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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So it starts – Ironman Season Training Day #1

PB&J before our ride this weekend

Have you ever heard that saying “Today is first day of the rest of your life”? Today started my Ironman Journey #2 and I was excited last night to get started. No more excuses, no more waiting, today was the day the plan actually started. Of course I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep last night, but I got up anyway and got on my trainer for an hour of high intensity cycling in order to document my Lactate Threshold Heart Rate and Power Zone.

Today, I had to take two Lactate Threshold tests. The LT test determines at what heart rate and power wattage that you blood delivers oxygen to your muscles most efficiently. The scientific definition is the maximum steady state effort that can be maintained without lactate continually increasing. Lactate builds up not allowing oxygen to be utilized. Stay within the LT and the body will be able to keep working efficiently which turns into long amounts of time at that heart rate.

The greatest thing about knowing your Lactate Threshold is that you can train to make it even more efficient. A higher threshold means the body can keep going at higher intensity which turns into speed in the case of triathlon. The caveat is that in order to increase the LT, it has to be done slowly. More workouts above the LT will increase it, but the more the body and muscles are working above it, the shorter the duration until the muscles learn to work with less oxygen making them work a lot more efficiently. This is why the trends have been hit the gym hard, and the endurance will come.

I have a buddy Blayne, whom decided to make the move to CrossFit which is the epitome of high intensity training. I have done a couple of these workouts in the off-season and the actual work in class may only be 20 minutes, but the participants are wrecked afterwards. Let me get back to Blayne. He started taking part in CrossFit religiously, and trained very little for the Rev3 70.3 and completed it with no problem and did really well. The story doesn’t stop there. He entered a 50 mile road race a few weeks later without running more than 9 miles and he completed it and I saw him two days later as he was entering the coffee shop from another CrossFit class and he looked fine. (Maybe I should put the disclaimer that says “results not typical”?) Did I mention the guy is in his 40s?

More and more I have read about triathletes either taking up CrossFit, High Intensity Training(HIT), or supplementing their training with either. It makes sense. A couple of times a week, a short circuit sets of heavy weight(with good form) and the body works higher than it’s LT training the muscles to work with less oxygen. If the body continues to train this way, it makes sense the muscles adapt to utilizing a lower amount of oxygen. When the intensity is lowered, the heart rate reduces allowing more oxygenated blood to the muscles which actually increases the aerobic capacity or VO2. Increased VO2 allows the body to work harder at a longer rate.

Whew! Enough science. My first week looks like this:

I look at it now and it looks daunting. doesn’t it?  This is the base phase of the plan, it gets busier and more intense as we get to the build and peak phases.  I think I am in for a lot of fun this season.  Speaking of season, my race schedule is posted on the right side pane of the page.
Yeah.  Over there 
 
 
FYI – I promise you I am not going to be blogging everyday about my workout that will just get boring, but when I have an epiphone or a breakthrough, that is when the post will be out.  Of course I plan on conitnuing with any race reports, product reviews, cool new recipies and tributes to the those inspirational people I find so…well…inspirational.
Have a great week.
Carpe Viam!  Carpe Momentum!

The Nutty No-Excuse Goof

The line to register for IMFL 2013

To coin a bad phrase; “Oops, I did it again.”  I signed up for Ironman Florida for 2013.  The energy of Ironman is intoxicating and if you have any ambitions of competing in one you have to go and either spectate or volunteer.  You will either be so overwhelmed that you end up scared out of your mind, or you become so energized you sign up the next day.  I again had no intention of signing up.  I was planning on doing another Ironman, but I was thinking another location like Arizona, but between Pete, Jaime, Kat, Stan, Tom, Ken, Chuck, Todd, (and probably a few others I am missing), I couldn’t help but think how much fun it would be.  I basically trained mostly on my own for my Ironman in 2011, but this time it will probably be a lot more fun.

Anne, Marai and I after they both crossed the Finish Line

What also helped was volunteering the day before and getting to be right there for my friends and watch them compete.  Anne, Marai, Eve, Summer, Kat, David, Rick, Iron Rick, Mary-Ellen, Carola and Jessica all did amazing.  A few of them with PRs if not for the IM distance but for this course.  I was so honored to be able to sneak in and put Anne’s Medal around her neck.  It seemed to mean a lot to her, and it meant a great deal for me as well.  It also helped to be there when Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae ran past me and I cheered for her through the bull horn I was yelling through for gear bag numbers.  To be so close to someone with her talent is so inspiring.  She took 2nd and locked up her spot for Kona 2013, so I imagine her off-season will be nice and relaxing now that she is engaged.

Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae as she zipped by me

Being that last year my goal was to do an Ironman, and I accomplished it.  This year, I may have to up the ante by adding Ironman Louisville to the list to make this the year of two Ironman distance races.  I am still not quite decided yet as there are logistics that have to be worked out, but I have heard good things about Louisville and because it is in the heat of August and is not the most popular Ironman, the registration stays open longer.  This allows me a little bit of time.  (Of course, I just put out a chunk of money for both the IMFL race and the deposit on the rental for next year, so I need a couple more weeks to save to pay for it.)

I feel like I am stronger than last year and I am definitely faster on the bike and run.  The swim still has a lot to be desired, so my focus on the off season will be a lot more swimming.  I am setting up my goals for next year.

The Goals

The Three of us…again.

Swim: 90 minutes or less (Aim: 1:15) – 1:15 – 1:30
Bike: Avg 20 mph or higher (Aim 21.5 mph) – 5:15 – 5:40
Run: Avg 9 min/miiles or less (Aim: 8:00) – 3:45 – 4:00
Transitions: 5 min or less – 10:00
Total: 10:40 – 11:20

The Plan:
Swim: 3x Week (Drills + Intervals, Tempo, Long)
Bike: 3x Week (Intervals, Tempo, Long)
Run: 3x Week (Speed, Tempo, Long)


The Periodization Cycle:
Strength: 3x Week (Heavy, Supersets, Endurance)
Yoga/Stretch: 2x per week (possibly more in Recovery Weeks)
To include A LOT of BRICKS!!!

2 Week – Base (Low Intensity, High Duration)
2 Week – Build (Med Intensity, Med Duration)
1 Week – Peak (High Intensity, Low Duration)
1 Week – Recovery (Low Intensity, Low Duration)

I decided last night to put my own plan together with the help of a bunch of resources to include what worked for me over the last year.  I will definitely be building in weekend workouts with the A-Train and speed workouts with Progressive, but besides that, if anyone wants to work out with me during the week, you are more than welcome.

The Goof’ On-Duty

I wanted to put this out there to not only give a glimpse into what goes on inside a goofy brain like mine but also to make myself accountable.  I hope to continue to blog about this new journey and while I am learning and experiencing I may be able to bring an ounce of motivational inspiration to anyone whom thought doing an Ironman was beyond their reach, because let’s face it; if I can do it, anyone can do it.

CARPE VIAM!

(Seize the Way! or Seize the Road)