4100weeks

Masters training: TRX

In July of 2010 I decided to take a 1 year break from my gym membership and try to get outside more with my fitness workouts. I talked to several of the fitness trainers I knew and asked them what one versatile, mobile piece of training equipment would they recommend. It was unanimous . . . TRX suspension trainer.

The TRX is a portable, easily adjustable set of high quality straps that allows you to use leveraged bodyweight exercises to build power, strength, flexibility, balance, and mobility. You adjust how difficult each exercise is with body positioning. You can make any exercise more or less challenging by a simple reposition. It's lightweight and easy to set up. 

I decided that for the year, twice a week my workouts would consist of TRX exercises and the 3rd day each week I would do dynamic, multi-movement dumbbell exercises. 

I started my TRX training by following taking basic workout and customized it over time. Here's what it looked like:

• Squat
• Single leg squat
• Sprinter's start
• Hamstring curl
• Push-up crunch
• Handstand press
• Back row
• Chest Press
• Deltoid T&Y fly
• Triceps extension
• Bicep curl

The TRX videos suggested 30 seconds on/30 seconds rest for each exercise doing 2-3 sets for each.

I have nothing but great things to say. I have been able to maintain/improve my mobility with great workouts, done quickly outdoors. I highly recommend TRX. The past year was a great experience. Just a couple of weeks ago I headed back to the gym to start seriously training for the 2013 World Masters Games, but TRX exercises are still a part of my workouts.

 

Live to 100?

With the US life expectancy sadly ranked at #38 in the world, let's talk about what it takes to live to be 100. Here are a few tips from a Health.com article titled How to Live to 100:

• floss
• sleep in
• have sex
• lose 5 lbs in 5 days
• play games
• fight germs

Get at it!  

7 habits to help you lose weight and keep it off

A recent Harvard Medical School article presented the 7 habits to help you lose weight and keep it off. Here's an overview . . .

1. Set small, specific, and realistic goals.
Start with a goal of losing 5% to 10% of your weight, and give yourself plenty of time and some flexibility to reach that goal.   

2. Start self-monitoring.
Write down what you eat and how much you exercise so you can see where you need to improve and better understand calories in and calories burned.

(caloriecount.about.com provides a free full calorie counter database with nutrition data for thousands of foods and recipes. It’s easy to use, helps you map out goals and gives you a great snapshot of your daily eating habits.)

3. Find a support network
Find at least one weight-loss buddy for motivation and accountability

4. Energize your exercise.
Try a new form of exercise. It keeps you challenged and less likely to become bored.

5. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
Inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain. Waking up feeling groggy and grouchy? You need more sleep.

6. Eat breakfast — slowly and mindfully — every morning.

7. Monitor and modify your screen time.
Not enough time to exercise? Keep track of your screen time (computer & TV) and scale back

 

Climb the Highest Peak in Every State.

Be the first on your block to climb the fifty tallest peaks in all fifty states.  Aw, come on, someone has to do it and you have 4100 weeks or more to get it done. You can start with the toughest challenge at Mount Mckinley aka Denali in Alaska with a 20,320 foot technical climb or you may want to consider a stroll up Driskell Mountain in Louisiana at 535 feet.  Aren't there basketball players that are taller than that and can you really call a 535 foot bump a mountain? 

Regardless of your choice it's a great way to see the USA and a rocking bucket list item that few have accomplished.  Got to www.state50.net to organize your road trip and then do your homework to hone your technical climbing skills because several of these peaks are not a cake walk like Ebright Azimuth in Delaware at 451 feet.  Send pictures and stories!

Half Marathon Popularity Trend

The half marathon has been widely reported as the fastest growing road race distance in the US.

In 2008 to 2009 registration for the distance grew from 900,000 runners to over 1.1 million runners - a whopping 24%!  Since 2000, US half-marathon finishers have jumped to over 1.1 million for a 131% increase.

Runners rank the half marathon as their favorite distance for the following reasons:

It's the next challenge or step-up after completion of a 5 or 10K. Runners who are intimidated by the marathon find the half to be a doable distance.  The half fills the void when marathoners decide that 26.2 miles is no longer for them. Runners use it to build fitness while training for a marathon and the chances for injury are fewer at the 13.1 mile distance.  The training time is much less, and many walkers complete the 1/2 marathon without running a step.

For an excellent 1/2 marathon training program go to www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon

For a list of many of the half marathons go to www.halfmarathons.net

 

Sushi does your body good . . .

A few years ago I read about the longevity of Okinawa citizens and how researchers felt it had to do with their mental and physical activity along with a diet low in meats and high in stews with vegetables and omega 3 fatty acid rich fish. They also practice the Okinawan cultural habit of calorie control called hara hachi bu, which means eat only until you are 80% full.

In the 2 minute video clip below, Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about the Japanese diet and the importance of eating the right types of fish . . . 

 

 Visit Livestrong.com for an Outline of the Okinawa Diet.

