Work It Out: Save Your Knees

February 5, 2013 By Laura

I have terrible knees.

When they are at their worst, I walk like an old man.

This week’s Work It Out comes from a reader request. My girl Calee has been struggling with injuries and wanted to hear more about leg exercises that wouldn’t stress her knees. Since she designed this logo I, of course, had to oblige. 🙂

Building up your leg muscles will go a long way in helping your knees. After years of abuse – including a broken knee – my knees were so bad that I could tell when it was going to rain because they would ache so much. That’s actually gotten BETTER since I’ve been lifting more seriously.

I’m not going to tell you they are 100%. Just last week my left knee was tweaking during hack squats. However, prior to beginning my training I couldn’t run more than a mile. I ran an adventure race 3 weeks ago with no issues whatsoever.

The leg muscles are the largest muscles in our body, and a large contributor to overall lean muscle mass (or lack thereof). Leg muscles also protect the knee joint.

Movements like squats and lunges place a lot of stress on the knees, which is exactly what those suffering from knee issues need to avoid. Instead, focus on strengthening your hamstring and quadriceps muscles to build leg strength and protect your knees. It will seem difficult at first. Start slowly and do leg exercises on a regular basis. It takes 21 days to change a pattern!

Below are several exercises you might try to strengthen your leg muscles without stressing your knees. Note that these exercises are options to work around your pain and/ or limitations. They are NOT designed to be rehabilitation exercises or corrective training. This type of training is best left to a qualified physical therapist, so please consult with a doctor first if you have significant pain or injuries. I am NOT a doctor.

Sumo Stomps

Yes, this is just what it sounds like. Sumo stomps are fun to do and will blast your quads, and you inner and outer thighs. Be sure to stay low and controlled!

Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out to sides at about 45 degrees. Pointing your toes out will make this easier on your knees than a traditional squat. Press your palms together in front of you in a prayer position at shoulder level.

Squat down, sending hips back and keeping knees behind toes. Hold the squat and lift one leg up to the side as high as you can, remaining as low as possible in your squat. Be sure to keep your abs tight and your chest up! Lower leg and repeat with other side to complete one rep.

Cable Squats

These are great for your core too! Lean back a bit while doing these, hitting your glutes and taking strain off of your knees. A medicine ball is used in the example, but you can do it without.

Attach a EZ or straight bar to the low pulley cable. Place a medicine ball between your knees (feet hip width apart as in a squat position). Hold the bar with arms outstretched, standing a body length away from the cable stack. Squat until both your hips and knees form 90 degree angles. Shift your weight over your heels and push through the heels to return to standing position.

Hip Lifts On Bench

This is a great move to target the glutes and the hamstrings. Hamstrings provide an accelerating force at each push-off, so stronger hamstrings are especially beneficial for runners. Keep your core tight to get a little extra oblique tone, too!

Place your heels on a bench (or chair), allowing your knees to bend so that they are directly above your hips at a 90 degree angle Rest your arms should on the floor at your side. Exhale and dig into the bench with your heels, lifting your hips off the floor as high as possible. Pause for 1-2 seconds, squeezing your glutes. Lower and repeat for reps.

Need a challenge? Do them one-legged or on a stability ball!

Below are a few more exercises. Click the titles for a link to descriptions and pics:

Wall Ball Squats – This is a great way to squat with some support. Just like a traditional squat, be sure your knees don’t go over your toes. Try them with weights in your hands for a greater challenge.
Side Step Ups – This is a good move for you butt, hips, and thighs. Start on a lower platform and work your way up to a bench. As your legs strengthen, you can do these at a faster pace as more of a Side Shuffle.
Pop Squats – These are a plyometric exercise. Plyo can be hard on your knees… BUT if you do these correctly, take your time, and land softly they can help build up your quads and hams. Tip: keeping your toes pointed slightly outward will make it easier on your knees.
Single Leg Extensions – These CAN strain your knees, but if you adjust the machine to your height and stick to low weight/high reps it can be a good tool for strengthening your quads, which is a huge help to your knees.
Single Leg Curls – This is a perfect for directly targeting the hamstrings. If you don’t have access to gym machines, you can do standing leg curls with an elastic resistance band or low cable pulley
Good Mornings – This is another fantastic move for your hamstrings. I like to do them at the end of a workout because it’s also a nice stretch. Begin with a light weight and be sure not to round your back. Your chin should remain upright; I try to focus on a spot at about belt height during the lift to ensure my back doesn’t round.

