Posts Tagged exercise
Get Back Up!
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on December 22nd, 2009
A couple of days ago I was at wrestling practice. I have been working with some high level athletes after being away from competition for a while so I was a little timid. My biggest concern was how my body would hold up.
During a live match I got thrown hard. I landed hard and I layed there for a second and thought about what had just happened to me. I realized that I wasn’t hurt and the landing didn’t hurt as much I had thought it would.
I continued wrestling and a short time later I got tossed on my head again. This time it didn’t phase me. I got back up again, made some adjustments and didn’t get thrown again the rest of the practice.
After practice I was sitting down and I got to thinking about what happened during that workout and what I could take away from it.
That is when I realized just how significant those two crash landings were. Prior to getting thrown I was worried about what it was going to be like when I did get tossed. Would I get hurt? What part of my body would get hurt? How long would I be out for when I did get hurt. I built it up in my mind that getting thrown, which was inevitable, was going to be a terrible experience.
The crazy thing was that it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought and wasn’t nearly as traumatic as I had built it up to be. The second time it didn’t even phase me and after the second time I was able to make some adjustments to keep it from happening again.
On my drive home I thought about how I could relate this lesson to people in their everyday life. Here goes. I think many of us have faced times in our lives when we were feeling a little intimidated by a situation. Perhaps we were timid and afraid to go full blast into a situation because we were worried about what might or might not happen. We hold back because we are afraid that the consequences of committing whole-heartedly may hurt.
For some people, when they do face adversity; like taking a fall for example, they lay there and think about how bad they hurt. Unfortunately, a lot of people will lay there focusing on the pain instead of getting up and going back for more.
On the other hand, if that same person simply took a moment to process what just happened, realized that it really wasn’t that bad, and then got back up and started again, they could then begin to see progress.
It is very possible that they may get tossed around again, but after having already experiencing what it feels like to fall and get back up again, it is more likely that they won’t focus on the pain and will begin to make adjustments so that it doesn’t continue to happen over and over.
I guess the short summary of what I am trying to say is this. We all take a fall now and then. In those moments it is easy to lay there and think about how much it hurt and how much easier it would be to stay down. In those times it is important to get back up and take the chance of getting knocked down again and possibly again. Only when you get back up can you learn from what just happened and what changes we need to make to keep whatever it was from happening again.
When things get tough, we are much better served by looking at what we can learn from the experience rather than focusing on how much we hurt.
Wake Up!
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on December 17th, 2009
The alarm clock buzzed at 5:30 this morning. It was still dark and I could just feel that it was going to be freezing cold outside. To stop the ringing of the alarm I didn’t just push snooze, I turned it off fully expecting to stay under the warm covers.
I lay there thinking about all the reasons to stay in bed: I am sore and need to recover. I have a little cough, maybe I am getting sick. I’ve worked hard this week, I deserve a day off. No one will notice if I am there or not. I’m not hurting anyone by not going. It’s still dark out!
As you can see, there was no lack of excuses to stay in bed. Then it hit me. In the same amount of time it took for me to think up all of those excuses I could have stood up and got moving. Rather than getting up right then, I started thinking of rebutals to all the excuses I had just made for myself.
I am sore…. So what, if I don’t work through this I will continue to be sore everytime I do these workouts and the fact is that I am going to continue to be sore for a while since I am pushing myself again in wrestling.
I have a cough, maybe I am getting sick…. Maybe I just have a cough. If I get up I will know whether or not I am sick or not. If I don’t get up I will lay here and convince myself that I am sick and waste a whole day.
I deserve a day to rest…… I will get a day to rest on Sunday. I deserve to get up and push myself to improve a little more today!
No one will notice if I there or not….. Actually, my team mates will notice, they will be there putting the work in to become champions and it isn’t fair to them that I “need” a little more sleep. If I am not there the guy I would have worked out with won’t have a partner. Someone WILL notice!
I’m not hurting anyone by not going…. I am hurting someone, myself. I am also hurting my family who allowed me to come here to chase my dream. I am cheating them and myself by not doing what I came here to do!
Next time you are laying in bed making up reasons not to or don’t feel like going to work out, ask yourself if those reasons are really that good or if you should call them what they are. Bad EXCUSES!
Running With Rex
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on December 16th, 2009
This past Sunday our family ran in the Seattle Jingle Bell Run to benefit arthritis. We have done this race for four years now and each year we decorate the stroller to look like Santa’s sleigh and all dress up. Suzy and I go as Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the boys dress as reindeer.
