Thursday 30 December 2010

Do YOU believe in New Year’s Resolutions? I DO!!

Why not visit my most recent 2011-2012 blog that show you how to set effective New Years Resolutions that WILL WORK

I always set New Year’s resolutions. The difference for me is in recent years they have been short, simple, easy to achieve, and I leave them written on the write on-wipe off notice board above my computer ALL YEAR!

My 2010 resolutions were:
Laugh once each day!
Be more decisive!

I usually make my new year’s resolutions something I need reminding to do, something I don’t do enough, or something I need to learn to do more. With this in mind:

My 2011 resolutions are:
Spend more time with my husband
Always remember to look at the BIGGER picture

Why these? Because, I confess that sometimes I do spend a lot of time training and not a lot relaxing, so I need to remember that more, and hubby gets ‘left out’ some times, unintentionally I guarantee you. Also, my big problem is when I come upon an obstacle, I tend to think ‘catastrophe’ rather than remembering there is more to everything than what is happening in just that moment.

You think it’s a waste of time? Don’t know where to start? I surfed the net and found a selection of ‘popular’ New Year’s resolutions. A selection of the best (in my opinion!) is here:

1.     Learn something new
2.     Manage weight
3.     Save money
4.     Get into shape – one of the top 3 most popular new year’s resolutions people fail to keep!
5.     Read a new book a month
6.     Eat more fruits and vegetables every day. Make it a goal to add at least three
7.     Join a health club and go at least 3 times a week
8.     Build muscle. Remember, each pound of muscle burns an extra 40 calories a day while at rest!
9.     Take the stairs instead of the elevator
10.  Park further away
11.  Cycle to work / walk to work
12.  Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night
13.  Limit your sugar and fatty food intake
14.  Take a few vacations and weekend trips
15.  Take up a new hobby
16.  Take time for yourself
17.  Smile more often (it really is contagious)
18.  Have spa days
19.  Recycle more
20.  Be a more attentive parent, spouse, or friend
21.  Spend more time with your loved ones
22.  Make people laugh
23.  Bond with a family member that you don't see often
24.  Have family night at least once a week
25.  Have date night with your partner or spouse at least once a week

Tips for making resolutions:
1. Gather support from everyone around you.
2. Set realistic goals.
3. Keep it simple.
4. Distance yourself from places where temptation exists.
5. Focus on the rewards, not the punishment.
6. Set a target date.
7. Develop a plan.
8. Take the first step.



IF GETTING INTO SHAPE IS ONE OF YOUR RESOLUTIONS then read these: (some may require flash player)
http://www.melanieryding.co.uk/#/exercise-getting-started/4542940021 for simple ideas to get started from scratch with exercise
http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-3-2-1-diet.html an easy non counting way to lose weight (I still follow this plan)
http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/12/30-no-excuses-home-exercises-for.html 30 no excuses home exercises (mobile friendly version)
http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/11/resistance-workout-at-home.html resistance work from home (mobile friendly version)


Becky White’s blog is worth a read if you need help with planning New Year’s resolutions: http://www.onesixeightfitness.com/blog/6-steps-achieving-your-new-year-fitness-resolutions

So, now you can tell me, what will your new year’s resolution be?

Tuesday 28 December 2010

What is the 3-2-1 diet?

The 3-2-1 ‘diet’ is more of a healthy eating plan actually, and is based on a theory that Becky White (nutritionist, @onesixeightfit on twitter, http://www.onesixeightfitness.com) started me on. It’s based on the fundamental rule that your breakfast should be bigger than your lunch, should be bigger than your tea. All exercise is BEFORE meals. I used to follow the weightwatchers plan, but as an athlete, had no energy to train when dieting in this way, even though weight loss wise, it did work. So I tried this, and it WORKS!!! I lost a steady 0.5 – 1lb a week amounting to an overall loss of 12lb. I Don’t ever feel hungry, like I did on WW, and I can still do high intensity training while losing weight.

This is not a diet as such, it’s a healthy living plan. I still follow this way of eating now. It was hard to reverse things at first, but now its simply a way of life. There is research evidence to back this up at the foot of the article.