Don’t be afraid to modify a movement to better accommodate your specific limitations. For instance, use a lighter weight or slower tempo. If it hurts, stop. Don’t push yourself too far or you could cause further injury to your knees.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

I offer personalized online training and nutrition programs! Check out my philosophy here and fill out the from for more info.

Also, don’t miss my free Macro Calculator, which helps time your meals to get the most out of your workouts.

***

I’ve been super-setting a lot since last week’s post. According to my HRM, the claim of an extra 1/3 calorie burn is spot on!

Did anyone try super-sets after reading about them last week?

Do you have any workout questions or things you’d like more info on?

My Favorite Health-Related Apps

January 31, 2013 By Laura

I like to apply myself.

My grade school teachers would laugh… they always wrote on my report cards “if Laura would only apply herself…”

With age came discipline. And the iPhone, which I use to keep me on track with my fitness. Every day I use my top apps. It may be a little OCD, but it works for me.

1. Sleep Cycle

I will never be a morning person, but this gem makes waking up a little easier. Sleep Cycle uses the accelerometer in your iPhone to monitor your movement throughout the night an determine which sleep phase you are in. It wakes you up in a 30 minute alarm window that ends at your set alarm time, depending on when you are in your lightest sleep phase.

I need more hours of sleep…

2. Social Apps

I’m lumping these together since I’m sure most of you are already familiar. I love social media. ~~Maybe too much~~. HootSuite is a big time saver because it allows me to manage Facebook and Twitter in one place. I also use the Facebook app to interact with friends and post random quotes and resources on my page (click to “like” Sprint 2 the Table!).

And my beloved Instagram. What did we do before this? When I can’t decide what to eat, it’s my first stop for inspiration! That first pic was for a recipe I was going to post today… but the pics were SO bad in the night lighting.

3. FitBit

The app is great for tracking my water throughout the day. I drink 120 ounces… it’s hard to keep up with that in my head! There are a lot of apps that will do this for you; I use FitBit because I already use the pedometer.

I use my actual FitBit One device daily to track steps, distance, and stairs. It also give you a calories burned number… but I don’t think it’s accurate. It’s value – to me – is that it motivates me to keep moving. When you have a desk job, it can easily lead to a sedentary state. Yes, I work out regularly… but in reality it’s only about 1.5 hours a day. The rest of the time I am at a desk.

I drink 120 oz a day… yes, I pee a LOT.

4. Full Fitness

I just started using this app to track my progress in the gym. I can record workouts, reps, and the weights I use easily and in real-time at the gym. A pen and paper will do the trick… but I hate carrying that stuff around, and I can never remember exactly what I did by the time I get home.

This app also track progress graphically, making it easy to see improvements over time. Heather just wrote a great post about the importance of measuring your progress. I love her point about setting benchmarks – it is SO important to keep challenging yourself so as not to stagnate. We don’t work this hard to stay the same, right?

I haven’t used the following features but… if you don’t already have a routine, the app offers 25 pre-defined workouts (with pictures and instructions), cardio exercises, and stretches. It also offers a calorie counter.

5. Lose It

This is both an app and an online service. While the name is Lose It, I use it to gain. This service allows me to track the foods I eat, complete with macros! Their catalog of foods is pretty extensive, but if you can’t find something you can scan the bar code or enter it manually.

One of my favorite features is the ability to enter recipes. You can choose the number of servings and enter all of the ingredients into dishes you make, then save it for future use. I use this to calculate the recipes I post on this site. Like that recipe on Instagram last night… this is coming soon!

Another cool feature is that you can enter exercise… and the calories burn is pretty accurate. Lose It! asks your age, weight, and height when you sign up, which I supposed really can give a good idea of the calories you burn. I was skeptical.

To confirm its accuracy, I used my heart rate monitor. Most of the time the calories burned match, give or take 20-40 cals. I will never understand how this is possible.

The Lose It! review is part of a sponsored campaign with Lose It! and FitFluential, LLC. All opinions are my own (and I was already using the app). Learn more about Lose It! on Twitter.

***

That chili recipe is coming as soon as I get some good picture-taking daylight… it was GOOD!

What are your favorite apps?

How much water do you drink in a day?

Work It Out: Supersets

January 29, 2013 By Laura

Sometimes you really need to get in and out of the gym.

In a perfect world, I’d have 4 hours to lift.

The reality of the situation is that we all have responsibilities outside of the gym. One way to move a little faster through your workout while doing the same amount of work is to superset. These are also a fabulous way to push through plateaus.

Work It Out, on the double.

