Rational for Interval Training for Fat Loss

Two great articles that can help explain and give some ideas about interval training for fitness and fat loss.

Interval Training: HIIT or Miss

HIIT and Other Interval Training Methods for Fat Loss

For all of the people who said "I must be the only person who gained weight while training for a running race" -here is a great article:

The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin

by Rachel Cosgrove

'Natural' meat is more effective for our bodies

I'd like to share this article, which very concisely describes the reasons why we should allow animals to consume what they were meant to consume, which will in turn provide the best nutritional resources for our bodies.

The Manipulated Food Chain: You Are What You Eat, Eats

Hike: Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson, MD

The narrow, winding roads, surrounded by pleasant countryside on way to Sugarloaf Mountain allow you to forget some of the busy city traffic and prepare yourself for a stress-reducing hike.

Driving into the entrance I was reminded of the story of the gentleman, Gordon Stronghold, who acquired the land that is now Sugarloaf Mountain and how he lived here and eventually turned it into a recreational site. My amusement comes from the fact that he was noted as a cyclist -and found the location while pedaling by. I would like to see his bicycle from 1902.

I parked at the East View parking lot and took the White Trail to the Blue Trail - A total of 5.81 miles of mostly flat and rocky trail. A few strenuous uphills made for some excitement in the basic, winter terrain. Trails were very quiet - both to wildlife and human traffic, although most of the wildlife was seen right by the parking area - a large white-tailed deer and some noisy birds. Because the trails come together in different sections, I was glad to have a printed out copy of the trail with me and referred to it a few times during the hike. Total time for the hike was about 3 hours - including about half hour of stops for sightseeing and resting. I look forward to trying out more trails - like the Yellow and Purple trails - and seeing the mountain in the spring! 

More about Advocare...

I first ran into products by Advocare when I was working at the Olympic Training Center. Our wrestlers used used Spark as additional energy for their 2nd practice of the day, our discus throwers athletes used the muscle cream on on their sore muscles and I tried some of their protein powders. I was sold on the products because they are safe for some of the most frequently drug-tested athletes: Olympians and NFL players. I have now come to use a handful of their products and am happy to share my experiences.  I have now chosen to take the opportunity to share and sell the products to others. 

• I use Probiotic Restore Ultra daily
• I have found that Spark gives me more energy while studying- but allows me to focus better than a regular cup of coffee. 
• The Herbal Cleanse was a comfortable experience without too much drama, and I feel it is reasonably priced compared with other cleanses out on the market. Several friends felt better and lost a few pounds with the 10 day cleanse. 
• MNS Max - 14 day weight loss system - I found I had tons of energy - I woke up before my alarm and was excited to hit the gym after work. 
• Muscle Fuel - This is a pre-workout drink that has caffeine with additional amino acids.
• Post-Workout Recovery: Studies say you should ideally fuel yourself .5 to 1.5 hrs of exercise to adequately fuel the cells. This is the protein and carbs you need after a workout - and great when don't feel like eating real food after a workout - Tastes pretty good, mixes well. I like to throw in OJ and Water for a Orange-Creamsicle flavor.
• Nighttime Recovery & Catalyst: Without daily meat consumption, I worry I don't get enough adequate amounts of Amino Acids. Amino Acids in these to products can ensure proper muscle building and recovering from strength workouts.

24-Day Challenge by Advocare

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Get Outside: Hikes

Is it sunny? Not too windy? Perfect - even if it is 22 degrees outside, its a great day for a hike! Maybe we can call them outdoor strolls on dirt, or nordic walking if you prefer....whatever the term may be for moving your body in an outdoor environment that isn't the same neighborhood asphalt you drive home on.

Layering for the winter is the best way to hike in the cold. You probably have all of the clothes you need, you just need to put a few layers of these clothes on to stay warm. I'd recommend staying away from cotton on the layer of clothes that touches your skin - If cotton gets wet from sweat, it will remain wet and cold for the entire hike.

I'll be starting to report on the hikes that I do in the area. I'll provide my assessment...which will probably be mostly positive since I really enjoy being outside as much as possible.

My first "walk-in-the-dirt" in town was along the C&O Canal. A great flat walk from the Old Angler's Inn to the Great Falls Tavern and back. I stopped to see Great Falls, but my favorite sight was a heron that flew just above the water in line with the water of the canal and finally settled along the waterline. I was surprised how full the parking lot was (I parked on the street) when I arrive, but I didn't find the path to be too busy. I was happy to see even bikers seemed to have enough space to ride.

