Learn to Love Strength Training: Improve Your Health and Your Appearance
-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer

I'll admit it—I'm vain. So when I put on my summer tank tops a few months ago and noticed the dreaded "batwings" growing on the back of my arms, I panicked. I was too young to have my arms jiggling when I moved! I had to do something, fast—something more productive than hiding behind long-sleeved shirts for the rest of my life. I had to tone up my arms.

An information junkie, I have read about so many strength training routines that I could give Charles Atlas a run for his money. Notice I said read about strength training, not done it. But it was time to face the facts—and time to put my knowledge to work and actually use the dumbbells that were gathering dust under my bed.

So, with my doctor's approval, I set out to whip my arms (and legs) into shape. Being a real packrat, I also had piles of fitness magazines and printed web pages on the topic. Once I started reading about strength training in more detail, I was amazed at how beneficial a weight routine is to your body—and for your health. I took a few notes so I wouldn't forget those facts, and posted them around the house to keep me motivated and remind me of my goals.

Whenever I was tempted to drop the weights and grab a cookie instead, this is what I reminded myself: The top 10 reasons everyone should strength train (and LOVE every minute of it):

1. Strength training preserves muscle mass during weight loss.
According to a University of Michigan research study, at least 25% to 30% of weight lost by dieting alone is not fat but lean tissue, muscle, bone and water. However, strength training helps dieters preserve muscle mass while still losing weight.

2. Strength training elevates your metabolism.
Starting in their twenties, most people (especially women) lose half a pound of muscle every year if they aren't strength training to preserve it. After age 60, this rate of loss doubles. But regular strength training can preserve muscle throughout the lifespan, and rebuild the muscle lost.

3. Strength training helps you lose weight more easily (or eat more without gaining weight).
Since muscle is active tissue (unlike fat, which is inert), it requires energy to maintain. The more muscle you have, the more you can eat without gaining weight. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control.

For every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body will burn about 50 more calories each day. A study by Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, showed that a woman who strength trains two or three times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 lbs of muscle and loses 3.5 lbs of fat.

And John Hopkins researchers found that while aerobic exercise burns more calories at the time you are exercising, your metabolism returns to normal about 30 minutes after you finish your workout. Individuals who perform strength training, however, elevate their metabolisms (burn more calories) for two hours after their workouts end.

4. Strength training increases bone density.
A study conducted by Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D. of Tufts University found that strength training increases both muscle mass and bone density. Dr. Nelson's research showed that women who lifted weights did not lose any bone density throughout the study, and actually gained an average of 1% more bone mass in the hip and spine. Non-exercising women lost 2% to 2.5% of bone mass during the same period of time.

Another University of Arizona study showed a 3% increase in spine and hip bone mineral density after an 18-month strength training program among women, ages 28 to 39.

5. Strength training counteracts depression.
In a study of 32 men and women who suffered from chronic depression, Nalin Singh, M.D. and Tufts University associates divided the individuals into two groups. They directed half to perform strength training while the other half received health information. After three months, 14 of the 16 members who lifted weights felt better and no longer met the criteria for depression.

A Harvard study also showed that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling alone.

6. Strength training reduces sleep difficulties.
Ten people in Dr. Singh's strength training group (see reason 5, above) also reported sleep difficulties at the start of the study. After 12 weeks, six of the 10 reported they no longer had trouble sleeping—they fell asleep more quickly, slept more deeply, awakened less often and slept longer.

7. Strength training reduces your risk of diabetes.
Adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes is a growing problem, with over 14 million Americans suffering from the condition. Research shows that strength training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23% in just four months. As muscles contract and relax during exercise, they use sugar for energy. To meet this energy need, your body uses sugar supplies in your blood, reducing your blood sugar levels.

8. Strength training lowers your blood pressure.
The University of Arizona study (see reason 4, above) also showed resting blood pressure (RBP) levels were impacted by strength training. Strength training participants shifted from the high-normal RBP category to normal RBP levels. Regular exercise, including strength training, strengthens the heart, allowing it to pump more blood with less effort. The less your heart has to work, the less force (or pressure) is exerted on your arteries.

9. Strength training helps you age more gracefully.
As you age, muscle mass decreases (if you're not working to preserve it), which can cause skin to sag in not-so-pretty ways. By strength training, you can fight age-related muscle loss and maintain a more youthful physique.

10. Strength training improves your quality of life.
Building muscle allows you to get more out of life. Everyday activities, such as lifting children (or grandchildren), carrying groceries, and working in the yard are much easier when you're not struggling with the effort. Being in shape also makes you more confident, helps you stand taller and makes you feel great about yourself. And what's better than that?

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direct link to article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=636
sources: http://www.sparkpeople.com

10 Tips for Riding in the Rain
By Philip Booth; Road Bike Action

Cyclists who live in Seattle, Washington, (or any place where it is guaranteed to rain on half of their riding days) are wet-weather professionals.

With spring knocking on the door, frozen Northerners will be itching to get off the trainer and onto a real bicycle—they aren't going to let water and road grit get in their way. And those who live in San Diego, California? Well, there is an outside chance that one day, drops will fall from the sky and soil those perky racing singlets everybody wears.

Sooner or later, everyone will be faced with riding in the rain, and with a little knowledge and the appropriate gear, spinning through showers can actually be an enjoyable experience. How do we know this? We contacted our Pacific Northwest wet-weather expert Philip Booth for a short list of 10 ways to motor through the mist happily...more or less.

1. Dress to Stay Dry
The wetter you get the colder you are going to be. Being cold and wet is a quick way to get sick. Keep your core warm. A waterproof vest or jacket with a dropped skirt in the back and a hood is critical for heavy conditions. Wear a wicking underliner made from wool or polypropylene and wool socks.

Cover your shoes with neoprene booties to insulate them when they are soaked, and use full fingered water- and wind-resistant gloves. Remember, your body sweats rain or shine, so your jacket and garments must breathe (chose Gore-Tex-type fabrics or ventilated outer garments) or you'll arrive wet from the inside, instead of the outside.

2. Clear Lenses
In low light, clear or yellow lenses for eye protection are critical. When riding in the rain, normal sunglasses cut out too much light and can make road obstacles hard to see.

If you are still having issues seeing, a cycling cap placed under the helmet will shield some of the rain and road spray from hitting your glasses. Use an anti-fog product (Rain-X is a good value) so you won't become legally blind after waiting for a traffic light.

3. Rainbow Patches and Puddles
The road surface will be the slickest and most dangerous just after the rain has begun. During this time the rain will cause the oil buildup in the pavement to rise to the surface, causing the road surface to essentially become a giant oil slick.

Keep an eye out for little rainbow-edged patches on the street. This is an indication of an oil patch. Never brake or corner in the center of the roadway at intersections, as this is where autos leave the majority of their drippings. Make an effort to notice metal surfaces such as manhole covers or steel-grid bridge decks, painted traffic markings, or wet leaves, as they all become very slick when wet.

As fun as it may be to bash through puddles, avoid them. More than one cyclist has broken a wheel on a submerged pothole—or submarined into a construction pit that appeared to be a harmless stretch of standing water.

4. Watch Those Brake Pads
A mixture of road grit and water turns out to be the fastest method to erode rubber brake pads. Pads that last a full season in the dry will run metal to metal on the rims in a month of wet-weather training rides. Also, most rims require a full revolution before the brake pads squeegee the water from the braking surface and begin stopping. Plan ahead and brake early.

5. Watch the Corners
Cornering in the rain can be tricky and dangerous. Shift as much of your weight on the outside pedal as possible. Use body English to keep the bike more upright when cornering. Lean your body more than the bike. By doing this, you will be able to corner with a reasonable amount of speed, as the body will tend to remain balanced over the bike when the tires slide over painted lines and unseen oil patches.

6. Fenders Unite
Fenders are not foolishness. If you plan on riding for any length of time, or with others, install fenders on both wheels. It will quadruple your comfort factor and keep your vision crystal clear. It's one of the unspoken rules that on rainy-day group rides you should never show up without fenders.

Drafting through a thin stream of grimy water gets old in about 10 meters. Several bike companies sell clip-on fenders that mount to the seatpost and downtube to fit bikes without threaded eyelets.

7. More Fenders
Don't stop there! Once you realize how much better riding with fenders is, you'll want to cut strips from old water bottles to make dangling mud flaps and screw them onto the backsides of your fenders. The longer, the better.

8. Chain Lube
Use a heavier chain lube. We've had good luck with Phil Wood Tenacious Oil. Go ahead, blob it on that chain—it's better to have a chain that requires cleaning than to have it freeze up with rust. Remember, your lube won't penetrate into the links unless the chain is completely dry when you apply it.

9. Light It Up
Let everyone know you are there. Heavy rain and the glare from auto headlights reduce motorists' vision, so it is a good idea to ride with a bright LED lamp on the seatpost and handlebar.

Be seen. LED lights are relatively inexpensive and work reasonably well. A good, rechargeable lighting system will also provide more light than an LED system, something to consider if your rides take place during early morning or evening.

Finally, if you are only going to spring for one light, a flashing red LED rear lamp is an absolute essential for stormy riding. LED lights are inexpensive and most have clips that allow you to attach them to your bike, backpack, or helmet.

10. Get a Rain Bike
Really, are you going to trash your race bike? The best investment you can have is a dedicated rain bike. Leave the fenders, the LED lamps, and the mountain bike pedals on your winter bike. When the clouds cut loose, you'll be far happier to submerge your bad-weather beater knowing that your race bike is snuggling next to the fireplace at home.

If you don't already have an old bike hanging in the garage, shop for something with generous room for fenders in the frame and fork.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/10_Tips_for_Riding_in_the_Rain.htm
sources: http://www.active.com and http://www.roadbikeaction.com

Easy Energy
By Clara Silverstein; Runner's World

Energy bars, gels, and sports drinks are so convenient that it's hard to imagine life without them. Specially engineered for endurance athletes, these products deliver the right mix of nutrients in one tidy package. They taste good, too.