This year Rex decided he was old enough to run himself and didn’t need the stroller. The race is a 5k and Rex is only 2 yrs old but we let him have at it. This was actually his second 5k this year. Last night I was talking to a good friend of mine about the experience.
Rex is an active boy and he loves to run so it was no suprise to us that he wanted to do this on his own. It is so fun to watch him because he has so much fun. He had on a snowsuit and then his costume on top of it so he looked liked that kid on A Christmas Story, if you remember that Christmas classic movie. Rex looked like a little ball going down the road.
He would walk, run, wave at the spectators and other races but he was really having fun. As we hit the 2 mile mark we realized there weren’t very many people around us. In fact, we noticed a police car with flashing lights right behind us. Of the thousands of people, we were pretty much dead last.
As we rounded the last turn we saw the finish line in front of us. Little Rex or “Kid Rex” as he likes to be called since he has informed me he is not a baby anymore, saw the finish and ran the last two blocks as fast as he could. He zigged and zagged all over the road and made sure that he took time to wave at people cheering for him. As I followed behind him pushing our “sled” with his brother, I cheered for him like he did for me numerous times this summer at triathlons.
It was so fun to yell “Go Rex Go!” and see him respond with such joy. When we crossed the line we gave him a high five and told him good job. He was so proud and loves the feeling of running across the finish line. At the age of two Rex is already learning that it is fun to finish what you start.
The race took us almost 2 hours with all of the pit stops and waiting for Rex to explore his surroundings, but we finished. Once again I am reminded that it isn’t always about finishing the fastest, but finishing. The cool thing is that Rex is learning to enjoy exercising and he is learning the importance of finishing the race set before us.
As a very competitve person I am learning from Rex too. I am learning that it is alright to enjoy the journey and take in your surroundings. I am learning that being active as a family and enjoying these moments is more precious than getting to the finish as fast as possible.
This weekend, it really hit home that regardless of your age, it is important to get to that finish line no matter how long it takes or how many pitstops you need to take. I also learned that my son is wise beyond his two years! (A little fatherly bragging)
Here come the Holidays!
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on November 23rd, 2009
I can’t beleive it’s Thanksgiving already. Thanksgiving seems to be the kick-off for the holidays. For many the word holidays conjures up the thoughts of multiple parties, time with friends and family, or a time to be a little lax on their exercise. After all, New Years will be here soon and you can set the same resolution you have the last however many years, to get healthier and fitter.
Here is the thing. For many the holidays are really only 2 days, Thanksgiving and Christmas, yet many of us turn December into a month long celebration. We take the holiDAYs and turn it into holiWEEKs. And by the end of the month many have packed on an the pounds. Stats show that average gain in the month of December is 3-7 pounds.
Why do some people pack on the pounds while others go through the holidays unscathed? It really is pretty simple. It comes down to planning and common sense. Fit people tend to grasp the idea that the holidays are a time to spend with your family and celebrate your beliefs, not take a whole month off from working out and over-indulging.
Think about how many parties that you will attend over the next month, not even including Thanksgiving and Christmas. My guess is that most of us will attend at least two many of us anywhere from 4-6. Attending that many get togethers leads to ample opportunities to over do it.
I am not saying don’t leave the house this festive season, I am saying use your head. Plan Ahead! My gym is open on Thanksgiving morning. Guess where I will be before I sit down to enjoy some turkey? The gym!
By getting a workout in I feel more in control at the table. I know that this is simply another meal and that the real joy of the day comes from spending it with people you care about. Last year Suzy and I began hosting Thanksgiving at our house. We had a blast but more importantly, we knew how everything was prepared and made dishes that we could enjoy and that others would enjoy as well. No one complained about having a meal prepared in a healthier way and it tasted great despite missing pounds of butter.
Tomorrow I will have Suzy join me and we are going to share some ideas about how you can make Thanksgiving enjoyable while still making progress toward your healthy lifestyle. The rest of this month I will be writing about not just surviving the holidays but thriving during this month and how we are going to all get a jumpstart on those who are waiting for the new year to begin their changes.
This is an exciting time of the year for many reasons, lets get excited about being fit too!
