P2 Conditioning

Water

2009-08-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

I cannot stress enough how important it is to drink water. Not just to prevent dehydration and all the things that can lead to, but to actually LOSE WEIGHT!

Nice to see someone talking about the scientific research behind it:

http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/2009/08/cheap-easy-way-to-lose-weight.html

Thanks so much to Craig Ballantyne with Turbulence Training for that.

Time Magazine's ABSURD article

2009-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm still reeling from this weeks Time magazine article by John Cloud from August 9, 2009. "Why exercise won't make you thin". You can read it here.

I am so glad that there are so many other fitness professionals that have written and reviewed how WRONG, inaccurate and misrepresentative Mr. Cloud's article is.

I am still in shock. When I read the article, I was speechless and I couldn't do anything but laugh. I honestly thought it had to be a joke. You might eat more after being active or exercising, so if you want to lose weight, that isn't the way to do it? Seriously?

There appear to be a couple of reputable professionals quoted in it, and I would not be surprised to see interviews and/or information from them, their representatives or professional organizations in the near future "clarifying" what they meant and possibly explaining how the information they provided was somehow misinterpreted.

I am also questioning someone's judgement (and just plain common sense) for allowing an article like this to be published. Sure, there are a couple of scientific research articles referenced to support Mr Cloud's claim. Unfortunately there is also considerably more evidence to the contrary: Why exercise WILL make you thin. Not to mention the health benefits that come from regular activity/exercise that are far too numerous to mention (and honestly warrant considerable more emphasis than given in Mr Cloud's article).

The real harm in Mr Cloud's story does not come from those that are already active. Most of those people know and feel the benefits of their fitness daily. The real harm comes to those that have been told that they need to be thinking about making a change, losing some weight and becoming more fit, often times they have one or more of the following issues:

borderline for high blood pressure or just simply slightly elevated blood pressure
doctor has suggested getting more active to lose a little bit of weight to prevent some hereditary or weight related condition they are at risk for
slightly elevated cholesterol
higher than normal stress or tension headaches
problems sleeping

I see that Mr Cloud recognizes the health benefits and specifically refers to them in a couple of paragraphs, but someone that has just been told they need to be more active to lose a little weight, just read that article and thought "hey, new research, woohoo, exercise isn't going to help me lose weight at all (whew)!". I know I have heard it from at least one person this week.

Mr Cloud: People do not need helping finding excuses NOT to exercise or to be INACTIVE. There are many, many, many legitimate excuses not to exercise, to avoid activity, to sit in front of the tv or whatever it is that you would rather be doing, but the fact that you MIGHT eat more and not get thin, is DEFINITELY not one of them. Suggesting to anyone that exercise or increased activity levels won't help you lose weight is simply inaccurate, irresponsible and ignorant.

Here are just a few of the articles written that are considerably more accurate and representative of most scientific research and common sense.

Tom Venuto's review

Runner's World review
Runner's World also has a great link to the ACSM's (American College of Sports Medicine) updated position paper from 2009 titled "Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults here.

As expected, Runner's World (and ACSM) are both pro-cardio, so you can read more of the support for weight training and weight loss/health benefits here in another SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH based rebuttal, by Brad.

The LA Times recognized the absurdity of it here.

August 26, 2009
another blog brought to my attention by IDEA:
http://www.nickianderson.com/2009/08/09/time-article-missing-a-few-points/

IDEA's stance: http://www.ideafit.com/blog/idea-fitness-fusion-2008/a-time-out-for-time-magazine

The Summer Diet

2009-08-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

This comes from savy mom, I couldn't find the link to the online newsletter, so I've pasted it here. I've tried to include the links as well, but I may have missed some. Obviously I prefer original content, but I LOVE fresh fruits and veggies. I have actually had a few people ask me about my summer diet and I have to chuckle, there is no set diet, just at least once and sometimes twice a week trips to the market for fresh fruit and veggies. There are some fabulous ideas in here, although I don't think I would do the corn with sugar thing, I like corn with nothing on it, off the cob. MMMMmmmmm.

I'm missing my deep freeze right about now, as there are a ton of blackberries that have ripened around our place and I would love to freeze some to enjoy in the winter, but I have no room! I also LOVE the ideas in here, roasting tomatoes, mmmm.... now I'm getting hungry.

