15 tips for easing into training/exercise

Whether you are a competitive athlete of fitness enthusiast, or going from couch to exerciser, it's important to ease yourself into any type of exercise/training regime. While you may feel extremely motivated to whip yourself into great shape, too much too soon can lead to injury, health issues or burnout.

No matter what level fitness you were before you gave yourself a break from exercise/training, remind yourself that you can't just restart where you left off.  It's important to put your ego aside as you keep these tips in mind to ensure a safe and sustainable exercise routine.

1. Don't expect too much of yourself. 
2. Be kind to yourself. 
3. Don't look for quick results. 
4. Focus on the process - consistency and frequency. 
5. Don't neglect lifestyle habits. 
6. Create realistic, attainable short term goals. 
7. Stick to a schedule that works for you right now in your life. 
8. Keep it simple.
9. Stretch your comfort zone, don't jump out of it. 
10. Incorporate cardio, strength and mobility training. 
11. Don't neglect recovery/rest. 
12. Be conscious of your technique and movement patterns. 
13. Listen to your body. 
14. Know your limits. 
15. Keep it fun. 

For athletes, you may find that you are unable to easily do things that you used to do before. You may feel out of shape and frustrated with your body. This discouragement may cause you to skip steps and rush the process. Don't compare yourself to the person you were before. Focus on where you are now and take it one day at a time. 

Inaugural Women's Fitness Summit (Sorry guys, ladies only!)

Women's Fitness Summit

I love speaking to women. 

I love helping women change their lifestyles. 

I love helping women reach personal goals. 

I love helping women cross finish lines. 

I love helping women learn how to have a healthy relationship with food.
I love helping women learn how to love their body. 

I love being a woman. 

When I was asked to present at this summit on a topic specific to fueling the female endurance athlete, I could not pass up this wonderful opportunity to educate other women and to learn from the other experienced and knowledgeable female speakers. 

How great - a conference for women, by women. 

My racing season will be complete when this event takes place (Sept 27-28) and I will (hopefully) have Ironman #8 (Ironman Austria, 6/29) and #9 (Ironman Wisconsin 9/7) behind me. 

That's 9 x 140.6 mile races in my 32 year old body and I have a lot of tips and info to share on how I keep my body healthy and fueled. 

I am really looking forward to helping endurance athletes who are wanting to learn how to eat for fuel and for health and additionally, wanting to take their endurance training to the next level all while minimizing risk for injury and illness. 

My presentation will be on:
"FUELING THE FEMALE ATHLETE FOR ENDURANCE: USING REAL FOOD AND SPORT NUTRITION TO BOOST PERFORMANCE"

Despite the complexity of the human body in motion and the overwhelming amount of information available on healthy eating and sport nutrition, my philosophy for nutrition is simple.
Appreciate a nutrient-dense, real food balanced diet to support the immune system and overall health and use safe and effective sport nutrition products properly before, during and after training to support intentional training stress. 

Through a combination of real-world experiences and research, individuals in attendance will be able to identify the key nutrients in the daily diet to support the female endurance body. Individuals will also learn about different methods of fueling for endurance sports, specific to triathlons and running events.
I will also share my own tips and tricks for eating for fuel and for health as a 22-year lacto-ovo vegetarian, as well as how I fuel my Ironman training with a real food daily diet and how I use sport nutrition products during training/racing to minimize GI upset and to postpone fatigue. 

There is an amazing group of talented and smart women who are speaking at this event so if you are feeling overwhelmed with so much nutrition and fitness related information on the internet, get all your questions answered at this summit.

I hope to see you there!

LEARN MORE HERE

REGISTER HERE

Swim set, podcast link and tri-colored quinoa w/ tempeh

As I have mentioned several times, I just love the Ironman journey. This time around, sharing it with Karel has been extra special for we have both been able to see progress within each other and that is really neat to see. Karel continues to push me on the bike and in return I get the reply "great job, babe" as I smile every-so kindly to thank him for the suffering. But on the flip side, Karel has really worked hard on his swimming and I can't believe he just started swimming 1 year ago!! I have really enjoyed helping Karel learn to swim and to be there to witness his major swimming breakthroughs. Karel started very slow, working on form for he knew he had a year to train for the IM and there was no need to rush speed when form is the most important part of swimming efficiently. 

