap).
• A 45-60 minute nape means you wake up mid-sleep cycle, creating the dreaded nap hangover, and should be avoided at all costs.
• 90 minutes is ideal if you are lucky enough to have a schedule that allows you that luxury. An hour and a half carries you through one full sleep cycle from lightest to deepest back to lightest and should allow you to wake up feeling alert. Studies also show napping for this length of time can improve memory and creativity. Anything longer than an hour and a half to two hours creates the risk of disrupting your nighttime sleep patterns and throwing off your natural circadian rhythms.

The ideal nap time.

It turns out there is, in fact, a perfect napping window. A large body of research shows that 2-3 in the afternoon is prime nap time. This specific window is tied to your circadian rhythms, early enough that you don’t interfere with your evening sleep habits, and right in the middle of the post-lunch haze. And finally, keep your sleep environment the same as if you were going to bed, dark, quiet, and cool.

Happy napping, friends!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post To nap or not to nap? That is the question. appeared first on One with the Water.

There are a myriad of benefits to breaking out of a fitness rut, both mentally and physically. Part of applying the growth mindset to our fitness routine is understanding that learning and growth happen on a continuum. It’s good for our body and brain to continue to learn. In fact, studies show that learning a new skill later in life can actually increase our cognitive function.  Adding in a new activity like swimming works across the full spectrum to improve our mental and physical well being.

Why Swimming?

I’ve chosen to focus on swimming because that’s what we do here at One with the Water. But more importantly, the health benefits of swimming are well known and can even help add years to your life. Countless studies outline the many ways swimming has a positive impact on your health. Here are just a few, among many. 

• Improves cardio function without the stress of impact sports.
• Helps maintain a healthy weight.
• Improves endurance.
• Tones muscle and builds strength.
• Alleviates stress and can help in reducing depression and anxiety.

Aside from the benefits listed above, swimming is a low impact, naturally resistant way to work your whole body for any fitness level. Besides what we listed above, swimming three times a week can help to increase the size of the hippocampus region in the brain, improving cognition, and assisting with activities like planning, scheduling, multitasking, and memory. 

Swimming works in all kinds of ways for all types of personalities. For introverts, the pool creates a quiet stress-relieving environment that can be private and controlled. For the extrovert, there is a world of classes to choose from that engage both the social and physical centers of your brain. In fact, research done by the University of California found that people who exercise with a partner enjoy it more.

So where do I begin?

If you are a weak swimmer or perhaps have never learned, start with aerobics classes, jogging in the shallow end, or even go out on a limb and take adult swim lessons. It’s incredibly empowering to conquer your fear, embarrassment, or any other emotions holding you back from something like learning to swim. When you adopt a growth mindset to overcome fear, you are operating with the understanding that your abilities are flexible, rather than fixed. 

For the more competitive, experienced swimmer, challenge yourself by joining a Master’s Swim Club. Change your environment by taking your swim to the open water.  Swimming in open water offers increased resistance when swimming in currents, is gentler on skin and hair then harsh chlorine, and for many, it is mentally and physically refreshing to experience the changing environment.

Regardless of how you do it, whether you swim walk or crawl your way out, breaking out of your fitness rut may be just what your body and brain need to jumpstart your wellbeing.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Swim Your Way Out of a Fitness Rut appeared first on One with the Water.

Recently, one of our international Paralympic swimmers asked about ways to become a stronger swimmer, as getting under the bar isn’t an easy option. We always recommend push-ups and chin-ups. What’s the best guide on training yourself to do chin-ups? Glad you asked. There is a Starting Strength protocol for that, too! Read on for the basic exercises and a link to programs for both beginners and expert chin-up champions. 

(For a quick reference on the chin-up versus the pull-up, check out this video from Starting Strength founder Coach Mark Rippetoe.)

Starting Strength Chin Up Training 

Before starting your training, there are a few key points to remember. 

