I find myself yet again attempting to solicit propaganda for running and endurance training. My last entry on the topic spoke of running as a means of stress relief and a productive tool for dealing with emotional turmoil. I hope that made any readers at least LOOK at some running shoes and associate the activity with happiness instead of dread in many cases. This time I think I will get your legs moving for sure....out on the trail.
Using cardio or running for instance to deal with grief is popular. I love the practice. But has anyone besides myself considered using a gorgeous, outdoor run for mental clarity? I've found when the endless chatter between your ears becomes too loud for productive daily functioning, an open air run can turn down the volume. Or at least simplify the content. Especially in a simpler area. Like a trail.
Here's how I'm going to sell it. First I must say that the act of running itself is very precise and requires much conscious attention to the movement. This means to do it properly you must focus on it and it only indirectly pushing all other daily nonsense out your chattering mind. Work, family, bills, etc MUST be replaced by cadence, lean, strike-below-hip in order to complete your run biomechanically safe. Your mantra consists of "step, step, step, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, quick feet, place feet, quick feet" Bam! You have just cleared your head, or at least ground your issues down to basic movement necessities. I love it, it's like magic.
Next I'm going to use the environment to further carve away the excess garbage that weighs down our spirits and provokes mental chaos. Get out of the urban atmosphere and find a good open trail. Whether it's alongside a mountain or a stripe surrounded only by air headed to nowhere, find it and make sure it's OPEN. An Open run is the catalyst for an Open mind without sounding too cliche. With your new simple movements, make your mind as space rich as the air. Open, open, open. Nothing bumps into one another in your head. No tasks ran over. No ideas crammed and lost. Just open, floating freedom of the mind.
At this point, the possibilities are endless for future mental productivity. Stress is low, spirits are high, legs and heart are strong. Sigh, more run propaganda.....are you sold yet? I'm a lifetime customer I know that for sure.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Mickey's notes on hydration.
Hey everyone Summer is approaching. Ugh. Here's some tips for our best defense against heat exhaustion, heat stroke, low electrolytes, and dehydration during exercise...proper hydration practices. Thanks Mickey!
Mickey: Hi there i am again writing to the blogger nation, I find myself kinda hooked on writing about countless hours off researching nutrition and how it effects the body at work. My blog this time will cover Hydration and performance hopefully you will become "Better Drinker's" before, during, and after exercise. I chose this topic because we that live and train in well "HELL" really need to pay close attention to hydration for year round peak performance.
I have heard time and time again as most of you have heard people say Well I just forgot to drink or Ha i still have half a bottle left, this is the attitude I want to change in US, I am guilty as well but not any more. Most athlete's rarely drink enough fluids during training sessions and competition to offset sweat rates a term I call "voluntary Dehydration" and what that means is we have the fluid present to drink but we don't drink it. Most of this occurs because of poor education on the subject, Most good coaches will address fluid issues and amounts before any other dietary issues are dealt with.
I don't want to get into what should be in your drink IE what carb and salt ratios that's a WHOLE nother LONG blog That I will address at a later time I want to focus on just getting you to DRINK when your suppose to. Research has shown that flavor and temperature of your drink plays a huge role in whether you will consume your fluid like your suppose to or you won't. Let's just say you mixed a drink for your ride and it taste like a big plate of broccoli Ha I love broccoli but not a liquid version, what am getting at is find a flavor you like and stick with it trust me you will tend to drink all your fluids.
Temperature is another big issue some people like cold drinks and others like room temp drinks find the one that works for YOU and again stick with it. With our weather rapidly approaching HOT you can train your body to tolerate a higher fluid intake through training just as we train our MINDS and MUSCLES to do more work. I can only speak for myself and I think I can speak for Nancy we are both on the heavier sweat rates during exercise Ha Iam a SWEATER. I know this because when we do Bikram Yoga and I AM DYING I look around the room and observe how everyone sweats and don't get me wrong anyone who has done Bikram Yoga knows everyone sweats but next time you go look around the room there is always that ONE GUY, Well folks I AM that ONE GUY and very proud thank you.
During long bouts of exercise or racing people can loss fluid rates up to 2-4 ILB of body weight per hour to determine this you MUST weight yourself before and after your exercise sessions, I know this can be a pain in the butt some times but you have to find out what kinda SWEATER you are so you can tailer your fluid consumption around your rate of loss. Now I know you are saying all this is one big pain in the BUTT, trust me I get it, but If you can dial in your fluid requirements now during your training and before it gets hot then you WILL be ahead of the game, PLEASE don't let something like fluid replacement derail your performance on race day or any other day.
