SMART and Trendy too?

Our goal has always been to train SMART; maximizing benefits in a minimal amount of time.  To ensure that we are staying at the forefront of the fitness field, we are continually looking at fitness trends and research to determine whether or not we are offering you the best possible training for your time investment. 

We are often asked by participants, "What do you think about the _____ workout or diet?"  The truth is that many of the new workouts or diets that pop up are of the "here today, gone tomorrow" variety because they are simply fads that are not worth the time or money invested in them.  Even worse than being a waste of time and money, many of these can be considered dangerous.  When we do choose to offer a particular type of training, or decide to tweak a training, it is always based on knowing that the training is safe and that the research supports that it provides results. 





The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is widely recognized for educating and certifying fitness professionals.  With their mission of "advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine" they are probably the mostly commonly used resource for establishing exercise guidelines. 

So we were excited to see ACSM's list of the top ten predicted fitness trends for 2014 and discover that we are way ahead of the predicted trends.

The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2014 are:

1. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery, usually performed in less than 30 minutes.

If you are participating in our Warrior Challenges you have been doing HIIT, and our Metabolic Training goes a step beyond HIIT with rest based training which has actually been shown to provide even greater results.

2. Body Weight Training: Body weight training uses minimal equipment and allows people to get "back to the basics" with fitness.

If you have done a Rogue workout with us where we have used body weight only, you know very well that this can be even more challenging than when we use our dumbbells.

3. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals.

We have more combined years than we want to admit in the health and fitness field and we strive to pursue continuing education units in areas that will advance our knowledge.

4. Strength Training.  Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders.

Metabolic and TRX Training provide full-body strength workouts.

5. Exercise and Weight Loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. 

Metabolic Training is primarily a fat burning exercise program, but when combined with cardio exercise you can achieve significant weight loss as well. 

6. Personal Training.

We cannot emphasize enough that when you sign up for one of our fitness trainings, we become YOUR Personal Trainer. 

7. Fitness Programs for Older Adults. 

If you haven't already done so, take a look around you at your fellow Warriors.  There are no lower or upper age limits.   

8. Functional Fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living.

If you can squat and curl a dumbbell and then press it overhead, you can get out of your car with a bag of groceries. 

9. Group Personal Training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering more group training options. 

Our trainings are personalized group fitness.
  

10. Yoga. Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation.

Yo-what?  Okay, 9 out of 10 isn't bad.  And we are not going to say anything bad about yoga but we do believe there are other great ways to maintain flexibility and to relax. 

While being trendy is at the bottom of our list of priorities when putting together a training, it did make us smile when we saw the top ten list.  Maybe yoga should be replaced with wearing teal sweatsuits from Walmart since we can't possibly endorse going back to leg warmers and leotards.

Whenever Whatever

Funny story...my husband is on the hunt for truck parts for his 1960 F150 that he is restoring. You never know where you will end up....try Maricopa AZ. No, farther than that, another 15 miles into an isolated desert. All the homes that were still standing had 6 foot chain link fences around them and big dogs! What kind of place is this? We find our address but there is a gate to the driveway and the guy isn't answering his phone so I say 'hang this', jump out and open up the gates. Jake is no sooner through the gates and four huge dogs come barreling out of nowhere towards me! I totally don't have time to make it to the car so I quick shut the gates and wave Jake on. He is laughing and I am grateful to be alive! After 15 minutes the wheels start turning...I still have a 100 push-ups and squats to do and I have time right now! So look at the picture below and imagine a blond girl dressed in black planking down push-ups in the gravel. It wasn't too bad of a place after that:) Moral of the story?Make the best of your situation, don't be afraid to step outside of conventionalism to get those 1000 push ups and squats done! You might just inspire someone else! By the way I have strong evidence that some of you have been seen doing your 1000's on a cruise ship and others on kids playgrounds and others at the Hilton Spa! Keep up the hard work! See you soon!

1,2,3,4,5.....100...400...1000!

Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.' -Wilma Rudolph

These words reached out and grabbed me as I watched a biographical movie about Wilma Rudolph.
She was the first American woman to win 3 gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in track and field events. What really made this story remarkable is that she was born premature (4.5lbs) and at age four struck with infantile paralysis due to the polio virus. For five years she wore a leg brace and at the age of nine had to wear restrictive shoes for another two years. By age 12 she had survived not only polio but also scarlet fever. Not sounding like much of a champion is she? Age 12 she began a basketball career and began to make a name for herself as an accomplished player. She was later spotted by a coach when she was in the 10th grade. He noted that she was a natural athlete. That was 1952. In 1956 she went to the Olymics with the women's American Relay Team and earned a bronze medal and in 1960 brought home the gold. So she could aptly pen the words above.  She was also quoted other times as making comments about not truly understanding the rewards unless you have understood what it is to lose. And sharing that we do not win by ourselves.


