Outer Banks Triathlon Clinics

Thanks to the many athletes who have expressed interest in getting more information to help them improve their triathlon performance. There are many resources available via Internet and many great coaches in an ever expanding sport.  I look forward to presenting two clinics

June 22. Land to Sea/Sea to Land....Open Water Swim and Drill
Old Swimming Hole in Manteo
7:30 am Newbies
8:00 am Everyone else

*weather permitting and spotters will be on site

June 24. Beyond the Swim
Tips for improving speed in transition, cycling and running
plus a bonus segment...Are You Ready to Go the Distance...IRONMAN

6 to 8 pm. Outer Banks Tri Sports

Each clinic is $15pp, both for $20.

Email me edge2fitness@gmail.com to sign up.

Looking forward to meeting the new athletes and seeing great friends.

SITTING YOURSELF TO DEATH...

From the Wall Street Journal, Health Section............



Stop for a second and notice the way you are sitting. Back curved, shoulders slumped, maybe legs crossed? For people who spend the day staring at a computer screen, this position is fairly typical. But what is it doing to your spine, if anything? Do we need to sit up straight to focus, like that mean math teacher once insisted? Here's some straight talk from one expert, Mladen Golubic, medical director for the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute.

Degrees of Comfort

Little research has been done on the best way to sit upright. One American meta study in 1999 concluded that sitting at an angle of 110 to 130 degrees was optimal for spine comfort. A Scottish study published in 2007 found that leaning back at 135 degrees is ideal to prevent back strain. While interesting, this sort of precision may be impractical for most people, Dr. Golubic says.

Sitting to Death?

His clinic sees patients with multiple chronic illnesses. Nearly all of them sit for long periods each day. The term Sedentary Death Syndrome was coined by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2002 to address the growing consequences of a seated lifestyle. "There are studies on Sedentary Death Syndrome that show that sitting for hours can cause anything from lower back pain to high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity," he says. In other words, no matter what position you're sitting in all day, it is pretty bad for you.

The Perfect Pose

Body posture determines the efficiency of your breathing. "Relaxed, straight sitting"—with the core strong, shoulder blades active but not tight and spine erect—"expands your chest, allowing you to take in a larger breath…and you'll have more energy and focus," Dr. Golubic says. To achieve this, sit away from the back of your chair so you don't slump, with your feet placed firmly on the ground. He sometimes sends patients home with a blue dot to put on their computer screens as a reminder to sit up straight and stretch and take a deep breath when they feel pain. There is also an app called PostureTrack that alerts users when they're slumping.

Slump to a Hump

It's not as though slouching will give you a hunchback in a day, but "if you do this day after day, and your muscles are not strong, the whole skeleton changes," Dr. Golubic says. "I'm not aware of any studies that look at the changes in the volume of organs like the liver and spleen when you sit straight or slump forward. But we do know that when you slouch, you project an attitude of depression and low motivation." When you sit up straight, he adds, "psychologically, your attitude is better."

Core Message

If you're not used to sitting up straight, you may feel lower back pain—an indicator that you need to strengthen your core and work on general fitness. Dr. Golubic almost always advises his patients to start yoga: "The first thing we learn in yoga is how to sit properly."

Walk, Don't Sit

The bottom line: How you sit is less important than how long you sit, Dr. Golubic says. He tries to get up from his desk often, doing "walking meetings" with colleagues and taking phone calls outdoors. "If you cannot walk," he says, "At least stand."

A Special Thanks

Working in an area that thrives from December to May, I have been fortunate to work with people from the US, Europe and Canada.  A thank you goes along away for some one, so as I share this letter, I encourage you to thank someone today.  I am blessed to help others

Hi Patti,

I wanted to send you a note to thank you for your ministration of our mutual client,  Susan.  Without you, she would not have maintain her level of muscular strength and endurance.  

After Susan's heart attack, I needed someone to be carefully monitor her intensity so that she doesn't wither or faint in her workouts.  I am happy your were there.  

Also, I thank you for regularly sharing Susan progress with me.  It was very much appreciated.  It was a touch a class and professionalism that mark you as good trainer.

You are welcome to use my comments in your blog if you have one.

ELAINE LEE
B.Ed (phys. ed)

www.therapytrainer.ca

SPRING, SPRING, SPRING

If you have been hibernating all winter on that cardio equipment, it is time to get outdoors!!  Daylight savings time is in full swing, bathing suit season is around the corner and bottom line - you need to live a healthy, fulfilling life with energy!!

It is time to make your SPRING resolutions, that's right, a resolve to make some changes during the rebirth of YOU.  The trees bloom, the flowers flourish and the birds and the bees - well, they do it too!!

I challenge you to resolve to the following:

1.  Eat breakfast every day - fruit, fruit, fruit!!  Add a little oatmeal with flax.

2.  Drink half your bodyweight in water....not all at once, but throughout each day

3.  Lunch and dinner - load up on your mega greens - salad (iceberg is not a food group), kale, collards (cooked without the fat), spinach

4.  Go meatless one night a week

5.  Switch from processed milk products to almond milk or soy - this is a tough one

6.  Get off high fructose corn syrup - read those labels!!  Throw it all out!!

7.  MOVE YOUR BODY - walk, run, cycle, yoga, pilates, boxing, - choose something to do each day for 60 minutes.

8.  Be grateful - you have one body, one mind and one spirit - cherish it!! 

9.  Surround yourself with positive people - clean out the closet of those who drain your energy

10.  Meditate...give up techonology, plant yourself somewhere quiet and breathe for 10 minutes.  Let go of what is holding you back from being strong each day. 

You are worth each and every item above.  Invite a friend or family member to join you.  Let's build a circle of vitality, strength and health.