A few tricks to work on is finding that flavor drink you like, finding the right water bottle that works for you, and try and drink every 15-20 minutes like clock work. Without going into what nutrients your drink should have in it that will vary greatly upon your intensity and fitness level and goals but MOST that you will choose will have some sodium built into it,Sodium plays an important role in minimizing dehydration and helps maintain sodium balance within the body.
Well again thank you for your time and get out there and DRINK and EXPERIMENT your body and your performance will thank you for it, please feel free to contact me with any questions you have or tell me my blog sucks that's OK to. SEE YA BLOGGER NATION
Mickey: Hi there i am again writing to the blogger nation, I find myself kinda hooked on writing about countless hours off researching nutrition and how it effects the body at work. My blog this time will cover Hydration and performance hopefully you will become "Better Drinker's" before, during, and after exercise. I chose this topic because we that live and train in well "HELL" really need to pay close attention to hydration for year round peak performance.
I have heard time and time again as most of you have heard people say Well I just forgot to drink or Ha i still have half a bottle left, this is the attitude I want to change in US, I am guilty as well but not any more. Most athlete's rarely drink enough fluids during training sessions and competition to offset sweat rates a term I call "voluntary Dehydration" and what that means is we have the fluid present to drink but we don't drink it. Most of this occurs because of poor education on the subject, Most good coaches will address fluid issues and amounts before any other dietary issues are dealt with.
I don't want to get into what should be in your drink IE what carb and salt ratios that's a WHOLE nother LONG blog That I will address at a later time I want to focus on just getting you to DRINK when your suppose to. Research has shown that flavor and temperature of your drink plays a huge role in whether you will consume your fluid like your suppose to or you won't. Let's just say you mixed a drink for your ride and it taste like a big plate of broccoli Ha I love broccoli but not a liquid version, what am getting at is find a flavor you like and stick with it trust me you will tend to drink all your fluids.
Temperature is another big issue some people like cold drinks and others like room temp drinks find the one that works for YOU and again stick with it. With our weather rapidly approaching HOT you can train your body to tolerate a higher fluid intake through training just as we train our MINDS and MUSCLES to do more work. I can only speak for myself and I think I can speak for Nancy we are both on the heavier sweat rates during exercise Ha Iam a SWEATER. I know this because when we do Bikram Yoga and I AM DYING I look around the room and observe how everyone sweats and don't get me wrong anyone who has done Bikram Yoga knows everyone sweats but next time you go look around the room there is always that ONE GUY, Well folks I AM that ONE GUY and very proud thank you.
During long bouts of exercise or racing people can loss fluid rates up to 2-4 ILB of body weight per hour to determine this you MUST weight yourself before and after your exercise sessions, I know this can be a pain in the butt some times but you have to find out what kinda SWEATER you are so you can tailer your fluid consumption around your rate of loss. Now I know you are saying all this is one big pain in the BUTT, trust me I get it, but If you can dial in your fluid requirements now during your training and before it gets hot then you WILL be ahead of the game, PLEASE don't let something like fluid replacement derail your performance on race day or any other day.
A few tricks to work on is finding that flavor drink you like, finding the right water bottle that works for you, and try and drink every 15-20 minutes like clock work. Without going into what nutrients your drink should have in it that will vary greatly upon your intensity and fitness level and goals but MOST that you will choose will have some sodium built into it,Sodium plays an important role in minimizing dehydration and helps maintain sodium balance within the body.
Well again thank you for your time and get out there and DRINK and EXPERIMENT your body and your performance will thank you for it, please feel free to contact me with any questions you have or tell me my blog sucks that's OK to. SEE YA BLOGGER NATION
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sushi! Not just great food, a grounding experience.
I have an addictive personality. Any activity that's remotely cool I tend to take it on and do it so much it's like I will die if I don't keep participating. Triathlon training, Bikram yoga, reading, grass hill sledding, .....and making Sushi.
Here's a few of the thousands of reasons that Sushi, and making it at home is so awesome and an activity that's worth becoming addicted (I seriously can't stop making this stuff):
- Contrary to everyone's belief due to sushi restaurant experiences, it's cheap. The only thing resembling any true cost is the fish (and you only need a small piece).
- It's so so so so healthy. Brown rice is on top of my list for complex carbs (no white rice!). Fish I don't need to lecture anyone about the benefits. Seaweed is loaded with antioxiodants. All added veggies can provoke nothing but healthy benefits.
- You get to get your hands sticky. There's something fun and primal about prepping food with your hands. The sticky brown rice also looks awesome stuck in your hair.
