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I'm sure you've heard the saying, "a calorie is a calorie," and that when weight loss is the goal, you can probably loose weight on a 1,200 calorie/day diet whether it is 1,200 Twinkie calories or apple calories. At this point, you might be thinking, "Cool! I'll go on the Twinkie diet!"   Our bodies are smarter than that though, and I say, thank goodness. I know - I'm no fun at all :-). Last week at the grocery one of my kiddos held up a box of Twinkies and had the audacity to ask me to purchase them. I nearly burst a vessel in my forehead trying to restrain myself from smashing the box with......
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Being that it is summer, and there are vacations, kids home from school, camps, a lot of running around in circles...sometimes a workout is hard to knock out, even when intentions are high. When that happens, I have a 30-minute, total body workout that requires very little equipment, yet will leave you dripping in sweat. Wanna hear it? Here it is... You'll need:  a set of 10 or 12lb wts (lighter if you like), a resistance tube 5-10 minute warm up @ 40-50% max heart rate Set 1: 10-14 Burpees (also called pop squats) 3-way lunges w/ dumbbells: Start with weaker leg leading. Take one lunge forwa......
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Stumbled upon a few deals I'd like to pass along: 20% off planners! For all of you planners out there (you know who you are, planning each workout weeks in advance), get a head start on school year planning at MomAgenda. MomAgenda is offering 20% off small School Year books (use code: schoolyearsmom) Visit MomAgenda.com, offer expires 7.31.2011 *P.S. I LOVE MomAgenda planners. Seriously, love them - totally created by moms, for moms. Enough said. EatingWell magazine has a new book out: EatingWell 500-calorie Dinners for $22.45 (10% off the regular price). While you are planning workouts in you......
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Check out this video if you are unfamiliar with trigger point therapy... TPR Therapy, Ironman competitor Have you ever wished you could afford a personal masseuse? One who could come to your home, preferably daily, to help relieve you of the knots and muscle tightness that inevitably occur from daily workouts and, well, being a mom? In search of a solution to my IT band issues, I tried a chiropractor (not money well spent), stretching, massage therapy (therapist too gentle to release deep tissue), and my O.D. The O.D. provided the most valuable information: without proper biomechanics, the bod......
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The mysterious " fat burning zone " continues to confuse many gym-goers. The theory goes something like this: working out in a "zone" of intensity that is less intense for at least 20 minutes will burn more fat calories than calories from carbohydrate. Is this true? Yes and no, but mostly no. You actually burn more calories from fat right now, sitting still, reading this post, than you do on the treadmill. That is because in the resting state, the body burns a higher percentage of fat calories. As you crank up the exercise intensity, you burn a little less fat per calorie. However, it really c......
May

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Intrigued by the sport of triathlon? Do you think the sport is reserved for only the fittest athletes, or those who have too much time on their hands and a thing for pain? Think again. Everyday people are training for (and successfully completing) triathlons of every length, from super-sprint to the Granddaddy of them all – the Ironman! In fact, triathlon participation in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Membership in USA triathlon swelled to more than 100,000 in early 2009. To put that into perspective – the average membership between 1993-2000 was between 15,000-21,000 members! A sport once considered an outlet for Type-A, over-achieving endurance junkies, triathlon is becoming accessible to every age and gender, regardless of fitness ability.

From super-sprints to Ironman-distance events, there is something for everyone…

Sprint: This event typically involves a 750 meter swim, 20km ride, and 5k run, although distances can be shorter. The “super sprint” might be a 200-500m swim, 10km ride, and 2.5-3k run, for example.

Olympic distance: 1500m open water swim, 40km ride, and 10k run is the typical format.

Half-Ironman: As the name implies, this is half the distance of a full Ironman – 1900m open water swim, 90km ride, and 21km run.

Ironman distance: 3800m swim, 180km ride, and 42km run. Yes, you read that correctly. That translates to a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile ride, and 26.2-mile run (a full marathon.)



The benefits of triathlon training, as opposed to single-sport training (such as distance running), are numerous. Cross-training across three sports can ease the strain of repetitive movements and help preserve joint integrity. The swimming component of triathlon training strengthens the upper body and lower back (both areas that are largely neglected with running and cycling). Finally, the psychological challenge of training for multiple events can offset the boredom that can beset even die-hard, single sport enthusiasts, like marathon runners.

Training for a triathlon does require a time commitment and tremendous dedication. You would be well advised to seek the aid of a certified triathlon coach who can design a custom training plan for you, and/or a triathlon team that meets weekly. To find a coach and/or a training team near you, check out these helpful sites: USATriathlon and TriFind

Beginners can find helpful advice online at BeginnerTriathlete, TriFuel, and DailyMile



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