The First Fitness Tip Tuesday

   To help me keep this thing updated better, I'm going to try something new: a fitness tip each Tuesday.  :-) 

   Since it's been so cold lately, the first Fitness Tip Tuesday will be about cold weather workouts. 

   You can either brave the elements with appropriate layers or just stick to indoor workouts. I'm feeling ambitious today and have had nowhere to go since everything is closed, so I'll just discuss both.


       Braving the Cold: How to Layer for Winter Running

    I've found that how many layers to wear and what exactly to wear varies a little bit by personal preference. I have a naturally low body temperature, so I tend to wear more layers than the average person. A good rule of thumb, though, is that you only need all 3 layers when it's below freezing temperature. If it's right around freezing temperature, I usually only wear my inner and outer layer. Also, keep in mind that you'll warm up as your body gets moving. You can also take layers off/tie your jacket around your waist if you start to get too warm.

          Base Layer: I usually wear Under Armor, or some sort of dri-fit long-sleeved shirt. It keeps me warm, but if/when I start to sweat, the sweat is wicked away. This is very important because if you wear cotton or something that does not wick away the sweat, you will get wet from the sweat and possibly get really cold (especially if you need to slow down or stop and when the wind blows). 

          Middle Layer: If it's really cold (below 20 degrees F), I'll wear a fleece jacket for this. A hoodie will work, but it's not my preference because the hood bouncing around gets on my nerves. And it causes a little extra sweat to build up on my upper back. If it's still cold, but not quite as bad, I wear a t-shirt as my middle layer.

          Outer Layer: You should wear a hardshell jacket or something that is windproof and/or waterproof for this layer. I usually wear a windbreaker for this layer.

          Accessories: If it is below freezing temperature, ear protection and gloves are a must. I usually just wear fleece ear warmers and light gloves. I don't want to wear really heavy gloves so my hands don't get sweaty and gross. I wear medium thickness socks (again trying to avoid cotton). Some people suggest wearing two pairs of socks. I also try to have a pair of trail running or winterized shoes for winter running. Both of these are usually water resistant, so the moisture doesn't soak through if you run through snow or a barely above freezing puddle of water.

          For my legs, I usually just wear spandex pants or dri-fit leggings with running shorts.



Rockin' the layers!

      
















 Indoor Workouts

          Cross Training Fun! 
             I've found that nasty winter weather is a great excuse to do some fun alternative activities   inside at the gym, or even at home. My activity of choice is usually going to Mixed Martial Arts and Taekwondo Club. Sometimes I'll climb at OU's climbing wall. Some other options include attending a dance or Zumba class, basketball, swimming some laps (which as a triathlete, I do often anyway), and playing some sort of movement based game (i.e. Wii fit) or following a workout video. The options are endless. Get creative! :-)

         Indoor Cycling
            If you are serious enough about cycling, investing in a trainer is well worth it. This is a contraption that turns your bike into a stationary bike. You can do some intervals and work on speed and/or resistance, or just spin while watching t.v. or reading. A trainer usually costs about $150-$250.

        Strength Training
            This is my weakness, but it is necessary to keep up on. You might as well do it when the weather is nasty and you don't want to be outside anyway! Here are some ideas (I'll post specific sequences I sometimes do another week).

                  Abs: planks, side planks, bicycles, crunches

                  Back: superman, cobra (yoga position), barbell or dumbbell row

                  Legs: squats, lunges, calf raises, hamstring curls

                  Upper Body: bicep curls, push-ups, tricep dips

            One important thing to remember is to make sure you're balancing everything out. Work both sides of your body out evenly. For example, don't do 10 bicep curls on your right arm and then decide to do only 5 on your left. Also, make sure to work opposing muscle groups. For example, make sure to balance abdominal exercises with back exercises.

        Yoga
            This is an excellent way to improve flexibility and many people (myself included) find this to be a relaxing form of exercise. I'll talk about yoga more in-depth another week.



    It is possible to get good workouts in when it is freezing cold and nasty outide! Stay warm!  :-)
           

2014 So Far

    I have been seriously slacking on this whole "actually keeping up with my blog regularly this year" thing! Here's what's new:

     Training is going pretty well so far. The cold weather has stopped me from getting anywhere near as many miles as I usually do this time of the year though. I despise indoor workouts and the extreme cold has made it hard to run or cycle for very long anyway. Going out in the cold has been out of the question on some days. Fortunately, I put a couple of extra weeks cushioning in my training schedule in case of injury or illness.

     For Christmas/birthday (including what I got myself with gift cards) I got some amazing new gear that I've been enjoying: a colorful money belt, some awesome galaxy print cycling shorts, a new swimsuit with world flags all over it, and my very own super comfy climbing harness!




