The general term for this is “overtraining” and a lot of people suffer from it… but because I’m awesome, I’ll be shedding some light on a concept that will make your workouts (and your freakin’ life) more efficient, focused and more god damn productive. No more dilly-dallying around like a clueless chump bucket.

Read this statement out loud three times: Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

This statement was made by the British historian Cyril Parkinson after years of observation while working in the British Civil Service, and this statement sums up Parkinson’s law. There is a book on this law which goes pretty in-depth while being a hilarious read to boot, so I recommend that you check it out. The version I had lying around was old, very old (printed in 1964) but I’m sure if you hunt around Amazon, you can find something more up to date. (Like THIS BOOK
for example).

But I’m going to break it all down for you, then show you how to use it practically. You see, every task is in some way shape or form dependent on TIME. If humans were immortal (vampires?) then every task would have the potential of being allotted an unlimited amount of time and thus the progress of our species wouldn’t be half of what it is because there is no sense of urgency. But we aren’t immortal, and therefore we have to assign a certain amount of time to a given task, which creates urgency and literally forces progress.

Now, here’s where all of this gets interesting. If you allot too much time for a given task, then that task will find a way to fill the extra gap in time by increasing it’s complexity. The task itself isn’t doing this, but its you. It’s a psychological effect which were naturally bound to. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at an example.

While you’re sitting there on your computer, I decide to walk in with a Universal Self loading Pistol (USP). I then put the gun to your face and say “You have 5 minutes to write me a 500 word press release that showcases why I’m so awesome or you’re fucking dead!”. How likely are you to finish that press release in WELL under 5 minutes? VERY likely.

On the other hand, what if I come in and blurt out “I need you to write me a 500 word press release that showcases why I’m so awesome. Have it on my desk first thing in the morning.” How much do you want to bet that it’s going to take more than 5 minutes to write this press release? Hmm… I thought so.

The task was the same, yet the time allotted in each scenario was totally different… and lo behold, you magically found a way to expand the work to fill the available time. This shit happens ALL the time. Now that you know of this weird psychological effect, it’s time to take advantage of it and use it to make sure that when you hit the gym, you do what needs to be done and then get the hell out before it consumes your life.

FJ’s Law Of Fitness Workout Timing For Effective Training Using Parkinson’s (wtf?)

Don’t ask about the subtitle… Just know that yes, this is a law that I made up, and yes, it does work ridiculously well. The law can be summed up in 2 words: sixty minutes. That’s right, one hour! One hour is ALL you get to do whatever the hell it is you need to do for your daily fitness activities, and once you’ve hit that hour, you gota pick your ass up and leave. Move on with your life. Even if you haven’t done what you needed to do, just leave… Because over time and with practice, you’ll just end up finding a way to shave off the useless seconds or minutes that are robbing you of a productive workout.

It will come naturally, trust me.

You should know that the opposite is also true. For example, what if you only do 30 minute workouts? Well then still give yourself one hour, because magically… You’ll find a way to fill that extra 30 minute gap, and it could do your body some “extra” goodness. Maybe you’ll go and stretch all your muscles, maybe you’ll hit up the steam room and de-stress, maybe you’ll go and try that ab exercise you saw on TV, or maybe you’ll grow some balls and attempt my plyometrics routine. Whatever it is that you end up doing, it will expand to fill the time gap. Count on it!

-FitJerk
Flawless Fitness Book

Discuss: How many times have you fallen victim to Parkinson’s Law? And now that I’ve enlightened you, what are some other ways that you’re going to apply it to your life? Stop being the quiet kid in class and express ideas below…

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© 2009 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

But there is a damn good reason (more than one actually) why tea is so popular – It has a ridiculous amount of health benefits attached to it! Some of these include weight loss, anti-stress characteristics, antioxidants, reducing blood clots, reduce cholesterol… And on and on. Some teas are showing promise as cancer fighters. Hoorah!

But herein lies the question, Which type of tea should you drink? Well in short, you should go out and try ALL of them, but to make this process a little more “scientific” while smothering you in valuable education, I will be going into detail on the different types of teas that you can make or find in a grocery store.

Before we being, let’s cover some tea basics. Generally speaking, white tea receives the least amount of processing or treatment because the leaves are just gently dried… And that’s about it. Because of this, white tea’s have the most antioxidants. The next in line is green tea, this type of tea gets a bit more attention as the leaves are momentarily steamed or heated, then dried. Let’s not forget that green tea has shown promise in preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Then after green tea we have Oolong teas, these teas have been oxidized which gives them a more robust flavour than green tea, but not quite as much as black tea.

