Sunday, November 18, 2007

Age is Meaningless, Part 4

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is setting records at age 40. Today's New York Times has a nice piece on how she's doing it. One key: She's spending less time in the water now than she did years ago to allow her body to rest more.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

That's a Big Salad

Yep, that's what I heard over and over this week as I was eating my salad at lunch. People seemed astonished that A) I was eating a salad and that B) it was as big as it was.

But for me, it did the trick. I am, however, having a hard time getting into a routine when it comes to eating throughout the day in my job. I have gone too long between meals several times and I can feel the effect of it.

Meanwhile, I got to the gym only one of the two days I wanted to this week because I was in the office so long.

Of course these issues are what we all face. It's how we handle them -- and how we stay healthy -- that matters.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Back to Work

Tomorrow is my first day of work after three and a half months of blissful unemployment. Gone are my days of being almost the only one at the gym, surfing uncrowded waves during the week and skateboarding in a relatively quiet Central Park.

My biggest concern about the job? Food. I eat a lot during the day, spread over several meals as a way to keep my metabolism stoked. So I need to figure out again what to take and where I can store it. I'm also planning on changing lunch. It used to a sandwich, small salad and string cheese. Now, in a bid to cut the bread even though it was sprouted whole wheat, I want to try one big salad, an idea I got from Mark's Daily Apple.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

The Scoop on Interval Training

Super trainer Craig Ballantyne explains how interval training works awfully well in the video below.

The More Resources, The Better, Part 2

I love finding new resources to help me live a fitter, longer life.

Here's one I stumbled upon recently, I think through a link from one of the other blogs I read. It's called Mark's Daily Apple, and it's written by Mark Sisson, a former endurance athlete who now believes in doing things like running sprints.

Sisson, 53, also writes a lot about great healthy dishes and describes the benefits of foods like oregano. It's definitely worth adding to your reading list.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Are You Seeing Progress?

There's a guy at my gym who I see frequently. A quick glance at him and he appears to be working hard -- he's sweating, after all. But look closer and you see someone who obviously is following the wrong workout program. Why? Well, he looks the same as he did a year or so ago, which is to say he still looks overweight.

Then I watched his workout. He was using very little weight; it's clear these days that heavier weights juice your progress. He was doing moves like curls, which have limited use compared with multi-joint exercises like the squat, deadlift and pullup. He also was using the machines too much instead of free weights.

If you're doing the right workout program for you, you'll start to see changes. I've even read about some people taking pictures of themselves to chart their progress. And seeing progress is a powerful motivator.

Take a look at yourself. Are you seeing changes in your body? Do you feel better? If not, it's time to reevaluate your workout program and possibly your diet.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

No Marathons for Me

I passed one New York Marathon finisher after another today as I walked back to my apartment. The finish line is near where I live. I was coming from the other direction -- the garage where I'd just parked after a day of surfing. I have great respect for what they all did. I just don't want to do it.

There was a time where I did some distance running, a fair amount of it. But I have to say that I feel healthier since I switched to intervals for cardio. I've become a believer that endurance running breaks the body down in some not so good ways, something shared by trainers such as Craig Ballantyne.

Of course plenty of people disagree and love distance running and cycling and of course they're healthier than those who sit on the sofa. But it's just not for me anymore.

Friday, November 2, 2007

A 43-Year-Old Quarterback's Workout

I recently wrote about Vinny Testaverde not only starting a game for Carolina but also winning it. Now, Sports Illustrated has a breakdown on the workout that keeps him ready to play.

Here are the basics (SI didn't put them online so I had to pull them from the magazine):

Ten-to-15-yard sprints. On flat and uphill surfaces Testaverde runs while wearing a harness attached to his trainer to create resistance. Near the end of each sprint, his trainer unhooks the harness, forcing the QB to adjust abruptly to no resistance.

In four feet of water, Testaverde runs for 10 minutes doing a series of techniques, including high kicks (knees raised to waist level) and butt kicks (heels kicked back toward buttocks rapidly). The water minimizes impact and creates resistance.

Testaverde runs through the squares of a 10-foot agility ladder -- essentially a rope ladder lying on the grass -- using a variety of shuffling foot patterns. It hones coordination and footwork.

Using a two-foot rubber band with a handle on each end, Testaverde holds one side, his trainer the other. They face each other with the band taunt and Testaverde, arms forward, continually switches his grip on the band from left to right. This works the core; Testaverde does it standing on a balance disk to build his lower body.

What can we learn from this since we're not pro quarterbacks? Plenty. You can pull pieces from it for you workouts and you'll find yourself getting fitter faster. For instance, the water workout easily translates to any of us. So does the agility ladder, or just trying to use different footwork than simply going forwards all the time. And of course sprints are great. If you want to add resistance, simply buy a weight vest or parachute.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Who Needs Weights?

OK, I love lifting weights. But anyone who thinks they need a gym membership or a big rack of weights at home to get fit is wrong. Super trainer Craig Ballantyne proves it with his bodyweight workouts.

If you want want a sense of just how tough bodyweight workouts can be, give his bodyweight 500 a try. (As he points out, this isn't something you'd want to do more than once a month.

Here is his video on the challenge.