The take away is that we all have our personal struggles so why not make a choice to focus on always moving forward, always reaching to the next goal. Realize that strong determination comes from a  place deep inside of us so work to develop it. Lastly but most importantly, none of us get where we are by ourselves so be thankful to those that have helped you along the way.

So conquer the pushups and squats! Hoping that by now you have reached the halfway point!
Keep pushing!
-Your Personal Trainers

Wilma Rudolph wins the 100m at the 1960 summer Olympics. Look at that determination!

Want to live a longer healthier life?

Turn on the TV or radio, or log on to the Internet and we are bombarded with advertisements for products that promise to make us look and feel younger, and live longer, healthier lives.  In spite of all these claims, no one seems to have found the fountain of youth.  However, it turns out that some simple everyday choices or habits can have a strong influence on how long and well we live.

Are you a tea drinker?  Both green and black tea contain a concentrated dose of catechins, substances that help blood vessels relax and protect your heart.  As is true with most food and beverage choices, fresh is best.  Bottled or canned, ready-to-drink teas don't offer the same health benefits. Once water is added to tea leaves, their catechins degrade within a few days.  So brew your tea fresh and stick to lemon or honey with it as some studies indicate that adding milk may eliminate tea's protective effects on the cardiovascular system.

After you have that cup of tea in the morning, MOVE IT!  "Fit" people—defined as those who walk for about 30 minutes a day—live longer than those who walk less.  The Honolulu Heart Study, a study that followed 8000 men over a 12-year period, found that walking just two miles a day cut the risk of death almost in half. The walkers' risk of death was especially lower from cancer. Those who walked infrequently were about 2 1/2 times more likely to die of cancer than were the two-mile-a-day men.

When you get back from that walk, skip the soda, even if it's diet.  Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes.  The scientists speculate that it could be one of the additives in the soda that increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, or in agreement with other findings, it could be that by regularly exposing themselves to the natural or artificial sweeteners in the sodas, drinkers are conditioning themselves to prefer and crave sweeter foods, which may lead to weight gain and subsequent diseases.

Add some purple punch to your lunch, or any other meal or snack.  Concord grapes and blueberries get their color from polyphenols—compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer's disease.  Preliminary animal studies suggest that adding dark grapes to your diet may improve brain function.  "What's good for your coronary arteries is also good for your brain's blood vessels," says Robert Krikorian, PhD, director of the Cognitive Disorders Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Finish off your day with a Metabolic workout.  Lower-body strength translates into good balance, flexibility, and endurance. As you get older, those attributes are key to reducing your risk of falls and injuries—particularly hip fractures, which often quickly lead to declining health. Up to 20% of hip-fracture patients die within 1 year because of complications from the trauma. "Having weak thigh muscles is the number one predictor of frailty in old age," says Robert Butler, MD, president of the International Longevity Center—USA in New York City.

Finally, take all those endorphins you've produced from exercising and the extra energy you have from clean nutrition choices and focus it on a positive outlook on life.  People described as flourishers in a study in American Psychologist have a positive outlook on life, a sense of purpose and community, and are healthier than those who don't feel good about themselves.  "We should strive to flourish, to find meaning in our lives," says Corey Keyes, PhD, a professor of sociology at Emory University. "In Sardinia and Okinawa, where people live the longest, hard work is important, but not more so than spending time with family, nurturing spirituality, and doing for others."

Tucson Marathon Recap

We have often spoken of the benefit of having a running or workout buddy. It is harder to stay in bed and skip the workout when you know that you are going to have to answer to your workout partner and don't have an excuse that is going to stand up to the look you are going to get for being a no-show.

So for a year that began with no real running goals other than to stay consistent, it sure turned out to be full of running adventures thanks to my running buddy.  Just try saying no to Katie.  I am not so sure if she really is that persuasive or if she is just so full of words, that it is easier to give in than to object.  Anyways, our latest (and LAST) running adventure for the year was the Tucson marathon.  I told her that I am absolutely, positively, in recovery mode now so if she has any other great running ideas one of you Warriors is going to have to step up to the plate.
  



Need a line on porta potty rental in Oracle, Arizona? We've got you covered! Good pre-race planning involves driving the course beforehand so you know what to expect and can mentally prepare.  Driving to the starting line and seeing only two porta potties for 1000 runners with pre-race jitters is enough to change your mind about running so seeing lots of  these the day before the race put huge smiles on our faces.

The race began just outside of Oracle at an elevation of about 4800 feet.  There wasn't much of anything up there but cows and they didn't seem too interested in joining the run.  That's okay...  but if they aren't paying the race entry fee, they can't use the porta potties.

The recovery after the run from Flagstaff to Sedona seemed to be going really well until someone had the idea of running the Tucson Marathon and we did a couple more 20 milers.  Then the feet decided to talk back.  So I brought my Epsom salts and was all ready to soak my feet in the tub in the hotel room until I discovered there was no tub. 

I am not going to score any Metabolic Warrior bonus points for posting this picture but that's okay.  She posted a picture of me with my feet in the bathroom sink and we all know that you can't cash those bonus points in for anything but push ups anyways.  So I am not sure if that is her game face, or her "get out of my face" look.  Either way, I wouldn't mess with her.

