What do Weight loss and Marathon Training have in common?

What do Losing Weight and training for a marathon have om common? They both require you to plan a course of action of long period of time, stick to that plan and revel in your accomplishments at the end. How are they different? There is a definitive race date and finish line for a marathon and you do not have a finish date, but instead a finish weight, when you are losing weight.

Losing weight is a definite struggle whether you are trying to lose 15lb or 150lbs. Racing weight for a marathon athlete can be achieved by adjusting their diet to perform better at running and recover faster. For anyone trying to lose weight over a long period of time then small changes made to your eating plan can create a sustainable and delicious way to lose weight and be healthier.

Whether training for a marathon or training to lose weight for the long run your eating will have to be taken into account. Creating a long term plan is the key to success at weight loss or running a marathon. We offer online and email/phone coaching for endurance athletes as well as those looking to lose weight. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a major step in lengthening your quality of adult years. See help to improve your health faster.

Begin today!

Success Needs to be Trained

Success has many forms. For some success looks like a big bank account while another may see it as spending a Sunday with family and friends. Recently I was able to be a facilitator of 4 very different success stories. 1 person lost 60lbs, 1 person ran her first race, 1 raced an IronMan triathlon faster than she had before and another is now able to climb the stairs without holding the hand rail.

I see things in terms of how we live in the physical world, not as much about the financial world. If your fitness and wellness is not invested in then your financial investments will dwindle quickly. Just like your financial health, your physical health should be invested in and the earlier you begin the better off you will be.

On to the successes:
DH is a member of my studio in Cool Springs, TN. He was an athlete in college, works a very stressful job and had let himself get up to about 100 lbs overweight. He came up playing baseball at a time when training and fitness were only for the field and never mind whether you could walk when your college career was over. The results are some serious knee pains that limit his exercise capacity. His program needed modifications and he was not able to do many of the most effective weight loss exercises, like running sprints. Through consistency in his exercise program he has been able to drop 60 lbs. We are working on his diet for the last 40. His company is involved in a major merger with another large company so his stress level is still very high yet he makes exercise part of his daily schedule. DH feels like there is still more to lose but he has gained so much more by feeling more energetic.

Jes B has scoliosis, a surgically implanted rod in her back and 6 fused vertebrae. She also has about 30 years of doctors and relatives telling her that she should not run because it could hurt her back. Many times they would be right. I watch HOW she runs instead of just making sure "that" she runs. (A quality run is far better than just running large volume) I watched to see that she was running with her back in mind and using a safe run stride with short, soft steps. She had not run since before her surgery 30 years ago, when she was a child. She had stayed fit mainly focusing on yoga and Pilate's but even that had been sporadic in the last year. She wanted to run and so run she did. She completed a 6k run this weekend in a time of 43:29. Despite the warnings she did not break anything and actually finished pain free. She decided to run for herself, because she wanted to feel that freedom and accomplish what others said she could not. She possesses a champions heart.

When Esther came to me in late March she wanted to race her second IronMan (a 2.4 mi swim followed by a 112mi Bike then finished with a 26.2 mi run) in Wales in about 5 months. Normally I will not train anyone for IronMan who does not have at least 6 months to train for it. She had back pain that was preventing her from both running and biking. Although the swim can be the most daunting part of the race for some, it is only about 10% of the entire race. Now would be a good time to mention that Esther lives in Ethiopia and has some VERY tough training conditions- no lane lines in the pool, bad roads with people who yell things like "foreigner" and throw things and oddball lengths to run on the track as well as people who will just randomly pretend to run with you. I was able to Skype with her and her boyfriend, who is a trainer, to get her strong enough to bike and run. She was diligent in her efforts, I was the coach who kept her focused on her goal when she the training got difficult and she wanted to quit and she was able to enjoy her race on race day. She finished in a time of 12:37:05, 84 min faster than her last race. She learned how to focus and stay with it even when things got challenging. She trusted that her body could do what she wanted it to do on race day. She even had a good time doing it.

AA is business professional who has not made exercise a part of her life. She is 65 years old and noticed that she was too young to have such difficulty with climbing stairs. She is a business coach and has many clients who are pulling at her for time. She does not have much time to work out but makes 30min a week to see me and does 2 or 3 more workouts on her own. By staying dedicated to her own workout and seeing me she has improved her strength and feels better during the day. Her energy level is higher and her ability to work longer with more focus is greater. She looks forward to our meetings every week and incorporates more exercise than she used to.

Success comes in many shades. From beginner to seasoned athlete, from former college players to seniors who have never exercised we can all gain from being consistent in our fitness plan. Fitness is personal. Success is a muscle that can be made stronger and more fit. I use the gym to represent life success. The ability to overcome what limits you in the strength and fitness realm is not very unlike what is faced in business. You set your own goals and work daily to achieve them. Strive daily to be more fit, more lean and more healthy. Seek the stronger you, the faster you and the more healthy you. Your business and your body should both run lean, fast and strong.
Find your own success.
Just make fitness part of it.

Can 1 Day Change your Life?

