94 Years Old and Still Running... on Carbohydrates

If you're a runner or endurance athlete or have ever read up on sports nutrition, you are likely aware of how important carbohydrates are. They give you energy to "go the distance" and are the main source of fuel for an active lifestyle. People have even made a science of carbohydrate "loading," finding ways to pack as much carbohydrate into their body's stores before a big endurance event. I've been reading a lot about sports nutrition lately, in part because I've started a small private practice counseling athletes and also because it's a fascinating topic.

In reading the newly published 5th edition of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, she really drives home the focus on carbohydrates for athletes and how your body (and possibly performance) will suffer if you focus too much on protein or go gluten-free for no medical reason without replacing it with enough non-gluten carbohydrates.

It's no secret that carbohydrates get a bad rap in general, but if you're an athlete the cold hard truth is that you need them and they will help you if you use them right. As Nancy emphasizes, carbs don't cause you to gain weight; extra calories, especially from fat, and not enough physical activity cause you to gain weight.

I was reading an inspirational story in Parade magazine recently about Olga Kotelko, a 94 year-old track star. She's broken all sorts of records and is still going strong. Obviously they asked her about her diet, and this is part of how they reported on it:

"She is no stranger to carbs, often having toast in the morning (perhaps topped with cheese and honey) and bread again in her lunchtime sandwich."

I could be adding emphasize in the wrong places here, but when I read that I could just picture some readers across the country thinking to themselves "BREAD?! TWICE a day?!" The way that it is phrased, that she is not a stranger to carbs, seems to imply that eating bread twice a day is excessive. In reality, active people need a whole bunch of carbohydrates in order to fuel themselves properly (the amount depends on the athlete's weight and the intensity of the activity) and no one should ever be a stranger to carbs. Has your relationship with carbohydrates taken a turn for the worse? Consider making 2014 the year you mend that bond - you'll be amazed by what carbohydrates can do for you!

... And We're Back! aka Why Not Walk?

I've been thinking a lot about walking recently. Last week I started a new job at a hospital that is 1.5 miles from my new apartment. Google maps told me that it would take me 10 minutes to drive, 15 minutes to talk the bus, 15 minutes to bike, and 30 minutes to walk. Parking is crazy there so driving is out, the bus is crowded at that time of day, and by the time I get my tires pumped and my bike outside it's been more than 15 minutes. So I've been electing to walk there and back, getting a nice 3 mile roundtrip walk in every day. I love it because if I'm too tired to exercise when I get home at least I know that I've been a bit active during the day - and I'm only dependent on my own two feet (plus stop lights!) not on the bus running on schedule or finding a spot for my bike on the crowded racks.

The hospital has a Parking Department where you can get a parking pass, a discounted train pass, and a reimbursement for bike parts/maintenance if you bike to work. But for some reason, they have no monetary incentive for people to walk to work. When you think of how small of a city Boston is, it's sort of silly not to incentivize walking. I'm often struck by how few miles away my destination is (when I type it into my gps and it tells me it will take 45 minutes of sitting in traffic to make it 6 miles for example!).

It's one thing for me to walk myself to my destination - I'm a grown up, I know where I'm going and know not to cross the street outside of a crosswalk. But what about kids who as a population are less active than ever before? I recently read an article that said only 1/3 of students who live within a mile of school walk or bike and less than 3% of students who live within 2 miles of school walk or bike. I also just got an e-mail today from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation about a meeting that they're having to discuss programs like Safe Routes to Schools and Fire Up Your Feet. I think it's great that there are programs out there to encourage kids to walk to school and make it safer to do so, but in a way it's also sad that these programs are necessary.

Let's try to be a good example to everyone around us by choosing to walk next time your GPS tells you that your destination is less than 2 miles away. It'll take you a little over 30 minutes to get there and I bet you'll notice things about your neighborhood along the way that you never saw from you car. Let me know how it goes!

Get Active! Get Dirty...

