Tri Fit Living

Courtesy of www.localfitness.com.au

Every year around a week before Thanksgiving, I shut it down. I pretty much stop working out and relax,let my body recover and eat what I want. It is to make up for the rest of the year when I deprive myself, workout two to three hours a day and push through injuries.

But for anyone who competes in triathlons, this schedule is nothing and in some cases pretty mild to some. I know some guys that workout five hours a day during the season.

For me though, when November roles around, it is time to take a little more than a month off and unwind and get bloated.

This time of year though, it is time to get ready to turn the switch back on. January 1^st means pre-triathlon season begins and that means back to the gym for spin classes, weight lifting, treadmills and lap swimming. Going from idle to back into the swing of things is not an easy task however.

I should explain that I do not just sit around that month. I play basketball weekly, run until the weather gets too cold which is usually Dec. 1 and try to still do sit ups (though this usually falls by the wayside also).

So if you are like me, how do we avoid injury when we crank up the engine again? My remedy: Yoga. Yoga is a great way to get your body ready for the rigors of a workout after a long layoff and this can work if you have had an injury that has had you sidelined for a while.

Yoga prepares your body by increasing your flexibility, activating your muscles and raising your heart rate. I like to get about a week or two of yoga in before starting up my regular workout routine.

Yoga also works for those whose New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight or exercise more. Yoga is not contact so soreness and aches and pains are minimized, which is one of the biggest reasons new exercisers quit working out. By doing Yoga first, before getting into a workout routine, you can already being feeling good about yourself and minimize the impact on your body. The end result will be that you are more likely to stick to your routine and your resolution.

Another positive about Yoga is that there are several different kinds of Yoga out there that will match your personality and exercise goals. My personal favorite is flow Yoga or American Power Yoga. It combines muscle training with the Yoga moves which is a big plus for me. But search out different types of Yoga and see what fits you best. In the end it could mean you will stick with your workout, be less sore if you are restarting a workout program and have less impact on your body.

I adjusted my running style this year. In the past I have run very tight with my arms in front of me and my hands would go from my shoulder to my chest as I ran. Now I have my hands touching my hips on the back swing and out in front of me on the front swing. The change is paying off in a big way. I ran my best time ever in a 5 mile race we have here in my hometown. And then in a triathlon in early June, I had my best 5k time coming in at 22 minutes. I had never broken 24 minutes before that. As I am training, I think a sub 21 is a definite possibility and maybe even sub 20.
What I have learned from this is keep your running style loose and your strides long. It not only saves you on muscle tension which uses energy but reduces cramping and sets you up for a good kick at the end.

This last weekend my wife and I competed at the Schaumburg Park District Triathlon in Schaumburg, Ill. We stayed with a friend who wanted to do a triathlon as part of a relay so I took the swim, my wife biked and our friend ran. It was a lot of fun. I had not done a triathlon relay before.

Beside getting up at 4:15 to go race by 6:30, the event was well planned and well run. I also got to experience something new. The swim was done in an Olympic-sized pool. They had eight lanes and what you did was swim down to the end of one lane, cross under the ropes and then come back. It sounds a little bit cumbersome but it was really a lot of fun.

They started you off one person at a time in 10 second intervals. Which  made it nice because it wasn’t that crush of people like open water starts. Also with swimmers more spread out, it was easier to pass. And there were not a lot of bunch ups like in the open swims. Just the end it got a little crowded where you got out of the water.

Overall it was a great triathlon, and I plan on doing the whole thing myself next year if they can find a swimmer since my partners also want to do it again next year. If you ever have a chance to do the swim in a pool, I highly recommend it.

Ever wonder how many calories your last workout burned? Do you know how many calories you just at in your last meal?

These are two key questions in living a fit lifestyle and finding the way to a healthier you and knowing the answers to these questions can not only help you see where you need to improve but can motivate you lose weight and keep up on your workout program.

Seeing is Believing

When we don’t have a clear view of what is happening around us or what the results of our actions are, we tend to lose interest or at least not work as hard as we could.

