July 31, 2007

Tuesday

Workout of the day

Complete as many rounds in 30 minutes as you can of:

10 Pull ups

15 Step ups – Can use bench with 20 – 30 pounds per side

2 Lunge – 2 Arm Forward w/ Push
This movement pattern is an excellent way to create dynamic shoulder strength for sport.

The step up integrates total body training with an emphasis on the quadriceps, hip and gluteus for strength and improved function.

July 30, 2007

Workout for the day

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: Can be barbell or dumbbell
Bench press: Maximum weight
Clean:
1 minute Plank

If possible set up three bars:

Deadlift

July 27, 2007

Friday

“Hollow Rocks.”

Loyd Lewis “Hollow Rocks.” Bow like the rail of a rocking chair. Only a very athletic contraction of the lower abs will prevent the “clunk” caused by a flat spot in the lumbar spine. Pull the xyphoid process, the little knot under the sternum, powerfully toward the pubic bone. Tuck the pelvis “under” and hold. Minimize the movement required to initiate the rocking.

Learning to work and control the lower abs is a major athletic achievement.

Practice this movemembe often.

July 26, 2007

Thursday

Rest Day!

Metabolic Conditioning

The use of oxygen by the body is known as Oxygen consumption. Maximal oxygen consumption

(VO2 max)

is the highest rate of oxygen transport and utilization achieved at maximal physical exertion.

Aerobic:

Low powered, low intensity, long duration – Aerobic means with oxygen. Many activities, however, last for only a few seconds and are not dependent upon oxygen for proper execution.

Anaerobic:

Higher powered, low intensity, short duration, efforts less than several minutes. This form of training is typically used by athletes in non-endurance sports to build power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Muscles that are trained under anaerobic conditions develop biologically differently giving them greater performance in short duration-high intensity activities.

Lactate Threshold:

Is the point where as work intensity increases lactic acid level in the blood rise faster than can be controlled. Lactic acid is a waste product of anaerobic work. Also known as “anaerobic threshold”, the lactate threshold marks the point in intensity where work has become largely anaerobic. When exercising below the AT intensity any lactate produced by the muscles is removed by the body without it building up.
The anaerobic threshold is a useful measure for deciding exercise intensity for training and racing in endurance sports (e.g. distance running, cycling, rowing, swimming and cross country skiing), and can be increased greatly with

Interval Training:

Exercise protocol of set periods of high intensity rest and work. This is how anaerobic athletes develop tremendous levels of aerobic fitness – through intervals

Alteration in breathing patters can directly impact the components of the kinetic chain and lead to dysfunction. If the breathing patters become more shallow, the body uses secondary respiratory muscles more than the diaphragm, which can impact your posture. This may create excessive muscular tension, resulting in headaches, lightheadedness and dizziness. Short shallow breaths can also lead to altered carbon dioxide/oxygen blood content which causes feelings of anxiety.
Inadequate oxygen and retention of metabolic waste within muscles can create stiff muscles and joints.

A great shoulder stretch.

Healthy shoulders will allow the hands to meet regardless of which hand comes from top or bottom. Practice this stretch often. Can also be done with a yoga strap.

July 25, 2007

Wednesday

6 mile run

2 miles easy
3 miles at Short Tempo pace
1 mile easy

Pacing is a crucial component to running programs. Running intensity is a key factor to improving the physiological processes that determining running performance.

Your training pace should be based on your best 10K.

July 24, 2007

Three rounds of:

Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 50 – 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 20 – 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. Do not reset or rest between exercises.

This is a five-minute of work with one-minute break before repeating circuit.

One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

If you feel the need to repeat the circuit again….. Please do and increase the weight….

Have a safe workout….