Mother Nature’s Best

August Fruits and Vegetables

Anyone who loves to eat should love the month of August because that’s when dear Mother Earth produces some of her best work.

You know we’re big fans of the watermelon, and it’s not just because every kid loves it. Watermelons are filled to the brim with the antioxidant lycopene, they’re rich in vitamins C, B1, B6 and A, and are an excellent hydrator (made from 92 percent water after all).Don’t get us started on peaches. They are juicy and perfect in a classic peach and mixed berry crisp. They’re also great on yogurt and ice cream but we like them grilled on the Q with pork or chicken.

Peaches are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium, and are a very good source of Vitamin C.

Those big fat tomatoes that you can only find this month are also filled with lycopene. We love them fresh but at the end of the month we round up a whole bunch and roast them up and store for the winter months, when we want to bring back a little bit of summer into our cooking. It’s not summer without a good dose of peaches and cream corn and we know a great way to cook it that will enhance the flavour (not leave it behind in that pot of boiling water).

Wild blueberries win the MVP award on this team of August goodness. They’re a good source of Vitamin C and dietary fiber and are one of the best performers in the anthocyanins league—beating out tomatoes with their high antioxidant index. We like to eat them by the handful but if you make up a batch of this blueberry sauce and serve over French toast, pancakes or ice cream you will be the savviest mom in town.

So stay as fresh as you can this month. It’s what Mother Earth intended.

Tested By
Minnow H., Toronto

Tips for working out and staying cool in the heat

2009-07-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have been in vacation mode and as soon as I can figure out how to easily transfer my text blogging I did in word onto blogger.com I'll have a bunch of new posts... I'm mostly having trouble with uploading pictures. So, in the meantime you get a new post.

Here in Vancouver we have had record setting temperatures all week. The temperature is barely dropping down below 30 degrees, even at night. According to the Vancouver Sun there have been 20 records broken for highest temperature around BC.

It is probably not a good time to start running or start training for that marathon you were thinking about doing... but it is NOT a good excuse to skip exercising.

Here are some things to think about:
If you enjoy exercising in the outdoors

Do it very early in the morning (before 11am).
Or late at night, after the sun's gone down (after 8pm).
Water is something that will help keep you cool, so swimming and water sports are good choices, especially if doing it before 11am or after 8pm).
Hydrate! Drink water and fluids often. Don't gulp down glass after glass of water, keep a water bottle handy and take sips from it every 10 minutes (more/less depending on the intensity of activity).
Cover up. Wear a hat if you can. Quick-dry fabrics that are spf rated are the safest to keep you cool and protect you from the damage causing rays.
Don't forget to use lots of water/sweat proof sunscreen (I LOVE Kinesys for kids, it sprays on and stays on, it's not sticky and greasy and it's the same as the regular, but unscented AND it's rated highly by EWG - www.EWG.org/sunscreen/).

www.kinesys.com
I get it from Costco, in a 2 pack for under $20.

If you don't mind indoor workouts:

Private clubs almost always have air conditioning in the weight room and aerobics/exercise studios. Maybe now is a good time to check one out and keep cool.
A lot of local recreation centres have reasonable drop-in fees or classes. Some of them also have air conditioning, another great way to stay cool. If there's a pool, you can often finish your workout with a dip and cool off even more.
If there is no air conditioning (or you prefer not to work out in air conditioning), make sure you are working in a well ventilated room, with a fan or two.
Monitor your heart rate: It is not uncommon for your heart rate to increase more quickly and to higher rates than it would normally under extra hot conditions. Try to keep it within safe limits for your age [(220-age) * .85] for your exercise max. For those of you that are going to ask, I use polar heart rate monitors, but there are so many out there. www.polarca.com has more info on the polar products. I usually pick them up on sale at Sears Days.
Hydrate: make sure you are sipping regularly from your water bottle, every 5-10 minutes (more/less depending on the intensity of your workout).
Allow yourself extra cool-down time (your resting heart rate may be a little higher with the heat - it can increase 10 bpm with the kind of temperature increase we have been experiencing here).

NOTE: If you suffer from any respiratory ailments REDUCE or AVOID outdoor activity if you can. Take it as a recovery week or find an activity that you can do indoors to replace what you would normally be doing outside.