Here are the rules for success:

1.     Exercise before your main meals, and eat a main meal within an hour of the exercise session ending.
2.     Your main fat burning exercise is before breakfast, exercise before breakfast as often as you can (preferably daily). If this is more than 1 hour, top up 1 hour into exercise with fruit, etc.
3.     You breakfast must be the largest fullest meal of the day. (For example, I eat 2 x oats so simple sachets, when I used to only have 1.)
4.     Lunch must be medium sized, pasta, something containing carb that is filling but not too large
5.     Tea / evening meal is your lightest meal. This does not have to be the smallest, you should fill out an evening meal with vegetables, for example. (I would have an omelette, fish and veg, stir fry, etc. Portion sizes for my tea are now MUCH smaller)
6.     No further evening meals after tea, and try not to eat 3 hours before going to sleep
7.     If you feel hungry, coffee is best for curing hunger pangs
8.     Snack healthy, fruit, nuts, seeds etc. (My current favourite is ready to eat dried dates!)
9.     Don’t use high energy sports drinks if you can help it. You won’t burn off as many calories as you are drinking!! (I just use isotonic sports drinks, they are low in fat)
10.  Avoid ‘diet’ options including aspartame. Why? Read this blog to see the reason http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/11/training-fuel-aspartame-weight-loss.html

The research:
Why should you exercise before breakfast? Research shows that exercising before breakfast is the optimum fat burning time of day.  When you work out before breakfast you start out with lower blood sugar than normal. Because of the lower blood sugar, your body will release glucagon sooner and start burning fat sooner.

Don’t believe me? Read these:

Why should I make the first meal largest and the last the smallest? Adelle Davis, 1960s nutrition guru, is credited with the suggestion that people “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” Most nutrition professionals would surmise that her weight loss idea is most likely to succeed due to the caloric deficit that resulted from the change in the quality, quantity, and consistency of the diet rather than just the timing of the meals. Logic seems to suggest that eating carbs later in the day makes your body more likely to store them as fat.

Don’t believe me? Read these:



Why should I have my main meal within an hour of exercise? During this time enzymes responsible for energy production are most active and energy-storing hormones within the blood are suppressed. This means there will be less chance energy will be stored as fat. Carbs will be immediately taken up to replenish the low glycogen stores caused through exercising

Don’t believe me? Read these:


If you have any questions, please ask, by adding a comment.


You can also read my other blogs on 3-2-1 diet here:

http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/09/3-2-1-diet.html
http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/11/3-2-1-diet-update-its-been-ten-weeks.html

Monday 27 December 2010

30 NO EXCUSES home exercises for beginners

Now you have no more excuses! Here are 30 great exercises that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment!
Walking – If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while you exercise. However, if the weather has other ideas, you can just as easily get an effective walking workout at home. If you have a flight of stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times – it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job!
Jumping Jacks – These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.
Pushups – These are probably not the most favourite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area. Lie face-down on the floor, with the hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing inwards. Now, push up your body until the arms are straight. Lower the body and repeat the process. To raise the level of difficulty, place your toes on an elevated bench, while your hands are on the floor. Lower your body until your chest touches the floor, before going back to the original position.

Dips - For this exercise, you need to place yourself between two sturdy surfaces (chairs would be a fine option). Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. Start by lowering yourself, until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs. Hold the position and then push up to the top, until your arms are fully extended again. Make sure you look straight while doing this exercise. Dips are a great workout

Chair Dips - Chair dips are a simple way to get a good workout for the triceps. Sit on the edge of a chair and grip the edge of the chair beside your glutes. Ease yourself off the chair so that your hands are supporting you. Bend your arms and dip your body down, but do not sit on the floor. Push yourself back up and repeat the exercise.

Leg Lifts – These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.
Crunches – The best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.
Squats – These are wonderful exercises for your legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your body.
Light Weight Lifting – No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive weights for this! Just use whatever you can find in your house. Start out with something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.
Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.
Step Exercises – Using the steps in your home, you can do repetitions which will tone your leg muscles. (Just remember to be careful!) A great aerobic workout can be achieved at home by walking up and down the stairs. Stair stepping is also a good exercise for the lower body. Taking two steps at a time increases the intensity of this at-home exercise. Walk up and down the stairs for several minutes in order to get a decent calorie burn.

Fidget while you watch your shows. Science has proven that people who fidget even while sitting down can burn up to 350 more calories per day. If your body’s in motion, it’s burning calories.