The same is true with our workouts. We need to keep telling our brains why we are putting ourselves through these difficult moments to make us want to carry on.

The best way to keep track of our workouts and feed our brains need for the knowledge of what good this is doing is by journaling. There are many types of journaling but the basics of any good fitness journal will include exercise done and the amount of time spent doing the exercise. Also the journal should include everything you have eaten and corresponding calorie intake.

See What You Eat

For most people, the simple act of writing down everything they eat in a given week can be a real eye opener. Suddenly all the little snacks that we thought we could just have one of (that one candy bar or pack of cookies) suddenly add up and every trip to the vending machine is staring us in the face.

By writing down what we eat every day, we can start to see patterns in our eating habits and may be able to pinpoint when bad eating habits crop up. May be every day in mid afternoon there is a trip to the vending machine. Or each morning that scone from the coffee shop is staring us in the face.

In both cases and others like them, the real reason behind the snack is not hunger but rather boredom or a need for a distraction. If you know those moments are coming, you can plan ahead. Bring some fruit with you or go for a walk at those times when you were snacking. Just changing your venue can help fight off those unneeded cravings.

Pride Written in Pen

One reason to keep track of the exercises you have done is so you can take pride in the things you have accomplished which will increase the likelihood that you will keep up with your exercise routine.

When we see how we have improved (running longer distances, running faster times, lifting more weight) it motivates our brain to try to do better. We naturally as human beings have a drive to push ourselves but our brains need clear objectives and data to keep pushing us forward.

Try journaling for a while and see how it improves your awareness of how your exercise plan is working for you. If you don’t have time to write down each of these things, there are many websites that can help you keep track of things.

My favorite is mapmyfitness.com. It has a great program for keeping training logs. It also has a route creating feature which can help you build different running and biking courses in your neighborhood. Best of all it is free. And we all can enjoy that.

Emotions can be very powerful influences in our lives every day. Depending on how happy, sad, down, anxious, hopeful or fearful we are, we can act very differently.

Sometimes it is important to show and express our emotions while other times we should control the way we feel. Most of us though have a hard time knowing exactly when to show our inner thoughts and when it is best to tuck them away.

Using Emotion in Exercise

The best way to control emotion is by exercising. When we exercise, our body releases chemicals that make us feel good. So when we are stressed or depressed getting out and moving our bodies is a great way to shake off th

ose blah feelings.

Exercising also enhances the good mood we may be in to begin with. When we are feeling good about ourselves, we have a tendency to push the limits of our bodies more and see how far we can go. Going that extra mile or lifting that heavier weight in turn gives us a sense of accomplishment, which boosts our good spirits.

Everyday Emotions

When our emotional centers are revved up (either very happy, very sad, very angry, etc.) we can sometimes do or say things we do not mean. It is important to feel when you are emotionally out of whack so you can take time to return yourself to a more centered state.

Are you really mad at your coworker for using the copier for 15 minutes or is it more the stress of the project that you needed the copier for? Are your kids really the ones bugging you or is it that you just need to take some quiet time to relax or transition from work?

When we feel like our emotions are running our lives and make us do things we will later regret, take a minute. I know that we feel like we need to get stuff done now. That project needs to be finished. The kids need a snack or their shoes tied. But in the long run, taking 5 minutes to ourselves will better serve us than immediately finishing a menial task.

I think your coworkers, spouse, children, friends and acquaintances would much rather see the real you than the one stressed out by an emotional roller coaster.

There are two theories when it comes to a fitness program when it contains both cardio and weight lifting. The first theory is doing your cardio work helps your muscles warm up, loosening them for the weight work out to come. The second is lift first to get your body into fat burning mode and then knock out the fat with your cardio workout afterward. For me I say the second theory holds the most water so hit the weights before you hit the trail.

Stretch Before Using Weights

I think it is a real waste to use your cardio workout as a way to warm up for your weight routine. Especially when just simple stretching will do the job. Ten minutes of stretching is all you need to get ready for your weight training, while more than 20 minutes of cardio is needed to begin burning body fat.