Supersets

Many of you may have heard of this technique before. Supersetting means doing two exercises with little to no rest in between.

Do your prescribed number of reps (I do 6-10) for one exercise, immediately followed by reps of a second exercise. Start off performing 2 to 3 sets for each exercise. As you advance, increase sets to 3 to 4 total.

How do you incorporate them?

1. Exercises working the same body part.

The benefit is that you hit the muscle from different angles but without giving the body part time to recover from the first exercise. It forces you to work that much harder to complete the second exercise, and can have a big impact if your focus is muscle development.

An example is super-setting Incline Flyes with Flat Dumbbell Bench Press:

Incline Flyes

Grasp dumbbells using an overhand grip, bringing the dumbbells to the sides of your torso at chest level. Hold the dumbbells at arm’s length and do not lock your elbows. With palms facing forward, position the dumbbells directly over your upper chest area so that they are touching each other. Slowly bend your arms and lower the dumbbells until they are at either side of your chest. Repeat the movement for reps.

Note: The top of the dumbbell should never pass below your lower chest area to avoid strain on your anterior shoulder muscles.

Dumbbell Flat Bench Press

The only difference between this exercise and the flat barbell bench press is that in order to stabilize the dumbbells your body will need to recruit more muscle fibers.

On a flat bench, grip dumbbells in each hand, palms facing each other. Press up the dumbbells one arm at a time so that you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width and rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. (You can use your thighs to help you get the dumbbells up.) Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe in. As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles. Repeat for reps.

2. Exercises working opposing muscle groups.

This is a great way to burn out a whole muscle group!

An example is super-setting standing (or lying) leg curls with leg extensions:

Standing Leg Curls

The standing leg curl strengthens the hamstrings (this is great for runners!).

Start with a lighter weight, as this machine can put some strain on the knees. Adjust the pads so that they are in a comfortable position around the ankle – you don’t want the pads too high up the calf. Grasp the support handles, then lift the pad upward as far as it will go toward the butt. Lift and lower the leg in a controlled manner to complete one full rep.

Leg Extensions

The leg extension specifically targets the quadriceps. Sit on the machine with your legs under the pad, hands holding the side bars. Using your quadriceps, extend your legs as you exhale. The rest of the body should remain still on the seat. Pause a second in the contracted position before lower the weight back to the original position in a controlled motion.

Note: Be sure to adjust the pad so that it falls on top of your lower leg (just above your feet), and make sure that your legs form a 90-degree angle between the lower and upper leg. If the legs form less than a 90-degree angle, your knee is over your toes and this will creates stress at the knee-joint (which you don’t want).

3. My favorite way to super set and save time is to work different body parts.

Before my figure competition last fall, I was doing 15-20 reps of each exercise. Workouts were taking forever, so I started super-setting body parts. If I had a back and tricep day, I’d do one chest exercise followed by a bicep exercise.

Studies have shown that the nervous system activation can actually INCREASE strength in the second muscle group when you work an opposing muscle group directly after the original muscle.

An example is super-setting Bent Over Rows with Close Grip Bench Presses:

Bent Over Rows

Standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees bent, hold a pair of dumbbells so your palms are facing each other and bend forward from the hips. Pull your shoulder blades together and row the weights toward your chest. Return to start. Repeat for reps.

Note: These can also be done with a barbell.

Close Grip Bench Press

Tank top season will be here before you know it – this move will ROCK your triceps.

Lie on a bench press station and grab a barbell with a fist-width overhand grip. Bend your elbows to lower the weight to your chest. Straighten them to return the weight to the start and lock your elbows to squeeze your triceps. Repeat for reps.

Note: Don’t grip too close or you’ll put too much tension on your wrists and not enough on your triceps.

Why Super Set?

Other than the fact that you will get your workout done in a super speedy time…

Superset workouts burn more calories per minute than the traditional weight training session. Because you are moving faster, your heart rate stays up and your body is working harder to recover. Some studies say that you burn as much as 1/3 more calories each minute (both during and AFTER) compared to a typical strength training workout.
They can increase fat loss while building muscle. This can be attributed to the fact that Supersets increase Lactic Acid production, which helps boost Growth Hormone (GH) levels in the body. GH is a fat loss and muscle-building hormone.
Different Superset combinations can help increase muscle fiber activation. Essentially, this means you can use specific exercise combinations to increase the intensity of work on a specific muscle, helping to develop it faster.
For those on the road or who don’t have access to a variety of weights, these are great because you don’t need really heavy weights; you can push your muscles to their limits with a few lighter weights. Great workout with minimal equipment!

