How to Slackline: Getting Started

Slacklining is a lot of fun, and a great way to develop balance, coordination and mindfulness, while also getting a good workout, especially for the abs, core and legs.
Of course, first you need a line; there are loads of different brands, so how do you know which one is best for your needs?

Beginners Slackline Kit
For beginners I always recommend the Gibbon X13 Classic 15m kit, which has everything you need to get started (except trees to set the line up between). It has a good line & ratchet, as well as protectors to reduce damage to tree bark or your slackline. This kit will give you up to about 13m of usable line when set up. They can be difficult to get locally, so if you're having trouble, try this amazon link.

Different brands of line have different properties, mainly the amount of stretch (and therefore bounce) in the line. The Gibbon Classic has about 10-12% stretch, making it a fun line to play on.

In workshops I use ..
Gibbon Classic 15m; 
Gibbon Classic 25m
Maverick Slacklines 25m
Slack.fr 25m

There are loads of other brands newer onto the market whose lines I haven't tried yet, including Trailblaze Slackline, Barefoot Slacklines, Macaco Slacklines and many others..

To help you get started, here are a few beginners videos to help you take those first steps.

If you'd like to arrange a slackline workshop get in touch and we'll figure out the details.

Is your NYR really just an ADS?

I've talked a bit before about why I generally find the whole "New Year, New You" thing bloody annoying. In case you missed it, in a nutshell it's because most people make the same "Resolutions" year after year, and have given up by Paddys day if not much sooner.  

Not so much of a New Years Resolution then, as an Annual Delusional Statement. It might sound harsh, but it's probably true. So, how can you tell if you're delusional in terms of your health, fitness and/or weightloss goals for this year? You start by asking yourself the following questions:

What's your goal?

Why are you doing this?

What does your plan look like? 

What are you gonna focus on first?

What are you missing?

What are you doing but shouldn't be?

What aren't you doing but should be?

If you haven't answered those questions, then your resolution is more of a delusion, at the moment.  The good news is that going through this process every few weeks will help you to focus on what's important to you so that you get better results, faster. 

If you'd like my help to make sure this year you really do achieve your goals, get in touch and we'll see what your next steps should be. 

Malachy.

Get it done

It's great to have a long term goal, but 'today' is the only day where shit gets done! 'Tomorrow' is a mythical place where productivity & dreams go to die. Put aside some time today and just get it done: Even if it's only 5 minutes of exercise, any exercise is better than no exercise. 

Never let the fear of 'not getting it perfect' stop you from doing things a little better. Perfect is unsustainable and probably unattainable (because it keeps changing), but we can always do a little better.

How I stayed motivated while losing weight.

My weight loss journey took some time, during which I got rid of over 70lbs of fat, and at the same time put on enough muscle that i looked good rather than gaunt! It wasn't easy, of course. Nothing of significance ever came easy. This was back before hashtags and #fitspo, hell, you could be on the phone or the Internet but not both, and broadband didn't exist.

My motivation was the one and only Mr Arnold Schwarznegger, the skinny Austrian kid who went on to become the Austrian Oak, a mighty champion. While I had no interest in becoming a bodybuilder or champion of anything, his story inspired me, and in the space of about a year I transformed myself from very fat to very fit. 

This required making some changes to my lifestyle, some more dramatic than others. The one most fundamental to my success though, was a change in attitude, from I wish to I am. No more "I wish I could lose weight"; that became "I'm in control of my weight".

I took responsibility, and I took control; I made mistakes and I learned from all of them. I cooked all my own meals from scratch (except for pasta), nothing from jars or packets; I stopped eating in front of the tv; I introduced more physical activity as I became more able, using what I had (my bodyweight & some rocks). Eventually, I was cycling instead of taking the bus every Friday for my 11mile each-way commute. After a while I was just as quick cycling as taking the bus. 

Some of those early meals were bland, some were borderline poisonous, but with practice you learn what combinations of seasonings make a dish mouthwatering instead of eye watering (hint: use cayenne and chilli peppers sparingly until you know what you're at!).

20 years later and I'm still no bodybuilder, but then, I'm not trying to be. Annie inspired in me an attitude which allowed me to take responsibility for my actions, and to take control of my life to make it go in the direction I wanted. 

Hopefully this will inspire you to take more control of your own life. If you'd like some help along your journey, I'll happily be your guide. You have to take each step though, nobody else can do that for you.

If you are ready to take those steps, drop me a line mal@malkelly.com or pick up the phone 086 1945 040. If I can't answer, please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I'm free.

That's N.E.A.T.

N.E.A.T. or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, is a term used to describe the energy used for everything we do that isn't exercise (obviously), eating or sleeping. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, doing manual jobs, including household chores, and even fidgeting.

Believe it or not, even seemingly trivial physical activities increase can metabolic rate substantially, and it is the cumulative impact of a multitude of exothermic (reactions that give off heat) actions that culminate in your  daily NEAT.

So even when you're not exercising, you're still burning calories and keeping your metabolism up. Oh, and best of all, calories burned in this way are generally coming from fat! NEAT or what?!

A Pleasure or A Pain?

