I have relatively long legs, but a fairly short stride when it comes to running. Turns out, that may actually be a good thing.
A study from Iowa State University showed that shortening your running stride may reduce your risk for stress fractures by as much as 6 percent.
Look at it this way: The longer your stride, the harder your feet hit the pavement. This can allow tiny bone cracks to form, and those cracks can lead to stress fractures. So, the shorter the distance between your strides, the less force with which you pound the pavement — and the less likely you are to be sidelined by a stress fracture.
The lead author of the study, W. Brent Edwards, Ph.D, recommends counting the number of times your feet hit the ground in a run around the block. Then, repeat the same distance, but aim for 10 percent more foot strikes the second time around (while maintaining the same pace).
Of course, other factors play into the formation of stress fractures (shoes, calf muscle strength, weak tibias), but considering a tiny stress fracture can prevent you from running for several months, it may be worth it to change up your stride.
As I was looking over my vacation itinerary, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel we booked had a full gym. This wasnt part of my criteria when I started my search online. A view of the ocean trumped gym easily.
In fact, a gym didnt rank at all when it came to reasons to select a hotel.
However, as my vacation gets closer, Im starting to think about how Im going to transition from my normal schedule of workouts 6 days a week to four days of no set schedule (with exercise not really a factor in drinking pia coladas and lounging on the beach).
Whether its sightseeing or trips to theme parks, my typical vacation (or more often stay-cation) has exercise built in. (Walking around a crowded theme park in 90 degree temperatures definitely burns some calories.)
I really like the fact that the hotel has a gym but will I actually visit said gym? Ummm I guess well see.
What I do know for sure: I plan on throwing my sneakers in my suitcase in case the urge to run a few miles hits. Hopefully, that urge will strike before the pia coladas.
When you are planning your vacation, how much of a role does exercise have? Click here to vote
Booking a hotel with a gym is a necessity. It allows you to get a quick workout each morning before the relaxing starts.
My vacation plans always involve exercise in some way: Walking tours, water sports, hiking etc. So a hotel gym is not necessary.
They call it a vacation for a reason. My goal is no work, no stress, no exercise.
The beach is the perfect home for sandcastles, water fun and E.Coli. As sunbathers do what they do best, bacteria does the same. However, beachgoers can easily avoid snacks that tempt spoilage. Dietitian and nutritionist, Elisa Zied, author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips offers five easily portable, sun-proof, diet-friendly foods to throw in the beach bag this coming beach season:
1. FRESH FRUITS: Washed thoroughly and packed so as not to get smashed, fresh fruits provide valuable nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium. Zied suggests the most portable fruits include: oranges, apples, and bananas or liven it up with grapefruit slices, clementines, seedless grapes or strawberries.
2. NUTS: Crunchy and delicious, nuts provide omega-3 fatty acids that are heart healthy and are also rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bring a baggie with a two tablespoon portion of almonds, cashews or walnuts.
3. DRIED FRUIT: Look for no sugar added when picking out dried fruits and limit portion to two tablespoons. Although not as fiber-rich as fruit, dried fruit is nonperishable and great to mix with crunchy high fiber cereal like low fat granola or nuts (choose the kind you like, but stick to two tablespoons).
4. VEGGIES: Options like edamame, celery, carrot, pepper strips are durable in packed beach bags. They also provide much needed nutrients while in the heat such as vitamin C, potassium, and Iron.
5. GRAINS: Whole grain crackers are great treats with lots of crunch and flavor. Pack natural peanut butter or almond butter and no-sugar jelly to put on crackers or whole grain bread. The protein and whole grains are nonperishable and will keep beach goers sated.
<<NOTE: All fruits and vegetables should be washed prior to use. When possible, items should be packed on ice to keep food safe and bacteria at bay.>>
Elisa Zied, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., is a leading national nutrition expert. She makes nutrition accessible and practical, and shows people how to improve their food and fitness habits in a fun, easy, and non-threatening way. Visit her websites at: http://elisazied.com/ and http://nutritionatyourfingertips.com/.
They don't make butt kickin' TV shows like Kung Fu anymore. The cool thing about growing up in the 70's and 80's was that everyone watched the same TV shows. Heck, we only had 3 main channels, a public channel, and one or two local channels back then. It sounds strange, but I kind of miss that. When we wasted time, we all wound up watching the same TV shows. The bummer was that most houses only had one TV set. I grew up with two sisters and we made TV show deals. They would let me watch old episodes of "Batman", "Kung Fu" and "Planet of the Apes" movies, if they could watch "Little House on the Prairie" and "Donnie and Marie" (brutal). My dad liked to watch "Lawrence Welk" (even more brutal). Anyway, this post really isn't about TV. "It is about patience in getting six pack abs, young grasshopper!"