Caution: Supersets aren’t to be incorporated into every workout. Use this method as a tool to change-up your routine and bust through plateaus. Please don’t try to set weight records. A moderate weight is just fine here, as you are fully exhausting the muscle.

***Disclaimer: I’m not certified to do anything. Use common sense. Don’t sue me if you get sloppy and hurt yourself or if you don’t look like Fitness Model Barbie after a workout.***

***

I superset on chest and bicep day with my trainer last week… and was begging someone to come wash my hair because lifting my arms seemed too ambitious. Hurts so good, my friends.

Have you used supersets before?

How long do you typically spend in the gym? How long would you like to spend in the gym?

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

January 28, 2013 By Laura

Sometimes I get a wild hair and do nutty things.

Like signing up for 8 hour races, totally untrained.

The good thing is that I’m just a stubborn as I am nutty. If I sign up for a race, I’m going to do it! Next to proper training, the most important thing you can do is fuel properly.

Photo credit: Pangea Adventure Racing

For last weekend’s adventure race, I made absolutely sure I had what my body needed. A big part of that was these bars. If they won’t keep you going, nothing will.

I’ve seen recipes for homemade granola bars, yet for some reason I was too lazy to make them. But… I figured that if I could do a race like this, then I could muster the energy to make my own fuel. After seeing Lindsay’s Quinoa Breakfast Bars I knew mine HAD to include quinoa – good, filling carbs.

When I’m running, I don’t like to take in massive amounts of protein because it can cause cramping. The moderate amount in these bars helps keep you sated and energized.

They also include brown rice syrup for energy – endurance is not the place to try to sub with Stevia. The chia seeds are great for hydration, and contribute healthy fats along with the nuts. Lastly, I added ginger. Ginger is known to help calm the tummy, something I was worried about having just recovered from the stomach flu.

Finally, the most important part: TASTE. These are phenomenal. Not so sweet as to exhaust your palate, but just enough to complement the peanut butter. The way the oats and quinoa softened during baking bring to mind a fudge-y peanut butter. I also loved having the bite from the larger pieces of nuts.

Bonus: They held together in a baggie during the race, and the extras have worked well frozen and reheated as a quick snack/yogurt topper.

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

1/4 C brown rice syrup
1/4 C nut butter (I used 2T almond and 2 T peanut, freshly ground)
2 T coconut oil (melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C quinoa, cooked
3/4 C rolled oats
1/4 C vanilla protein powder (I used Growing Naturals Rice-based)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 T chia seeds
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/2 C nuts (I used crushed pistachios and walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square muffin pan or an 8×8-inch pan.

Combine the syrup, butters, and vanilla in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, oats, protein powder, cinnamon, ginger, and chia seeds. Stir in egg, mixing well to avoid clumps.

Add the wet mixture to the bowl, again stirring well to distribute the ingredients and form a dough. Fold in nuts.

Spoon the dough onto prepared pan, spreading into a flat layer. Bake for 18-20 mins, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from tins or cutting into squares.

Makes 11 squares. ~~(I must have eaten too much dough…)~~

Approximate nutrition: 183 calories, 9.5g fat, 21.6g sodium, 18.5g carbs, 3.2g fiber, 5.2g sugar, 7.g protein

***

I am all registered for the Blend Retreat! Hope to meet /reunite with many of you there! 🙂

What is your favorite race fuel?

When was the last time you got a wild hair? What did you do?

Be Weird

January 24, 2013 By Laura

I’m no stranger to weird.

Or strange… but good!

When I saw the title of Kat’s guest post today I grinned. This girl rocks my weird world. You know it’s a sign of a good friend with a 3 hour trail run/hike flies by.

What doesn’t fly by is the soreness after a long day of exercise. After that run and then this past weekend’s race I am no stranger to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). But I do have a solution! Or… a relief strategy. Some of you will think it’s weird but…

Seriously. If you can keep moving, that soreness will move on out. The day after my 8 hour race I walked 3 miles and jogged 1. By Monday I was back in the gym with my trainer. It’s not a miracle cure, but it DOES help.

Note: Be smart – if it’s beyond normal soreness, you have a strain or an injury, or you are sick REST is what you need. If you are just tight, walk it out!

Enough about me… read on for my weird friend Kat and her killer Strange But Good recipe.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

BE WEIRD, TAKE CHANCES, BE YOURSELF!

Let your spirit move you!!!! Do things that inspire you! That is my theme this week, this year, this lifetime.