On this day every year I remember. I remember that I was training at a gym on Wall St. I remember thinking the burned paper flying past the gym window before 9AM was from an employee that got fired. I remember hearing the second plane hit and that feeling of insecurity that we could be attacked in such an unconventional way. I remember thinking that nothing can prepare you for that eventuality. I remember feeling weak. I remember walking north on Church St with a clear view of the towers, both burning, streets in mayhem and humanity all around. I remember New Yorker's caring for other New Yorker's. Mets fans helping Yankee Fans, Jets helping Giants fans, Bo Sox fans helping Yankee fans.

I went to my first meditation/prayer service in New York that night. I wanted to understand. More than that I wanted to help others and myself feel strong. I still want to help others feel strong. I still want to help others to make this country strong, to make their family strong, to make their lives strong. I like the power of 3 for this. 2001 is 667x3, 12 years ago is a multiple of 3 and a 24 Day Challenge is 3 weeks and 3 days. That is a great amount of time to create a new habit and make major changes to your body, mind and spirit. Don't think 24 days can do any thing? Think about how much this day, Sept 11, 2001 changed the lives of millions.

On Oct 6, 2013 we will be launching a 24 Day Body Transformation Challenge here at TCA Wellness. You will be provided with an eating and activity guide. You do not need to be here on that day but it is beneficial. You do need to contact us regarding the details of the challenge. You will have support from others who are taking the challenge as well as the coaches and personal trainers at the studio. This 1 day changed my life forever, I am using that change to reach out to those who want to change theirs. Will you take the challenge?

Will you send an email or make a phone call that can put you on the road to a different future? 
Will you take control of your weight and your health?
Will you commit to 3 short weeks plus 3 days if you knew it would put you on a path to a healthy life?
Just leave us your email in the box above. Leave us a PM on FB or twitter. Take charge!  

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

Obesity and the Gym

     I have a little problem with the location of my studio. As a personal training studio in Brentwood, TN we are located right next to a Sonic and a Mexican restaurant. I joke with people that "I can open the door and order from Sonic... but I don't." Some days I feel like the "Fitness Confession Booth" when people tell me they "have been meaning to get more exercise." Is the fear of what you may find in the gym what is keeping you away?
   
      It is easy to get frustrated by the lack of care that others take for their bodies with bad food, inactivity and stress. I use the outside world as a mirror for how I can be a better trainer and coach others to have a healthier life. I am like most people who struggle with their weight or their fitness. I let the stress of business and life get to me, I don't sleep as much as I should, I can go too long between meals when I am working on a project and I can be a little obsessive about the food I eat (until I am not).
    
       I go to the gym every day because it is my job. I chose being a weight loss coach and a fitness trainer because I think it is my way of helping to keep more people healthy and to keep my family around me longer. I started running with my father at age 6 and have struggled to get my mother to exercise for 25 years. Exercise has been part of his life for his whole life while she has never really seen it as important as other things. Even more challenging for her was the stigma she felt about exercising as her weight went up and then she was in a car accident making everything hurt.

     So what do you do when everything hurts seems to hurt and you feel so self conscious about your weight that you will not go to the gym because all you see is skinny women in small clothes?
Keep in mind that exercise can be uncomfortable at first but you will begin to feel and move better with just a little consistency.
You hire a professional to get you started.
You get some emotional help from a psychiatrist, your preacher or a friend who can keep you motivated.
You find 3 friends and start a weight loss journey together.
You decide that you are now at your most unhealthy and you will spend the rest of your life striving for improved health and well being.
Reach out to family and ask for support. Get healthy as a family, all of your lives depend on it!

     You SHOULD NEVER QUIT! You should never give up on your health.

     I made the commitment almost 30 years ago to seek better health (at around 10 years old). That journey has not been a straight line. I have strayed. I have eaten food that is just awful for me. I have tried to exercise away my bad eating habits. I have tried to drink away problems. I have let myself become unhealthy, sometimes by exercising too much, sometimes by eating too much and sometimes by exercising too little. I have never kept being healthier out of my sights even when that vision became blurred. I have chosen to pursue the path helping YOU become healthier instead of being an electrician, banker or actor. Helping others become healthy is my passion regardless of what you THINK the gym is about. Reality is that most in the fitness business just want you healthy starting from where you are today.
Go to the gym.
Fight the Obesity trend.
Make the world a more fit place beginning with you.
Comment or message me if you want a little more hands on help.
I am here for those who fear exercise. I am here for those who only dream of getting healthier. Most importantly I am here because your health and fitness is my passion.


    

I am a parent too!

Hey all you parents out there! I am a parent. I am active when my son. He is a VERY active and VERY athletic 6 year old. I have been throwing him in the air since he was very small. He swims, bikes, runs and drinks my delicious green smoothies from my Vita Mix (I sneak him his veggies this way. Shh! Its healthy)! He even comes into my gym and asks to pick up the Kettlebells when we are there. I love him and think he is an awesome athlete and I want to keep it that way.