So you've been a runner, you've tried the whole cycling thing, maybe even started swimming so that you could do all three and call yourself a triathlete. But where's the fun in pounding clean pavement, coasting down pristine roads, swimming in (hopefully) crystal clear waters? If you're ready to take your workouts to the next level and get good and dirty, then it might be time to try something new.

Soiled Runners

Tough Mudder Vermont 2012

When you're ready to combine running with getting good and dirty, plenty of options await you. Perhaps you want to get dirty but not covered in dirt - then you could find a local Color Run where you where white and get pelted with colored corn starch during the race so that you end up looking like a rainbow. Or if you need obstacles mixed with dirt, try a Warrior Dash, a 5K that has boot-camp style elements. Want to mix in some blood with that dirt? Take it one step further and do Tough Mudder race, where not only do you have obstacles which will likely involve you falling into cold water, running through fire, and on your hands and knees in the mud, but you get shocked by electrical wires at the very end, after jumping (and smacking yourself up against) a half pipe which is, of course, covered in water and mud.

Riding Rugged
I always assumed that if you were a cyclist and you wanted to get dirty, you picked up mountain biking. Mountain bikers, in my experience, enjoyed the dirt, liked the fly recklessly down bumpy mountainsides with their fat knobby tires, and did very little uphill riding. Well, turns out that if you want to get your skinny tires dirty, there is a sport for you too! I recently attended the Gran Prix of Gloucester, a championship cyclocross race. In cyclocross, participants ride several laps of a course featuring any number of obstacles such as sand, stairs, wooden risers, hairpin turns, muddy pits, etc - all on a road bike (or a special cyclocross bike which looks a whole lot like a road bike). Sometimes they have to dismount and un-clip their pedals, or if they're really skilled they can bunny hop up and over (jumping while still on your bike). The riding goes on for approximately 45 minutes and whoever finishes the course first wins! For local races in your area, check out the race calendar.

Gran Prix of Gloucester 2012

Gran Prix of Gloucester 2012

Love that Dirty Water
I like to at least pretend that all of the water that I swim in is clean - or at least a very safe level of unclean - so I won't focus on races you can do if you're a swimmer who wants to get dirty. However, because of the nickname, here is information on the Charles River Swim, a 1-mile race that takes place each June, assuming that the water has been deemed safe and free of toxic algae by the government...

Talking Nutrition with Triathletes

Healthy food for hungry triathletes!

Last night I gave my first of (hopefully) many talks about nutrition to athletes. It helped that the athletes in question were members of my triathlon team and helped even more that I had the support of Nicole Cormier, RD of Delicious Living Nutrition in case there were any questions that I couldn't answer! Back in my former life as an editor, I hired Nicole to work on several nutrition books, which she's still doing. It's great to be working with her in a different capacity now.

The talk was at the bike shop that sponsors my team, Wheelworks in Belmont and about 17 teammates came out for the "Everyday Nutrition for Triathletes" talk. I brought lots of fresh fruit and veggies along with hummus, greek yogurt mixed with dill, and two healthy dishes, recipes below. We talked through daily calorie needs based on the Harris Benedict Equation, daily protein and carbohydrate needs, and talked a bit about pre- and post-race nutrition and hydration. I think it went really well and people were really receptive. It's always great to get little reminders of why you've made life changes like this - I love talking to people (especially athletes) about healthy eating, and look forward to continuing to do it for a long time!

Southwestern Protein Fiesta

1 bag Trader Joe’s frozen Fire-Roasted Corn, defrosted

1 bag frozen edamame, defrosted

1 can black beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped

1 container fresh salsa

 

Mix all ingredients together and bring cold to a potluck or BBQ, serve warm over rice or quinoa for dinner, roll it in a whole-wheat tortilla for lunch, throw it over salad, or put in your morning eggs!