Two cups of tea and an hour later make a world of difference.  Ready to take it on!

Remember we mentioned that the race started just outside of Oracle at about 4800 feet?  That means COLD and dark at 6:00 am when the buses drop you off.  The challenge is to stay warm when the temperature is in the 30s and the wind is gusting.  That is where "throw-away clothes" come in.  The idea is to wear something until right before the start of the race and then you take it off and throw it to the side of the road.  Most races donate the throw-aways to charities or homeless shelters. So we went to Walmart.com and bought us each a lovely teal pantsuit.  We were standing in line at the porta potties when another runner came up to us laughing and asked us if we got our sweats at Walmart.  She had a matching outfit in black.  We thought the teal was much more flattering!

Game on!  She ditched those teal togs and ran her heart out.  Once we got moving it was perfect running weather...  temps in the 40s and overcast.  Just a little wind and a few snowflakes and raindrops.  Tucson is a net downhill course, but don't let that fool you.  There are uphill sections and running many miles downhill shreds your quadriceps.

Marathon number 21 for me. Remember the foot soak?  I was having problems with plantar fasciitis for the last 3 weeks before the race and had been taping my feet.  I taped them again for the marathon and knew at about an hour in that I was in for some trouble.  I could tell my feet were blistering and by mile 18 I wanted to quit.  What kept me going?  Many things, but one was the inspiration that I get from seeing each of you Warriors push through challenges that may not be marathons but in their own way are just as significant. 

Success!  Katie's "pie-in-the-sky" goal was a sub 4:00 and she exceeded that with a 3:56!  Little did she know that puts her close to a BQ (Boston Qualifier).  Now I have been chastised for putting that carrot out in front of her.  She likes carrots :-)

My goal at age 52 was to come as close to matching my age-graded time as possible from when I was younger.  My 3:25 comes out to an age-graded 2:49 which is only a couple of minutes off my PR so I was more than satisfied with my run.  But it came with a big price tag...  if you are squeamish don't scroll down to the next picture...

Ouch!  Surprised that someone didn't call 911 at the hotel because I couldn't help screaming in the shower.  But it was worth it.  BUT NO MORE RUNNING ADVENTURES (til next year...  way later next year).

Good news about exercise and good cholesterol

It is widely accepted that high levels of good cholesterol, also known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), seem to protect against heart disease. Instead of depositing fat into the blood vessels the way the “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) does, HDL carries cholesterol away from blood vessels to the liver. The liver then processes it for removal from the body.

However, once again there appears to be more to the story.  Several recent studies have shown that often times heart disease occurs in people with normal levels of HDL cholesterol. As a result, some researchers have theorized that even if people have adequate amounts of HDL cholesterol, it might not work well. They believe that perhaps the HDL may not be fulfilling other important duties in the body, such as reducing inflammation and acting as an antioxidant.

Since exercise has been shown to protect against heart disease in a variety of ways, Christian K. Roberts and his colleagues at UCLA tested whether HDL in men who weight trained regularly behaved in a healthier way than HDL in sedentary men. They found that the men who didn’t exercise were more likely than those who weight trained to have dysfunctional HDL.  This finding held true regardless of the men’s weight, which suggests that exercise, specifically weight training in this study, was more important for healthy cholesterol function than maintaining a healthy weight.  But before you go celebrate with that slab of cheesecake, remember that maintaining a healthy body weight is associated with many health benefits. 

How many calories in cortisol?

That may seem like a ridiculous question since cortisol is a hormone and not a food.  However, constant stress can cause our bodies to overproduce the hormone which can cause sleep problems, induce blood sugar abnormalities, and lead to abdominal weight gain.  We need cortisol as it plays an important role in regulating blood pressure and the immune system when our body is experiencing physical or emotional stress.  But when we are under constant stress and cortisol levels do not return to normal, we can experience some or all of the above problems.

Of course the desirable solution is to reduce the amount of stress in our lives, but we all know that there is a certain amount of stress that is uncontrollable.  However, there are steps that we can take to manage cortisol.

Sleep!  Or take a nap.  We have emphasized the importance of sleep so many times that some of our participants have asked if we live in the real world.  We do, and our lives are busy and we don't always get as much sleep as we know we should.  But we know that it is so important that at times we just decide that sleep is more important and many things truly can just wait until tomorrow. 

According to Shawn Talbott, author of The Cortisol Connection, the difference between getting six hours and eight hours of sleep is 50 percent more cortisol in the bloodstream.  A study at Germany's Institute for Aerospace Medicine found when a group of pilots slept six hours or less for seven nights while on duty, their cortisol levels increased significantly and stayed elevated for two days.  The recommended 8 hours of nightly shut-eye allows your body enough time to recover from the day's stresses, Talbott says.

