August 31, 2009

Goal for the month of September get three days of weight training in. Today did 60 mins of group power

August 30, 2009

Ran 3.5 miles then jump on stair masters 15 mins.

August 29, 2009

ran 4.0 miles today, a little of a hill challenge but glad to get it done.

August 28, 2009

ran 8 miles today, calves are tired. time to get new shoes.

Hills, Hills, Hills

If you're one of those runners who dreads running hills, it may be because you're not using the right hill running techniques. Follow these steps for proper hill running and you may actually look forward to inclines during your runs.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

1. Don't start thinking that you want to attack the hill. The key to running hills properly is to maintain your effort level (which translates into a slower pace on the uphill), so you don't waste energy and end up out of breath at the top of the hill (that's a common mistake among runners).
   
2. As you approach an uphill, make sure you have good running form. Your arms should be at a 90 degree angle and should be moving forward and back (rotating at the shoulder), not side to side.
   

   More: Video: Proper Running Form
   

3. Your back should be straight and erect. You can lean in very slightly from the hips, but make sure you're not hunched over.
   
4. Concentrate on swinging your arms lower and shorter. By keeping your arm swing lower and quicker, your legs will stay lower to the ground -- resulting in a short, quick stride.
   
5. As you reach the top of the hill, you can begin your normal stride again. If you ran the hill properly, you'll be able pass runners who wasted too much energy on the hill.
   
6. The best way to run downhill is to lean forward slightly and take short, quick strides. Don't lean back and try to brake yourself. Try to keep your shoulders just slightly in front of you and your hips under you. Although it's tempting to overstride, avoid taking huge leaping steps to reduce the pounding on your legs
   

Benefits of hill running

 

Some runners don't like hill running because it's, well, hard. But running hills provides a lot of benefits to runners, so don't shy away from them. Here are some of the ways you can benefit from hill running:

You'll build strength.

Running inclines, either on a hill outdoors or on a treadmill, is a form of resistance training that builds up the muscles in your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Hill running strengthens those areas more than running on flat ground. You'll also strengthen your hip flexors and Achilles tendons.

You'll get faster.

The muscles you'll use to run up hills are the same ones used for sprinting, so the strength you build will improve your speed.

You won't get bored.

If you're used to running in mostly flat courses, adding hills to your routines can help prevent boredom.

You'll reduce your risk of injuries.

As you strengthen your leg muscles through hill running, you considerably reduce the risk of suffering from running-

related injuries.

If you're bored running on the treadmill and want to improve your strength and speed, you can try using the incline feature on your treadmill and doing some hill workouts. Running hills on the treadmill is safer than running hills outdoors, because it decreases the impact on your knees and hips.

 

Hill Workout Interval	How to Run
Warm up	Slowly jog for 5 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 4% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 5% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 6% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 7% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 6% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 5% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Hill Interval	2 minutes steady pace at 4% incline
Rest Interval	Recover (easy pace) for 2 minutes.
Cool down	Slowly jog for 5 minutes.

 

August 26, 2009

Today was an interval run. I ran 6.0 for three minutes and 8.0 for a minute. I did this for 60 minutes. I hope to get some abs done tonight.

Recipe for Fitness

Recipe for Fitness

1 oz of courage

2 c of desire

1 long-term goal

6-7 short-term goals

20 tsp of stamina

1 heaping tbsp of qualified guidance

Unlimited Water

 

Mix these ingredients together with a little perspiration. Now, turn up the heat for and on-track fitness program leading to better health. Servings good for a lifetime of active living. See your fitness club or community center for details today. Recommended for 3-6 helpings per week for all age groups.

August 25, 2009

Did a little different workout. I decide to do the 30 day shred DVD with hard core fusion on my lunch I did Billy blanks boot camp abs. I will chill for the rest of the night and do a interval tomorrow.

August 24, 2009

Great workout day yesterday.
5 miles done in the am
2 miles in the pm with 45 mins spin class
I hope to mix things up a little more tomoorow workout

Great info

5 Ways to Shed Those Last Few Pounds


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By Jim Vance
For Active.com

If you're a serious athlete, or just one who monitors their weight consistently, a few pounds here or there can mean a big difference in confidence, attitude and especially performance.