Whole-Grain Mediterranean Toss

½ cucumber, diced

½ container cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can garbanzo beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 package low-fat feta cheese

3-4 cups cooked whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat orzo, or barley)

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Balsamic vinegar, pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve hot inside steamed halved peppers, cold at a picnic, or as a side with grilled chicken!

Metabolic Armband Post #2!

Last time I promised to post the results of wearing a metabolic armband while handing out bars to runners at the expo, handing out numbers to runners at the expo, and watching runners run the marathon! And here it is. [Good news: I am now the proud owner of a fancy pants metabolic armband so expect more posts like this to come!]

Day of working at the marathon expo (7am-7:30pm): 2830 calories burned (3733 calories for the entire day). Clocked in almost 10 hours of “moderate” physical activity which is much higher than a normal day (see image).

The amounts of moderate physical activity (brown) and vigorous physical activity (yellow) I had from working at the expo

Handing out race numbers (12:30-6): 700 calories

Biking 15 miles of the marathon course: 363 calories

Watching people run 26.2 miles: 750 calories (and cheering, of course!)

Thursday, running for 30 min: 296 calories

Afterburn 60 minutes: 139 calories

Saturday, biking 15 miles: 255

Running a 5K (26 min): 242

Afterburn 30 minutes: 90 calories

The graph of calories per minute when biking (8:00am-9:15am) and running a 5K (10:00am-10:26am)

Unfortunately the afterburn results were not very scientifically accurate so I'll be trying out more of those types of tests soon. For now though, I'm off to Denmark... I'll be doing research for a book about eating, so I've got my running shoes and metabolic armband packed and will be reporting to you from there!

Finding the Right Fit

Does your bike fit you? Chances are if you can move the seat post up or down until your feet reach the pedals, your answer is yes. But have you ever actually gotten a bike fit to you? Bike fittings can be pricey, but they can save you a lot of pain throughout the season. A few telltale signs that you might need a bike fitting are: a sore lower back, tight shoulders, numbness in feet or hands while biking, and knee pain. Bike fittings range from the basic, where a trained professional will hold a string with a weight up to your hip in order to make sure that the positioning is correct, to the extremely advanced which utilize cameras and computers.

I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of this fancier type of fitting a few weeks ago at the Multisport Expo. Wheelworks, the bike shop that sponsors my triathon team, was demo-ing the Retul bike fitting. According to the website, "Retül technology is a cycling-specific motion-capture bike fitting system designed to provide qualified bike fitters highly accurate and comprehensive bike fit data. The system incorporates three-dimensional measurement, immediate report capability, and a millimeter-specific digitizing tool to provide the most accurate dynamic fitting solution in the industry."

My experience was fun; the trained Wheelworks employee first stuck little velcro dots on some specific points on my body (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, etc), then velcroed the LED markers onto those dots (markers were connected to each other and attached to a battery pack). A few feet away was a sensor bar. The fitter could then look at his laptop and gather all sorts of data about my fit as I pedaled. I got to see an image of myself as a stick figure, with each LED marker showing up on the screen and little lines connecting those dots. I also saw an image of my knee strokes; the further apart the two lines, which represent your leg pushing down and pulling up, the worse your form. My lines were very close together which indicated that I don't change position much from the upstroke to the downstroke.

It turns out my fit is pretty good already (not a big surprise since I don't have much pain when I ride) so I didn't need too much tweaking. He did suggest a shorter handle bar in order to get a better angle when I'm riding with my hands near the brakes (as in the picture, above). He also suggested that I buy a foam roller since it hurt a lot when he pushed into my hip trying to find the specific area of my hip he needed to place the velcro.

Spring is a great time to get a tune up and fit before beginning to log serious miles on your bike. If you'd like a retul fit and you're in the Boston area I highly suggest Wheelworks. The retul website has a function where you can search for certified fitters in your area. Or, if you're thinking of something a little less fancy, call your local bike shop and ask if they have any fit specials going on. Your body will thank you!

