Going On The Road Without Going Off Your Fitness Progam

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Coco

I am on my third out-of-town trip in so many weeks. It is harder to keep up with my fitness routine and keep my diet goals in sight when I’m traveling, but it can be done. Here are my top 5 tips:

  1. Book a hotel with a fitness room. I have been pleasantly surprised by the equipment that even more “budget-oriented” hotels offer (like BestWestern and Hampton Inn). They may only have a few machines, but if you hit the gym early in the day, you probably will have it all to yourself.
  2. Bring workout clothes even if you don’t think your hotel has a gym. If the weather is nice and the area is safe, you might at least be able to get in a walk. (Although I run outside without fear on my home turf, I am very reluctant to run outside in a strange city. Ask the front desk/concierge if the area is safe or invite a family member/friend/colleague to join you.)
  3. Pack an exercise DVD that you can do in your room–a yoga DVD is a nice way to unwind (literally) after a long day travelling.
  4. Pack snacks. I always throw several crunchy granola bars (Kashi or Cliff), Cliff Chocolate Brownie Z-Bars, and 100-calorie packs of almonds in my bag. This has saved me from needing to get fast food at the airport or give in to heavy appetizers at a work function. You also can pack instant oatmeal and fix it with hot water from the coffee pot in your hotel room.
  5. Bring water on a road trip and buy water before getting on an airplane. Most hotels charge an exorbitant price for the water bottle they so kindly leave in your room.  Bring your own and refill it at a water fountain or at the cooler at the gym. You can’t bring water through airport security, but you should buy a bottle before you board. Yes, they do serve water on board, but if you are stuck on the tarmac for a while or there is turbulence you may be parched by the time they get to you.

Those are my top 5 tips–what are yours?

Today I had a good workout in the hotel gym. Following my “training plan” for the GW Parkway Classic, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical:

and then my free weights superset routine.  This time I think I remembered everything:

  • dead lifts/overhead press
  • plie squats/tricep dips
  • squats/lateral arm raises
  • lunges/bicep curls
  • push-ups
  • chest flies/crunches

This gym is staffed by a trainer, and he made my day by telling me that I looked like I knew what I was doing with the weights and looked very fit! 😀

Now that I’ve drained my cup of Starbucks Via soon, its time to get dressed, check-out, and head to my meeting.

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Training for the GW Parkway Classic

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Coco

My first blog post was about getting ready for the Army Ten Miler in October. Now almost 6 months later to the day (and if it were a leap year, and today was February 29 instead of March 1, it would be 6 months to the day!), I am getting ready for my favorite race, the GW Parkway Classic Ten Miler.

My first running event ever was the 5K race of this event, and when I did the 10 miler the next year, I was hooked. It’s a beautiful course along the GW Parkway from Mt. Vernon (George Washington’s estate) into Old Town. The first mile is mostly downhill, families that live along the route come out to cheer on runners, and the post-race activities are spirited without being overwhelming.

I had such a great time running this race last year that I am a bit worried about this year. Last year will be hard to top emotionally, and I don’t want to set a goal of a faster finish time. Really, I just want to enjoy it as much this year as I did last year. One thing going for me there is that a friend and her daughter will be running it with me. We probably won’t keep the same pace, but it will be fun to have someone to line up with and celebrate with afterwards.

As with the Army Ten Miler, I won’t be following any pre-set training program. Those tend to leave me injured, because I get too concerned about following THE PLAN and ignore things my body is telling me, like “you need a rest day” or “hill sprints are not what your ITB/plantar fascitis/piriformis needs today.”

Really, I won’t do much to change my usual exercise routine, except to work harder to follow my usual exercise routine, which has been derailed recently by injuries and illness.

That means I will run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Saturday will be my “long run” day, with an 8, 9 and maybe even one 10 mile run over the next 5 weekends, and at least one “step-back” week with a 6 mile “long” run. Once a week I will do either a speed workout or a hill workout. The other day I will do a steady-state run at an easy or moderate pace, depending on how I feel.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do strength training, but I’m not sure if I should stick with my Bob Harper Pure Burn Super Strength DVD. It is heavy on arms and core strength, and I probably would benefit from more exercises that are targeted to running–and preventing common running injuries.