Move your exercise equipment in front of the TV. If you have a treadmill stuck in the corner doubling as a clothing hanger, now is the time to dust it off and move it right in front of the TV. You can’t see around it, so you’ll be forced to get on and walk while your favourite shows are on.
 Set up a circuit training route in front of your TV. If your living room is large enough, you can set up “stations” that you go to in order to perform cardio routines while your shows are on. You can jump rope, walk in place, or use equipment like dumbbells, exercise balls or steps to get your heart rate up.


See how many pushups you can do during a show or commercial. If you’re just starting out, then you might start with commercial pushups, but once you become more adept at exercising, see how many you can do during a half hour or hour long show! (Always within reason of course!)


Do lunges while you watch TV. You can do lunges in place or walking lunges around the room while your shows are on.


Walk / Jog on the spot as you catch up on your favourite show. Walking / jogging on the spot requires no special equipment and it won’t put a strain on your body while you do it. Just march your legs up and down and rest during commercials.


See how many squats you can do. Squats can be done in place or up against a wall in a sitting position. See how long you can hold it. Can you reach a certain number of squats before the next commercial?


Become a commercial crunch Queen (or King)!
Crunches take less effort than a full sit up, but they help tone your abs a lot better. See how many crunches you can do during commercials or if you’re brave – during the length of the show itself!


Watch exercise shows on TV and move along with them. You don’t have to invest in a lot of pricey exercise videos if your budget is strapped. There are tons of free channels that have daily exercise shows on them for all levels – beginner through advanced.

Switch up your exercise routines with your TV watching habits. You don’t watch the same TV show over and over every hour, do you? No – you switch it up between the news, a reality TV show, and maybe a sitcom or police drama. So do the same with your exercise routines, too. Switch it up so that you don’t get bored and are more likely to stick to it for the long haul.

Wall Push-ups An easy way to do push-ups at home is to do them against a wall. To practice wall push-ups, stand a couple feet away from a wall and place your hands on the wall at about shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms and lower yourself toward the wall. Push back off the wall to starting position and repeat. Do traditional push-ups on the floor to make this exercise more difficult.

Wall Sits Another easy exercise to do on the wall is wall sits. Stand with your back against a wall and slowly lower yourself into a seated position. Your hips should be parallel with your knees and your knees should be directly above your ankles. It should appear that you are sitting on an invisible chair against the wall. Hold the wall sit for at least a minute to get a good lower body workout.

Standing Calf Raises The calves are often overlooked during exercise routines, but there is an easy way to work the calves at home. Find a telephone book and stand on the edge of the book with the balls of your feet. Lower your heels toward the floor and then raise your heels up as high off the floor as you can. Repeat this exercise until you feel a good burn in the calves. Keep your legs straight while performing the calf raises.

Ball sitting (if you have one) several at-home exercises can be done on an exercise ball. One of the easiest things to do is to simply sit on the ball while you are watching television or surfing the Internet. Sit on the ball and your core muscles will go to work to help you keep your balance. The exercise ball also forces you to keep good posture while sitting on it.

Squats For this exercise, you need to first position your feet about shoulder-width apart, keeping the back straight and the head up. Now, squat down i.e. sit on your heels, with the top of your thighs parallel to the floor. Hold the position for a second and then stand up, exhaling your breath as you come up. Squats help build the thighs and shape the buttocks, apart from improving the endurance. 

Lunges You need to stand upright. Now, spread the legs, one forward and the other backward. The distance between your feet should not be more than two feet. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest high; lower your upper body, while bending your leg. At the time of bending, do not allow your knees to go beyond your toes. Repeat the exercise with the other leg as well.
   
Bent Over Row For doing this exercise, position your right hand and right knee on a sturdy flat surface that provides good support. Now, pick a dumbbell or something that is heavy in your left hand. Thinking your arms to be hooks, bring the dumbbell or the heavy object up to the side of your chest. Keeping your back in a straight position; lower the weight back down to arm’s length. Repeat the whole process using the right arm.  

