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Showing posts from February 1, 2012

Run intervals, heart rate and walking

As a coach and athlete, I am not afraid to fail. I love trying new things and discovering "new" ways to enhance "old" techniques. With Karel as my coach, however, I always have someone to blame if things go wrong....only kidding :) In all honesty, my training has yet to fail me. I am still finding myself progressing consistently with training, always welcoming the early morning hours for a refreshing sweat, constantly learning something about myself as an athlete and enjoying ways to keep my body healthy, well and alive. Ever since training with power in 2008, I have seen my cycling improve significantly. Since then, I have yet to train for miles or for speed and rarely to do I look at my heart rate. In terms of running, however, I enjoy keeping an eye on my heart rate. However, ever since purchasing a Garmin running wach in 2010, I have learned (through research and applications on myself) that running for pace and perceived exertion is a more valuable tool than so

Weight loss by cutting calorie density

Or, feeling satisfied by increasing nutrient density. Whichever way you look at it, the obvious key to weight loss is eating less calories. Oh, if it was only that simple. It's more and more common to see ads on TV of foods with "less" calories. "Now...with only x-calories compared to before with x-calories." When it comes to processed food (manufactured food in a box), often something is added when something is removed to make that food "less". Check the label and you will often see more fat, sugar, sodium or ingredients...often artificial or sweetened ingredients. As an athlete, my focus is on my health but also on my performance. Therefore, as I am eating to LIVE a long and healthful lifestyle, I am also prioritizing my food choices to fuel my workouts. Thus, the balance is achieved when I feel satisfied with my food intake and thus, my workouts do not suffer because of my eating habits. This is something that is achieved over time and varies from

A Quick Sport Nutrition Tip

Nutrient timing is important to seeing gains in performance, positive changes in body composition and improvements in overall health. Don't sabatoge a training session by working out without a balanced pre-training snack. You may not think you need one so consider your mood, cravings and eating habits (ex. overeating) and fatigue level later in the day. More often than not, a pre training snack will keep blood sugar levels consistent throughout the workout, may elevate energy expenditure after the workout, will help get you in the mood to train, will help you feel energized throughout the entire workout and will keep you from dreaming of food during your workout. The snack and timing will likely vary depending on the person, workout (intensity/duration) and environmental conditions/terrain. Keep it simple and work your way up in calories as well as macronutrient distribution (carb + pro/fat) in order to find the perfect pre-training snack for your most intense and/or longest workou

Super bowl creations -thinking outside the pizza box

Through out my nutrition and endurance athlete journey, I have kept a common saying.....if you eat well most of the time, you don't have to worry about the rest of the time. I think it would be semi pointless for me to tell you about the statistics of super bowl and food consumption. But, I'll share just a few facts that I found on Delish.com : "In a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association of more than 1,000 people, 31 percent said that they will be ordering delivery or take-out, while an additional 12 million people — mostly West Coasters due to the earlier kick-off time — are expected to watch the big game at a restaurant or bar." On the website, the top 5 must-have food items were listed in order as: 1) Salsa, dips and spreads 2) Chicken Wings 3) Pizza 4) Desserts 5) Subs/Sandwiches "...The National Chicken Council predicts Americans will consume 1.25 billion wings on game day. That's over 100 million pounds of bird. According to the counci

Powerful Spaghetti squash

Within my journey of learning how to appreciate the food that I put into my body, I have discovered many new tastes and ways to be more creative in the kitchen. Although 18-years of being a vegetarian has allowed me to broaden my horizons when it comes to mourishing my body and fueling for endurance sports, I can't say that I was always so adventurous when it came to learning to appreciate new foods. Thankfully, Karel loves all food. And, I love to cook. Put those two together and I have no excuses when it comes to variety in our diet. As athletes and fitness enthusiasts, I think it is necessary that you prioritize variety with your food choices. The easiest suggestion I can make is to think of the colors of the rainbow when planning your meals and snacks. Each meal and snack can build off one another so that by the end of the day, you feel satisfied with your choices...and in your belly. By learning how to add new wholesome foods into the diet, the body is also able to metabolize