Another great way to lower cortisol levels is to tune into your favorite music.  When doctors at Japan's Osaka Medical Center played tunes for a group of patients undergoing colonoscopies, the patients' cortisol levels rose less than those of others who underwent the same procedure in a quiet room.  So even if you don't have a colonoscopy on your schedule, music has a calming effect on the brain and has been shown to reduce cortisol levels by as much as 66%. 

Are you a tea drinker?  When volunteers at University College London were given a stressful task, the cortisol levels of those who were regular black-tea drinkers fell by 47% within an hour of completing the assignment, while others who drank fake tea experienced only a 27% drop. The author of the study, Andrew Steptoe, PhD, believes that naturally occurring chemicals such as polyphenols and flavonoids could be responsible for tea's calming effects.

How many times have we heard that laughter is the best medicine?  Researchers at Loma Linda University found that simply anticipating laughter is enough to reduce cortisol levels by nearly half.  And if your best friend isn't available to make you laugh, studies have shown that massage sessions reduce stress by promoting production of dopamine and serotonin, the same "feel good" hormones released when we socialize with pals or do something fun.

We all live busy lives and are subject to stress that we have no control over, but we can take steps to reduce some of that stress and to minimize the impact that it has on our health.

No Excuses

The number one excuse for not exercising is "I don't have time." There is a cartoon of a patient visiting his doctor, offering up that same excuse, "I just don't have time to exercise".  The doctor's response?  Do you have time to be sick, or dead?  The return on the investment we get of a relatively small amount of time dedicated to our health is immeasurable.  We already know that regular exercise reduces our risk of heart disease, cancer, and numerous other diseases, but more recent research has even suggested that being physically fit in midlife may be a preventative measure against developing diseases such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis.  Not having enough time to fit in a 30 minute exercise program that provides cardiovascular, strength, flexibility, and balance benefits is nonsense.  Do you have time to watch American Idol or your favorite TV show?  It is not a matter of not having enough time.  It is simply a matter of priorities. 

Another common excuse for not exercising is back pain, or some other limitation.  NOT moving is the worst thing you can do in most instances.  There is almost no condition or disease that will not improve with the right type of exercise.  It is important to talk to your doctor about types of exercise that are appropriate but most conditions from arthritis, to back pain, to diabetes, to osteoporosis, to Parkinson's to _______ (you fill in the blank) will improve with the right type of exercise.

Another common excuse is "I am too old or I am too young" (as in I still have kids that get in the way of exercise).  When it comes to age there is no too young or too old for exercise.  If you have children, either workout around them or with them.  Working out around them often means early morning workouts while they are still in bed.  Not an early fitness bird?  Workout with your kids.  Take a family hike or bike ride, or let the kids ride their bikes while you run.  If you are at the other end of the age spectrum, it is never too late.  As the U.S. population ages, more and more research has been done on the benefits of exercise for older adults.  Research has shown that even people in their 90s can improve mental function, balance, flexibility, and strength from participating in a regular fitness program. 

I thought I had finished this blog and had it saved to drafts, ready to post on Monday.  Then a funny thing happened.  We received an email from Amy, one of our early bird long-time Warriors, and with her permission I am posting it in this blog because it is the perfect example of how stuff, or life, just happens and seems to conspire against us and give us plenty of opportunities to find an excuse to skip our workout.  Yet she did not cave into any of the reasons she had for not doing her workout and JUST DID IT!

Here is Amy's "funny story":

Hey I didn't get a chance to tell you....I ran yesterday and it's kinda funny ;)

Tuesday night I swore I would run on Wed morning....Wed morning came and I just grumbled and scowled and didn't wanna do it...finally I forced myself to just get dressed in running clothes and just kept telling myself I was going to go run...
Took girls to school and was about to drop them off when I remembered that I was supposed to help out in Claire's classroom (great I hadn't showered yet!!!) oh well - helped out for 1/2 hr...then thought - OK I'm going to the Hilton.....got to the Hilton - NO PARKING SPOTS anywhere :(
went home.....my ear buds - brand new mind you - are missing officially....took old ones that fall out all the time....plugged them in my phone...went out to my loop on my street that I do sometimes....pandora not working - grrrrrrrrr!!!

gosh darnit - ran anyway ;)

talk about the most difficult run - geez!


As Fitness Trainers we have heard almost every excuse imaginable for missing a workout.  Achieving your health and fitness goals comes down to making lifestyle changes and it is a matter of priorities.  "If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.” ― Jim Rohn

Flagstaff to Sedona Ultra with CBD Adventure

We had several people express disappointment that we didn't have any pictures of Cabana Boy Dave and his misadventure of getting stuck on Schnebly Hill Road.  So here it is:

Sleep + De-stress = Weight Loss?

Recent research has shown that getting too little or too much sleep can result in weight gain or an inability to lose weight.  In one study, people who got six to seven hours of sleep per night gained less visceral fat over 5 years compared to those who slept five or fewer hours per night or eight or more hours per night.