Couch Kicks You can work out your thigh and gluteus muscles by using your couch as a piece of exercise equipment. Stand up facing the couch, with one of the couch arms in front of you. Bend forward, supporting your weight on the arm of the couch. Keep your head down so that you do not put stress on your neck muscles. Kick your right leg back, so that the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ceiling, and then bring it back down. When you are doing the exercise properly, you should feel it in your thigh and butt. Do fifteen repetitions on your right leg, and then repeat with your left leg. Continue switching back and forth between your legs until you feel like you have to stop. You will get results after a few weeks of this “uplifting” workout.

 Laundry Lifts A laundry basket full of clothes can be more than a household chore – it can be an arm sculpting piece of exercise apparatus! Hold the basket above you head, and lift upwards and back down. Do at least three repetitions of fifteen lifts each. If it is too heavy for you, all you have to do is take out some clothes. This exercise will work your shoulders, upper arms, and upper back muscles. Vary this workout by laying flat on your back, and lifting the basket up and down from your chest.

Friday 24 December 2010

Running speed and body fat, how are they related?


Having had a long term friendly argument with my coach over body weight (yes I’m happy with my weight, I don’t understand why you aren’t?!) I decided to do some research into how exactly body weight affects performance.
As far as I understand, body weight has little effect on swimming performance; in fact, I read that excess weight can in fact aid buoyancy. Seems logical, and it certainly would explain why that rather large man in my local pool can swim at least as fast as I can!
When it comes to running and cycling, body weight has a lot of influence. In cycling, power to weight ratio is what you will hear everyone saying. On the flat, it may not matter as much, but on an incline, there is a LOT to be gained if you are a lighter athlete. For example, I found this on an internet forum:
‘I've been cycling for several months now and saw some modest speed improvement when tackling hills. However the biggest boost in performance only began when I started dieting and shedding a lot of weight.’
Logical really if you think about it, take two riders. Equal power output, matched exactly in flat track speed, but if one was heavier than the other, then dragging that excess weight up the hill would make them slower, Right?
If you want a more exact formula, take a look here: http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/01/climbing-power-formula.html
The bit I was interested in more than anything though, was the running. Where is the science to support the logic that leaner is better?
So I went to look for it.
THE RESEARCH FINDINGS
A lot of research on this topic can be flawed. It is difficult to isolate all the variables. In a test situation, the leaner people are likely to be fitter anyway, and therefore probably train more. So finding reliable research is tricky. One measure of running fitness is VO2 Max, or the maximum amount of oxygen a given runner can use per unit time per unit body mass. More simply, the lighter a runner is at a given fitness level, the higher her VO2 Max and--at least in theory--the faster she will be. Not all "excess" weight, however, is created equal; fat for example, is merely dead weight, whereas muscle, at least to a point, can contribute to performance in distance running despite its high density.

So just how much can you expect to benefit from being lighter? Joe Henderson, the author of various books on running, has this to offer: "The loss of a single pound doesn't mean much for a single mile, but the effect multiplies nicely. Ten pounds equals 20 seconds per mile, which grows to a minute-plus in a 5K, more than two minutes in a 10K, nearly 4.5 minutes in a half-marathon and almost nine minutes in a marathon."

An article written by Ron Maughan is professor of sport and exercise sciences at Loughborough University had this to offer:
An excess of body fat, however, serves no useful function for the endurance athlete. It can help the sumo wrestlers, and perhaps may not even be a disadvantage for the shot putter, but not the runner. Extra fat adds to the weight that has to be carried, and thus increases the energy cost of running. Even in an event as long as the marathon, the total amount of fat that is needed for energy supply does not exceed about 200g for the average runner.
‘In a study of a group of runners with very different levels of training status and athletic ability, scientists observed a significant relationship between body fat levels and the best time that these runners could achieve over a distance of 2 miles(3). Although these results indicated that leaner individuals seem to perform better in races at this distance, some complicating factors have to be taken into account.
Although there’s an intimate link between body fat levels and running performance, it’s important to remember that reducing fat levels will not automatically guarantee success and may even be counter-productive. If you reduce fat by a combination of training and restricting diet, you are walking a fine tightrope. While a reduction in body fat may well boost running performance, cut down food intake too drastically and not only will training quality suffer, but the risk of illness and injury also increases dramatically.’
This is all very nice, but I need evidence. Statistics!