Getting your daily physical activity can be a chore, or it can be a pleasure, and it's your choice which way you view it. If you decide to view it as a chore, then you're much more likely to skip your mini workouts and come up with some bull$hit excuse as to why you couldn't take 4 minutes out of your day to take action on improving your health, fitness, and life in general. It's much easier to follow through when you decide to view it as a pleasurable challenge which will help you to develop not just your physical strength, but also your strength of character.

The recipe for my weight loss success

I frequently get asked for the "one thing" that allowed me to lose the 5 stone (70lbs/32kg) and keep it off. My answer is simple. There wasn't 'one' thing, but several different factors. I'll try to keep this post short, but no promises..

Step 1
Take responsibility & identify the problem. Sounds obvious, but most people steam ahead into trying to improve things with really knowing what they are trying to improve, and most importantly, why it's important to them.

Step 2
Identify current habits. Being overweight is a chronic condition, meaning it's a state that persists for an extended period of time. Eating too much on Christmas day and noticing that you weigh more on December 26th than you did on the 24th doesn't make you overweight. That's acute weight gain, you gain rapidly, and you lose it rapidly so long as that kind of eating isn't your average day. You're looking to identify your habits around food, activity, stress and sleep. Are you having a little or a lot?

Step 3
Start where you are, use what you've got, and do what you can. You're looking for small improvements in each. This can be as simple as a couple of forkfuls less, an extra 50 steps, 10 deep breaths exhaling with a sigh or going to bed 10 minutes earlier. If and when you can do better, do better.

Step 4 (optional but likely)
Screw up, fail or fall off the wagon. Congratulations, you're human. We all make mistakes, it's an essential part of the learning process. The trick is to identify why you failed, and plan a way to deal with that kind of situation for when it happens again so you can do better. Notice I say "plan" rather than aim or hope.

Step 5
Stay positive, and congratulate yourself on your success so far, even when you're not making progress as quickly as you'd like. Remember even if you're only shedding a half pound per week that's 26lbs in a year.

So my recipe for success?
Take a little self knowledge and add a handful of ambition; Add water. Reduce plate size and eliminate deep fried everything; Raise the temperature by exerting yourself more than normal at least 3 times per week, mixing activities to avoid boredom. Maintain a positive mental attitude; Reduce waistline and enjoy.

If you'd like to know exactly what I did to get rid of excess fat and drop 4 sizes, leave a comment.

Damage limitation

I'm in cork this weekend for a wedding. That means lots of rich food while being away from home & out of my usual routine.. Very easy to put on weight in those circumstances, and very easy to say, "feck it, I can get back on track once I get home'.

Of course there is a better option. A few minutes of vigorous exercise each day can help offset a lot of the surplus energy/calories I'll be taking in. So a few mins of jumping jacks, burpees, squats and push-ups each day will help prevent excess fat gain? I can do that ;-)

http://jp.physoc.org/content/591/24/6231.abstract

Flat stomach circuit

One of the things I get asked about most is how to flatten the stomach and tone the waistline. Here are some of the most effective exercises for the job. This is not a weight loss circuit, so don't expect to see massive changes on the scales. However by doing this circuit 2 or 3 times per week, you'll feel great and see a difference on your clothes in 3 weeks or less. 

How to live longer

I came across some research recently which made me stop and think. I believe most people feel better when they've been active. There is well the known and documented phenomenon, runners high, but it also applies to many other sports. We've known for some time about the endorphin and serotonin releases caused by exercise, but besides helping us understand why we feel good after exercise, now scientists have unwrapped the mechanism's behind how it helps us live longer.

Exercise promotes the growth of structures called telomeres which are essentially the life line of the cell. Every time the cell divides, the telomere shortens. Thankfully, exercise causes the telomeres to lengthen, protecting the cell DNA. The longer these telomeres are, the longer the lifeline of the cell. Also recently published is a study proving that cardiovascular fitness is directly associated with improved brain function in later life. Muscular strength didn't show any link to brain function, but is essential in maintaining body composition and preventing osteoporosis.

Isn't it amazing how the all the little steps we take can sum up to quality time added onto our lives. Yet even at that, many people don't seem to have the time to add years to their lives. There is a huge amount of research which tells us, more exercise is good for our health. Exercise helps improve the health & function of the heart & lungs, brain, kidneys and digestive system. If thats not enough reason to spend 30mins a day being active, just do it because you feel better after it.

Your thoughts?

Training/slacking

My dedication to my own training has been lacking recently, so i decided to get back into things yesterday with an intense interval session focusing on legs and balance on the slackline. After a good warmup, it was straight into intervals of 20 seconds activity followed by 10 secs recovery, for 6 minutes before taking 2 min rest & dynamic flexibility and repeating 6 more times.

The exercises used were:

 - Lunges...

For Reps (up to 10)
Holding lowest position for 20 sec

Holding, with pulses (both legs)

 - Split Squat...

For Reps (up to 10)
Holding lowest position for 20 sec

Holding, with pulses (both legs)

 - Single Leg Squat...

For Reps (up to 10)
Holding lowest position for 20 sec.

The single leg squats were definitely the most challenging element, as i found balance difficult to maintain beyond about 10 seconds, and especially on the left leg. I finished the session with some more dynamic stretching and a good cool-down.

Average heart rate over the training phase of the workout was 140bpm.

By the time i was finished this high intensity workout, my legs were like jelly and I felt ravenous, so it was time for the recovery smoothie.