How to Maintain Fitness and Wellness Habits: Tips and Techniques

How to Maintain Fitness and Wellness Habits: Tips and Techniques

Maintaining your fitness and wellness habits can be challenging, especially when life gets
busy. However, developing simple and effective strategies will help you stay on track and
keep your health a priority. This article will provide you with a comprehensive guide to
staying fit and healthy, complete with tips and techniques that you can implement in your
daily routine.

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Goof Review – Newton Energy & BOCO Running Shoes

Goof Review – Newton Energy & BOCO Running Shoes

Here it is again, a long time since my last post.  Life happens and when it does, watch out.  It can really mess up the things you want to do versus the things you must do.  I am learning to prioritize what is absolutely important to me versus what is important to everyone else.  I hope to soon have that under control, but I digress.

Newton was nice enough to send me both a pair of the Newton Energy and the BOCO.  I am reviewing them together since I have found they are the same shoe with the only difference being the BOCO has a tread that is made for the trails and the Energy is made for the road.

To be transparent and honest, I am a certified Newton Coach, so I am a little biased towards Newton.  However, I rarely train in Newtons, as running is very personal I have my favorite running shoes to train in.

I do however, love the methodology behind them.  For those that do not know, Newton running shoes have 5 lugs in the front of the shoe directly under the ball of the foot.  The lugs have a higher or lower profile depending on the shoe.

The lugs serve as a reminder for running form by automatically driving the foot to land on the fore or mid foot, reducing the impact dramatically.

When paired with Newton Natural Run training, the shoe will decrease the effort level of transitioning to a mid or forefoot runner.

In my experience, after the runner has developed the habit, they no longer need to be running in Newtons, but most do not only due to muscle memory, but they also last about 4 times longer than other running shoes.

Prior to the release of the Energy, the core products Newton produced were the Motion, the Isaac, the Gravity and the Distance.  These models needed a transition period for the runner to get used to the way the lugs lifted the heel causing some calf soreness.

The Energy now has a lower profile of lug, and a transition plate which actually allows the athlete very tiny transition period, if any, before the comfort of the shoe settles in.

The EVA foam that makes up the sole of the shoe is extremely comfortable and highly accommodating to the road.

The only conflicts I have heard is the heel cup is a little shallow for some, causing some slippage during long runs.

Since one of the core beliefs of natural runners is that shoes should be tied just tight enough to secure the heel, this could be a problem.  I have always taught, the athlete needs nothing to support but themselves.

In other words, if the shoe is tied too tight, the shoe ends up supporting the runner.  By tying the shoes very light and only tight enough to secure the heel, the feet, the calves, the ankles are strengthened with every activity.

I personally have not found an issue with the heel cup even without the help of a runner’s lace, but I have heard of the issues.

I did get an eleven-mile run on the trails with the Newton BOCO and was I surprised at how well the tread grabbed the terrain.  

The trails I was running were meant for Mountain Bikes and that meant steep climbs and steep downhills and there was not a moment I did not feel secure.ZOE_0005.jpg

For new runners or for athletes transitioning to more efficient technique, I believe the Energy is the perfect shoe.  They are the perfect shoe to transition with before trying one of the core Newton models.

The BOCO is a great trail shoe for anyone wishing to start or continuing a journey into trail running.  They are comfortable, supportive and made me feel completely secure on the trails.

That’s my opinion and I am sticking with it.  Happy Running!

 

Carpe Viam!

Improve Your Healing with DIY Sports Massage

Improve Your Healing with DIY Sports Massage

Easy Exercises to Keep You Active

Of course, you know you should eat right and exercise. Most everyone understands the importance of fitness for health. Why is it so hard to stay motivated then?  Consider the things that inspire you toward fitness. You may enjoy a particular healthy recipe or be a fan of a certain professional athlete. You might have a goal of running a race or participating in a certain sporting event.

The primary benefit of sports massage is to improve blood to the muscles. Sports massage is a highly effective healing technique also moves oxygen and nutrients to muscles. After you exercise, lactic acid builds up in the muscles. Sports massage can eliminate lactic acid buildup. You can decrease your recovery time by simply eliminating lactic acid buildup and improving the flow of lymphatic fluids.  This process promotes the healing process (http://www.howtobefit.com/massage-for-runners.htm).

