Tips for Marathon Runners

Running a long distance race like the Toronto Waterfront Marathon or the Ironman Competition takes months of hard training, proper diet and preparation. All competitive sports require that extra level of commitment. Here are 5 handy tips to get ready for a race with only a month to go:

#1. Buy New Shoes

Don't run your race in brand new shoes, or the old trainers you have been practicing in for months! One month is an ideal amount of time to find a new pair, and practice, to break them in. It will allow the time for the new shoes to feel comfortable, but remain relatively new for the race. (Wearing brand new shoes will feel uncomfortable.)

#2. Check Your Distance

You should be able to run at least 3/4 of your race distance with ease. It's not necessary to practice the full distance, but doing a practice run is a confidence boost. You will feel less nervous if you know you can complete the full distance having done 75% of it with barely trying.

#3. Merge Your Training Runs

Running intervals, for time, endurance, and speed are all necessary, separate, training techniques. However, now it's time to combine them. Start training with one run per week during which you "run your best." Have a session running fast and long, with little recovery time, if you require walking breaks, will be great practice for building your endurance.

#4. Plan for Race Day

Start planning for the morning of the race. Think about what you will eat for breakfast, and what snacks or gels to bring for the run. Decide what to wear and run a few times in the outfit to make sure it's comfortable, and nothing bothers you about it. Plan for rides or parking, and be sure to consider all of the practical matters like urinating before the race, what you will eat the night before, optional things you might wear depending on weather conditions, etc.

#5. Ask Friends and Family to Come Out

You'll need a cheer squad. Ask friends and family well in advance to come out and cheer you on. Plan for a celebratory big breakfast / dinner, for when you triumphantly cross the finish line and everyone can celebrate.

Being prepared for race day will ease nerves, and save time on the big day. This will leave more free time for training, and will have you relaxed at the starting line, and pumped for the race.

Eat Simple, Eat Small, Weigh Less

I try to write a lot about nutrition on here because that is often the biggest Achilles heel that people are facing when their goal is weight loss.

However the problem I find with writing about nutrition is trying to NOT sound preachy. I don't like preaching to people because it feels like I am trying to convince them to do something they don't want to do.

In the back of my head I sometimes even imagine what a 12 year old version of myself would say. "Booo! I hate vegetables! Give me more bacon!!!"

And sometimes the 12 year old in me wins, and I have bacon maybe once per month.

But if you consider I eat approx. 90 meals in a month - and the vast majority of those meals are healthy meals - I would argue I am winning most of the battles - and therefore winning the war.

And that is the piece of wisdom I want to pass on to other people out there struggling to control their inner 12 year old. Yes, you can still have bacon. But try to make it part of a healthier overall meal (like making a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich), keep the amount of bacon you eat relatively small. And don't go back for more.

Now take that philosophy and apply it to many of your other more unhealthy meals that you might enjoy.

#1. Pile on the lettuce for every hamburger you make for yourself.

Or if at a restaurant, ask for EXTRA lettuce on your hamburger. Pile it on there! Same with other healthy veggies you enjoy, get more of those on your menu item of choice.

#2. Learn how to make FAST HEALTHY FOOD. Examples below:

Pita Pizza. Spread canned diced tomatoes on a pita and season as you like, with pepper, basil, oregano etc. Spread a thin layer of shredded cheese. Add the toppings of your choice. Jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, green/red pepper, spinach diced onions and mushrooms are a few suggestions. Bake at 350 F for 4 to 5 minutes.

French Lunch. At the grocery store grab a whole grain baguette or bun, cheese and red grapes. This small meal is loaded with nutrition: Fiber, anti-oxidant fruit, healthy fats and protein. Remember to eat just a small amount of cheese.

Egg Muffin. Microwave an egg for 1 min in a cup. Add to a toasted whole grain English Muffin with a bit of cheese, thinly sliced turkey (or veggie alternative) and tomato. Season to taste.

Cottage Cheese. A good sized portion of cottage cheese (3/4 cup is ideal), diced tomatoes, and chopped scallion. Add some pepper. It is high protein and you will feel surprisingly full! Still hungry? Eat it on a slice of toast or with a side of carrot sticks.