The Truth is in the Metabolic Armband

If you're like me, you've probably done some sort of physical activity and thought to yourself afterward "gee, that must've burned a whole bunch of calories!" But how many? For a class last semester I got to wear a metabolic armband for 24 hours that tracked my calorie output (as well as my sleep quality, how many minutes of moderate and vigorous activity I did, and the number of steps I took). How does it do this? By strapping the band onto your upper arm, it measures "galvanic skin response" to see how much you sweat in addition to skin temperature, the rate at which heat is being dissipated, and, via the accelerometer, how much you're moving. I was so excited to get to use the armband but I had a hard time deciding which physical activity I wanted to do on my one day; it ended up raining so an hour and a half of hot yoga won out over other options. Still, I was itching to try out other activities.

Last week I was able to borrow the armband for a whole week for just this purpose. I had a couple of activities I knew I wanted to try and then I talked with friends and followers to see what activities they've been wondering about. When I could, I compared my armband results from those that either the machine indicated, a website calculated, or the instructor of the class estimated to see how accurate these tools are compared with the armband (which claims to be the most accurate armband on the market).

Here's what the Body Media website that the armband syncs to knew about me going into it: my gender (female), my hand (right), my height (5'3"), my weight (~130), and whether or not I am a smoker (no). Here are my calculations, I hope you find them helpful!

Monday

• 3 mile walk to school (50 min): 228 cal  

Comparison: Shapefit.com estimates that a 130 lb person walking 4.0 miles per hour, which is a little faster than I was walking, can expect to burn 236 calories per hour.

• 1 hour basic yoga class at South Boston Yoga which focused that day on hip opening: 141 cal

Tuesday

• 3 mile walk to school: 223 cal

Comparison: Monday the same walk burned 5 more calories - maybe my backpack was heavier that day?

• Sitting in an hour and a half long lecture having walked to school: 92 cal

• 30 minutes on the treadmill, totaling 2.5 miles: 271 cal 

Comparison: The treadmill, knowing only my weight and age, told me I burned 294.4 cal.

Tuesday was the day I burned the most calories - by walking to school, running on the treadmill for 30 minutes during lunch, and walking to dinner and then the train later that night, I burned 2828 calories, took 22,513 steps, and had a total activity time of 276 minutes. Could it be because I had slept for 8 hours and 4 minutes the night before, with 94% sleep efficiency (time laying down versus time actually asleep) making it the best night of sleep I got all week? Perhaps!

Wednesday 

Day off! After awhile you don't really notice the armband during your daily routine and sleeping, but Wednesday I had ghost armband syndrome and kept thinking I was still wearing it.

Thursday

• Sitting in an hour and a half long lecture having driven to school: 85 cal

Comparison: Sitting in the same lecture on Tuesday burned 7 more calories having arrived from walking rather than arrived from driving.

• 1.5 hour boxing class at Boston Boxing and Fitness (mix of jumping rope, weights, sparing, step-ups, push-ups, lunges, etc): 434 cal

Comparison: Shapefit.com estimates 354 cal/hr of "boxing, punching bag" but that jumps to 531 if you're "boxing, sparring" and 708 cal/hr if you're "boxing, in ring, general." 

Friday

• Spin class at Sweat and Soul, 45 minutes long on Real Ryder bikes: 226 cal

Comparison: The instructor estimated 800 when I asked him how many calories one could expect to burn; a Body Media rep says via e-mail "When using certain gym equipment you may notice that your overall armband information may be lower than it should be. This is due to the fact that the abnormal and usually smooth motions throw off the accelerometers in the armband. Different equipment can affect the overall accuracy of the armband in many different ways." I think that the number is on the low side, but it was also only a 45 minute class and I wasn't panting, though I did sweat completely through all of my clothes so maybe a more accurate estimation would be around 300 calories.
 

Note: These Real Ryder spin bikes are pretty cool. They're supposed to mimic real riding on the road so they move to the left and right - and you really have to engage your core in order to turn them. See the above video for an example. 