 Consider these tips and methods of sports massage from the Pro academy of New York golf course, Shenandoah:

Frozen Water Bottle – Most athletes are familiar with the concept of rest, ice, compression and DIY Sports Massage copyelevation (RICE). A frozen water bottle is an affordable way to ice the muscles and massage them at the same time. The ice will reduce the swelling and soothe your extremities as you roll your muscle with the water bottle. Consider this low-cost at-home massage remedy after your workout.

Tennis Ball – If you don’t need the ice, try a tennis ball to massage your muscles. Tennis balls can also be used on the back and legs also. This method is effective for working out the knots in the foot. You can roll the feet over the tennis ball from toe to heel for the most effective results. 

Soup Cans – Soup cans are also used to massage the feet and legs. Consider rolling your feet over cans or rolling the cans over your legs to relieve tension and pain. As the pain dissipates from the area of the body
where the soup cans are applied, recovery will begin. This will prepare you for your next workout session.

 PVC Pipe – this is an inexpensive alternative to foam rollers.  10″ pipe is best and it is easy obtained from your local Home Depot or Loews.  If a little cushion is needed the pipe can be wrapped in several layers of contact paper and secured with duct tape.  You can then use it to massage your calves, hamstrings and even you lower and upper back just by rolling on it.  It will easily break up the toxins that are located within the muscle and allow them to pass through the membrane and out through the endocrine system.

Training is Better With Sports Massage

There is nothing better than a nice sports massage to start the healing process. Most athletes have made the massage a part of marathon training. Certainly, the benefits of these massages have been proven. Consider sports massage for less painful and more effective training. A healthy life is easy with simple changes. Take baby steps. Remember that moderation is key in all things. Indulge from time to time, but treat the body as the precious temple that it is.  When setting your health goal start small.  Choose a goal
that is attainable and reasonable. 

(This was written by Michelle Pino with some added content by the IronGoof specifically for IronGoof.Com)

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of the Off Season

There have been so much I have been wanting to write about, but my time has been taken up by this thing I have to do called “a job”.  Do any of you out there have this same problem?  It is really starting to get in the way of my training, coaching and especially my blogging.  I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted something, and it is a crime with all the ideas that have been flying around in my head.

Let me use this post as a way to get back into the habit of blogging daily or at least a few times a week.  Subject – The Off Season.

I have been toiling with this for the past month just because I have been finding myself not working out a little less than normal.  When I do, I am enjoying lower durations with small bursts of high effort, a.k.a intervals.  As I speak with some of my fellow cohorts in triathlon I have been getting two primarily different opinions.  One is coming from the die-hards, “Off season??  What off season?  There is NO off-season!”, the other is coming from most of the guys that actually take podiums, but have more time to train during race season.  “Dude, you have to come down a bit and give your body a rest.  You have been putting it through a lot of stress.  Trust me bro, you will have a better race season if you slow down a bit and take some rest.”    So, what does a guy in my position do?  I want to improve, but my philosophy is all about injury prevention.

Looking at the science of it I came up with the following opinion (notice I said opinion?):

Working out is cumulative – everything you do to a muscle repeatedly continues to impact it no matter what you are doing.  Why do most marathon training plans have the mileage go up for 3 weeks and then dramatically falls the 4th week?  The quadriceps  hamstrings, calves, have taken a beating for three weeks and they need time to recuperate.  The fibers of the muscle need time to repair, but if they keep being taxed then they stretch and start to heal they are taxed again.  Even though they have started the healing process, they cannot fully heal unless they are put at rest for a significant amount of time.  Yes, with proper nutrition, and preemptive injury therapy the healing can be expedited to a point, but they surely will not heal completely unless they are at rest.

 Running everyday for 15 days in a row no matter how much the workouts change from slow to fast twitch muscles and back again, put a cumulative toll on your body.  Now put that in perspective of a triathlete’s season that starts with base workouts in late January and doesn’t end until late October early November.  That is 10 months of a cumulative toll on the body, whether you are an age grouper or pro.  Do you think with that kind of wear and tear on the body that if there isn’t a slow down in the frequency and a lowering of the effort level that there might be some injuries awaiting or at least some backsliding in the coming racing season?  I do.

Fact:  It takes even a pro marathoner 20 days to fully recuperate from a race.  26.2 hard miles on the body of a fully trained marathoner, still takes a long time to recuperate doesn’t it?  What do you think that does to an age grouper?

I am going to take this month as it comes.  I am going to do a few races, and if I don’t feel like working out when the alarm goes off, so be it.  When January comes I’ll be doing my base mileage and continuing my strength and flexibility training as planned, but when February 1st comes…..IT”S ON!!!!!

When will you start your race season training?

Carpe Viam!!