Kona Ironman 2009 part IV
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 20th, 2009
I’m not going to lie. I was hurting on the run before I even got out of the chute. In the tri’s I did this summer my feet hurt for a little bit and the pain went away. This was way different. I jogged out the chute and once again the crowd cheering made the steps manageable. As I made my way up the hill I saw Suzy and Rex. I stopped to give them a kiss, had a quick cry and headed out for what was about to be the longest night of my life.
After the first mile my coach came riding up on his bike and told me I was doing great. All I had to do was 15 minute miles and I would become an Ironman with plenty of time. I thought no problem, I had never been even close to that in my training runs. I was in or so I thought. I also had never had to run a marathon after riding 112 miles in any of my training runs either.
At the first aid station I grabbed some sponges and soaked my head and neck with cold water. I grabbed some Gatorade and water and chugged them down. About 20 steps out of transition I vomitted. I continue to vomit for several minutes. When I reached the next aid station I did the same thing. Again, several steps out of transisiton I began to vomit. This routine would continue for the next 20 miles. I know I threw up at least 80 times throughout the night. I was not able to keep anything down. We tried pretzels, powerbars, oranges, nothing would stay down. In attempt to stay hydrated and keep going I simply repeated the process the whole time. Aid station, drink, eat, vomit. Unfortunately vomitting was the least of my problems.
I reached the 5 mile turn around as the sun was going down. A guy came up to me and handed me a glow in the dark band that I had to wear so cars would see me. This was the when it really sank in just how much further I had to go. Jim had said that I only needed to do 15 minute miles to finish. It took me 1:45 to get to the 5 mile check point. You don’t have to be a math major to figure out that I was falling behind.
I was at around mile 6 when this guy came up behind me on a moped. He informed me that he was the sweep and that it was his job to pull people off the course who weren’t on pace to finish. If I stayed ahead of him I would be fine. If I didn’t, I was done.
It was about that point that I was going past a little beach area with a sea wall. I seriously considered jumping off the wall right then. I remember thinking “Maybe I’ll jump that wall, hopefully I will just break an ankle and this will be over.” It didn’t take much to talk myself out of jumping that wall, but at that moment it did seem like a viable option.
I kept going and got back into town. As I was passing a restraunt I heard some guy yell “Maybe you should try losing another couple hundred pounds fat ass!” I don’t know why it happened, but at that moment I became severly self-concious and started breathing hard, like I did when I weighed over 350 pounds. All of those old insecurities came roaring back into my mind. Here I was doing an Ironman and all I could think about was how out of shape I use to be and it was affecting me in this moment.
I gathered myself and realize that the guy was an idiot sitting in a bar drinking and I was out doing an Ironman. I had to get over it and I did. I came up on one of the last hills out of town and saw my wife walking along the side of the road crying. She knew I wasn’t doing good she asked me if I wanted to walk with me. I told her no even though I did, I was starting to get a little crazy in the head about this time. At the same time I saw her, a van with flashing lights came pulling up beside me and a couple gals got out to ask me some questions. You know you are going slow when you are the guy racing and the medics are walking beside you asking questions and not even getting out of breath. They let me continue.
Once I got to the top of the hill it was a left out to the energy lab turn around. I was still vomiting, but at least now it was dark enough that no one would see me. My coach Jim and good friend, Joe Lotus, magically appeared again and told me it was time to pick it up. Not only did they let me know, but the sweep scooter came up and let me know exactly how fast I needed to do my next mile in order to stay in the race and not get pulled. This act would continue for the next 9 miles. I was always just fast enough from aid station to aid station to not get pulled.
The darkness on the Queen K is like nothing I have ever expereinced. There are very few lights and you can’t really gauge where you are on the course. That may have been the hardest part for me. Not having a way to visually gauge where you are going can be frustrating and emotionally draining but so can throwing up over and over.
At about mile 20 my coach raced ahead to an aid station to tell them to dump a garbage can of ice cold water over me. I’m talking a huge can that most people use to put a week’s worth of trash in. As I came into the aid station two big huge Hawaiian guys picked up that big plastic garbage can full of Arctic Ocean temperature water and dumped it on my head.
It took my breath away and my entire body felt like it was convulsing, but it felt great and it seemed like my body woke up. I posted one of my fastest miles of the night after that and even better, I stopped vomitting! From there on out I got an ice bath at every aid station the rest of the night. I was the last guy on the course so it wasn’t like anyone else was going to be needing it.
Come back tomorrow as I take you with me the rest of the way!
An open letter and the ONLY response to critics!