Breakfast Still Does A Body Good

Found this article (courtesy of Weight Watchers)......please put value in breakfast to fuel your day

Breakfast: Your Secret Weapon

Research has shown that people who skip breakfast may not be as successful with weight management as those people who eat breakfast regularly. Why? Eating breakfast may help you reduce snacking and avoid overeating.

Food is fuel

Eating breakfast is like filling up a gas tank. When you wake up in the morning, your body is low on fuel, like a car running on empty, explains Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, director of nutrition for WebMD. A morning meal can kick-start your engine by giving your body energy.

Zelman warns that skipping breakfast may make you more likely to overeat later in the day to make up for the missed meal.

In fact, a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that breakfast eaters fall prey to impulse snacking less often than non-breakfast eaters.

Unleaded or diesel?

Not all fuels are created equal. Most people will get more mileage from a small bran muffin and a cup of fat-free milk than they do from a large glass of juice. That's because the sugar in the juice is a much more rapidly used energy source than that derived from the muffin and milk.

"The ideal breakfast is based on carbohydrate and protein," says G. Harvey Anderson, PhD, professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. He theorizes that the most satisfying breakfasts deliver a quick shot of energy (by raising blood sugar levels rapidly) and then a longer term energy boost from high-fiber, complex-carbohydrate, protein-containing foods that slow digestion.

What does that mean for your sugar cereal? Toss a handful into a bowl of low-fat yogurt and then mix it up with some fiber-rich fruit. Other tag-team breakfasts include:

• Low-fat cheese and tomato slices on a whole-wheat English muffin
  
  
• High-fiber cereal with fat-free or lowfat milk and dried or fresh fruit
  
  
• Peanut butter and jelly on multi-grain bread
  
  
• Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs (or egg whites) with a couple of wheat crackers
  
  
• Low-fat yogurt and a grain-rich cereal bar
  
  
• A banana and a small handful of peanuts or almonds

Banish no-time-for-breakfast excuses

Excuse: I don't have time to make myself breakfast. The only things available to me at work are doughnuts and cookies from the vending machine.

When time is of the essence, think portable. Try a hard-boiled egg (keep a few in the fridge at all times) and a couple of crackers or string cheese and a piece of fruit. And for those real crunch times, keep packets of instant oatmeal, high-fiber breakfast bars and mini boxes of raisins stashed in your desk drawer.

Excuse: I just can't eat before 1:00 p.m.

You don't have to eat when the roosters crow, but it is a wise idea to eat within several hours of waking up. If you can't stomach much, try a few grapes or a wheat cracker and half a glass of juice. After a few days, your body might naturally look forward to this a.m. fuel-up and you can try more substantial meals.

Excuse: I'd like to eat breakfast but I'm afraid it will set my hunger into overdrive.

Many people experience less erratic eating patterns (like mid-afternoon and after-dinner munchies) when they eat several small snacks and meals throughout the day. Anderson says that in addition to being leaner, frequent nutritious mini-meal eaters — as opposed to those who eat one to two big meals per day — are often associated with cleaner bills of health.

Shifting Gears To Flexibility

For the past three years, I have had the privilege of working with the senior population.  I really dislike the terms for aging such as silver sneakers and mature adult.  Both seem quite derogatory to a generation that can be quite wise.

Now a majority of my clients in the WISE category are over the age of 70.  Yes, I said 70, my oldest is 93.  Some still bike, play tennis (quite competitively), golf, do yoga and a few even do triathlons.  But in working with this population, I have come to grips with two very important elements to fitness and health - FLEXIBILITY/BALANCE.  Most have lost this and can not do for themselves easily.  Some  have worked diligently on it and can still climb steps, pick things up off the floor, and get off the toilet without help.

How many times after a run have you skipped stretching?  Or how about the times you have been nursing an injury only to skip the rehab, rolling and stretching?  I know I can honestly say quite a bit.

As people we focus on the speed, the duration, the intensity of any activity.  Why?  Because it is competitive and goal based.  When was the last time you asked a buddy, "Can you stand in tree pose for 30 seconds?"  or "Can you hinge from your hips and touch your toes?". 

Well, I have decided to take on a very challenging shift in my fitness.  It will be a challenge mentally as well.  I hope you  will consider doing this because as you approach your WISER years, I want you to be able to crawl on the ground with your grand children, make sand castles, reel in the big fish,  and still do those sporting events you have become addicted to, perhaps with less pain and injury in the future.

I am dedicating each day to a minimum of 15 minutes of stretching, rolling on my foam friend, and balancing on the BOSU or just single leg stances.  Make a  list of areas where you suffer the most, (ie., hamstrings, hip flexors, low back).  Start today and if you need help email me at edge2fitness@gmail.com.  We won't always be able to run that 7/8 minute mile or pedal at high speeds, but it would be rewarding to hike, travel, climb stairs and live life to the fullest.

I propose a new movement to this wellness drive.  I have proof on the value it will add to your life!!!

Will 2013 Be Your Healthy Year?

Happy 2013 to everyone!!  I have not posted in several months because of personal soul searching.  We all need to take time to reflect on who we are in regards to career, family, friends and most important to ourselves.

I recently read Gretchen Rubin's book The Happiness Project.  I found it to be full of ideas on reconnecting to oneself and to our surroundings..  But the one quote that stands out immediately is "the days are long, the years are shorter".

The ideas of pursuing a passion, taking an inventory of values,  clearing the clutter in your life, ridding yourself of toxic people, and finding the time to stimulate your mind.  These are just some topics I have been exploring in depth.

Throughout the year, I plan on sharing various ideas to help you not only with fitness and nutrition, but with total wellness. 

I welcome any questions or topics that you would like to see discussed as well.  Just submit a short request to edge2fitness@gmail.com.

In the meantime, stay active, eat healthy, and breathe.