I do not swing him by his arms! I have always swung him around but only from under his armpits! Watch this video and remember that your kids will protect themselves. They have more sense and self awareness than we give them credit for. They are in tune with their bodies and (gasp!) they even know when they are full whether it works with your feeding schedule or not.(that is a topic for another blog post)

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2013/05/dont-swing-your-kids-by-the-arms-please/

Happy and Healthy Parenting!
Thanks K-Star!

With all kinds of healthy and happy love,
Andy Nelson
TCA Wellness
Brentwood (Cool Springs), TN

Peter Attia: What if we're wrong about diabetes?

Can a $5 Bottle of Apple Cider make you feel or look better?

 Check this out from my friend and #Nashville native Dominique. Who knew that Apple Cider Vinegar has lots of  uses? My girlfriend suggested I gargle with it when I was at a Marketing Conference and got sick in the first day. I lasted the conference just fine and was better before I got on the plane 2 1/2 days later. It tasted AWFUL! But it worked amazingly well.
Check it out and see if you can learn a little something about how cheaply you can feel better, look better and keep you house a little cleaner.

http://bloominrosy.blogspot.com/

Good Hair? Just a bottle of Apple Cider vinegar away.
Whiter Teeth? We got 'em.
Sore throat? Not anymore (I can attest).

Don't take my word for it but being healthy in body and home can be done on the cheap!

In Great health,
Andy

Inactivity is a Cause of Heart Disease- So lighten up and move!

I was reading some material recently about Baby Boomers. My dad was born in that first year, 1945, and he has always seemed to take pretty good care of himself. My mom was born a few years later into a different set of circumstances and has taken care of herself quite differently. They are both "Boomers" and neither of them show many signs of cardiovascular disease. They both have only 1 major risk factor: being overweight. Their "co-morbid" risk factors are High blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol.

As you may have read in "Ode to Dad of Fitness" my family has always done a better job than most of the country (at least statistically) at maintaining our health. We have been eating salads and trying low fat recipes for 30 years or so. However my dad has a bowl of ice cream from a cereal/soup size bowl more nights a week than he should. Exercise has been a part of our life and sitting in front of a screen, computer or TV, was always pretty limited. If it was daylight we were moving!

Now onto my "Soap Box": Inactivity is a lifestyle choice that leads to a host of problems! A study as far back as 1996 equated inactivity with smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day. Many times inactivity can be diet related- if you don't have the energy to move around then you probably will not move as extra exercise or enjoyment. If you have inflammation in your body due to a high sugar or alcohol or tobacco laced diet then moving around is uncomfortable and you probably will not do it then either. Even if you smoke, drink and eat too much sugar you need to move more. Better still, you need to move smarter. Smart exercise takes less time and achieves a greater result to your fitness and sense of well being. The diet changes will happen when you make them happen.

You don't slow down because you move less, you move less because you slowed down.
Find a reason, like enjoying an active life, to keep you moving.
Find life in your days or your days will end sooner. It is that simple!

As the government has instituted a new Health Care law we are all responsible for the health of our fellow citizens, like it or not. The government is not trying to control your health or "Tell you" what to eat or how much to exercise, that still falls to you. Be responsible with the freedom.

Your insurance company tells you what it will pay for but your health, not your sickness, is in your hands. Exercise, Especially Strength Training, is the Single Best Way to Maintain and (possibly even) IMPROVE Your Health!!! The side effects of exercise are mostly feeling and looking better, having greater self confidence and improved brain and muscle health. What side effects does your medication have? Go on. Go read that 4 page flyer your (P)Harmacist gave you with you with your meds. I will wait. 1 side effect of Statins is Muscle Wasting. All that time in the gym almost countered by a medication. Right exercise can lower your cholesterol and improve your golf game or time with your loved ones. Statins, not so much.

So here is what to do:
1) Get cleared by your doctor to exercise.
2) Find a Fitness professional to teach you how to exercise for your size, age and current limitations.
3) Follow the prescription from your Trainer or other fitness pro. Get regular updates so you keep getting stronger.
4) Go enjoy a healthier life with less pain.

Some exercises I like:
The Squat- Sit down on something low then stand up. Repeat 10-15x. Once you are good at that then take away what is below you and stop on your own.

The Lift - Imagine you have to lift a rock or a bag of mulch off the ground. Get yourself flexible and strong enough to be able to do it yourself. Now go do it yourself!

The Twist - Not the dance but it is good for you. Imagine pulling a garden hose from behind you to in front of you or lifting your groceries up and over the side of the cart and into your car. You have just "twisted" 180 degrees. Do this as exercise and then you are less likely to throw your back out doing it in the parking lot of the grocery store.

The Lunge - You have to do a short lunge whenever you climb stairs, a place where many falls occur in the Boomer population. If you can lunge forward and keep yourself under control then you will have the ability to get out of the way of that cyclist you didn't see coming while you were reading that email and walking down the street.

The Push/Pull - If you don't have a gym to go to you can always go to Target and open and close the Non Automatic doors all day. that way you work your pushing muscles and your pulling muscles. I like to see more pulling since we spend too much time closing off the front of our bodies while we drive, text, email and flex in the bathroom mirror.

If all else fails you can get down on the floor and stand up as quickly as possible 20x in a row. It uses most major muscle groups and helps to maintain your flexibility. If you do it fast enough you can also get your heart rate up.
Now go have fun with fitness. Be active! Stay younger by tomorrow.

