Aug/090
Incorporating HIIT…
Many of you know what HIIT is... But, for those of you who don't, I will lay it out for ya.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is cardio based work that shortens your workout time and intensifies (to say the least) your effort and outcome. Basically, it involves:
1. Warm-up: Five minutes at a slow/easy pace to get the blood flowing;
2. Intense Session: 30-60 seconds of breakneck pace on a higher resistant level (if possible);
3. Resting Session: 1-2 minutes of slow/easy pace and resistance;
4. Session Repeat: Go back to Intense Session and repeat both sessions 5-10 times;
Cool Down: Five minutes at a slow/easy pace to get the muscles (and heart) cooled down.
In the past, it was believed that you need 45+ minutes of cardio training at 75-85% of your maximum predicted heart rate. Combined with 5 minutes of warm-up and cool down, this ends up being an hour or even longer! This HIIT program keeps your workout to potentially under 30 minutes and gives you FAR more bang for your buck. Trainers, doctors and scientists have done the legwork to prove to us that HIIT does more for increasing your cardiovascular system and in burning calories.
I can tell you that my experience is along those lines. I find that HIIT has quickly increased my performance and endurance! You shouldn't try to do HIIT unless you are already in good shape and have had a recent physical and approval from your physician.
Anyway, I am now doing HIIT twice per week and then a single "long" mileage day each week. This is my latest training regiment to help with my upcomming C&O canal ride from Washington D.C. to Cumberland, MD.
If you are fit and find yourself hitting plateaus in your cardio program, give this a go (at your own risk, obviously).
Train safe, and train hard!!!
-Rip
Aug/097
What’s Best In Life?
Okay... So that's a very broad question... But I can answer one piece of it.
Most of us (me included) don't know what we want. Before you say, "No *expletive deleted* Sherlock!" Allow me to dig a little bit deeper.
It occurred to me that I'm not doing what I want to do. This occurs to me on a regular basis, but yesterday was extra special. You see, I was riding the train home and sitting next to someone that was putting off a putrid body odor. Before everyone knocks my lack of compunction, let me tell you that this was far beyond your standard human being stink. I’m not talking someone who walked 2 miles to the train station on a humid 95 degree day without underarm deodorant. I’m talking about the kind of stink that lingers over a two-week old dead body lying in a rainforest.
Now that I have sufficiently gotten your attention (and perhaps offended the Hell out of you), allow me to continue…
Sitting for 1.5 hours smelling death in a small, hot train car can make you come to some realizations in life. For one, I realized that I don’t ever want to do that again!
During this time, I found myself pondering the immortal words of Conan, when he was asked, “What’s best in life?” Without missing a beat, Conan replied, “Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women.” Now there’s a guy who knows what he wants!
The more that I think about Conan’s statement, the more I understand my lack of a statement on “what’s best in life?”
I know what my dream day would be like… I would wake up and eat a good (nutritious) breakfast. Following that, I would write for about 2 hours straight (uninterrupted). After that, I would spend some playtime with Kristine and kids. Next, I would go play 18-holes of golf with Kristine. After golf, I would hit the music theory and guitar for about 2 hours. After guitar, I would get some more kid playtime in. I’d squeeze some form of physical fitness in at this point in the day. Finally, I would wind down with the kids and Kristine watching TV or goofing off. Before turning off the light for the night, I’d get some reading in.
That day would obviously be altered to fit in other activities / hobbies, etc. Also, from time-to-time, there would be a two-week vacation to somewhere exotic.
Funny thing about my list… I don’t see work listed. Try as I might, I can’t seem to squeeze it in there. Some of you might argue that my writing (if done on a professional level) would be considered my work. I guess that’s true, but writing is something that I am passionate about. I don’t normally associate passion and work. Viola! Therein lies the problem… In order to make my life more meaningful, I need to be passionate about what I do for a living!
The problem grows when you consider that balancing things you are passionate about and work is nearly impossible. So, I have decided to dedicate some time and effort to figure this out… If and when I figure something out, I will probably write an instructional manual and publish it.
For now, I will continue to ride the smelly train to and from work.
Please feel free to comment with what you feel is best in life!
Signed, a passionate man who is still seeking his passion!
Aug/090
Another Bike Ride
I hit the C&O canal this morning. Just did a simple "there and back again" ride from home to Harper's Ferry. It's about 18 miles round trip.
The weather was perfect and the trail was in good shape. Lots of people out this morning. It cheers me up to see so many folks out there getting/staying fit.
I need to start pushing out some more distance (and saddle time) to ensure that I am ready for the 184 mile trek up the canal in September.
One final note... I finally rode up (the whole way without stopping) the nasty hill right by my house.
Catch ya on the road!
-Rip
Aug/090
First Blackberry Post
This is a test of my Blackberry posting capabilities. If my calculations are correct, when this sucker hits 88 miles per hour, we're gonna see some serious stuff!