Pity the poor runners, then, who can't take advantage of these easy energy options because they're plagued by food allergies or a finicky digestive system. (Or the unfortunate runner whose husband eats all the energy bars the night before her long run.) Are such runners doomed to bonk? Hardly. Everyday foods can pick you up when your energy levels are down. Your pantry, or at least the nearest mini-market, is filled with plenty of good options.

The trick to finding suitable alternatives to bars and gels, nutritionists say, is to know what your body needs and to give everything a trial run (or several) before you rely on it to sustain you during a long effort.

"The goal is to consume 30 to 60 grams of easily digestible carbohydrates per hour on runs lasting longer than an hour," says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., manager of the Fairview Hospital Wellness Center in Cleveland. And, of course, those carbs must sit well with you, so be sure to experiment. What works for your running buddy may not work for you.

During her two Boston Marathon runs, Barbara Ruhs, R.D., a nutrition consultant at Harvard University, re-fueled with orange slices, LifeSavers, and Fig Newtons. Ruhs recommends snacks that are as close to whole foods as possible so that you can avoid ingredients such as partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial dyes. Some of her other picks include dried fruit, graham crackers, and granola bars. Crumbly foods like graham crackers can be a challenge. But when packed in individual-serving plastic containers, especially those designed for children's lunch boxes or camping trips, they fit easily into a fanny pack.

Joe Dwyer, one of the owners of the Running Wild specialty store in Coralville, Iowa, gets lots of questions from his customers about fueling up on the run. Energy bars and gels are, of course, his first recommendation. After those, he suggests saltines (especially in hot, humid weather) or small candies, such as Gummi Bears and Sweet Tarts. "They are easy to pack and can be consumed quickly," says Dwyer. Runner Abby Mitchell from Boston pins resealable plastic bags of jellybeans and Gummi Bears to her shorts during her marathons. "They give me a little burst of energy whenever I need it," she says.

Scott Fisher, R.D., a sports nutritionist and director of the Active Training and Nutrition Center in Englewood, New Jersey, agrees that small candies make a good choice for people who can't tolerate solid food, yet still need a quick source of simple carbohydrates.

"Sucking on hard candy during a long run or marathon can be a nice alternative to energy gels," Fisher says. Another readily available alternative is honey. "It's a great, fast-acting carbohydrate. Carried in those little condiment packets, honey is easy and effective."

Sports drinks, which rehydrate runners while also delivering carbohydrates and electrolytes, are more easily tolerated and more difficult to substitute. Their formula depends on a specific concentration of carbohydrates, ideally between four and eight percent. "When you go above that percentage with sodas or fruit juice, it can lead to stomach upset," says Jamieson-Petonic.

Fisher recommends experimenting with different brands of sports drinks, and trying small amounts over a long period of time. "Tolerance typically improves with continued use," says Fisher. Or you can try mixing up your own substitute. Ruhs suggests adding one half cup of orange juice (which contains the electrolyte potassium) and a pinch of salt (sodium) to four cups of water.

Before you start stuffing the pockets of your running shorts with snacks, be realistic about your needs. "If you're adequately fueled and hydrated before a short workout, say a three- to four-miler, you shouldn't need anything else during the run," says Fisher. But if you're planning to run for more than an hour, you'll likely perform better with the energy boost from a sports drink or snack.

And if you live with someone who's always eating all the energy bars, just don't tell him where you stash the Fig Newtons and Sweet Tarts.

Bake Your Own
Have an oven? That's all you need to enjoy a new kind of energy bar. The San Francisco Bay Area company Matisse & Jack's has introduced a homemade energy bar mix. Available in two flavors (Cranberry Discovery and Chocolate Amazon), the mixes contain high-quality ingredients such as organic oats, dried fruit, and organic flax seed, and can be prepared in a variety of ways according to your dietary needs dairy-free, lower sugar, or an energy-cookie variety. Just stir in a couple wet ingredients and bake. We loved the oven-fresh taste.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/Easy_Energy.htm
sources: http://www.active.com and http://www.runnersworld.com

The Burning Questions About Metabolism
By Vicky Uhland; Content provided by Revolution Health Group

On the topic of metabolism and weight loss, conflicting information
abounds. To help you cut through the, um, fat, we asked 6 scientists
to answer 5 burning questions. Our panel includes:

Steven Aldana, Ph.D., professor of lifestyle medicine in Brigham
Young University's Department of Exercise Sciences in Provo, Utah
Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Council
on Exercise in San Diego, Calif.
Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise physiology at
the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
Gerard Mullin, M.D., director of Gastrointestinal Complementary and
Alternative Medicine at The John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md.
Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., research director for SupplementWatch, a
supplement review and rating service based in Draper, Utah.

In general, their responses to our questions were in agreement —
although their reasoning varied. Here are highlights from their
answers:

Does too much restriction of food intake really slow one's
metabolism? If so, how much and at what level of calorie reduction
does this kick in?

On the first question: Yes, which is among the many reasons why
starvation diets don't work. "Any time a person drops below 1,200
calories [a day], the body shows signs of slower basal metabolism,"
Aldana says. Talbott cites research that shows anything less than
1,000 calories per day would prompt slower metabolism. Bryant puts
the range at 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day.

Don't worry too much about that minor discrepancy. Most of us would
have to use incredible restraint to keep our caloric intake that
low. "As soon as you cut calories [significantly], you're not the
same person metabolically," Gaesser says.

Does the number of meals you eat impact your metabolic rate?

No, but it can impact hunger and energy levels. "This has been
studied," says Larson, who cites a study published in the British
Journal of Nutrition.1 "There is no effect. Eating 7 meals a day was
the same as eating 2 meals a day [regarding metabolic rate], so long
as total calorie intake was the same."

Talbott, Bryant, Gaesser and Mullin agree but also cite evidence that
small, frequent meals stabilize glucose levels — which in turn can
control hunger.2 "Keeping insulin and glucose at a steady state is
the best way to maintain a `healthy' metabolism," Mullin says.

Does working out harder extend your metabolic burn beyond the time of
the workout itself? For example, does it extend the calorie burn
deeper into the day if you work out hard for 20 minutes rather than
for 20 minutes moderately?

Yes, Gaesser says. The exercise afterburn effect, also known as
excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), directly affects
metabolism and is stronger after a hard workout. "Intensity is more
important than duration," he says, citing a 2003 Norwegian study.3
Gaesser says that for a few hours after a hard workout, your hourly
calorie burn rate would equal 15% to 20% of the total calories used
during the workout. A moderate workout would yield only a 10% EPOC-
related calorie burn.

For instance, someone who did step aerobics for 30 minutes and
expended 400 calories would have an afterburn effect of 60 to 80
calories per hour. And a  person who walked for an hour and burned
500 calories would have an afterburn effect of about 50 calories.
Interesting stuff, but that's still a fairly paltry calorie burn
you're getting after exercise (vs. during), so don't think you can
use EPOC to justify a cheeseburger and fries.

Are there supplements and herbs that can increase metabolism?

Yes, but there's not a lot of solid science behind them, Bryant says.
Green tea and caffeine are the most studied supplements in terms of
metabolic boost. Mullin cites a 2007 study in the journal Obesity
that found drinking a beverage containing green tea catechin,
caffeine and calcium 3 times a day increased 24-hour energy
expenditure by 4.6% in healthy, young, lean men and women.4 Talbott
recommends green tea, calcium and thiamine to control
metabolism. "The real value of these supplements is not that
they `increase' metabolism but rather that they help to prevent
metabolism from dropping as you lose weight," he says.

Are there really foods that increase metabolic burn?

No. "No foods have the magical quality to burn the calories away,"
Gaesser says. However, there is a thermic effect to food — the
digestion process burns calories and boosts metabolism.

Gaesser cites an article he wrote scheduled to be published in the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association in the summer of 2007.
He reviewed information from the Nurses' Health Study and the Iowa
Women's Health Study and found that protein has the highest thermic
effect, followed by carbohydrates. "Fat has almost no thermic
effect," he says.

But Larson cites a Dutch study that concluded that eating omega-3
fats can boost metabolism, while saturated fat consumption slows
metabolism.5 "Foods close to their natural form such as fruits,
veggies and whole grains do take longer to digest," Aldana points
out. "As compared to refined, processed foods, whole foods require 10
to 20 more calories to be burned just to digest the food."

Again, don't let the scientific sparring distract you from the bottom
line: Fresh produce, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy are
better for you than processed, sugary foods. And to lose weight, you
must burn more calories than you consume.

Class dismissed.

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/crhyle
sources: http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/

hi leah,

thanks for joining the group. if you have questions or need information
on something, feel free to ask and i'll do the best to help you! in the
meantime, i hope you enjoy the articles in the group. i'll also find
some articles that will interest you.

anastasia

Hi all. Just wanted to introduce myself. I am 23 and would like to be
more active in my everyday life. I was just hoping that I would find
encouragement and tips here.  that's all.

Running in Cold Weather
From American Running Association

November is, in most areas of the country, the turning point from warm weather to cold. All the signs and symptoms of winter are in the air. Although dealing with heat may present greater difficulties for the runner, winter weather comes with its own set of special problems, especially in transition months when there can be wide fluctuations in temperature over short periods of time. 

Hypothermia

When the air temperature is lower than the body temperature, the body loses heat to the environment. The body's natural metabolic heat production is generally sufficient to replace lost heat and maintain a normal core body temperature.

However, when the environmental gradient is severe enough, and the body has insufficient protection from heat loss, the core body temperature can drop-at 97 degrees it is called hypothermia. Symptoms include shivering, euphoria, confusion and behavior that resembles drunkenness.

If core temperature continues to fall, there is lethargy, muscular weakness, disorientation, hallucinations, depression or hostile behavior. If body temperature dips below 88 degrees, the situation becomes deadly-shivering may stop, and the patient may slip into a coma if emergency treatment is not given.

For distance runners, exhaustion and dehydration can further complicate hypothermia. During transition months when temperatures can change dramatically, a runner may be sweaty and unprepared with warm clothing for suddenly cold temperatures. In cooler temperatures runners may also give less attention to replacing lost fluids.