I’m going to San Francisco today. It’s my first time as an actual tourist there. I used to go to California for wrestling tournaments in college. Read: All I saw were the insides of hotels and gyms. This time I will be going wine tasting, cheese tasting, and running a trail race on Sunday!! The Steep Ravine trail run (only the 25K distance I think) will be my favorite part! *sounds steep* (Editor’s note: Only 25k?! Kat is a trail running beast.)

I have learned to travel the world and make time for friends you haven’t seen in ages and some great, beautiful races. I will see my friend Jaime, from college (see her blog – Event Crashing at its finest ), who is amazing, and a few other friends. Jaime is the kind of friend you can take your hairless cats to a laser show with. No, that’s not a joke. We did that.

Jaime and I a couple years ago at Dave & Busters

Jaime and I a couple of years ago at Dave & Busters

When I was little, the last thing I wanted to be was weird. Now I embrace it! I think it is one of the reasons I take to Laura. She embraces her unique weirdness just like I do. (Editor’s note: Awwww! I heart you.)

A huge part of enjoying life, for me, is taking chances, doing things I’ve never done before, and being totally okay doing everything and anything that moves me. It creates more smiles, and more smiles means less stress! So let’s get out of the box today and share things that make us weird, happy, and stress-free, and brings a smile to your face. All photos were taken within the last two years.

Ride your bike 100 miles wearing a lei

Do Yoga Poses Anywhere and everywhere – let people stare!

Volunteer to model for a friend.. then become the cover of their look book

Run as far as you can through the woods… surprise yourself

The point of all this is… is that you must have random, fun, sporadic and unique moments in order to make the most out of life. Life is not meant to be suffered through, it’s meant to be enjoyed. That is why I spent a lot of time doing things that are outside of my comfort zone (or used to be).

Other things that make me smile include uncommongoods.com. I could browse that site ALL day! Amazing stuff like this:

Yes, that’s right

And just as good as weird, fun, and sporadic moments are – weird, fun and sporadic foods help you smile! I know, I know, another recipe.. but I have been cooking a LOT. (Editor’s note: That is encouraged here 🙂 )

After my amazing training day with Laura, I made dinner for my friend Martha. A cocoa rubbed pork tenderloin with … dun dun dun… Cocoa Cinnamon Cayenne (CCC) Sweet Potatoes (feel free to ask for the pork tenderloin recipe.. but honestly, they’re all the same).

Cocoa Cinnamon Cayenne (CCC) Sweet Potatoes

Cocoa Powder – 1/4 cup
Cinnamon – 1.5 tbsp or so
Cayenne – 3 tsp-ish
White pepper – a sprinkle
Salt – a couple sprinkles
Sweet potatoes

I used two types of sweet potatoes – regular and Japanese. I coated them in melted coconut oil (~2 tbsp), and tossed them in the CCC mixture. Disclaimer: I never actually measure

Place in a 375* oven for ~20 mins, stir, leave again (~20 mins).

They are absolutely delish! Ask Martha.

Serve with a homemade apple chutney (this was amazing… you can also ask for that recipe if you want… lots of mustard seeds… more savory than sweet).

Sweet potatoes finished in dish

The way I cook is….

…whatever I feel & the way my spirit moves me.

The best part of all of this… the recipe, cooking for friends, and randomness… is that a random and happy life is just that… a happy life!

When you live inspired, you will inspire others.

***

I love this post by Kat… I’m inspired daily by her determination and “can do” attitude. Time to get inspired in the kitchen for tomorrow’s Strange But Good link up! I hope you will all join! 🙂

What recently inspired you? Have you done something inspired/out-side the box?

Tell me something really positive!

Resolution Adventure Race

January 22, 2013 By Laura

Being pushed to the edge of your ability and beyond is empowering.

It’s a scary ledge.

This weekend I re-learned a lesson in mind over matter. I completed the Resolution Adventure Race, an 8 hour adventure/orienteering race with my cousin, Steven. It was my first time, his 6th. Luckily he was patient with me!

Freezing cold, but excited to go!

The Race

We start the day at 6am (remember I’m a not a morning person). Each team receives an orienteering map that utilize the contours and elevation changes of the course. On the map is a series of 37 mandatory Check Points (CPs). These are the locations we must find over the course of 8 hours with the help of our map and a vague clue (ex: large palmetto in the middle of a field). Each CP has a patterned stamp you use to mark your card to prove you were there. You don’t have to get them all, but each one is worth 1 point. At the end of the race, the team with the most points wins.