Many athletes can go to the extreme by cutting out meals entirely or making a dramatic change in diet, which can actually have a detrimental affect on performance and, in some cases, even cause weight gain. If the body feels it is deficient in some nutritional areas it can horde and hold onto the things it feels it needs to conserve.

The body is a system that likes to maintain a homeostasis, and thus, dramatic changes to diet, climate, sleeping and stress patterns are always more taxing than if the changes were moderately introduced. With this in mind, here are five tips for losing those last few pounds you want to drop:

Try to stretch your food intake out throughout the day, rather than in big meals where you can spike blood sugar levels. This will keep you feeling alert more consistently, and probably not as hungry when you do sit down for a meal.

Start a food log for a few days and write down what you ate and when. Keeping track will help you see if there is a pattern of dieting which could be improved, such as eating before bed, skipping meals, or not getting enough calories.

In your food log, also write down why you ate each item. If you can't name a good reason for eating it, maybe you're nibbling out of boredom or as an emotional response instead of hunger. If this is the case, those are some easy calories you can cut out. Perhaps you're eating out of peer pressure, and therefore need to consider the peer group you're around, or the timing of when you're with them.

Try drinking water instead of sugary drinks. It's amazing how many calories can be consumed in liquid form.

Don't be afraid to rest and recover from training for a few days. Many athletes lose a lot of weight during recovery weeks because the body doesn't hold as much carbohydrates during these times, due to not needing it. For every gram of carbohydrate the body stores, it must store about three grams of water. That's a lot of water weight to carry!

Take inventory of yourself and your eating habits—as well as training regimens—and with a few simple adjustments you can shed those last few pounds you want to get off. Best of luck!

August 22, 2009

Completed my 8k race. I beat last race by two minutes. This race was a little more hilly that the butte to butte these hill seemed never ending. My goal is to keep getting better and stronger and shave another couple of minutes next year. Official time 45:25.

August 21, 2009

Today was my cross training day so since my spin teacher was out I decided to do weights for an hour.

Today was cross trainging day would have loved to get
but opted to do weights instead.
Here is what I did.

Leg press 3@ 155
Lunges 3@ 12.5
Hammer curl 3@ 12.5 
Triceps 3@15
Back arm row 3@ 10
Lateral raise 3@10
Lat pull down 3@45
Squats 3@40
Squats 3@50
Lunges 3@40
Standing calf 3@95
Side bins 10@20=200 total
Hammer curl 3@10
Abdominal 3@50
Abdominal 3@60
Ab crunch 3@40

August 20, 2009

This morning was a very tough interval workout. I started warm up @ 6.0 every 1/4 mile I chose a speed of 7.5. Very roughy workout glad to mark it off my to do list.

August 19, 200@

Did yoga last night it was nice and relaxing. I didn't realize the class was 90 mins long. I hope to be consistent with it. I did group power today for 60 mins. Tomorrow will be a hill run day outside.

August 18, 2009

5 mile interval run, feeling pretty good.

SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM

Here's a secret: slaving away inside your body—right this minute—is your very own personal trainer working tirelessly to help you burn calories and shed fat. It's called your metabolism, and it's the sum of everything your body does. Each time you eat, enzymes in your body's cells break down the food and turn it into energy that keeps your heart beating, your mind thinking, and your legs churning during a grueling workout. The faster your metabolism runs, the more calories you burn. The more you burn, the easier it is to drop pounds. And get this—you can make your metabolism work harder, a lot harder, 24 hours a day.

To some degree, our bodies hum along at a preset speed determined by gender and genetics, but there's still plenty of wiggle room. "You have a huge amount of control over your metabolic rate," says John Berardi, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., author of The Metabolism Advantage. "You can't affect how many calories it takes to keep your heart beating, but you can burn an extra 500 to 600 calories a day by exercising properly and eating right." And by making a few changes to your routine.

To make those changes simpler, we enlisted the help of leading experts and came up with a round-the-clock, turn-up-the-burn plan complete with new moves that will throw your metabolism into overdrive.