Frostbite

Frostbite results from freezing of the fluids in the skin and subcutaneous tissues after exposure to freezing temperatures. Dehydration and low skin temperatures due to exposure restrict blood flow as blood viscosity increases -- slower than molasses in January. Frostbite can happen in a hurry, within minutes of exposure depending on the weather. Skin suffering frostbite can look white, yellow or purple; doesn't hurt; and feels hard and cold to the touch.

Skin that has frozen will suffer more damage if thawed and refrozen. This is important to know since there may be an effort to treat the frostbite while still out in the cold. If there is no chance of re-freezing, the skin can be warmed with warm water, wrapped, and the frostbitten individual taken for medical care.

Protect Yourself

The desire to run unencumbered by layers of clothes should not override your better sense. In cold weather or situations in which the temperature may fall, precautions should be taken. Long runs of an hour or more in cool or rainy weather increase risk. Wear layers; cover exposed skin including hands, ears and nose; stay hydrated; and know the symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Running_in_cold_weather.htm
sources: http://www.active.com and http://www.americanrunning.org

3 Tips to Save Your Joints
By Chris Freytag; From Prevention

A reader on prevention.com asked, "What type of exercise is healthiest on my joints?" Good question! Aging brings on aches and pains, but staying active is crucial to controlling weight and staying healthy. Moving your body also increases blood flow and lubricates joints, ultimately easing pain. Think of how stiff you feel in the morning, compared with once you're up and about! Here's how to blast calories and boost your mood in joint-friendly ways.

Go Low Impact

To burn fat without jarring joints, choose cardio that keeps one foot on the ground at all times, like walking. For severe pain, try swimming or water aerobics, since the water eliminates impact and helps soothe joints. Cycling is another excellent option that can burn about 500 calories an hour. Opt for a recumbent bicycle if you have a sore back.

Stay Straight and Steady

Any activity with turns, pivots, or stops and starts (like tennis) can be uncomfortable because the joints absorb shock. In winter, try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing to burn as many calories as jogging—without stress. Indoors, the elliptical machine moves your body through a safe range of motion with minimal impact.

Strengthen Your Joints

Toning the muscles that surround your knees, hips, and back can reduce pain by improving your posture, alignment, and overall joint mobility. Find targeted moves to try at prevention.com/healthyjoints.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/3_Tips_to_Save_Your_Joints.htm
sources: http://www.active.com and http://www.prevention.com

dear leah,

thanks for joining the group. you don't necessary have to introduce
yourself here, but feel free if you like. if you have any questions
about anything, i'll do my best to help!

anastasia (group owner)

Build Your Base in 2 Weeks
By Scott Douglas; Runner's World

Rob Wiley never worried much about how he began a new training cycle. He figured it was enough just to stay fit, running the same few miles just about every day at about the same easy pace. Then the 32-year-old project manager of Gurnee, Illinois, started working with a coach, Jenny Spangler. She had Wiley run hills and tempo runs in his base weeks, that six- to nine-week period of time before a formal training plan begins. "I thought, Why am I running hard stuff right out of the gate?" he says. The reason became apparent two months later, when he began stepping up his workouts. "I was strong," says Wiley—stronger than he had ever been entering a training season.

The experience was a revelation for Wiley. Proper base building isn't simply a matter of logging a decent number of miles, he realized. Instead, it serves as a bridge between the off-season's maintenance runs and a race-specific training program. "The purpose of base training is to prepare you for your next phase of harder, faster running," says Spangler, the 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials champion. If you transition too quickly into the rigors of a training program, your ability to perform and, therefore, benefit from the work decreases while your risk of injury increases.

Because base training comes before you actually begin a training plan, it's often overlooked, says Spangler. In fact, quality work during this early phase is no less important than during your peak weeks. Faster-paced miles and the inclusion of a weekly long run increase endurance and strengthen your muscles, bones, and connective tissues. The improved fitness not only readies your body for the more intense running to come, it also allows you to safely handle tougher workouts, which increases the overall effectiveness of your entire training cycle.

Start Off Strong (Enough)

The key to successful base training is adding enough intensity to boost your fitness, but not so much that you get burned out or feel like you're training at your maximum too early. "There's no need to ever go above 95 percent of your maximum heart rate in base training," says Gordon Bakoulis, coach of Moving Comfort New York and a former 2:33 marathoner. "Fast 400 meters have no place in the base weeks."

Doing one or two quality workouts a week, such as hills, tempo runs, or fartlek sessions, will rev the cardiovascular system and stimulate the fast-twitch muscle fibers. A slightly longer run—of 45 to 90 minutes, depending on your fitness and goals—is also key. (For a two-week base-training program, see the end of this article) Sometimes, Bakoulis's athletes replace a tempo run with a race, which they don't run all out because they're not yet in peak shape. "It helps you retain the mental aspects of racing," says Bakoulis.

During base training, Spangler and Bakoulis both recommend gauging intensity by feel rather than by pace, since the number on your watch may push you to go faster than you're ready for. Gauging your effort allows you to run at the level right for that day. Plus, since much of base training takes place in the dark and cold of winter or early spring, achieving a certain pace becomes all that more difficult.

After Wiley added a few hill charges and 30-minute tempo runs to his formerly "easy" period, he ended up trimming two minutes off his half-marathon personal record. He decided to add quality runs into all his base training, and he ultimately set PRs in every distance from the 5K to the marathon. A little faster in the beginning meant a lot faster in the end.

Laying the Groundwork

Use the base-training plan below to develop endurance and strength prior to starting your next race-specific program. Follow this two-week block with one week of moderate runs. Repeat the three-week sequence two or three times for a total of six to nine weeks of base training. On tempo, hills, or fartlek days, warm up and cool down with a 10-minute easy run.

Day 1
Long run 45 to 90 minutes at what coach Jenny Spangler calls "a slight level of discomfort," or a moderate effort

Day 2
Rest, cross-train, or do a short, easy run

Day 3
Run 20 to 60 minutes at a moderate effort

Day 4
Long fartlek 3 or 4 3-minute surges at a 10-K to 10-mile effort, with 3 minutes easy running between fast segments

Day 5
Rest, cross-train, or short, easy run

Day 6
Hills 45 to 60 seconds at a hard effort; start with 4 repeats, build to 8 to 10; walk or jog downhill between repeats

Day 7
Rest

Day 8
Long run 45 to 90 minutes at an easy, conversational pace

Day 9
Rest, cross-train, or do a short, easy run

Day 10
Run 20 to 60 minutes at a moderate effort

Day 11
Short fartlek 10 to 15 minutes of 30-second to 2-minute bursts at a hard effort; recovery is equal to the duration of each fast segment

Day 12
Rest

Day 13
Rest or Run 20 to 60 minutes at a moderate effort

Day 14
Long tempo (or race): 20 to 40 minutes at half-marathon to marathon effort; 5-K or 10-K at a brisk but controlled pace.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Build_Your_Base_in_2_Weeks.htm
sources: http://www.active.com, and http://www.runnersworld.com

Try the following exercises using resistance tubing secured to a stationary object such as a post, or secure them with an Active Cord attachment, available at most sporting goods stores. (Resistance tubing comes in varying degrees of tension; be sure to try several in-store before purchasing.) The resulting strength, flexibility and muscle memory will improve your running form, stride length and explosiveness, which will mean faster race times.

Each of the exercises below is preceded by a few words about form. In addition to these tips, avoid rotating your torso or shoulders as you run. This, in turn, will keep your hips square so that your pushoff forces you directly forward.

To run well, great ankle joint extension is necessary, as this increases the power of your pushoff. The more you can extend, the better. During running, keep the knee slightly bent in the pushoff leg to maximize horizontal force. A perfectly straight leg results in more of a leap and is a waste of force.

Heel Raise

Secure the tubing under the balls of your feet. Fasten the ends to an Active Belt around your waist or to a post, or have someone assist you by holding the ends. Stand on the balls of your feet and lower your heels until you feel a stretch in your Achilles tendon (there is no need to push the heel beyond the point where you first feel the stretch).

Rise up as high as possible and hold for one to two seconds. Perform 10 repetitions. This exercise is best achieved standing on a stable board two to four inches from the ground.

Forward thigh drive increases stride length and the power of your pushoff. Hip flexors, located in the front of the hip are largely responsible for this, and you can benefit from strengthening them.

Hip Joint Flexion

Inhale and hold your breath as you drive your thigh forward. Keep your knee bent so that your shin remains parallel to the ground until your thigh is past vertical position. Do not drive the thigh all the way parallel to the ground, as this will teach you to drive your thigh upward rather than forward when running. Therefore, it's also best to add an additional cord for more resistance than to rely on a greater stretch of the tubing as you become stronger.

Turning over, such that your feet are in contact with the ground more often, provides more force-generation, allowing you to go faster. Cutting short your time in the air, however, reduces the extent to which you are using that generated force.

Therefore, during flight phase, do not drop your thigh as it reaches its highest point and the forward leg begins to straighten. Only after straightening should the leg come back and down. Aim to land with your landing leg close to the body's center of mass--for distance runners, this means only slightly in front of you. For sprinters, your leg should be more or less directly underneath you.

Combined with a full-foot or even ball-of-foot landing, this running technique will generate the least amount of braking force at the point of contact and keep you moving fast. The greater the angle between your legs midflight, the faster the results. The best sprinters open this angle up to as much as 165 degrees; distance runners employ a slower and more economical form, which means a maximum angle of about 100 degrees.

Hip Joint Extension

Attach the tubing to a high stationary object. Stand in front of it and attach the free end to your ankle. Stand with your leg raised, thigh slightly below parallel.

To begin, straighten your leg and pull down until your foot touches the ground beside your other leg. Perform this action vigorously for 10 repetitions. As you become conditioned, try balancing yourself (instead of holding on to a wall or stable object) to achieve even greater results.

Lunge

The down position of the lunge duplicates the airborne position in sprinting. This exercise will also stretch the hip flexors. With your feet hip-width apart, step forward with a very long stride. Upon landing, slowly lower your upper body straight down. Shift your weight backward and extend your forward leg. Return to your standing position and repeat with the other leg for 10 repetitions each.

