The Road to Tri...To Do or Not to Do, That is the Question



A week ago I had a friend ask me if I would do an Ironman Triathlon with her next year. My first thought was oh hell no; I haven't swam since junior high. Just imagine doing a 2.4 mile swim and then following that with 112 miles on a bike, THEN follow that with a full marathon...yeah that’s what is involved in doing an Ironman distance. So I decided to ponder the idea for a few days, and ponder that I did. I started thinking of all the reasons why I should NOT do the event. Reasons ranging from its going to cost too much money, to how will I find the time, I'm going to have to get up and train at 4am some days just to get in my 2 a days in.

Well having limited time to sign up I decided to go with a sure why not. Well sure why not isn't really what I'm thinking now. I'm going back to all those negative thoughts from the few days thinking this over and stopped myself dead in my tracks and said I am going to take this challenge. I will face my fears head on and I will become a stronger person because of this event. I am now looking at this event not as I have to go out there and win it (this is my mentality in bike racing), but instead I need to go out there and compete against myself NOT to give up. I see this as a personal challenge to overcome all the obstacles I have been challenged with in my young life, it’s my little way of squashing all that has stopped me in the past, to give me new hope for my strength in my future.

SO then what’s next? Well as a fitness trainer, endurance sport coach, and competitive cyclist myself I know what to tell other people to do for their training. Now I am seeing a blank calendar for myself. It’s an interesting feeling right now knowing what I have to do to train, but really how will I do it. That is what you will get to read about over the next 7 months till the event. I will be logging my training for you all to see and follow if you like. Think of it as a FREE Ironman training program, scientifically designed AND tested.

Stay tuned for more…next blog on the Road to Tri will be In the Beginning, all the info you should gather before you start your program.

Keep your Veggies Fresh Longer

Have you ever wondered why sometimes your lettuce will stay fresh for a week and other times only a few days? In my experience I can not tell you how many times I have had to throw out lettuce or other veggies because they went "bad" before I got around to eating them. This hastening of the life of your produce is from ethylene gas, a naturally occurring gas many fruits and vegetables produce, and its colorless, and odorless. Some foods aren't affected much by ethylene gas, while others are extremely sensitive to it.


When these sensitive fruits and vegetables come in contact with ethylene gas, they began to ripen at a much faster rate than normal (commercial growers use this to ripen the produce at the factories after picking). In nature ethylene gas serves as a hormone in plants. "It acts at trace levels throughout the life of the plant by stimulating or regulating the ripening of fruit, the opening of flowers, and the abscission (or shedding) of leaves." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene ]


So now what? With a little planning you can prolong the life of your produce by avoiding certain combinations of veggies in the same drawers. For example, you should never store salad staples like mushrooms and peppers with your lettuce. The ethylene from the mushrooms and peppers will rot the lettuce faster.

Follow the guide below and you should have longer lasting produce immediately.

Ethylene Producing Produce:

 apples
 apricots
 avocados
 bananas
 blueberries
 cantaloupes
 grapes
 green onions
 honeydew
 kiwi
 mangoes
 melons
 passion fruit
 peaches
 pears
 peppers
 persimmons
 pineapple
 citrus fruit
 cranberries
 figs
 guavas
 mushrooms
 nectarines
 okra
 papayas
 plantains
 plums/prunes
 tomatoes
 watermelons


Ethylene Sensitive Produce:

 asparagus
 broccoli
 brussel sprouts
 cabbage
 carrots
 cauliflower
 chard
 cucumbers
 eggplant
 endives
 escarole
 green beans
 kale
 lettuce
 parsley
 peas
 potatoes
 romaine
 spinach
 squash
 sweet potatoes
 watercress
 yams

Sushi Anyone?

Today was a rough go for me personally, BUT work wise I had some great client sessions. In a short few minutes of free time I had today I came across an article on the calorie and fat contents of Sushi. I found it very interesting and thought I would share my thoughts and reactions to the article. The basic premise of the article was that you should avoid the sushi rolls which contain Tempura, cream cheese, mayo, and mayo based creams on or in them. This is a very valid point to some extent. As a nation we are heavy compared to the rest of the world, and because such we do need to be careful of the foods we put in our mouths. However some of the benefits of Sushi are; it is high in vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, iron, and antioxidants, and it can be loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, known for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Here are some of my sushi order suggestions.... 1. Take it easy on the soy sauce. Think of this dipping sauce as liquid sodium. A tablespoon is loaded with 920 mg of sodium (half of the daily recommended intake for adults). So choose the low-sodium sauce when possible—it has about half as much sodium. 2. Skip imitation meat. Many items like the popular California roll are made using imitation crab meat, which has tons of sodium. A typical California roll can have as much as 500 calories and 1000 mg of sodium. So stick with rolls that offer the real thing like fresh tuna, salmon, or king crab, and Eel. 3. Opt for brown rice. As sushi becomes more and more mainstream, restaurants are starting to offer brown rice in place of white rice for the health-conscious patron. This hearty grain is packed with antioxidants and fiber. 4. Avoid anything crunchy (tempura) or creamy. Tempura just means that it's deep-fried and loaded with saturated fat. So steer clear of battered dumplings, fish, and popular options like the spider roll (deep-fried soft shell crab). Also, watch out for creamy rolls filled with cream cheese, mayonnaise, or mayo-based sauces. They're packed with calories and fat. Instead, choose fresh or steamed vegetables and rolls with raw fish flavored with low-sodium soy sauce, ginger or wasabi. 5. Eat a seaweed or cucumber salad. Low in calories and loaded with nutrients (magnesium, folate, calcium, iodine, and vitamin K), seaweed is a filling and healthy appetizer option. 6. Limit your order. Rolls are often not viewed as a full meal even though they often have the same amount of calories as your favorite dishes. Order a single roll and a seaweed salad or edamame to keep your calorie count under control. 7. Choose sashimi. A straight-forward helping of raw fish (no rice or other toppings) is low in calories and gives your body a boost of heart-healthy omega-3s. Can't decide what to order? Two of my favorite healthy rolls are the Spicy Tuna Roll (290 calories, 11 g fat, 25 g carbs) and the Caterpillar Roll (247 calories, 4 g fat, 27 g carbs). So next time you go out for Sushi think twice before ordering the Shrimp Tempura roll, or Tempura veggies. Opt for the brown rice, sashimi, edamame, and seaweed salads and you will be making GREAT choices!