In another study subjects who were deprived of sleep for just one night experienced pronounced changes in the way their brains responded to high-calorie junk foods. Fattening foods like potato chips and sweets stimulated stronger responses in a part of the brain that helps govern the motivation to eat. In addition, the subjects experienced a sharp reduction in activity in the frontal cortex, a higher-level part of the brain where consequences are weighed and rational decisions are made.  So it appears that a sleepy brain not only responds more strongly to junk food, but also has less ability to resist those impulses.  In fact, a study at the University of Colorado showed that losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row caused people to pack on an average of about two pounds.

Dr. Wright, the director of the sleep and chronobiology lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder says, “There’s something that changes in our brain when we’re sleepy that’s irrespective of how much energy we need. The brain wants more even when the energy need has been fulfilled.”  Dr. Wright called the findings exciting and said that they help explain why people make poor dietary choices and eat much more than they need to when fatigued.  In an independent review of this study, Dr. Walker proposed that getting adequate sleep may be the equivalent of rebooting the brain and rebalancing the brain and body. He says it is increasingly clear from the medical literature that there is not a single tissue in the body that is not beneficially affected by sleep.

As we have mentioned before, sleep deprivation negatively effects the balance of hormones in our body which can contribute to weight gain.  The stress hormone cortisol climbs, hormones that stimulate appetite increase and the hormones that diminish appetite drop.  People also become less sensitive to insulin which raises their risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Sleep deprivation is not the only factor that causes an increase in cortisol levels.  The presence of cortisol in our bodies is normal and serves many important functions.  Cortisol is released in response to stress, sparing available glucose for the brain, generating new energy from stored reserves, and diverting energy from low-priority activities (such as the immune system) in order to survive immediate threats or prepare for the exertion of rising to a new day. However, prolonged cortisol secretion (which may be due to chronic stress) results in significant physiological changes. This disruption of cortisol secretion may not only promote weight gain, but it can also affect where you put on the weight. Some studies have shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat deposition in the abdominal area rather than in the hips.

Much of the stress we face in our lives is uncontrollable but we can take some steps to reduce stress. We can also improve the way our bodies deal with stress by following a regular fitness program, getting the proper amount of sleep and making good nutritional choices.

 

Don't break that habit!

No, the title is not a mistake, and yes, we know it sounds backwards.  Usually someone is trying to break a habit.  In this case, however, we want you to stick with your exercise habit. 

As my cousin would say, "We are right in the Epcot Center of the eating season.".   (She meant epicenter, and she might have had one too many martinis).  Regardless, many of you are trying to successfully navigate a time of year that is filled with parties, cocktails, food, family, and stress.  The best way to find your way through to the New Year without that holiday 5 or 10 is to stick to the exercise habit you have already established.  Staying consistent with your fitness program will help you avoid the weight gain and will help relieve the additional stress that can come from dealing with added social, financial, and family obligations.

Many of you have probably heard that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit.  A recent study by Lally, van Jaarsveld, Potts, & Wardle challenged the validity of that claim.  They conducted a rigorous study of habit formation in which their participants performed a self-chosen health-promoting dietary or activity behaviour (e.g. drinking a glass of water) in response to a once-daily cue (e.g. after breakfast), and gave daily self-reports of how automatic the behavior felt. Participants were tracked for 84 days. Automaticity typically developed a distinct pattern: initial repetitions of the behavior led to quite large increases in automaticity, but these increases then reduced in size the more often the behavior was repeated, until automaticity plateaued. Assuming that the point at which automaticity is highest, is also the point when the habit has formed, it took, on average, 66 days for the habit to form.

For our Metabolic Warriors who have been with us for one to two years, you have developed a great fitness habit.  For our newer Warriors, many of you began your training the last week of October.  That means you are over 40 days into developing a healthy fitness habit.  Stay strong with your routine and by the end of December you will have surpassed your 66 days.  Then you can begin the New Year in the envious position of not having to be one of the majority of people who set a resolution to begin a workout program...  and then fail within one or two weeks. 

Remember, if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.  You have taken on the challenge and we are seeing great changes!

Flagstaff to Sedona GAD (Girl Adventure Day)

In past years when I have asked Katie, "What are your running goals for the fall?", the answer has typically been "I would like to run a half marathon", or perhaps "I would like to run a 5k PR".  So when this year's response was, "I think I would like to run from Flagstaff to Sedona", I couldn't help but remember that this is the person who told me her body doesn't run, the person who asked me time and time again... for month after month... when she was EVER going to be able to run up the hill on Verde Valley School Road, the same person who once stopped and hugged the mailbox on the top of the hill because it was hot outside and the mailbox was cool, the same person who called me from Maui after her first half marathon in a state of panic because she was afraid she was going to lose a toenail and would NEVER be the same again.  So really, you want to run from Flagstaff to Sedona?  Yes, really.  The one thing I have learned from running with my best friend for the last 6 years is that she may rebel against most of what I tell her, she will give me looks that shoot nails through me, but when she says she is going to do something, do NOT stand in her way.  So I either had a choice to run with her or watch her from the comfort of my vehicle.  We know what most sane people would choose.  So it's not surprising what I chose to do. 

