Obviously your diet is extremely important. In fact, I would say that it is more important than exercise itself. If you ate healthy foods 100% of the time (lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, veggies, and whole grains, in reasonable portions) and did not exercise, then I would be inclined to say that you'd be healthier than if you ate junk food most of the time and exercised moderately. "Inclined" is the key word here.
But let's face it: We like our sweets! Most Americans have a sweet tooth that can be tamed with a sampling of chocolate or a peanut butter cup or the occasional ice cream (put the three of these together and you have my ultimate weakness!) However, a lot of people give in far too often when it comes to the sweets and candy. My advice is this: Find a happy medium. Will you lose all of you progress in your fitness routine by stopping by the ice cream stand on your way home from work? Well, if it's a daily stop then yes, of course you will! But there is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging yourself once in awhile with a sweet reward for you hard work. If you can control your cravings and allow yourself to enjoy a cookie or two every now and then, then you're setting yourself up for long-term success. Don't beat yourself up if you find yourself eating a few too many jelly beans today. Enjoy them and come back strong again tomorrow!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Kids Are Alright
I was given a chance this spring to do something that I absolutely love: To coach track and field. Well, I don't yet know if I love to coach track and field because this is my first go around at it, but I absolutely love the sport itself. I ran cross-country and track back in the late 90's at Marancook Community School, and I can honestly say that I've missed both sports since graduating in 2000.
Now I'm not one of those people who clings to their high school glory days by telling stories from 12 years ago to anyone who has an open ear. No, I'm a guy who ran a 4:46 1600 meter (the mile, and a promising time for me at the time) as a junior in my last meet of the season at the Eastern Maine Championships in the spring of 1999, only to follow that performance up with a senior year that saw me contract mononucleosis early in the season. Coming down with mono early that year was a huge let down for me. I was coming off a solid cross-country season and indoor track season and was really amped up for a great finish to a memorable high school career. I had personal goals of running a sub-4:30 mile and to run a sub-1:50 800 meter (half mile). But all that changed when I wasn't even able to practice due to the dreaded kissing disease!
As I recovered throughout the season, I found that running the 1600 with any sort of effectiveness was not going to happen. I became winded and extremely tired during the last 2 laps. This led me to focusing on the 800 meter, a middle-distance event that is more like a long sprint. Needless to say, my high school running career, while once was filled with a lot of promise, came to a disheartening end. But the fire was still in my belly...
Fast forward 11 years. I was hired on the spot to help coach at the Gray/New Gloucester Middle School. I've been given a wonderful chance to leave an impression on a group of kids who are more or less just starting out in track and field. We've only had a couple weather-shortened weeks of practice, but it sure feels good to be back on the track. Although I won't be the one trying to run a personal best mile, I am going to do what I can to teach kids on how they can succeed in their events. Working exclusively with the runners (mostly the 800 and 1600 runners and some sprinters), I've come to realize just how much I've really missed track and field. I'm hoping to lay a foundation for the kids that they can build off of when they get to the high school level, and hopefully they can enjoy some of the successes that I enjoyed when I was their age.
But in the mean time, Go GNG Patriots! Yeah, that little burning fire that's been in my belly since the Spring of 2000 will never go away...
Now I'm not one of those people who clings to their high school glory days by telling stories from 12 years ago to anyone who has an open ear. No, I'm a guy who ran a 4:46 1600 meter (the mile, and a promising time for me at the time) as a junior in my last meet of the season at the Eastern Maine Championships in the spring of 1999, only to follow that performance up with a senior year that saw me contract mononucleosis early in the season. Coming down with mono early that year was a huge let down for me. I was coming off a solid cross-country season and indoor track season and was really amped up for a great finish to a memorable high school career. I had personal goals of running a sub-4:30 mile and to run a sub-1:50 800 meter (half mile). But all that changed when I wasn't even able to practice due to the dreaded kissing disease!
As I recovered throughout the season, I found that running the 1600 with any sort of effectiveness was not going to happen. I became winded and extremely tired during the last 2 laps. This led me to focusing on the 800 meter, a middle-distance event that is more like a long sprint. Needless to say, my high school running career, while once was filled with a lot of promise, came to a disheartening end. But the fire was still in my belly...