In addition to the lower body workouts discussed here, there are a variety of lower-back, abdominal and upper body exercises that will increase your strength and improve your form. Coupling these sport-specific exercises with regular speed work will give you even more dramatic improvements in running speed.

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Do you like to work out and/or play sports? Do you enjoy the
following:

Group classes
* dance classes
* aerobics classes
* martial arts/kickboxing/tai chi classes

Team sports
* basketball
* volleyball
* soccer
* baseball/softball

Individual exercises/sports
* running
* walking
* weight training
* circuit training
* swimming

Other activities
* yoga/pilates
* tennis/raquetball
* hiking
* golfing
* skiing/snowboarding

....and any other sports not mentioned above? Do you need motivation?
Do you have questions about an injury and treatments/prevention?
Please feel free to ask! Group participation would be nice and can
help others who may have the same question.

Anastasia (group owner)

Nutrition Tips for New Runners
By Scott Gray; For Active.com

Running as a form of sport and exercise has very particular nutritional requirements. To get the best in performance, endurance and recovery out of your body, you will need to be concentrating on not only what you eat but when you eat. Follow these nutrition tips for new runners to improve both your speed and stamina.

Healthy Eating

It goes without saying that once you start running your body will need extra fuel for those miles. You will be burning an extra 100 calories roughly for each mile that you run. Not only that, your muscles will be needing extra protein to keep them operating efficiently. Here is a quick guide of the foods that you should be eating as a new runner:

• Complex carbohydrates provide slow and steady fuel. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, whole breads and unrefined pastas, vegetables and potatoes will not produce the sharp blood sugar spikes and lows, which can leave you feeling depleted before the end of your run.

• Glucose drinks consumed in the first 15 minutes after finishing your run will be best absorbed for muscles seeking fuel sources. The 15-minute time frame is important, as this is when your muscles can utilize it best.

• Protein is essential for both tendon and muscle repair. Proteins are also essential for regulating hormones. The more often you run and the further distance you cover, the more repair work there will be for your muscles. An easy guide to remember is that if you are running a great distance you will need up to 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram that you weigh. So if you weigh 140 pounds, or 64 kilos, you will need about 96 grams of protein daily. Your protein should be high quality and preferably lean, such as chicken, tofu, eggs, nuts, or fish, if you are also trying to shed a few pounds. For those runners who do not have a weight problem, low fat protein will not be a concern.

• Fats. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, flax seed oil, canola oil, and avocados are the healthiest fats to consume. Monounsaturated fats have been linked to a decrease in heart disease and stroke, and are one of the basic ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet. It is healthier for a runner to obtain their fat calories from these sorts of fats and oils than from unhealthy options such as lard or deep-fried anything.

• Balanced meals for runners should comprise roughly 20 percent fats, 60 percent complex carbohydrates and 20 percent proteins. Ensure that you consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruit smoothies are also an excellent and quick source of nutrition. A good variety of colorful foods should almost make a vitamin pill unnecessary.

• Water consumption is essential for everyone, but even more so for the runner who is going to sweat more than average. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least two liters, or eight cups, per day. Herbal teas, sports drinks, and fruit juices, can be counted as fluids, but be warned that caffeine and alcohol do not, as these will dehydrate you. Water should be consumed evenly throughout the day to keep fluid levels up and your body evenly hydrated. Most runners tend to be dehydrated.

• Vitamins and minerals will play an important factor in your running performance and endurance. Your extra energy requirements will also mean that you will need extra vitamins and minerals. Ideally, these should be provided from a healthy and well balanced diet of fresh and whole foods. Bottled supplements will never replace a healthy and varied diet, and should only ever be considered as an extra, not a necessity.

• Drink your meal. Commercial protein drinks, carb drinks and sports drinks can all be useful ways to stock up on fuel before a run. These are especially useful for the early morning runner who doesn't have time to eat breakfast and then wait to run. Drinking meals is also easier on some runner's digestions than a big meal right before a run around the block.

Snacks

Once you start running on a regular basis you will notice that your base metabolism starts to run a bit faster, which means that you will be burning up more calories. This is great news for those who want to shed a few pounds. Those who don't need to lose any weight will need to eat a little extra.

Nutritional snacks such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain sandwiches, smoothies, nuts, eggs, yogurts, and protein or health-food bars can all help to alleviate the dreaded energy slump. Healthy snacks will also ensure that your muscles and liver are always ready for further exercise, and additionally, you will have sufficient energy to get through day-to-day activities.

Smaller meals more often will also keep your blood sugar levels more steady and your metabolism running high. Aim for three smaller meals, and two to three snacks throughout the course of the day.

Planning

The timing of your meals will be crucial to the success of your running performance. Not enough fuel and the tank will run out. Too much fuel too soon can be just as disastrous as not enough.

The ideal formula for peak performance is to eat a meal rich in complex carbohydrates two to three hours prior to your run. After finishing your session it is a great idea to have a glucose drink within 15 minutes to replenish tired muscles looking for fuel. Eating a meal rich in protein and complex carbohydrates in the first two hours after your run will assist with muscle and tendon repair.

Counting Calories

As we have already said, the average person can burn about 100 calories for every mile they run. If you are unsure about how many calories you are burning you can always use a calorie burning counter to figure it out. These counters use factors such as your body weight, age, fitness level, and gender, to approximately determine the calories you are burning up. Playing around with a calorie burning counter will demonstrate just how big a difference there can be in how many calories a runner can burn.

Pre-training Nutrition

As a generalization, about one to two hours before your run you should aim for one to two cups of water plus 25 to 50 grams of carbs. Great choices are banana, porridge, bagel, wholegrain toast or an energy bar. Alternatively, use the water to combine with carb powder to make a drink.

Conclusion

As a rule, runners need to consume more calories than the non-runner. The consumption of good quality protein is vital for muscle repair, as is a steady supply of complex carbohydrates. Beware of empty calories that will only provide you with a sugar high and slump. Optimized running performances are dependent on consuming quality foods in a larger quantity, as well as careful timing of when you eat.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Nutrition_Tips_for_New_Runners.htm
sources: http://www.active.com

GET SERIOUS: Spend $100 on a pair of good shoes, and you really have to run, one author discovers.
By Marc Parent

The man at Sears handed me a 10-percent-off coupon good for anything in the store and told me my tire rotation would be done in an hour. I stuffed the slip into my back pocket only because there wasn't a nearby trash can. On my way out, I looked down a long aisle of athletic shoes and had an epiphany.

My default position about epiphanies is that they are generally untrustworthy. The ones that occur in hot tubs or on sunset beaches should be dismissed out of hand. They are blood relatives to the third-beer eureka--usually lost in translation back in the real world. But an epiphany that hits you midday during an otherwise normal midweek is one you pay attention to. I needed running shoes. If I planned to take another step across the tar, I had to stop fooling around and find the shoe that would help me do it.

By this first week into my third month of running, I had pretty well gone through every shoe in the house that could remotely be thought of as something you could run in. If your speed is slow enough and your distance short, you can fool yourself into thinking stilts will do. There are a lot of shoes that look like they'd be okay but aren't. I own most of them--high-tops, basketball shoes, tennis shoes. I tried them all but circled back most consistently to a blown-out pair of cross-trainers. Chubby running shoes. You wear them with white puffy socks and cross between weight machines and juice bars; do your three-minute "cardio," and then cross over to a step class. Or you use them to get beer and chicken. You can mow the lawn in cross-trainers and then retire them to the basement and forget about them until your gut touches the edge of your desk and you panic and suddenly decide to start running. Then you can clap the grass from the soles and clip-clop down the road for a couple of months while you decide whether you really want to get serious. You can flirt with nagging aches and pains that threaten to blossom into sidelining injuries, until finding yourself one day in the shoe aisle of a department store where you finally see the light. About the only thing you really can't do in cross-trainers is run.

I walked down the rows of shoes with the 10-percent-off coupon warming to life in my back pocket. Man, the colors were outta sight. Groovy, dude. Like, totally not me. It's bad enough that I have to struggle through this in public. I didn't want to add to the spectacle with shoes that shout, Watch me run, baby! I held a pair with yellow stripes to the side of my calf and backed up toward a mirror to check them out. A clerk stopped to see if I was all right. I lowered them to my ankle and looked up at her. "Do these shoes make me look desperate?" She said no and walked away quickly.

 glanced through the other offerings. It's not like I hadn't seen running shoes before, it's just that I had never really looked at them. The choices were nearly overwhelming. There was one with pistony-looking things in the heel so that I might get in touch with my inner Dale Earnhart. There was one wrapped with black netting laid over bronze foil for my inner pole dancer. One with sides that looked as if they'd been ripped straight off a space-shuttle dashboard, with rows of buttons and indicator panels for my inner rocket man. There was something jet-propulsion-like about each shoe--as if all the brands had together locked a bunch of NASA guys in a room until they each came up with a design. I counted no fewer than seven different patterns woven into the upper of any single shoe. Most had more than 10. There are more understated carnival rides.

I picked up a pair of Asics Gels. It was like holding a hologram. I could see the shoe in my hand but could barely feel its weight. I pushed my thumb against the sole. I liked the idea of a gel in there. Some genius had put a soft filling in a doughnut and look what brilliant news that turned out to be. Gel in a running shoe had to be at least that good.

The shoes were metallic silver and gold, accented by straps of glossy, blue plastic. Like running itself, they were both hideous and gorgeous. I had seen this kind of shoe on other people. I may have even held such a shoe before, but I had never considered one in the context of actually putting it on my foot. You don't walk into a store and pick out an item designed specifically for an activity you've deemed a nonstarter--you don't ask a clerk where he hides the beekeeper veils. Now here I was holding a real $100 running shoe. If anything, buying them would represent a commitment to running that I hadn't yet made. Hundred-dollar running shoes are no beer-and-chicken loafers. These were made for flying across the road and nothing else. If I got them, I'd simply have to run.

