New Year

I am not a huge fan of new year’s resolutions mostly because of the fact that they seemingly fail quicker than a normal goal would last.  I am, however, a proponent of goal setting.  My boss, Todd Durkin, does a “90 Day Wonder” every quarter.  He sets goals for the next 30, 60, and 90 days.  These goals can be school/work, nutrition, sport/activity, relationship, etc.  So, in honor of the new year and a fresh start to 2012, I would like YOU to set goals!

SMART goals are Specific, Measureable, Realistic, Attainable, and Time-bound.  For example, a poor goal would be “I want to get good grades,” or “I want to lose weight.”   A great goal is “I am going to obtain a 3.85 gpa this semester,”  or “I want to lose 2% body fat by March 31, 2012.”

What goals do you want to accomplish in the next 30, 60, 90 days?

How are you going to achieve those goals? Be specific in your process.

What is your reward if and when you reach those goals?

Good luck goal setting everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Let’s start 2012 off with a bang!

Drew Brees and the Saints

Last night Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints broke Dan Marino’s 27-year old record for most passing yards in a single season.  It is an incredible feat first to break a long-standing record and second to have a few more games to keep setting a new record!  Brees is, in my opinion, the all-time best role model.  He is humble, hardworking, dedicated, a team player, a competitor, a leader, and has amazing awareness.  He participates in many charitable organizations and runs his own, Brees Dreams Foundation.  On and off the field, Drew Brees is breaking records.  He is putting in extra hours of effort to improve both himself and his teammates.  He goes the extra mile to accomplish his goals.

In light of the new year (and new year’s resolutions), what are you going to do to accomplish your goals?  What extra effort are you putting in?  Perhaps you will stay an extra 20 minutes after practice to work on your free throws, or spend 10 less minutes watching television to do homework.  Whatever your goal may be, make certain that you are doing all you can to improve yourself and those around you.  It takes a team to break a record, and it takes a leader to build up that team.  Set your goals now and plan your strategy wisely… it takes a little more to make a champion.  Put in that extra effort today!

The Heisman Trophy

Each year the Heisman trophy is award to the most outstanding player in college football.  This year, the winner Robert Griffin III made his acceptance speech centered around his team.  From Baylor University, Griffin announced that his award was both unbelievable and believable.  Unbelievable because he is shocked that he won and is now named among college football greats.  Beliveable because to win, you have to work hard and put in a lot of effort.  With the help of his teammates, schoolmates, coaches, administration, and fans Robert Griffin III achieved one of his dreams!

In order to win at anything in life, you must put in the effort.  You need a huge support sysytem to help get you through both the challenges and the successes.  I hope that you take Robert Griffin III’s speech to heart and work hard to reach those dreams.  Now go out and win!

Key Ingredients

“Thankfulness is one of those key ingredients that you should add into everything.”

Loren Thornburg

Through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season (and the start of winter sports), it is important to remember the most crucial ingredients: Thankfulness.  As coaches, we have to make sure each position is accounted for in our recipe of assembling our teams.  All team members are important and if they were forgotten or missing on game day, we could not make it without them.  As we start cooking we gather our list and head to the store making sure each ingredient it accounted for.  However there are other team members that are crucial in the combination.  Soccer without the goalie, volleyball without the server, 300m hurdles without the hurlder.  Those sports just don’t work without the basics and neither do our lives.   Thankfulness is one of those ingredients.  It’s like march madness…  It makes every year that much better.  With more thankfulness in the mix you can’t help but find a little more joy and a little more life.  There is so much to be thankful for even when things get really hard.  What are the ingredients/ team members you need in your life right now?  Don’t forget the thankfulness when you look at the recipe of your life.

Nutrition- Iron and Calcium

I was lecturing to my Fitness and Wellness class about nutrition last week and my students had some great questions regarding vitamins and minerals.  I want to share two of their great questions with you, with specific regard to female needs.  Iron and calcium are two minerals that females lack more so than their male counterparts.

Iron plays a critical role in the growth and development of cells within the human body.  It is used to aid in the transportation of oxygen throughout the body via the bloodstream.  We, as females, are at greater risk for iron deficiency due to our monthly menstrual cycle.   As athletes, our bodies demand more iron due to our high levels of physical activity.   Females between the ages of 14-50 should consume 15-18mg iron per day.

Calcium is stored in our bones and teeth and helps support their structure and function.  As we age, our bones tend to breakdown more than they build up and that is when women (postmenopausal) are prone to osteoporosis.  Females age 14-50 should consume 1,000 – 1,300mg of calcium per day.