Fast forward 11 years. I was hired on the spot to help coach at the Gray/New Gloucester Middle School. I've been given a wonderful chance to leave an impression on a group of kids who are more or less just starting out in track and field. We've only had a couple weather-shortened weeks of practice, but it sure feels good to be back on the track. Although I won't be the one trying to run a personal best mile, I am going to do what I can to teach kids on how they can succeed in their events. Working exclusively with the runners (mostly the 800 and 1600 runners and some sprinters), I've come to realize just how much I've really missed track and field. I'm hoping to lay a foundation for the kids that they can build off of when they get to the high school level, and hopefully they can enjoy some of the successes that I enjoyed when I was their age.
But in the mean time, Go GNG Patriots! Yeah, that little burning fire that's been in my belly since the Spring of 2000 will never go away...
Saturday, April 9, 2011
"There's no crying in baseball"
Even though Tom Hanks' famous line came in 1992 from the movie A League Of Their Own, it could certainly be put to use here early on in the 2011 Major League season.
Not only does the start of the regular season mean that summer fun is right around the corner, it also means it's time for a lot of big-time-money-making ball players to find themselves in pain and on the disabled list. I don't follow baseball as closely as I do the NFL, but I've noticed a lot of injuries to players this year, specifically to "side" muscles throughout the league. Several well-known players such as Evan Longoria, Jason Bay, and Brian Matusz, among others, have found themselves watching from the dugout due to oblique or intercostal muscle strains.
Oblique muscles and intercostal muscles serve separate yet similar purposes (both assist with breathing while oblique muscles help rotate your torso). They can also be injured the same way. Both injuries are usually common in athletes who are required to rotate their torso quickly with a lot of force. Obviously baseball players, whether it be a pitcher or a batter, need to rotate their torso forcefully in order to throw the ball or swing the bat. However, these injuries can be avoided with proper conditioning and stretching, something I'm wondering if ballplayers are getting enough of.
How does this information relate to the everyday person? Well, with it being spring time you are probably out in your back yard doing some cleaning, right? Perhaps you are lifting something down from a shelf in your shed and putting it on the floor beside you. Or maybe you are throwing some brush up and into the back of a pickup truck. Or maybe you are checking to see if your lawn mower will start by pulling on that frayed old cord. Regardless of which of these or any other movement you might be doing, chances are you are breathing heavier and rotating your torso. The real key to preventing injury is to stretch...
Click here to see some stretches you can do for your obliques. There's no crying in baseball and there shouldn't be any crying (from injury) in your backyard projects!
Not only does the start of the regular season mean that summer fun is right around the corner, it also means it's time for a lot of big-time-money-making ball players to find themselves in pain and on the disabled list. I don't follow baseball as closely as I do the NFL, but I've noticed a lot of injuries to players this year, specifically to "side" muscles throughout the league. Several well-known players such as Evan Longoria, Jason Bay, and Brian Matusz, among others, have found themselves watching from the dugout due to oblique or intercostal muscle strains.
Oblique muscles and intercostal muscles serve separate yet similar purposes (both assist with breathing while oblique muscles help rotate your torso). They can also be injured the same way. Both injuries are usually common in athletes who are required to rotate their torso quickly with a lot of force. Obviously baseball players, whether it be a pitcher or a batter, need to rotate their torso forcefully in order to throw the ball or swing the bat. However, these injuries can be avoided with proper conditioning and stretching, something I'm wondering if ballplayers are getting enough of.
How does this information relate to the everyday person? Well, with it being spring time you are probably out in your back yard doing some cleaning, right? Perhaps you are lifting something down from a shelf in your shed and putting it on the floor beside you. Or maybe you are throwing some brush up and into the back of a pickup truck. Or maybe you are checking to see if your lawn mower will start by pulling on that frayed old cord. Regardless of which of these or any other movement you might be doing, chances are you are breathing heavier and rotating your torso. The real key to preventing injury is to stretch...
Click here to see some stretches you can do for your obliques. There's no crying in baseball and there shouldn't be any crying (from injury) in your backyard projects!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
INSANITY...
...is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder." It also happens to be the name of the 60-day workout program I'll be starting tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow I will be embarking on a 60-day journey of self-punishment in a quest to successfully complete what is considered the most difficult workout ever put on DVD.
Check out part of the infomercial...