When you roll out of bed
Eat (a good) breakfast Every. Single. Day. If you don't, your body goes into starvation mode (it's paranoid like that), so your metabolism slows to a crawl to conserve energy, Berardi says. And the heartier your first meal is, the better. In one study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, volunteers who got 22 to 55 percent of their total calories at breakfast gained only 1.7 pounds on average over four years. Those who ate zero to 11 percent of their calories in the morning gained nearly three pounds. In another study published in the same journal, volunteers who reported regularly skipping breakfast had 4.5 times the risk of obesity as those who took the time to eat.

What should you be having? Morning munchies that are slow to digest and leave you feeling fuller longer. Try a mix of lean protein with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, like this power breakfast, recommended by Berardi: an omelet made from one egg and two egg whites and a half cup of mixed peppers and onions, plus a half cup of cooked steel-cut oats mixed with a quarter cup of frozen berries and a teaspoon of omega-3-loaded fish oil.

Sip java Sisterhood of the traveling spill-proof mugs, rejoice! A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that the average metabolic rate of people who drank caffeinated coffee increased 16 percent over that of those who drank decaf. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by increasing your heart rate and breathing, says Robert Kenefick, Ph.D., a research physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Honestly, could there be a more perfect beverage?

Guzzle your water cold Chase your morning joe with an ice-cold glass of H2O. Researchers at the University of Utah found that volunteers who drank eight to 12 eight-ounce glasses of water per day had higher metabolic rates than those who quaffed only four glasses. Your body may burn a few calories heating the cold water to your core temperature, says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center. Though the extra calories you burn drinking a single glass doesn't amount to much, making it a habit can add up to pounds lost with essentially zero additional effort.

When you're at work
Pick protein for lunch Cramming protein into every meal helps build and maintain lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even at rest, says Donald Layman, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois. Aim for about 30 grams of protein—the equivalent of about one cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a four-ounce boneless chicken breast—at each meal.

Brew up some green tea "It's the closest thing to a metabolism potion," says Tammy Lakatos Shames, R.D., author of Fire Up Your Metabolism: 9 Proven Principles for Burning Fat and Losing Weight Forever. The brew contains a plant compound called ECGC, which promotes fat burning. In one study, people who consumed the equivalent of three to five cups a day for 12 weeks decreased their body weight by 4.6 percent. According to other studies, consuming two to four cups of green tea per day may torch an extra 50 calories. That translates into about five pounds per year. Not bad for a few bags of leaves, eh? For maximum effect, let your tea steep for three minutes and drink it while it's still hot.

Undo damage with dairy Hey, it happens. There are days when no salad on earth can possibly overcome the seductive power of French fries. But you can make up for it with a calcium-rich afternoon snack, like eight ounces of milk or six ounces of low-fat yogurt. Calcium helps your body metabolize fat more efficiently by increasing the rate at which it gets rid of fat as waste (yes, that kind), reports a study from the University of Copenhagen. Sorry, supplements don't have the same effect.

When you go food shopping
Choose organic produce You wouldn't fill your car engine with pesticides, right? Hell, no. Researchers in Canada found that dieters with the most organochlorides (chemicals found in pesticides) stored in their fat cells were the most susceptible to disruptions in mitochondrial activity and thyroid function. Translation: Their metabolism stalled. Can't afford a full organic swap? Go to foodnews.org/fulllist for the most (and the least) contaminated foods, then adjust your shopping list accordingly.

Seek heat It turns out capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their mouth-searing quality, can also fire up your metabolism. Eating about one tablespoon of chopped red or green chilies boosts your body's production of heat and the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for our fight-or-flight response), according to a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. The result: a temporary metabolism spike of about 23 percent. Stock up on chilies to add to salsas, and keep a jar of red pepper flakes on hand for topping pizzas, pastas, and stir-fries.

Grab some metal Women lose iron during their period every month. That can throw a wrench into your metabolic machine, because iron helps carry oxygen to your muscles. If your levels run low, muscles don't get enough O2, your energy tanks, and your metabolism sputters, Shames says. Stock up on iron-fortified cereals, beans, and dark leafy greens like spinach, bok choy, and broccoli.

