Mistake Number 5:  Not Properly Adjusting Exercise Machines

Most exercise machines are designed to accommodate a variety of body types and provide a wide range of resistance or weight settings.  Unfortunately, most people never return the machines to their “neutral” setting when they finish with the machine.  Unless you properly adjust the machine before you begin your workout, you won’t get the most benefit from the machine and in some cases, you might actually injure yourself.

Properly adjusting an exercise machine includes paying attention to the following:

1.  Making sure the machine is clean and in good working order. Yes, I know that maintenance is “not your job” but you’re the one that’s going to get hurt if the machine is not working properly so you need to give each machine a critical “looking over” before you get on it.  In addition to making sure the machine isn’t covered in sweat from the guy that just finished using it, you need to also look for obvious mechanical stuff like jammed, frayed, twisted or broken cables, weight plates that look like they might fall, missing or broken parts, and so on.  If you notice something obviously wrong, get the attention of the gym staff so they can put an “Out of Order” sign on the machine.

2.  Making sure you know how the machine moves. If you’ve never used a particular machine before, get one of the gym staff to show you how to use it.  Make note of how the machine moves – especially note the pinch points, where the weights or bar hit, and so on.  You want to make sure that you keep your hands, fingers, and feet away from those areas when you’re on the machine.

3.  Adjusting the machine to your body type. Most machines can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of body types, from tall to short.  Make sure you adjust the seat and the arm or leg rests to your body size and type.  You should be comfortable moving the muscle group that the machine targets through its full range of motion.  If you don’t adjust this properly, your workout won’t be very effective or you’ll run the risk of injury.  A little time spent adjusting the machine can really make a difference in the quality of your workout.

4.  Alignment, alignment, alignment. Make absolutely sure your body is aligned properly on the machine.  If you adjusted it properly in the previous step, it should be.  There should be no sideways motion or pressure on any joints.  Keep in mind that even though the machine might be adjusted properly, your body type might still have problems maintaining proper alignment.  For example, when I was significantly overweight, I used to try to exercise on a stationary bike.  As soon as I got on the bike and bent over to grab the handle bars, the flab around my gut would drop down between my knees preventing me from keeping my legs aligned properly.   The only way for me to pedal the bike was to push my knees out to the side.  Instead of pedaling straight up and down, I was literally pedaling out to the side.  After a couple of minutes, my knees were killing me.  If you can’t physically keep your joints in alignment – for whatever reason – don’t use that particular machine.

5.  Exercise or Weight Level. The last thing to check is to make sure the machine is on the proper exercise level or that you have the right amount of weight on the machine.  You can injure yourself if you assume that there’s a lot of weight on the machine and there’s actually very little.  The same applies if you assume there’s very little weight and there turns out to be a lot.  In both cases, you’re not prepared and can easily sprain or strain something.  If you’re on a treadmill, you can easily get knocked off your feet if the machine unexpectedly starts off at a fast pace.  Make sure you check what exercise or weight level the machine is at and adjust it to where you need it to be.

By keeping these points in mind, you’ll be able to maximize your workouts in addition to reducing your risk of injury.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, machines, health, balance, alignment, joints, muscle, workout, exercise mistakes

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It’s a horrible thing to go through.  Everyone runs around trying to look busy but no work is actually being performed.  How could it?  There are bigger issues to consider.  Every time two or more people get together, the first priority is to trade the latest rumors, opinions, or predictions.

And then it comes.  It’s your turn.  The skies seem to darken and it becomes difficult to breathe as your manager’s voice comes over the intercom, “I need to see you in my office.”  You can’t feel your legs as you walk down the hall in a daze while everyone looks at you with a sympathetic look that basically says  “dead man walking.”  And just like that, your job is gone.

How do you live through losing your job?  How do you possibly carry on?  How do you survive a layoff?

Part of You is Lost.

For most of us, our job is part of who we are.  It helps defines us.  Rightly or wrongly, most us identify very closely with what we do for a living.  What’s the very first question (at least for guys) that you ask, or get asked, right after you met someone for the first time?  It’s usually something like,  “What kind of work do you do?”

That’s what makes it so hard to deal with losing your job.  You feel like a part of you has died, and to some extent, it has.  You go through the same emotions that you would at the end of a love affair or the death of a family member.  So it might help to start by knowing what those emotions are so you can be prepared for them when they hit you.

The Phases of Grief.