The points are separated into 3 categories: trekking, biking, and canoeing. They give you a punch card per leg so you can’t cheat and grab a biking CP when you’re on a trekking portion, for instance.

The first two portions were trekking and biking. We jogged through the first leg pretty easily and grabbed every point in about 30 mins. The biking was a little more challenging. Most of the paths were on sugar sand! I am NOT a strong cyclist (read: I don’t ride at all), so I slowed us down. We took about an hour to gain those points.

Then came the canoeing. The check points were along a lake, and our clues were distances and degrees. For example, on clue might say: 977 meters @ 160 degrees. You must then use a compass to find that point. I was the “engine” paddling the boat while my cousin orienteered. This portion took about 2 hours. Weight lifting pays off – my arms were still feeling strong at the end!

Transition area

From there we had a choice to trek or bike. We were almost half way through our 8 hours, and opted to trek first since ~~I suck at biking~~ that was our strong point. We spent about 2 hours and 15 mins trekking and only left 2 CPs behind. What shocked me is that I was able to jog a lot of it! The goal is not to run the whole thing – there is hiking and climbing involved. You have to slow down when you get near a CP to follow your “clue” to the point.

This was my favorite. We jogged through orange groves, swamp land, forests, and sugar sand. We did some bushwhacking, got some scratches, and emerged covered in cockleburs. It was a BLAST.

Cocklebur aftermath… and I’d picked a lot off already! Had to trash these pants.

The last section was biking. It was hour 6 and I was questioning my ability to continue after we hit a grassy, sandy, uphill trail. I did what I could, walked when I had to, and got a little edgy when my cousin got too far ahead of me. Being exhausted and limited by your lack of ability is frustrating!

We didn’t make it to half of the biking CPs before our 8 hours ended. You must be back at the check-in in exactly 8 hours or they start deducting points, so you don’t want to try to over-achieve if it’s going to make you late. We made it in 7:44.

Survivor!

The Fuel

Last week I posted my concerns about staying fueled throughout the race. Having just recovered from the stomach flu, I was especially nervous!

I started the day with my Morning Cocktail, Starbucks oatmeal, a banana, and coffee. And lots of water. Throughout the race we tried to eat and take an electrolyte pill every hour. I aimed for 100 calories per snack.

Race Fuel

What I Consumed: homemade fuel bars (recipe coming soon – these were a win), 1 Espresso GU, 1 Hammer Gel, 1 peanut butter cracker, 1/2 a Stinger Waffle (I didn’t like this – too sweet), and 3 pieces of gum.

I also drank about 40 oz of water… this is not a lot over 8 hours, but I had a lot the day before and morning of knowing that I can’t take in a lot during races due to sloshing and cramping.

Once we turned in our punch cards, we were award with subs. I don’t like mayo-soaked chicken salad… but I ate this sub like a cave person. Food. Any food. Nom. With Cheet-os. Bonus.

We drive 6 hours back to Atlanta that night. No shower, just a baby wipe cleaning and a quick change of clothing. I’m sure the people at Waffle House appreciated our ~~good looks~~ patronage.

That’s right. After burning 3000+ calories, Waffle House was my race day treat food of choice. I love gourmet food, but there is something about a chocolate chip waffle… with a Strange But Good spin, of course:

I asked that mine be topped with a runny egg. The server thought this was so weird she took a picture with her phone to post on Instagram. The movement is growing!!! Bwhahaha!

Any guesses about what the red stuff is in the last pic? I finished my last couple of bites with some hot sauce.

The Results

Team Halling Ass

We weren’t sure how we placed in the race. There were several very competitive teams that compete for national rankings, so competition was fierce. It turns out we finished 9th overall!

We received credit for 27 our of 37 points. Not a single team “cleared the course” (earned all 37 CPs).

***

Thank you to the Pangea crew that organized the race. It was a well-organized, fair race… a fantastic first experience!

Have you ever done a race like this? Would you want to?

Have you ever been pushed beyond the edge of (what you thought was) your ability?

Cramming 101: Endurance Training and Recovery

January 17, 2013 By Laura

Endurance isn’t for the weak.

It also probably should not be prepared for in a cram session.

This Saturday I’m doing an adventure/orienteering race that my cousin talked me in to. 8 hours in the woods with a GPS. They give you the start, the finish, and a couple of mandatory check points along the way. It will be running, hiking, mountain biking, and canoeing. ~~I hope I live.~~

Some of you may not know it, but before I got into lifting seriously, I was a runner. I was a decently fast 5K’er, loved adventure races (hellllloooo Tough Mudder) and ran a few Halfs. I wanted to run a full but one day my knee said no. If I ever want to run distances again I need to have surgery. That won’t be happening.