- The sushi making process is not only simple, but it's very relaxing. Methodical. Zen. I love all that crap. If you don't care about a yogie vibe then I will repeat that it's 'simple'.
- There's something about chopsticks and square plates that makes me want to eat on the floor. Ground myself . Eat close to the earth. This keeps mealtime interesting as my corehore peeps know, eating for fuel can get so boring!
Whole Foods sells a 'sushi making kit'. It's one of the very few affordable items there. You will need the following:
- The kit. But really just the bamboo roller.
- Sheets of seaweed
- Brown rice COOK THIS WITH A LITTLE EXTRA WATER SO IT'S STICKIER AND MUSHY LIKE WHITE RICE.
- Fish if you desire. You want sushi specific fish. You can request that at Whole Foods and pay $35 bucks for a piece of Ahi Tuna about the size of your palm. Or you can go to an Asian specific grocery store and get great stuff much less. Salmon is the popular choice as well.
- Any and all other ingredients you want to roll. Typical choices are avocado, cucumber, crab, asian spicy mayo, asparagus, or whatever sounds good. Go crazy.
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Wasabi and lots of it
- Rice vinegar poured into a bowl or cup your hand can fit
Preparation:
- Make your overcooked, mushy brown rice and chop ingredients to roll the length of seaweed sheets
- Most wasabi comes in powder form to be mixed with water then sit for 15 min to set so do that next.
- Lay seaweed on flat bamboo roller with the shiny side down
- Dip your hands in vinegar then use hands or a sushi paddle to spread a layer of rice all over seaweed sheet (especially near ends).
- Place ingredients at bottom of sheet where you start roll
- Tightly roll the seaweed with the help of the roller making sure the end is tucked in. This takes practice and the first few may resemble sushi that was in a blender. They get better.
- Dip hands in vinegar to keep rice from sticking to fingers
- Take a very sharp knife and cut rolls horizontally (remember these need to fit into your mouth whole!)
- Mix your wasabi and soy sauce to your taste
- Plate and enjoy!
Here's a few of the thousands of reasons that Sushi, and making it at home is so awesome and an activity that's worth becoming addicted (I seriously can't stop making this stuff):
- Contrary to everyone's belief due to sushi restaurant experiences, it's cheap. The only thing resembling any true cost is the fish (and you only need a small piece).
- It's so so so so healthy. Brown rice is on top of my list for complex carbs (no white rice!). Fish I don't need to lecture anyone about the benefits. Seaweed is loaded with antioxiodants. All added veggies can provoke nothing but healthy benefits.
- You get to get your hands sticky. There's something fun and primal about prepping food with your hands. The sticky brown rice also looks awesome stuck in your hair.
- The sushi making process is not only simple, but it's very relaxing. Methodical. Zen. I love all that crap. If you don't care about a yogie vibe then I will repeat that it's 'simple'.
- There's something about chopsticks and square plates that makes me want to eat on the floor. Ground myself . Eat close to the earth. This keeps mealtime interesting as my corehore peeps know, eating for fuel can get so boring!
Whole Foods sells a 'sushi making kit'. It's one of the very few affordable items there. You will need the following:
- The kit. But really just the bamboo roller.
- Sheets of seaweed
- Brown rice COOK THIS WITH A LITTLE EXTRA WATER SO IT'S STICKIER AND MUSHY LIKE WHITE RICE.
- Fish if you desire. You want sushi specific fish. You can request that at Whole Foods and pay $35 bucks for a piece of Ahi Tuna about the size of your palm. Or you can go to an Asian specific grocery store and get great stuff much less. Salmon is the popular choice as well.
- Any and all other ingredients you want to roll. Typical choices are avocado, cucumber, crab, asian spicy mayo, asparagus, or whatever sounds good. Go crazy.
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Wasabi and lots of it
- Rice vinegar poured into a bowl or cup your hand can fit
Preparation:
- Make your overcooked, mushy brown rice and chop ingredients to roll the length of seaweed sheets
- Most wasabi comes in powder form to be mixed with water then sit for 15 min to set so do that next.
- Lay seaweed on flat bamboo roller with the shiny side down
- Dip your hands in vinegar then use hands or a sushi paddle to spread a layer of rice all over seaweed sheet (especially near ends).
- Place ingredients at bottom of sheet where you start roll
- Tightly roll the seaweed with the help of the roller making sure the end is tucked in. This takes practice and the first few may resemble sushi that was in a blender. They get better.
