Sample Workout: Running & weight training

I can't believe it's almost October! My favorite month is days away and I'm already in the mood for pumpkin. Instead of hitting the sugar-bomb Pumpkin Lattes I add a tbsp of pumpkin pie puree to my oats in the morning (along with a pinch of cinnamon) and it hits the spot. Let's not forget Halloween, the spooky rides at Disneyland, Oktoberfest, the changing of the leaves, and the option to wear scarves and close-toed shoes in Southern California :-).

I WISH I carved these guys.

Source

I've noticed that my website SeeMeFit has been getting a lot of hits (thank you!) but not too many buyers. I think that might be due to the lack of flashy testimonials (which I couldn't legally bring with me from my last employer) and possibly due to the lack of sample workouts. You'd like to know what you're getting if you're spending your hard earned money on a service, right?

Running 101

It was a few weeks ago that I christened myself a “jogger, but not a runner”. Fast forward 5-6 weeks and I’ve run enough miles (74.5 since the Urban Dare post) and read the blogs of enough running coaches that I think I’ve got the basics down. This is a far cry from a year or two ago when I’d decide to go running once in a blue moon, covering far too many miles on my non-runner legs, and hobble back home with an injury.

A little background: I haven’t always been athletically inclined, although I did play field hockey in high school for a semester. My jock phase abruptly ended in 2001 when I was in a car accident that forced me onto crutches for about 2 months and into physical therapy for 6 additional months. I regained full range of motion but lost a significant amount of muscle, mobility, and strength as well as suffering nerve damage. On paper I was doing fine (I didn’t require any more physical therapy aside from a cortisone shot to the knee every 6 months or so), but I felt lethargic and much weaker than before.

RDI’s, RDA’s and UL’s (oh my!): Guide to Vitamins and Minerals

Ah, a new week. Another chance to learn, reflect, and gasp “oh my goodness I can’t believe it’s already September!” To be fair, it’s been the 9^th month for 13 days thus far, but sometimes it takes a while to sink in.

You know how to read the label AND the box of food, what your plate should look like, so what about vitamins, minerals and all the other fortified goodies?  The healthy things lurking inside the food you eat unbeknownst (or known) to you. I’ve complied a guide to vitamins, minerals, signs of deficiency and over consumption, and good sources of each.

Shopping for Fitness: A Guide to Heart Rate Monitors

Last month I covered the basics of training within heart rate zones, detailing which zones are good for which aerobic/anaerobic adaptations. I also discussed the various formulas for calculating your heart rate zone, the age-based formula and the Karvonen formula. Luckily for us there’s a much easier way to figure out which zone you’re in, while you’re exercising (no need to stop and do the math). 

The heart rate monitor, my absolute favorite piece of fitness equipment. Nothing has motivated me to work harder, work smarter, and work longer than my heart rate monitor (henceforth referred to as HRM).