You're probably asking why in the world would anyone want to put themselves through such misery. The answer is simple: because it's there. I love taking on challenges that most people would deem impossible, difficult, or uncomfortable. That is why I ran cross-country in high school. That is why I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2005. That is why I ran the Boston Marathon and completed P90X (at the time the hardest workout ever put on DVD) in 2007 and why I am hooked on triathlons after doing my first last summer. And that is why I want to conquer Insanity in 2011.
However, that isn't the only reason. Like I said, I'm a triathlete and road racer and figure this is going to be an unbelievable tool to propel me to the next level this summer. Insanity is largely cardio based, designed on a training concept known as MAX Interval Training. Anyone who has ever taken one of my classes or talked with me about exercise knows that I'm a HUGE fan of intervals (short bursts of intensity followed by longer periods of rest). It's the best way to get in shape and strengthen your heart in the shortest amount of time. Well, the creator of Insanity took traditional interval training and flipped it so that you preform long periods of high intensity training followed with short periods of rest. The final product: The most intense training system ever put on DVD.
So these next 2 months should be a pretty interesting ride. Updates will be given (if I can function well enough). Wish me luck.
Check out part of the infomercial...
You're probably asking why in the world would anyone want to put themselves through such misery. The answer is simple: because it's there. I love taking on challenges that most people would deem impossible, difficult, or uncomfortable. That is why I ran cross-country in high school. That is why I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2005. That is why I ran the Boston Marathon and completed P90X (at the time the hardest workout ever put on DVD) in 2007 and why I am hooked on triathlons after doing my first last summer. And that is why I want to conquer Insanity in 2011.
However, that isn't the only reason. Like I said, I'm a triathlete and road racer and figure this is going to be an unbelievable tool to propel me to the next level this summer. Insanity is largely cardio based, designed on a training concept known as MAX Interval Training. Anyone who has ever taken one of my classes or talked with me about exercise knows that I'm a HUGE fan of intervals (short bursts of intensity followed by longer periods of rest). It's the best way to get in shape and strengthen your heart in the shortest amount of time. Well, the creator of Insanity took traditional interval training and flipped it so that you preform long periods of high intensity training followed with short periods of rest. The final product: The most intense training system ever put on DVD.
So these next 2 months should be a pretty interesting ride. Updates will be given (if I can function well enough). Wish me luck.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
No Plateau Cardio
Is your number one reason for hating winter because of your inability to get outside and stay outside? Let's face it, the biggest reason that we love summer is because we get to be outside. Whether it be going to the beach, eating on the back deck, taking a walk, going for a swim, inhaling the smell of freshly cut grass, hiking a scenic trail, or taking a long bike ride to the local ice cream stand, all of us love the time that we spend outside in the summer. Winter and early spring force us inside to the comforts of our couches, televisions, and fireplaces.
Now there's nothing wrong with a little downtime with a good book while sitting by the wood stove, but who wants to do that year round? And what if we want to exercise? Ahhhh...enter the much-hated "dreadmill" (more commonly known as the treadmill, of course). The treadmill has to be one of the most boring pieces of exercise equipment that man has created, yet we tend to think that the one of the only ways to get our cardio work in during the winter is to climb aboard and thump away on it.
Not anymore. Enter "No Plateau Cardio," a fitness class that I designed (and my lovely girlfriend so properly named) that turns makes indoor cardio actually somewhat fun. Gasp! What?! How can indoor cardio be fun?! It can be fun when your muscles, lungs, and brain are constantly adjusting to the variety of exercises that you are being exposed to. For instance, there are typically five people in the Tuesday night class. Therefore, there is typically a total of 5 stations. Each station has 3 different exercises at it. Each exercise is 20 seconds long, totaling one minute spent at each station. The group will exercise at each station once before a water break, totaling 5 minutes of cardio exercise. So the class is doing a total of 15 exercises in 5 minutes. Oh the variety!
Cardio is obviously important. It's important not only for your body but for your brain as well. There are so many ways to get an effective cardio workout done (just get that heart rate up!) without using a treadmill or an elliptical that your head would spin if I listed them all here. Once spring and summer arrive we'll all be out walking and biking and swimming and running. But until then, try mixing up your cardio routine...your body and brain will love it!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Pets and Health
Fast forward 2 weeks after adopting Lucy. I was on my fourth walk with Lucy when I started thinking about how good dogs are for us. Lucy may or may not have needed to have been walked a total of five times that day, but what would America look like if people went on five walks a day? So I did a little digging...
