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Showing posts from February 15, 2015

Periodized strength training - say what?

source "One of the most important functions of muscles and tendons in running is to store energy. Like a pogo stick, your body can store energy from impact and then release it to propel your body forward. As such, a large portion of your propulsive energy actually comes from the energy stored in your legs from impact previously made with the ground. This is why you can leap higher and longer if you do a “countermovement” before jumping, like swiftly bending your knees, which allows you to reach much higher into the air than slowly bending your knees. While this “stretch-shortening cycle” has been known about for some time, standardized methods of training this reflex are fairly new. Improvements in your muscles’ ability to elastically store energy have obvious implications for runners, as more stored energy means you can maintain a given pace using less overall energy. In short, your efficiency would improve. Plyometrics are exercises that aim to develop strength

Strength training benefits - get stronger, get faster, go longer

When Karel and I were dating in 2006-2007, I remember the first time when I invited Karel to the gym with me to do my plyometric workout. As a cyclist, Karel didn't do much (if any) strength training as he didn't belong to a gym and didn't own any weights at home. All of Karel's training to get faster, stronger and more powerful was on the bike. Although I met Karel with a fresh "Master of Science in Exercise Physiology" degree, my love for strength training (and knowledge) started when I was around 12 years old, when I started competitive swimming. Our coach wasted no time, even at a young age, for us all to belong to Gold's Gym where we would all do our 30 minute strength workout before heading back to the pool for our two-hour swim  workout. In High School, I continued to strength train and perform various plyometric and band work before workouts and then through college, the plyometric and strength routines became more complex as I found mysel

Evaluate your "healthy" diet

picture source             Are you looking for an easy dietary switch that will quickly improve your health?                 Are you looking for an easy lifestyle change to boost your immune system?        Are you looking for a simple way to eat smarter in order to take your training to the next level?                              Look no further because the magic answer lies in real food.  This is the ingredient list for flavored oatmeal. Regardless if you are choosing low sugar for the "healthier" option or an instant flavored packet is more delicious and convenient, you can clearly see that there is more to oatmeal than oats in this package. Guar Gum, Artificial flavor, creaming agent, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, flavored and colored fruit pieces, corn syrup solids..... I realize that oats are very simple and plain but why does a company need to make oatmeal more entertaining when it is already so sustaining?  I encourage you to raise awaren

Stop making excuses - find a way to make it happen

Step inside our life and you will see that Karel and I are not the type of people who make excuses. Karel came to the U.S. with only a backpack and a dream. Karel's work ethic for everything he does is outstanding and he is not one for the easy way. I spent 10 (expensive) higher educational years in school, only to be equipped with the right knowledge to start my own small business. I have always been an entrepreneur as I strive off projects and ideas coming to life. But if you are your own boss, you better expect to work really hard if you want things to happen.  Our stories may not be unlike many of you reading this post right now. You got to where you are because of hard work and dedication. There are so many no-excuses type of people in this world and I'm sure you can agree, there is a lot of contagious energy to gain from those who have full commitment to whatever it is they are focused on in life. Are you one of them? So what does this mean - to have a no-e

Valentine's tradition - Brinner

Karel and I had been dating for 9 months when our first Valentine's day occurred in 2007. There were cards, flowers and chocolates shared between the two of us but when it came time for dinner, neither of us wanted to deal with the hassle of eating out on this hallmark holiday.  Although my cooking skills (and food passion) had yet to blossom, I still enjoyed real food....especially breakfast options.  So, the tradition started.  Every year since our first Valentine's day together, I have prepared breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, french toast, crepes...you name it, I've prepared it over the past 9 years.  This year I made the most delicious pancakes with two extra ingredients to the standard easy pancake recipe and took a different spin on my omelet presentation by cutting a standard omelet into triangles for my a quesadilla-look.  Even if I created two easy options for our Valentine's "brinner" they were both prepared with love and fini