CYCLING ZONES FIELD TEST:
* Get More from Cycling Class.
* Fine Tune Your Winter Training.
* Learn Your Personal Heart Rate Zones.
Saturday, December 1, 2012. 10:30am YMCA Healthy Living Center.
A lactate threshold field test (LTFT) is a means to better estimate your own unique heart rate training zones. Knowing your training zones allows you to train more effectively. You will get more from each class you attend and in all your training. The session will determine your zones and help you learn more about how to use them.
Come rested and ready for a challenging session. Bring a heart rate monitor with average heart rate function, water bottle and any other bike gear you wish.
$10 Registration($25 non-members) at any YMCA welcome desk. Ask for the "Cycling Zones Field Test". Members from all branches are welcome. (The information for this registration will not be in the YMCA computer system until sometime next week.)
MEDICAL CLIENTS, HEALTH SEEKERS AND ATHLETES: One of the most special things - to me at least - about the YMCA Healthy Living Center (HLC) is the unique community created by the diverse groups who use the facility. While community is an important value at any YMCA, the HLC is different because of its medically-based programing.
The YMCA Healthy Living Center is the first, and I think still only, YMCA operating in a medical partnership with a hospital. The partnership with Mercy Hospital allows for recovering medical patients to use the Y as they move from illness to wellness.
At the same time, the Healthy Living Center is one of only a small handful of nationally recognized triathlon training centers in the United States. It is home-base for many of Des Moines’ best athletes.
One would think that it wouldn’t work. How can you put athletes, health-seekers and medical patients all together in the same facility. Quite the opposite.
I talk with members of each group - and I can report that each group gets inspiration from the others. The athletes are inspired by the daily commitment of the medical members. The medical clients marvel at the intense work of the athletes.
But the biggest winners may be those in-between, the health-seekers who draw lessons from each.
From medical patients we can learn the virtues of gratitude and persistency. Every day we should be grateful for what we CAN do. We should be grateful for the ability to move our bodies in ways that gives us both pleasure and benefit. And we can learn from the persistency these remarkable people demonstrate.
From the athletes we can learn how to adopt a professional attitude towards our training - even if we are not professionals. We can seek out the best practices that make the most efficient use of our precious time. And we can learn that everyone feels discomfort when exercising - and that part of the joy is working through that discomfort.
We are all better for being together.
THINKING OF OURSELVES AS ATHLETES: The distinction between medical program participants, basic health-seekers, and athletes is useful in many respects but I want to suggest another dichotomy: that we should all consider ourselves athletes.
What does an athlete bring to the table? Dedication. I mean dedication to all things that will improve their performance: working out when needed, resting when needed, using the best exercise science available, using nutrition as a performance tool, understanding the mind-body connection. We can all benefit from that kind of dedication.
To me, it’s all summed up best by simply thinking of myself as an athlete. Even if I’m not currently competing.
So try thinking of yourself a little differently. You don’t have to tell anyone. Just regard yourself as an athlete for a few days and see if you don’t expect a little more from yourself.
COME TRY KETTLEBELL - GIVE IT A SWING! You may know that in addition to teaching cycling, I am a personal trainer and certified kettlebell instructor. I am teaching a small group training kettlebell class on Friday mornings at the Healthy Living Center. It’s a friendly group and a good workout.
We had our first class of a new 5-week session today. It was fun, but we need 1-2 more participants in order to be able to continue the class. Beginners are welcome. Are you interested in joining us?
Class is at 8:30am to 9:15am on Friday's at the YHLC. Cost is $40 for the 5-week session. You can register at the front desk.
INTENSITY NEEDED IN EXERCISE, RESEARCHERS SAY: More intense daily activities, such as fast walking and jogging, can curb the development of metabolic syndrome -- including risk factors for heart disease and stroke -- but an hour's slow walk made no difference. This from research recently published in the online journal BMJ Open.
The research looks at ways to combat the impact of metabolic syndrome -- the name for a combination of factors, including midriff bulge, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, higher than normal levels of blood glucose and abnormal blood fat levels. Genes, diet, and lack of exercise are thought to be implicated in the development of the syndrome, which is conducive to harmful inflammation and blood thickening.
The authors of the study say their findings indicate that it was not only the amount of exercise, but also the intensity which helped curb the likelihood of developing the syndrome. After taking account of factors likely to influence the results, fast walking speed halved the risk, while jogging cut the risk by 40 per cent. But going for an hour's slow walk made no difference in the development of the syndrome.
As a personal trainer, I would ask you to remember that this study is looking at only one disease state, albeit an important one. To me, the takeaway is to reinforce the belief that our workout plans must include some intensity as well as some volume. Don’t give up your walk, but understand that adding some periods of “fast-walking” may greatly increase your benefit in regard to fighting metabolic syndrome.
SLEEP HELPS WEIGHT LOSS: A recent commentary in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) says that adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise.
The researchers found that total sleep time and quality of sleep predicted the loss of fat in people enrolled in a weight loss program. They say lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones. “...an accumulating body of evidence suggests that sleeping habits should not be overlooked when prescribing a weight-reduction program to a patient with obesity. Sleep should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and physical activity."
My take: You can never ignore diet and exercise. Sorry. But if you aren’t getting the results you want another thing to look at is the quality and quantity of your sleep.
QUOTES (Two this month!):
∙ “Enjoy your thoughts, take time to visualize, and meditate to soothe your soul. But whatever you do, please don't forget to spend a little energy, every single day, physically doing stuff and loving every second of it.” ... a note from the Universe.
∙ “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ... Albert Einstein.
Thank you.
Bill Roach, NASM-CPT, CES.
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Corrective Exercise Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
bill.roach@mchsi.com
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