Friday, August 26, 2011

I'm a Published Author! Getting Lean with Creatine

Check it out!  All you might want to know about creatine and getting lean!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-Lean-With-Creatine&id=6515278

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Recovery

As a full-time fitness instructor one of the biggest challenges for me is keeping my body fresh and ready for the next workout.  I have days where I teach 4 classes and then the next morning have to be up at the crack of dawn to teach another class - not a lot of time for my muscles to recover!  I'm also the type of instructor who likes to do the whole workout with my class.  I need to know what the intensity is like and any time I've been at a class where the instructor just barks orders, but doesn't do the workout themselves I get very frustrated with them.

So what's a girl to do to make sure she's ready for the next class?  Here are a few good ways to aid recovery:

1.  Eat and drink properly.  You need high quality nutrients before and after your workout to ensure your muscles are able to recover properly.  I have a Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer before my workout and then a Vega Sport Performance Protein shake right after (in my car).  The shake before gives me energy to get through the workout and gets my body ready for fat-burning action, and the shake after provides my muscles with the amino acids they need to be able to repair the 'damage' I just did.  Then within the next 2 hours I have a proper whole food meal complete with a healthy protein, healthy fat and healthy carb (usually fruit or vegetables).  I also make sure to include something raw with each meal (fruits and veggies).  I always make sure to start the day with a big glass of water and then continue to drink lots of water throughout the day.  If you're dehydrated your body will not function properly!

2.  Get your rest.  I can't always get all the hours of sleep I need at night, so I do my best to work in a nap everyday.  I try to keep it to 30-45 minutes, but sometimes it goes longer (4 hours once!).  At night I always take melatonin to make sure I get quality sleep.  Melatonin is a sleep hormone that occurs naturally in our bodies as a response to darkness.  Unfortunately once it gets dark outside we humans turn on lights, the TV our computers, etc. which disrupts our body's ability to produce the amount of melatonin we need to get a really good night's sleep.

3.  Cold water showers.  This can be a bit rough, but what I do is after my shower I take down the shower head, put it over my leg and start slowly turning the water to cold.  Once it's cold and I've caught my breath I keep the cold water on each leg for about 30 seconds.  It's startling at first, then you get used to it and then when you step out of the shower your legs feel so refreshed!  Another way to do it is to go to the ocean or a lake or any naturally occurring body of water really and walk right in.  I learned about the benefits of cold water for recovery from my cycling coach and it really does work!

4.  Cool down right after your workout.  I never skip the cool down and not just because it's part of my job to cool down my participants.  When you cool down and stretch properly you help to flush out the metabolic waste that's built up in your muscles in response to the exercise you just did. 

5.  Get a massage.  Massage should be a regular part of your fitness regime.  Massage helps to remove that metabolic waste that's built up in your muscles. 

6.  Take some time off.  Sometimes you just have to take time off.  Even though I love what I do and could quite happily forgo any vacations I know that my body does need some down time.  I'll be taking some time off in September to go on a bike tour of Puglia with some friends!  I'm looking forward to some days of easy, pleasant cycling with an awesome group of ladies :)

Try some of these recovery methods (or try them all) and let me know what works best for you!

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Power of Women

I went to The Power of Women seminar on Friday.  It was an all day seminar and the speakers included Suzanne Somers (very informative regarding aging), Courtenay Wolfe, Loretta LaRoche (hilarious!), Leigh Ann Tuohy (very inspirational), Amilya Antonetti (very motivational), Marlee Matlin (also VERY inspirational), Jessica Holmes (sooooo funny) and Ellen DeGeneres (LOVE her!).

I came away with some new found inspiration and made a new friend while I was there, but I was disappointed by how much I paid for my ticket.  I bought the VIP ticket thinking that at the VIP lunch we'd get a chance to meet the speakers, but that wasn't the case.  With tax I paid over $500 for my ticket so I was kind of expecting a bit more.  Some people did get to meet Ellen and get their picture taken with her - they were the Emerald people and they paid $1600 (before taxes) for their ticket! 

