Smart training for cyclists

image from bicycling.com

I admire my friends who have previously trained or are presently training for the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride. The 7-day event is a big commitment and if you have a busy work schedule, how do you get the most out of your limited training time per week? Cross-training and interval training is how you mix it up. Get smart with your training and get different strategies for your improving your speed and endurance.

As a trainer for various athletes (triathletes, marathon runners, senior olympics cyclist), I've seen how core exercises and proper stretching keeps my students in the game and avoid serious injuries!

I like the article in Bicycling Magazine, "Shake up your workout." More is not always better -- long rides can cause fatigue that are hard to recover from. The best way to boost your speed is interval training, cross-training (core, yoga, strength training), and proper recovery so you can do it again! Even if you're not near hills and only have flatland for your rides, the article talks about changing to a tougher gear so you can feel a harder ride and then go back to an easy pace. If your weather is not cooperating, you can use an elliptical machine and try one of the pre-programmed interval training programs. Using your entire lower body (without your bike seat) will help you gain more strength in your legs.  Balance on the elliptical without holding on with your hands, and you'll work on your flat belly too! (link goes to flat belly nutrition tips).

If you're limited with equipment, simply pull out some space in your home enough for your to practice your elbow and side planks to get started in your core workouts.  Don't forget that the foam roller can also work your core (think pilates exercises) and help you stretch out tights spots like your IT band! Need help figuring out your good form for a core workout? You can email me to set up a 30-minute workout where we can check your form and give you several programs to practice at home. If you want help with your nutrition and recovery, we can set up your nutrition+wellness coaching so you know how and when to get your magnesium, minerals, and other fuel to avoid those nasty muscle cramps and get the energy you need to keep your rides fun.

How to Exercise in Winter

Winter cold or irregular weather or allergy-provoking winds can really discourage us from exercise. Some of us have a block against the word exercise or think of some high-level of exercise perfectionism. What counts is that you get started doing SOMETHING and are physically active--and once you get moving, you want to move more!

IDEAS on how to be more physical and even exercise!
* DANCE BREAK On the TV show 30 Rock, Tina Fey leads her writing team to break down for a "dance break" with her favorite rap music. If you work from home, this is the perfect computer break! Oxygenating your brain will help you think more clearly and productivity rises! OR take this to the next level--make it your cardio workout by dancing to your favorite music mix or videos. As a teen, I used to dance with MTV music videos with my friend--being goofy or having fun is one way to get over that perfectionism.
* WALK AT THE MALL It was raining badly one time I was visiting my friend in Ithaca and I had just got off a 5-hour bus ride. There was no way I could sit more at her house and I needed to walk so I could avoid back and hip pain. My motivator? Pain-prevention and body ache. I asked her to take me to the mall. We did walking, making laps around the aisles of Target while we caught up talking. Yes, you can leave your credit cards at home and safely do brisk walks at the mall if you can't be outside. Make a rule, that if you're going to be on a long phone call with a loved one who doesn't mind your cardio-breathing, you can make that a walk and talk appointment. Some people even have long-distance walking buddies--a great way to catch up with loved ones and encourage each other to get in those brisk walks. Also, join my hiking group for inspiration--we take the opportunity to be local tourists and check out new parks.
* HOME STRENGTH I had a student in New York City with the smallest apt AND we were in the middle of winter with his plan to quit cigarettes (exercise is a great way to help smokers find an alternative to the breathing they miss from smoking). Nothing was going to stop us with his strength and cardio routine. We did so many exercises with JUST his body weight, the floor and a chair. We did martial-arts-inspired lunges (in every direction--side lunges are really great!) and deep squats and if you do enough of them without stopping, these strength training exercises become a cardio workout! Incline push-ups with a chair, legs on a chair with push-up arms on the ground, dips, side planks. Lots of pilates mat exercises can be mixed up with a chair or ball for variety. And on the days we were brave to bundle up and go outside, the cold air was refreshing and when we had enough, we would run back inside.

Keep in mind WHY you care about your health--whether it be your family medical history, your goals for travel, or simply keeping your brain sharp. If you are a smarty who hasn't really been athletic, this bookworm has some science for you! Reasons to do something physical, is not only to protect your physical health, but also your mood and your brain (this is excerpted from a mind-body medicine blog):
* In elderly men with poor physical function, increasing general physical activity may potentially confer a protective effect or delay the onset for dementia. (Taaffe DRet al., J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 2008 and Ahlskog JE et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2011)
* According to an NIH study, regular aerobic exercise can modify the brain environment in such a way that the neurons are protected and may help prevent brain damage from diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease. (Harry GJ et al., Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2011)
* Regular exercise increases mitochondrial numbers in brain cells, a potential cause for exercise’s beneficial mental effects. Mitochondria produce the power for our cells, and have a role in cell growth and death. (Steiner JL et al., American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, 2011)

Get physical and stay smart!

