Defiantly Tacoma's Guide to Grindville Athletics

Editor’s Note: I’ve got to level with you. To say my habits have been way out of whack the last few months would be a massive understatement. I’ve been eating and drinking too much, sleeping too little (with random naps during hours of productivity), and my exercise regimen has mostly consisted of trips to the kitchen for more snacks. It’s a low-key problem.

That being said, the last few months have been a great time for reflection, and if you’re like me, you do know better. So together, let’s turn over a new leaf. We reached out to our friend Greylin James at Tacoma’s Grindville Athletics and started with a simple request: “help!”

Before ordering me to get my behind in gear, I had a chance to talk with the personal trainer and fitness coach about his 5 Pillars of Wellness.

Pillar 1: Nutrition

A balanced diet is one that contains nutrient rich foods including lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and water. Balance is not yes or no, always or never; instead it consists of making healthy decisions on a regular basis to give your body the energy, nutrients, and activity it needs.

Pillar 2: Exercise

Aerobic activity: Any endurance activity performed in a rhythmic manner for a sustained period of time. These activities typically increase your heart rate and help improve cardiovascular fitness.

Muscle strengthening: any activity which increases skeletal muscle strength, power, endurance and mass. It is imperative to work with all skeletal muscle groups such as shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps, abdomen, legs, and back.

Any amount of physical activity is better than none, it is recommended that the average adult should workout at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) per week.

Pillar 3: Stress Management

Stress is your body’s normal response to a challenge or demand. Not all stress is negative, in fact a little stress can be a good thing if managed properly. Short term and low levels of stress can help motivate you to achieve your goals, meet a deadline or squeeze by in a tight situation. When experienced continuously, prolonged periods of stress can become unhealthy causing the body to release cortisol (the body’s fight or flight hormone). High levels of cortisol circulation have been associated with bad food choices and weight gain. Long bouts of stress can lead to negative outcomes such as irritability, reduced sleep, bad food choices and negative effects on cardiovascular health.

Pillar 4: Sleep

One of the most underrated parts of a healthy lifestyle. One third of your life is spent sleeping, which means it is important for daily life. The body needs sleep in order to rejuvenate and repair damage to the body that may have occurred during the day. The average adult should get 7 hours of sleep each night to promote optimal health and well-being.

Pillar 5: Supplementation

Even with our best efforts to maintain a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle, nutritional gaps may arise. Supplements are designed to fill in nutritional gaps to help you get the recommended daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs to function at an optimal level. Supplements are intended to work in conjunction with a healthy balanced diet and should NOT take the place of nutrients, vitamins and minerals obtained from foods consumed daily.

Ed: All good advice and we appreciate the time, Greylin! We’re excited for what lies ahead for the rest of our quarantine with you at the helm of our personal wellness.

Interested to learn more about Grindville Athletics? Check them out on social media, set up a consultation, and tell them your friends at We R Tacoma sent you.

Got any other hot tips for ways to stay fit while sitting at home? Are you building muscles by lifting socks filled with rolls of quarters? Send pictures of your at home workouts and so much more to ccatherwood@wertacoma.com.