It really was a very inspiring afternoon and I don't regret going, but I definitely would not pay that much for it again if it came back to Vancouver.  I guess most fun things in Vancouver are greatly over-priced so I should be used to it, but it's still disappointing when you spend that kind of money and don't feel you got your money's worth.

What's the latest thing you felt you spent too much on?

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Ruby's First Ride!

I just got back from a fabulous ride up Mount Baker which is the 3rd highest mountain in Washington state!

Kevin from La Bicicletta Pro Shop was kind enough to arrange this epic ride and 75 lucky people took part in it - what a beautiful ride.

I recently purchased a Specialized Ruby bike and today was my first big ride with her.  I figured a 150km mountain ride would be a good way to see how she rides. 

I was not disappointed!  A fairly large part of our ride was spent on a road with a lot of loose gravel.  Although it wasn't very pleasant, Ruby really handled well.  My Tarmac would have felt very unstable on such a surface, but Ruby felt quite safe and secure.  Then came the climbs!  I'm a climber and love it - I actually enjoy the pain a bit (makes me feel alive!).  On Ruby for most of the climbing I felt like I was spinning on a flat road.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to get my cadence around 80-90rpms and hold it there.  Compact gearing is amazing (my Tarmac was standard).  Don't get me wrong - I still felt that lovely burn in my legs as I climbed and climbed and climbed, but my legs were moving so fast and almost effortlessly.  I still love my Tarmac, but I think my Ruby is the kind of bike I'm meant to be on.

If you're in the market for a new bike make sure you know what kind of rider you are.  Are you a racer?  Are you a climber?  Do you prefer competing on your bike or do you want to just participate in as many long rides as possible?  Once you know that, go to your favourite bike store and tell them so they can hook you up with the perfect bike for you. 

I have two favourite bike shops - The Bike Gallery and La Bicicletta.  Of all the bike stores I've ever been to I was treated best at these two stores.  They didn't make me feel stupid for not being a cycling expert and answered all my questions without rolling their eyes or trying to rush me into a sale.  I don't know about any of you, but my experience at most bike stores has not been very positive.  It seems that most bike stores are staffed with people who don't want to be bothered by anyone who isn't some sort of cycling superstar.  Too bad because they really missed out on a lot of business from me!

I would have to say that riding my bike is one of my favourite ways to spend a weekend - that and enjoying great food and some nice wine.  What's yours?

Monday, August 01, 2011

Find Motivation

This past Sunday I was supposed to ride up Seymour with my riding group.  I got up Sunday morning and felt too tired to even keep my eyes open and didn't really feel that well.  I ended up cancelling and going back to bed for about 7 hours - guess I needed some rest.  I tried to talk myself into going, but just couldn't find the motivation to do so.

For me it's not a huge deal when I lose motivation every now and then.  My job insures that I will be back in the game the next day - whether I want to or not :)  Thank goodness for my job, because it's really easy to lose sight of your goals and lose your motivation to go on.  We all know that once you get off the fitness train it's really hard to get back on!

Are you struggling right now?  If you are try this exercise:
1. Write down your goals - be specific.  If it's pounds you want to lose,
how many?  If it's inches, how many and from where?  If it's muscle you
want to put on, where exactly on your body do you want that muscle?

2.  Now ask yourself why you want this and write down AT LEAST 5 reasons why.

3.  Now describe yourself in detail as this new ideal version of yourself.
How will you look, how will you feel, what will change in your life (ie
will you participate in more things, travel more, date more, be more
outgoing, feel more confident?), how will people react
to you?  Be as detailed as possible - really picture yourself and your
life once you've achieved your goal - describe it like you're already there.

Once you've done this read it everyday AT LEAST once.  Some good times to
read it are right when you get up to set the day off on the right track,
right before you do something you know isn't good for you (ie drinking pop -diet or otherwise,
eating that entire pie, skipping your workout) and right before bed.  The more you put
it in your mind the more you'll work on it both consciously and subconsciously.

There it is.  I hope that helps you. 

Now here's how you can help me: tell me where you find your motivation and what you do when that motivation starts to slip away.