Some local links:
Miss604's blog about Vancouver outdoor pools:
http://www.miss604.com/2008/05/vancouver-outdoor-pool-guide.html

Burnaby's outdoor pools:
http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/cityhall/departments/departments_parks/rcrtn/prksrc_fclts/Pools/Outdoor_Pools.html

I don't know of anything outdoor on the North Shore, aside from the Winter Club, so feel free to comment and let me know if there is!

Enjoy the sunshine, I'm sure the rain is not far away...

Protein!

2009-06-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been spending way too much time on Twitter, just trying to figure it out. Although I have found some pretty amazing resources on there, I just have to figure out how to keep track of it all and keep up with it. It moves at a crazy pace!

I have stumbloed upon Craig Ballantyne's information a few times and have always found it interesting, so I've started following some of his stuff. He's got some great information!

I'm posting a link to this article:
http://www.ttfatloss.com/nutrition/diet-reconstruction-shocking-protein-update/

Protein talk is one of the most common conversations I have with clients, people in the gym and athletes. So, let me be clear YOU DO NOT NEED A LOT OF PROTEIN in your diet to gain muscle. I particularly like this: 0.8 grams per KILOGRAM, which is 0.36 grams per POUND is all you need for muscle building (and possibly less) as stated by Dr. Phillips.

Body weight Protein need (DAILY)
125 pounds 45 grams
150 pounds 54 grams
175 pounds 63 grams
200 pounds 72 grams

So, what does this look like in a meal?
Most cuts of beef have about 7 grams of protein per ounce, so a 4 oz hamburger patty has about 28 grams of protein.

Some foods and their protein:
Chicken breast 30 grams
Tuna (6oz can) 40 grams
Egg 6 grams
Tofu (1/2 cup) 20 grams
Beans & lentils (1/2 cup cooked) 7-10 grams
Soy beans/Edamame (1/2 cup cooked) 14 grams
Peanut butter (2 tbsp) 8 grams
Almonds (1/4 cup) 8 grams
Flax seeds (1/4 cup) 8 grams

Vegetables and protein amounts:
100 grams each
Peas 7g
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower 3g
Cabbage, Fennel, gherkins, peppers, aubergine 1g
Spinach, tomatoes, mushroom, courgette, beetroot, yam 2g

High protein diets can lead to:
chronic kidney problems
lack of fiber
bone mineral loss
kidney stones
lack of energy
dehydration
bad breath

As you can tell, I am not a big fan of high protein diets. More than that, I find that a lot of athletes have been mis-informed about the amount of protein they need. Protein shakes and protein bars are everywhere. If you want to build muscle to have to have protein. Sure, but how much is too much? Most of the guys I talk to in the gym are taking in way too much.

Unfortunately I think that by the time people realize the damage they have done to themselves, it will be too late. The high-protein, low-carb diets are probably around to stay, people are getting results from them, but at what cost? At what point will people start to see the long-term problems that these diets can cause?

Kids and activity!

2009-05-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a post about how important physical activity is for our kids, but going through my "dashboard", which I occasionally find the time to do (and I'm so glad I did today). I found Sherri's post:

http://shapeupwithsherri.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-thing-we-can-do-for-our-kids.html

She sums it up and I LOVE IT!

Especially the stats (from Sherri's blog):
These days kids hardly get any activity. Most schoolwork involves sedentary activity and with television and video games as after-school pastimes, the temptation to sink into couch potato-land becomes pretty overwhelming for our kids. Check out these startling stats:

Children today are approximately 40% less active than they were 30 years ago
20% of children and teens are overweight enough to threaten their future health
One report states that the number of overweight children ages 6-11 has increased by 50% in the last 15 years and by 40% in those ages 12-17. Lack of exercise is considered a major contributing factor
40% of children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease and reduced fitness due to an inactive lifestyle
Children spend an average of 26 hours a week watching television and also spend 25-30 hours a week sitting behind a desk

and suggestions (also from Sherri's blog):

Here’s some goals you should strive for. The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for exercise and children are as follows:

Children should be involved in at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity like walking to school or cycling around the neighborhood, performing household chores or running errands.
Children should exercise three times a week for at least 20 minutes with activities that require moderate to vigorous levels of exertion, like brisk walking, stair-climbing, racquet sports, jogging, dance, swimming laps, skating, cross-country skiing or cycling.
For most children, it’s fine to do 15-20 minutes of resistance or strength training sessions twice a week using higher repetitions (25 reps) and lower resistance as long as there’s proper instruction and supervision.
Children should stretch on alternative days for 60 seconds each stretch.
Vary the activities to work different parts of the body.
Involve children in deciding what to do.

