Workouts From Iowa

I am going back to the Iowa Girl Eats blog.

She has some great workouts posted on her site. Here are some great treadmill workouts of varying lengths along with some other fitness workouts.  She also keeps a daily log of workouts she does.

 

Check it out here. 

I am going to take some time off from blogging over the holidays. See you soon and enjoy your holiday season!

Delicious, Healthy Chili

This sounds yummy and it’s the perfect time of year for some good chili!

Here is a recipe for turkey chilli with apples. It’s healthy and it's a post from the Iowa Girl Eats blog.

Weight Training

Looking into weight training?

Lisa Lavia Ryan recently posted an article in the Des Moines Register that went through some great plans to get you started.

The article discusses how free weights can be better than machines.

Smart Food Substitutes

Smart substitutes are just plain smart.

This article from the Des Moines Register highlights some healthy alternatives for some of your food choices that may not always be healthy.

Season Ending Injury

So you had a season-ending injury. It may seem bad, but not all is lost. It is an opportunity to experiment with other activities.

That being said, it’s disappointing to miss the season for an activity we love. Use these eight pointers from this post on www.active.com in working to overcome the season ending injury if it happens to you.

When You Should Work Out

When should you work out?

The most optimal time for fitness activity is an issue that will be explored forever.  Here is some perspective on this question from on article posted on www.sparkpeople.com.

This article includes reasons why certain times are better than others for exercise.  The article also includes some information about when you shouldn't exercise.

Running Workouts

Looking for some running workouts?

These workouts from triathlon coach Justin Levine will add diversity to your training schedule.

Hill training and speed are all part of these workouts that are outlined in detail here in this post from www.active.com.

Crush Your Cravings

How do you resist those cravings to snack?

It's a challenge we all face daily.  Did you eat a healthy portion in your early morning meal? Did you prepare healthy snacks to tide you over during the day?  Or did you take a walk or engage in some form of exercise to eliminate that last craving?

These are just some of the strategies shared in a recent Des Moines Register article that could be helpful to you in curbing your lastest cravings to eat something you shouldn't.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

It's a valid question - how many calories do you need each day?

The answer varies on your goals and other variables. Are you trying to lose weight? Maintain weight? Are you actively burning calories each day? How many?

Matt Fitzgerald's post on www.active.com provides some insight on strategies as well as some calorie counting tools to make the right decisions based on your goals. 

Generally speaking - you want to take in less calories than you burn off. That theory has some variables, however.

Weight Loss After 50

Losing weight certainly becomes more challenging as we age.

Learn some of the strategies and insights of these Des Moines area folks who set the course of losing weight after 50 years of age from Lisa Lavia Ryan of the Des Moines Register.

Some of these perspectives may be helpful to your efforts to lose weight of keep it off!

Types of Peanut Butter

As a peanut butter aficianado . . . I thought this was a great post.

This post from www.sparkpeople.com features a variety of types of peanut butter with various nutritional benefits.

I love peanut butter - it is high in protein and high in fat (but good fat!). 

Try This High Nutrition Smoothie

Here is a recipe for a fabulous smoothie.

Read in the Des Moines Register why this smoothie tastes great and is VERY good for you!

A Couple of Swim Workouts

Looking for some new workouts in the pool?

Check out this post on the Jess Runs blog for a couple of good easy-to-do swim workouts.

Are You Doing Too Much?

Sometimes you feel drained. Sometimes you feel very tired.  And sometimes you feel hurt.

These are symptoms of overtraining.  Your body can only take so much and sometimes we think "beating it into submission" is the best way to get ourselves into tip top shape. That's true to an extent, but we need rest and recovery.

Read Christine Luff's post on www.about.com to learn more about how your body depends on proper rest and recovery.

Protein Sources

How about some delicious protein snacks?

Protein is a great source of rebuilding and recovery.  Check out this post from www.active.com by Shoshana Pritzker that highlights several very tasty snacks you can consume as heavy sources of protein.

