Triathlons: Why or Why Not Train for Them?

Signing up for a Triathlon is not for everyone. After all, if it was easy then everyone would do it.

The Triathlon isn't just for people looking lose weight or tone up, or just to maintain your current fitness level. Training for a triathlon is definitely designed towards the more athletic people out there, but for those with the speed and fortitude to train for it can provide multiple benefits.

#1. It’ll Give You Motivation to Work Out

The beauty of signing up for a triathlon is it will give you set goals in three areas of training. You’ll be motivated to master three types of fitness training, which gives you variety in your workouts and will give you set lengths of time and specific distances to cover.

#2. It’ll Force You to Cross Train

It’s easy to get into a fitness rut, which can wear out certain parts of your body. Some exercises (especially running) is especially hard on your joints, so it’s good to mix up your routine and get a balance of different exercises going on at once.

Training for a triathlon is perfect because:

Running is hard on your body, but is a fabulous calorie burner, tones your legs and core, and helps build bone density (which will prevent osteoporosis).

Swimming is easy on your joints, but is a good calorie burner and works your upper body, which is neglected by a lot of sports. You have to build up your upper body strength.

Biking is easy on your joints, but is a great cardio-vascular workout and tones your legs. The trick to cycling is developing a smooth circular rhythm with your legs.

#3. It’ll Deliver an Extraordinary Sense of Accomplishment

If you’ve never competed in a race before then you don’t know what an amazing experience it is to participate in a challenging sport with a large group of like-minded individuals. There is a huge sense of comraderie amongst athletes. You will find yourself propelled by the collective energy of the group, cheered on by strangers in the crowd, and inspired by the people of various ages and body shapes who are doing the same race you are. When you cross the finish line, you’ll celebrate the knowledge that you set a goal and met it.

Regardless of whether you won it or not.

Choosing a Triathlon You Can Handle

Before you get intimidated by my earlier comments, take a look at the many different levels of triathlons available. You’ll find just about every fitness level possible, from sprint triathlons to Ironmen. Triathlons aimed at novices usually feature a 250-meter swim, a 10-mile bike ride, and anywhere from a 2-mile to 5K run.

It is strongly recommended that you consult a physician before embarking on Triathlon training. You should also talk to a personal trainer to determine which length triathlon will work best for you. A personal training can also give you tips on how to best train for the big race.

Question: I keep losing weight due to stress?

Q

"iv broke up with my boyfriend and it seems every time we row and break up weight falls off me :(. i don't have much of an appetite because im upset but im still making myself eat, but the weight will still fall off so im guessing its through stress. i love to exercise and i feel happier after a workout but i feel like im wasting away so i don't want to go burning too many calories. anyone got any good advice to help me feel better?" - P.

A

Most people who are overweight would consider that to be a blessing in disguise.

Nevertheless here is some helpful advice:

1. Stop stressing over lost boyfriends. They're a dime a dozen as you will eventually discover.

#2. Focus on your routine and hanging out with friends after break ups. You will eat socially and follow your natural habits when doing that.

#3. Were you going out to eat a lot while you were dating? You were probably eating fattening foods on the dates. Most restaurant foods are pretty fattening. That might explain your "Lost Boyfriend Yo-yo Diet".

#4. Don't date anyone for awhile and wait for your weight to stabilize.

#5. Get a hobby/sport or take up a cause, perhaps something stressful in a different way, and watch what happens to your diet. You will feel less stressed about idiot boyfriends and more worried about global warming (or whatever the cause is that you pick).

#6. Learn to cook. Nothing packs on the pounds like perfecting your pancake recipe. (I can't believe I am advising someone on weight gain... so please try to make more healthy pancakes, okay?)

#7. Don't forget to exercise! Go jogging every morning and eat a big breakfast afterwards.

Question: Left Leg lagging behind?

Q

"I have always just done running, jogging, cycling etc on legs. While working out upper body. Now I am trying to gain mass on my legs. I'm 77kg and I can do 15 single leg squats on my right leg with an additional 20kg. I don't have the balance to do the added weight with my left leg, I just tip over. Help?" - Joe.

A

This is actually normal.

Everyone has dominant arms, eyes and legs. Even dominant ears that you hear better out of.

BUT if you really want to try and correct the problem there is a solution.

#1. When exercising do DOUBLE whatever you are doing on the left leg compared to the right. So if doing single leg squats do 15 on your right leg and 30 on your left. If you are falling over use a wall or friend for support.

#2. Whenever you get the chance to do something with one leg over the other, use the left leg in your daily routine. This will require some memory to do so.