Thanks so much Sherri for doing such a fabulous post!

I know that there are so many things out there that we need to find a "cure" for... but how great would it be, if we could prevent them to start with?

If you could prevent type II Diabetes in your child, would you?
If you knew that you could prevent heart disease or hypertension in your child, would you?

Healthy lifestyle choices early on in life become healthy habits that will eliminate the need to worry about these diseases at the early ages we are these days.

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well I'm on the topic of recipes... for Cinco de Mayo I decided to make a recipe from www.eatingwell.com. I still modify these recipes, but not as much.

It's a casserole, and it was delicious. We will probably have it again soon, we all really liked it (the munchkin included).

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced (original recipe called for grated, but based on comments, I decided to try it sliced)
1 19 oz can of black beans, rinsed (I replaced this with 1 cup of dry kidney beans, soaked for a day, and then cooked, we don't eat canned foods much and I have had a really tough time finding dry black beans)
1.5 cups corn (frozen or fresh)
1 tsp cumin
12 corn tortillas, quartered (I only ended up using 8)
1 19 oz can of enchilada sauce (I didn't have any, so looked up a recipe for making my own)
1.25 c shredded cheddar cheese

Coat 9x13 pan with cooking spray (I use extra virgin olive oil).
Heat nonstick skillet on med-high heat
Cook onion until it starts browning (I added in the zucchini here, so it was sauteed).
Stire in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin. Cook until the beggies are heated through (the recipe suggests 3 minutes, I did closer to 7-10 mins).
Scatter 1/2 the tortillas in the pan.
Top with 1/2 the veggie mix, 1/2 enchilada sauce, 1/2 cheese.
Repeat with 1 more layer.
Cover with tin foil.

I did all this in the morning and put it in the fridge (I had to work that afternoon) and I left instructions for dinner:

Preheat over to 400F.
Bake 15 minutes, remove tin foil, bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove from oven and let it sit for 15 minutes (this seemed to be the consensus for making sure it isn't soggy and it worked for us!). I would highly recommend it. Delicious and healthy.

Some other ideas:
saute some peppers with the zucchini and onions.

EASY 5 INGREDIENT ENCHILADA SAUCE from Ehow.com (with modifications)

2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
dash of hot sauce

Mix together and voila, enchilada sauce! I don't know what enchilada sauce tastes like, so this may not compare... you can make it as spicy as you wish. This recipe is for red enchilada sauce, of course you can use green if you like, it's just not quite so simple to make. Good luck!

Make your own healthy granola bars

2009-05-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been pulling up recipes and taking what I like and removing what I don't, so that my recipes become a combination of recipes. I am thinking that I probably should not recommend that, as I end up with some weird stuff, and if it turns out I am not usually sure exactly how I did it or if I can do it again. I was on a quest to make granola bars without nuts in them, so I could give them to my almost 2 year old son. I seem to be making these every 2 weeks or so, and am getting the hang of it, so I can recommend it confidently now.

It is mostly based on the "(Super Healthy) Chewy Granola Bars Recipe #157808" from www.recipezaar.com with a few changes...

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ (I ran out the second time I made this, so left it out and they still worked)
2+ tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup bran (this isn't in the original recipe, I just tried it the last time and it was good)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup honey (I use creamed honey, microwaved for 20 seconds to soften a little)
2+ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

up to 2.5 cups of extras:
unsweetened shredded coconut
chopped dates (I had these the first 2 times but then ran out and haven't been able to find them chopped since, have you ever tried to chop dates?! what a pain... I'll keep looking, they were yummy)
dried cranberries (craisins)
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
nuts (if you want, but chop them up, try them toasted)
raisins
any dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Toast oats for 5 mins in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cool.
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients (including oats) and whisk together until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until well blended.
Add dry mixture to wet mixture and blend gently until well moistened. Add the extras in now. It should be moist, but not too wet. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add a little more applesauce (by the spoonful). I have yet to find that it's too wet and I've added a ton of extra's to it, including the bran.
Line a 10x15" pan with parchment paper and press it into pan. They recommended a 9x13" pan, but I found the granola bars were way too thick, so I use a bigger pan and cut them the same size.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cut into bars while warm, but let cool completely before removing from pan.