I looked around before trying them on. They felt like shoes you had to earn somehow. I imagined the glare of some track star if she saw them on my feet. I'd have to lie and say something about a son with my exact size who does, like, a three-minute mile and needs metallic shoes to shave a few more seconds off his time.

With the coast clear, I slipped the right shoe on and snugged the foiled laces. The clublike cross-trainer on my left foot looked like something constructed by early man out of bark and vines. I hopped on the right shoe--the shoe of tomorrow--then swung it back and forth under my knee. I looked around again for any track stars and then lunged forward and stood back up. I knew there was some science to matching shoes with a runner, so I executed a few twists and another hop. I did a little jog down the aisle and turned around and jogged back. Then I did a sprint and another hop. Hey, they felt good--what did I know? I opened the box they came in and read the inner cover. There were diagrams of feet surrounded by arrows and arcs to indicate forces within the shoe. From what I could gather, if your foot was roughly shaped like a foot, this was your shoe. But more than that, if running was something you needed to do for the rest of your life, these were the shoes that represented the first real step in that direction.

The next morning was bright and cold. I slipped the shoes on and high-stepped around the kitchen table for the only reason that this is what you do with new gold-and-silver shoes. Compared with the old logs I was used to, they felt like cheating. They felt like they could run on their own. My wife came downstairs, stopped when she saw them, and looked at me flatly. "Wow," she said. I asked her if they made me look like I was having a midlife crisis. "Not if you use them," she said.

"Speaking of which," I said, slipping on my coat and pulling on my hat.

"How much were they?" she asked as I bounced down the walkway.

"Cheaper than a convertible."

"How much?"

"They were 10 percent off."

"Which made them?"

"Priceless," I shouted and hit the road.

"Right," she shouted back with a laugh. "That's what I was afraid of!"

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/dd9cra
sources: http://www.runnersworld.com

Coping With Illness During Aerobic Training
By Gale Bernhardt; For Active.com

It stinks to get sick when you feel you are on track with your training for upcoming events. As much as we all try to stay healthy, it happens.

It may start with a scratchy throat or just feeling tired. Those of you that are "Type A" personalities definitely don't need my "toughen up cupcake" blog. Instead you need to take a break.

If your symptoms are above the neck (sinus drainage, watery eyes, scratchy throat) you can go ahead and exercise—but only if you really feel like it and if you keep it completely aerobic. If you are on the edge of an illness, typically an anaerobic workout will push you over the edge into a real illness.

If your symptoms are below the neck (coughing, body aches) or involve a bacterial infection (sinus, bronchitis, walking pneumonia) then it is best to take a few days off and just rest. Generally, if you take a break and rest you'll get over the entire illness faster than if you try to suffer though it.

Additionally, I personally know people that have pushed themselves when they've been sick with a cold or flu and ended up with further complications. (Viral Myocarditis and Guillan-Barre Syndrome to name a few).

I'm not trying to scare you, but I do want you to have respect for your body when it is trying to wage war against illness. I do want you to think twice about exercising when you are sick.

How to Adjust Your Training Plan

So, you've decided it's best to take a few days off and rest. What to do about that training plan?

If you miss between one and three days of a training plan, just forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout, though with these modifications:

• Keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for about a week.
• You may need to cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
• If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.

If you miss three to seven days of a training plan due to illness, forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout with these modifications:

• Keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for one to two weeks, maybe more. Keep any intensity above Zone 3 out of your workouts for an additional two weeks.
• Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
• If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.

If you miss more than two weeks of a training plan due to illness, you'll need to go back and rebuild lost fitness. If you are in the preparation or base phase, there are some options:

• Go back and repeat the three or four weeks prior to the onset of the illness. This may mean you eliminate some intensity workouts later in the plan or closer to the race. This is a better choice than trying to skip foundation workouts and go right to intense exercises.
• Continue with the training plan, but keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for at least two weeks—maybe more. Keep any intensity above Zone 3 out of your workouts for two more weeks. (A minimum of four weeks total.)
• Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
• If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
• Once you begin to do faster workouts, you may need to reduce the volume (accumulated time) of the intensity scheduled by 20 to 50 percent.

Most of the time, it's okay to do some strength training if you feel like doing something but you don't want to risk an aerobic workout. Don't get carried away and make yourself exhausted, just go push around some iron and get the blood moving.

If you are sneezing, coughing and carrying on with your illness, most people (including you, if the roles were reversed) would prefer you stay home until you're healthy.

As always, health first, performance second. Get well soon!

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/dggrcw
sources: http://www.active.com

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
Working_Out group:

What motivates you to exercise or play sports?

   o losing weight
   o watching or reading inspirational shows/stories
   o play/exercise with friends
   o support from friends and family
   o participating in contests
   o setting goals
   o new clothes - old clothes
   o needing/wanting to be around longer for kids
   o family history
   o indirectly exercising with others (i.e. at gym)
   o other


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Working_Out/surveys?id=2481494

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Balancing Fitness With Family
By Jamie Allison; For Active.com

"Anticipating children, I knew it was going to be challenging to find time to maintain my athletic goals, but I knew I had to for my sanity," said mom and triathlete Jamie Allison.

"Working out was such an integral part of my life. It always gave me a fresh perspective, an attitude adjustment, a second wind and energy. I knew I could be better at everything if I could maintain my level of fitness. But I knew it was going to be tough if I didn't create a support system."

The Balancing Act

Female athletes across the globe face the same problem -- trying to combine the roles of both athlete and mom. That's what inspired one woman to start up Moms In Motion -- an organization that provides women with programs in which they take time for themselves, improve their fitness, build new friendships and give back to their community.

Founded by teacher, triathlete and mom Jamie Allison in 1999, the company was designed to bring women together in a constructive, meaningful way.

"Women--especially moms--often find themselves overwhelmed with multiple roles and limited time for themselves," Allison explains. "As a new mom myself, I wanted a place where I could connect with other women who could understand what it meant to be a mom and still get to practice."

All Types of Women, All Types of Sports

With that goal in mind, Moms In Motion was born. The company's first endeavor was to create a triathlon training team. After three successful years, Allison decided it was time to expand the concept to include a range of sports. If enough members express interest in a sport they create a new team.

Nationally, you can find Moms In Motion Teams in road running, hiking, cycling, triathlon, trail running, walking and most recently surfing! Leaders take members through a "season" (usually 10-12 weeks), building towards a culminating event. At the same time the team selects a charity to support, deepening the overall experience.

With over 40 national teams and three international teams (Canada, France and South Africa), Jamie has tapped into a much needed, unique niche.

Moms In Motion draws women of all ages and abilities--women who have recovered from life-threatening illness, women who have never been active before, past athletes, women looking for a new challenge, women who want to address weight issues and women who just want to make new friends.

Through the Support of Others

"For thousands of women, Moms In Motion is the highlight of their week," says Allison.

Allison's vision of creating a national health & fitness community is taking on a life of its own. "I am thrilled when I hear how members have found a Moms In Motion Team in their new community after a move. And I am excited about our team leaders who are organizing their culminating events with other team leaders so members can meet each other and participate together. It's like one big family!"

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/walking/Articles/Balancing_fitness_with_family.htm
sources: http://www.active.com

Start Small with an Exercise Fast Break: How Can Small Equal Fast?
-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer

As you may have read in the Nutrition Resource Center, one of the keys to maintaining a healthy diet in the long run is starting small with a Fast Break. This idea not only applies to food; a fitness Fast Break is just as important.

While starting small helps you to avoid burnout when it comes to eating healthy, it also helps to avoid blowout when it comes to fitness. When you decide to start a fitness regimen, it's easy to think you can just pick up right where you left, regardless if it was two weeks ago, two months ago or even two years ago! Unfortunately, fitness does not work that way. In fact, trying to jump right back in can be dangerous.

Whenever you work out, the muscles in your body break down and then repair themselves. The more active you are, the easier and less painful this process becomes. But when you jump right back into a workout routine after a long absence, your muscles are not prepared. It will take awhile for the body to recover from pressing too hard and one feeling will result – major soreness (a little is okay, after all).

By starting small with a fast break, you ease your body back into the routine of exercise without the pain (or at least not as much). And don't feel like you are a wimp because you are starting small. By establishing a solid base, your body will soon be ready to roll and adding more difficulty to your workout will be easier than you think.

So what are effective yet simple fast break ideas? Here are some possibilities:

• Walk every day for 15 minutes
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night (good for energy)
• Stretch every morning
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work
• Skip a TV show and go outside instead
• Do push-ups or sit-ups for one minute (as many as you can)

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direct link to article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=68
sources: http://www.sparkpeople.com

The Benefits of Circuit Training: Exercise Like the Pros Do
-- By Lonnie Soloff, Cleveland Indians' Head Trainer

Circuit training is a workout routine that combines cardiovascular fitness and resistance training. It was first proposed in the late 1950s as a method to develop general fitness. The initial routines were arranged in a circle, alternating between different muscle groups (hence the name circuit training). By allowing only a short rest interval of 30-90 seconds between stations, cardiovascular fitness is gained along with the benefits of resistance training.

When developing a circuit training routine, a wide variety of exercises and equipment can be utilized. Much of the equipment is relatively inexpensive and includes surgical tubing, jump rope, your own body weight, dumbbells, medicine balls, physioballs and weight training machines. A circuit can consist of as few as six stations to as many as 15 stations based on the goals and pre-training levels of the participants.

Circuit training stations are generally sequenced in a way to alternate between muscle groups, which allows for adequate recovery. The rest interval between stations should be between 30-90 seconds and 1-3 minutes between circuits. A typical gym has several strength training machines and workstations, which enables the creation of several circuits. This benefit of variability challenges the skills of the participant and keeps them interested from session to session.

Circuit training plays an integral role in the offseason workouts of many professional athletes. It serves as a way to maintain general fitness while avoiding the high physical demands of in-season sport. Circuit training also serves as a segue to higher level strengthening programs in these athletes.

The following circuits are examples that can be used by the participant with several years of weight training experience. The cornerstones of these circuits are exercises that stress multitude and core musculature. A participant should always consult with a physician before beginning a fitness program.

