Tis the day before Christmas
And all through the community
Endorphin junkies are working out
At every opportunity
The tri geeks are swimming
Splash, splash, and turn
While the runners be plodding
Got to do more miles – energy to burn
The cyclists are spinning
Wind trainers making a whine
Feel the burn! Push harder!
We’re training to climb
And all through the town
We’re waiting to see
What jolly St. Nick
Will bring for you and me.
Merry Christmas, everyone!Fitness resolutions: Christmas is about to come and go, and the jolly plump guy in the red suit will soon be resting up from his annual ultra-multisport event (sleigh driving, roof clambering, and chimney climbing). He my decide that that he needs to have a more consistent fitness program before next year; in fact many of us may be in the same situation as Santa.
Unlike him, you may be looking for bargains at the big “after Christmas” sales. One of the best bargains you’ll find will not be at the shopping mall; instead, the “bargain” may be to take a few minutes, reflect back on how your fitness activities went during the past year, look ahead to 2010, and make some firm health-related resolutions for the coming year.
Although “resolutions” are the time honored term we use, it might be more appropriate to describe these as action items (i.e., things we’ll do to cause positive change). Just as in a business setting, we analyze strengths and weaknesses, determine what the goals are for the next planning period, and then establish actions items (“make resolutions”) that commit us to following through with those actions.
One of the things you want to do prior to making those resolutions is to reflect a bit on what went well during the past year related to fitness and conversely what didn’t go well. Did you get faster on the bike or while running? Did you lose or gain weight? Is your blood pressure lower than in the past? Think about the past year and write down your personal observations.
For the competitive crowd, it’s important that you identify strengths and weaknesses (otherwise known as “limiters”). These are the aspects of your sport that limit your ability to race faster. For example, you might be a triathlete who is a fast swimmer, but you tend to “fade” during the running leg of a race. That would suggest that you need to work more on base endurance and strength related to running.
Getting back to resolutions for the New Year, your personal critique of the past year will help you determine what you want (or need) to change during the upcoming twelve months. These resolutions could be related to psychology (“mental toughness”), physical parameters (“do more strength training”), or even social attitude (“do more workouts with groups”). Listed below are some limiters that might affect the fitness goals for an individual.
· Limited strength, especially when cycling or running up hills.
· Lack of endurance, especially while running or walking distances over 3-4 miles.
· Lack of core body strength
The next thing that we need to consider before finalizing our resolutions for the coming year is “what are the goals for 2010?” For some of you, those goals will be competition-based, while others may have fitness goals that are not at all related to competition. The relationship between limiters as described above and goals is important; for example, lack of endurance during running would constitute a significant problem if one of your 2010 goals was to run a marathon. Here are some example goals:
· Lose 20 pounds and lower blood pressure.
· Prepare for and complete a run/bike/run duathlon event.
· Be able to run 4 miles at an 8 min per mile pace.
· Hike to the top of the 14, 000 foot Longs Peak during next summer’s vacation in Colorado
Now, if we compare the above goals and the limiters previously described, it’s fairly obvious that we need to make some resolutions (action items) related to what we’ll need to do to achieve the described goals. Let’s take a look at some examples:
· Lose 20 pounds: The keys to achieving this goal are a combination of sensible diet and increased exercise. Simply put, burn more calories that you take in. A smart approach is to aim for a gradual 1-3 pounds of weight loss per month. In many cases, participating in a program such as Weight Watchers or the Get healthy Weight Loss Challenge will help enhance the chances of reaching your weight goal.
· Prepare for a duathlon event: Duathlons are multisport events where participants run, then bike, and finally complete a 2nd final run (or run/walk?). A typical sprint distance duathlon involves a 3 mile run, 18.6 mile bike, and a final 3 mile run. Given the fact that two events are involved, preparation for this type of event should include 2-3 runs and 2-3 cycling workouts per week, with a couple of gym (strength) sessions added in. There will be two duathlon events in San Angelo during 2010, and training plans will be posted on the ASUFit web site.
· Be able to run 4 miles: Many people want to progress from walking to jogging, which is a great strategy for increasing the calorie burn and losing weight. One easy way to make this transition is to start into a walk/run plan, where the initial workouts are a warm-up walk for 5-10 minutes, and then 1 minute of slow jogging followed by 2-3 minutes of walking to recover. Repeat 4-6 times at first, and gradually increase the length of the “run” intervals while decreasing the length of the recovery walk periods.
· Hike to the top of a 14,000 foot peak: Hiking up and then down steep mountain trails requires good cardiovascular conditioning and strength, especially for the legs and core muscles. Just as with any fitness activity, the key to preparing is to do a slow but consistent build up and emulate the conditions that you’ll encounter. Since we live in West Texas, it’s hard to find steep mountains to walk up. But these can be simulated on the treadmill or by walking up and down shorter hills such as those near the Twin Buttes spillway or on back country roads. You should also get in 2-3 gym (strength) sessions per week to insure that legs, arms, back, and core muscles are ready for a long hike while carrying a pack filled with emergency supplies.
Making fitness resolutions for the coming year is a great way to focus on what you want to accomplish; however, the bigger challenge is following through with what you resolved to do. Remember … reflect on the past year, identify “limiters”, set goals, and then plan actions that will help you accomplish those goals. Have a great (and fit) new year!
Upcoming events
Jan 2: ECVFD ½ marathon and 5-mile, http://www.roadlizards.org/RR_Flyer_09.pdfJan 16-
17: Lone Star Cyclocross Festival (Texas Cyclocross Championships), http://lonestarcyclocross.com/
Jan 23: Trail Running Series race #1, more information TBA, http://www.roadlizards.org/
