Is This Hat Worth $60?

Whether you are spending hours coaching outdoors like me, or you occasionally take walk around the block, protecting your head and face from the sun is really important for staving off sun damage. Not only does UV radiation prematurely age your skin, it predisposes you to different types of skin cancer.

With that being said, not all hats are created equal. Specifically, most hats that I wear end up covered in sweat stains after only a few uses. I am forced to either wash the hats, which ruins the fit and look, or buy a new hat. I came across the Melin hat in a Facebook ad, and what caught my eye was the sweat resistant fabric that promised no sweat stains. Then I looked at the price tag: $60! Luckily, I have an amazing fiancé who got me one as a gift for Christmas. I wore it for a couple weeks and I made a video breaking down whether or not this hat is worth the money. Click below to find out!

Evolving During the Pandemic with Manny Alayon

Welcome back to the Fitness, Wellness, and Longevity Podcast! In today's episode, I have a very special guest, Manny Alayon!

Manny is a 9 year affiliate owner of NorthEast CrossFit. He's coached various high level athletes in the CrossFit Games, Weightlifting Nationals, and wrestling. Aside from the usual cocktail of CrossFit certifications, he has certifications with OPEX and O23 Holistic Coach. He now spends most of his time running his two affiliates, being a father of two young girls, and playing fetch with his fluffy dog.

I sat down with Manny and we discussed:

1. How wrestling prepared Manny for tough times

2. Manny’s mentor

3. Running a Crossfit after the pandemic

4. Running a gym during a pandemic

5. Manny’s message to those in the fitness industry

If you like today’s podcast, please subscribe and review.  It helps spread the podcast!

How to Start a New Workout Routine...

Starting a new or first time workout routine? Awesome! Before you get started watch this video so you don’t fall into these three traps!

Trap #1: Having No Schedule: When it comes to a new fitness routine, you have to plan your day around your workout. If you say you're going to workout after work but you're unsure about what time you'll get off work, you're going to run into some major problems. Why? Because free time can always be filled up with work and chores.

In this case, you're better off getting your workout in first thing in the morning since you don't know what the rest of your day will look like. Set your alarm for 6am, and get that workout in.

Trap #2: Your workouts are too challenging: Fitness isn't built in a day. Trust me I’ve seen hundreds of clients come out guns blazing in the new year, smashing 60 minute workouts or running 5ks daily, only to putter out by February. The gains you make in one month of intense training will be nothing compared to one year of consistency.

Keep your workouts short, simple, and relatively easy. Remember, if you're new to exercise, you aren't trying crush crazy workouts, you're simply trying tp build the habit of just lacing up your shoes and working out daily. Making time and space for exercise.

If in the beginning you are doing four 30 minute walks per week and it seems easy, great! In three months time, what have you accomplished? Not only have you taken 60,000 steps, but you have also shown yourself that you have time to workout! Now you have the confidence, discipline, and experience to step your workouts up from there. Keep your workouts simple and easy in the beginning with few obstacles, and you will party for a long time, not just a good time.

Trap #3: Taking too many days off between workouts. When building a new habit, you need to signal the brain often in order for that habit to stick.

Imagine you're a skier, and the last 20+ years of sedentary behavior has created deep groves in the snow. In order to create new grooves, you have to go down that new path often. If you're planning three circuit training workouts a week, on the days you’re not training, go for a walk, meal prep, or try something fun and new DURING YOUR WORKOUT TIME. What we are trying to do is tell the brain, "Hey, it's time to workout and be healthy," every day of the week. In the beginning take no days off!

These three tips can help you get started but having a personalized touch to your workouts and lifestyle practices increases your chances of success immensely. Then there’s accountability which studies show can increase your chances of having a habit stick by 65%! At Floch Fitness we are here to create the best version of you. If you're ready to change your life, click the link below to set up a free assessment and we can work together to determine the best path toward success.

Better Sleep for Aging Athletes

As I work with a professional or aging athlete, it becomes clear very early on in the intake process that better sleep needs to be prioritized.  Weight loss, muscle gains, mood, and libido can all be improved with better sleep.  Getting to sleep is extremely hard for some people.  The biggest reason I see that clients are having trouble falling asleep is they are trying to will themselves to sleep.  Instead, you have to create the environment for sleep, and allow sleep to occur.  Think about sleep as a person you are attracted to.  You can’t make them like you.  You have to be a person that is likeable.  It’s time for you to be a person that sleep is going to be attracted to! Here are 3 tips that you should start doing NOW to improve your sleep.