Why I sit on a cushion, trying to concentrate on my breath

I just finished a five-week course in meditation, one of several I’ve taken over the past ten years, since I first got introduced to one of those ironic practices that seems so simple and yet is so very, very difficult.

Try it. Right now. Close your eyes, and concentrate on just your breath. Any thoughts that come up—say about what you’re having for lunch, or that fight you had with your girlfriend last night, or who’s going to win the big football game this Sunday—just let them pass by like clouds, and return to your breath.

Not so easy, right?

Well, after you master that “basic” technique, it gets even harder. That’s when you start to see some of the ugly stuff you’ve been hiding from yourself. Here’s my beginner’s understanding of it: All that continuous chatter about future plans or ruminations about the past--they kept your mind busy running in circles so that you can hide from things you don’t want to think about. For example, maybe you’re not ready to think about your part in the fight with your girlfriend, or how lonely you feel since your best friend moved.

But when we don’t even know about our ugly stuff, we certainly can’t deal with it, even though it’s coloring a lot of our behaviors.

Here’s a personal example: The day after my final meditation class, I got an email from a higher up at work asking me to do a task I knew I couldn’t do in the time frame outlined because I had two other projects with even tighter deadlines, and I was leaving for vacation in three days. 

I hate saying no. To anyone. But especially to a higher ups at work.  

In this instance, though, I knew I had to send the email, so I did, and then I left for the day. As I walked to catch my train, I could feel my heart beating with anxiety, and I knew it was because of the stupid email. On the train, I closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Then I thought about whether or not I felt I acted correctly in the situation. I did. I took a few more deep breaths, and decided to let it go, at least until I knew if there was something to even fret about.

If I hadn’t just come off of taking that meditation class? I would have fretted for a long time about whether I could fit the project in, even though I really knew I couldn’t. When I finally sent the email saying so, I would have then stared at my computer, anxiously hitting refresh, waiting for the scathing reply I just knew was coming.

Then I would have gone home, using the time on the train to worry about the response. I wouldn’t really have known what I was anxious about, exactly—so I would have been angry at the guy for making demands I couldn’t live up to, instead of realizing that I needed to learn to be OK with saying no sometimes. I also might not have kept my anxiety focused solely on work—my husband might have got caught up in the hurricane of worry, as might anyone else in my path. My whole weekend might have been ruined by worry, anger, and confusion about what exactly I was worried and mad about.

So, clearly, option #1 is much more pleasant for everyone involved. And it takes daily, 15-minute periods of sitting on a meditation cushion for that scenario to be a reality for me. 

So I signed up for the second part of that meditation class, in hopes it will keep my butt on the cushion, and my worries in check.

(Oh, and that work thing? The message I got in return basically said, “Don’t worry about it.” Glad I didn’t spend much time doing so!) 

 

Twenty Five things you must do before you become fertilizer?

 The intro usually reads something like this:

 25 Adventures you can complete for $200 or less?

17 Perfect Weekends? 

20 Vacations you must take?

15 Best Outdoor Towns (you must live in)?

45 Expeditions that will challenge your body and soul?

99 ways to build perfect abs (avoiding McDonalds not listed)

Are "Bucket Lists" Overrated? I don't know but they always inspire me to "shed my protective shell" and find new horizons. This really good link from Outside Magazine will give you 50 new ways to make the most of your 4100 weeks.  Remember to always consult your doctor if you are under age 79.5 and wear a helmet to avoid becoming premature fertilizer.

http://outsideonline.com/adventure/lifelist-index-sp.html

Now, THIS is an ADVENTURE.....

260 miles in a canoe, day and night, only water can be provided by your support team, snakes, alligators, strainers, sweepers, sleep monsters and maybe a surly partner to make things interesting.

Start on the San Marcos river in Texas, merge into the Guadalupe, cross Alligator Lake and then paddle the bay for 10 mile to Seadrift Texas.  It's the Texas Water Safari, the first weekend in June each year.  Start practicing and preparing now to be ready for 2011.  It's a life changing experience.  I promise.

 
Here's the interesting story of a first-timer and her more experienced paddling partner. 

http://flyfishchick.com/2010/07/16/truth-in-advertising/

Winners finish in 35 hours - everyone must be complete in 100 hours.  Tell us how you do in 2011.

Want to live longer? Sit Less

Activity levels and death rates in more than 123,000 healthy men and women were tracked by American Cancer Society researchers for 13 years. Their findings . . . women who spend more than six hours a day sitting when they are at leisure were 40% more likely to die sooner than women who spend less than three hours sitting. Men who sit more increase their risk of death 20%.

Why? The more you sit the more likely you are to take in more unwanted calories. Also, sitting for an long periods means your blood isn't circulating as it should, possibly leading to blood clots, and increase your resting blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Sitting for long periods also suppresses your immune system, which may increase the risk of diseases. So sit less, live longer.