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 17th, 2009
Ben,
Thanks for the heads up, but I will be honest with you. I actually don’t read any forums. If Jim hadn’t forwarded me the email he sent you guys, I would have never even known that anything negative had ever been said about me on your site. I felt like you were very respectful and professional toward me when we interviewed and if you feel like covering my next Ironman when there won’t be any cameras and hoopla, I’d be glad to talk with you.
I’ve been in the public eye for many years now and have learned that no matter the success or the failure, there will be people jumping on the opportunity to bash a perfect stranger. I did the best I could that day and that is all I can do. At the end of the day, the only people I am worried about impressing are God, my family, and my friends. When it’s all said and done, whether I crossed the line at 16:59:59 or at 17:03, they all still love me and that is what is truly important to me.
This year people will be negative toward me and next year those same ignorant people will do it to someone else and no one will be sitting around talking about my performance this year. The cool thing is that the people I met while I was here, amateurs and pros alike were all so nice to me and that is what I am going to take away from this experience. The people screaming for me when I crossed that line, the strangers that ran alongside me down Alii Dr. and the 2 little boys yelling that I could still do it even though time was way past the cut-off. Those are memories that will be with me the rest of my life and as I said to you during our interview, I will never feel bad or apologize for making the most of an opportunity.
I was inspired that day, by the athletes that passed by me, by a stranger that I will never see again with one leg and one arm who was still going at the energy lab even though neither of us were going to be “official” Ironmen, by the people at the aid stations who never let on that I may not even get the opportunity to cross the line, by thousands of strangers screaming as I made the turn toward the finish, and most of all by my coaches, friends, and family who let me beleive I could actually do this and were still proud when I didn’t.
I didn’t do this Ironman to prove to some stranger wrong or right, I did it to prove to myself and others that we can do anything we set our minds to. For all of the negative statements, there are positives. For all of those feeling uninspired by my performance, there are those who will be. I am proud to think that whether I am a real Ironman or not, (I will be when I cross the line under the cut-off at my next one) there may be at least one person who chooses to chase what may seem to be an impossible goal and not quit until they get to the finish line.
Thanks for letting me know, but I am not going to waste a moment of my time trying to change the opinions of others toward me. Triathlon has been a gift in my life as well as my family and we are going to do our best to promote it and all it has to offer in the best light we can for as long as we can. The athletes that are already involved in this sport should welcome all people into the tri-life whether they are fat, skinny, tall, short, fast or slow. You never know, this sport just may be a new lease on life for someone.
Not crossing the finish line under the cut-off in Kona would be far less embarrasing than knowing I turned even one person off to this amazing sport because of my attitude toward them or their appearance. As I said in one of my interviews last week. “You can only make a first impression of someone by their appearance. You can never judge their heart and mind until you give them a chance.”
I firmly beleive that all of us in this great sport should give everybody who wants to, the chance to experience their own victory in our sport.
Have a great day!
Matt Hoover (Almost an Ironman this time!)
Matt Hoover
www.Matt-Hoover.com
www.BodyEvolution.com
Author: Matt Hoover’s Guide to Life, Love, and Losing Weight
How I am Losing Weight and Sticking to My Diet with Medical Hypnosis
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on June 24th, 2009
You would think that a guy who lost a huge amount of weight in front of America on the most watch reality weight loss TV show along with winning $250,000 would have no trouble keeping the weight off.
I wish that was the case for me, but it wasn’t. My name is Matt Hoover and I am the winner of NBC’s hit show The Biggest Loser. My season aired nearly four years ago.
I kept the weight off easily for about a year and then real life hit. I wasn’t able to work out even a quarter of as much as I did on the show and I let myself believe that I could eat just like everybody else. I was wrong.
The weight slowly crept back on until I reached 255 pounds. I wasn’t alarmed, more like disappointed. I had still kept off 100 pounds since my highest weight, but this was of no consolation to me.
As I wondered why I had done this to myself again I had to look at my options. I could accept it and try to be all right with the amount of weight that I had kept off, or I could take action and lose the weight that I needed to in order to feel good about myself.
I knew I couldn’t commit to 6-8 hours of exercise a day to take it off quickly like I did on the show. This time I was going to commit to doing it right and using the resources available to me.
I began looking at tools that could help me and that is when I met Michael at the Hypnosis Network. He told me about the various programs and offered to send me some CD’s.
