Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January 26, 2014

Challenge your core - runners and triathletes

Running is  a great stress reliever but it also puts a lot of stress on the body. Without a strong core, your gait is likely to be negatively affected. Cycling is a great non-weight bearing sport but sitting on a bike and pedaling doesn't translate to a strong core. If you love to swim,bike, run to be faster, you also have to train to be stronger. Get stronger before you go faster before you go longer. Every time you land your foot on the ground while running or when you take a pedal stroke, you are relying on your pelvis, abdominal muscles, hips and lower back to work properly as you move your body in a forward motion.  If you are currently training for an event and find yourself neglecting core/hip/glute strength work in your cardio training plan, it's time to carve out 10-20 minutes, a few times per week, to build a strong core.  Sure, training swimming, biking and running may make you a faster triathlete but putting in the miles won't not necessarily give y

Goodbye Jacksonville!

Growing up in Lexington, KY for 21 years and moving to Davie Florida in 2004, I never thought that I'd be where I am today. Actually, let's turn back the clock to 2006. I moved into my parents new home in New Port Richey, FL with negative money in my bank account and no job.....yet I did have an expensive new piece of paper letting me know I had a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology. From 2000-2006, I sacrificed a lot in life for my education and wrapped it all up in 2011 after finishing 3 time-consuming, costly, exhausting years to obtain my RD credential. Why did I do all of this? Well, I don't like short-cuts. I always wanted to have my dream job of owning my own business and I knew that I couldn't just wish for things to happen...especially when I wanted to do things the right way.  I made my dreams come true through hard work, dedication and commitment.  As a long-time student-athlete, the same traits that have helped me find personal success

Develop consistency in your workout routine

Health, body composition, sport, exercise, career, projects/events, etc.. If you can think back to any great success in your life, consistency was likely part of the equation when you celebrated reaching the goal you sought out to achieve. Whenever you are motivated to pursue a goal, one of the most important components is consistency. Life brings challenges and setbacks are evitable but if you have a goal in mind, you have to be willing to be as consistent as possible with the habits that will bring you closer to your short and long term goals. To keep you consistent, be sure that you are not aiming for perfection in all areas in your life. And because your health is always a top priority, never let your health take a backseat just because you are focused too heavily on your career, sports, etc. For if you don't take care of your body, it's hard to make anything happen that requires the use of your muscles and brain. I am a big fan of hard work and a no-excuses ap

Food for thought - brain health

    When it comes to "food talk" between you and your mind or you and your friends or you and your training partners as well as searching for food-related information on the internet (blogs, forums, etc.), I find that much of the search for the ideal diet is centered on calories and macronutrients, good food/bad food, instead of eating to reduce risk for disease and to maintain a healthy body composition. Specifically, in a body-image-focused society, there's a large attention focused on food for changing body composition with the added pressure to look like the bodies you see on TV/internet - models, athletes, reality stars, celebrities or "professionals" featured on TV.    Despite your knowledge of the importance of eating for health and providing your body with the essential vitamins and minerals found in a varied, balanced diet to support the immune system and reduce risk for disease later in life, it's difficult to escape this "body ima

Flapjacked protein pancakes

  A friend of mine at SMACK! Media  shared with me the website Flapjacked protein pancakes .   Here's a little about the product philosophy: Jennifer and David Bacon founded the company based on the premise that healthy meals should not only fuel our bodies but also taste great but fuel us with energy to get through our day. Our pancake mix is easy to prepare making it simple for the modern families busy and active lifestyles. FlapJacked is perfectly balanced to fuel your body and help control hunger. This delicious, protein-packed and fiber-rich pancake mix is made with only the highest quality ingredients such as whole grain oats, quinoa and coconut flour that provides our body with the essentials to stay healthy and feel great. We fortify with Whey Protein Isolate and naturally sweeten these delicious fluffy flapjacks with real fruit (no sugar added!). Loaded with antioxidants, potassium, fiber, calcium, magnesium and vitamins, FlapJacked Protein Pancakes are a complet

Build confidence, skip the excuses

" Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." - George Washington Carver     Saturday morning brick: 2:45 trainer ride 1 hour warm-up (including 20 min of 1 min single leg drills each leg, then both together, etc.) Main set:  3 x 15 min Z3 upper w/ 5 min EZ (cadence 90+ rpm) 10 min EZ 2 x 5 min Z4 low w/ 3 min EZ (cadence 90+rpm) Cool down   30 min (3.5 miles) treadmill 'brick' run 15 min warm-up (last 5 minutes picked up the pace a little) Rest/straddle treadmill for 1 minute Main set: 5 x 2 minutes (90 sec at half IM race pace, 30 sec at olympic distance race pace) w/ 1 min rest/straddle treadmill Cool down walk   Sunday long run (treadmill): 10.5 miles/1:25 Dynamic stretching warm-up 30 min warm-up (stretched out every 8-10 minutes) Main set 3x's: 5 min @ half marathon race pace (+20 sec slower) 5 x 1 min @ Olympic distance race pace w/ 20 sec rest in between