Long Time Passed...Thoughts on Calories and Holidays

I can't believe it has bee over a year since I last put up a blog topic. It seemed to me back then too much time to put into everyday researching a new subject and analyzing it then writing about it. I have since realized I don't need to go that far, this is just a blog for peets sake, right?!?! Well then where should I begin, I believe skipping through all the crud that has happened over this past year and a half. Getting right to the here and now. Well that sounds all fine and dandy so here we go...... This month, October is my favorite month of the year for many reasons, my father and sisters birthdays, the Fall season, changing of the leaves, cool weather, sweaters and cuddling by the fire, oh and Halloween. Yes I do LOVE this month so much. It also means many of us will start into the old routines of eating heavier foods and usually more of it, then to top that off we exercise less cause its too cold outside or its raining. Well what can we do? How can we break this cycle? Only YOU can break that cycle, just like we all make a New Years resolution, do it now. Make that resolution with yourself NOT to stop exercising, and NOT to over indulge in holiday meals and deserts. I'm not saying don't have any of the holiday meals, but be more cautious about how much you eat, and how much you exercise. Remember no matter what when it comes to maintaining your body weight, comes down to this simple equation..."Calories In = Calories Out" in order to maintain your current weight. If you know a big meal is going to be coming up, instead of "eating first and paying for it later", try this simple concept....Get your calories expenditure in the PLUS side to allow for the extra calories later and then you won't have to feel so bad about the few extra calories you will consume. Don't get me wrong this doesn't mean have 5000 kcal during that family holiday meal, you still need to keep it manageable. So before your next big meal, pay the bill first (your exercise) so you know how much you can afford to eat without gaining an ounce. My plan this holiday season, keep it light, keep it active, and keep it positive. Whats yours????

Eat nuts and lower your cholesterol

Nuts aren’t as bad for you as we once were told, and you shouldn’t cut them out of your diet. This is because nuts are excellent sources of protein, minerals, "good" monounsaturated fats and other nutrients, and they're good for the heart. Studies have shown eating 2.4 ounces of nuts everyday will help lower bad and total cholesterol in people with elevated LDL cholesterol and who are not obese. Lowering ones cholesterol also has a correlative effect on heart disease risk and could potentially lower one out of the risk category which can be beneficial on one’s health insurance benefits too. Here are six of the healthiest and what makes them good for you. Walnuts (not just for heart health): They are a great source of the healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been found to protect the heart, promote better cognitive function, and provide anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis. Walnuts also contain the antioxidant compound ellagic acid, which is known to fight cancer and support the immune system. But that's not all--in a study in the August 2003 issue of Phytochemistry, researchers identified 16 polyphenols in walnuts, including three new tannins, with antioxidant activity so powerful they described it as "remarkable." Walnuts are incredibly healthy for the heart. They have been shown to lower Total cholesterol and LDL your bad cholesterol. Walnuts have also helped improve the elasticity of the arteries, and reduced levels of vascular cell adhesion molecules, which play a major role in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Almonds: Just a quarter cup of almonds contains nearly 25 percent of your needed daily value of the important nutrient magnesium, plus is rich in potassium, manganese, copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and calcium. Also, a quarter cup of almonds has almost as much calcium as a quarter cup of milk. They're also great for the colon. Animal studies on the effects of almonds on colon cancer found that animals (which were exposed to a colon-cancer-causing agent) given whole almonds had fewer signs of colon cancer than animals given almond oil or no almonds. Researchers suspect the benefit may be due to almonds' high fiber content. Plus, almonds are one of the best nuts for lowering cholesterol because 70 percent of the fat they contain is the healthy monounsaturated variety, which has been shown to help clear arteries. Cashews: Cashews are lower in fat than most nuts, and 65 percent of this fat is unsaturated fatty acids. Of this, 90 percent is oleic acid, the heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. Plus, cashews are rich in copper, magnesium, zinc, iron and biotin. Pecans: Pecans are an excellent source of over 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamins E and A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, several B vitamins and zinc. Brazil Nuts (ladies pay close attention to this one): These nuts are extremely nutrient-rich and contain protein, copper, niacin, magnesium, fiber, vitamin E and selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that works to neutralize dangerous free radicals. A study at the University of Illinois even found that the high amounts of selenium in Brazil nuts may help prevent breast cancer. Macadamia Nuts: These nuts are high in protein, fiber, healthy monounsaturated fats, potassium and magnesium. And, a study done at Hawaii University found that people who had added macadamia nuts to their diets for just one month had total cholesterol levels of 191, compared to 201 for those eating the typical American diet. The largest change was found in the LDL (bad) cholesterol. Conclusion: A word to the wise, because nuts are calorie dense and high in fats they must be eaten in moderation. If you aren’t already eating nuts feel free to add them to your diet. If you are already eating them, try to get the variety of them instead of the same old one’s every day. But what is most important is moderation; you only need up to 2.4 ounces a day of nuts to have the health benefits of lower cholesterol and decreased heart disease.