If you're in Brentwood then come by the studio and I an show you to improve your health by lifting more than you ever thought possible. It slows down the aging process but don't tell the drug makers.
In health,
Andy Nelson

Ode to Dad of Fitness

As today is Father's Day it is only fitting that I give a little Background as to why I do what I do. My father was a Runner. I started running with him when I was 6 years old. When I say "with" believe it was an exaggeration. He always seemed so fast and he was always bigger than life.

Active in his church, an officer in the Army, dad to 5 kids from the same wife he is still married to, a husband, baseball/basketball/track coach, a design engineer for a business airplane company and a backyard mechanic. He somehow managed to partner with my mother and grandmother to get all us kids to one sport practice or another, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church events and friends' houses and still find time to cook (though cleaning was not his strong point except for his tools). He managed to plow and plant a garden every year with some big help from Grandma Wedincamp. This gave me a love for fresh vegetables and an appreciation for growing the food yourself.

It has come out in the last few years that Frank Shorter, our last Olympic Gold medal winner in the marathon in 1976, ran to escape his home life. My dad may have done the same thing to start his running career. He did not have the most stable home environment when he was growing up so he did his best to provide a stable home for his kids. He took us on runs whenever he could even if that meant going slower than he would on his own. He would wake us up on race days and put toast together so we could have something to run on and let Mom sleep when he could (she would usually be at the finish line anyway). He even coached the church RA (Royal Ambassadors) track team for the couple meets we had regionally every year. He ran a couple marathons in his time and called me to run the NYC Marathon "with" him the year he turned 60. He has asked for my help in training for his next one at 70.

He kept me out of football because I was too small until High School and then was encouraging when I started lifting weights to put on size for it, even when it meant not running track. When I tried to do too many activities he pulled form the wrestling team even though I didn't want to quit and my grades were good enough for the school. He taught me that setting your own standard and sticking to it is more important than just meeting the minimum standard set by an arbitrary governing body. I am sure that was a difficult decision for a man who wanted to give his kids everything.

My father was concerned about the health of the family. He was trying recipes from Runner's World magazine since the mid 80's. We have been incorporating salads into our meals since the information came out that we need to. He was adventurous with his food choices especially when you consider the South Georgia traditional cooking we were surrounded by. This cooking did not always work out well and our family gets a ripe laugh whenever we bring up the "Eggplant Parmesan Incident".

I cannot thank my dad enough for his contribution to who I am today. I am an endurance athlete, a running coach, a great cook, a father and business man. I moved 1000 miles from where I had lived for 18 years when my ex-wife moved to a new state with my son. It is what any real father would do. It is what MY father would have done.

Thanks to Milo Gene Nelson, I
Lt. Col, US Army (ret)
Designer Engineer, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp
Father
Grandfather
Friend
Mentor
Guide

Happy National Running Day!

I have seen post after post about how to start a running plan today. I have not seen 1 single post that incorporates strength training. Running, as a sport or recreationally, has almost as high of an injury rate as football and soccer, both considered contact sports. Many people pick up running for the same reasons that I suggest it:
-It can be done almost anywhere
-All you need is shoes (Maybe) and willpower
-We were "born to run" (otherwise our ancestors would have been tiger food)
-It makes us feel good to be outside and moving fast

As a running coach I specialize in Strength Training for runners of all ages and ability. Except for a few athletes looking for an edge, most runners don't come to me until AFTER they are injured. I am not a Physical Therapist but they often send me patients who need to learn to run better. Sometimes I will watch them run but usually I just watch them squat first. When someone is challenged doing the squat, even with only body weight, they usually have trouble running.

Why? You may ask. The muscles that are responsible for controlling the squat pattern, when not working properly, will often not work to stabilize a runner in the gait cycle. Thank about it for just a minute: If you cannot control yourself as you squat in a stable, controlled environment then you will probably have difficulty controlling your legs when you run.

But running is "natural". Yes it is, but sitting in a car or at a desk in front of a computer is not. (We could also discuss the unnatural, inflammation causing food intake if you like) Sitting for long periods of time can lead to muscle imbalances, especially in the hips, chest and calves. Yes, even having tight chest muscles can lead to back, hip and leg injuries (we are 1 system). 

Simple solutions:
1) Do SQUATS! this is the best exercise for runners. It lengthens the hamstrings, strengthens the hips and works your core. Lower your butt down to knees level, hold for 2 seconds, and stand back up. 3sets of 10 reps for beginners. Build form there. Begin to add weights.

2) Do active stretching like Windmill Toe Touch before you run.

3) Do plyometric training to improve how your body lands when you run.

4) Listen to how your body feels when you run. Don't tune out when you run. Yes running is challenging, but the difference between running that hurts and running that causes injury related pain is huge. Your lungs and legs burn when you run, your shins, knees, ankles or hips hurt when injured.

5) Do core work! The plank, side plank and back extension just may save your run.

Now go out and enjoy National Running Day. Call a friend and bring them too.