The bars are quite rich, I cut them into small pieces, so it makes about 30 bars at my house. When I put all the ingredients into the recipe calculator (I LOVE this tool http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp) Here's what I got per bar (for 30 bars):

Calories 126.2
Total fat 4.8g
Saturated Fat 0.9g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1g

Cholesterol 0
Sodium 8mg
Potassium 139.3mg
Total Carbohydrate 23.3g
Dietary Fiber 3.1g
Sugars 7.5g
Protein 2.8g

As I said, I have been making these every couple of weeks and I put them in an airtight container, stored in the fridge. You could probably freeze them too, I have not had an opportunity, they go quickly.

Improve your quality of life!

2009-04-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

More and more clients are coming to me because their doctor's have told them that they "have to" workout, or they have recently had some sort of a diagnosis (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pending joint replacement) explaining the pain or discomfort that they may have been in for quite an extended period of time.

Almost every single client I work with wishes that they had recognized that they could have prevented the amount of pain and discomfort and decrease in their quality of life if they had introduced fitness into their lifestyle long ago.

People don't want to take medication, yet more and more people are coming to me at younger and younger ages, advised by their doctor because they are on multiple medications for controlling their cholesterol and blood pressure. Both of these "conditions" can be controlled with regular exercise!

In almost all of my clients, with regular exercise and careful monitoring with their doctor, they have been able to reduce the amount of a medication and/or the number of medications they have been taking. In a few cases their cholesterol and/or blood pressure has been controlled to the point that they no longer need to take any medication at all! I would not recommend that anyone do this on their own, without consulting their physician first. My clients have ALWAYS been seeing their prescribing physician regularly for monitoring whenever there has been any adjustment to their medications.

Time is the biggest hurdle I have to overcome. For myself and my clients. We don't have time to workout. One of my favourite quotes:

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. - Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby (1826-93), British statesman. The Conduct of Life, address at Liverpool College, 20 Dec 1873.

I love the internet, I had no idea that quote was from 1873! Mr Stanley must have been quite a pioneer, as I am sure he had no idea the state that the world and our children would be in 136 years later.

So, as reported in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21real.html
Basically Kelley and Kelley did a "meta-analysis" of data from other papers. Good idea, but it would be great to see more RECENT studies show how beneficial resistance training is for PREVENTING cardiac events.

There are a few studies that introduced resistance training to those that are POST cardiac event:

Haslam DRS, McCartney N, McKelvie RR. Direct measurements of arterial blood pressure during formal weightlifting in cardic patients. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. 8(6):213-225, 1988.

Stewart, Kerry J. EdD; McFarland, Linda D. MS; Weinhofer, John J. MS; Cottrell, Ernie MS; Brown, Carol S. RN; Shapiro, Edward P. MD. Safety and Efficacy of Weight Training Soon After Acute Myocardial Infarction. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. 18 (1):37-44, 1998.

These were big ones for getting resistance training included in the post-cardiac rehabilitation programs and you'll notice, they are about 10 years old. I have not seen any exciting new studies lately, but I'll keep looking and post the info here.

Then we have the studies that show how beneficial resitance training is for Diabetes patients:
Dunstan DW; Daly RM; Owen N; Jolley D; De Courten M; Shaw J; Zimmet P. High-intensity resistance training improves glycemic control in older patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2002 Oct;25(10):1729-36.

There are far too many studies to post here how beneficial resistance training is for bone health. The most important being prevention of osteoporosis. Generally speaking resistance training can aid in REVERSING the degradation of bone that happens as we age and become less active.

I find that resistance training is by far the most effective way to ensure that you are able to function in your day-to-day tasks most efficiently (LESS energy required) and MOST IMPORTANTLY preventing injury. It always shocks me when I hear the most recent stats on back injuries (anyone know the most recent?), last I heard it was 4 out of every 5 people will experience some sort of back injury in their lifetime. The key here, is that most could have been PREVENTED with regular exercise.