All of this to say, I haven’t been running in 8 months! Saturday that changed. My cousin recommended I get 6 hours of continuous exercise/training in before the race. Cramming.

Kat agreed to keep me company for half of that by taking me on one of her trail run/hikes.

Kat and Me

13 STEEP miles in 3 hours. We hiked up steep incline filled with wet leaves, leapt over creeks, and ran power lines. It was the perfect day for it – record high 75 degree temps and partly cloudy.

~~I was sore half way through.~~

Nutrition is something I struggle with. I have a hard time eating or drinking during a run – it makes me slosh and cramp. In our 3 hour run, I just ate a mini über Lara Bar (the one with the nuts) and sipped some water. Will have to be sure to take in more fuel while biking and canoeing this weekend.

We finished (thank you, Kat, for being patient with me) and did a little yoga to loosen up. I chugged water.

Kat dropped me at my place where I ran up to pee, change shoes, and eat. In that order.

I broke out an old favorite for fuel:

Sweet Potato “Cereal”

1/2 sweet potato, bakes and cubed
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Unsweetened almond milk

Place sweet potato in a cereal bowl. Mix together remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, adding milk until the mixture thins to a milk consistency.

Pour protein milk over the ‘taters and inhale.

Then I grabbed my bike, water bottle, and a GU and took off. (Note: Espresso GU is tasty!)

Gingerly set out may be a better way to describe it. I was tired. What I considered to be “flat” ground before seems quite hilly. I rode about 15 miles (had to stop for air in my tires and forgot to re-start my RunKeeper app). After I loosened up a bit, it turned into a fun ride. I followed Atlanta’s new Beltline Path and got to see the city in a whole new way. I even took a tour to ride the Krog Street Tunnel (infamous for its graffiti):

Krog Street Tunnel

I decided to get back on the path and head back when I rode past a woman on her porch yelling at her neighbor, “Don’t mess with me or I will HURT your dog!” Scary lady.

Honestly, after I got back within a mile of my place I’d convinced myself to call it quits at 5 hours. I was tired, sore, bored, and hungry. Then I ran into Carol and her sweet puppy Bailey! She was walking home from an afternoon at the dog park, so I joined her to catch up. 30 mins walking there, then another 30 back to my house = 6 hours DONE.

When I got home I was famished. I would have eaten my right hand (I’m left-handed). Instead, I stood in the door of my fridge and ate half a rotisserie chicken with my bare hands. After washing my hands, of course.

Then I cleaned my sticky self:

And finally it was dinner time. Burger topped with avocado, black bean dip, jalapeno, and pico de gallo, with a side of house-made crinkly-crispy sweet potato fries dipped in sriracha and mustard. Then… there may have been an (unpictured) apple pie milkshake. I’ve been boycotting the burger trend (I HATE Yeah! Burger), but Grindhouse Killer Burgers changed my mind.

Yes, it’s Junk-Free January. I needed calories… and it was junk-free-ish. The meat for the burger is freshly ground by a small North Carolina producer and delivered every day, and the bun is a soft potato roll made by a Pennsylvania Dutch bakery. The sauces are homemade. The shakes are homemade. I have no regrets.

Then I crashed. And got hungry again. Banana. Cottage Cheese. Protein powder. Cinnamon. Face plant in bed.

Then, in the wee hours of Monday morning, I got the stomach flu. I think I would have gotten sick despite the cram session… but it probably didn’t help. In the future, I’ll plan better. Thank you all SO much for the well-wishes!

2 days ’til race day!!! I’m eating my carbs and doing to light workouts to prepare.

***

I was nominated for something I’m really excited about: Top Health and Fitness Blog of 2013. I’d be honored to have your vote! It’s really easy – no registration required. Click here to Vote.

How do you fuel before/during/after races?

What is the toughest race/physical activity you’ve ever done?

Junk-Free January + Polar FT4

December 30, 2012 By Laura

This is not a resolution post.

Ok, maybe it sort of is…

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

2013 is going to be the year of going BIG. To start it off, I’m implementing Junk-Free January. For me, this means being diligent about following my nutrition plan, eliminating the processed foods, and staying off the sauce. (I’ll miss you, red wine.)

I’ll also be placing more emphasis on being present during my workouts. I want to maximize my time in the gym by giving my all and making sure my form is on point.

My second figure competition will take place at the end of March, and I hope to do a few more throughout the year. Focus and discipline will be the name of the game.

