Susan Dawson-Cook
2010 USMS Summer Nationals
Too much training can have a negative impact on even the most talented athlete. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts tend to feel that if they aren’t constantly giving their all and hurting, they aren’t getting better. Muscles that are constantly in a broken down state are unable to get stronger. In some cases, muscles are actually consumed in cases where there is too much training, too little calories consumed and too little recovery time.
Overtraining can have psychological as well as physiological consequences, leading to decreased sports performance, lethargy, increased risk of injury, and depression. Too much training also can lead to burnout, turning a passion into something you hate.
When building rest into your program, look at how you will rest in day to day training and the peaks and valleys that will happen in your training during your year-round schedule. Every workout and every week should include some recovery. It could come in the form of low intensity exercise or cool-down done at the end of a workout, recovery bouts (active recovery) between high intensity sets (Interval training) or cross training or gentler activity done on days between tougher workouts. How does this help? The cool-down releases toxins from the blood and muscles and keeps blood flowing properly from the extremities to other areas where it is needed. Cross training or gentler exercise on alternate days allows muscles used on one day to recover while different ones are utilized, enabling you to perform better during subsequent workouts. Weight training should never be done on consecutive days, unless the upper and lower body are worked separately (M – W – F – upper, T – Th- Sa – lower, for example).
Another important part of recovery is food and drink. Always drink plenty of fluids (until your weight matches what it was pre-exercise) and consume some carbohydrate/protein food source within 60 minutes of a training session. That way you can fend off the breakdown of valuable muscle tissue. Chocolate milk and yogurt and fruit smoothies are recovery favorites of mine.
Athletes typically have different phases to their competitive seasons. The intensity, duration and even the type of activity varies, depending on what part of the season the athlete is in. Many athletes take several weeks off every year (not usually at the same time) where they do no activity in their sport to refresh body and mind. Whether you are an athlete or not, you should consider setting up an annual plan that includes harder and easier phases and works in different modes of exercise. In your “pre-season,” do light activity in your preferred mode of exercise and also some other exercise in different areas. For example if you are a swimmer, you might set up a combination of swimming and Zumba (Latin dance) classes for cardio and then mix in some Pilates and yoga classes to get in some strengthening. In your early season, you might do longer workouts with an emphasis on quantity over quality. Then as you approach your important meets, there should be more rest between sets and swims should become faster and more precise. Then yardage is generally decreased 2 or 3 weeks before the major competitive event to ensure muscles are completely healed before racing. After the competition, some time off from the sport works best for most competitors to allow physical and mental recovery (and maybe some opportunities to enjoy other activities you don’t usually have time for) so you feel ready to work hard again the next season. After a major competition is a good time to take an extended vacation where walks on tours or a short hike or other “fun” activity is the only exercise on the agenda.
Don’t be afraid to make some adjustments to the training plan along the way. Listen to your body. Oftentimes it will give you signals if you need more rest. Overexercising can compromise the immune system, so if you become ill, make sure to reduce your training while you recover. Doctors recommend not exercising when a cold gets into the chest. If its just upper respiratory, take it a little easier until you feel better.
Massage and contrast water therapy (alternating hot and cold water) help to alleviate muscle soreness when you have overdone it. But your sore muscles may need a day of rest more than anything else. Don’t be afraid to accomodate them. Many athletes and fitness buffs find when they are more attentive to their bodies’ needs, their bodies respond by increasing performance level. They also find that their bodies aren’t constantly hurting anymore.
I’ll be flying to Puerto Rico for the U.S. Masters Swimming Long Course Nationals this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited about embarking on another vacation of fitness and fun. When I’m not competing in this championship event (which will include swimmers 18 to 90-something), I’ll be meeting new friends and reuniting with old ones, learning salsa dance moves, taking in the local sights, and enjoying the local food (and drink).
I’m especially looking forward to the the 1500 meter open water swim at Ocean Park, where I hope to see (but not necessarily get too close to) some marine life along the way. I’m also excited to be swimming in this super-fast pool, which is modeled after the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Natatorium at Georgia Tech. I’m anticipating putting some lifetime bests up on the scoreboard to prove to myself and others that at 47, I’m fitter than ever.