More interesting information, as reported in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21real.html

Basically Kelley and Kelley did a "meta-analysis" of data from other papers. Good idea, but it would be great to see more RECENT studies show how beneficial resistance training is for PREVENTING cardiac events.

I am probably "preaching to the choir" here. I would love some ideas and suggestions from other fitness professionals, fitness enthusiasts or even anti-fitness enthusiasts on what we can do to encourage more people to get active!

Preventing Running Injuries

2009-04-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

So, those of you that have been running on a treadmill since last year are now looking to run outside or perhaps you are looking to ramp up your training? Maybe those of you that did not do the Sun Run here in Vancouver 2 days ago, or those of you that did and are now paying the price.

There are not many runners out there that have not experienced an injury or two, there are numerous sites out there on how to prevent them, but most runners I know do not look at this information until it is too late! Statistics vary, but consistently they are 70%+ of all runner's will experience an overuse or training injury at some point in their training. So, here's a quick review:

Always warm up. Take it slow and easy for the first 5-10 minutes of your "workout". Make sure you are not going all out right out of the gate.

Stretching. There is a ton of information out there about stretching. Do you do it before your workout? Do you do it after your warm up? Do you do it after your workout? What is the most effective? I could write articles and blog entries daily just on stretching! Everyone is different, you need to figure out what works best for you. I do something different with each of my clients based on what we have found works best for them. There is a ton of research out there that is mixed as far as the benefits and details of stretching go. A couple of key points though:

Stretching does not work when your body is cold.
Stretching is a great way to increase flexibility.
Stretching prior to a run has not been shown to have significant benefit.
Stretching regularly can reduce incidence of injury.

If I have a new client and we are doing a walk/run program, I always save the stretching for after our "cool down" and it is light, easy and gentle. I save the serious stretching for another session or yoga/pilates class.

SLOW and gradual change. This goes for a number of things. If you are changing your mileage, it is recommended that you change by no more than 10% per week (this is for recreational runners, if you are doing 100+ miles these don't necessarily apply). The same goes for changing your running surface. If you have been running inside on a cushy shock-absorbing treadmill for the past 3-6 months, be careful about switching to running on pavement for your entire training regime! Find a track, try out some of the trails (the snow is pretty much gone and you can safely run on them again) and do a little bit of road running each week. Another recommendation - give yourself an Easy Recovery Week once in a while.

Keep your shoes in good condition. Your shoes need a break, at least 24 hours to de-compress after a run. It is always a good idea (if you can afford it)to have 2 pairs of shoes - one for running and one for other activities. Or even better, 2 for running on those days you run twice or when you run two days in a row. Shoes need to be replaced when the sole is wearing unevenly, it's compressed or distorted. Too many people wear their shoes for too long. If you are running regularly there are varying recommendations for replacing your shoes:

300-500 miles
daily runners can get 3-4 months out of their shoes.
even if you are not running regularly, most shoes do not last much longer than 6 months.
Here's a great article for those of you that are into doing calculations and keeping track: http://www.therunnersguide.com/howlongrunningshoeslast/

Cross training. When your body is still feeling the last run, you are fatigued and you still feel a need to do something, take a break and go for a pool running session. Try a fitness class, go to the gym and use an elliptical trainer, bike or rowing machine. Switch things up a little to give your joints (especially your feet) a break. The other option is to take a rest day. Insert Easy Recovery Week here!

Do not train through pain. Pain is your body's way of communicating with you - listen to it! If you are experiencing pain, visit a professional: Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Massage therapist, Athletic therapist, Doctor, Personal Trainer. Depending on the degree of pain that you are in, each of these professionals may be able to help you out. Discussing your concerns with a professional will shed some light on what could be going on and they are a valuable resource for who might be the best person to help you address it and get on the road to recovery and pain-free training!

These are just some of the things you should be thinking about as the weather changes and you start changing or ramping up your training.

This is not meant to replace the advice of your doctor or other qualified professional.

Feel free to contact me with any specific questions about injuries, injury prevention or training programs!

Happy running!

The nice weather is here!