- Dip hands in vinegar to keep rice from sticking to fingers
- Take a very sharp knife and cut rolls horizontally (remember these need to fit into your mouth whole!)
- Mix your wasabi and soy sauce to your taste
- Plate and enjoy!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
keepin' it simple: be careful when taking on the whole world!
I share many traits with my loyal clients. Im assuming that's what makes me relatable to them and therefore our biz/friend relationship one of longevity. Its safe to say we share good traits such as a respectable work ethic (both fit wise and career) and good senses of humor (NO ONE takes themselves too seriously). Its also a good bet to say we share the tendency to try and take on the whole world. Do it all. Be a super human. And make it look easy.
Last week my streak of wonderwomanism came to a screeching hault. All within a few days I'd spaced appointments more times than I have in my 11 years of training. I'd fallen behind on my endurance athletes' written workouts (which I never do). I'd ran late to any and all obligation by at least 5 min (again...never).
Clearly these mishaps are a byproduct of the take-over-the-worlder's over flow. Over flow of tasks, emotions, goals and on and on. All the extra had to go somewhere and in my case I must have left my mind on the treadmill or at my son's swim lesson. Now this happens to the best of everyone. I will NEVER judge the wonderwomans or worldwarriors. All I can do is applaud those individuals for their tenacity and beg of them to strive to maintain balance in their crazy existence.
Last week I caught myself lecturing an individual about 'a commitment to post exercise rehab routines' and in the same day I spaced a stretch appointment for a dear, loyal client who needed my help more than ever.
Please, please....overachievers of the world...keep it simple. If you poor 40 gram protein shake into a shot glass, valuable content is going to spill over. Focus on making a single task quality. Be present, get out of autopilot, and make your worldly difference through quality, not total world domination at all times all day. Because boy....the spacey weeks are a drag!
Last week my streak of wonderwomanism came to a screeching hault. All within a few days I'd spaced appointments more times than I have in my 11 years of training. I'd fallen behind on my endurance athletes' written workouts (which I never do). I'd ran late to any and all obligation by at least 5 min (again...never).
Clearly these mishaps are a byproduct of the take-over-the-worlder's over flow. Over flow of tasks, emotions, goals and on and on. All the extra had to go somewhere and in my case I must have left my mind on the treadmill or at my son's swim lesson. Now this happens to the best of everyone. I will NEVER judge the wonderwomans or worldwarriors. All I can do is applaud those individuals for their tenacity and beg of them to strive to maintain balance in their crazy existence.
Last week I caught myself lecturing an individual about 'a commitment to post exercise rehab routines' and in the same day I spaced a stretch appointment for a dear, loyal client who needed my help more than ever.
Please, please....overachievers of the world...keep it simple. If you poor 40 gram protein shake into a shot glass, valuable content is going to spill over. Focus on making a single task quality. Be present, get out of autopilot, and make your worldly difference through quality, not total world domination at all times all day. Because boy....the spacey weeks are a drag!
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Friday, March 4, 2011
Bachelor kitchen bravery. Recipe from Justin Calhoun; renowned martial artist/fighter. Oh....and smart ass.
Bachelors tend to struggle a bit in the kitchen so I gotta hand it to Justin for literally throwing this meal together. I'd like this to be a lesson to men that you can survive without a woman in the kitchen!! This is a no commitment, easy clean up recipe....huh....typical of a bachelor.
I find this rough-around-the-edges ode to Men recipe blog appropriate preceeding a refined Sushi entry I will be poetically expressing soon. Til then, here's another kind of food expression.....
JUSTIN: Get the brown rice and quinoa microwave pack from F&E (Fresh and Easy), boil up some frozen spinach, grill and pull some chicken seasoned how you like it and you have your aggregate components. Now throw that s**t together, give it a healthy douche of vinegar and voila, you have yourself a low calorie, high nutrtition meal without overthinking it. Quinoa All Douched Up, you're f****** welcome.
Recipe by Nancy's champion fighter and smart ass.
I find this rough-around-the-edges ode to Men recipe blog appropriate preceeding a refined Sushi entry I will be poetically expressing soon. Til then, here's another kind of food expression.....
JUSTIN: Get the brown rice and quinoa microwave pack from F&E (Fresh and Easy), boil up some frozen spinach, grill and pull some chicken seasoned how you like it and you have your aggregate components. Now throw that s**t together, give it a healthy douche of vinegar and voila, you have yourself a low calorie, high nutrtition meal without overthinking it. Quinoa All Douched Up, you're f****** welcome.
Recipe by Nancy's champion fighter and smart ass.
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