Today on our blog Atlas Performance head coach Sean Connolly asks one his mentors, Eric Falstrault from Bodhifit, some pressing fitness questions.
The good news is this is just part one of the Q&A so make sure you
like our Facebook page so you see when new instalments appear on this blog. In this first instalment Eric talks about discipline, healthy breakfasts and how to find a healthy balance.
Many of your blog posts follow a stream of being disciplined and smart in your training. You don't hold a lot of room for 'fluff'. Who gave you that advice and why was it so profound?
I don’t get too many regular Joe’s that come to see me, as most of my clients are business professionals. Getting the job done fast and being able to get out of the gym with more energy than they came in with is what’s important for them. If they give me 45 minutes to train them, I use it as best I can with the most bang-for-your-buck exercises. Being efficient is always a priority for me and that is what I teach all of my clients; not only with their training and nutrition protocols but also how to incorporate it all into their everyday lives as well.
I’ve always believed that what we are is all a matter of balance. Too much of one thing suppresses another. Weight lifting is good for the body, but too much will deplete your energy. Seeking homeostasis should be our main goal, and then everything will fall into place, hopefully. However, complete balance is almost unachievable year round due to uncontrollable external stressors; this is where I come in. I came across those principles while doing an internship with Charles Poliquin in Arizona. He talked about his theory of the five elements and how we can relate to it with our training and nutrition. It was a big eye opener for me at that time and I am still using it today.
I like your comment about homeostasis. A lot of people are not centred, balanced or have some middle point that seems to keep them in check. What one of the biggest tell tale signs that someone is out of balance or homeostasis Eric and what can they do about it?
There are a lot of signs and symptoms but the most common ones such as the inability to finish workouts or a big drop in strength from one set to the next, disturbed sleep patterns and reduced immunity. When under a lot of stress, the body will turn on its emergency system and put all of its focus on the vitals preserving as much energy as possible, therefore putting less effort into digestion and regeneration which are very important if you want to see progress. The problem nowadays is that stress response is exaggerated and is spread over long periods of time. Adrenals have no time to rebuild and most of us will run on empty which leads to reduced immune response. If some sickness is looming around the corner, you can be sure that you will run right into it.
You can’t obviously can’t tell someone to stay off of work or to reduce their stress levels just like that. Some of them don’t even know that they are putting their system into emergency mode since their stress has accumulated over years and years of repeated pounding and/or unbalanced lifestyle. Lifestyle management, whether they like it or not, is the only solution and this is where balance gets the job done. No matter how good results you can get by training four times a week, some people just can’t take it. Changing habits gradually will make those habits last, especially with stressed individuals.
In order of importance, I would make sure that they eat meat and nuts first thing in the morning, and then I would suggest supplements like fish oils and lastly, maybe try to fit in 2 or 3 workouts in a week. Most of them don’t eat in the morning, so starting with a great breakfast will bring up their energy and fish oil will take care of their serotonin levels (the feel good hormone). Once this is taken care of, including 2 or 3 workouts a week seems more logical to them since their energy level has increased. Improve how they feel and everything is possible.