The best way to combat iron and calcium deficiency is through proper nutrition.  Foods such as lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, avocado, broccoli, spinach, and beans are rich in iron.  Foods that contain vitamin C will aid in the absorption of iron (cruciferous vegetables, oranges, tangerines, bell peppers, strawberries).  Calcium is found in dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese), and cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage).  Many products are calcium fortified so they add small amounts of calcium to our diets (orange juice, cereals, tofu).

Make sure you consume the proper amount of iron and calcium through whole foods every day and you will most certainly prevent any deficiencies later on in life.

Patience

I recently trained an athlete recovering from knee surgery.  She has been working really hard in the training room and it is paying off.  Her doctor cleared her to begin running in straight lines last week.  Needless to say, this athlete was ecstatic!  She began jogging on the field and felt so good that she decided to increase her speed and add a few diagonal sprints.  This athlete came back into the training room later that week to tell me her knee was in the most pain she has felt since just after her surgery.  She over-exerted and over-worked it and in turn, caused herself a little setback.

When dealing with injuries (physical or emotional), we need to err on the side on caution.  There is a time to start running diagonally and running sprints, but it is not the same week that you begin to run at all.  Take your time, allow yourself the patience to get you through the frustrating times and you will come back stronger than before.  In addition, you will not be in any pain!  Patience is a virtue, especially when dealing with rehabilitation injuries.

How to Make Fitness a Priority

Usually athletes don’t have a problem making fitness a priority.  However, former athletes, parents/family of athletes, and teachers of athletes may have that problem.   We all have our excuses: “I don’t have enough time, I didn’t bring my workout clothes, I am exhausted, I have to make lunches for my family, I am swamped at work”… the list of excuses could go on and on.  However, we do not have to live our lives this way – filled with reasons not to take care of ourselves.  When we have a busy day, our workout and healthy eating goes right out the door (it is the easiest component to remove).  I would like to share with you 5 tips for making fitness a priority in your lives, regardless of the handy excuses available!

1. Be “active” for 20 minutes every day
• Twenty minutes is not much.  You can walk a mile in 20 minutes.  You can stretch those tight muscles (from sitting in your desk chair all day).  By committing to 20 minutes per day, you are forcing yourself to move.  Once you get started, you may not want to stop!  In the case that you truly are busy, 20 minutes is a small amount of time (you can do abs, hip mobility, and pushups for 20 min while watching your favorite show).
2. Write it on your calendar
• If you have an appointment, you cannot break it.  Write it down in your daily planner and follow through on your commitment.  Better yet, tell someone about your workout date and ask them to hold you accountable to your plan.
3. Keep your workout clothes and shoes in your car
• A college professor of mine always called it a “ditty bag.”  Your ditty bag should always be in your car or right next to your door.  It should contain the elements you use most often.
• Some examples are: your workout shoes, shorts, t-shirt, sports bra, extra socks and underwear, bathing suit, deodorant, hair brush, etc.
• Keep it with you all the time because you never know when the opportunity will strike to get a good workout.
4. MOVE more
• Park your car farther away from your office/grocery store/shopping mall.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Get up from your desk chair EVERY HOUR.  Stretch a bit, walk to the bathroom, walk to get a drink of water, walk to the mailroom, etc.  Set a timer and stand up.
5. Find a fitness facility in your area
• Locate a facility that is close to your home or your work.  Somewhere you have to pass to get anywhere else.  The closer it is, the more likely you are to go.
• Most places offer classes in the early morning, late evening, and mid-day.
• Workout with a certified Personal Trainer.  Look into locations that have educated trainers to help you, especially if you have special needs (back pain, post-surgery, etc).

If you follow through on my 5 Tips, you will be on your way to making fitness a priority in your life.  So often we spend our time helping others.  TODAY is the day to make time for you.  You cannot continue to help others without first helping yourself.  Make the commitment today!

Perseverance

How many of you watched the Women’s World Cup soccer game yesterday?  It was an intense game which consisted of back and forth possessions, missed opportunities, surges of power, and a penalty shootout.  You could not have drawn up and better final game.  The characteristic that stuck out to me the most was the perseverance that both teams illustrated.  The United States kept shooting and maintaining possession even though their shots were not falling in their favor.  Japan looked tired in the first half of the game, but they came back in the second half to tie the game, sending it into extra time.  Then they tied it up again in extra time to send the game into penalty kicks.  Both teams had advantages in some point of the game, but they both stepped up their plays at pivotal points to fight back.