• Eat 2+ Hours Prior to Bedtime: This one varies from person to person, but for most people, they eat entirely too close to bedtime.  The body doesn’t know whether to sleep or digest food, so you are left staring at the ceiling until 12am.  Shoot for your final meal 2-3 hours before bedtime and that’s it! No snacking or dessert.  Get that in before your feeding window closes.   

• Set a Bedtime: There is a reason why when you were a kid, your parents set a bedtime for you.  When you heard your parents say, “It’s bedtime,” you had a physiological response that triggered sleep.  If you have a bedtime now, your body will respond the same way.  “It’s 10pm.  Time to pack it in. I don’t need to watch a 17th episode of this Netflix series on serial killers,” is what you’ll start to say.  The key here is to be consistent.  11:30pm one night and 8pm the next night just won’t cut it.  To set your circadian rhythm (biological clock), it needs to be consistent.  Weekends are off limits.  I know, I know, your weekends are the time you LOVE to stay up late.  I get it.  But you are throwing a monkey wrench into your sleep schedule ~20% of the time.  If you want to stop being frustrated about sleep, DVR your favorite show and watch it the next morning.

• Mediate: Yes that’s right meditate.  Find a quiet comfortable spot in your house, set a timer for 15 minutes, and sit there and focus on the silence and space around you.  There are tons of apps that can help guide you in meditation, choose one and stick to it.  I have found that meditation allows me to shut off external stimuli before going to bed that can cause arousal.  I tend to watch TV, read emails, and scroll through social media.  If I sit and meditate, my mind is able to shift gears and be comfortable with silence.  I am already nodding off by the end and am eager to get under the covers.  Start meditating before bedtime, and you will find it easier to fall asleep.

Creating an environment for sleep is simple.  Execution can sometimes be challenging.  Research has shown that having someone hold you accountable increases the chances of keeping your new habit. The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% of completing a goal if you commit to someone.  Boost your chances of sleep success and book a free assessment with me today.  Better sleep is within reach, let’s work together!

3 Tips For Starting Your Diet Off Right...

I have been a nutrition coach for over a decade. I have many clients successfully reach their goals, and others who didn’t come close. The ones that succeeded had a few key things in common. Here are 3 action steps that successful dieters do:

1. Set a Start Date: This may seem obvious, but setting a start date to your diet is an extremely powerful tool. When you set a date, it plants your flag in the sand. “This is where my shitty eating stops!” It also gives you time to prepare for your new diet. Creating a grocery list, figuring out your macros and calories, and going shopping takes time. If you start a diet on a whim, you usually run into the problem of not having the right food around and BANG! You end up and the McDonald’s drive-through and your diet is derailed before you even get started.

2. Clean Out Your Pantry and Refrigerator: When you are trying to change your diet and you have the temptations of ice cream staring at you in the freezer, it makes sticking to your diet more challenging. Donate the food, give it to your neighbors, or just throw it out! 86 the junk, and see the bodyfat start to drop.

3. Find Support: Talking about your lifestyle and nutritional changes is super important to success in changing your diet. I’ve performed hundreds of nutrition consultations, and a lot of them include the spouse or significant other of the client. Getting everyone on board in the household and being transparent of what will help and what will hurt progress is key. It also prevents resentment as the client and their significant other can hear each other’s concerns from the beginning and work through these hurdles early on, rather than weeks down the line. Your friends and family want what’s best for you. Don’t let a tough conversation stand in your way of the fitness of your dreams.

Though creating a new routine can be challenging, these tips can help greatly to the long term success of a nutrition overhaul. One last aspect that increases successful dieting exponentially is accountability. Someone who will check in on you regularly, create a plan of attack, and help you when you fall off the wagon is invaluable. That’s where I can help. If you have been trying to change your diet on your own, and you are left frustrated and spinning your wheels, set up a free assessment today. We can work together to find the areas that need improvement and set a course to the best version of you!