After doing a little poking around, it became crystal clear that pets are really, really, really good for us! They have been proven to control blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood, and make us get out and exercise and even facilitate the development of social contacts (check these articles for more info Dog-owners 'lead healthier lives' and How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress).
Going out and adopting a dog just because isn't what I'm saying here. People can easily be happy and healthy without pets. But if you're looking for an extra boost or reason to get out and breath some fresh air and get healthy, then grab your buddy's leash and go do it! Both you and your pal will benefit, guaranteed.
I've only had Lucy for 4 weeks now but I can't wait to get her out hiking on some mountainside in the White Mountains this summer. In the meantime, hour-long walks or five-fifteen minute walks a day will have to do!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Choices
Well here it is. My very first blog. This is something that I've been thinking about doing for quite some time now. The reason being that this took so long is because I'm not exactly technology-savvy and wasn't too sure where to start. However, with a little help and inspiration from a friend and a burning desire to help others, I decided that today is the day to start my journey of blogging, so you can start your journey of dreaming and succeeding.
You see, it all boils down to choices. Every single choice in every single minute of every since day results in a decision. That decision leads to having to make another choice, which results in another decision. It's a constant, endless cycle that will never end until we take our last breath. I made the choice to start a blog. The choice to do so led me to a decision: which blog website do I go with? After deciding on Blogger, I was faced with another choice: topics. What do I write about? After deciding on writing about choices, I needed to figure out what the substance would be. See the cycle here?
Well, I didn't choose to start a fitness blog to write about blogs. I chose to start a fitness blog because I want to help you reach your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Everybody has dreams, but not everybody realizes that we get there by the choices we make. We all choose to get up and go to work in the morning (although sometimes we wish we didn't have to). We choose the outfits we're going to wear. We choose how our hair will look. We choose where to walk the dog. We choose what we want for breakfast. We choose our route to work. We choose whether or not to smile and say hello to people at work. All these choices lead to decisions...
By choosing to exercise, we have made a decision. Automatically. Done! Easy, huh? We have decided to get healthier, even if by a tiny fraction of an amount, on that particular day. We've decided to lower our blood pressure, fight diabetes, fight obesity, get stronger, burn fat and calories, and just plain ole' feel better! All we have to do is choose to do this. This sounds simpler than it is, I know. But trust me, if you choose to have all of these positive things to happen to you on a day-in-day out basis, then you've already decided that you want the rest of your life to reward you with feeling great. And trust me, that is the best decision you can ever make. And look!--you've already started by choosing to read my blog.
You see, it all boils down to choices. Every single choice in every single minute of every since day results in a decision. That decision leads to having to make another choice, which results in another decision. It's a constant, endless cycle that will never end until we take our last breath. I made the choice to start a blog. The choice to do so led me to a decision: which blog website do I go with? After deciding on Blogger, I was faced with another choice: topics. What do I write about? After deciding on writing about choices, I needed to figure out what the substance would be. See the cycle here?
Well, I didn't choose to start a fitness blog to write about blogs. I chose to start a fitness blog because I want to help you reach your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Everybody has dreams, but not everybody realizes that we get there by the choices we make. We all choose to get up and go to work in the morning (although sometimes we wish we didn't have to). We choose the outfits we're going to wear. We choose how our hair will look. We choose where to walk the dog. We choose what we want for breakfast. We choose our route to work. We choose whether or not to smile and say hello to people at work. All these choices lead to decisions...
By choosing to exercise, we have made a decision. Automatically. Done! Easy, huh? We have decided to get healthier, even if by a tiny fraction of an amount, on that particular day. We've decided to lower our blood pressure, fight diabetes, fight obesity, get stronger, burn fat and calories, and just plain ole' feel better! All we have to do is choose to do this. This sounds simpler than it is, I know. But trust me, if you choose to have all of these positive things to happen to you on a day-in-day out basis, then you've already decided that you want the rest of your life to reward you with feeling great. And trust me, that is the best decision you can ever make. And look!--you've already started by choosing to read my blog.
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