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Showing posts from May 3, 2020

Tips for safe and fun cycling

The current pandemic has led to drastic changes in the bike industry. Bike sales are booming. Suddenly, riding a bike has become a fun way to phsyically distance while enjoying the great outdoors. More so, for many people around the world, the bike is a convenient (and necessary), sustainable, cost-effective and reliable mode of transportation. While accidents on the bike do happen and some roads are just not safe for biking, your safety and enjoyment on the road can be improved with a few tips: Master your cycling skills - While you can improve your fitness on the trainer, a stationary bike trainer does not allow you to identify and master your cycling skills like you can when you are riding in the elements and on all types of terrain. Learn how to change your gears, sit on the bike properly, stand up and adjust your position, grab your bottle (for hydration), break quickly, maneuver your bike in tight spaces, react smartly, descend, corner, stop/start on any terrain and ride...

How body image affects mental health

In honor of mental health awareness month, it's important to discuss body image. Body image is how you think and feel about your body. I want to stress that body image issues affect men and women, athletes AND people of all ages – especially adults. Consistent exposure to “the perfect body image” can make you dislike your appearance, look, weight, size and shape. The message that “leaner is faster” or “thinner is better” or “strong is the new sexy” is everywhere, and especially for athletes, ongoing exposure to this “socially defined ideal body” message can increase body dissatisfaction, which can lead to dieting, disordered eating and may eventually cause an eating disorder. We also have a problem with weight stigma in our society, which is the discrimination or stereotyping based on a person’s weight. Additionally, if you constantly strive to meet very high expectations for yourself, you may find yourself in self-defeating cycle of dissatisfaction when failing to meet high exp...

30 workouts for open water and tethered swimming

Do you have access to open water but find yourself bored and exhausted with continuous swimming?Do you need a bit of workout inspiration for your new at-home pool set-up while your local pool is closed? To help you get more out of your swim training, I have 30 mentally-engaging swim workouts that are sure to help you build and maintain your swim fitness strength, endurance, skills and power. What’s included in the swim training plan?  15 stationary swim workouts (~30-45 minutes per workout) Requires the use of a tether/resistance band and some type of pool. Workouts are broken into 3 categories (5 workouts each): easy, moderate and hard based on intensity/volume. Workouts cater to all fitness levels. Sent via email as a document (PDF). To learn more about our experience buying an above ground pool and swimming with a tether, check out this blog post. 15 open water swim workouts (~45-60 minutes per workout) Requires the use of a body of water (max cont...