• First, your progression looks different than it will using a bar. Because you are lifting your body weight against an external immovable object, and your bodyweight fluctuates, you won’t be starting every workout with the same weight. 
• And second, the programs linked to below assume that you are regularly lifting weight from the floor – i.e. – deadlifts, power cleans, or the barbell row. The chin-up exercises should come at the end of your regular workout or on a rest day. 
• And third, because most dryland exercises for kids are a waste of their time and ours, we recommend doing chin-ups to become stronger when getting under the bar isn’t an option or if your child is too young to lift. Scroll down on this website to find out when they can start lifting. (https://startingstrengthonlinecoaching.com/online-coaching/)

Whether you can do an unassisted body weight chin up or you can barely hang from the bar, there are three primary exercises used in various combinations to develop your strength, and these particular exercises were chosen because they offer a complete, consistent range of motion when done properly. 

1. The band assisted chin-up:

“Start by standing on a box or a bench close enough to the chin-up bar that you don’t have to jump to it. Loop the band into itself around the chin-up bar. Place the band under the arch of one of your feet. Grab the chin-up bar with one hand on either side of the band and hang off the bar with straight arms. Straighten both legs and cross your other leg over the banded leg to keep the band in place. Pull yourself up to the bar”

2. Negatives. (Essentially the second half of a chin up.) Stand on a box, holding onto the bar with straight arms, and jump up to get your chin up over the bar. Then slowly lower yourself down to the standing position.

3. Lateral pull downs. These are standard lateral pull downs on a machine, using your chin up grip.

If you are starting at zero, unable to do a single unassisted body weight chin up, then these three exercises will constitute the base of your chin-up training. For more details on the full programs to add into your existing workout, check out the links below!

https://startingstrength.com/training/training-the-chin-up (For the beginner.) 

https://startingstrength.com/training/training-the-chin-up-pt-2 (Start here if you can already do an unassisted bodyweight chin up.)

For more questions, nutritional tips, and strength training wisdom, give us a shout and Coach Rippetoe will help you out!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post How to Train for a Chin-Up appeared first on One with the Water.

First, any movement is better than no movement at all. At One with the Water, we try to get our clients started by simply moving. Sometimes it’s from the phone to the pool, other times, it’s going a few yards farther than the last swim. There are, however, several exercises that will make you feel like you’re working out, but you’re just sweating, elevating your heart rate, gasping for air, and ultimately cheating your body.

5 Exercises that cheat your workout.

Exercise 1 – Nautilus or other brands of a pulley and weight system machine: the majority of the population that uses exercise weight machines to workout are cheating themselves from becoming as strong as they could be, and they are very likely to cheat the process by not including weight increases. They will get on the machine and just do a set with enough weight that requires a little effort and therefore that they’re working out. Isolating muscles groups only builds that muscle group, but it doesn’t make you stronger overall. It can even be dangerous to do this if your body is not properly adapted to the exercise.

Exercise 2 – Cycling/Spin Class, elliptical machines, walking, running, jogging – When you go out for a run, or go to a spin class, how do you know if you’re really benefiting from the exercise? Yes, your heart rate increases because you’re moving more than just walking through the grocery store, but is it really building your cardiovascular system and conditioning healthily? You’re probably not doing anything more than breaking a sweat. These exercises directly compete for the muscle resources to maintain size and strength.

Exercise 3 – Yoga and Pilates. I cringe every time I hear someone say that they go to yoga because it makes them stronger. Why? No matter what exercise you’re doing, whether it be running, swimming, playing tennis, yoga, basketball, etc., it’s not going to make you stronger. It’s literally going to make you weaker. Your body will adapt so quickly to these exercises that you’re only going to be as strong as it takes to swim across the pool, run around the block, or hold a pose for two breaths. The good thing about yoga, pilates, and swimming is that at least your body is actively moving while reaching farther and elongating your body.

Exercise 4 – Stretching. Tendons and ligaments do not stretch. It’s been proven that stretching is like pulling a rubber band and letting go – it comes right back to the shape it was before. This is probably the easiest way to injure yourself and cheat your workout. Stretching before a workout will not do anything to prevent soreness and stretching after a workout will not alleviate soreness. The vast majority of studies on stretching not only support this but also indicate that stretching prior to either training or performance produces a significant decrease in power production.