Why do I choose to be super active when I travel? The answer’s simple. I can’t leave the house without getting dressed and brushing my teeth. Nor would I start my day without exercising first. Swimming and other activities soothe my mind, stimulate my thoughts, and give keep that passion for life running through my blood. I can already hear the echo of people cheering, imagine that rush of water I’ll feel when I plunge from the starting blocks into the cool race-temperature water, and feel the skin-tingling adrenaline rush I’ll feel after swimming each race all-out and then seeing my name up on the scoreboard.
With U.S. Masters pool meets and open waters being held all over the country (go to usms.org), there’s ample opportunities to plan a swimming vacation.
I love competition because an event on the calendar serves as an incentive to push myself harder. And I thrive off the sheer excitement of racing. But there are people of all personalities Masters swimming. You don’t have to love to compete or even to be fast. Masters swimming is for anyone who wants to improve their fitness level, lose weight, feel better, enjoy training with the camaraderie of others, or just hang out! So don’t be afraid to get into the competitive scene out of fear you won’t be good enough. Swimmers are a super friendly community of people! If you just show up, you’ll be warmly welcomed.
I recently started doing some water training in my home pool. Its so nice to get up, throw on a suit (or not) and walk out the door. Because my home pool isn’t as long as the pool where I normally train, I do some vertical kicking and stationary swimming so I’m not constantly touching the sides. Here’s how you can do some stationary swimming in your home pool…
Buy a medium strength Versa Tube and a 6 foot Thera-Band. Loop one handled end of the Versa Tube to a diving board or ladder at one end of the pool. Attach it as close as possible to water level. Then tie one end of the Thera-band around the other Versa Tube handle. Then tie the other end of the Thera-Band around one ankle. Slide into the pool and get started. Try with or without a pullbouy, depending on if it improves your body position, since you will mostly be pulling anyway (the band around the ankle will restrict your ability to kick).
I have successfully done free, fly and breast stroke pull this way, but found it very awkward on my back. Have fun!
Our New House in Oro Valley
Speaking of moving, my latest stressful event was a relocation from one Tucson house to another (that’s why my posts have been so sparse lately)! When our offer was accepted and the closing loomed within 30 days, my first instinct was to forget about going to U.S. Masters Swimming nationals later in the summer. After all, I wasn’t going to have time to put in the training, right?
After further consideration, I decided that keeping the championship on the calendar would keep me focused so I would put in the miles I needed not only to do well in my events, but to stay more calm and upbeat as we underwent the stress of the move. And sure enough, its been working. I have maintained consistent training habits and have managed to deal with all of the box packing and carrying as well as repairing and installing various things at our new house without bursting into tears. OK, well I did kind of lose it once when I looked at my old closet floor after I had loaded several boxes and there was still a ton more and I wondered how I had accumulated so much stuff and where I would possible put it all! I do know that had I not been swimming almost daily it would have been a whole lot worse.
Below are some tried and true strategies to help you succeed when stress strikes:
1 – Plan your workouts in advance. Put these scheduled times in your handheld device like every other appointment and stick to the schedule without fail. Pack your gym bag the night before so you are ready to go.
2 – Set a goal. What do you want to accomplish shortly after this difficult time to keep you from missing a workout? It could be an athletic competition, a charity walk or run, or a vacation that requires being physically fit.
3 – Enlist the support of a friend or family member. In the case of our move, I encouraged my husband to go to the gym while I did something around the house so he didn’t feel he needed to miss workouts to do something for me. He always encouraged me to attend all my morning swimming workouts as well. I even trained the day the movers came to pick up our furniture! Be sure to offer encouragement to those close to you when they are under stress so they won’t fall off the exercise wagon.
4 – Release your frustration in the water or as your feet hit the road instead of out on other people. Notice how well it works. When your workout has helped you to cope with stress and deal better with frustrating situations, take note. When your day goes well, you will want to do it again. And people won’t want to hide from you whenever you are under duress.