Get Fat on the Run

While you can take care of warming up with a few minutes of stretching, the real reason to go with weights first is that you will simply burn more fat that way. When you lift weights, your body begins to release fat cells to provide energy for the strenuous activity. These cells are released into the blood stream and will return to their normal state after your workout is complete.

But by adding 20-30 minutes of cardio to the end of your workout, you can burn these “loose” fat cells much easier than you could if they were in their original state. Once these fat cells are on the move, it is easier for your body to burn them as you switch gears into the cardio workout.

I Don’t Like to Lift A Lot of Weight

There may be many of you who are saying “I don’t really like to lift weights” or “I don’t lift a lot of weight because I don’t want to bulk up.” This is usually the case for a lot of endurance athletes and women who don’t want to have bulky bodies. The great news is that you don’t have to lift a lot of weight to feel the effects, nor does your workout need to be particularly overbearing.

For those of you who don’t want to bulk up or worry about carrying around unneeded muscle weight, doing a circuit workout before your cardio can be a great way to get in that weight routine. By using the circuit set with smaller weights, you can start your body releasing those fat cells and also begin raising your heart rate.

For more on circuits check out this article I wrote at http://weight-lifting.suite101.comarticle.cfm/speed_up_your_workout_with_circuits

A friend of mine recently asked me how much training does she need to do to get ready for a triathlon. She specifically was wondering if she should skip her Yoga or core training classes to work on her triathlon disciplines.

This is a question most new comers have about triathlons. “Should I drop what I am doing to start training for triathlons?” The answer is a no with a but.

Here is part of what I told her and I think for you other newbies to the sport, it could be helpful too:

Monday and Thursday I swim, Tuesday run, Wednesday bike, and then Saturday and Sunday are reserved for bricks and longer runs. Bricks are doing two disciplines back to back, ie bike then run. Bricks are very important so I would make sure you don’t miss any of those so your body can acclimate to switching gears. But that being said, and especially early on, if you miss a day, are a little burned out, or would rather go to Yoga class, it is okay to miss some of your workouts. I would try to swim as much as possible and make sure you do two of them (at least) every week. Swimming is the shortest but probably the most difficult portion of the event. You want to have your stroke down and be confident so that when you get out there and the mayhem starts (100-200 people kicking and churning up water in a small area) you can keep yourself calm and not have to think about your stroke.

As the race gets closer, say 3 to 4 weeks, then I would make sure that you follow your triathlon training plan religiously. At that point, you need to make that a priority so you can be best prepared for the race.

The number one excuse for people not exercising is that they just don’t have time. By scheduling a workout into your daily routine, you have a greater chance of sticking with a workout and achieving a healthier you.

Making Health Living a Priority

The first step you need to take to make exercise part of your routine is make it a priority. You need to make a promise to yourself that exercising is something you want to do and need to do to get healthier and feel better. Exercise is just as important as any other obligation you have on your schedule and view missing a workout the same as you would missing an appointment.

To help make exercise a priority, look at the areas of your life that usually drain your time and can cause you to miss workouts: work, family obligations, and social life. Talk with the different people in these groups and let them know that exercise is a priority to you.

That doesn’t mean go up to your boss and tell him that you are going to start exercising now. You will probably get a blank and bewildered stare in return. But find out what breaks you are allowed. Can you leave the building? Does the company offer any fitness incentives?

At home, if you have a family, tell your loved ones that you want to make exercise a priority so that you can be with them longer and keep enjoying the level of activity you currently spend with them. Ask them to help participate in your new fitness goals, either by giving you the time to exercise or even by joining you when you exercise. Nothing is more motivating than working out with another person.

As for social life, volunteering, networking or just spending time with friends can feel like a great escape and are certainly important. But remember that you need to balance your free time to include exercise. Some of those hours watching movies with your buddies could be spent at the gym. Take cue from the family situation above and invite your friends to work out or train with you.