Sandwiches. Learn how to make some unusual and tasty sandwiches that maybe you have never tried before. Apple slices, tomatoes, berries and more can make for some interesting, fast and healthy sandwich alternatives. Best served on whole grain bread.

#3. Eat Healthy Snacks Regularly.

It doesn't matter if it is apples, veggies, oranges, grapes or whatever. My personal favourite is carrot sticks. Just stock up on your favourite healthy snacks and make them your go to at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM so you are eating healthy in between meals.

#4. Always remember the Small Portions Mantra.

You don't have to eat like a pig to fill yourself up. Try eating smaller portions and eat healthy snacks in-between meals. What you will learn over time is that you will eat less during the larger meals if you are eating healthy snacks in between. With time your stomach will also shrink in size and it will take less food to fill you up and mentally you will realize you don't need large amounts of food.

#5. Break your Cravings for Carbs.

Try going on a low carb diet for 30 days and see if you break your cravings. That means only eating small portions of bread, pasta, rice, sugary foods. In 30 days your cravings for such foods should be diminished. Your goal during this is to stabilize your diet by introducing more healthier food into your diet and using those foods as your source of energy instead of heading straight for the high carb / high sugar foods.

#6. Learn How to Grocery Shop Healthy

Eating healthy doesn't have to mean a trip to an overpriced specialty food store, surrounded by items you have never heard of. Your normal grocery store has everything you need. Healthy nutrition can start with the staples you have on hand, and foods that are readily available in the corner store. Eating healthy means you can eat more often, feel satisfied, and lose the weight you have been wanting to drop. All while eating healthy foods that you already enjoy - you just need to learn how to utilize those foods more and buy them more often.

November Motivational Quotes

"To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"If I do hit that rope and do a hop, skip and a jump and get up as high as I can, I'm just going to hold my breath, because I know i'm going to hear all kinds of scar tissue popping."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"Negativity and Hulkamania - 2 things that don't go together."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"I train all the time and the weird thing is I'm in the gym with people between 20 and 25 years old and I look in the mirror and I look better than they do and they are young kids - either they haven't trained hard enough or they aren't serious enough."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009, and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything."
- Terry Gene Bollea, aka "Hulk Hogan"

"A healthy body is the guest-chamber of the soul; a sick, its prison."
- Francis Bacon

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."
- Mary Anne Radmacher

"From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health."
- Catalan Proverb

"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually."
- Greg Anderson

"There are six components of wellness: proper weight and diet, proper exercise, breaking the smoking habit, control of alcohol, stress management and periodic exams."
- Kenneth H. Cooper

To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong.
Hulk Hogan
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hulk_hogan.html#lcKkjWYOzSkgm4Of.99

Three Great Compound Exercises

A compound exercise is a multi-joint movement which utilizes multiple muscles at the same time so you get all the physical benefits of weightlifting / cardio for those muscles.

Unlike a bicep curl, which is an isolating exercise, and only works one muscle at a time, a compound exercise works two or more muscle groups. The classic example of a compound exercise is a bench press which utilizes triceps, deltoids and pectorals.

However, not all compound exercises are geared towards weightlifting. There are compound exercises that seriously raise your heart rate, burn fat, and still strengthen and tone the body. Example: Bicycling uses multiple leg muscles, raises your heart rate dramatically, while building muscles in your legs and burns calories like crazy.

Another example is boxing, which although it is a sport, it utilizes muscle groups in the whole body and makes for a great cardio exercise - and requires great balance and agility.

As such compound exercises are great for people who want more time efficient workouts and want a workout that is more geared towards weight loss, while simultaneously building muscle. Being able to work more than one muscle at a time cuts down on the overall time requirement for your fitness regimen. Such exercises also tend to work the core from having to balance, change levels, and twist / turn.

Here are three great compound exercises for you to try at home!

1. For your lower body, back, and core try Side Lunges + Rowing

In a wide stance holding a dumbbell in each hand, turn the toes out, with your body facing forward. Lunge over to one side, keeping the knee over the ankle and behind the toe. As you lunge row the weight back like a one arm row with your opposite arm. Then place that weight on the floor. Repeat on the other side so that both weights are now on the floor. When you lunge back to the first side pick the weight up and row. Go to the other side and do the same. Alternate between pick up, drop off and rows. This one will really make you sweat!