The next time your work or personal life becomes crazy, don’t let go of your exercise routine. Keeping consistent will have a way of grounding you so the difficult time doesn’t seem as rough. If you have to relocate like I just did, being fit can come in handy. If I didn’t have great muscle tone, how would I have ever handled the packing, carrying, painting, hammering, drilling, backwashing, and trimming that needed to be done? Now if you will excuse me, I have to install another towel bar.
While vacationing in Ohio, it seemed perfect to stop what I was doing (drinking tea) and write about staying active while traveling. Its almost 9 a.m. here and I am happy to say I have already walked 20 minutes and been swimming for an hour. The Worthington High School Pool is just minutes from the house, so I slipped on my tennis shoes before dawn and walked there to join the high school swim team for practice. Afterwards, I walked back home, had a bowl of oatmeal and now here I am writing this article.
Clients often tell me its difficult to stay active on vacation. I say its a piece of cake. When you maintain your exercise routine, you adjust quicker to time changes, feel happier and more energetic, and good about yourself for staying on track. I make it a habit to always plan what I will do to stay in shape before the trip even happens.
Before travelling to Ohio, I emailed the Worthington Swim Club coach and asked him if he would mind if a Masters swimmer joined his group for practices. When he gave me an affirmative answer and the schedule, I was all set. All I had to do was have the gumption to get up at 6 a.m. every morning, the equivalent of 3 a.m. in Tucson. So far so good.
I also get a lot of residual exercise spending time with my family. One morning I took a 15 minute jog with my daughter. Yesterday, we played Marco Polo in the pool and took an hour-long evening walk along the Olentangy River. I even spent an hour or so pulling thistles out of my mom’s garden. Ouch! My days have been activity-filled. It is a great feeling to know that when I go home to Arizona, I will be in even better shape than when I left.
Another strategy I use for staying active on trips is to plan the trip around a competitive event. I recently wrote an article on this topic (featuring other people like myself who thrive off of this type of travel), which will appear later this year in American Fitness.
I often compete in the La Jolla Roughwater swim and the La Jolla Shores 5K so I can enjoy La Jolla and also get out there and race people. Later this summer I will compete in the U.S. Masters Swimming Long Course National Championships in Puerto Rico. After a few days of pool swimming races in Puerto Rico, I will top off the week with a one mile open water swim and then fly to Granada where from our hotel’s beach, you can swim for miles and still stand on the bottom! I know already I will be swimming every single day of vacation.
If you’re a fitness instructor like me, you can take a trip and teach classes at the same time (check out fitbodiesinc.com). Last summer I took my family to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun and paid very little because of the two hours I spent teaching classes daily. There are places all over the Caribbean where you can have a fabulous time on an active vacation.
So if you’re making a list of excuses of why you can’t keep moving, why don’t you pitch that in the trash and write up an activity agenda. Here in Ohio, swimming will continue to be on the daily agenda as well as walking and the occasional jog. And who knows. Maybe the kids will be able to talk me into getting on the trampoline again for seat wars. I’m not 18 anymore. But I can pretend.
Far too often people cope with stress by reaching for a piece of candy or a cookie. Others can’t stop at one or two and end up eating the whole bag or box. Hardly ever are the foods people reach for to calm themselves healthy (when was the last time you reached for a carrot stick when your boss chewed you out?) Usually, people grab items loaded with salt, sugar and/or fat. Once the thrill of the binge ends, the net result is guilt and low self esteem. If this sounds all too familiar, below are some suggestions for how to reduce your stress level without expanding your waistline.
The first step is to put a halt to using food as a stress reliever. When you need to relax, try some of these other tools and stay clear of the refrigerator until you feel calm.
1 – Step outside for a long walk, preferably someplace quiet where you can feel in-tune with nature.
2 – Slip into a warm bath. Make it even better by pouring in some of your favorite bath oil, reading a favorite book or listening to music.
3 – Put on your gardening gloves. Touching the earth and plants can be very soothing.
4 -Write down your thoughts without worrying about grammar or punctuation or writing it so someone else would want to read it. Sometimes just unloading what’s on your mind without having to censor it can do wonders for your stress.
5 – Engage in a favorite hobby. Whether you like quilting, knitting, painting or working with clay, just indulge in some quality “me” time.