The One Exercise You Should Be Doing Every Day

If there is one exercise that you see on every training program that I write, it’s the 90/90 Hip Lift.  There are many variations of this exercise that I use (right hand reach, two hand reach, etc.), but you will always see it on your program if you work with me.  I usually include it in the warm-up for my clients but regardless if you are a world class athlete or you are a 70 year old who is just looking to stay in shape, you can benefit from this exercise.  Not only does it allow you to feel abs, glutes, and hamstrings, but it can be used to downregulate the nervous system as well.

Here is a breakdown of the 90/90 Hip Lift with Right Hand Reach;

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall and your knees and hips bent at a 90- degree angle. 

2. Place a 4-6 inch ball between your knees. 

3. Place your right arm pointing toward the ceiling. 

4. Inhale through your nose and as you exhale through your mouth, perform a pelvic tilt so that your tailbone is raised slightly off the mat. Keep your low back flat on the mat. Do not press your feet flat into the wall instead dig down with your heels. 

5. As you inhale, reach your hand toward the ceiling.  Maintain the pelvic tilt.

6. Exhale and keep reaching toward the ceiling feeling left hamstring and abs engage 

7. Repeat for 5 Breaths x 2 sets

This simple little exercise will alleviate nagging back pain, realign the neck and shoulders, and prepare your entire body for your workout.

This is only a brief description of the exercise, and proper coaching is key to success with the 90/90 hip lift.  If you need a personalized touch, I'm here to help.  Click the link below to book a free assessment today and let’s have you moving pain free now!

Build Muscle...NOW

A majority of clients that I work with are looking to lean out and tone up (terms that drive me up the wall, but I will leave it alone for now).  However, I do have clients who’d like to put on weight by increasing their lean muscle mass.  This scenario requires different training, nutrition and lifestyle changes.  Let’s break down a few considerations:

1. Increasing Calories-To increase lean body mass, the body needs a caloric surplus.  I usually shoot for a 300-500 calorie per day surplus over a client’s baseline with a focus on protein and carbohydrates.  

2. Increase training intensity by building load, volume, or both-If you want to out on muscle, you have to train hard.  That doesn’t mean maximum intensity every day, but it does mean that training should be uncomfortable most of the time.  Increasing the load, adding more sets, or going for more reps are a few simple ways to increase the difficulty of your workouts.  As a bonus, I wouldn’t vary the exercise selection too much as it takes time for the body to adapt to any exercise.  Choose 10 exercises total, and work through those on any given day.

3. SLEEP-I can’t emphasize this one enough.  Sleep is integral to putting on lean body mass as sleep is where recovery takes place and growth hormone is released (growth hormone aids in muscle synthesis). 

This is only a small chunk of the many considerations I make when working with a client who wants to add muscle to their body.  For a more in depth look, you’ll want to listen to my most recent podcast with Scott Hagnas (link in my bio).

If you like the podcast please subscribe, rate, review, and share it with a friend!

If you have any questions you'd like Scott and I to answer, write an email to sean@flochfitness.com. 

Self-Care in 2021

In 2020, I put a bunch of self care tasks on the back burner as the pandemic and taking care of an infant became much more of a focal point in my life.  In 2021, I hope to make self care much more of a priority.  That intention started today when I got an annual skin exam at the Rendon Center in Boca Raton, FL.  I’m not going to lie, I had been afraid of getting my skin checked by a dermatologist.  When I was younger, I would try my hardest to be as tan as possible, including using tanning beds in college.  I figured at this point there would be something funky growing on my skin.  My fiancé has been my biggest motivator, as she has been pushing me to go for the last year or so.  She is a born and raised Floridian, and knows how harsh the Florida sun can be on your skin.  My visit was a piece of cake and I am motivated to take care of my skin, including regular sunscreen use (recommended), always wearing a hat, and scheduling annual check-ups.  I am not only staving off skin cancer, but I keep myself looking young for years to come.  This action is only a small step in taking care of myself, but even small steps are taking you in the right direction.

Sometimes, it’s hard putting yourself first.  However, if the airplane is going down, you have to affix your own oxygen mask before you help others with theirs. It’s time to make 2021 the year of self care,  and a nutrition and fitness program should be right at the top of your list.  Book a free assessment today, and let’s talk about how we can work together to build the best version of you in 2021!