[If you guys haven't watched some old Kung Fu episodes, you are missing out. There are some big life lessons to be learned. This is right up there with Yoda's lesson to Luke Skywalker: "Do or Do Not, There is No Try".]
"Can You Tell Me How to Get Six Pack Abs?"
So this might be the #1 question I read in the comment sections of fitness blogs. It is a great goal, but it is such a broad question that it makes it tough for someone to answer properly. It is about as broad of a question as "How do I get to California?". Off the top of my head I can thing of a dozen or so modes of transportation to get to California as well as a few dozen routes. You might be really close to reaching California…or you could be world away and it could take much longer. Getting six pack abs is a lot like going to California…given enough time doing the right things you will get six pack abs. Just like if you traveled in the right direction to California you will get there eventually.
There is a Time Element to Getting Great Six Pack Abs
If you are eating right, losing body fat, and training properly, you will be able to get sharp six pack abs. The key here is that you have to put in enough time doing the proper exercises. Some people naturally have great six pack abs (they already live in California)…or they get them after 3-4 months of training (they live in Oregon or possibly Nevada). Maybe you live in Bulgaria and your workout partner lives in Montana (figuratively)…with the same workout and diet plan, he will get six pack abs much sooner than you.
Sometimes You Wind Up With Just a Hint of a Six Pack
So lets say you do make it to California (get six pack abs), but they are just barely visible. This is like winding up in Redding, California when you really wanted to go to San Diego. They are both in California, but San Diego is nicer by a mile (in my humble opinion). Anyway, sometimes you have to stay in Redding for a few years, before you work your way to San Diego. Possibly you only hang out in Redding for a while and get to go to San Jose, which is still not as nice as San Diego…but close enough to cool places like San Francisco or Santa Cruz. This post is deteriorating quickly. "The Lawrence Welk Show" – to the rescue!
My Dad Liked This?
[You know...it wasn't like my dad forced us watch "Lawrence Welk", but with just one TV in our home...I was exposed to this on a regular basis. This is borderline abusive! I ad to share my pain and suffering with you guys. Enjoy ]
Some More Thoughts on Six Pack Abs
It is unrealistic and probably unnecessary to be obsessed with having crazy sharp 6 pack abs all of the time. What you see in magazines is largely the effect of losing water and proper lighting. Your abs will look twice as sharp when you are in a dim room with a bright light shining directly above you. The guys shooting photos for the fitness magazines use everything in their favor. I have seen those same people outside of that environment and they have visible definition…but nothing like what the photos display.
Work Your Way Down to Where Fat Isn't Covering Your Abs
Honestly…my advice is to just reduce your body fat without being obsessed. Once you get your body fat low enough you won't have a layer of blubber covering your abs. This is a great starting point. Then simply put time in the gym and your abs will gradually improve. Once you get decent abs, they will much look better on some days than others. If you aren't holding water and the light is beneficial, your abs will look outstanding…on other days you will have just a hint of definition. When you are lean enough, ab sharpness simply comes down to water retention. The best way to minimize this is to increase your intake of water (without overdoing it) and making sure you don't take in too much salt. I talk about a good strategy in insuring staying sharp on page 56 of my free report: Vacation Body Blueprint.
The Famous Pebble Snatching Scene…
[The pebble snatching "attempt" happens at the 46 second mark. He succeeds at around the 2 minute mark, but then has to get branded by lifting up a molten pot with his bare forearms. I think I would have purposely been a little too slow grabbing that pebble, because the next step is a bit extreme...just saying that they need to lighten up a little!]
The #1 Tip for Great Abs?
Answer: Keep doing the right things consistently. It is tough for me to answer when you will reach the level of definition in your abs that you are after. I can tell you what to do, I just can't tell you how long it will take. For some it will happen quickly and other people will take much longer to reach the same level. I simply don't know when you will be able to take the pebble from my hand…grasshopper…that is up to you!
I have relatively long legs, but a fairly short stride when it comes to running. Turns out, that may actually be a good thing.
As I was looking over my vacation itinerary, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel we booked had a full gym. This wasnt part of my criteria when I started my search online. A view of the ocean trumped gym easily.
The beach is the perfect home for sandcastles, water fun and E.Coli. As sunbathers do what they do best, bacteria does the same. However, beachgoers can easily avoid snacks that tempt spoilage. Dietitian and nutritionist, Elisa Zied, author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips offers five easily portable, sun-proof, diet-friendly foods to throw in the beach bag this coming beach season:
Elisa Zied, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., is a leading national nutrition expert. She makes nutrition accessible and practical, and shows people how to improve their food and fitness habits in a fun, easy, and non-threatening way. Visit her websites at: http://elisazied.com/ and http://nutritionatyourfingertips.com/.
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