Adopting a different strategy to cope with stress may be difficult for awhile. The sacrifice will be well worth the effort, though. Once you get in the habit of using non-food methods to decompress at the end of the day, you will feel more relaxed than you ever did before. Not to mention that you will feel much more in control of your weight and your life.
Running elevates heart rate, improves bone density, and keeps us feeling positive. In addition, running demands no inflation of tires, no special equipment and can be done almost anywhere. The only downside of running is the trauma on our bodies.
The impact of striking the ground repeatedly places a lot of stress on the feet, shins, knees, and hips. Runners can reduce the incidence of common injuries such as Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction, achilles tendonitis, knee problems, and hamstring and other muscle strains by taking a few simple precautions.
1) Wear footwear appropriate for your arch height and runnng style (its best to get fitted at a running store by someone who can do a proper evaluation) and replace shoes when cushioning has broken down (shoes are usually rated for X amount of miles).
2) Gradually increase intensity during each workout. Be sure not to start out too fast.
3) Increase intensity and distance gradually. Beginners might start by alternating between walking for a minute and jogging for a minute for a total of 15 minutes the first week. Fitter individuals could start with a mile jog, gradually increasing distance by a half mile to a mile per week. Listen to your body! It will tell you if you are doing too much too soon.
4) Avoid running on shoulders and other banked surfaces, which will put undue stress on the hips and knees on one side of the body. I ran on a shoulder in a half marathon once and my knee hurt very badly for two weeks afterward.
5) Integrate cross training into your program. Low or non-impact activities such as swimming or cycling are ideal.
6) Stretch and use a foam roller to lengthen the IT band post-run. It tends to shorten and contract during and after running and cycling. When this band of connective tissue gets too tight, it causes pain on the outside of the knee and hip. To stretch, lay on back, legs extended. Place yoga strap under right foot, extending leg up and gently stretching over body toward the left. To roll, position yourself on your side over foam roller and roll up and down the outside of the thigh. Avoid rolling over the knee joint or the hip bone. A soft roller will work best. I purchases a green one from OTPT that works very well.
7) Stretch hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, IT band, and low back after every workout.
If your running style is awkward, hire a running coach or pick up a copy of Danny Dreyer’s Chi Running. His book offers great suggestions on how to adjust your posture, foot strike and running style so it is less traumatic on the body.
Are you ready to get out there and enjoy your workout? I know I am. I’ve got to don my running shoes now, too, before it gets too hot. Tucson in June is hot, hot, hot!!
If you’re like most of us, you want to maximize the number of calories burned during each and every workout. That way, sampling a thick slice of chocolate cake at your neighbor’s luncheon or sharing a bottle of wine with your spouse at dinner won’t lead to guilt or extra weight around the mid-section. But how many calories do you really burn when you swim, run or lean on that weight machine and chat with your friends (if you do the latter, we need to talk)?
The number of calories you burn depends on the type of activity in which you are engaged, your weight and how vigorously you engage in a given activity.
First, the bad news. If you weigh 200 pounds, you will burn more calories than a 150 pound individual during any given activity, even though both of you are doing the same amount of work. Yes, ladies—it’s an unpleasant fact of life that you can’t eat as many calories as your spouses without paying the piper.
The good news is that you burn more calories when you work harder, so you can make up for the calories you’re not burning by being female by exerting more or engaging in a more challenging activity. For example, if you walk at a 3 mile-per-hour pace, you will burn only 210 calories per hour, but if you step it up to a 4 mile- per-hour pace, you will burn 318 calories instead.* To increase calorie consumption even further, you could walk longer than an hour, faster or engage in a more vigorous activity, such as running.
Running receives the highest accolades when it comes to calorie consumption. According to the Fitness Partner Connection website (www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner), a 140 pound individual will burn 572 calories per hour running an 11.5 minute mile and 891 calories running a 7 minute mile. Swimming (up to 700 calories/hour), jumping rope (636 calories/hour), the stair step machine (572 calories/hour), stationary rowing (540 calories/hour) and bicycling (up to 636 calories/hour) are other big calorie burners that are less traumatic on the body than running.*
Calories are most efficiently burned by performing continuous exercise for a long duration, such as running, swimming, cycling or walking. With running or walking, you can use miles per hour to calibrate calories burned. Fitness classes such as step aerobics, low impact aerobics, water aerobics and dance can also qualify as good calorie burning activities, but it is harder to estimate caloric expenditure during these activities since the amount of effort participants put into classes varies dramatically.
