Children and Obesity

One of the biggest epidemics in America that continues to get worse is our youth and obesity. Studies are showing that the number of children overweight and obese is growing at an alarming rate and continues to get worse. Some of the causes include schools cutting back on physical education due to budget constraints, increasing popularity of video and computer games, and the foods kids are eating these days. I think the responsibility lies with the parents. Kids will emulate what kids do - if you eat well, they will eat well. Keep the fridge stocked with fruits, veggies and whole foods and stop buying processed foods, high calorie juices, and pop. Be a role model by being active - go for walks, go to the park, or join recreational clubs. If your children see you being active, and enjoy being active, they will want to join in the fun. Limit video game time and get creative with activities to keep your children active and healthy. what are your thoughts? how do you keep your kids active?

refresh motivation

About once a quarter I feel like I'm losing my focus and losing control of where I'm at in relation to my goals -- at least the things that I can control. I feel like I am drifting off the path that I intended to go and am losing my grasp. When I sense this feeling approaching I take a day off from work and have a Matt day. these days are usually used for catching up on things that are overdue (i.e. blog, budgets), and a time to reflect on what I'm doing right, what things I can improve on - whether it be in my marriage, family, raising my daughter, training, work, personal goals, etc. More than anything, these days help me refresh and refocus my motivation and drive and help me get out of a funk. It is amazing that one day can turn things around and get pointed in the right direction. It is almost like a timeout from life for 8 hours to zero in on what I need to do to reach my goals - I may not have the exact answer, but I put myself on the path to find the answer, or get the tools to find the answer.

Workout Motivations

What is your motivation for working out? If you don't have any motivation/drive to get your exercise, it will be an uphill battle and chances are you will fall off your plan. Here are my motivations - tomorrow I'll touch on the physiological/psychological basis behind these drivers:
- stay healthy
- be prepared for races
- improve on my weak areas of fitness
- escape from the everyday grind
- alleviate stress
- get more energy
- feel a sense of accomplishment
- re-discover the balance between mind and body
- better sleep at night
- general feeling of good health
What are your motivations? What is holding you back from exercise? What are your deterrents?

Off Season Training Plan

As promised, here's my workout schedule for the next 4 weeks. In week 5 I will have a recovery week in which I will decrease both volume and intensity. I have incorporated weight training 4 days a week, core plyometrics(speed, strength exercises) 2 days a week and 2 swims, bikes, and runs a week. Essentially, it is two workouts a day, one morning and one afternoon/evening. This is a lot of training, but I've built a strong enough base (foundation of fitness) that I shouldn't have any issues completing this program. It will be important that I continue to focus on stretching, a good nutrition plan, and listening to my body for any potential warning signs.

Monday - Weights (shoulders, legs) - swim (tempo workout)

Tuesday - Weights (chest, triceps, back) - run (interval-hills)

Wednesday - core, plyometrics - bike (spin class)

Thursday - Weights (shoulders, legs) - swim (intervals)

Friday - Weights (chest, triceps, back) - run (tempo)

Saturday - core, plyometrics - bike (tempo)

Sunday - OFF!

I'd like to hear your feedback and advice

2009 Goals

This is the time of year where I begin to set goals for next year and structure my off-season workout. For the past two years my goals have been more around finishing my races and improving without much structure around SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Having specific goals for training is motivation to continue to work hard duing the off-season and stay focused on what you want to gain during the next season. I'm not going to post all my goals for next season, but I will post my main goal - reach a tiime of 12 hours 30 minutes in Ironman Wisconsin next year. My first Ironman time was 15 hours, so my goals is to improve my time by 2 1/2 hours. I believe I can reach this goal by focusing my off-season on improving strength, speed, and aerobic threshold (faster speeds while maintaining aerobic energy system). Tomorrow I will lay out my workout plan.

IM Wisconsin Volunteering

On Sunday morning I arrived at my volunteer spot at a place called Cross Plains, which was one of the bike aid stations at mile 40 and mile 80 on the course. The day started off w/ us(30 people) removing the plastic caps and protective seal on about 1000+ gatorade bottles and then taking off the plastic caps on 2000+ water bottles. I'm not going to lie, this part is not fun at all. There were 2 gatorade stations, 3 water stations, and 1 food station(bananas, gels, bars). We heard from the lead volunteer director that the first racer was 5 miles out so we quickly got our respective aid stations and got ready. It is pretty nerve racking to hand a water bottle to a guy going 25-30 mph on a bike. After a little practice it became easier. After a while the amatuers began coming through the aid station. It is really inspiring to see all these athletes, young and old, large and small, pouring all their energy into this race and fighting through the pain and fatigue to finish. Volunteering this year made me realize how crucial it is to have volunteers in the race, and Ironman wouldn't be possible without them. It also made me realize how grateful the athletes are for the work volunteers put in - they were very gracious with many thank yous and appreciative comments.

I also enjoyed being able to sign-up for the '09 race in less than 1.5 hours the next day. Can't wait until next year!

Ironman Wisconsin '08

This weekend I am heading up to Madison, Wisconsin for 3 reasons:
1) Cheer on athletes competing in Ironman Wisconsin
2) Volunteer on race day to do my part in helping this great race
3) Sign up for Ironman Wisconsin 2009.
Ironman has become so big in the past few years that for most of the corporate sponsored Ironmans, you need to be on site to get in. If you volunteer, you will get first dibs for next year. I was lucky enough to get registered for Ironman FL online for '07, but I doubt I could do it again. This will be my first time actually watching a race vs participating but I'm excited because the atmosphere and energy in Madison is a feeling you can't describe. Whether you want to race or volunteer, I would recommend participating/volunteering in any race to get a sense of the incredible amount of work by the race coordinators, amount of training an athlete does for an event, and the opportunity to feel the energy these races create.
Thanks for reading.