2009-04-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

The sun was out today and the temperature was over 20 degrees Celisius. Yay and time to workout to get ready for shorts, tank tops, and bathings suits!

Some simple exercises to do at home when you have a few minutes (in no particular order):

chair dips and/or push ups (for flabby arms)
lunges (lifts glutes and tones legs)
planks (great for core and abdominals)
bridging (more glutes)
crunches (yeah, more abdominals)

There are numerous other exercises, but these are some of my favourites. Just add in a few during commercial breaks if you're watching tv!

Good luck!

Foam Rolling

2009-04-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking part in a foam roller workshop with some colleagues in North Vancouver yesterday. It was short and sweet, but packed full of some great information.

Most often, these workshops utilize knowledge that we already have, introducing a few new concepts, ideas and reviewing some current research. I especially enjoy hearing the questions and comments that come out during these presentations from everyone. Quite often that's where the most interesting information comes from.

So, why do I write about this in my blog? Well... I have foam rollers lying around my house and every single studio and gym that I work in. I occasionally use them to do some stretching myself and with my clients (mostly just something that raises up the leg for a hamstring stretch, or to lie along the spine for a chest/shoulder stretch). A few years ago I did entire classes on the foam roller, which were great, but as with all fitness "toys", it fell by the way-side. This workshop reminded me of what a great and inexpensive tool the foam roller is.

Just simply using the foam roller along muscles can help release tightness, it worked wonders for my calf and hamstrings.

I will put in some pictures and resources in the next couple of days. I hope...

High Intensity Interval Training

2009-04-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

I realize that I haven't been posting on here as often as I'd like. So, rather than waiting until I come up with a lengthy, somewhat researched post, I'm going to start posting more general info. There will still be lengthy researched posts showing up (I'm working on one on dieting with links to some popular diets), but hopefully I can post more often.

I realized that I have not been working out nearly as much as I would like. Although I have gotten my son into a somewhat regular schedule, mine is yet to be determined. I was fortunate enough to get in some fitness classes a couple of weekends ago (why do most aerobics instructors find such a need to bounce for their entire class?) but then, there was no time to fit it in this weekend (and the classes were cancelled due to a workshop going on). I haven't done classes in years, well before my son was born. It was nice not to have to think too much about what to do.

My usual "workout" involves tubing and a ball in my living room and Priscilla's Yoga (recorded on the dvr, cause it's on at 4am MWF). So, Yoga is not a whole lot of a workout, mostly stretching (and great 15 minute sections of it) and I'm getting tired of the bands and the ball on it's own. It doesn't get me out of the house and I don't feel the same kind of sense of accomplishment and quite honestly these days, I'm not working hard enough on it to feel like I'm going to meet any goals.

Monday I decided to head to the gym. By the time I got all the things done that I needed to, I was reduced to about 40 minutes of workout time. I like to do 30-40 minutes of cardio, so that wasn't going to work... what to do? I had to think about how I train my clients...

High intensity interval training it is! There is a ton of research out there that shows high intensity interval training 3-4 times a week will produce better gains than longer, less intense cardio sessions done 3-7 times a week. The best part is... It's QUICK!

Monday was a warm 20 degree day (23 degrees in my house and at the gym I was working at in the morning, hence the change in venue). So, being warmed up by walking to the gym, I only spent 2.5 minutes warming up on the Arc trainer (somewhat of an elliptical trainer). http://www.arctrainer.com/

I love the Arc trainer. It's a product by Cybex (hate their treadmills, but love their Arc trainer). The first one I was ever on, did not have moving handles and I really liked those, I thought the handles would be an improvement, but I find that they move ipsilaterally (your right arm goes forward the same time as your right leg) as opposed to contralaterally (opposites, the way that you run) and I find it feels strange, no matter how many times I've tried it (sometimes things feel weird at first because they're different and then you get used to it... not the case for me here).

Anyhow, I put the ramp up to 10 (it ranges 1-10), I find that gives me the greatest range of motion and simulates hiking. I think I put the level up to about 30 to start with (1-100). Of course, I just use the quick start program, so I don't have to program anything and fiddle with the buttons.