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direct link to article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=267
sources: http://www.sparkpeople.com

10 Ways to Make Sure You Exercise
By Carolina Diaz-Bordon; eDiets Contributor

It's not going to scream at you to get up and help around the house. It won't take away your allowance. It won't take tallies if you're late or threaten you with your job. You won't hear it ask you for attention or demand you treat it with respect. It won't nag you, push you or beg you to call. When it comes to exercise, it's up to you to commit and get on the ball.

What if there was a pill you could take every day to relieve your stress, alleviate depression, improve your mood, ward off diseases, clear your mind, strengthen your body and increase your lifespan? Chances are you would buy a lifetime supply. While there is no magic health pill on the market, there is a natural one: It's called exercise.

The bad news is that no matter how you look at it, you have to exercise if you want to get fit. Your body was built to move. It needs to release energy every single day. To build and strengthen your body, you need to give it attention.

The good news is that once you start paying attention to it, your body will feel good. When you begin incorporating exercise into your daily routine, you will find that instead of dreading it, you will look forward to exercise. In fact, your body will start craving it.

Here are the top 10 ways you can stay on the ball and make exercise a part of your life:

1. Plan ahead. Write it down as a must-do in your daily planner.

2. Use the buddy system. Find friends or family members who already incorporate activity into their lives. Ask for support and help motivate each other.

3. Take group classes.Again, having support is key to sticking to your fitness plan.

4. Set up weekly and daily fitness goals. By setting realistic goals, you'll stay motivated until the very end.

5. Hire a fitness trainer. With the current economy, this can be a tough one, but it's well worth it. Since you want to get your money's worth, you're going to want to stay on track.

6. Make it a family affair. Get your partner or your kids involved.

7. Incorporate it into your housework or at the office. Walk to lunch or meetings, use the stairs instead of the elevator, work on your yard, park at the farthest parking spot, rake leaves – the possibilities are endless.

8. Instead of just meeting for dinner or lunch, plan activities with your friends. After work, head to the gym together or get a group together at work and do a marathon.

9. Write a reminder to yourself of why exercise so important and read it every day. It's a great way to stay focused and keep exercise on your mind.

10. Join a league or sign up for walk-a-thons months ahead and work on achieving a certain time. You'll get in shape as you prepare for it, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment when it's over.

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/66gmct
sources: http://healthnews.ediets.com/diet-fitness

The Top 10 Workout Killers
By Ganon Baker, Ganon Baker Basketball

Think about this concept: the majority of players really don't want to work hard for free, and what is remarkable is people pay others to take their body and mind to a place it's never been. That being said, this article is about things that may kill an athlete's workout.

If you can overcome these workout killers, then as a player you will get better and as a coach you will gain the trust and dependence of your athletes. Because, when you think about it, you have three times as many practices as you do games.

Boredom

If your athletes get bored, they begin to hate the workout. And you should not have a negative connotation to any exercises you are doing.

Fatigue

Anytime an athlete continues to be out of shape and gets tired, you start to lose the player's bio-mechanics. The player will start to teach the muscles incorrect memory. In other words, their form will be off in everything they do. John Wooden said it best: "Perfect practice makes permanent results". There is a difference between being tired and being winded. If a player is winded, they can continue to go through each exercise hard and correct.

Lack of Game Speed

If a player does not simulate game speed, the practice is not truly authentic. I always have my players practice a little bit above and beyond game speed. If the practice is hard the game will be easy. Now obviously there will be times when you are just working on form and mechanics. And those practices are necessary and different.

No Game-Like Drills

Anytime a player is practicing and studying the wrong notes, he won't be ready for the test. What I mean by that is a coach has to give the players the correct drills in order to have congruent skills in the game. For example, in basketball you can't have a kid spinning two balls and expect him to improve his ball handling. Also you must stay in progression. The skills and drills must build up. For example, if an athlete has trouble shooting layups, they shouldn't spend all of their time shooting 3-pointers.

Too Many Players, Lack of Equipment

The key to getting your players better, once they learn, is repetition and conditioning. You can't have six players in a drill and only one ball. What have made our reputation good are our results. We get results from making sure that every player in our workout has a ball. This way, players are getting enough repetitions. We also make sure there is no standing around or down time. We implement two skills in multiple sequence drills. Players are always on the move.

A Non-Passionate Instructor

Whether the player is instructing themselves or being trained by a coach, they must have contagious enthusiasm and passion. Passion is the divider between good and great. If you do not have passion in your workouts then all of these killers take place. A great coach will actually sweat with his players.

Not Having a Goal or Practice Plan

Each player and/or coach must have a purpose in that session, whether it is 10 minutes or 60 minutes each time out. Each drill must be specific to that player's strength but more importantly to their weakness. Each player must continue to develop and find a solution in the game. Solutions are found in practice. There must be a short-term goal to be obtained every practice. In my experience, I have been around some great NBA players and watched them work out. Whether it was Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire or LeBron James, they had a purpose every time on the floor and they were maniacal about getting better.

Lack of Nutritional and Hydration Supplementation

In layman's terms, the players must eat properly before and after each workout. They must learn how to drink enough water and hydrate themselves so they can get more oxygen to their muscles and they don't cramp. If they cramp, they get hurt. If they get hurt, they can't finish the workout. If they can't finish the workout, they don't get better. Eating right, getting enough fluids and getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night is vital and is a must in building the athletes temple. I know it's elementary but I have worked out several professional athletes that skipped breakfast before our workout.

Parental/Guardian or Posse Involvement

There should only be one voice that the player hears in a workout and that is the trainer or the coach. What bothers me more than anything else is having a player being worked out and he hears "riff raff" from his posse or his people sitting in the stands waiting for him. I say "riff raff", because in my experience it never helps the athlete. If the people in the stands are so knowledgeable, then let them train the athlete.

Lack of Inspiration by the Athlete

A lot of players play for the wrong reasons. A lot of people push the player to workout and train when all the player wants to do is something else. I have seen very disinterested players go hard, do all of the right things, listen and are very dedicated to the workout, yet don't have the true love for the game. They are pushed so hard, they eventually burn out and resent the game all together and destroy relationships of their inner circle. Unless an athlete truly loves the games and dedicates and sacrifices to work out because they truly want to get better, they eventually will burn out and they won't rise above adversity.

My antennas are always up when it comes to these workout killers in basketball. However, I think any coach can apply these workout killers to their sport.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/basketball/Articles/The_Top_10_Workout_Killers.htm
sources: http://www.active.com, and http://www.ganonbakerbasketball.com/

Tweak of the Week: Boost Your Metabolism
By Shawn McKee; Staff Writer

Growing up, my brother was "big-boned." I was skinny. My dad affectionately called us the stick and the brick. As we got a little older, my brother's bone affliction was redefined as a slow metabolism and his problem was at least identified.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about a slow metabolism…right?

The truth is that genetics do define our metabolic rates to some degree but, like other genetic predispositions, there are factors that we can control. Diet and activity levels are lifestyle choices that affect metabolism, according to eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pam Ofstein.

"Even if slow metabolism is in your genes, you can do things to help increase it. Focus on exercise (to build lean muscle) and eat more often," says Pam. "Yes, I definitely said to eat more. Each time you eat, you stimulate your metabolism and feed your muscles. If you starve your body, it actually stores more fat. You defeat the purpose and can actually gain weight."

Pam recommends eating 5-6 times a day (every 2-3 hours). It will keep your metabolism running smoothly and help you avoid the pitfalls of hunger, such as overeating because you're starving. Proper nutrition is the first step of supercharging your metabolism, but to really get your metabolism firing on all cylinders, you will also need to add a fat-blasting workout.

Many people looking to lose weight incorrectly assume that lifting weights will lead to a bulky look and they can achieve their goals with cardio alone. This is a fallacy. While cardiovascular exercise is crucial to weight loss, weight training is crucial to boosting your metabolism.

Experts agree that resistance training is the best way to build and preserve lean muscle mass, which speeds up your metabolism. You can get the most fat-burning benefits by using a combination of strength and cardio training to lose more weight.

"There's a fitness term called the 'after burn'," says eDiets Chief Fitness Pro Raphael Calzadilla. "This refers to the calories that you burn 24 to 48 hours after your exercise session. What that means to you is a faster metabolism that burns fat at an accelerated rate."

Not only will exercise speed up your metabolism after your daily workouts but, if you are building lean muscle mass, it will increase over the long run as well. This is crucial because your metabolism actually decreases as you age.

"Unfortunately, our metabolisms slow as we age -- especially for us women," says Pam. "But eating right and exercising can help speed up that slowing metabolism and help reduce a number health risks like heart disease and osteoporosis."

Pam is also quick to point out that it's important to make sure your caloric intake meets your needs. You may need to reassess your caloric intake as you lose weight and adjust it higher or lower. Often, eating more of the right foods will stimulate your metabolism.

Ultimately, we discovered my brother's weight issues were due to a combination of his diet of sugary treats and salty snacks and a fairly excessive cartoon habit. But, don't worry, this story has a happy ending.

My little brother joined the Marines, where he got all the exercise he could handle. When he came home he was a lean, mean fat-burning machine. I, on the other hand, went to college and -- without sports to keep me active -- focused my efforts on fast food, beer and my studies (read: girls).

I couldn't blame my ballooning waistline on genetics or a rare bone-enlarging phenomenon. I had to face the facts and get myself back in shape. I ate better, moved more and got myself back on track for better health.

Your metabolism can either be your ally or enemy. If you can get it to work with you, it will make weight loss much simpler. It's never too late or too early to change how your body looks, runs and feels -- so get started!

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/cnxyp7
sources: http://www.ediets.com

This is an auto-generated reminder of the group rules. The group rules have been
updated on December 28, 2008.

* Please TRIM YOUR POSTS. This means that you should not include the whole
message you are replying to when you post to the Working_Out group. It tends to
clutter up the group and makes it difficult for digest readers to follow. It is
also hard on people with limited mailbox space or who have to pay for their
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just enough to remind people what the post you are replying to was about. It's
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dial-up.