Sunday I will do yoga, because that has been working so well for me. 😉

I also will continue to keep my Runner’s Resolutions, including proper warm-ups, stretching, and foam rolling.

Are you training for a spring race? Are you following a training progam?

Do you have a good strength training routine to support your running?

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13,350 Calories

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Coco

What happens when three high school wrestlers go to Outback Steakhouse® for dinner after the last wrestling tournament of the year?

 

One boy ordered:

Aussie Cheese Fries (with bacon bits and ranch dressing) = 2100 calories
Alice Springs Chicken® (topped with bacon and cheese) = 1300 calories
Baked Sweet Potato (with butter) = 600 calories
Chocolate Thunder Down Under = 1900 calories

He tried hard to finish all of everything. I think there were a few bites of brownie left in his dessert bowl.

This boy naturally weighs about 140 lbs, but wrestles at 130, so now that the season is over he is on a mission to gain 10 lbs like only a teenage boy can! I wish I could post the picture of his bright smile as he dug in to the platter of cheese fries! 😀

My son ordered:

 Outback Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie

 Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie = 300 calories
9 oz. Victoria’s Fillet = 700 calories
Baked Sweet Potato (with butter) = 600 calories*
Loaded Baked Potato = 500 calories*
Sydney’s Sinful Sundae® = 1500 calories

(He ate a few bites of sweet potato and left the baked potato untouched.) 

My son weighs below his weight class, so he hasn’t had to try to control his weight (other than vaguely trying to gain weight by drinking protein shakes as snacks).

The other boy ordered:

Bloomin’ Onion® = 1550 calories
12 oz. Outback Special® (sirloin) = 550 calories*
Loaded Baked Potato = 500 calories*
Garlic Mashed Potatoes = 350 calories*
Cheesecake (with chocolate sauce) = 900 calories

(He ate some, but not all, of these sides)

(According to the nutrition information on the Outback Steakhouse® website, the 12 oz. sirloin has fewer calories than the 9 oz. Victoria’s Fillet®.)

Like my son, this boy is easily within his weight class, although he said he may try to lose weight for next season.

The boys had a friendly competitive version of “the clean plate club” going on, and the first boy easily one. They threatened to give him the “Most Valuable Eater” award at the end-of-seaon party.

I thought I was doing pretty well ordering the Spotty Dog Sundae® off the “Joey Menu,” but that scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce has 1200 calories! I hope that counts whipped cream (which I didn’t have), but since I did finish more than half of it, I know understand why my stomach feels so full!

(On the other hand, my entree of Atlantic Salmon prepared “light style” with steamed veggies was a good choice at 400 calories, and very satisfying.)

It was nice to see these boys relaxing together after back-to-back weekends of tournaments. All in all, it was a fun if high-calorie ending to a great season.

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There Is Nothing New Under The Sun

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Coco

I love it when a devotional reading strikes a chord. Since I started listening to the daily podcasts of the (Anglican) Morning Prayer service from the New Zealand Prayer Book, I have noticed that readings often speak to an issue that I am facing or a feeling that I am struggling with. The words may comfort, inspire, or nudge me in a certain direction. It can feel like God is answering a prayer even if I didn’t realize that I had prayed about it. But then there are days when it feels like God is playing a cosmic joke on me–or at least revealing His sense of humor.

Last Monday I was getting ready to go in to work even though it was a holiday because I just have so much work to do.

The Old Testament reading was from the first chapter of Ecclesiastes:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?

Ah, those are words to inspire someone who is giving up a holiday to try to get ahead at work!

Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;
round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

Now, that doesn’t sound so bad. Isn’t there comfort in the sun’s constancy? And wouldn’t we be devastated by floods if the sea could get full?

All things are wearisome, more than one can say.

So much for trying to find some reason for optimism in this passage!

The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

What?! Is that where that phrase came from?

Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Oh, Dear Lord! What are you trying to do to me?

I am a patent attorney! My job is to convince patent offices around the world that my clients have indeed discovered something “new under the sun,” that they have invented “something new” that was not “here already, long ago!”

All I can say, God, is that at least on Monday, I got the last laugh. Sitting in my inbox were notices for several clients indicating that their patents would be granted.

Letters Patent coverBut still, I have to wonder, what were you trying to say to me? 🙂

Have you ever felt that a prayer was being answered through something you read or heard in a different context?

Do you think God has a sense of humor?

 

Posted in My Faith, Work | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hotel Gym Redux

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Coco

This is NOT the same post I wrote last weekend. Yes, I am on the road again. Yes, it is for a wrestling tournament that my son is in. Yes, I am going to tell you about another mix-and-match workout that I did at a hotel gym. But, hey–consistency is one of the keys to getting fit and staying fit. Besides, this time we drove north instead of south. This time we are in a Courtyard Marriott instead of a Westin, and this time my son is competing in the National Prep Wrestling Tournament since he did so well at the state tournament last weekend!

Between the excitement and stress of last weekend and the long hours spent in a very breezy arena, I finally lost my battle against that cold that started as a sore throat the week before. I needed Nyquil to sleep, so Monday I started my day with a 40 min/2 mile walk to shake off that grogginess. Tuesday I felt a bit better, so I opted for the elliptical and a freestyle weights routine, similar to the one I did today. Wednesday I felt better still, but not “better,” so I stuck to the elliptical again, and did different strength moves. Yesterday I was ready for the treadmill, but not as ready as I thought! I slogged through 50 min (40 min running) but had to keep to a moderate pace (6.0 mph) for my breathing to keep up.

For today I was planning on another elliptical/weights combination workout. I had set my alarm for 5:30, but woke up at @ 5:00 (my usual alarm time). I decided to go ahead and get up and get moving, and I’m glad I did. There already was someone in the small hotel fitness room (on a treadmill) when I got there @ 5:15.

The fitness room at this hotel has two treadmills, 1 bike, 1 elliptical, a set of free weights and a bench. But as I walked in, I saw that my plans to use the elliptical were not going to work out:

What did that note say:

Yes, I could have used the elliptical without the TV working, but “without being plugged in” meant no program, no resistance, no lights and numbers to keep me entertained.

Even though I usually limit my runs to alternate dates, since yesterday’s treadmill workout wasn’t intense, I decided that I could use the treadmill again today if I stuck to 30 min running and kept the incline low (level 0.5). So, I hopped on the other treadmill and got started. It was a nice LifeFitness machine with a built-in TV:

Shortly after I started, four more people came in! Yikes! One woman started doing a weights routine with that new Nike iPhone App. One man sort of hung around stretched and did some weights. One man got on the elliptical. One woman got on the bike.

I worry about gym etiquette and try not to hog equipment in a hotel gym, but since the man on the other treadmill started before I did, I figured he would be finishing relatively soon. And, I was only planning to run for 30 minutes, although with my warm-up and cool-down my total time on the treadmill was 40 minutes. After the first man finished with the other treadmill, the only person interested in it was the man who was sort of hanging out. So, I didn’t feel badly about finishing my program.

Then I moved on to my free weights superset routine.  

  • dead lifts/overhead press/push-ups
  • plie squats/tricep dips
  • lunges/bicep curls
  • squats/French press
  • lateral arm raises
  • chest flies/crunches

Since I’ve done this a few times this week, I thought I remembered everything, but now I see that I forgot plie squats. I did remember the lateral arm raises that I forgot skipped last weekend and–bonus!–did short sets (8 reps) with 10 lb weights because the 5 lbs felt like nothing! (At home I have 8 lb weights that I use for that move).

I grabbed some coffee from the hotel lobby (I will be fixing a cup of Starbucks Via soon!) and saw my son and his teammates heading out as I was heading back to my room.

When a gym has a time limit on cardio equipment, does that include the cool-down time that most programs add to the end?

Do you have that Nike iPhone App?

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