After Oolong we have… (you better have guessed it) Black tea, it is the most processed because the leaves are rolled, oxidized (to develop a concentrated flavour) and then dried. Because black tea is so oxidized, it’s antioxidant levels drop but the levels of thearubigins and theaflavins increase. These 2 flavonoids have shown promise against fighting of human cancer cells, so don’t think that black tea is bad.

Then after all of these teas we have mixed teas – which are technically known as “infusions”, this means they mix and match ingredients before you brew your beverage but for sanity’s sake, and because I think its totally retarded to call it an “infusion”… I’ll just called it tea. I know you agree.

Now let’s get into specifics:

Rooibos

A tea is from South Africa and comes from the Aspalathus linearis plant, which looks like a red bush (insert sexual joke here). This tea was traditionally used to promote healthy skin, and relief from allergies and asthma. It is also very rich in antioxidants and is usually caffeine-free which means you can take it before you head off to bed. Nice.

Valerian

Made from the dried roots of the valerian plant, it is used to help with relaxation. Studies done on this root confirm this fact as they found it to be effective at inducing sleep and also improving the quality of your sleep. Some women may notice that this tea helps them with menstrual discomfort. You can find this tea by itself, but because of its potent flavour it usually comes mixed with other teas.

Ginger

One of my favourite spices, ginger kicks some SERIOUS ass. This spicy root has been used for thousands of years to relieve sore throats, help with stomach discomfort, relieve nausea, help with diarrhea and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties. You can either cut up a piece of ginger and use an infuser to make your tea, or do what I do: Make some green tea, then use a juicer and make some ginger juice. Add about a tablespoon to your green tea and then sweeten with Stevia or Honey. Viola! (ginger powder is also very potent and effective if convenience is an issue)

Yerba Maté

This stuff is slowly and steadily finding it’s way into energy drinks and fat loss pills – and for good reason. Made from the Ilex paraguariensis leaves, it has been used for hundreds of years in South America to combat physical and/or mental fatigue. But here’s the REAL kicker… The caffeine effect with Yerba Maté has been shown to be jitter and crash-free! The reason is unknown, but hey… I’ll take it!

Chamomile

Related to the daisy, it is grown in western Asia and Europe. It is sweet tasting and in the past, it has been used to help with digestive problems, menstrual cramps and as a natural sedative. A study in 2008 pointed out that drinking chamomile tea with your meals everyday could help prevent the progression of hyper-glycemia or diabetic problems and/or complications.

Lapacho

Also known as Taheebo, is comes from the bark of the South African lapacho tree. This tea stimulates and heightens your immune system just like echinacea and ginger, and can be used to pre-empt a cold or flu. This tea also has antimicrobial properties and is used for Candida or yeast infections.

Fennel

This herb has a licorice type flavour and has been used as traditional medicine in Europe & China for many digestive disorders such as flatulence, infant colic and a bunch of others. If you cannot find tea bags, crush 2 teaspoons worth of seeds and then add boiling water and steep for about 10 minutes. You can also add other tea leaves to this and then add honey/stevia to taste.

Peppermint

I love this tea, particularly because of the flavour. Its strong, mildly sweet, refreshing and best of all, it can be enjoyed hot or cold. Peppermint has shown to be effective in reducing abdominal pain, flatulence & diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. You may use fresh peppermint leaves and make your own tea by using an infuser or buy some of the many types of peppermint teas that come in tea bags.

A Word On Tea Bags…

If you’re gona be tea-baggin it, (insert sexual connotation here) make sure you avoid the cheap/shitty brands that tightly pack the paper tea bags together. You’ll know it’s cheap because when you open up the box, you’ll see some white dust or powder that rubs off on your hands. Luckily, I know that a few companies (like Lipton) have been using a new type of teabag which I highly recommend. It’s basically a netted pyramid that lets ALL the flavour through because the tea isn’t so tightly packed together. Sure it costs a bit more, but FJ says it’s well worth it! The extra flavour and not to mention, the extra anti-oxidants that you’ll get out of every cup will more than make up for your extra dollar that you happened to dish out.

A Word On The Ultimate Tea…

I was feeling adventurous and decided to make some SUPER TEA. You see when I was a lil boy, I used to LOVE mixing drinks. Every time I went to a restraunt or an eatery, Id take my cup and go from one end to the next mixing together every type of drink available. This is called gutter water, and only truly weird kids will be accustomed to the taste.

So I let the kid in me come out, I took all dried tea leaves from above and packed them into ONE massive tea bag and steeped it for 15 minutes. The results were… Interesting. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it, but I don’t think you could argue with the health benefits of my awesome creation! So the whole point is… Mix and match you own tea and if you come up with something awesome, post it in the comments below.

To Being Fit & Sexy 4 Life… Cheers!

-Fit Jerk

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© 2009, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.