Below is your weekly dose of 4 Thought Friday, a short list of idea’s, thoughts, and experiments from a few members of the Mako Team. Enjoy!
Taylor’s Challenging:
How to get your kids to eat healthier!
Although I don’t have kids of my own yet, I know just from talking to parents I know that it can be quite the challenge to get their kids to eat healthily. Here are a few quick and easy tips to try at home:
- Bite your tongue! Although it may be hard not to comment on your child’s eating habits, avoid saying things like “Eat your vegetables!” When children hear this, they typically resist. Instead, try saying to your child, “Michael Jordan eats his broccoli! That’s how he got so big and strong. If you eat your veggies like he does, you will be big and strong too!”
- Dip it! Kids may not want to eat veggies plain, but when some sort of dip is added, they may be more open to it! Try ranch, hummus, or salsa!
- Get kids cooking! Take your kids to the grocery store and have them help pick out the veggies they want to cook. If your kids are more involved in the preparation process of the meal, they will be more likely to eat what they’ve created! Now they are also be introduced at a young age how to prepare healthy meals.
- Be a role model! Kids may not always listen, but they are always watching. If you are constantly dieting or switching up your food habits, your children will think this is normal. Set an example by eating a well-balanced diet, with treats in moderation. Teach them to eat when hungry and stop eating when they are full.
Brandon’s Training Tip:
This week I had numerous conversations with athletes of varying skill and training experience. The same questions seem to come up no matter the person: How do I improve my conditioning? How do I make the workouts hurt less? In short, they both go hand in hand relative to intensity. You can hurt less by sandbagging a MetCon, but you will yield little to no returns in your conditioning. On the other side, in order to get more fit, you will have to make the workout hurt a little more to improve your conditioning. Once you are accustomed to a level of fitness, the only way to break through is to find a way to increase the intensity. Accept it will never get easier as you get better and train hard to make life easier. Push your relative intensity by scaling reps and weight, and you will improve consistently. Doing Fran unbroken, in sub 2:30 isn’t easier on the person, it can be a lot tougher. Commit to pushing yourself; get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Cuz’s Improving:
This week I have focused on a few things to improve my sleep. I started by cutting out sugar (mainly sweet tea). The biggest change that I have seen it in my sleep. I normally wake up 6 or 7 times through the night. But Wednesday and Thursday nights this week I have only woken up a couple of times. I also started to set an alarm clock on my phone. My body is accustomed to waking up at around 3:30 AM so I have never really felt the need to set an alarm. By setting my alarm, I have more peace of mind that I won’t sleep in, and I’ve stopped waking up in a panic that I’ve overslept (normally just after 11:00 PM!). My wife needs the TV on to sleep, so I have gone back to wearing my sleep mask and earplugs as well. This is a game-changer if you have never used the two!
Seth’s Learning:
I’ve been working on my drawing specifically sketching. I bought a little sketchbookok and some sketching pencils. I have been watching some basic videos on youtube that take you through simple practices to help you sketches get better. Mine are still really rough but I’m sure with time and practice they will get better.
