Learning to read your body, and Barefoot running.

I hate going to bed earlier than midnight. I found out a few years ago that 7 hours of sleep is the perfect amount of sleep for me, and it usually works best from midnight to 7am, unless I have a night like last night and fall asleep at 11.. then I am up at 6, which I do not agree with.
Too many people put too much emphasis on a ridiculous amount of sleep every night, and are always exhausted. To counter this exhaustion, they get more sleep. I used to be one of these people. Sleep for 8-10 hours a night, wake up feeling terrible, and just promise myself I would get to bed earlier the next night.
If people would learn how to read their own bodies, I think we would get a lot farther in a lot of ways.
Another example, is with nutrition and exercise. If you have one of those trainers who gives you cookie cutter workouts, from Men's Health, or any magazine like that, you are just not getting anything specialized, or beneficial to you. I take the first couple of sessions to feel out my clients and see exactly what their deficiencies are, where they have noticeable weakness, and really work on those areas.
You need to do the same in the kitchen. If I took the exact same meal plan, and gave them to 2 clients, they wouldn't get the same results. Everyone is different. Some people are a bit more sensitive to carbs, others can metabolize carbs at an insane rate, so can handle a bit more.
People need to pay attention to what their body is telling them. It may take a while, but with some trial and error, you can turn your body into a fat burning, or muscle building machine, and you don't need to buy the latest supplements or magazines, or listen to what "Jason Statham" tells you you need to do to bring up your shoulders.

On a more "superhero" note, I purchased some new shoes earlier this week that I am starting to implement in my own training. They are called Vibram Five Fingers. They basically look like gloves, for your feet. There have been countless research studies based on barefoot training and the benefits. I will summarize it a bit here.

Conventional running shoes have been around for about 30-40 years or so. With so many to choose from, how re we going to know which ones are right for us? There are way too many people walking around with foot problems; drop foot, pronation, supination, low arches, just to name a few. Before my career as a trainer, I worked at Foot Locker for a couple of years while in college, and I saw more foot problems than I could imagine. We are trained how to take care of these people, but shoes are just not individualized enough for most.
That's where the Vibrams come in. They fit your foot perfectly, and mimic walking, or running barefoot.

Pay attention next time you are running on the treadmill to the points of impact when taking a step. Heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe. In the studies I read, the compression forces on the spine during the initial heel impact were quite significant as compared to the rest of the foot. Now, imagine how many times this happens during a 5 km run.
Now, try running a bit barefoot. Instinctively (for me anyway) the points of impact are ball of foot-heel, ball of foot-heel. In the graphs produced during the study, the force was almost half when the impact was absorbed through the ball of the foot. Wearing these toe shoes initially produces an overall "foot soreness" that I have never experienced before just going bearfoot. Your toes can actually grip things. The muscles were "tired." It is recommended tha you wear them a few hours a day for a few days before you attempt a run. This is my fourth day, and it just so happens I have some interval training due in about half an hour, so I am going to see how it goes. I did some running yesterday and was surprised at how it felt. I felt faster, and a bit more natural.
Granted, this type of running is not for everyone, but I have read many reviews on how it has solved many foot/knee problems, and here's to hoping it fixes me up a little bit.
I purchased my shoes from "New World Runners" in Burlington at Plains Rd East. The owner is a VERY knowledgeable marathon runner/former chiropractor who had just finished the around the bay race, and noticed more than a few runners with these shoes on. Stop by the store if you have any questions about anything running related, he definitely knows his stuff.

Ok, ok, I'll stop writing. Shouldn't have had that coffee this morning, caffeine gives me more energy than I'd ever need. I don't know how people drink this stuff every day, I feel like I could chase down an adult lion. Then wrestle him, then make him tap out.

WOO STIMULANTS!