Tabouleh Pita

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pitas
• 1 cup bulgur-medium (cracked wheat)
• 2 cups water
• juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 olive oil
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3 scallions, diced
• 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut pitas in half and split open. Soak bulgur in water in a medium bowl for 15 minutes, then drain. In a separate small bowl, mix lemon juice with olive oil. Add lemon juice mixture to bulgur. Add tomatoes, scallions, cucumbers, bell pepper and parsley. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into pitas and serve.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Calories: 109
Fat: 7 g
Protein: 3 g
Carbs: 12 g
Makes 8 Servings

July 15, 2007

Sunday

What: A series of half-marathon (13.1-mile) races throughout New York City

Where: All five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island

Every runner who completes at least four of the five races earns a commemorative patch, and those who run all five receive a certificate, a special gift, and public recognition of their achievement. This year Michael and I embarked in this journey….and may I say it’s been very interesting running the Bronx 1/2 marathon in 12 degree weather… and training in the cold temperatures of December, January, and February… But Michael is a very determined young man who is challenged by the word NO.. So.. Here is a story for

Sunday’s training run…. 

There is a trail along the Old Croton Aqueduct that Michael and I had been wanting to run for quite some time. Sunday, we set out for a long run along the aqueduct. The aqueduct itself was constructed in 1837 and carried water 41 miles from the Old Croton Dam in Westchester County to two reservoirs in Manhattan. Our intention was not to traverse the entire length, but to simply cover 6 miles one way and then turn back… Simple don’t you think..

In doing some research about the trail prior to beginning, it became evident
that the trail was not well marked, but that there was no real trouble in
navigating it.  At least that’s what the information said.

We began our run in Dobbs Ferry and headed north. Due to a 10k we had run
the day before, the first mile or so was spent getting the legs loose and
enjoying the scenery . . .
it is beautiful! 

We did our best Lewis and Clark impersonation and choose what seemed to be the best route. This quickly led us to another street and it seemed as if we were off the trail
completely. Still feeling adventurous (now this is Michael feeling adventurous) we headed down a tree-lined street, passed little league fields and under the Interstate, which according to the hand-drawn map we had found on the Internet was still in the relative
direction of the trail.

We emerged near the entrance of the Tappan Zee Bridge in the town of Tarrytown. At this point we had almost given up on finding the trail but wanted to keep the run going so we continued north on Main St. in Tarrytown.

About 2 miles up the road we fond a police officer and inquired of how/where
we could get back onto the Trail. He gave us directions that would take us
another 3 or so miles north, then hang a right and go up a hill and the trail picks back up again.
We headed in that direction, undecided if we would go as far as the left hand turn.

We never made a left.

At no point during the run were we ‘lost’ as Michael was familiar with the area, (so he said) and the Hudson River was in sight to our left. When we saw the signs welcoming us to Sleepy Hollow we decided it was time to head back. At this point we were about an hour and 20 minutes into our run.

Neither of us wanted to go back the way we came as it was along a busy road.
Michael was convinced we could get to the river, find a path and head south back
to Dobbs Ferry. So I followed….. We headed west toward the river in Sleepy Hollow but were denied crossing the railroad tracks by an abandoned bridge, so we headed back. We then tried to get to the river in Tarrytown, were again rebuffed (this time by a boat club) and again had to retrace steps.
At this point we had accomplished the task of not running on the busy road back to the
aqueduct trail, but had done so at the cost of many additional strides. We were 2 hours and 10 minutes into the run and were seriously considering flagging down a taxi.
We did plan ahead and had $5 with us so we stopped in a mini-mart, replenished ourselves with 2 large bottles of Gatorade and headed back up the hill toward the trail.
We finally made it back to Dobbs Ferry, a mere 3 hours after we had set out.
Our legs were hurting, our faces a bit sun-burned and our crotches a bit raw.  At the end of the day it was an interesting trip that has left us wanting to go back and find the right way.
Thank you Michael for sharing this adventure with me….

July 14, 2007

strong>Saturday

Ran a 10 K with NYRRC

Naples – New York Park to Park

Two of the world’s great cities join together to celebrate two great running parks – Naples’s Royal Woods of Capodimonte and New York’s Central Park.

Pictures to be posted at a later time:

This is me…. with a 7 minute late start my time was 54:07

July 12, 2007

Exercise

8 Count Body Builders
Start in a standing position and bend your knees and place your hands on the ground.
Extend your legs back into a push up position.
Bring your knees back in towards chest and stand back up.
This should be a continuous motion and be fluid.