Finding Hidden Time to Exercise

The best way to stick to an exercise program is to schedule your workout during what I like to call the hidden time in your schedule. Hidden time is the hours and minutes that we spend doing mundane or unneeded tasks just to waste time.

For example, a company I used to work for forced each employee to take an hour lunch. I lived a half an hour away so commuting home was not an option. At first I spent the hour surfing the web or doing crossword puzzles. I was also having difficulty sticking to a workout plan because by the time I would get home at night I was exhausted.

One day I thought if only I had the energy I had during lunch at night. Then it hit me, I could use that hour to workout. By knowing that I had to take that hour no matter what, I was able to convince myself that working out was the best option. Rather than being bored, sitting at my desk, I could do something exciting and where I could see results.

The key is finding those minutes and hour in your day. Do you have 45 minutes between when you get home from work and when you start supper? Does the work day end and then you have to sit at the school for 30 minutes while Timmy finishes his trombone lessen? Do you wake up in the morning only to find you have a half an hour before you have to get ready for work? Where ever they are, find those minutes.

Healthy Living on Your Schedule

One last thing to remember when you are scheduling your workout into your daily routine is to know yourself. One of the biggest mistakes people make is scheduling exercise that doesn’t suit their lifestyle.

If you are not a morning person, deciding to go for 5 a.m. runs is not going to work and you will find that after a while, you will start choosing the bed over the pavement. In contrast, if you get tired at night, 9 p.m. sessions at the 24-hour gym will be tough to stick to.

Find times when you have energy. For most people lunch or mid afternoon are a good times to get in a workout. But find what fits best for your lifestyle and try a few different times out. You may be surprised by what you find out about yourself.

Spirituality is one of the top factors that can aid you in weight loss and healthy living but few people openly practice it because they misunderstand what spirituality is.

Spirituality versus Religion

The most common mistake people make is that they associate spirituality with religion. Spirituality has nothing to do with religion. Religion is a man made institution designed to teach people a certain way of thinking and believing. What confuses most people is that spirituality is usually a goal of religious thought.

So what is spirituality? Simply put spirituality is the belief in something higher than yourself. That something can be an ideal, a relationship or even something mystic. You can believe in the community of mankind and work to make the world a better place just because we are all living here together. You can believe in the power of love or nature. Or like the major religions in the world, the power of a Supereme Being.

What you will find in the end is that all of these paths lead you to one main goal: be kind to your fellow man and help each other out when you can.

Spirituality, Weight Loss and Healthy Living

I could go into the studies and the data that show that believing in a power higher than ourselves can lead you to weight loss, lower blood pressure, lower cholestrol and a generally healthier way of life, but numbers and graphs are not why you are here.

How spirituality leads you to a healthier lifestyle is by lowering your stress levels and giving you an overall more positive aspect of life. When you believe that there is something greater out there, some higher purpose, suddenly the little problems in your life take less of a toll. Does it really matter that someone in your office went and talked behind your back in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. Or that driver that cut you off, is it worth the road rage when you think about how we are all just trying to make it in this world and that you are probably no different than that other person.

Spirituality also gives your life a greater purpose than just waking up, making as much money as you can, coming home and falling into your bed only to repeat the process the next day. By embracing your spirituality you learn that money is not the end goal of life. It sounds cliche but you can’t take it with you. What you will be remember for is the things you did in the world, not the amount of money you collected? Every knows Carnegie Hall but not many people can tell you how much Andrew Carnegie was worth when he was alive. His gifts to this world are what are remembered.

How to Embrace Spirituality

There are many ways to embrace your spirituality and you do not have to pick just one. Spirituality is like anything else in your life, it is unique to you. The first step to take to become a spiritual person is to determine what your spirit is calling out to do.