I'm not usually one to take bathroom selfies, but check out these awesome
galaxy cycling shorts! And they look super cool with my Star Trek cycling jersey!

    I added one more thing to my 2014 To Do List and have gotten a pretty good start on it: getting mostly caught up in Taekwondo. For the first time in several years, I've been attending MMA practice about twice a week (and we're doing Taekwondo this semester) and occasionally making it to Taekwondo club. I earned my black belt in Taekwondo 2006 and haven't been regularly attending MMA/Taekwondo since early 2009, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Fortunately the technique is second nature so it comes back very quickly: it's just the forms (a specific sequence of movements) I have to re-learn.

    Yesterday, I went skiing for the first time! Not sure how I've managed to not ski until now. It's not because of lack of interest in trying: I've always wanted to, it just never happened. And the weather was actually pretty warm yesterday! I went with my fiancé and some people from my home church in Cincinnati. We had a great time!

    Ray was incredibly patient with me as a learned the basics (especially since he is naturally really good at it). I did a lot of falling, screaming, and laughing. After I made it down the bunny hills a couple of times without falling, Ray and I went onto the real hills. I fell every time towards the bottom. I did figure out how to fall in style at least: instead of laying there struggling, I realized I could continue flying forward on my butt, then pull myself up once I came to a complete stop. Not the most graceful looking thing I'm sure, but it was still fun! I did manage to get off the ski lift my first time without falling, which Ray told me is a great accomplishment for a beginner.

    As the day was coming to an end, I decided I wanted to try the intermediate hill one last time. Ray and I boarded the ski lift one more time. We gracefully slid off the ski lift to the top of the hill. "I will NOT fall" I told myself. Taking a deep breath, I began my descent, as Ray staying behind. As I began to pick up speed, I slowed down my mind. Everything beside me was a blur: all the people around me no longer startled me. The only thing that mattered was the path ahead. Approaching the bottom I glided to the right of a woman standing, approaching the lodge and slowing myself down. It was an amazing sense of accomplishment. I turned around to find Ray and a few minutes later, he appeared, with a huge smile on his face. He approached me as I beamed right back. "Great job sweetie! I knew you could do it!" he said. I hate to sound cliché, but this goes to show that you can do anything you put your mind to.

    Skiing is definitely something Ray and I would like to start doing a couple of times each winter (more if we had the money). I had no idea what fun I was missing!

    So far, 2014 is an awesome year! I can't wait to see what else is in store! :-)

 

 

 

Happy New Year! :-D

    It's amazing how fast 2013 seems to have gone by!  And what a year it was!  I was diagnosed and finally treated for asthma, chronic sinusitis and some severe allergies. By finally getting the treatment I needed, I was able to set a couple new PRs (for 5k and sprint triathlon) and started living better in general.  I took my running to the next level by finishing my first ultramarathon, a 50k. I had the most amazing summer ever, going to really awesome places and going on a couple new adventures at camp. The most memorable was caving in Southern Kentucky: I crawled, rolled, climbed, and even swam through some spectacular underground passages with amazing people. 
    There were a couple downs, too of course.  One was my mom getting diagnosed with osteoporosis. She was in a lot of pain from some broken vertebrae and the medication side effects made her really sick. Once my mom got better and the worry over her started to lessen, I began also worrying about my own health. Every single woman down the line in my family has been diagnosed with osteoporosis (and at a younger age with each generation). I came to the realization that I'll have a lot of work to do to reduce my own risk of developing this terrible, crippling illness.  As an endurance athlete, anything that interferes with mobility is my worst nightmare. 

with my mom on Christmas
 

    I am very excited to begin 2014!  It's the year I'll be getting married, the year for more adventures at camp, the year that I'll hopefully be starting graduate school, the year that I'll be doing that crazy American Triple T for the second time, and who knows what else this year will bring! 

   As some people may already know, I stopped making New Year's resolutions in 2011 (I think that's the right year).  I always had a hard time picking just one thing to work on, so instead, I've been making a New Year's To Do List every year.

with my almost mother-in-law on New Year's Eve

2014 To Do List:

  1) Reduce my risk of osteoporosis: Do strength training at least once a week, remember to take my Calcium supplement every day, and reduce caffeine intake.

  2) Have an amazing, memorable, and spectacular wedding!

  3) Do a better job keeping up on the blog.  Make a new entry at least once a week. 

  4) Set at least one new PR.  This could be beating my previous time in the American Triple T, a marathon PR, or an olympic distance triathlon PR...or all of thee above.. ;-)

  5) Do more pleasure reading.  Finish at least one book per month.

  6) Get back into Taekwondo and get mostly caught back up. I got my black belt in 2006 and haven't been going regularly since early 2009.

Ray and me on New Year's Eve. We're finally getting married this year!! :-D