Easy ways to sleep better

Ok, some of you workaholics just won't be able to get *more* hours of sleep. However, you can sleep better for the hours you are dedicating to sleep.

1) RELAX YOUR EYES: NO TEXTING IN BED
Leave the bedroom area for relaxation. The brain really does associate space to tasks. One hour before you go to bed, stop the electronic stimuli. That means, stop checking email, texts, TV. Your eyes are tired and over-stimulated already by the bombardment of eletromagnetic stimuli from the computer and all that you do for work. Leave work behind and give yourself an hour to wind down. You can play mellow music, but nothing that you associate with work. Relaxing the eyes also helps to relax neck and shoulder tension.

2) REMEMBER HOW KIDS HAVE A BEDTIME STORY? CREATE A BEDTIME RITUAL.
Create a bedtime ritual. Start by planning backwards. Brush teeth, other bathroom tasks, decaf calming herbal tea, lotion/massage tired feet or crampy calves. Lavender lotions (preferably essential oils and not perfume) also have the benefit of calming.

3) CHECK YOUR NUTRITION: HOW DID YOU EAT?
Did you eat a full day's meals? Sometime you work so much, you forgot to eat lunch or dinner was too small. Don't eat right before bed, but check in with yourself in the evening after dinner to see if you need a small protein+carb combo snack. Don't make the mistake of eating crackers and feeling hungry in the middle of the night. If you eat dairy, try yogurt with fruit and nuts. Or try whole grain toast with almond butter. Or a small bowl of veggie soup (the fiber helps slow down the digestion and the warmth helps make you sleepy).

Did you know that 3 out of 4 American adults are calcium-deficient? Calcium-rich and magnesium-rich foods help relax the muscles so you can sleep better. Don't want to eat, but need a boost of calcium+magnesium to calm down the tense muscles? This is a calcium supplement that gets absorbed in 5 minutes on an empty stomach. Many of us also don't eat enough greens and are magnesium deficient, which not only shows up as tight muscles or maybe even headaches. You can take care of this deficiency with a magnesium boost. And if you've been flying between time zones or have had an irregular sleep schedule that needs to be re-regulated, L-tryptophan is really helpful -- well-loved by nurses who do over-night shifts or people who have had bad sleep due to allergies or noise disruptions. This formula of L-tryptophan really helped improve sleep and boost the mood of one of my weight loss students so that he had the energy to exercise!

4) RELAX THE BACK (and neck and shoulders)
Relax on a foam roller. This is the number one exercise toy I ask everyone to have at home. Every other exercise equipment you can use at the gym. This one is so popular, that the foam roller I lent a friend actually left town to go to his mother's house 2 hours away!
When you're too tired, the muscle tensions wound up in the day just find it hard to unwind. Used by physical therapists and Pilates instructors for core strengthening and spine alignment, all you have to do is take 2 minutes: 1 minute to lie on it (doing deep belly breaths) and 1 minute to lie on the mat to let your body feel supported in the newly relaxed position. The tension you carry into bed with you sometimes gets more wound up as you sleep, so why not let it go before you go to bed so you can sleep better!

5) CAN'T STRETCH OUT THE TENSION? EPSOM SALTS BATH TO THE RESCUE!
I admit, sometimes my calves are tight, or my hip flexors are tight, and my stretching gives me some relief but it doesn't do the trick. Epsom salts to the rescue! I buy a big stash of Epsom salts to fill up my under-the-sink cabinet. You want to pour at least 2 generous cups of salts into your water to saturate your bath with Epsom salts (=magnesium sulfate)--so that you can absorb that Magnesium into your muscles, and all those hard-to-get places can loosen up. BONUS--if you've been stressed and constipated, epsom salts bath will also help relax your gut and move things along. Salts can be bought at the dollar store in LA, pharmacies everywhere, and if you have lots of storage space, I've heard the gardening stores keep them on stock to help tomatoes grow.

6) STILL WORRIED? LET IT GO BY WRITING and TURN OFF THE "MONKEY BRAIN"
Worrying doesn't get work done. So leave the worries behind by writing it down. * By hand.*
Typing doesn't have the same release effect as handwriting your list of things you're worried about. Most things can wait for tomorrow. Turn off the "monkey brain"--yes that's the brain that spins its neurotic or repetitive wheel. Visualize a happy beach or park or your favorite relaxation spot. Your brain is powerful so go ahead and take command to train your brain to help you sleep better, more relaxed. You'll make smarter easier decisions when you are well-rested. Let your body reset well, and it's easier to be leaner and healthier.


More info on sleep is available from the National Sleep Foundation.

photo credit: Shoichi Shingu (www.purplepen.com)