As luck would have it, I received an opportunity through the FitFluential Ambassador program to review the FT4 Heart Rate Monitor by Polar USA.

I’ve never worn a heart monitor (HRM) before. All I really knew of them was my dad used to wear this plastic thing around his chest while on the treadmill. (He was drinking protein shakes and preaching about “bad” carbs before it was “cool”… in fact, we called him “weird.” LOL!)

Honestly, I didn’t think HRMs were relevant to me because I lift weights. HRMs are for runners… aren’t they? Wrong.

The FT4 consists of 2 pieces – the watch and a strap (a WearLink transmitter). I wondered if the strap would bother me while working out, but I honestly forgot the soft band was there. The five buttons on the wrist watch are easy to navigate.. Being the ~~man~~ stubborn person I am, I set the watch up without consulting the directions.

As someone who ~~obsessively~~ tracks what goes in my body in effort to gain muscle weight efficiently, the Smart Calorie feature is my favorite. It tells you how many calories you are burning in real-time throughout your workout. Seeing that against my heart rate “zone” was extremely helpful. ~~I geeked out.~~

We all know that knowing your heart rate during exercise is the only truly accurate way of measuring effort exerted. Logically I know that weight training burns calories, but as a former runner I still have a problem getting out of the “cardio is the only way to burn a lot” mentality. I burned 369 calories during a back and tricep workout! I reset the watch to checked out the afterburn. Again, I was shocked. In the hour following my weight session, I burned another 150 calories.

My FT4 is going to be invaluable this competition season! The information I’ve gain has shown me I was not eating enough calories in my post-workout refuel. Now that I know how much I am burning of, I’ve added another 100 calories to my post-workout snack.

I made my traditional non-traditional smoothie, but amped up the toppings. This is a chocolate version (use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla) of my zucchini bread smoothie. I added oats and edamame to the top to bulk it up. Strange… but good.

We all know life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There are a couple of things I don’t like about the FT4:

If you want to record your data online, you have to buy the data transmitter separately
The app only works with the iPhone 4S and 5 (I have the 4)
Mine is pink… but there are other colors available… I’m not complaining or ungrateful. This tool rocks… I just don’t like pink. 😉

Want one of your own?

The Polar FT40 retails for $89.99., and h.h. gregg has given me a $100 gift card to pass along to one of you! you may use the $100 toward anything (though I do recommend the Polar FT4).

Receive up to 4 entries by:

Follow h.h. gregg on Twitter
Tweet: You could say something like: I entered to win a $100 @hhgregg gift certificate in the @sprint2thetable #giveaway http://wp.me/p16jDn-1T6
Be Social: Facebook Follow Me, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Twitter Follow Me
Comment: Have you ever used a HRM? What did you think?

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, January 3rd. The winner will be announced on Friday, January 4th.

Another way to win…

Check out h.h. gregg’s Facebook page or click here for their website get more info on their “Get Healthy and Win Big” promotion. It runs from 12/31 until 1/7. Every day there are giveaways for items such as Polar HRMs, ellipticals, and treadmills!

They also made a cute little turkey on a treadmill promo video. It’s actually pretty cute! #BeTheTurkey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KJG5Dot_5k

***

I was provided with the Polar FT40 through my FitFluential Ambassadorship. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and my own; I’m happy to answer any specific questions about my experience!

What are your resolutions/goals this year?

Does anyone want to join me in a Junk-Free January? I need all the support I can get!

Work It Out: Save Your Knees

Sumo Stomps

Cable Squats

Hip Lifts On Bench

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

My Favorite Health-Related Apps

1. Sleep Cycle

2. Social Apps

3. FitBit

4. Full Fitness

5. Lose It

Work It Out: Supersets

Supersets

How do you incorporate them?

Why Super Set?

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

Be Weird

Resolution Adventure Race

The Race

The Fuel

The Results

Cramming 101: Endurance Training and Recovery

Sweet Potato “Cereal”

Junk-Free January + Polar FT4

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

Want one of your own?

Receive up to 4 entries by:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Another way to win…

Follow Me!

Popular Posts

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!

Sumo Stomps

Cable Squats

Hip Lifts On Bench

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

1. Sleep Cycle

2. Social Apps

3. FitBit

4. Full Fitness

5. Lose It

Supersets

How do you incorporate them?

Why Super Set?

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

The Race

The Fuel

The Results

Sweet Potato “Cereal”

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

Want one of your own?

Receive up to 4 entries by:

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Another way to win…

Follow Me!

Popular Posts

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!