The issue for many triathletes who struggle with swimming is the exhaustion that comes from swimming. No matter how fast or slow in the water, how long or short, it is just exhausting and it's not the same kind of exhaustion that you get from pushing yourself during a run or bike set. Although swimming is non weight bearing, one would think it would require less energy to perform. However, any form of exercise increases your breathing rate and as you know, when you swim you do not have a lot of opportunities to breath (or to take in a full inhale and exhale). Seeing that swimming (like any exercise) increases your heart rate and your blood circulation in response to your effort/intensity, your lung capacity, the efficiency in which you take in oxygen and transfer it to blood vessels as well as your form/strength in the water to push past the water's resistance, determine how fast and how far you can swim.

Overtime, your respiratory system will get stronger and you will find your lungs working more efficiently to help you with exchange of gases (oxygen/carbon dioxide). Thus, before you get focused on being fast in the water, it is very important to work on your stroke and swimming effortlessly (as possible) so that you can train the body to perform with the least amount of energy expenditure. The speed will come, just be patient. 

I have been giving Karel swim sets for the past few months and they are really paying off. It is amazing that he is so strong in the water although he does get tired which is to be expected. But, he refuses to give up so he is in the pool 3 times a week working on his form and just being as comfortable as possible in the water. 

On Tuesday before our brick run (immediately after swim) we had a great swim set focusing on a little speed and then pacing. I am trying to help Karel learn how to tolerate lactic acid in the water but not exhausting him (which is what happened a few months ago when Karel would just do fast swims and we figured he wasn't doing any good with consistency for he was just exhausting himself for upcoming workouts). 

Here's the set we did: 

3000 yards

500 warm-up

Main set 3x's: 

3 x 100's fast w/ 15 sec rest (I did them on 1:30, Karel did them on 1:45)

300 steady IM pace (ideally, going the same pace as your cycle, about 15-20 seconds or so per 100 slower than your "fast" pace). 

50 EZ recovery before repeating (or rest 2-3 minutes)

500 pull stretching things out (w/ buoy/paddles)

100 cool down

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to do a podcast with Real Women on Health and Iron Girl and it was a lot of fun as I got to talk about my favorite topics......nutrition, fitness and health! Here is the 30 minute podcast for your listening pleasure if you want to hear my thoughts on eating for fuel, health and pleasure.

LISTEN HERE

I made the most delicious creation the other night and I am so excited to share it with you. I visited wholefoods the other day to explore some new foods to add to our diet and I picked up tri-colored quinoa. Prepared the same as regular quinoa with a nice nutty taste. Speaking of nutty, Karel and I just love tempeh for its taste but it is also packed with protein. It can taste a little bland so I recommend cooking it in a little olive oil (cubed) or you can try to find flavored tempeh (just watch the added sodium). 

Enjoy!

Tri-colored quinoa stir fry

Asparagus

Sweet Peppers

Garlic

Mushrooms

Tempeh

1. In cooking pot, prepare quinoa 

2. In large skillet, turn to medium heat and add a little olive oil (~1-2 tsp per 3 ounces tempeh per person) and cook cubed tempeh until golden brown (toss occasionally). Season with a pinch of salt, turmeric and oregano (pepper optional). 

3. While tempeh is cooking, prepare asparagus by chopping off ends (1 inch) and microwave in shallow dish for 3 minutes until tender (maybe 4 minutes if needed). Then chop. 

4. When tempeh begins to turn golden, add ~1-2 tsp olive oil and add pepper and mushrooms. Toss and reduce heat to low and cover (may need to add a little cooking spray to prevent sticking) and toss occasionally. Let cook for 5-8 minutes or until soft but not browned. 

5. Add asparagus to pan, toss and cook for 1-2 more minutes and then turn off heat. 

6. Assemble plate with ~1/2 cup quinoa + veggie and tempeh mixture. Enjoy!

Active kiddos - Marathon High Program

A few weeks ago I spoke to a group of half marathon runners in the Jacksonville area on the topic of daily and sport nutrition. This is not my normal crowd as these individuals are not running for PR's...and they are not allowed to drink. Some of them can't even drive yet.

That's right....almost 200 High School kiddos in the Jacksonville area (divided among 5 schools) are training for their first or second half marathon - 26.2 with Donna. 

If you are not familiar with Marathon High, it is a non profit program that encourages high school students to develop self-respect, confidence and healthy lifestyles through training for and running a 13.1 half marathon. 

Here's a bit more about the program:

"We are a proud partner with the Galloway Training Program and the 26.2 with Donna Foundation. This is a free, after-school running club open to teens of all backgrounds and abilities in grades 9-12. The program is non-competitive, which means speed does not matter. What does matter is showing up, being committed and completing the goal during each training session and on race day.