Exercise 5 – Any cardio for an extended period. Corporations, like Coca-Cola, or a company that sells exercise equipment such as treadmills, elliptical or Stairmaster machines, pay for studies to tell you that you’re only going to build cardio by elevating your heart rate for an extended period of time. That’s dead wrong. The heart is a muscle, and the more you stress it, the weaker it will become. This is why we teach all of our clients the “Invincible Athlete” conditioning program. It allows you to perform cardiovascular-stressing activities over an extended period while maintaining the lowest heart rate you possibly can. It’s the safest way to breath while exercising. Doing any cardio for an extended period leads to tendonitis and other repetitive motion injuries. It’s the entire reason that “Sports Medicine” exists.

Here are a few more tips as to what else might constitute as cheating in workouts and why it happens:

Cheat 1 – If the force required to complete a run or weight set isn’t increasing, you’re cheating yourself. If you’re too tired mentally or physically, listen to your body, you might need a day of recovery.

Cheat 2 – If you’re not adding barbell training into your cardio workout routine, you’re cheating yourself. Having incorrect information has led to the fact that people are afraid to get stronger. Measure your results. If what you’re doing isn’t measurable, you might be simply going to through the motions and cheating your workout.

Strength Training 

We recommend the Coach Rippetoe Barbell Training program. Strength training builds strength. It builds your cardiovascular system because of the breathing technique required to lift. Your balance, coordination, and agility are a function of your ability to control your body weight. All increase as you become stronger. Increasing your strength increases your ability in just about everything. Your physical and mental well-being are greatly enhanced through strength training, and you will see an increase in your personal confidence and changing into a growth mindset, allowing you to achieve your goals and face all challenges.

Kenneth Rippetoe

Kenneth is a Life-time member of the American Swimming Coaches Association and holds certifications as a Level 4 Disability Coach & Level 3 USA Swimming as well as US Masters Coach. Coaching since 1985, Kenneth specializes in Swimming, Strength and Conditioning coaching.

The post Are You Cheating Yourself When You Workout? appeared first on One with the Water.

“Humans are notoriously bad at resisting temptation, especially (as research confirms) if we’re busy, tired or stressed. By Jan. 8, some 25 percent of resolutions have fallen by the wayside. And by the time the year ends, fewer than 10 percent have been fully kept.”

So how do we beat the odds? How do we slide into the 10% of devoted, determined, resolute among us.

As we begin 2018 and take stock of the previous year – the failures, successes, and what almost was – go ahead and make those resolutions. We’ve got some achievable ways to make them into habits. And if you are going to make the resolution into a habit, make sure it’s something really worthwhile! (And stick around for the one surprising trick that will really help you succeed …)

New Year’s resolutions

To keep your New Year’s resolutions, I encourage you to do the following:

1. Make small resolutions. Choose something that can be achieved in only 30 days or less. It’s been said that if you can do something for 30 days, it will become a habit.
2. Make the goals measurable and incremental. A lot of people say they want to lose weight. If you want it to stay off, then set the goal at 1 pound per week. That’s the healthy way to do it.
3. Find a friend or hire a Coach. By finding a friend with the same goal you can keep each other accountable. Or hire a Life Coach or personal trainer. Sometimes a little motivation from an outside source can go a long way in helping you to achieve your goals.

But wait, there’s more.

Beyond these three easy steps (and they are important!) lies the secret … cultivating the social emotions of pride, gratitude, and compassion. Studies show that when we are more outward and relationship focused, the long term effects are beneficial to our OWN wellbeing.

“Pride, gratitude and compassion, whether we consciously realize it or not, reduce the human mind’s tendency to discount the value of the future. In so doing, they push us not only to cooperate with other people but also to help our own future selves. Feeling pride or compassion has been shown to increase perseverance on difficult tasks by over 30 percent. Likewise, gratitude and compassion have been tied to better academic performance, a greater willingness to exercise and eat healthily, and lower levels of consumerism, impulsivity and tobacco and alcohol use.”

That’s it. You can keep your New Year’s resolutions and make 2018 the biggest success yet. And for extra credit – Learn to swim with One with the Water! It accomplishes multiple resolutions all in one!

Or better yet, be a compassionate hero to the most vulnerable members of our community. When you donate to One with the Water, you keep children safe by helping us provide the lifesaving skill of swimming. Our nonprofit foundation offers need based scholarships to low-income families, children with special needs, and service disabled veterans.

From all of us at One with the Water®, we wish everyone a very prosperous and happy 2018!

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Can You Really Keep New Year’s Resolutions? appeared first on One with the Water.