Experts tell us that most people go through the following emotional phases as part of the grieving process.  Some people go through each phase pretty quickly and some get stuck in one phase or another.  The phases are:

• First is Shock.  You’re dumbfounded and dazed at the news that your job is ending.  You can’t think, you can’t feel.  You just feel numb.  Once the reality begins to sink in however, your initial shock wears off and you move to the next phase.
• Second, is Denial and/or Bargaining.  You can’t believe this is happening to you, no, you won’t believe it!  Or you try to “bargain” with your boss, or even with God, in order to reverse the situation.  However, once you realize that nothing is changing, you move to the next phase.
• Next is Guilt.  You begin to think that maybe it was your own fault that you lost your job.  You start thinking things like “if only I had worked harder” or “if only I hadn’t messed up that report.”  If only.  Unfortunately, a lot of people get stuck in this phase.  When you finally realize that getting laid off was not your fault, you move to the next phase.
• Anger.  Now you get pissed at your boss, at your company, at your coworkers, at everybody.  You seem to be filled with anger.  You think, “Well if they can’t appreciate the job I was doing, then screw them!”  This anger provides the energy that you’ll need in order to make it through the next phase.
• Depression - another phase that some people get stuck in.  You can’t afford to spend too much time here.  Yes, I know it feels good to wallow in despair but after you’ve counted up all your bills, gone through a couple boxes of tissues and wondered, “how are we ever going to get through this,” you’ve got to move on to the final stage.
• Acceptance and Determination.  In this last stage, you’ve finally come to the realization that your job is gone and that your boss isn’t going to call saying that it was all a big mistake.  At this stage, you accept what’s happened and you’re ready to move forward.  You’re ready to re-take control of your life.

It’s key to understand that everybody goes through these phases.  It’s a natural part of grieving the loss of your old job and the part of you that used to work there.   The trick is getting through these emotional phases as quickly as possible.  Obviously, the quicker you get through them, the sooner you can get back out there and begin to put the pieces of your career back together.

Here are some tips that will help you move from one phase to another.

Moving Past It.

First, get yourself in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye and understand fully that YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB.  The fact that your job was terminated does not make you any less than the wonderful, talented person you already are.  It really is the company’s loss, not yours.  Look at yourself in the mirror and actually say the words, “I am not my job.  I am still the wonderful, talented person I was before and I WILL make it through this.  I WILL find another job.” Once you can do this without feeling any doubt or reservation, you’re on your way to getting back on your feet.

Second, let your emotions rule — but not for too long. It’s OK to feel angry, guilty, or depressed.  It’s OK to watch TV and eat ice cream all day.  Let your emotions out and let them rule — but don’t let yourself get stuck there.  Set a time limit.  Tell yourself that, “Tuesday is my ‘feel-sorry-for-myself’ day.  The rest of the week I’ll be working full time on getting myself employed again.” Don’t try to keep your emotions bottled up inside.  That never works.  They’re going to eventually come pouring out and that’s OK — as long as they come out on your timetable, not theirs.

Next, don’t suffer in silence. Let everyone know you’ve been laid off.  Don’t feel guilty or embarrassed because you’ve lost your job.  Tell everyone you know — and even the people you don’t know — that you’ve been laid off.  First of all, the emotional support and encouragement will help lift you up.  Second, you never know when someone will know about a job opening somewhere.  So don’t suffer in silence.  Find a support group, or a networking group, or just hang out with your friends.  Now more than ever it’s important that you keep your social connections active.

Fourth, don’t kid yourself. It’s important that you stay rooted in reality when it comes to your finances.  If you need to modify your lifestyle, do so sooner rather than later.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can get a job anytime and therefore, you can afford to continue to spend like there’s no tomorrow.  Getting a new job takes time, especially nowadays with countless interviews, background and reference checks, medical and drug tests, and so on.  You need to plan for that.

Finally, get back out there with optimism and determination. You DO have talent.  You WILL find another job.  Sure, it’s a royal hassle going from place to place and filling out countless applications but that’s just part of the process.  You have to believe that each application, each interview, gets you a little bit closer to getting hired.  Your job hunting “engine” is fueled by optimism and determination so make sure you keep an ample supply of both.

Stay Healthy.

Throughout this process, make sure you keep your body healthy by eating right and exercising.  It’s OK to have some “comfort food” once in a while but don’t make it a routine part of your diet — and don’t forget to work it off with plenty of exercise.  Exercise and proper nutrition will help you work through those “poor me” periods and stay focused on moving forward towards a new job or career.

Keep The Faith.

In conclusion, keep your faith strong.  Things will get better.  Your life will eventually return to normal.  You will survive.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: layoff, depression, grief, laid off, fired, employment, job, economy, recession, work, downsized

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