When they arrived I put in a CD entitled Enjoying Weight Loss with Dr. Roberta Temes. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I kept an open mind. I listened to the entire session and when it was over I didn’t really feel very different. I was relaxed, but I didn’t physically feel any different. It wasn’t until the next day that I noticed what had gone on. The next day I realized that I wasn’t craving any of the foods that I had been eating for several months that were not necessarily beneficial to me.
I ate when I was hungry but nothing in between. I also began to choose water rather than soda without feeling deprived. I immediately began to form a healthy relationship with food. Something I hadn’t been able to do for years.
I have always been an emotional eater. When things were good or bad, when I was happy or sad, food was my soother. I have a dear friend who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Normally the news alone would have sent me into a tailspin. In fact I did have a 4-pound weight gain after I found out because I went to food. When I realized what I was doing I put my CD with Dr. Roberta in and had a session. I was able to immediately get back on track.
I have lost 30 pounds with the use of my hypnosis cd’s and proper exercise and diet. These sessions are teaching me how to enjoy eating for health.
I listen to the CD’s at least once a month, but usually more. When I feel like I am down or getting into a funk they are the first things I go to. My favorite is the Enjoying Weight Loss program. Most of the time when I am not feeling great it is because I am struggling in this department.
I am currently training for the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this October. As I am doing my training I have implemented hypnosis to help me succeed at this as well.
To those of you considering trying hypnosis to help you reach your weight loss or other goals I say, do it. You have nothing to lose and the benefits were amazing for me. Many of us who have struggled with our weight have felt like we have tried everything. Give it a try and I am sure your results will be great.
The great thing about getting the CD’s is that you can use them over and over. Rather than paying for individual sessions at a therapist you get a professional in your ear and head at any time you need them. I have had great success and continue to use the discs as I reevaluate and work to maintain my goals.
These discs have helped me reprogram my thoughts about food and my relationship with food. It has helped my family life because I am feeling better about myself and act accordingly. My wife has noticed the changes and has recommended I do sessions if she has noticed me slipping into a potential funk.
Building Your Team
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on June 18th, 2009
After my swim workout this morning I was driving home and had some time to do some thinking. Of course I was thinking about all of the training I have been doing and all of the training that still lies ahead.
When I agreed to participate in this years Ford Ironman World Championships I knew it was going to be a lot of work. When I decided to do it I knew I was going to need some help in order to reach my goal of finishing this grueling day.
The only thing I knew about triathlons in general was that you swam, ran, and biked. I have been doing all of those things seprately for most of my life. How hard can it be? Individually not that hard. But when you combine the three and add some significant distance it can become pretty tough.
This brought me around to the world of diet and exercise. I’m sure I’m correct in assuming that most of us have been eating our entire lives. I’m also pretty sure that nearly all of us have exercised at one time in our lives as well.
The problem comes not in eating or exercising individually, but in doing them both properly. Many times we think that we can get away with one or the other when in reality in order to really be healthy we need to combine both exercise and nutrition.
As I have been training for the Ironman I have stopped losing weight. I am working out like I did when I was on The Biggest Loser and burning tons of calories. The problem is that I am also consuming a lot of calories to keep my energy up for my workouts.
I have always been on a diet. Even in wrestling I learned how to train and compete on very few calories. I can’t get away with that anymore. To complete the distances that I am training for, my body needs calories for energy. I have to learn how to eat properly.
So back to the idea of learning how to do the proper combination of exercise and nutrition. Having come to the conclusion that I have been going about it all wrong, I have built myself a team.
I want to share the members of team with you so that you too can see how important it is to have a support system. I know I could finish the Ironman training by myself. The thing is that I don’t wan to just finish, I want to finish the best that I can.
In order to do this I had to swallow my pride and accept the fact that I need help. Many times in our lives we think that the only way to achieve something is to figure out how to do it on our own. The truth is that there are a lot of resources out there that can help us reach our goals in a much more efficient fasion.
Here is a short list of my team. I have a personal triathlon coach. I have a team triathlon coach. I have a nutritionist. I have a mind coach through The Hypnosis Network CD’s. I have strength coach, and I have a massage therapist.
I have all of these people and more helping me to reach my goal. As I said, I could finish my race without their help, but having this team is going to help me be smarter, more efficcient, and better trained than if I was attempting to do this all on my own.
Who could you use on your team? Is it time to stop spinning your wheels and seek out those who can help you become more efficient at attaining your goals? Of course we can do it on our own, but why not build your team and see if you can do it better?