Stay healthy, run Happy,
Coach Andy Nelson
twitter.com/tricoachandy
https://plus.google.com/b/116418230416619943050/116418230416619943050/about?hl=en
Facebook.com/TriCoachAndy

Are you ready to be Younger?

My friend for about 20 years is a trainer in Daytona Beach, FL. He started in the athlete training field and moved to FL to work with a church (not for weight loss or health necessarily but it came around) and has been working with the 40+ population for many years.
Check him out here. He tries to answer how you can be YO only younger.

http://youngeryoufitness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=78&Itemid=468

I hope you enjoy the read and the watch of his video.
Check back here later for more on feeling your best at any age and any weight, regardless of current fitness level.

Best of Health,
Andy Nelson
917-226-527one

Are You Fit Enough For Retirement?

I had a great conversation last weekend with the father of a friend who had developed a great retirement plan on a flight from Osaka to Beijing. The plan had been drawn up several years ago and his wife told him then that he should have retired 3 years before so he could live out the whole plan. His name was Perry* and he has been, and continues to be, a quite successful business man. His wife is a hospice nurse and a runner. They are close in age and she is in great shape but he is at least 25lbs heavier than he should be but eats a clean diet. Some of his plan involves a bit of physical activity that I wonder if he will be fit enough for.

With all the focus on our monetary ability to retire do we ever stop to ask, far enough in advance, if we will be physically prepared for retirement?

When do we begin to lay the ground work for being able to play with our grandchildren? When do we get strong enough to handle the recovery process when need a hip replacement? When do we realize that we may be too frail to enjoy the money we have earned in a life of successful business pursuits? When do we stop saving for retirement and start living our retirement?

Will you be Fit enough to enjoy your retirement?

Perry's* plan involves living in several different locations for 6 months each. Each location had lots to offer from art, to culture, wine and food, and hiking or outdoor activity. He would be required to live in a new environment, adapt to the climate, stay healthy and active and be physically fit enough to battle crowds, climb stairs, sleep in a bed that is not his usual bed, travel by train, plane or bus and not get sick or injured while under such stress all while aging.

 While a clean diet and healthy lifestyle are very important as we age, strength training and stress mitigation are are of just as high priority. Yoga/flexibility training, weight lifting, meditation/prayer and cardiovascular fitness all play roles in keeping us healthy and slow the aging process. Just as important as slowing the aging process, using these activities in your weekly fitness routine will help you to add quality to your years and, barring disease and illness, quantity as well.

A simple weekly formula to help add years to your life and life to your years:
Mon- Weight Lifting- Focus on basic movement patterns like squats w/weights, moving weights from the ground to over your head, twisting while bending or squatting and pushing or pulling weights.
Tues - Cardio fitness or Flexibility/Yoga
Wed - Meditation/Church/Spiritual Health/Social Activities
Thu - Weight training- Pushing and Pulling, Standing and sitting w/weights, Single leg balancing, flexibility work/stretching
Fri - Swimming or other cardio - I prefer you run. When you lose the ability to walk you increase your risk of death.
Sat - Weights and/or Cardio (Yes. Again) - short and challenging session, make it social if you can.
Sun - Church/Spiritual Health/Meditation/Social Play

These things are all part of making your life complete and whole and healthy. You will add quality of life to your years and years onto your life. You will have elevated mood from lifting weights, more confidence in your ability to complete physical tasks and a more clear mind. You don't have to be retired or in your last years of work to benefit from this formula.

If you want to see improvement in your health without prescription drugs then lifting weights has been shown to be a panacea. It improves insulin clearing, good cholesterol and body mass index. Add it to improving your diet to change the course of your retirement health.

Now go get healthier!
Ask a fitness professional how. Ask your doctor if you are healthy enough for exercise. If they say "No" then ask them how sick you need to be?

*name and minor details changed for protection ;)

Look Where you want to Go

    As a runner who likes to run on trails I know to look where I am going. One wrong step could result in a fall. I know this when I go out for a run and it slows me down enough to choose my steps well. In this way Trail Running is a mental game as well. You know you could get hurt but moving your body through nature like that is well worth the risk.

But What about the gym?

Yes, you need to look where you are going because people are moving heavy objects, sometimes very quickly. You also have to have a long view. Going to the gym is just something you need to do. It makes us more human since we are no longer hunting our food on foot and dragging it home. We move more and better when we are in the gym lifting weights. It makes us lose weight faster. It improves our brain function, blood function, insulin regulation and genetic pathways thus slowing aging.

When you begin to make exercise part of your lifestyle it may be difficult to keep these things in mind, especially if you are recovering from Bariatric Surgery. For those affected by Obesity the goals are very different than the goals of a life long athlete. Both people have to keep an eye on where their fitness goals are taking them; in the direction of health or the direction of a shorter life.