The best way to get in touch with the spiritual you is to meditate. And I don’t mean climb some mountain and sit with your legs twisted and find the true meaning of life. Meditation is simply deep thought. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for 15 – 20 minutes and sit and think. You can pray, recite a mantra or just sit with your eyes closed and listen. The key is to listen to your spirit or inner energy. Find time to do this two to three times a week to start determining your beliefs.

Another great way to get in touch with your spirituality is to volunteer in your communities. Working in a soup kitchen, visiting the elderly are great ways to help your fellow man while raising your spirits. Studies have shown those who volunteer their time have better self esteem, lower stress, both of which result in weight loss.

If you have a family, don’t shy away from volunteering, helping pick up litter in county or state parks, volunteering to clean at a senior center or public venue are great ways to show kids the importance of giving back to the community. It also will help you grow together as a family and give everyone around a growing sense of satisfaction.

Signing up and competing in a triathlon may sound like a daunting task but it may be a great way to jump start you on your path to healthy living.

What are Triathlons?

Triathlons are endurance events that combine swimming, biking and running into one competition. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Triathlons are genuinely run in four distances: Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman and Ironman. Unless you are a hardcore athlete or an experienced runner, most people start with Sprint Triathlons.

The Sprint Triathlon generally consists of a 250 meter swim, 15 miles bike ride and a 3.1 mile run. An Olympic is generally twice as long as that. The Half Ironman and Ironman are races we will deal with a different time.

Why Should You Try a Tri?

Triathlons are a great way to break into establishing a healthy living lifestyle because not only are they great for cardio fitness, but because they involve three discplines, boredom with your workout is not an issue.

For most people when they start a workout routine, they may begin walking or jogging around their block. But what they don’t do is vary their workouts and their routes thus leading them to boredom and eventually abandonment of their healthy living lifestyle.

With triathlons, generally the participant training will train six days a week. While that seems like a lot of commitment because you are doing a different exercise each night and the same exercise not more than two or three times a week. Variety is the spice of a healthy life.

Swim to Healthy Living

One of the best exercise anyone can do is to swim. Not only is it a great cardio workout, but unlike biking and running, swimming is does not put pressure on your knees and other leg joints.

If you are breaking into triathlons for the first time and have not swam competitively before, swimming is the area you want to focus on the most. You need to get your stroke and breathing technique down before you hit the open water. The more confident you can make yourself in the swim, the more smoothly your triathlon will go.

Healthy Living is as Easy as Riding a Bike

Whether you are a recreational biker or have not gotten on a bike since you earned your driver’s license, most likely the bike aspect of your triathlon training will quickly become your favorite. After spending time in the water, speeding along the road with the wind in your hair will be a welcome sign.

The bike is also the only portion of the race where you can rely on your equipment. And the right bike can make all the difference. If you are just trying a triathlon for the first time and don’t know if you will keep doing them, borrowing a bike may be the way to go. Buying a bike is a better option. Do not just hop on your touring bike that you have sitting in your garage. Make sure you have a light weight road bike. It will make your race much more enjoyable.

And even if you don’t like the whole aspect of the triathlon, you may want to continue biking as a great way to start getting fit. Also if you don’t like the swimming aspect of triathlons, races called duathlons have participants run, bike and run as its race.

Run for to Acheive Healthy Living

Running is the top exercise for burning calories and reducing your waistline. Having the run at the end of the triathlon, it also is probably the most important part of the race.

Swimming and biking will help you take big strides toward improving your cardiovascular endurance, but running will a big part of your training. If running is not your strong suit and something you are not looking forward to, be sure to make it easy on your self to get into.

The first step is to get a good pair of running shoes to reduce blisters and fatigue on feet and joints. The next step is to ease yourself into it. If you can only run around the block the first time you go out, so be it. Go further the next time and even further the next time. In a while, you will be up to the three miles the race requires.

Give It a Tri

Bad puns aside, if you are going to try triathlons, sign up for one as soon as possible, preferrably six weeks out for training purposes. Knowing you have already spent the money on the race can be a great motivating factor. Also check back with this blog for more triathlon tips and tips on how to acheive a healthy living lifestyle.