Although we may not be at the World Cup level, we have opportunities to play in big games and in big situations.  Learn from those professional athletes you watched yesterday: they played the best games of their lives, they played with perseverance, and they left it all out on the field.  Practice hard, play hard, and regardless of whether you win or lose you will know that you played your heart out!  Congratulations to the US Women’s Soccer Team for making it to the World Cup Finals and playing the games of their lives!  We are proud of you and can only hope to mimic your strong characteristics!

 

**Photo by DeverPost.com**

The Benefits of Water

Did you know that the human body is made up of between 55-75% water?  That is a lot of water!  Every single cell in our bodies need water to function properly.  Doesn’t that make you want to go and drink a huge glass of water?  I harp on my clients all the time to hydrate themselves.  They usually obey when they are in my presence but may not when they are on their own.  Let me explain why…

We lose tons of water every day just by doing normal things.  Our lungs expel 2-4 cups of water just through breathing.  Six trips to the bathroom can add up to 6 cups of water per day.  Normal sweating (not including exercise-induced perspiration) equals 2 cups.

A person would have to lose 10% of their body weight in fluids to be considered dehydrated but as little as 2% can affect athletic ability, cause tiredness, and dull critical thinking abilities.  (Do you ever wonder why towards the end of the day, your brain stops functioning as well as it did in the beginning of the day?)

How can you tell if you are dehydrated?  The easiest way is to check your urine.  If it is clear or pale yellow, you are doing a great job!  If is it intense yellow or gold, you need to drink more water (urine is usually brighter yellow first thing in the morning).  If you have headaches, fatigue, or dizziness you can contribute those symptoms to dehydration.

What happens when we don’t drink enough water?

- We have increased muscle and joint soreness (no joint lubrication)

- We retain more water

- We have poor digestion and constipation

- We increase the severity of colds and flu-symptoms

- We are more at risk for kidney stones

How much water is enough?  You should consume half of your body weight in ounces of water everyday.  That usually breaks down to around 8-10 cups of water per day.  If you live in a hot climate or at altitude, if you exercise or if you are overweight, you need more (overweight individuals should drink an extra glass of water for every 25lbs they are overweight).

How do you do it?  Well, it depends on the individual, but i found that drinking small amounts of water per day (4 ounces every hour you are awake) is the easiest.  Drink one full glass right when you wake up in the morning, then drink consistently throughout the day (set an alarm if you have to).  Take a water bottle with you everywhere you go (preferably a reuseable container like Nalgene, Klean Kanteen, Camelbak).

What if I don’t like water?  Unfortunately, there are no alternatives to water.  Diluted fruit juices, skim milk, and diet soft drinks do have water in them but they also contain a lot of sugar which slows down the rate of fluid absorption.  Put some lemon/lime, ginger, or other fruit in your water to slightly change the taste and add a little flavor.  The more you drink, the more you will learn to enjoy and even crave water!!

Now get yourself hydrated!

Size Does Matter: Learning About Portion Control

It is offically Summer and our bodies are craving “barbecue.”  How do we keep ourselves from running to those overflowing plates of burgers, fries, and barbecue sauce? The key to healthy eating is portion control.  Although it is time consuming and tedious to measure out portion sizes, it is just as important as deciding what to eat and will make the difference in our eating habits. 

ABCs of portion management:

Aim for knowledge

            Learn actual portion sizes

            Learn what they look like and how to measure them

Build a healthy base

            Let the food guide pyramid guide your choices

Choose sensibly

            Choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol

            Choose beverages and foods low in sugars

            Choose and prepare foods low in salt

            If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation  (ONLY if you are 21 years old)

 

Serving Size	What it Looks Like
Grains
1 cup of cereal flakes	The size of a fist
1 pancake/ waffle	A compact disc
½ cup of cooked rice, pasta	½ of a baseball or an ice cream scoop
1 slice of bread	A cassette tape
Potato	A computer mouse
Fruits and Veggies
Apple, pear, banana	A baseball
1 cup mixed fruits	A tennis ball
½ cup cooked veggies	A fist
1 cup raw veggies	A rounded handful
Dairy
2 oz low fat cheese	2 dominos or 6 dice
1 cup Low fat/ fat free milk or yogurt	A fist
Meat and Beans
3 oz fish, 1 chicken breast, ¼ hamburger patty	A deck of cards or palm of hand (no fingers)
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter	A ping pong ball
½ cup cooked legumes	An ice cream scoop