Many in the fitness industry still think Obesity is a simple issue; Simply solved with a "calories in, calories out" approach. Trust me, there are millions who have tried this method unsuccessfully. If that worked it would have already. We were all heading in that direction of fitness until a few innovators took the time to see what was working and what wasn't. You cannot always exercise you way through obesity or cancer or Crohn's Disease. Each individual is effected in their own way by their medical condition. There are many who are judgmental and say Obesity is self imposed. There are many cancers that were due to lifestyle but rarely are they judged so harshly. Some who have been ill come back to fight for others. Some give up and re-start their fight over and over. It is a fitness professionals job to meet each client where they are on the day and encourage fitness regardless of the starting point.

Keep your eyes focused forward! Where are we going to help those who are asking for help? Fitness professionals should be as professionals in allied health fields. Use the proper terms to address those with obesity. Do not give diet advice for someone under the care of an RD and or MD. Work toward a better functioning individual regardless of their weight. If someone comes for fitness training and education then address their issues from a strength and mobility standpoint first. The person who is 400lbs benefits just as much, or more, from being able to perform a squat as the 110lb person does.

Exercise should be fun and leaving you feeling challenged but not defeated. It will not be fun every day. Find the fun in an improved quality of life. Weight training works! It can help almost anyone feel better. Those who do not feel better are rare. A little muscle soreness aside your body will thank you for lifting weights and for exercise in general. Do not be discouraged at the pace of the scale or how your clothes fit. Fight for your life!
 

Other Sports

So I competed in the CrossFit Games Open and have since had some time to reflect. It was competition! Pure and simple. They determined that fitness, when judged by the CrossFit parameters, should be judged based upon a particular set of exercises performed over a set time frame. It was scaled to everybody broken down by gender and even age group at some point. It was fitness in competition format!
 
For me It was FUN!

I enjoy competing. It is fun to test myself against an old me and against others. I am competitive I like seeing how I stack up against others and athletic events, which is part of the popularity of FlyWheel. CrossFit is its own sport just as running is its own support and football is its own sport. It takes a certain fitness to play football but it takes a different fitness to run as a sport regardless of distance. Most people who do CrossFit regularly can jump into a football game and fare pretty well. Those same people can probably jump into a half marathon and gut it out at least once without injury. There are cases of professional football players who did not fare well in a CrossFit work out. They are truly fit, at the peak of anyone's game and yet they suffer under a CrossFit work out.

But just as those same football players will adapt and improve their own football skills by doing CrossFit so too will a runner improve their running form and be a stronger runner for it by incorporating CrossFit. They call CrossFit "The Sport of Fitness" but you have to be pretty fit and pretty fearless to take it on for any length of time. CrossFit draws and maintains a certain type of person, the person who thrives on bettering their last performance. Just as Krank Nashville is great for getting you fit enough for their indoor cycling class and/or Strength Classes Krankers tend to do quite well at CrossFit when they go. However most Krankers prefer the comradeship found at Krank. It is Fitness and athletic ability, just slightly more specified to a different fitness.

We are all trying to become more fit and healthy. One type of exercise should not be looked down upon by any other fitness group. Yoga requires fitness. Pilates requires fitness they just don't have competitions. There are other sports besides baseball, football, basketball and hockey. It was not so long ago that Soccer was a rare sport in the US. After Pele and bunch of European guys wowed the US for a few years then Soccer basically vanished until the mid 80's. There are Other Sports out there. There is Roller Derby and Mountain Biking and Spartan Race or anything that requires mental and physical stamina to endure to the finish. I like running on trails. Lucky for me there is plenty of that activity to go race and test myself against others regularly. I like Spartan Racing as well as an occasional backyard football game. Our psyche wants to compete.

We compete in sports.
We put Gym Time to the test.
We challenge our comfort zone.
Most importantly we improve ourselves simply by seeing a thing through.
I encourage you to find your sport.
I encourage you to improve upon who you are through physical challenge.
I urge you to discover your true strength. The strength that is stronger than your greatest weakness. When you overcome your ability to quit in a physical endeavor then you send a signal to your subconscious mind that you can overcome more than you thought before.
Strive for physical fitness and your mental fitness will come along for the ride. Choose a sport to compete in. Any sport. Any One that scares you. Try to get good at it. It doesn't matter if you take up knitting for speed. At least you will find achievement and a more fit mind.

Compete with yourself or friends to see who can be most fit and healthy. Even the loser of that challenge will add years to their life.
No go be healthier than you ever thought possible.

15min video on Better Tri Performance

It is simple to me- Triathlon and the training necessary for it make you a healthier person. You cannot be so out of balanced from biking as to effect your run. You cannot be so out of balance from swimming to effect your biking. You cannot be so sore from time in the gym to destroy any one aspect of your tri workouts. So we must strike a balance in most aspects of our training, and in turn in our lives, to be a better and more efficient triathlete.

Here is I just a short video I did with my friend Jerry Yoo, a PT in New Jersey, about how I like to see the run trained for. I coach runners of all distances and fitness levels as well as triathletes. I love to see triathletes improve in all aspects but especially the run.

Give it watch. Comment and share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xLgfXvHf_g

Stay healthy out there. Encourage each other to do better. Help other athletes who are in need.
Andy

My Turkey (or grass fed beef) Chili recipe

I have made a few changes to this recipe but I have posted something similar before.

This is good food! It is healthy. High protein. High fiber. And most importantly: High flavor!