Marathon High may appear to be all about running, but it's more about the life lessons that happen because of the running. Marathon High is about changing lives, inspiring dreams, and making a difference. It’s about helping teens rise up and become the people they were meant to be. It’s about shifting the way young people think about themselves and their place in the world. And it’s about challenging them to make the “impossible” possible. All while doing something most teens never do: running a half-marathon."

If you'd like to get involved or donate, here's the link w/ more info about the program:  Marathon High - Florida. 

One of my friends and fellow Oakley Women ambassador (Fitz) has a similar program that she developed called the Morning Mile. Morning mile is "a before-school walking/running program that gives children the chance to start their day in an active way while enjoying fun, music and friends. It’s supported by a wonderful system of rewards, which keeps students highly motivated and frequently congratulated. It’s a proven project geared towards fighting childhood obesity and increasing the physical activity levels of school children nationwide."

I don't think we can disagree that kids need a lot of activity in their life.....and so do adults. When was the last time you said to yourself  "I feel like a kid, I have so much energy!" Or perhaps, maybe you are saying "I wish I was a young again." Either way, there's something to be said by having an indescribable amount of energy and wanting to use it without tracking miles on a Garmin or software program. Why can't we get back to moving the body without a purpose (outside), inventing games that are best played with a healthy imagination and eating until satisfied (even if food is left on the plate) because you are eager to keep on playing until it is time for bed. There is something that is removed from our society....physical activity yet we place blame on so many factors affecting childhood and adult obesity and we have all these ideas as to how we can be a "healthy" society but the bottom line is that we just aren't moving enough....yet we eat (and crave foods) as it we were moving our body all day long.

Even if you exercise daily or train for a sporting event at an age-group level, it is likely that while you are working for 8-10 hours a day, the primary times that you get up out of your chair is to eat or use the restroom. There's a lot of research on sitting too much but I also believe that we would have more energy if we had a balanced lifestyle....good restful sleep, stress management, healthy work and home environments, consistent exercise and a diet to support individual lifestyle, health and performance needs. 

I really enjoyed speaking to the kids about fueling their bodies with foods that would help them get stronger and fitter and keep their bodies healthy as they get older. Although the Marathon High program is not a competitive program, all children like to see improvements - whether it is exercise or learning, it is nice to see hard work be put into action. 

If you have a child who is active (or is trying to become more active) and you feel their eating style can be improved, my best advice is to inspire. Do not speak of food as "healthy" and to categorize food as "good or bad" but instead, show them in a way as to why they should be eating certain foods.
Carbohydrates like grains, starches and fruits and veggies give the body energy and keep the immune system strong to prevent sickness and reduce risk for disease. We want to keep the body in great health so that we can make sure all our dreams come true as we get older.
Proteins like fish, lean meat, beans, lentils, milk, yogurt and tofu/tempeh are all great options to keep the muscles strong and to help with appetite control.
Fats are not bad and can be wonderful for the heart. Without them, food wouldn't taste that good and we would be hungry all day long. Nuts, seeds, oils, avocados and nut butters are a few that can be enjoyed with meals to keep the tummy happy.
To help with energy before workouts, encourage kiddos to have a small pre workout snack - something that will digest well and will not cause stomach discomfort. Keep it simple and easy to consume, like a PB&J sandwich or a small wrap. Other simple options include cheese and crackers and a piece of fruit or yogurt and raisins.
During the workout, kids should emphasize water and encourage kids to stay hydrated all day long.
Post workout, don't let the child "wait" for dinner - have a post workout snack ready such as a chocolate milk (low fat), low fat milk w/ cheerios or a banana with yogurt. Again, be sure the food is tolerable post workout and leaves enough room for the next meal to nourish the body.

As you work on inspiring your children, consider your own personal diet. Consider the snacks you are eating as well as meal time. Is there a connection between your eating habits and energy levels? Do you eat with a plan and a purpose and do you expect willpower to be your #1 reason to stop changing habits? Create a positive food environment and set yourself up for success. 

If you  head over to my website and click on Events & Media, I have a few articles (one featured above) featured in USAT magazine dedicated to active kids. 

Any questions or concerns about kids and nutrition? Feel free to send me an email. 

I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Oakley Women and Hammer Nutrition for providing all 200 kids with a water bottle (Oakley) to help the kids stay hydrated during all workouts and a few samples of Hammer Nutrition products. I feel 100% comfortable recommending Hammer Nutrition to children who need the added electrolytes and carbohydrates and as a long-time Hammer Nutrition user, I couldn't ask for a better company to help fuel active bodies.