I am writing this in the airport waiting for our return flight from Florida, where my husband (James) and I got away for four days. While there, we fit in some exercise. James is not the exercise enthusiast that I am, but he does like to run and is wonderfully supportive of me and my fitness “habits”. So while we were away, I ran three times (twice with James along Beach Road in Jupiter with beautiful ocean views, and once by myself for 8 hot, humid, and flat miles). I also went to a Kettlebell/TRX class taught by a friend, Josephine Bunn. Technically James and I did this together, since he dropped me off, went to Dunkin Donuts, and brought me coffee and a donut after the class (as I said, he is very supportive). Of course without our children with us, it was easy and fun to fit in a few workouts while on vacation. However, this is not our typical vacation (it was the first time we have gotten away for more than an overnight in 22 years). The other 99% of the time that we get away our children are with us. Yet, I still manage to squeeze in fitness most of the time. So with summer fast approaching, and the start of family vacations, I am sharing five ways to fit in a workout while away…or not! [Read more…]
Fitting in a Workout While on Vacation
Posture, Posture, Posture!
If I was in real estate, my mantra would be “location, location, location”. In the field of fitness, it needs to be “posture, posture, posture”. As someone who does not naturally have good posture, I am amazed, and a little worried in fact, about the implications of bad posture. Not only does posture effect fitness performance, it can also be a precursor to injury if it is not properly aligned.
Bad posture is really an alignment problem. Dr Rothbart, author of Forever Free from Chronic Pain, uses the analogy of a car to explain the posture issue. He says that when the suspension of a car is unevenly distributed across surfaces of the tires, some parts receive more weight than other parts. This causes the tires to wear unevenly. The thread is worn down until performance is affected. In the same way, when we have bad posture, our body’s weight is unevenly distributed across the joint surfaces of our ankles,knees, hips, back, neck and jaw. Some of these joints receive more weight than others, causing them to wear unevenly. Ultimately this affects efficiency and performance, and can even eventually cause chronic pain. [Read more…]
My Favorite Workout: The Cardio/Core Combo
The other day I wrote about my least favorite workout…Plyometrics. Lest I appear like a whiner, I will write today about my favorite kind of workout…the Cardio/Core Combo. I like this kind of workout because I never have time to get tired of one thing. Typically I don’t use weights for this, just my body and a few extras (like bands and a medicine ball). However, it is still considered “strength training”. Using a timer, I only do each exercise for about one minute, but I am always amazed how hard this can be. By doing Cardio first, I feel warmed up and ready for the Core exercises. The other reason I like to get the Cardio out of the way is that I am forced to do the Core work under time pressure. I usually don’t have much more than about an hour and 15 minutes to exercise, so I have to work fast and I don’t have time between sets. My first choice for Cardio is always running, but I don’t like to run more than four days a week if possible. When I can’t run, I usually do the elliptical machine or the exercise bike (we have a Lifecycle at home…but no elliptical). One thing I like about the elliptical or bike is that I can read while I workout. Since it is difficult to find time during the day to read (and I usually fall asleep immediately after I open a book before bed), I love the chance to fit it in. [Read more…]
Dynamic Stretching…Best for Pre-Workout
What is the first thing many people do before they go for a run or begin a workout? Stretch! This has been drilled into our thinking. If there were deadly sins of running, not stretching would be on the top of the list. It is common to see runners standing, holding one foot behind them, stretching their quads, or sitting on the ground doing a hamstring stretch. We have been told to hold the stretch for 15-90 seconds, and not to bounce. These kind of stretches are known as static stretches, and they are what we have been taught to do. As a runner, I have never been very disciplined about stretching, and so I was interested in what many coaches and trainers are now saying is a better kind of pre-workout warm up. Some people call it dynamic stretching, and if you show up at a track meet or a basketball game these days, you will likely see athletes continuously moving rather than staying in one place stretching before competition. [Read more…]
Quote of the Week: By Failing to Prepare, You Are Preparing to Fail
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail…Benjamin Franklin
I’ve got the marathon on my mind. I guess I would much rather think about it than start training for it! I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon after enjoying it so much last year. It isn’t until the end of October, and so it is too early to start any serious training yet. However, since I am not a big planner, marathon training always presents a challenge for me. I have friends who love training for marathons. They say having a goal helps them become structured about their running and keeps them focused on the prize. Maybe it’s because I’ve started and then had to stop training for marathons a number of times that I tend to be a little hesitant about planning too far out. Whether it was a pregnancy, an injury, or just life that got in the way, for many years the marathon seemed elusive. In fact, last year’s Marine Corps Marathon was my first marathon in ten years! [Read more…]
Welcome Another Mother Runner!
Thank you to Another Mother Runner for profiling 9 Kid Fitness today! For those of you new to our site, Welcome! Thanks for visiting!
Another Mother Runner is the companion site to the book Run Like A Mother, and is an awesome source for all things running and mothering…and actually these mother runners are quite funny too! They show us how to gracefully (and sometimes not so gracefully) fit it all in.
For my 9 Kid Fitness readers, check it out!
Are You Getting Enough Protein?
Many of us are not getting adequate protein. If you exercise regularily (5-6 days a week for at least an hour) you might be one of these people. I’m certain I am. As an athlete, I am always on the lookout for good sources of protein to eat after a workout. Also, I am not a three meals-a-day girl. I eat more often than that; spreading my calories throughout the day, and so I find that getting enough protein can be difficult since I typically eat smaller meals.
I recently talked to Alan Tyson, physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports about finding good sources of protein. He suggests a ratio of 2 to 1 (carbs to protein) for a post exercise meal. He admits that this is harder to do than it is to say! Some of his suggestions are an apple with peanut butter (good source of fiber too), a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, Greek-style yogurt with berries and nuts (almonds are great), or a protein shake (with skim milk) or bar with the above ratio. While Power Bars and other “energy” bars are great for endurance events or for before an extra long or hard workout, they are high in sugar and usually low in protein, and are typically not ideal for a post exercise meal. [Read more…]
Minimalist Running…Is it For You?
Yesterday was a beautiful Easter Sunday, and in the evening my husband and I got out without the kids and went for a five mile walk on a trail near our home. We both wore our Vibram FiveFingers. My husband started running in the FiveFingers after reading Christpher McDougall’s Born to Run over a year ago. He owns a few pairs of the Vibram FiveFingers and had gotten up to running about four to five miles in them. The chronic persistent knee pain he had most of his adult life disappeared, and he was starting to think the minimalist shoes were the answer. Then he got a stress fracture. He has not been able to run in three months and might not be able to get back to it anytime soon. Was it the minimalist running? [Read more…]
Ran Five With #5
I ran five miles yesterday with #5 (Annie), on a trail not too far from where we live. Annie will be 13 next week and is a very good little runner. We ran a warm-up mile, then a pick-up mile, and then one mile hard (she ran a 7:01, and I just tried to catch her…unsuccessfully). We finished with two easy miles. It was a beautiful spring Saturday and the sky was a true Carolina blue! [Read more…]
Wounded Warrior Project…Great Races, Awesome Cause
I was completely inspired last October when I did the Marine Corps Marathon alongside some of the men and women who had recently served our country. Throughout the 26.2 miles, I saw signs for the Wounded Warrior Project. Intrigued, I did a little research when I came home. What I discovered was a cause worth racing for! [Read more…]
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