So, for the workout:
2.5 minutes warming up

30 seconds as fast as you can (I tend to count down the seconds and really push it for the last 10)
60-90 seconds recovering (slow and easy). This is where I ended up decreasing the level a little. I think I was down to level 20, by the last interval.
REPEAT (5-7 times)

COOL DOWN 3-5 minutes. Keep moving to slowly lower your heart rate.

I usually spend 10 minutes doing intervals... sometimes I have to lengthen the recovery a little to feel like I can go again.

You can watch your heart rate, but heart rate is interesting. I'm okay with elevating my heart rate higher than my age predicted training zones, I find those aren't that accurate for me (everyone is different, although I find most - not all of the clients I have trained are comfortable training at a higher HR than age-predicted maximums. Even using the Karvonen formula isn't as useful as the RPE scale. If I'm heart rate training, I will not watch how high it gets for the interval, but wait for it to drop below 155-150bpm before I start the next interval.

It was great to be able to get in a decent cardio session AND do some weights afterwards. I feel like I'm lacking a lot of cardio these days. I used to run, hike or snowshoe, moutain bike and swim in one day. Now I spend the day chasing Max around. He's fast, but I still don't necessarily get the aerobic workout I used to.

New class!

2009-03-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

The new class is ready to go! For the hip and knee replacement crew, a class in the weight room.

Starting April 7th at Confederation Centre. Tuesday and Thursday's 11:30-12:30 for the month. I'm not sure of the bar code or the cost off-hand, but I put a link to it on the website
www.amandanichol.com/p2conditioning/classes

The only downside is that it's already full. There is no time available to put in another one, so that's going to be it for the month of April. The 1:30 water class is also full, and I'm working on adding another one at 2:30.

I assume that the fact that the gym class is full means that it will go on... So there will be another set of classes in May.

Stay tuned for more information. I know it's been a long time since I last posted, and I am definitely planning on posting more often. I'm hoping to start a regular weekly post soon. I'll get there.

Some ideas for goal setting

2009-01-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

Specific goals can be easy or challenging... here's some suggestions for weekly (or daily) goals

drink 8 glasses of water a day, every day this week
get active for 30-90 minutes 4 times this week
check out the canada food guide:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/index-eng.php
eat more ____ servings of _______ (fruit, vegetables)
go 1 day without drinking poplimit myself to ___ cups/glass of _____ (coffee, tea, caffeinated beverage, beer, wine, spirits)
look into/get/use a gym membership
make an appointment with a personal trainer
make an appointment with a friend to go for a run/hike/walk
go for a massage (stress release is important for health and taking time for yourself is good for health!)
try a new (healthy!) recipe:
www.eatingwell.com
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Main.aspx
http://www.cookingnook.com/healthy-recipes.html
http://www.foodfit.com/
try a new piece of equipment at the gym
try a yoga class
go skiing
take the dog for a run
go for a walk while the kids are at ______ (school, practice, lesson)
turn off the tv for a night
invite friends over for a healthy home-made dinner (or make it a potluck and everyone bring their favourite healthy dish)
lose 0-2 pounds

This is just to start you off with some ideas. I would love to hear from YOU! What are some ideas you have? There is no right or wrong.

To good health and fitness in 2009,
Amanda

S.M.A.R.T. Goals in 2009!

2009-01-13T08:15:00.000-08:00

So, it's that time of year again. Did you set a goal to lose weight? gain weight? run a 10k? Become more organized? Stop smoking? Stop drinking?

Whatever your goal is... you will find it more easily attained if you stick to these guidelines.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time frame

So make your goal SPECIFIC, get active for 30 minutes a day (go for a walk, go to the gym, do a class, go for a hike, snowshoe), eat a salad once a day, eat fruit for breakfast.

Make your goal something that is MEASURABLE, so you can track your progress towards the goal. If your goal is to lose weight, how are you going to do that? (60 minutes of activity every other day? eating salad with dinner 5 nights a week? choosing fruit for dessert instead of sugary snacks).

ATTAINABLE and REALISTIC goals are important. If you have no chance of reaching your goals, how successful will you feel? Set goals that you actually have a chance of meeting. Think about your time and how much of it you have free and where you are going to fit in the activities that you need to in order to achieve your goal.

TIME frame - break down your bigger goals into smaller, shorter time periods and celebrate the little successes! It will help to keep you on track to your goal.

To good health & fitness in 2009,
Amanda