We pulled the maps out and googled and quickly discovered that unless you are a motorized vehicle there isn't a very direct and safe way to get from there to here.  After three trips to Flagstaff and a lot of driving on "roads" that don't seem suited for anything but a mountain goat we finally determined our route.  We picked our date and hired our support crew, Cabana Boy Dave (CBD), and began training. Finally, race day arrived, preceded by the typical sleepless night before.

Feeling a little green and anxious, we bypass our last opportunity to change our minds and just go back to bed, and begin the loooooong drive to Flag. Driving less than the distance that you are about to turn around and run on a cold, dark, windy morning does nothing to boost your confidence about the run.

Wearing everything possible to indicate that we are not bear bait and we are not elk, we move to our informal starting line.  We began our adventure on 89A at Fort Tuthill just inside the Flagstaff city limits.  Elevation 7032 feet.

 

 The early miles took us onto Old Munds Highway and Forest Service Road 700.   The first miles were the easiest in every sense... smooth dirt and gravel road... very gentle downhill... Katie was not sassy yet... Sherry was not grumpy yet.  But as we know, we had a lot of miles ahead of us and things can go downhill fast in every sort of way. 

 

 

 We had many miles of a long and sometimes winding, and sometimes not so winding, road. We had gray skies all day and what started out as a few snowflakes later turned to sleet. CBD was unable to capture our more adventurous part of the run on film because it was not drivable. We followed dirt roads to about a mile out of Munds Park and then had a stretch of about a mile where we had to hike through brush, trees, and rocks to eventually connect up to I17 for a few miles.  We encountered a highway patrolman right before the Munds Park bridge and held our breath that he wasn't going to stop us from running over it.  We got an odd look, not surprisingly not the first of the day, and he let us go.

 

It was in one sense a relief to get out of the brush and off Interstate 17 to continue our adventure down Schnebly Hill Road.   If you are not familiar with Schnebly Hill Road, the sign explains why I said it was in ONE sense a relief.  We knew that we had a rough road ahead of us for many more miles.  Through 24 miles of our run we would descend less than 600 feet.  In the next six and a half miles we would descend nearly 2000 feet.  We have a hard time smiling at the people who think that must be easy.  This is what long distance runners refer to as the wheels coming off.  If it doesn't hurt before 6.5 miles of screaming downhill, it is guaranteed to hurt at this point.   

 

 

And there were rocks, rocks, and more rocks.  Little rocks, big rocks, and tiny pebbles that liked to get into our shoes.  And wind that was blowing really little rocks, aka sand, into our eyes and noses and mouths. 

 

So stuff starts to happen when you are getting tired and getting sore and one person gets sassy and the other gets grumpy and at some point we decided that we should each stay on our own side of the road.  That was all in fun and only lasted about 2 minutes.  But seriously, if you think you know everything you could possibly know about a person, go run 34 miles with them and you will probably learn just a little bit more - all good stuff of course. 

 

 

So now the fun really begins.  We finally reach the most scenic part of the run but we can barely enjoy it because the next several miles are the most treacherous part of the run.  It is steep and it is hard to find anyplace to set your foot down without hitting a rock.  And we have on video proof of just how challenging this part of the road was when Katie decided to hit a rock and take a dive.  I wanted to know if she was OK.  She wanted to know how graceful her fall was on a scale of 1 to 10.  If 10 is a gymnast and 1 is Elaine dancing on Seinfeld, she scored about a 2.

   

 

So the road went on for miles and miles.  CBD sometimes stayed back and other times leap-frogged ahead of us.  He made the mistake of going ahead of us on the worst part of the road and managed to get stuck.  We come upon him after having run close to 30 miles and we have to push him!   

 

 

 

The number one goal was to just complete the run so we did take a few moments here and there to take in the views and enjoy the experience.   Things you do to pass the time when you are running for hours on end...  count the number of cattle guards you cross...  16. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Don't really have an explanation for the next picture.  We swear the only thing we were drinking during the run was water and Powerade, but it appears that there was a little bit of metabolic fatigue happening at this point.  Or perhaps we are just missing the drunken lunge. 

 

 

Finally, the road is smoothing out a bit and we are counting down the last miles.  At this point we decided we just wanted to be done so we abandoned our run/walk method and just ran the last few miles.    

 

 

So it would seem that coming off all those dirt roads and rocks would be a relief.  Wrong!  At this point nearly everything from head to toe was aching and hitting the hard asphalt felt like shock waves going through our bodies.  THEN, on top of that, Katie (who just 6 years ago told me her body doesn't run) looks at her Garmin and determines we are going to come up short of an even number on mileage so we need to round it off.  So there we go running by our last turn to the finish line where CBD stands ready to snap a finish picture.  Of course he already knows that we are not in our right minds so he is not surprised when he hears the explanation.   

 

 

SUCCESS!  34 miles total ending in Sedona at an elevation of  4283 feet. 