Saturday

• Stair running at Harvard stadium (the little stairs that you use to enter the stadium, up one set and down the next around the entire stadium and back which took approx 25 minutes): 187 cal

Sunday

• Hour long Zumba class at ZYP Fitness Plus: 391 cal

Comparison: The ZYP website says participants can "dance away their worries & 500-700 calories." Before I went to the class I never would've guessed that I would get such a good workout but you literally move (or shake) your whole body the entire time - so don't underestimate this as a really good full body workout.

Special thanks to Rachel, Lea, Barrett, Dan, Chris, and Meredith who suggested workouts and then kept me company (or brought me along)!

I'm planning on borrowing the armband again in the spring so that I can track calories burned for fun outdoorsy activities like cycling, hiking, and running. Is there an activity that you've always wondered about? (Besides swimming since you cannot submerge the armband.) Let me know in the comments section and I'll write about it next time! Interested in learning more about Body Media, how it measures calories burned, or how it compares with other armbands out there? Check out their comprehensive website.

Guest Post! Dynamic Stretches for your Adductors

Your adductors are the muscles in the groin area of your legs that are tight in most people.  Groin pulls are a common injury that can result from a tight muscle and insufficient preparation for activity.

Two stretches that will improve the length in your adductors and prepare the tissue for exercise are the kneeling adductor mobilization and the lateral lunge.  To make a dynamic stretching routine pick (1) ankle mobility stretch, (1) hamstring stretch, and (1) adductor stretch.

Kneeling Adductor Mobilitization – perform 12 times each side

You will feel this stretch in the groin area of the straightened leg.  For a deep stretch, rock back as far as possible.

Lateral Lunge – perform 8 times each side

Keep your toes pointed straight and push your butt back as far as possible in this stretch.  Hold the down position for 2 seconds and then switch to the other side.

-Chris

Chris works at the Boston Sports Club in Westborough, MA as a personal trainer where he helps clients with goals ranging from weight loss to athletic performance.  He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in May 2010 with a BS in Kinesiology.  Chris is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  In the fall of 2010, he completed his internship in the Rehabilitative Services department at the Fallon Clinic in Worcester, MA.  During his senior year, Chris worked as a Manager and Personal Trainer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Residential Wellness Centers.

How Do You Meet the Moment?

Full disclosure: I work for Clif Bar. I also love the products, and the company. They're all about staying true to who they are (as in, not selling out to a big corporation), treating the environment well, giving back to the community, and of course, making delicious, nutritious bars. So, I'm obviously a huge fan of something they've got going right now called Meet the Moment. The idea behind this campaign is for people to share how they "meet the moment" by uploading a photo and adding text to it in order to inspire others. And, as if that wasn't already pretty cool, they donate $5 to your selected charity when you upload your first photo. So, what are you waiting for? Share your Meet the Moment here.

Need inspiration? Here's mine (might look familiar!):

Guest Post! Dynamic Stretching for the Hamstrings

Get off your butt and stretch your hamstrings!  When we are seated, our hamstrings are stuck in a shortened position, which leads to a great tightness in the back of our legs.  You might even be so tight that the closest to touching your toes is just past your kneecaps.

Well, what have you been doing about it?

Your hamstrings are responsible for flexing your knee and extending your hip.  If they are so tight that you cannot come close to touching your toes, chances are you are also a poor runner.  Tight hamstrings significantly shorten the length of your running stride.

Use dynamic stretches to get some length in those hamstrings!

My two favorite dynamic stretches for the hamstrings are the inchworm and squat-to-stand.  Pick one of the ankle mobility stretches and then pick one of the following stretches for your hamstrings.

Inchworm – perform 5 times

In the inchworm you get the added benefit of a calf stretch and you are working your abdominals too when you reach out your arms.  The stretch starts with your feet together and you reaching down to touch your toes.  Walk your hands out slowly as far as you can while keeping your feet flat for as long as possible.  Once your arms are fully extended, slowly inch your feet back to your hands, and get your heels on the ground as soon as possible.

