|
|
 |
A message from Ben:
Welcome to the Pacific Elite Fitness Newsletter! Before I get started, let me remind you local Spokane/Coeur D' Alene newsletter subscribers about this week's exciting events and group workouts:
- Monday night, from 7-8pm, is the Pavilion Park boot camp in Liberty Lake.
- Thursday night, from 6-7:30pm is the Pavilion Park Triathlon Class, also in Liberty Lake. Open water swim lessons, group bicycling, and bike-to-run transition practice.
- Call Ben at 208-883-7705 or e-mail elite@pacificfit.net for more info or directions.
One other thing...I've extended the special on the E-Health Handbook of Diet & Fitness Secrets for the low price of $19.95 to August 15. This gives you 1 week, and trust me, you'll want some of the info in this handbook by your side going into the fall and the holidays if you want to both keep fat levels down, and stay healthy and lean. You can take advantage of this special offer by clicking here. I know that my other book, Shape21, is somewhat more expensive (although far more comprehensive), so this other e-book will give you a good bit of information without breaking your budget.
This week's fitness article gives you 7 quick dietary detox tips that I guarantee will make you feel like a million bucks within a 7 day time period - and turn your body into an alert, energetic, metabolism-boosted machine! The triathlon article gives you 5 MORE very practical open water swim tips. Click here to jump down to this newsletter issue's special coupon. And always remember - train smart!
Ben Greenfield
MS PE, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Your body is in a battle zone. Constantly bombarded by inflammation, pollutants, toxins, synthetic chemicals, carcinogens, and free radicals from stress, second-hand smoke, and exercise, it's a wonder that many of us even get out of bed in the morning. Of course, this constant struggle places the body in a catabolic state, in which muscle is broken down and fat is stored. In addition to an expanding waistline, other physical manifestations include acne, gas, bloating, fatigue, depression, and a depressed immune system.
So let's say that you wanted to know changes you could make to help fight against this constant barrage. A perfect place to start is the type of fuel that you are constantly pumping into your body. Is it high grade, quality fuel that allows your body's engine to run smoothly and efficiently, capable of operating at maximum capacity? Or is it low grade, synthetically derived fuel that leaves you running about about 75%, incapable of achieving what your body should naturally be able to achieve?
If someone walked into my office, called me on the phone, or wrote me an e-mail and asked me to recommend fuel changes that would eliminate synthetic materials and nasty chemicals from their diet, I'd give them the following ten tips for a "dietary detox":
7. Use garlic in your cooking. Allicin is a natural compound found in garlic, and contains important anti-fungal properties that help to fight against the harmful bacteria that have built-up in your dietary tract from improper nutrition. Try one spoonful of fresh, minced garlic over a salad or stir-fry.
6. Avoid acidic condiments that place a high stress on your gut. This includes saeurkraut, most flavored salad dressings in the grocery store aisle, cooking vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette, Worcestershire sauce, and horseradish. Try to use as little "dress-up" on your sandwiches and salads as possible.
5. Eliminate preserved meats and pickled, dried or smoked foods, including packaged lunch meats, hot dogs, beef jerky, pickles, salami, corned beef, etc. The chemicals used to preserve these items should be considered toxic. Choose meats that are as natural and fresh as possible.
4. Avoid high consumption of coffee, tea, and wine, which contain acidic tannic compounds and often contain synthetic additives, toxins, and mold. Try to limit yourself to 1 cup a day of either coffee or tea, and choose light roasts and mild flavors.
3. Eliminate frequent consumption of dense simple sugar sources, whether natural or artificial, including fruits and fruit juices. This means that the majority of your fiber intake should come from vegetables, with only light supplementation of fruits, such as two pieces of fresh, raw fruit per day. Sugar is a breeding ground for bacteria.
2. Use grains sparingly. Choose gluten-free whole grains whenever possible, including quinoa, corn, millet, rye, and spelt. This will also assist in avoiding bacteria build-up in the intestinal tract.
1. Go organic. Whenever possible, choose organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and other products that are free of herbices, pesticides, toxic preservatives, and other chemicals.
An additional beneift of these changes is that your body gradually begins to build up natural chemicals and intestinal bacterias, leaving you with a lower risk of cancer and a super strong immune system. If you want more nutritional advice, you may want to look into a nutritional analysis from Pacific Elite Fitness. You're required to keep a 3 day log of your exact dietary habits, and a diet and fitness expert then analyzes your nutrition to identify changes, substitutions, and habits that will help you adopt healthier eating patterns. This can make a huge difference in achieving your goals more efficiently. To get started today, visit www.pacificfit.net/fitness.html, and click on Nutritional Consultation.
Until next time, train smart,
Ben Greenfield
M.S. PE, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
5 MORE Open Water Swim Tips
- 1. Head's Up to the Horizon
You'll find that in a morning race, the race directors have nefariously plotted to have you swimming directly into the bright 8am morning sun, and sighting off the lovely, sun-colored, orange buoy - which will be impossible to see until about 11am. So before the race start, while you're in the water warming up, look at the horizon directly above the farthest buoy out. Most of the time, there should be either a tree or mountain line that is distinguishable. While warming up, practice swimming towards and sighting off a mark on the horizon that lines up with your target buoy. For instance, 4 hills are in the distance, and the "groove" between the 2nd and 3rd hill lines up to the buoy. Try it out - you'll find you spend less energy sighting, swim in a straighter line, and feel less mental frustration during the race.