Testing the HTML code now:
italics
bold
Now that I have unleashed the power of my handheld mobile device, I should pop a few more posts up!
(:
Aug/090
Personal Hygiene
The term "hygiene" is derived from Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. It does not come from the other Greek word, Hydra, which is a 9-headed serpent whose breath was poisonous!
Personal hygiene is often overlooked as a simple way to stay healthy. When you ask most people to list some easy ways to maintain health, they immediately shoot back with fitness or diet. The funny thing is, that hygiene and simply washing your hands has more than doubled our life expectancy over the last 100 years!
On top of longevity, hygiene has been proven to prevent or control a ton of easily curable conditions, including: dandruff, chronic halitosis (bad breath), ear wax, body odor, perspiration, head lice, urinary infection, pinworms and athlete’s foot to name but a few!
Staying Clean in General
It might not surprise you to know that a daily shower will do wonders for your body odor and even add to your good looks. It’s no secret that good looking people groom more than non-lookers. Does this mean that you will become Brad Pitt by following some simple guidelines of cleanliness… Nay! However, you are almost certain to be more appealing to the opposite sex (or same, if you dig) if you routinely take good care of your hygiene and grooming.
Hands
UNICEF is on a mission to teach the world to wash their hands. Statistics put out by UNICEF show that simply washing your hands at certain times during the day (right before eating and just after using the toilet) can reduce diarrhea rates among children under five years old by almost 50 percent and respiratory infections by 23 percent.
One of my pet peeves is people who use the bathroom and don’t wash afterward. I witness this on a regular basis at the restroom in my office.
Because I work on a computer all day, I feel like my hands are exposed to tons of germs from the keyboard and mouse. This is particularly true when sharing office equipment with co-workers. I think it is a good idea to wash your hands once and a while when using a keyboard. Because I run to the restroom so often, I get in a good dosage of hand-washing throughout the day.
When washing your hands, you should use hot water (as hot as you can safely stand) and make sure to scrub everywhere including your fingernails. Remember to use a paper towel to turn off the water (at work and public places) and to open the bathroom door.
At the very least, make sure that you follow the UNICEF guidelines and wash your hands prior to any meal or snack and after using the bathroom.
Hair
It is said that you should wash your hair with shampoo at least once per week. I personally wash my hair every day. Perhaps I am overdoing it and drying my hair and scalp. I dunno what the proper timing on this is, but obviously when your hair is getting overly oily and obviously dirty, it is time to do some scrubbing!
I have dandruff (perhaps due to the fact that I wash my hair everyday!) and easily control it with specialized shampoo. I like to alternate between a dandruff shampoo (I dig on Selsun Blue) one day and then an ordinary shampoo (American Crew for this head) the next day. I find that damdruff shampoo alone can dry my hair out more than normal… Plus on dandruff duty days, I do not use a conditioner, so the “normal” shampoo day goes a long way to help moisturize my locks.
Skin
Skin was mostly covered with the piece on showers above. I thought it deserved a section of its own however. Once again we are tasked with answering the age old question, how often should I shower? I think that this varies from person to person. Some people who perspire very little and do not build up noxious odors may not need to bathe as often as those of us in the less appealing side of things… However, I think it is common knowledge that you should take a bath or shower after a good solid workout. And, as was mentioned above, at least once per week.
Don’t forget to put on clean clothes (you would be surprised at how many people overlook this rule) after you shower!
Teeth and Gums
Twice a day is generally recognized as the minimum times that you should brush your teeth. First thing in the morning and last thing at night. Many people throw in a brushing after each meal to boot. I have been blessed with a very tough enamel and have no cavities. For this reason, I find that twice a day is perfect for me. Also, I use a battery powered brush (Sonicare) and find it invigorating to say the least! Also, I have found that it does a better job of cleaning my teeth in a shorter period of time.
Flossing is still held with high regard. As far as I know, dentists are still recommending this as a routine activity. I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t been to see a dentists in more than five years. Instead of flossing, I use a water pic device and find that it does a very good job.
I would suggest that you go to a dentist more often than me!
A Clean House
On top of bodily hygiene, your house is a potential haven for all kinds of germs (and worse). You should regularly: vacuum, wash counters, clean sinks and toilets and dust. Along with these cleaning chores, don’t forget to change your bedding sheets and clean or replace your furnace/AC filter(s).
Those Around You
You can pick your friends… And, you become much like the people you are surrounded by… Surround yourself with like-minded folk!
Pets
This subject is way to large for my tiny Blog… Suffice it to say that your pets should be clean too!
Closure
I know that I only touched on a miniscule piece of this huge topic… However, it is clearly (proven by thousands of doctors and scientists) a contributing factor to our health and longevity. I recommend that you evaluate your current hygiene procedures and see if you can’t improve upon some areas!
Cheers,
Rip