What You Need For CrossFit

I have discussed CrossFit in the past. It is a wonderful way to add a different dimension to your workout routine.

The Carrots 'N' Cake blog recently posted about some of the accessories you might need for CrossFit.  The author highlights shoes, socks, jump rope and other items.

Take a look and see what you might need to add to your fitness shopping list!

Running Helps Our Mental State

I was just talking to one of my running friends about this topic when it came up on a blogpost I just read - running helps our mental state!

If you are a runner or any sort of fitness enthusiast . . . it really is true . . . your fitness activity helps your mental fitness as well.  I don't know that I would know what to do if I couldn't identify some fitness actitivy to help keep me fit and sane.

The irunfar.com blog recently featured some reflections on this issue.  See if they match up with your perception of running and fitness.

Bored? Here's Help

It can be pretty easy to get bored with your workouts once you hit a plateau.

It's important to look toward ways to challenge yourself with new activities when you feel yourself getting bored.  This article that appeared recently in the Des Moines Register offers some tips on how to mix things up.

Creating longer-term plans . . . consulting a trainer . . . cross-training - these are all ways to get started down the road of keeping yourself off the "bored" track.

Will be taking a break from posting while traveling.

Log Your Miles

Do you keep record of your fitness?

This post from The Happy Runner blog reminded me how important it is to keep a record of your workouts.  During any day or week, I can go back and find out what I did.  Logging your activities is particularly important when you are training for a particular event.

I still use the notebook to log my miles, but keeping track of your fitness has become a lot easier with gadgets from Garmin, Nike and Polar.  It's also amazing to learn about the apps that are available at low or little cost that will do a great job of keeping track for you like MapMyTracks or Runtastic.

Foods That Prevent Inflammation

Did you know there are foods that fight inflammation?

Check out this post on www.sparkpeople.com to learn about some of the berries, vegetables and other foods that help reduce the onset of inflammation of the muscles. 

90-Year Old Triathlete

Here is a little inspiration . . . a video of a 90-year-old triathlete.

Can you imagine doing a triathlon at 90 years old?  I imagine the odds would be pretty tough, which is why this is pretty inspiring. 

Check out the video from www.active.com to see how Dr. John Taylor finishes to become USA Triathlon's first certified 90-year-old to finish a regulation event.  He completed the event last April and he takes a pretty nasty fall toward the finish.

Body Handling Heat, Humidity

Your body is an amazing machine!

Read this post from the Runner Dude's blog to learn more about how the body responds to heat and humidity.  It's an interesting post. It also examines how you can adjust your expectations as your body adjusts to extreme hot and humid calendars.

Different Kinds Of Runs

Bet you didn't know there were eight different types of running workouts.

Check out this post from the Carrots 'n Cake blog.  It lays out how each running workout is structured.  What is a "base" run or what is a "recovery" run?  Learn all about it here.

Learning About Paleo

Paleo has become a popular diet recently. 

Paleo is popular among athletes and those with certain dietary limitations. 

Read the Against All Grain blog and learn more about Paleo.  Read about Danielle and her health transformation that called for a Paleo diet.

Post Workout Food

Looking for the right foods after a tough workout?

Check out Danielle Prestejohn - she's a weight loss specialist who offers her expertise on what she thinks are some of the best post-workout items to get you refueled.

There are certain things that can help you get the carbohydrates and protein you need to recover and this helps you get there.

Taking Shape For Life

Check out how this man's work led him to seek out a healthier lifestyle and lose weight.

Tim Griesdorn, a human development professor at Iowa State University, recently became motivated to lose 52 pounds.  In doing research on work-site wellness, Griesdorn learned about the Take Shape For Life program.

Read about his story in a post from the Des Moines Register.  Griesdorn has plans for further weight loss and writes about his weight loss journey at www.drtimg.tsfl.com.

Prep For Event In Final Days

As you close in on an event in your final weeks of preparation, it's natural to experience a little anxiety.

Triathlon coach Marty Munson posted this article on www.active.com to help prepare racers who are "feeling the edge" as they get close to race day.