Enjoy!

 

This makes a very big pot of chili:

1 box Pomi Chopped tomatoes (no spices) (or can of 24oz Chopped)

1 box Pomi Strained (or 24oz canned or bagged strained)

1 lb of Ground turkey or Grass Fed Beef

1 med Yellow Onion - Chopped large

1or 2 can Black beans - rinsed

1 can Kidney Beans - rinsed

1 can Pinto Beans - rinsed

1 each - Red, yellow, orange and/or green pepper - cut into large chunks

1tbps Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Fresh Black pepper (to taste)

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 tbsp Olive Oil

In pot brown meat with Olive Oil and half of spices. (if you ise beef that is 85/15 then you may want to drain some of the fat before you move you on). After a few min add chopped onions. When onions are brown add strained tomatoes, chopped tomatoes. Once tomatoes begin to bubble add beans and remainder of spices. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Mixture should be thick and hearty looking. Stir regularly to prevent sticking and ensure spices blend well. Taste and adjust spices to your liking.

I like to add tabasco or Trader Joe's Jalapeno Pepper Sauce to add some heat. Cut Jalapenos for greater flavor, remove seeds to keep heat down and flavor higher.

Sometimes I like to add Green Chiles. They add a nce flavor without cranking up the heat. I like this with a warm corn tortilla or corn bread. If carbs make you gain then stay away from flour tortillas.
Enjoy your food!

Eat Clean. Be lean! Be strong! Race Fast!

Answer to a question

Answer to Question
by Andrew Nelson for www.tricoachandy.com
andy@getfitnyc.com

I was recently presented with a situation from one of the athletes on a women’s triathlon team:
She is a cyclist and a runner who has pain in the knee. The MRI showed significant edema, inflammation, and bursitis. The bursitis was the result of a fall. Inflammation is often the result of trauma; edema is a fluid buildup in the tissues of the body usually the hands, legs and ankles and can be from injury or pregnancy).

As a longtime athlete, she has worked hard to overcome some injuries (Runner’s Knee, most recently) and is concerned about losing the fitness she has gained.
She asked which procedure would get her back racing sooner?
The doctor gave her 3 choices - 1) cortisone shots; 2) 4-6 weeks of immobilization and crutches; 3) PRP, physical therapy, and complete rest (not even swimming).

Here is my take from years of coaching, running, racing, and being an athlete:

1- If you can manage it financially, get the PRP and the PT. Complete rest may lead to a greater understanding of why you race to begin with.

2- If you gained fitness once, you will not go back to “zero” if you take the time to heal. It may seem like you are "losing ALL of your fitness," but the reality is that is just not the case. If you make things worse by not recovering fully then you will be out longer.

3- Treat fitness and exercise as an investment in your body; a long term investment.  There will be ups and downs; as well as plateaus.  Fitness and health are not just for this season or this training cycle. Athletes, especially highly competitive ones, do get injured (in her case it was another bike accident avoiding a car).  

4- You can strength train without mobilizing the knee joint. Straight leg raise w/ankle weights, hip abduction w/cables, straight leg dead lift- all of these will strengthen the hips/legs without bending the knee.

5- Swimming can be done while still immobilizing the knee, ONLY IF THE DOCTOR CLEARS YOU. Swim with a pull buoy and a band around your ankles (and maybe even your knees). It feels strange at first but makes your upper body swim form and rotation come from the hips; where you’re stronger anyway.

6- Take it slow! If you were running 6-10 miles/session before the injury, start with a 1/2 mile easy jog. That’s right, 1/2 mile. Your body will need to reestablish neural pathways for optimal muscle ordering; an efficient gait. This will help the body to break the old injury cycle. If you try to come back too quickly and resume where you left off, you risk re-injuring yourself.

Even great doctors who are athletes often fail to see what great trainers and coaches are able to do to keep athletes moving. I once had a dentist who had been a teacher of Dentistry tell me: “Some dentists were A students and some dentists were C students. At the end of school they were all still dentists.” Coaches and trainers are not all the same; just like any professional.

I understand the head game of an injury (I once took 13 weeks off immediately after being trained for a marathon to recover from an accident). The “career” of an athlete can be cut short, and lead to a lifetime of pain, by not taking the proper down time or doing too, much too soon after an injury. Take time to recover fully from an injury. Sometimes a longer time recovering can mean a stronger next season and a longer athletic career.

Stay Healthy and use a great coach to help you achieve better results for next season.

The Effects ARE Real

Strength training improves your Marathon running. Strength training improves your bike sprint performance. Strength training makes your swim stroke stronger. I know that is hard for most runners to imagine and even harder for cyclists to see how more muscle can lead to FASTER times. I like to run! I am a running coach! I am a triathlon coach! But giving up 1 or 2 runs a week in exchange for focused Strength training can improve your run and or bike regardless of distance. Throw in some speed work and you just might drop that marathon time/century time/mile swim time.

The science is clear and unwavering that strength training improves your running economy and helps to better vascularize your muscles, improving blood flow during exercise. So why don't more people who call themselves athletes strength train? It makes you more lean. It makes you stronger. It reduces injury. And if done properly, improves your balance and function in everyday activities. It even makes you look better.