Air Bike Crunches
1. Start by lying on your back with your hands behind your back and thighs bent 90 degrees at your hip.
2. Simultaneously curl your right shoulder and left knee up towards the center of your body until your elbow and knee touch. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other side.
3. Continuously repeat this pattern for the prescribed repetitions.

Mountain Climbers
1. Start by getting on your hands and feet in a prone position.
2. Keeping your body parallel to ground drive your knees up towards your chest alternating back and forth.
3. Repeat this movement for the required number of seconds.

8 Count Body Builders
Start in a standing position and bend your knees and place your hands on the ground.
Extend your legs back into a push up position.
Bring your knees back in towards chest and stand back up.
This should be a continuous motion and be fluid.

Double Crunch
1. Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent and hands behind head. Keep elbows back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Start position: Hands behind head and knees bent at 90 degrees.
3. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominals and raise shoulders off floor or bench. During the crunch, also bring knees towards chest.
4. Return to start position.
5. Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion of either may cause injury.

Jumping Jacks
Start with your legs side by side and your arms by your side.
In one motion jump and spread your legs out to the side while your arms raise out and up over your head.
Land in this position and then return to the starting position and repeat.

High Knee Drill
1. Stand in place with feet hip width apart.
2. Drive knee up towards chest and quickly place the foot back on the ground.
3. Drive other knee up in a moderate to fast jog with minimal ground contact time.

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“There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.”
Clare Boothe
1903-1987, Author
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Some things you should know about your skin

A Poor Diet is Bad for Your Skin

* Skin health, and acne in particular, are tied
strongly to diet.

* Acne is caused by inflammation and oxidative stress

* Traditional indigenous cultures have little acne, but as soon as they adopt a Western diet
or SAD (standard American diet), they see increasing levels of acne.

* Sugar raises insulin levels, which promotes the production of testosterone in women, and
inflammation in general, causing acne.

* Saturated and processed fats increase arachidonic acid levels and compete with omega-3 fats in the body, leading to more inflammation and acne.

* Milk and dairy consumption is closely linked with acne (and many other skin and health
problems) in part because of the hormones (including growth hormone) in dairy and because of the saturated fats.

* High-sugar milk chocolate can increase acne by increasing inflammation, but dark chocolate does the opposite.

Nutritional Deficiencies Promote Acne

* Widespread nutritional deficiencies of zinc, omega-3 fats, and some anti-inflammatory omega-6 fats like evening-primrose oil promote acne, while supplementing with them can help boost immunity and reduce inflammation and acne.

* A topical form of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) can reduce inflammation and help acne.

* Antioxidant levels are low in acne patients — especially vitamins A and E, which are critical for skin health.

* People who eat more fruits and vegetables (containing more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds) have less acne.

* Certain foods have been linked to improvements in many of the underlying causes of acne and can help correct it, including fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, nuts, dark purple and red foods such as berries, green foods like dark green leafy vegetables, and eggs.

Hormonal Imbalances Cause Skin Problems

* Hormonal imbalances trigger acne — and diet influences hormones like testosterone, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth hormone), and insulin, which promote acne.

* The biggest factor affecting your hormones is the glycemic load of your diet (how quickly the food increases your blood sugar and insulin levels).

* Eating omega-3 fats and fiber (to reduce testosterone in women), cutting out sugar (to
reduce insulin), and using soy foods (to reduce toxic testosterone levels) help balance
hormones. Exercise also helps improve insulin function.

Leaky Gut and Food Allergies Cause Acne

* Delayed food allergies are among the most common causes of acne. Foods like gluten, dairy, yeast, and eggs can be problems if you have a leaky gut.

* Taking probiotics (such as lactobacillus) can improve acne.

* Good bacteria from probiotics also take up residence on the skin, helping with acne.

Your Brain Can Cause Acne

* Stress causes acne flare-ups.

* Stress does this by causing increased inflammation and oxidative stress, raising cortisol, and depleting zinc, magnesium, and selenium, which help control acne.

* Stress causes poor dietary choices.

* You can manage stress through meditation, yoga, saunas, massage, biofeedback, aromatherapy, and more.

So getting healthy skin and clearing up acne truly depend on the optimal function of many of the core systems of the body — your nutritional status, your immune system, your gut, your hormones and your mind-body health.