#3. Do yoga to improve your overall strength and balance.

#4. Attach a small leg weight to your left ankle and wear it 8 hours each day for a week. After the week is over do a series of strength and balance tests to see improvement.

#5. Consult a professional bodybuilder who has encountered the same problem and find out how they fixed it. Always handy for extra advice.

Exercises for Preventing Dance Injuries

There is actually quite a few "Exercises for Preventing Dance Injuries"... And this blog post will only cover a few of them.

For a more complete list I recommend reading the book "Conditioning with Imagery for Dancers" by Donna Krasnow + Jordana Deveau.

Now understanding of course that this book is written for dancers (ballet, etc) it does have a fair amount of dancing jargon and lingo in it. But that doesn't mean the book isn't useful for other things too. Yoga, aerobics, gymnastics and preventing general sports injuries by increasing strength and flexibility in joints.

Within the book the chapters are broken down into parts covering everything from warm up, legwork, flexibility, "Developpe and Rond de Jambe", turnout, extensions, strength and stretches. Plus of course the introduction and appendix.

The good news is that even though I don't know what "Developpe and Rond de Jambe" is, the book is highly illustrated with multiple photos on every page. Not kidding. The book is 158 pages long and has (I am estimating) about 400 photographs in it showing all the poses. The images shown here is just a tiny sampling of what is inside the book.

That said, trying to review this book accurately is a bit like trying to review the bible or bhagavad gita. Nevertheless I will try to summarize ONE section of the book.

WARM-UP.

90% of the exercises in this book takes place on your back so you will probably want a yoga mat if your floor is dirty. "Warm-Up" begins with a Neutral Pelvis Lesson:

"Start by lying on the back (supine) with the arms and legs extended, arms at the sides of the body. Focus on allowing the breath to be natural and the body segments to lie easefully with as little tension as possible. While inhaling, imagine the breath filling the body, and sense how it releases tension in the muscles on the exhale. Image the pubic bone directly above the tailbone (coccyx), and the back of the head, rib cage, and sacrum heavy and in contact with the floor. there will be spaces under the neck (cervical spine) and low back (lumbar spine), due to the natural curves of the spine. This organization of the pelvis is neutral pelvis in the supine position."

Easy to understand and you probably just learned some new words for various body parts. It helps that the authors used both the layman's terminology and technical jargon.

In the following paragraphs on Parallel Legs Sliding, Side to Side Rolling and 3 more warm-up exercises the authors are very detailed about exactly how to do each exercise so that anyone with a firm grasp of English will understand it even if they aren't experts at the lingo.

On the sides of the paragraphs there are also helpful tips for how to visualize what you are doing so you understand it more perfectly. (Kudos on the attention to detail!)

The end result in the book is a series of very pricise exercises designed to increase flexibility and muscles in various areas of the body, especially those which dancers often develop injuries. If I was a professional ballet dancer I would consider this book and its exercises to be a regular part of my exercise routine.

I will be posting more exercise book reviews in the future. Please subscribe / follow this blog and return for more. :)

The 8 Benefits of Lemon Water in your Diet

There are lots of so-called "miracle" detox/weight loss/energy supplements and strategies out there. But very few of them are as cheap, easy to use and commonplace as the ordinary lemon.

I am not going to try to convince you that lemon water is the ultimate solution for all of your health and wellness desires and needs. It isn't and neither is anything else. There is no one shot "miracle fruit" and anyone trying to sell you "snake oil" is in the wrong century.

However, for such a simple solution, lemon water does have some amazing benefits. Best of all, it's natural and really inexpensive to try and test it out.

8 Benefits of Lemon Water

1. Lemon water will assist weight loss. It is a no-calorie drink. With it's presence of pectin fiber, hunger can be controlled while offering the body a flavorful drink that provides many other benefits for the body.
2. A good source of citric acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium
3. Helps dissolve uric acid, which causes inflammation in the joints
4. Assists digestion and elimination
5. Naturally strengthens the liver
6. Has antibacterial properties and Vitamin C. Great for colds and flues
7. Lowers blood pressure
8. Reduces symptoms of asthma and allergies

How to Use Lemon Water

Lemons are best at room temperature. The thinner the skin, the more the juice. Roll the lemon a few times on the counter to break up the fruit inside.

After juicing the lemon they store in the fridge for about a week.

Tips when using Lemon Water

1. If using the peel (zesting the lemon) buy organic or scrub. Pesticides (and who knows what else) can be absorbed into the peel.
2. In any case, it's probably not a good idea to keep the peel in the glass all day.

Tada! How hard is that?