Squat-to-Stand – perform 6 times

This stretch is great for stretching the hamstrings and for improving hip mobility.  Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.  Curl your toes up and reach your hands under your toes, keeping your knees straight.  Then, sit down into the stretch and get your butt as close to the ground as you can.  Keep your arms inside your legs and push your knees outward with your elbows so you get a stretch in your adductors (groin).  Keep your head up with good posture and do not shrug your shoulders…relax them!

-Chris

Chris works at the Boston Sports Club in Westborough, MA as a personal trainer where he helps clients with goals ranging from weight loss to athletic performance.  He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in May 2010 with a BS in Kinesiology.  Chris is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  In the fall of 2010, he completed his internship in the Rehabilitative Services department at the Fallon Clinic in Worcester, MA.  During his senior year, Chris worked as a Manager and Personal Trainer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Residential Wellness Centers.

Guest Post! Getting the Most Out of Your Warm-Ups

Today's guest blog post about stretching comes from personal trainer Chris Chapman, a friend who suffered through Organic Chemistry with me this past spring. Chris will be guest blogging more in the future, so feel free to leave questions for him in the comments section...

Are you getting the most out of your warm-ups?

Before beginning a workout, whether it is a 3-mile trail run or an upper body strength day, you need prepare your body for the specific demands of that workout.  Done are the days where before we start exercising we do some arm circles, maybe a toe touch, and of course, the standing heel-to-butt quad stretch.

The best way to prepare the body for exercising is to use dynamic stretching (a.k.a. mobility drills).  Dynamic stretching is a sport-specific movement that prepares the body for exercise by actively moving a joint through range of motion used in your sport or activity.  Contrary to static stretching (holding a stretch for 15-30 seconds to lengthen a single muscle), dynamic stretching forces muscles to work together while raising your body temperature and increasing blood flow to the muscles. 

You are wasting your time by walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes or running a couple of laps to “warm-up” the body and then picking a couple of stretches to hold for 15 seconds.  A proper warm-up should take 10-15 minutes, and most of that will come from dynamic stretches (remember these will increase your body temperature and blood flow).

Over the next couple of weeks I will tell you which dynamic stretches you should be using that will increase your mobility (the quality of your joint’s movement), reduce the chance of injury in your exercise, and best yet, improve your performance in your activity! 

ANKLE MOBILITY

One source of knee pain is poor ankle mobility.  If you do not have quality movement in your ankles, your knee becomes less stable and this increase in force on your knee can lead to pain.  Luckily there are drills you can do before you exercise that can decrease the stiffness in those ankles!  My two favorites are the Wall Ankle Mobilization Drill and the Rocking Ankle Mobilization.  Alternate which days you use each drill and perform 12 repetitions on each ankle.

Wall Ankle Mobilization

Eric Cressey does a great job of explaining this drill. 

Rocking Ankle Mobilization

In this drill it you want to rock back onto your heel as far as you can, and curl your toes up off the ground, then you will point your toes as straight as you can.

Check back soon to see my dynamic stretching recommendations for your hamstrings!

-Chris

Chris works at the YMCA of Central Massachusetts as a personal trainer where he helps clients with goals ranging from weight loss to athletic performance.  He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in May 2010 with a BS in Kinesiology.  Chris is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  In the fall of 2010, he completed his internship in the Rehabilitative Services department at the Fallon Clinic in Worcester, MA.  During his senior year, Chris worked as a Manager and Personal Trainer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Residential Wellness Centers.

Getting to the Core of SUPing

Almost exactly a year ago I read an article in Natural Health magazine about a new(ish) paddle sport sweeping the active world called stand-up paddleboarding, or SUP for short. Sort of like kayaking standing up, SUPing is hyped as a great core workout and a fun new way to get out and enjoy the water. I talked about wanting to try it ever since I read about it, but this past week I finally got in gear and got out on the water.


