Stay Healthy During Holidays!

1. Wash Hands- Can't be said enough! Take the time to wash your hands during this season as many times during the day because with more people sick, the higher the chances of spreading germs!

2. Don't Overtrain- If your immune system is already "down," the last thing you want to do is kick it down even further by working out too hard. If you are not feeling the best, take a few days off. It is not worth it to make it worse by continuing your training.

3. Stay Home- Don't come to work to further infect others around you if you are not feeling like yourself. That is just a way for germs to spread quickly and through as many different places as possible- stay home, get better and keep germs away from your peeps.

4. Take Your Supplements- When you are sick, you are probably not very hungry. So, when you are not getting in your necessary nutrients, you need to think smart and take in your vites via a multi, Omega 3s, or protein powder. Don't neglect your diet just because you are not hungry.

5. Eat Healthy!-AND, when you are eating, you need to eat healthy- lots of fruits, veggies, and NO FAST FOOD! Resist the urge to grab something quickly just because you are too tired to cook a healthy meal. Take the tie and make yourself something good to eat!

One More Day...

I was thinking the other day as I was working out that what we are doing, in fact, by exercising on a regular basis is buying ourselves another day of life. For each day you work out, you can add 1 more day onto your lifetime. I am not sure exactly how much of this is factual, as it has never been scientifically proven that I know of. But, it makes a lot of sense to me.

I don't' know how many times I train people during the day and they leave a lot happier than they walked in. I mean, rarely is the client on an early Monday morning super excited to jump on the treadmill and warm up. I try my best to motivate them, but all-in-all, it is truly up to the individual to buy-in to the workout and get excited. So, I started encouraging by reminding them about "One More Day..." and they seem to understand and get inspired by that.

So, next time you think that you don't want to run, or be in the gym, or swim those 50 laps in the pool- remember what you are doing. You are making an investment today for your future in health- and in an extended life. Have a great workout!

Train Movements, Not Muscles

I get asked a lot how I train in the gym for triathlon- or, more specifically, what makes up my strength training program. People say that I am very athletic and strong looking and that I have awesome muscular legs and arms. I say "thank you" and tell them that my genetics are good. The, I proceed to tell them that I don't lift to get this way- in fact, when I am in the gym, I am not focused on my muscles so much as I am in my movements. You see, much of what triathlon is composed of as a sport is a combination of fast/slow-twitch movements on unstable surfaces in all different planes of motion- not to mention, in many dynamic environments. So, one has to take that into consideration when planning their triathlon-specific strength training program. Don't get me wrong- I do train my lower body specifically to gain and maintain my strength for all 3 disciplines- squats and deadlifts being the greatest of exercises for power and speed gains for me in this off-season. But, I more or less think of these 5 specific components as being the most important for a Triathlon Strength program.


1. Get Moving: You want to keep your movements dynamic in order to allow for your multiple muscle systems to become engaged and therefore create powerful movement and strength.
2. Environmentally Conscious: You want to train in an environment that is most closely similar to the one in which you compete. That way, your CNS (central nervous system) has to work that much harder in order to keep you upright and balanced.
3. Work It 3-Ways: Our bodies move front to back, side to side, and diagonally (twisting). You want to perform motions in all 3 planes because swimming, cycling and running are done that way.
4. Have a Goal: Know where your weakest and what should be trained first. If you can focus on that within your program as a whole, you will get stronger- train with the end in mind.
5. Progress Yourself: If you have to start with a movement that is easy to the eye, yet a lot harder to do once you try it, don't be discouraged. Know that in order for you to get stronger, you want to focus on easy movements first, and progress accordingly. Never get stuck in a comfort zone and let something get too easy. If it is too easy, you are probably doing something wrong.

Happy Training!

I'm Addicted to FAKE Sugar

About a month ago, I was going into Starbucks every morning and getting a Venti, Red Eye (drip with an extra shot of expresso), adding half-half and 3 Splenda. That is how I started my day. Let me just say- lots of caffeine and artificial chemicals, sure to make me feel "awake"- or so I thought. Then, for morning snack, I would make a protein shake. Not a bad choice if I wanted to lose fat, but once again, packed with artificial sweetener. Then, for lunch, I would head to Subway to have a healthy turkey wrap and, then, a Diet Coke (artificial). Or, I would go to Starbucks again and have an Iced Green Tea for a drink and throw some Sweet N'Low in it for extra sweetness. This type of behavior would go on and on, and by the end of the day, I probably had close to 10-12 servings of FAKE sugar. There have been several studies done on the ill-effects of fake sugar, which is now available in so many forms. I mean- you have to have 3 choices at Starbucks: Equal, Sweet N'Low, and then the newest, Splenda.

Since being off of this for the last 10 days (well, I am not going to lie- I have had maybe 2 servings a day, but most days- not nearly as much as I was taking in). I am thinking that if you can ration your total sugar intake (real sugar) to any extent, that is GREAT. Sugar can wreak havoc on your diet, not to mention your waistline. But, if you do decide to use some artifical sweetener in your food, just watch how much you are taking in. And- perhaps thinking about taking it out of your diet completely. And, just see how much better you will feel. Take the NO-FAKE challenge.

Have a WONDERFUL day!