During the weeks leading up to the race, decide on a sighting and stroke "rhythm" that works perfectly. For instance, in a sprint triathlon, I take 3 right arm strokes, breathe and sight, 2 strokes to change sides, 3 left arm strokes, breathe and sight, 2 strokes to change sides, then repeat. In an Olympic, I slow turnover a bit, and take 2 strokes, breathe, 1 stroke, breathe and sight, then 2 strokes and switch sides. This accomplishes two important objectives: 1) pacing - by counting and using rhythm in your stroke, you're less likely to lose focus and speed as the race progresses; 2) mental consistency - by racing with the same sighting and stroking patterns that you practiced with, you'll feel more comfortable during the race. When you become fatigued, it's something you can fall back on to get your rhythm. So start practicing your pattern.
Don't wait until the first hectic 50 meters of the race for you body to get short of breath and experience the intense burning sensation. This is the manifestation of blood acidosis, the build-up of hydrogen ions and CO2 in your body. Instead, increase blood flow, acid buffering capabilities, and lung capacity by including several 20-30 second race pace and over race pace efforts during your warm-up. Finish these efforts as close as possible to race start time. Don't cut the time short on these efforts - you must get up to at least 20-30 seconds to build up lactate. At the same time, making these efforts too long begins to deplete glycogen stores, so don't extend the time.
No, I don't mean during the race. Unless you're in a downriver or upriver swim, which is pretty rare in a race, the current won't be a significant consideration. However, in your training, the current can be a great training tool for pacing. Make sure you choose a river with a weak to moderate current, and preferably a beach that has a lifeguard. Hop in, and swim against the current, attempting to match the speed of the river so that you barely move up or down river. In the right current, this is a great recovery or endurance swim, and you can throw some force efforts in by swimming hard and attempting to move against the current, with downriver recovery efforts (a perfect 2:1 work/rest ratio interval workout!). It's basically like having an Endless Pool without having to make the investment.
People like to move when they swim. Unfortunately, not all this movement is forward. Instead, the hips zig-zag from side to side, the arms reach far across the midline of the head, the legs move far apart, and the head comes *way* out of the water. This gets even more exaggerated during the race, when you lose you cool and just try to swim "hard". Anytime you feel this occuring during the race, use the four S's approach: Swim Silent, Smooth and Subtle. Avoid unnecessary splashes, image yourself as a streamlined unit gliding through the water, and try to make your sighting and breathing as subtle or unnoticed as possible.
I perform open water swim coaching for local athletes, and analyze swim patterns with videotaped analysis of non-local athletes. Drop me a line at elite@pacificfit.net if you want coaching, and I'll lay down the options for you.
Until next time, train smart
Ben Greenfield
After scraping up that final spoonful of breakfast cereal, downing that last bite of salad at lunch, or dipping into that final bite of chicken at dinner...you're still hungry. Or at least that's what your body is telling you. Depending on the amount of sugars in a meal, the insulin spike and subsequent drop in blood glucose that occurs can leave your body craving more sustenance. Often, if there is even a small amount of starch in a meal, there is sufficient sugar to cause this false appetite increase. Guess what? It will go away. Pick up a magazine, grab the newspaper, fill up a glass of water, or turn on the evening news and WAIT 10 MINUTES. Most people don't do this, but if they did, they would "magically" find that their cravings for a second serving have disappeared, as the blood sugar levels restabilize and gastric hormone levels fade away. Amazing.
Weekly Special - Get the E-Health Handbook!
After working for over 7 years in the personal training industry, helping thousands of clients melt away literally tons of fat, and discovering how to transform the body into a lean and athletic fat-burning machine, I've collected all the secrets that I've learned over the years and packaged them into one complete manual - a book that will change the way you view nutrition and exercise forever...click here to read more...
This brand new fitness manual offers a revolutionary new approach, and here's why: rather than separate nutrition and exercise into two different ways to burn fat, boost the metabolism, or gain a toned and sculptured body, I've combined a workout program, grocery shopping list, exercise instruction manual and meal plan menu that shows you exactly how to exercise and what to eat every single day. That means there is no guesswork and no "holes" in your fitness program - it's all there, in one complete, easy-to-read package that you can keep in your car, gym locker, kitchen table, or grocery store shopping cart...click here to read more...
Best of all, I've designed Shape21 to be applicable for all levels. So each manual includes options for beginner, intermediate, or advanced individuals. That means that if you have never worked out before, but want to take charge of your life and begin a new exercise and nutrition routine, you'll start with the beginner level. If you're in decent shape, but need to lose a few percentage points of body fat, or need to find a diet that caters to your busy lifestyle, you'll begin Shape21 at the intermediate level. Finally, for athletes who want to see unparalleled increases in speed and power, while retaining a lean sprinter's body and consuming the best possible fuel, the advanced level exercise program in Shape21 will instantly give you a huge performance boost...click here to read more...
|
|
|
|
