http://www.gabrieljonesperformance.com/
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Edition 48 - We’re Back in the Game
Hello friends and welcome to my first edition of The Art of Movement for 2023! This time last year I was first embarking on my journey with this newsletter, and honestly, all I really wanted (which I said to myself at the beginning) was to simply be consistent with it, and to deliver my promise of dropping a new edition every Friday for my subscribers and patrons. Funnily enough, I believe the process of spending a couple of hours each week writing about things like goal setting, consistency, accountability and flexible thinking, has played a role in my actual ability to get things done with this new venture, and I am delighted it has somewhat worked out.
However, anyone who knows me will attest to the fact I am rarely satisfied, always nit-picking and looking for improvement, and constantly suffering from a lifelong case of imposter syndrome. I want to do you justice, and have been actively looking for ways that I can improve my newsletter content for you. My biggest self-critique has been centred around the depth (or lack thereof) of the scientific research I am putting out for you guys - after all, part of me wants it to be this way, with these weekly ramblings being more of a casual chat than an exercise physiology lecture. But rather than just telling you what I know, based on research I’ve read, I feel I should be offering you the opportunity to peek at these studies for yourself, and see the process and the conclusions reached (should you wish to) - this will be more of a feature this year, but feel free to breeze through the more sciency stuff if you just want to know the bottom line!
What kind of ‘research’ am I talking about? I hear you ask. Well, I personally try to base my decisions about my day-to-day and week-to-week habits on what the latest scientific findings suggest may be the best route forwards (by the way, not all findings allow us to conclude a fact, and modern scientific research has many issues regarding bias, but that is a story for another day). Whether that is my strength training routines, rest and recovery strategies, morning wake up routine, eating patterns, or my evening bedtime routine, there is A LOT of information out there available that can lead us to *not perfect*, but more optimal results, better health, performance and feelings of wellness.
As we venture through the year I will intermittently (along with other topics) introduce you to the following habits, which over the years I have decided to integrate into my life:
Viewing early sunlight
Drinking water
Cold showers & deliberate cold exposure
Intermittent fasting & nurturing the gut
Sauna & deliberate heat
Yoga & mobility
Strength training
Sprint training
Sports massage & trigger point release
Zone 2 exercise
Language learning & brain training
A challenging sport/activity
Good sleep routines & napping
Therapy & self-healing
Meditation / Non-sleep deep rest
Getting Out in Nature
This is not a prescriptive list (or exhaustive), or me telling you ‘these are the things you need to do to automatically be happy’ - after all, we are all individuals with different body types, genetics, muscle fibre make-ups, upbringings (and therefore emotional and social conditioning), medical statuses, brain cognitions and so on. These are just the things that have either a) worked for me in the past and throughout my life which I have chosen to keep, or b) been well-researched enough that I’ve introduced it to my life with the hopes of improving certain aspects, whether that is sports performance, injury reduction, sleeping better, brain function, or simply just enhancing my experience of life. For example, I didn’t bother to learn a language properly until the age of 26, cognitive behavioural therapy was something I thought was only for people with depression and anxiety, and going out for a walk in the morning sun was simply out of the question in my 20’s.
I have always been good at pushing - working hard, lifting heavy, hitting max heart rate, and making the gym sessions happen. My weakness had been the opposite of that - taking a rest day at the right moment, knowing when to work at 60% rather than 80%, being in tune with the cues my body is giving me, acknowledging my feelings and developing the true health of my body and brain, rather than only focusing on the idea of health we are perpetually sold in this bonkers society.
My hope with the newsletters this year is that I can share some science with you, help you towards some practical solutions in your own journey (which by the way, will never end as long as we live), and promote positive steps we can all be taking to improve our experience of this very short and precious life we have.
“It is in changing that we find purpose”
Movement of the Week: Copenhagen Adductor Exercise
3 x 10 reps each leg
That’s all for this week! Check out my Patreon channel for video episodes, on-demand workouts, training programmes, training guidance/advice and more!
Thank you,
Gabriel
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