2. For your lower body, biceps, shoulders, core try Squats, Curls and Raises

With one heavy weight held with both hands go into a squat. Remember to keep all of the weight on your heels, and push your bum far back. On the way back up to starting position curl the weight like a bicep curl and as you stand, raise it over your head. Get the weight back down hanging in front of your body before starting the next squat, curl and raise rep.

3. For your lower body, chest, triceps, shoulders, core try Lunges + Push Ups

Stand in a wide stance. Point one toe away from your body and go down into a lunge, placing your hands onto the floor. Sweep your forward leg back into a plank position and do a push up. Bring the same working leg back in between your hands and lunge back up to staring position. Change sides.

Note

The above three exercises also go well with cardio intervals (like jumping jacks or skip rope), alternated between isolating exercises, or on their own. If you grow bored with them try making up your own compound exercises that focuses on the muscle groups you want to work with the most.

Boxing Footwork 101

Boxing footwork is a fundamental way to improve your skill in boxing.

Think of a successful boxer at a stool with multiple legs. The legs are Chin, Power, Technique, Footwork, and Strategy/Mental Discipline. If just one of these legs are lacking the stool is more likely to fall over, but hopefully the boxer is facing a chump who lacking even more. If several of the legs are bad the stool is much more likely to fall over. Thus a good boxer should have a good balance in all 5 key areas in order to be successful.

Quality footwork allows a boxer to stay balanced and on their feet, and also gives them an advantage because they can move in closer faster and weave around / fade from punches more easily. This gives them both an offensive and defensive advantage.

A boxer with poor footwork will get hit more often, knocked down more easily, and if their chin is poor also (or suffering due to being given a beating) will be less likely to get up within 10 seconds and lose a match due to a technical knockout. (And being KOd many times looks bad on your record if you want to get into amateur or professional boxing competitions.)

Examples of great boxers who were really good at footwork: Manny Pacquiao, Joe Calzaghe, Oscar De La Hoya. Watch some of their videos on YouTube and you will see some amazing examples of footwork. Watch it on a big screen so you can see better and pay close attention to how they move their feet.

Boxing Footwork Basics

#1. Use footwork to get out of range (fading).

To get good at this practice running backwards. Try to get really good at running backwards.

#2. Use footwork to weave sideways.

A good way to practice footwork is to position yourself in a room with your left side against a wall. Move sideways to your right by moving your left foot forward and to the right, and then your right foot behind and to the right. Then your left foot switches and goes behind and to the right, followed by your right foot forward and to the right. Continue alternating which foot is forward and which is behind until you reach the opposite wall. Then switch directions and go left, each time alternating which foot is in front and which is behind. NOTE: Make sure your shoes are tied properly and fit okay. This is an easy exercise to mess up and you can trip yourself if you get confused. The exercise is often used by football players as sideways footwork is also important for football.

#3. Step forward into punches.

Regardless of whether you are doing a straight punch, a hook or a cross you want to step in with your punch to add your body weight and additional momentum with the punch. A way to train for this is jogging or sprinting, while using your arm motion during jogging so you look a bit like rock-em-sock-em robots (if you remember that old 80s toy). I admit that is a weird analogy, but it works as you should be able to visualize it.

#4. Get better balance by doing Balance Exercises

There are a number of ways to build better balance using footwork, but the one I like to recommend to beginners is to practice hopscotch. (You may feel silly doing this, but it really works.) The trick is to challenge yourself physically so you can do hopscotch routines quickly on either one or both feet.

Another good balancing exercise for your feet is rope skipping. Learning to skip rope both fast and stay coordinated will build your leg muscles, coordination and speed.

#5. Keep exploring more footwork exercises.

I have only covered the basics here. The examples above will help a boxer gain muscle memory in their legs, more balance, more speed, more coordination and give them an added edge in the boxing ring. A nimble boxer who is well rounded and can pack a punch - or float like a butterfly, sting like a bee (Muhammad Ali quote).

I will go into more detail about some of these footwork drills on later dates but for now I recommend doing the exercises listed above.

There are a variety of other exercise drills out there aimed at boxers who want to improve their footwork. In the video below is an example of an exercise designed more for kickboxers and muay thai boxers, but is beneficial because it trains the abdomen, shoulders and legs - and improves balance