 

 The problem with sitting down after running 34 miles?  Standing up.   

 

We learned some new things about ourselves and about each other over the course of 7 hours and 34 miles, but it seems that some things never change.  Katie is still sassy...  Sherry is still grumpy... but they are still best friends and are already talking about the next adventure.

Great Thoughts

So you may be wondering what great life inspiring thoughts go through a persons mind when they are about to embark on the longest run of their life...get your pen and paper, it's a big one! No matter the distance it is always the same. Should I use the bathroom one more time? Sorry to disappoint if we did but that is pretty much it. Next thought, what in the world was I thinking?! :)

The Early Birds get to wait

Got to the run start 30 mins early so we headed to the airport to wait for daylight. 7 a.m. Is planned start time. Brrrr... The wind is overly frigid!

Running Flagstaff to Sedona

Early dark of morning....couldn't help but check the weather at 3 different sites for Flag and Sedona. Now forecasting 40's for Flag which better than the 30's we saw yesterday! Could still be wet and wind is a certainty.
Butterflies of excitement for this adventure to start! Overpacked on running clothes in preparation of variety of conditions...extra shoes, socks...food....plenty of fluids....tp:) didn't think of that one did you.
The goal, to run dirt roads and trails from Fort Tuthill into Broken Arrow Trailhead.
Thank you to all for your support and stay tuned for pics and news! Here we go!

Motivational Quote

Counting Calories?

Not so long ago, health professionals generally agreed that weight gain or loss was all about calories in versus calories out.  Have you ever heard the saying, "The more we learn the less we know"?  As researchers have learned more and more about how our bodies function, we realize that the weight loss puzzle is much more complicated than just the number of calories we consume. That doesn't mean that we can consume excess calories without gaining weight, but as we have stated before, all calories are not created equally and there are a number of factors that influence weight loss or gain.

It is true that Americans are consuming more calories than ever before.  Over a 30 year period, the average daily number of calories which women consumed in the United States increased by 335 calories per day (1877 calories in 2000 compared to 1542 calories in 1971).  For men, the average increase was 168 calories per day (2618 calories in 2000 compared to 2450 calories in 1971).  Most of these extra calories came from an increase in carbohydrate consumption, primarily sweetened beverages. 

In addition to an increase in sweetened beverage consumption, we can identify some other trends that have contributed to an average increase in caloric intake.  Americans eat a third of their calories at restaurants and other food-service establishments, twice as much as 20 years ago. Restaurant portion sizes are huge—about 2 to 3 times larger than food labels list as a serving. Studies link eating out with obesity and higher caloric intakes and show that when people eat out, they consume more saturated fat and fewer nutrients than when they eat at home. Children eat almost twice as many calories when they eat a meal at a restaurant compared to a meal at home.

Five nutrition and public health experts at Harvard University, performed a long-term analysis of the factors that influence weight gain.  They tracked the dietary habits of 120,877 well-educated men and women who were healthy and not obese at the start of the study. In addition to diet, they were able to draw some conclusions about the influence of exercise, sleep, television watching, smoking, and alcohol intake on weight gain.  The study participants, nurses, doctors, dentists and veterinarians, were followed for 12 to 20 years. Every two years, they completed very detailed questionnaires about their eating and other habits and current weight.  On average, study participants gained a pound a year, which added up to 20 pounds in 20 years. Some gained much more, about four pounds a year, while a few managed to stay the same or even lose weight.       

Not surprising, french fries, potato chips, sugar-sweetened drinks, red meats and processed meats, other forms of potatoes, sweets and desserts, refined grains, other fried foods, 100-percent fruit juice and butter were the foods that were associated with the most weight gain. Also not surprising were the foods that resulted in weight loss or no gain when consumed in greater amounts during the study: fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Compared with those who gained the most weight, participants in the study who lost weight consumed 3.1 more servings of vegetables each day.       

Another finding from the study backs up other research that shows getting inadequate, or too much, sleep each night negatively impacts our hormones in a way that can lead to weight gain.  In this study, people who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours a night tended to gain the most weight.  The study also concluded that the more television people watched, the more weight they gained, most likely because they are influenced by a barrage of food ads and snack in front of the TV.  Alcohol intake had an interesting relationship to weight changes. No significant effect was found among those who increased their intake to one glass of wine a day, but increases in other forms of alcohol were likely to bring added pounds.

So what can we take away from this study besides another bunch of statistics?  Perhaps an awareness that over the past 30 years our lifestyles have changed in ways that seem to conspire against our ability to make healthful choices.  But remember, they are our choices and we can still be in control of how often we eat out, the quantity and type of foods we consume when we do eat out, and our beverage choices.  And finally, while it may be a little bit more challenging, getting the right amount of sleep is a matter of prioritizing and making it happen.  While calories do still count, the types of foods we consume and other lifestyle choices play a significant role in our weight loss or gain.

