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Showing posts from January 1, 2014

Pre and post sport nutrition - fuel smart, perform better

Let's be honest, if you enjoyed this video (and can relate), it's likely that you call yourself a triathlete, runner, cyclist or swimmer. Why? Because you love what you get to do and you enjoy the people who "get you." But in order to keep up this awesome voluntary active lifestyle that takes you to start and finish lines, you have to be sure to properly fuel your workouts so that you can function well in life.   Everything you do with your body requires energy. Did you know it takes energy to digest and process different macronutrients in your diet (thermogenesis). About 10% of your energy expenditure each day may be related to the Thermic Effect ... of Food (TEF). Protein has the greatest TEF and fat has the lowest TEF, whereas carbohydrates are in the middle. I recommend a small carbohydrate-rich snack before your workout to boost energy and to improves fat oxidation. The benefits of food consumption—particularly of carbs—far outweigh any perceived be

5 tips to boost fitness motivation

Weight loss and exercising more among the most common resolutions every New Year day. And surprisingly, statistics are not all that bad – about 60% of people who make a resolution will stay consistent for around 6 months! But since we all know that exercising comes with a host of mind/body benefits, it's important that exercise is part of your lifestyle. You don't have to run a 5K or do a triathlon to be healthy or even join a gym. You just have to move your body and do so daily (and often).  Product spotlight: Trigger point therapy Oakley Women Brooks Running Garmin Yurbuds Fage yogurt On Monday 1/6/14 I did a segment with WJXT4 The Local Station on "Tips to maintain exercise motivation in the New Year.   If you are interested, you can   WATCH HERE TIP: TRACK YOUR PROGRESS The best way to reach a fitness goal is to be consistent. We don’t want perfection, we want progress. It’s easy to sign up for a gym membership and then tell yourself th

Indoor bike trainer workout - ready, set, sweat!

Source I'm not one for excuses but even living in Florida, I have my "it's too cold" days to train outside. But, that doesn't keep me from sticking to my training plan.  All of my athletes, included myself and Karel, have specific workouts and zones when bike riding so that makes for instant motivation when it's time to train. There's no guessing as to what to do when we swim, bike, run, especially if we are forced indoors with only music/TV, a pounding heart, burning legs and a mind telling the body that it's time to stop (over and over).  After Karel and I created our 5-week transition plan  (which we also both followed to help us build a stronger foundation for the upcoming year - in other words, put up strong walls for the structure of the house before you start thinking about decorating the inside of the house) we decided that it would be helpful for other athletes and fitness enthusiasts to have effective indoor bike trainer work

Consistency + progress = success

It doesn't really matter what you call yourself..... athlete, fitness enthusiast or in need of improving overall health. When it comes to exercise, we all need to move our body on a daily basis and often.  But when it comes to using exercise to reach a racing goal, the most important part of any training or exercise routine is consistency.  It takes consistency to see progress. Because there's nothing more gratifying than sticking to a plan, the progress is an added benefit of having a well laid out plan and being able to stick to it.  As a coach, one of the biggest pitfalls I see with athletes who are training for a race is devoting more time and energy to training than is needed to experience performance gains, not knowing how to lay out a season of training and not pacing properly at races (sport nutrition/fueling is often a big confusion for athletes as well).  I also see this happening at the early part of a training plan. An athlete is excited and eve

2014 - Ready, set, GOALS!

According to John C. Norcross, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Scranton and author of Changelogy:  5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions, New Year’s resolutions are difficult to keep. Although 40% of resolutions are maintained until July, 60% of people are not successful. But, around this time of the year, it’s likely that you are one step (literally) ahead of most people in our society. Assuming you are reading this blog because you are an athlete or fitness enthusiasts, you likely focus on your health (in some way) on a daily basis.  With the typical New Year resolution dedicated to “health”, it’s exciting to know that your passion for health and fitness will continue to inspire and help those who are seeking a more healthy and balanced lifestyle. While an idea of a goal may seem doable in your head, it isn't until you break down the steps to reaching that goal that you may find yourself second-guessing yourself along the way. Ther