I found this site that provides more hikes around Great Falls National Park that I'll be looking into soon.

New Years Resolutions

Patch.com interviewed me for providing insights to fitness in the new year. Fabulous and functional is going to be my new catch phrase. Kicking up a workout with more than one body movement at once, getting the core involved and keeping up the intensity will provide a fast, entertaining workout with quick results.

I used to joke with a family member that they were willing to spend money on someone to manicure their lawn, take care of their pool and clean inside their house, but they weren't willing to spend the money on their own powerhouse (their body) with pilates and yoga classes that made them feel good, because they were too expensive to attend. Since it is a new year, re-evaluating a whole budget may be necessary, but taking the time to find out what activities you LOVE, to CONSISTENTLY keep you active each week will be the fresh start you need to take care of your body which you'll have with you perhaps longer than your house.

Quote

Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth. -Katherine Mansfield

Improve Balance, Reduce Shin Splints By Hip Strengthening

The Glute Medius is a muscle on the side of the hip - the top of the big gluteus maximus muscle. When standing on one leg, this muscle kicks in to help keep our hips parallel to the ground.  You can test your endurance with this muscle by standing on one leg for as long as possible. If you can stay up long enough, you'll start to feel burning in the side of your hip/side buttock area.

(B) A weak glute medius stresses other body parts

Another way to test this muscle is to do a sidelying clam exercise, if done correctly - without too much shifting of the pelvis - you should feel burning in the glute medius after a number of repetitions.  Here are a few exercises that can help strengthen the glute medius. These can be done in starting 1 set of 10, working up to 3 sets of 15.


1. Sidelying Clam Exercise - Cue: keep both hips stacked on top of each other, pull in belly button toward the spine while bringing the knee toward the ceiling

2. Forward Stepping with Band -

3. Lateral Stepping with Band - Same squatted position, but stepping to the side. Never bring heels fully together - maintain space between heels.

4. Glute Bridge - Squeeze glutes before lifting and maintain tight abdominals and glute squeeze throughout movement

Best Store-Bought Insoles

I can't say enough about Superfeet insoles. These have been my best purchase for my feet, hands down.

I first heard about them through a physical therapist who said he's seen such great results for many of his patients, even better than the $300 + orthodics patients would get from podiatrists. I had a great pair of orthodics made nearly 15 years ago, and I've never been able to find someone to make a comfortable pair since.

Now that I've found Superfeet, I am as comfortable both walking, hiking and standing long periods as I was with my first "perfect" pair of orthodics. Prices can range from $31 to $45, depending where you can find them (REI, Hudson Trail Outfitters, some Running Shoe stores, etc).

Interval Training for Cardio

Interval exercise helps to reduce workout time while providing the body the added boost to a workout that it needs to be "overloaded" - which is when it will respond better to your efforts of working out. There is a "Work to Rest" ratio that is followed. Please enjoy the interval options I've provided below:

INTERVAL ONE:

5 min warm-up

5 min: 15 second- max effort; 45 seconds rest

5 min: 30 second max effort; 1:30 seconds rest

5 min: 1 min max effort; 3 min rest

5 min cool down (add in 5 minutes of ab work before you head home)



INTERVAL TWO

2 to 5 minute warm-up

Work Hard 10 seconds;  Rest for 30 seconds

Repeat for 15 minutes

Cool down 5 minutes

INTERVAL THREE

Warm Up- 2 to 5 minutes or jump rope or jumping jacks to get the heart pumping and sweat flowing

Start with a moderate pace on your machine (Treadmill - 5mph jogging for example) for 1 minute.

Increase 2 levels of resistance and maintain that increase for 1 minute, increase by two levels 3 more times each holding for one minute, and come back down the same way you came up, repeat the full increase/decrease cycle.

Cool Down 2 to 5 minutes.             

INTERVAL FOUR:  (provided by K. Sanborn)

This is great for runners who want to work on increasing stamina and pace. For those using elliptical, find a good "difficult" pace that you can maintain for the first 6 minutes, and then increase that difficulty as the interval times get shorter. Work to Rest ratio looks like this (work:rest).

Warm up:

5 to 10 minutes

6:3

5:2

4:2

3:1

2:1

3 min walk

1:1

2:1

3:2

4:2

6: cool down.