When you take a class, the number of calories burned is dependent on how quickly you are moving, how many risers are under your step, how much arm and leg motion is occurring with each step. So try to make the most of each class, focusing on each movement to maximize caloric expenditure within limits comfortable for your fitness level.
In addition to regular workouts, you can maximize calorie consumption throughout the day by merely choosing anything that involves motion over idle activities. Instead of watching TV, opt for pulling weeds in the back yard. Instead of dropping into a chair at a party, stand up and mingle.
Unless you have unusually high metabolism, exercise is not a carte blanche to head for the all-you-can-eat buffet table. In reality, the 500 calories most of us burn during an hour workout won’t allow for much extra food on the plate. However, if diet stays constant as activity is increased, this daily deficit of 500 calories can have a huge impact on weight over time. Burning an extra 500 calories per day (a 3500 calorie deficit is required to lose one pound) can lead to a loss of one pound in a week, four pounds in a month or a whopping 48 pounds a year!
As we age, maintaining a healthy weight or losing unwanted pounds becomes more challenging, but being overweight doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion if a proper balance of exercise and healthy diet is established.
* Calorie consumption examples are from primusweb.com/fitnesspartner and are based on a 140 pound individual.
You would think that someone drinking a diet soda would tend to watch his or her weight and eat light. Unfortunately, many people drink diet sodas while consuming amounts of high calorie food. What is it about certain situations that trick people into eating more than necessary? Its something that food companies count on, that American desire to eat big portions. Take for example those foods labeled “light,” “low calorie” or “healthy.” You go through that package faster than a “normal” package of food and then you have to buy another one sooner, right?
Studies have repeatedly shown that people tend to eat larger quantities of foods they perceive to be healthy and/or low in calories than those without a similar label. This, in fact, could lead to someone having two bowls of “light” ice cream instead of one small bowl of regular ice cream or a half dozen “low fat” cookies instead of three regular ones. When you look at total calories, a large quantity of any item, healthy or not, is likely to tip the scales in the wrong direction. This is NOT healthy for you.
Make it your goal to not fall prey to that voice in your head saying “its healthy so go ahead and have as much as you want.” Send the food company executives running into the boardrooms, scratching their heads and wondering why people are taking so long to get back to the store.
Limit your consumption of any food item to one serving, rather than allowing yourself a carte blanche to eat as much as you want just because the food is supposed to be healthy. Then it will be your wallet, not your waistline that will be expanding.
Many recent articles have discussed the health risks associated with too much sodium added to our foods; high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Because of these risks, the FDA is working to regulate manufacturers so that they reduce the amount of sodium added to foods. The recommended intake is 1500 mg or less, the maximum healthy amount is 2300 and the average American intake 3400 mg according to an April 21 Associated Press release.
Since I consider myself to eat a very healthful diet, I found it an interesting exercise today to add up the sodium in my diet today and discovered that sodium was hiding in foods I never imagined.
Breakfast (pre-swim workout)
Cup of English breakfast tea – 0 mg
English muffin with raspberry jam – 269 mg
1 cup of XOOD sports drink – 105 mg
Breakfast 2 (post-swim)
1 cup oatmeal – 0 mg
1/2 cup milk – 120 mg
1/2 cup strawberries – 0 mg
Lunch
2 string cheese – 400 mg
1 whole wheat bagel – 400 mg
1 cup raspberry yogurt drink – 100 mg
Dinner
Bowl of Split pea soup – 690 mg
1 cup Mushrooms/asparagus – I added the salt – probably 500 mg
Doesn’t this sound like I did well? Truth is, my daily sodium intake is slightly over the 2300 recommended healthy maximum at 2315 mg even though I believed I was eating very healthfully. I learned a lesson, never imagining that salt would be present in yogurt or milk!
The moral of the story? Read your labels carefully and make sure you aren’t getting more sodium than you bargained for. Eat close to the source and avoid processed foods laden with hidden sodium.