Munson offers some tips on handling pre-race anxiety and doing a "practice race" to calm your nerves.

Check Those Resolutions

I was reading the Jill Will Run blog recently.

It was discussing a check of the "new year resolutions" mid year.  Well, we are well past that, but September is a good time to recheck those fitness goals you set back in the cold days of January.

There is still plenty of time to lose that weight, reach a personal best time in an event or participate in a fall event that will help you reach your resolutions.

There is no sin in reevaluating those new year's resolutions to make a run at success as the year winds down.

5 Tips For Marathon Training

Have you thought about running a marathon?

It's a great experience, but the commitment to training is time consuming and exhausting.  In fact, if you are considering a marathon, it's not unusual to take up to a year or two plotting out your strategy and mentally preparing yourself for this journey.

The Run To The Finish blog recently posted some tips on how to maximize your time in your marathon training, particularly if you are a busy runner.

If you have been running for a while and you are contemplating a marathon, I highly recommend a visit to www.halhigdon.com.  Hal Higdon is a renowned running coach and makes a variety of training plans and resources available to marathoners of all levels.

Acclimate To Heat

It's September.

But that doesn't mean it can't still be VERY warm in your outdoor training activities.

Check out Matt Fitzgerald's post on www.active.com about how to adjust yourself to perform better in the heat.

Perfect Your Posture

Your parents were right.  Posture is important. 

It is healthy to have good posture.  Lisa Lavia Ryan recently wrote in the Des Moines Register why posture is important to your long-term health.

Try it.  It can't hurt.

Taking a break for a while. See you back soon!

Good Mood When You Run?

I think we all would like to be in a good mood when we run, but it can be challenging sometimes.

Christine Luff recently wrote for www.about.com on how to make yourself feel in a good mood when you are running.  For starters, try smiling.

See if you think these strategies make a difference in your running mood.

Musician Hits The Gym

Take a look at how this musician stays fit.

Our hometown paper, the Des Moines Register, is taking a more active look at healthy lifestyles these days and I appreciate it.  Caroline Weeks was recently featured where she shows her powerlifting workout.

Weeks takes her work out pretty seriously - take a look to see if it applies to you.

Check Out This Surfer's Workout

In Iowa, we don't encounter many surfers.

As a result, Jen' Murphy's recent article in the Wall Street Journal about surfer Carissa Moore's workout routine caught my eye.

Moore doesn't capture the typical "surfer look".  She's quite cut based on her very aggressive workout schedule.  Take a look at how she does it.

Vegetarians May Live Longer

Are vegetarians healthier?

I'm not sure they are really, but their habits bring some imporant issues to light.  Results from a study published in the Journal of American Medicine recently suggests vegetarians may actually live longer.

Check out this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about this new research. There is no doubt the diet of a vegetarian is very healthy, but I don't like to miss the healthy benefits of an omnivore's diet.  I think what really makes vegetarians healthy is their OVERALL attention to a healthier lifestyle.  In my mind, that is what can really set people part!

A New Perspective

I just had a chance to visit my sisters in Chicago.

It's great how traveling to another location forces you to take your fitness activities to a different place. I really enjoy having that change of scenery and it's generally healthy for your workout routine.  Normally, I'm not running toward this view below.

Whether you run more hills or you are forced to do different exercises because you don't have access to the facilities you normally use, it's a good thing to have a "new perspective" for your fitness.

Reduce Your Salt Intake

There is no secret that lowering your salt intake makes you healthier.

Lowering salt consumption also lowers risk of heart disease and stroke - this is well documented.

So, how do you lower your salt intake.  The easiest way is to do it gradually. 

In an article recently published in the Des Moines Register, you can learn a variety of strategies for lowering sodium in your diet.  For example, the article shows how by simply reading the labels of similar products for levels of sodium, you can make a big difference.

You can also minimize salt intake by cutting the amount of bread you consume and using more fresh ingredients in your cooking.

Clean And Lean

It's always easier to do something when you do it with a group.