When you work out
Mix things up with intervals You're always looking for a way to shorten your workout, right? Well, step up your intensity and you'll burn the same number of calories or more in less time. In one Australian study, female volunteers either rode a stationary bike for 40 minutes at a steady pace or for 20 minutes of intervals, alternating eight seconds of sprints and 12 seconds of easy pedaling. After 15 weeks, those who incorporated the sprints into their cardio workouts had lost three times as much body fat—including thigh and core flab—compared with those who exercised at a steady pace. Bursts of speed may stimulate a fat-burning response within the muscles, says lead researcher Ethlyn Gail Trapp, Ph.D. Whether you ride, run, or row, try ramping things up to rev your burn: Start by doing three eight-second all-out, can't-talk sprints with 12 seconds at an easy pace between each effort. Work your way up until you can do 10 sprints over 20 minutes.

Take it slow This isn't easy, but when you strength train, count to 3 as you lower the weight back to the start position. Slowing things down increases the breakdown of muscle tissue—yeah, it sounds bad, but all that damage you're incurring is actually a good thing. The repair process pumps up your metabolism for as long as 72 hours after your session, according to researchers at Wayne State University. But pass on those featherweight dumbbells—you need to use weights that are heavy enough that you struggle to complete the final few reps.

Pop pills Combining regular exercise with fish-oil supplements increases the activity of your fat-burning enzymes, reports a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volunteers took six grams of fish oil daily and worked out three times a week. After 12 weeks, they'd lost an average of 3.4 pounds, while those who exercised exclusively saw minimal shrinkage. Look for brands containing at least 300 milligrams of the fatty acid EPA and 200 milligrams of the fatty acid DHA per capsule. Pop two of these two hours before your workout.

When you get home
Eat Nemo's pals Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines are loaded with hunger-quashing omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats help trigger the rapid transfer of "I'm full" signals to your brain, according to the National Institutes of Health. Bonus: A 3.5-ounce serving of salmon nets you 90 percent of your recommended daily value of vitamin D, which will help preserve your precious calorie-craving, metabolism-stoking muscle tissue.

Skip the second mojito Another reason not to overimbibe: Knocking back the equivalent of just two mixed drinks (or two glasses of wine or two bottles of beer) puts the brakes on fat burning by a whopping 73 percent. That's because your liver converts the alcohol into acetate and starts using that as fuel instead of your fat stores, report researchers from the University of California, Berkeley.

Hit the sack—early When you sleep less than you should, you throw off the amounts of leptin and ghrelin—hormones that help regulate energy use and appetite—that your body produces. Researchers at Stanford University found that people who snoozed fewer than 7.5 hours per night experienced an increase in their body mass index. So make sure you get at least eight hours of rest.

August 18, 2009

5 mile run completed.

August 17, 2009

5 miles ran.

:)Good morning:)Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.:) Have a blessed day.:)

August 14, 2009

group ride was great awesome did some the leg press, lat pull down, ab crunch machine.

August 13, 2009

ran a quick 3.5 around the house not enough time to do anything else tomorrow is cycle

August 12, 2009

60 minutes of group power. I feel great!

August 11, 2009

Tuesday Weights 8/11/09

Leg press 165
Leg curl 50
Seated leg curl 50 
Eagle leg extension 50 v
Standing calf 90

15 min speed intervals 7 incline
20 min hill run
50 lunges on treadmill incline 15 1.5 speed.  

August 10, 2009

Ran 5.61 miles today interval run speed ranged from warm-up 6.0 up to 8.0 back and for every couple of minutes.

August 8, 2009

60 min group power for me today.

August 7, 2009

Group ride class 60 minutes was great followed by a quick easy 2 mile run.

August 6, 2009

Ran 3.56 miles.

August 5, 2009

1.5 mile before group power class and 2.5 miles after class, I feel pretty good.

August 4, 2009

A new day a new goal, I didn't get to go to the gym this morning but I did do week one of the 30 day shred and the hard core fusion that was 30 minutes before going to work. I will get in a run maybe on my lunch break or after work.

August 3, 2009

Today is the first of a new month. I plan to refocus and commit to taking classes to becoming a personal trainer and in order for me to do that I need to make better choices so that I can achieve my new goals.

5.6 miles ran on the treadmill speed ranged from 6.0 to 7.3.