THE SCIENCE BIT
CURETON and SPARLING did some research in this field which seemed much more controlled.
Metabolic responses to running in was tested with a treadmill (TM) running (12-min run performance). 10 female and 10 male adults who regularly engaged in distance running were used. They were testing differences in % body fat, and differences between men and women.
The males were studied under two conditions: (1) with normal body weight and (2) with external weight added to the trunk so that the total percent excess weight (% EW) was equal to the % fat of a matched female. Under the added-weight condition, % excess weight of the males was increased by an average of 7.5%.
TM run time was reduced by 1.3 min (32%) and in 12-min run performance by 173 m (30%).
It was concluded that the greater sex-specific, essential body fat of women is one determinant of the sex difference in metabolic responses to running and distance running performance. Because of her greater body fatness, the average woman will utilize more oxygen per unit FFW to run at any given submaximal speed, will have a lower Vo2max expressed relative to body weight and, as a result, will maintain a speed on the 12-min run or other similar distance running event which is slower than her male counterpart. Since the sex-specific, essential fat of women cannot be eliminated by diet or training, it provides part of a biological justification for separate distance running performance standards and expectations for men and women.

Although they are not testing body fat / speed directly, they do show quite clearly that the extra % body fat of women is directly related to the difference in performance between the sexes. Therefore it may be correct to conclude this result would be extended to include excess fat carried in runners, and its relation to decreased speed and power.

My conclusions:
·       There’s no getting away from it, being leaner will make it LESS EFFORT!
·       Being leaner will definitely give you the opportunity to be faster
·       Being leaner does not necessarily automatically mean you will be faster, there is still an element of fitness involved, but you’re increasing your chances for sure!

Just as a matter of interest, since I gave up on the argument and did lose that weight as coach instructed, I have noticed my run performances improve. I know it’s difficult to isolate all the factors, but I believe lean mass is something at least in part, to do with it.

Thursday 23 December 2010

Snow running - Why you SHOULD do it!!

I tried my first attempt at snow running tonight. I have to be honest, it didnt fill me with thrills for many reasons:
  • I'm rubbish on uneven surfaces as it is and sprain my ankle at the drop of a hat!
  • I still have a cold, and sitting here is much more preferable, its cold out there!
  • I had been ordered to run the whole run in zone 1 because I am still ill, which sounds BOOOOORING!
But, chickening out never got anyone anywhere, and the run is the area I can ill afford to chicken out on so, I donned my many layers (full thermals, running tights, fleece running top, coat, neck roll, hat and gloves!) put on my trail shoes, (innov8 flyroc) grabbed my ipod and off I went.

I teeter tottered down the street (nun-necessarily I expect!) and when I rounded the corner, decided I had better start running at some point, this was after all a run, not a walk!

I found myself tottering in a jog kinda style down the hill. I thought to myself, it'll be fine when I get to the path at the bottom (which goes through a park). I'm sure i looked comical, wrapped up to the nines and all.

Once I got onto the path, which was thick compacted snow (thick enough not to have turned to ice) I found that actually, if I ignored for a moment that I was surrounded by the white stuff, then the trail shoes on the snow behaved rather like they did on their usual terrain, fields and mud. Actually, it was fine, and once I stopped tensing up, worrying about whether I'd slip or not, and actually ran like I normally did, lengthened the stride again, put my shoulders back down, and looked ahead and not down at the floor (after all, what was the snow going to do that looking at it would help me with!?) then actually, it was just like any other run. I was amazed at how easy this was compared to my perceptions! So, go ahead, try it. Honestly, its just like cross country running, and it will do wonders for your leg and core strength!!! (Not to mention the beautiful snowy wonderland you get to look at!)

There are a few things I would suggest you are mindful of though:

  • try and run on thicker snow. it doesn't matter if its compacted down by feet, you will still be fine!!
  • Dont run on snow if you have only got a thin covering, its likely to be too thin and with just be icy
  • Be careful near bridges, underpasses, etc, where water may have melted and dripped off. I almost went flying when coming out of an underpass because the drips had formed into ice.
  • Dont assume that hopping onto the road will be better, it will often be worse!
  • try and run on snow that is less trodden, be careful if you are running on paths close to buildings, look out for ice, also be careful when crossing roads and driveways
  • slushy and melting snow will be tougher to run on, so expect that. Keep running with confidence, and remember its all making you a stronger athlete!!