To get onto a paddleboard from a dock, you very carefully slide onto it on your knees. If you're in an ocean or lake with a beach you can start out laying on the board and then bring yourself up onto your knees from there. Once you're out and on your knees, you slowly bring yourself to standing, making sure that you're in the middle of the board.

When getting on or off from a dock, make sure that you're on your knees so that you can balance more easily and reduce the risk of falling.

When I first stood up and took a couple of strokes with the paddle I felt a bit shaky in my legs and was nervous that I might feel that way the entire time. However, once I got used to it I was much more steady and comfortable. There were a couple of times I thought I might lose my balance, but I was able to catch myself and didn't fall in once! (Extra motivation not to fall in was provided by the fact that I was on the Charles River.)

It's a nice way to spend an hour or two on the water - relaxing but more of a workout than some other paddle sports. My friend Chris and I passed a number of kayakers who were curious what we were doing - when we told them it was our first time out they were surprised and said we looked like naturals! I was really curious what (if anything) would hurt the next day. Having read about how great this is for your core, I hoped that maybe my abs would feel it, but most of the soreness centered in my shoulders and lower legs (from balancing). Next time I'll try to use my core a bit more and hopefully explore some other bodies of water!

A successful first-time SUP expedition!

Lots of kayak/canoe companies rent SUPs for a low hourly rate (Charles River Canoe & Kayak which is where we rented from has them at all of their locations for $15/hr). They also offer lessons. However, Chris and I decided to go the more budget route of youtube lessons and we were just fine. This guy, John Denny, is a great teacher:

So, what are you waiting for? Get out and try it yourself today - and happy SUPing!

Active Fun in the Sun

Summertime is here (finally. seriously.) so being active is starting to become a way of life - something that I want to do rather than something that I tell myself to get through in order to deserve the hot shower. I talk a lot in this blog about eating healthy and being active, but there is something else very important to me that everyone should remember when being active and that is: use protection. Whether you are the fairest of the fair or the darkest of the dark, if you're out in the sun being active, you need to use sunscreen. Worried about not getting enough vitamin D? (Had to bring it back to nutrition for a moment) Don't be - even if you put your sunscreen on 15 minutes before you go outside, your skin will still be able to synthesis enough vitamin D during your time in the sun.

Ok back to sunscreen. There are a lot of sunscreens out there, so how can you know if the $4 bottle will do the same thing as the $16 bottle? Chances are that as long as you are getting a high enough SPF, you'll be fine with the cheaper version, although it might not be as gentle on your skin or might not smell as nice. One thing that I always look for is the Skin Cancer Foundation's seal of recommendation. They're in the process of changing over to a new seal, but it should look something like this:



You can find a list of products including sunscreen, sunglasses, clothing, and umbrellas that have received this recommendation here. A few things I recently learned about sunscreen that you may find interesting: The FDA has mandated that they can no longer claim to be water or sweat "proof" just resistant. Sunscreen with an SPF of lower than 15 cannot claim to help prevent skin cancer. Sunscreen cannot claim to be effective for more than two hours without reapplication.

That last one may be especially surprising to those of you who think that you can put it on in the morning and then be good to go all day. Remember the importance of reapplying though - even if it still feels like you're wearing sunscreen, the effectiveness might have worn off. I find this to be a good time to use the spray sunscreen (being the fairest of the fair, I don't tend to trust the spray to cover every fair bit of me during initial application). I'll keep spray sunscreen in transition during a longer triathlon and reapply between events. It's easy, it takes 5 seconds, and your skin will thank you years down the line. I also recommend keeping a bottle of SPF 30 (or higher if you are related to me) in your car or backpack or purse. You never know when you might be outside for longer than expected and prevention is key for skin cancer. Be smart and protect yourself this summer.

(For more on skin cancer prevention as well as warning signs of melanoma, visit The Skin Cancer Foundation website)