Here's a novel idea - the RunToTheFinish blog reports about how a group of folks are committing to clean and lean foods for 28 days.  When you do an activity like this with a group, it helps keep everyone accountable.

One of my good friends who is a fitness instructor likes to distribute daily small workouts people can do each day of the month beyond her classes.  She shares the workouts with her regular students and they often check with one another, "Did you do the workout today?"

Living a healthy lifestyle is especially easier when done with a group.

Cutting Your Size In Half

There are a lot of folks who have opted for weight loss surgery as an alternative to cutting their size.

Certainly, there are risks involved in this type of procedure, but it has become pretty common.  Read this story from the Des Moines Register about the experience of a Central Iowa woman who lost 125 pounds.

This woman's experience will offer some guidance on what to expect using this option for weight loss.

Try TRX

Have you heard of TRX yet?

It's a great product for doing a variety of exercises with two straps.

Check out this post from www.active.com.  The article features several different exercises with photos you can try with the TRX system.

Get Fit In The Park

I had never thought about this.

What about getting fit "in the park".  Think of all the ways you can do exercise in a park between the jungle gyms and other equipment.

This article from the Des Moines Register shows you how to "steal a workout" from a local park.  This can be especially helpful if you have children who enjoy visiting a park with you!

Summer Hydration

Hydration is always important, but it's even more important during these warm summer months.

Marc Evans wrote a post for www.active.com where he details a program for keeping yourself consistently hydrated. 

 

Water is so important for athletes.  It has so many benefits beyond training.  Everyone should have have their own system for hydration to stay healthy.

Avoiding Running Injury

Too much of anything usually leads to trouble.

It is no different in your running training activities.  Too fast, too many workouts, too much intensity, etc. are usually keys to injuries.

This post from Christine Luff on www.about.com provides ways to avoid the "terrible toos".  The right shoes and strength training will also help avoid injuries in your running activities.

Staying Healthy

How does one stay health during what can be a long triathlon training season?

It's not easy - injuries, improper diet and training miscues can lead to trouble in various stages of the game. 

Read Triathlon Coach Ben Greenfield's tips on ensuring a healthy season.  He offers some training, nutrition and workout advice to help you keep you on track as you train.

Running With Friends?

Occasionally, I have to share some humor.

I noticed the popular web games' developer Zynga recently announced its "Running With Friends" game.  If you weren't paying attention, you might think this was a new app to keep better track of your runs with friends.

Not the case.

Check out this story about.  I'm sure the characters in the game remind us of ourselves on occasion.

Race Day Guide

After weeks and months of training, there may be something you've forgotten . . . preparing for race day.

If you are entered for a triathlon event (or any endurance event), take time to walk through the drills of race day.  In a triathlon, it's particularly important because of the equipment and logistics involved.  Furthermore, every event is different.

Nicole Weidensaul's article for www.active.com will have you prepared for race day.  With smart race day prep, you're likely to shave a little time from your finish.

Energy Boosters . . . And Busters

There are a variety of foods that will help boost your energy when you need it.

Just the same, there are foods that will "bust" your energy.  Betsy Stephens, of Woman's Day, takes a look at sugars, substitutes and processed foods that can have a variety of effects on your body in preparation for a fitness activity. 

The article was reposted to www.dailysparkblog.com.

Not Too Late To Train For Marathon

Have you ever thought about doing a marathon?

It's not out of the realm of possibilities.  If you are running any sort of distances at this point, it's worth considering . . . and it's not too late.

 

This article from Lisa Lavia Ryan in the Des Moines Register chronicles the advice of two expert distance runners on how to train for a marathon . . . even if you're a novice!

Building Bike Speed

Here are some ideas from Scott Yorko posted at www.active.com to help you build your bike speed.

The article features workouts that will definitely challenge your ability to improve speed in your cycling.

Running With A Dog

Do you enjoy running with your pet . . . namely Fido?

Many people run with their dogs.  This post from www.dailysparkblog.com shows some important tips in running with your pet. 

Running with your dog can be a huge motivating factor in running.