So I ask again: Why don't more runners strength train? I mean pick up something that weighs more than they do. Simple answer: Runners like only running. To that end they should build muscle so they have the stable, strong base to continue to run without injury. My father is a lifelong runner and, at 67, he JUST got what I have been telling him for 10 years. Cyclist fear having more weight to carry up hills but the strength:weight ratio improves more than the weight stays on. Swimmers do not float as well, though but somehow finish faster.

Now I will make the argument that lifting heavy improves endurance performance. Yes, at the professional level running more, faster helps you to run a marathon faster. However, most people who run do not spend 2-3hrs/day working out and 21 hours only recovering like the pros do. Most people spend the day sitting down at a desk letting their hip muscles get short and junky. Strength training and the preparatory work necessary to lift are great at making a runner, cyclist, swimmer or triathlete stronger and more flexible, allowing a powerful run stride/pedal stroke/swim stroke that is more efficient.

I would also make the argument that preparing your body to strength training helps to make you better at the other sports. If you are a triathlete you need to be very flexible, very strong, and have tremendous endurance. Strength training combined with swimming, biking and running can make you a very balanced strong and focused person. More muscle allows you to finish stronger, recover faster and prepare better.

Don't just watch a video on YouTube of how to do the following lifts, get some professional coaching or at least take a small strength training class.
My recommended lifts for endurance athletes are as follows:
Dead Lift (build to fewer than 6 reps. GO HEAVY)
Dumbbell snatch
Kettlebell swings (initiate from the hips)
Thrusters (Front Squat to Jerk press)
Pull Ups
Push Ups
Squats (build to fewer than 6 reps with great knees placement)
Med Ball Chop or slam/ Med Ball Cross Body lift
Box Jump

Now go have some fun being strong. The hills will look and feel easier.

Easy Healthy Delicious Recipe

I LOVE to Eat. I love to eat well. I love the way I feel after a meal that I put love in to creating and has the most flavor for the nutrition content. Food should taste good! Period! The thing is to open up what tastes good to you.

Try new vegetables.
Try new ways to prepare meats and vegeatables.
Eat Healthy fats like avocados, olive oil and nuts.
Learn to cook. Learn a NEW way to cook.
Discover new flavors. Be prepared to taste something you don't like.
Be adventurous about healthy food. Have some courage!

Enough of my rant. Here we go. This calls for Grass Fed Beef. If you cannot find Grass Fed, local organic beef then AT THE VERY LEAST get Chorizo with NO NITRATES/NITRITES. If their beef is good enough to eat then should not have to put nitrates in it.

Ingredients:
12oz. Grass Fed Organic Beef Chorizo or Smoked Turkey Kielbasa (nitrate/nitrite free please)- Sliced
1lb Kale - Red Russian is best - clean and stems removed
1 Cup Quinoa
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries- chopped
1/2 cup Pistachios (sunflower seeds or slivered almonds)
3tbsp Olive oil

Place 2cups of water and 1 grind of Himalayan Rock Salt in a large Sauce pan. Remove stems from kale, rinse, cut into ribbons and place in boiling water. Lower to a simmer for 25 min. (its actually healthier with Kale)
Place sausage in a medium ceramic sauce pan and heat on low. Stir occasionally to keep from burning. Cook until done. Use a thermometer if necessary.

Rinse Quinoa well in a mesh strainer and add to 2cups of boiling water w/1tbsp of olive oil. Simmer on Low for 10-15min.

If you are on a High Protein diet, Paleo or just trying to eat healthier then this recipe is great. I love the spice from the Chorizo with the flavor of the kale. The texture of the Quinoa, cranberries and pistachios makes for a very satisfying dish that is easy on your calories and has a very low glycemic impact.

Stay healthy and eat well!

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Well Its the 2 week mark

So we have been in 2013 for 2 weeks now. How are your resolutions going? Did you vow to change your diet? Get more exercise? Lose weight? Go to the gym every day?

And how are you doing? You are probably already letting the little things slip.

Did you write down your resolutions and post them where you can see them every day? Writing down your resolutions makes them more real. More real than just saying it.

I will talk mainly about diet goals since exercise info is everywhere.
98% of diets fail. If you change 1 small but effective daily habit, just 1, you can have a 95% success rate. Once that thing is part of your daily routine then we can add 1 more. If you try to do both small changes at the same time your fail rate will skyrocket to 80%.

So lets just start with 1 thing, for the next 2 weeks. Take a fish oil supplement and a multi-vitamin. That may sound like 2 things but only if you look at each supplement as an individual behavioral change. Take a quality multi and a quality fish oil. Take 1g for every 1% body fat. If you are obese then start with 25g over the course of the day. This 1 little thing shows dramatic results in a week or 2. Take a multi-vitamin so your body operates well. You really do need all of those vitamins for your body to be efficient at eating, moving and living.

For the next 2 weeks just make that small change, it is the best bang for your lifestyle change buck. Now go do it.

if you need further diet and exercise needs feel free to email me.
Andy@getfitnyc.com.
Stay healthy!