* Please keep the messages on-topic. All off-topics, including professional
sports, will be deleted immediately. Although, topics about general health and
diet will be allowed. There are many other yahoo groups for professional sports,
but this group is for people who can't/won't make the team on a professional
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* Although lurking is ok, member participation and being "active" in the group
would be nice. If you have any questions about an article, sport/exercise,
injury, diet/health or would like to see more information on a specific topic,
please feel feel to ask in the group.

* Do not advertise online stores of any kind. Spam is also not allowed. Personal
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* You may include links such as your personal blogs/websites, charity pages,
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* Last and most importantly, please enjoy your health and life.

4 Warm-Ups for a Better Workout
By Marianne McGinnis; Prevention magazine

Trading stationary stretches for more active moves is a better way to lubricate joints, reduce risk of injury, and get blood flowing to your walking muscles, studies find. Try these four moves, courtesy of Tom Dooley, national walking coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, before your next workout for a smoother, easier stride.

1. Hurdles (loosens tight hips)
Balance on right leg (hold a chair or wall for support) with left leg bent so heel is behind you. Rotate left leg out to left side and forward as if drawing a circle with knee. Do 15 times, then switch legs.

2. Windmills (relaxes shoulders and neck)
Stand with arms at sides. Circle right arm up in front of you overhead, and then down behind you (like swimming the backstroke). Do 15 circles, then switch arms and repeat.

3. Foot Rock-Overs (stretches arches)
Stand with feet staggered, right foot flat about 12 inches behind left foot, left toes lifted off floor. Shift weight forward, simultaneously lowering left toes and rolling onto ball of right foot, lifting right heel. Reverse to start. Do 15 times, switch feet, and repeat.

4. Heel Raises (strengthens calves)
Stand with feet parallel, hip-width apart, hands on a chair or wall for support, if needed. Lift heels and raise onto toes for two seconds, then lower. Do 15 times. Repeat with heels together and toes pointing out, then with toes together and heels out.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/4_Warm_Ups_for_a_Better_Workout.htm
sources: http://www.active.com

dear members,

if you are receiving the messages from the group and you cannot see the images, please vist the group directly or visit the direct link at the end of this article. enjoy!

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The Wake-Up Workout: Sculpt your body in 8 easy moves—starting in bed.
By the Editors of Prevention

Everyone dreads those dark winter mornings when you wake up so zonked that even hitting the snooze button makes you tired. "Because your core temperature is at its lowest, physical performance is worst in the morning, especially when it's cold," says Michael Deschenes, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the College of William & Mary. "When your muscles are cool, they don't generate as much force and are more susceptible to strain and injury."

Whether you're a committed early exerciser or not, it's worth it to get up and get moving because it will make mornings easier. "As your core temperature rises, hormones and endorphins are released, making your limbs feel looser and improving your mood," says Deschenes. That's why we asked Juel Bedford-Rossi, a fitness instructor and wellness consultant in New York City, to create this extragentle routine to energize you—even when all you want is to stay warm and cozy all day.

Workout basics

These exercises emphasize light stretching and toning, ideal for mornings when you feel groggy. The workout takes about 15 to 20 minutes and requires a book, bath towel, and washcloth.

Upper-Body Fan

Warms torso and facilitates breathing by opening shoulders and upper chest.

A. While lying on back with arms outstretched to sides and palms up, bring knees up and roll them to right side. Turn head to left. Try to keep both shoulders touching bed.

B. Sweep left palm in 180-degree arc over chest to touch right palm, letting head follow arm, then slowly reverse move. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.

Warms and tones the core.

Remove pillow and start by lying faceup. Bend knees and plant feet on bed. Press palms into mattress near hips.

Tighten abs and lift both shoulder blades off bed.

Hold for a complete breath, then lower. Repeat 10 to 15 times. (If your mattress is soft, do this move on the floor.)

Warms lower body by enhancing circulation between lower extremities and heart.

A. Lie faceup on bed with knees bent, arms outstretched to sides, and palms down.

Pull knees in toward torso, pressing heels together, toes apart.

B. With heels still touching, straighten knees and extend legs straight into the air, pressing inner thighs firmly together.

Pause. Bend knees back toward chest.

Repeat 10 times slowly.

Gets heart pumping without your having to stand up.

Sit on side of bed and extend arms in front, palms up.

Clench fists and bend elbows (like "putting up your dukes").

Then, keeping back straight, raise left knee while twisting and pulling right elbow to left knee.

Then raise arms while tapping left toe to floor.

Repeat 10 times on left side, then switch sides.

Strengthens and tones quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes forward.

Extend arms in front, holding your clothes for the day.

With weight on heels, sit back and down as if sitting in a chair. (Don't extend knees beyond toes.)

In this position, slowly set out an article of clothing.

Return to standing and repeat until you've laid all your clothes on bed.

Big Book Swing

Tones and strengthens arms, legs, and torso. (Omit if you have lower-back problems.)

A. With legs apart and knees slightly bent, press a dictionary-size book between palms. Straighten arms and lower book to outer left ankle.

B. As you stand, sweep book diagonally to upper right (like a golf swing), lifting heel of left foot and pivoting toes inward. Slowly twist back down. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.

Arm Yawn

Hold one end of washcloth and raise arm up, bending elbow behind head.

Bend other arm behind to clasp washcloth. Pull gently in opposite directions. Hold for five breaths and release.

Switch arms; repeat.

Towel Lats

Tones arms while improving flexibility in back and shoulders.

Stand holding bath towel taut at both ends, arms extended overhead. Flex back and shoulders and pull towel down behind your head, lowering it to neck level. Return to start and repeat 10 times.

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/d5cwzk
sources: http://health.msn.com/fitness

Safety Tips for Nighttime Exercisers: Because You Can Never be Too Careful
-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer

Everyone knows how important it is to maintain a regular fitness routine, but sometimes the day is so jam-packed with other responsibilities that exercising during daylight hours is next to impossible. However, if you like to exercise outdoors, there are some safety issues to consider if you're going out after dark (or before sunrise).

Plan Ahead for Safety
Staying safe at night requires a bit of planning. Here are some things to consider before heading outside:

• Plan your route and tell someone where you will be. Let your friends or family members know when to expect you back and make sure they know your exercise route.
  
  
• Carry a cell phone at all times. It's also a good idea to locate all public telephones along your route in case your phone is lost or stolen along the way.
  
  
• Carry identification. Bring a driver's license or some sort of ID tag. At the very least, make sure you name, phone number and emergency medical information is printed inside of your shoe or on a card in your pocket.
  
  
• Don't wear jewelry or carry money. This can help reduce your risk of being targeted for a robbery.
  
  
• Dress to be seen. Wear reflective materials and bright colors so drivers can see you easily. Although most running shoes now have reflective materials built into them, you can increase your visibility by wearing specially designed running pants, shorts, jackets or even a reflective vest. Carry a flashlight or a flashing device to make you even more noticeable on dark streets.

While You're Out
Safety doesn't stop when you're out on the road. Consider the following tips the next time you're exercising outside after dark:

• Don't exercise alone. There is safety in numbers, so exercise with someone else—even your dog—whenever possible.
  
• Stay alert. You are the most vulnerable to potential attack when you're lost in your thoughts and not paying complete attention to your surroundings. Look ahead, to the sides, and turn to watch behind you every once in a while. Be aware of any suspicious people on your route.
  
• Don't wear headphones. Music restricts your hearing and distracts you from what's happening in your environment. Wearing headphones can therefore prevent you from hearing an oncoming car or potential attacker. Listen to your surroundings and learn which sounds are normal and which signify potential danger.
  
• Be aware of your environment. Know which businesses are open and where you can go for help in case of an emergency.
  
• Change your route periodically. The less predictable you are, the less likely it is that someone else can learn your habits or follow you.
  
• Avoid unpopulated areas, poorly lit or deserted streets and overgrown trails. Stick with busier streets that are well-lit.
  
• Exercise against traffic so you can see oncoming cars. Stay clear of parked cars and bushes along the side of the road.
  
• Obey your gut feelings and trust your intuition. If you are uneasy about a person or a location along your route, trust your feelings and avoid what is making you anxious.
  
• If you think you're being followed, change direction immediately and head for the safety of an open store or a lighted home.
  
• Use caution if anyone in a vehicle stops and asks you for directions. Remain at least an arm's length away if you choose to answer.
  
• Have your key ready before you reach your home so you can get inside quickly.
  
• Call the police immediately if you notice anything out of the ordinary when you're out. Know the level of criminal activity in the area before you begin your route and adjust your course to avoid known criminal areas.

Traveling and Vacation Safety
Staying safe when you're away from familiar areas can be tricky, so exercise caution in a new place. Here are some additional points to consider if you're exercising in a strange city:

• Check with your hotel staff or concierge to find out which exercise routes are safe. If there are none close to your hotel, have the staff arrange access to a local health club or gym.
  
• Learn your temporary exercise route as well as possible before you head out. Get a map and study it. Learn street names and landmarks.
  
• Carry a card with your hotel's address on it as well as your regular identification.
  
• Don't carry your room key. Leave it at the front desk.
  
• Don't let your guard down just because you're on vacation. Be aware of your surroundings and follow your usual safety rules.

These safety tips aren't meant to scare you, but they do involve things that every exerciser should keep in mind when exercising outside—even when it's not dark. After all, safety should be your first priority. You'll always feel (and be) safer when you employ the "buddy system" instead of working out alone. So try to involve your friends, family members, or consider joining a running/walking club.  After all, exercising with a buddy is not only safer, but it also makes fitness more fun!

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direct link to article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=965
sources: http://www.sparkpeople.com

Understanding Heat Exhaustion
By Jason Lathrop

On only two occasions have I thought I might die: The gravest occasion involved severe dehydration in the California desert, the other occasion involved a stuck gas pedal, a Plymouth and a twisty Wasatch road, but that doesn't concern us.

My brother and I had decided to celebrate my first vacation from that urban blight known as New York by spending a few days in Joshua Tree. I was ecstatic to be back among Western vistas, searing heat and absolute quiet--all of which contributed to an impromptu decision to extend a six-mile, out-and-back hike into a 17-mile loop. It was early still and we felt strong. Our decision was supported by a hiker we met who assured us there was a water faucet at a campground along the loop.