Diet Trumps Exercise for Weight Loss

Didn't we just tell you in our last blog posting that diets don't work?  So have we changed our minds already?  No.  Most people refer to a diet as a very calorie-restricted eating plan.  Our definition of diet is the foods that comprise your daily eating, and we stand by our assertion that the only diet we endorse is one that encompasses healthy eating habits that you can maintain for a lifetime.  So while we do not agree with low calorie or fad diets, we do concede that a diet defined by healthful eating habits is more likely to lead to weight loss than exercise.

So are we saying you should just push away from the table and forget about push ups?  Never!  Exercise has so many benefits that far outweigh (couldn't resist) weight loss that if you do experience weight loss as an added benefit of exercise it is just the icing on that chocolate cake you had for breakfast.  Remember that study?

Does it really mean anything if you achieve your weight loss goal but you are winded trying to keep up with your child or grandchild?  Can you maintain your independence as you age if you develop osteoporosis and you fall and break your hip?  Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of so many diseases that they are too numerous to list.  In addition, functional exercise will improve your ability to perform everyday tasks and to remain active at the things you love.  And finally, the mental benefits of exercise cannot be ignored.  Doctors have long been advising their patients to keep their minds sharp by doing crosswords or Sudoku puzzles.  More recently, though, physical exercise has been shown to have an even greater impact on preventing dementia or Alzheimer's than performing mental challenges like crosswords. 

Most people who begin an exercise program to lose weight "fail".  They fail to lose weight right away so they give up on their exercise program.  Metabolic training all by itself is not a weight loss program.  It is a fat loss program that leads to body transformation, and as we have witnessed with many of our Warriors, a life-transforming program. 

The first changes that we see in our Warriors are increased strength and a younger looking face and some "shifting".  This shifting is actually a reduction in body fat and an increase in lean muscle.  So while you may not be seeing the number on the scale going down, your body is undergoing a very healthy change.  Your heart is getting stronger, your balance and flexibility are improving, and you are gaining lean muscle that will improve your ability to do everyday tasks and improve your performance in your athletic endeavors. 

When our Warriors start seeing and feeling these changes, they become more motivated to make other lifestyle changes to improve their health and to achieve weight loss if that is their goal.  Those "other changes" include moving toward clean eating habits and adding more cardiovascular activity.  So if you are just beginning on your journey as a Metabolic Warrior, be patient, it is one step at a time.  If your goal is to lose 10 or 20 pounds, you didn't gain that weight in 2 weeks and you are not going to lose it in 2 weeks.  But as our veteran Warriors know, it is a journey toward good health and fitness that is worth taking. 

TRX and Tutus?

In spite of cooling temperatures we had our largest TRX training ever!

When Jerry jokingly said he should have a tutu on he didn't know what he had just gotten himself into.

As it gets colder maybe he will decide to keep the extra layer?

Judy crowned him our "Princess Warrior"

Rock n Glo 5k

Say it one more time... Diets don't work

Can you lose weight on a diet?  Yes.
Is it the kind of weight you want to lose?  No.
Will you keep the weight off long term?  Probably not.
Why?  DIETS DON'T WORK unless it is a part of a lifestyle change that you can maintain... FOREVER!

Many people lose significant amounts of weight on the _________ diet.  You can fill in the blank with any diet that comes to mind because you probably can lose weight on just about any diet you choose.  Unfortunately, almost as many people who lost weight on the _______ diet, regained everything they lost, and usually more.

Food is fuel for our bodies, and just as a car cannot run without fuel, our bodies cannot perform well without proper nutrition.  Even individuals who do not exercise and are relatively inactive need a minimum number of calories to function.  Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the amount of energy expended daily by humans and other animals at rest.  The release, and using, of energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs. 

Ever wonder why you have difficulty problem solving or staying on task when you are hungry?  Your brain needs food too.  Although the average adult human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, only 2 percent of total body weight, it demands 20 percent of our resting metabolic rate.  Most studies indicate that our brains need 300 to 500 calories per day to function.  There are numerous diets that restrict calorie intake to as few as 500 calories per day, barely enough calories to support brain function. 

The only diet we endorse is healthful eating.  We strongly believe that through lifestyle change that includes cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and healthful food choices you will achieve fat loss and eventually weight loss that you can maintain permanently. 

Sedona Personal Trainers will take on any challenge

We pride ourselves on being willing to take on any reasonable challenge.  And we have invited you to bring your friends, family, paper delivery person, grocer, hair dresser, or anyone you meet on the street to our trainings. But even we were a little surprised at the latest visitor to our metabolic training.

Okay, we admit we don't have a lot of experience working with clients who have eight legs but we LOVE A CHALLENGE!  So we encouraged our Warriors to make him feel welcome by getting down on his level and he warmed up to us pretty quickly. 

He seemed a natural with 8 "arm-legs" for all those push ups, but the bicep curls were a struggle.

Not sure if he will be back for the next training so we left him with the recommendation to add strength training to his routine to improve bone density and some plyometrics and interval training to improve leg speed.