Needless to say, there was no water at that campground. By the last three or four miles, I was suffering the beginning stages of heat exhaustion--nauseated, demoralized and cramping. And scared.

Heat exhaustion and stroke are not conditions to dismiss lightly. In the American wilderness, foreign wilderness, or even a tropical capital city, you need to be aware of heat-related dangers.

Mistakes to Avoid

We were extremely, extremely, fortunate we didn't make an error finding our way back to camp. We had definitely used up our margin for error and made nearly all the mistakes we could have.

We pushed ourselves while still acclimating. I had flown from cool New York to the searing California desert in late spring, allowing my body no time to adjust to the severe heat. Among other things, your body over the first few weeks in a hot climate transfers fat away from the skin and toward internal organs. It also becomes more efficient with water use.

We didn't have enough water. In the hottest of hot conditions, you need to drink what seems like a ludicrous amount of water. A liter every couple of hours is not unreasonable if you are working hard. Take an extra bottle and make certain you know where the next water is.

Other Important Points

While we did screw up on the above, there are other important precautions we did take. You should also:

Wear Appropriate Clothing A wide-brimmed, well-ventilated hat and a cotton, long-sleeved T-shirt are the most important items. Cover your legs as well. Light colored cotton is the best.

Rest During the Heat of the Day Don't bite off more mileage than you can handle in two stretches--the morning and late in the day. By resting during the hottest hours of the afternoon, you recover energy, absorb food better and spare precious sweat.

Consequences

You should know the signs of, and treatment for, heat exhaustion and its much more dangerous cousin, heat stroke:

Heat Exhaustion The symptoms of heat exhaustion are weakness, muscle cramps, quickening heartbeat, nausea and sometimes vomiting. All are related to dehydration and the accompanying rise in internal body temperature. At this point, the situation is not an emergency, assuming you handle it correctly:

• Make the victim stop all exertion and lie down in the shade.
• Apply a damp cloth to the face and upper body, wetting their clothes if possible.
• Get the victim to drink water slowly but steadily. Adding some sugar and a pinch of salt helps absorption.
• If improvement does not occur, make arrangements to evacuate the victim.

Heat Stroke Eventually, after sufficient dehydration and hyperthermia, a person will succumb to heat stroke. This condition can lead to death or disability. All the symptoms for heat exhaustion apply, except you will also likely notice delirium, irrational thinking or unconsciousness. Once the victim is this far-gone, you must evacuate as soon as possible. Employ the cooling methods described above while transporting or waiting for transport.

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direct link to article: http://www.active.com/outdoors/Articles/Understanding_Heat_Exhaustion.htm
sources: http://www.active.com

STUCK IN A RUT: How to get out of a bad place and feel good again.
By Jeff Galloway

I often hear beginners say that after a few months of steadily adding miles and feeling more at ease on the road, they feel stuck. They just can't go any faster or farther, and running doesn't feel as good as it did at first. Hitting ruts is normal, but it's important to get out of them and keep improving your fitness. It may just take a few small changes.

The Rut: I feel sluggish on my runs, and I'm slowing down.

This Way Out: Back off slightly. Shift your running to every other day and add more walk breaks to your runs. Ease into every run by warming up with one to three minutes of walking. If you try these tips and still feel fatigued, talk with your doctor. You may be low on iron or B vitamins.

The Rut: I can't run any faster.

This Way Out: Add speedwork (or accelerations) and longer runs into your weekly routine. The speedwork helps build your aerobic fitness. Longer runs improve your ability to deal with the stress of a hard effort. Take a day of rest after speedwork and long runs so that your body can recover.

The Rut: I lose steam on my long runs.

This Way Out: Slow down your long runs, add miles more gradually, and add more walk breaks. For example, if you now do your long run at a nine-minute-per-mile pace, with one minute of walking per mile, slow the pace to 10-minute miles, and take walk breaks after three minutes of running. And run long every other week, adding one mile each run.

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direct link to article: http://tinyurl.com/avpkjr
sources: http://www.runnersworld.com

Seeing is Achieving: Picture Weight Loss Success With Visual Cues
-- By Mike Kramer, Staff Writer

Visual images hold amazing power. We can all still "see" the Challenger disaster, the flag rising over Iwo Jima, even our own high school yearbook pictures. The images are still with us today. And so are the emotions that go with them.

You can use this power to your advantage to help you lose weight. If you surround yourself with visual cues, you have a great chance of meeting that goal. A picture of what you want (or don't want) to look like; a vacation postcard that you're using as a reward; a picture of your kids who you want to stick around for – these images can stick around and pull at you even when they're not in sight.

Seeing is believing. Seeing is also achieving.

How Do Visual Cues Work?
First, let's look at how the brain processes information. The mind simply can't keep up with the 36 million bits of visual data that bombard it every second. So the conscious mind doesn't bother trying. It simply passes most of the info along to be processed somewhere else.

According to brain specialist Amy K. Hutchens, 99% of learning is done on a non-conscious level. "That's a fancy way of saying that vision dominates your brain activity and behaviors," she says. Basically, what we see can determine how we act.

Seeing The Good Stuff
Your brain needs a method of filtering through the clutter and locking onto what's important. This is where the science comes in. The "reticular activation system" (RAS) sorts through those millions of bits of data, making sure that you're only aware of certain things. It calls your attention only to the details that you don't want to miss, such as hearing your name in a crowd.

Have you ever bought a home or rented an apartment? Once you made a conscious decision to start shopping, it probably seemed like For Sale or For Rent signs were popping up everywhere. In actuality, the signs probably had been there for months, but you just noticed them for the first time. That's because this specific priority was now "registered" with your RAS.

Weight loss is a priority that can be "registered" the same way. Mare Petras, a fitness expert who helped organize the first Great American Workout, sees this as a perfect reason to write down or put visuals to your goals. She explains, "If you put down a solid vision of how you want to look, your vision will pop up when you need it. In my experience, overweight people are sometimes powerless over impulses. Seeing a visual helps them to stop and think – and make better choices. It adds color to a black and white goal."

Once you write something down or see a picture of your goal, your brain starts to work on that goal without you even realizing it. You'll notice people wearing the same swimsuit you want; you'll see bike and walking paths that you didn't notice before; you'll see healthier menu items that you skipped over in the past. You'll be drawn toward making the right decisions.

Positive Pictures = Positive Progress
Another way visual cues can help keep your motivation high is through the power of positive association. Seeing a positive stimulus increases the production of serotonin, which is responsible for feelings of well-being and satisfaction. Seeing that same cue often enough builds a pattern of positive response that creates momentum. Soon, the positive feeling will transfer to your goals as well.

Dr. Daphne Stevens, a psychotherapist with 30 years' experience working with weight control and fitness issues, says that this connection between picture and motivation only grows stronger as you achieve and see results. "Pardon the pun, but a sense of mastery `feeds' on itself," she says. "The satisfaction of doing positive things for the body substitutes for the quick-fix rush of sugar or simple carbs that put on the pounds."

So write your goals down right now, plaster that fridge with positive pictures, tape an inspiring message to your dashboard, do whatever it takes to surround yourself with visual cues.

You'll see success – both in your mind and in your life.

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direct link to article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=226
sources: http://www.sparkpeople.com

Tweak of the Week: Exercise Made Easy
By Shawn McKee; Staff Writer

We're almost a month into the new year. How are your resolutions coming?

If you're like the estimated 40 percent of Americans who resolved to lose weight this year (and probably last year, too), then you probably fall into the roughly 90 percent of respondents in a nationwide survey who reported little or no success in their weight-loss efforts.

It's easy to put off the necessary changes until the new year, then try to make sweeping lifestyle changes -- hey, it's a new year! However, most experts agree that this is not the right way to lose weight.

"The most difficult part about starting a fitness program is knowing what defines a realistic routine and a correctly designed plan based on the individuals goals and lifestyle," says eDiets Chief Fitness Pro Raphael Calzadilla. "People tend to do too much too soon and many times their workouts are designed ineffectively. You have to be realistic about your schedule and fitness level."

This is a common weight-loss mistake people make. We come into the gym motivated and ready to get pumped, but we haven't done anything physical in months. We work out too hard and are too sore to return the next few days or, even worse, we end up injured.

eDiets Member Success Coordinator Cathy Cox, who is an ACE certified personal trainer and lifestyle weight-management consultant, knows how important it is to start at the beginning. She lost more than 120 pounds and did it one step at a time.

"I couldn't start the exercise at the same time I started the nutrition -- I just couldn't do both," says Cathy. "It seemed so overwhelming at first, but if you just focus on what you can do, and slowly add to that, then you'll be much more successful than just trying to make dramatic changes."

Whether you need to lose 20 or 120 pounds, Cathy says the keys are starting slowly, asking for help when you need it and following the proper progression.

"Don't focus so much on perfection," says Cathy. "Constancy is the key to an effective exercise routine."

Raphael agrees that constancy is crucial for effective fat loss. It's about developing a lifestyle change that you can adhere to. He'd rather his clients work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes than try to do an hour a day -- it's unrealistic and won't last. You have to be honest about your goals and limitations.

"Besides time, people have a difficult time sticking with a program because they don't think in terms of a fun workout," says Raphael. "You can find a Pilates class, weight training class, jogging group, dance class or any number of fun DVDs -- there are so many ways to make fitness more fun."

If you're still having trouble staying motivated, it may be because you're doing it alone. You can always do more with a team that motivates and inspires you.

"I always recommend working out with a friend or group," says Raphael. "Joining a support board also helps -- accountability is crucial."

Whether you simply take a walk on your lunch break with a coworker, hire a personal trainer or you join a fun class, there are so many ways to get moving. The key is to start moving, find something you enjoy and keep at it. Get started today!

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direct link to article:
http://healthnews.ediets.com/diet-fitness/2009/01/tweak-of-week-ease-into-exercise.html
sources: http://healthnews.ediets.com