Hiking

One of my favorite things in the summer is hiking in the mountains.  I love everything from quick morning hikes to all day 14er climbs. Living in Colorado, I am fortunate to have as many opportunities for exploration as there are days in the year. (There are equally spectacular places in Vermont for all my east coast readers.  J)  The back country and wilderness does come with its’ share of dangers and precautions though.  Being aware of these is essential for a safe and enjoyable hike.

·         Know your location, and make sure someone else does too.  It only takes a few minutes to leave a note or send a text message about where you’re going.  Having someone else know your general location is important on the off-chance you get lost. There are many cases of injured or missing hikers that could have been solved much easier (and quicker) if someone else knew where they were.

·         Know the wildlife likely to be in the area of your hike and plan accordingly. Be aware of what to do in case you run into wildlife. Most of the time, any animals you see will be harmless and/or more scared of you than you are of them.  There are times, however, when you may come across more dangerous animals and knowing how to react in these situations could potentially save your life. 

·         Plan ahead. Know in advance about how long of a hike it will be in favorable conditions. Bring plenty of food and water. This is so important, especially when you get into higher elevations. Hiking in general burns a substantial amount of calories, even more so as your elevation increases.  If you are in the sun, staying hydrated will become more important.

·         Dress in Layers. It’s impossible to predict the weather (especially in Colorado) so be prepared for a little of everything. Most of my hikes I’ve been able to do in a t-shirt and shorts, but I’ve done my fair share where I started out in a blizzard and ended with a sunburn. It never hurts to have an extra pair of socks in your bag in case there is more snow or that river is a little deeper than you thought.  Sunglasses are also important if there are both snow and sun on your hike. The sun reflects off the sun and without sunglasses, it can be damaging to your eyes.

·         Know about altitude sickness. High altitude is generally considered anything about 8,000 feet, but you don’t need to be much higher than that to start feeling symptoms. Altitude sickness is actually fairly common, affecting the majority of high altitude hikers in some way or another. Symptoms are usually mild and include fatigue, headaches, lightheadedness, and nosebleeds. There are more serious symptoms that can occur however. The most serious is edema which happens when fluid accumulates in tissues of the body ( in this case usually in the lungs or brain).  If you experience symptoms that are similar to a fever, or are gradually losing consciousness, chances are you are experiencing either cerebral or pulmonary edema, both of which are potentially life-threatening.  If this occurs, it is essential to descend as quickly as possible.

Just be aware of the potential issues that can occur while hiking and you will know how to properly and safely handle them. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors!

Rules of the Road

Today’s blog will be short and sweet, but I feel, very important information. In honor of Bike to Work Day, I will talk about the rules of the road. Whether you are on a bicycle or running, there are rules you need to adhere to when on the road with motor vehicles. Having recently moved to a bigger city, I can better appreciate the need for people to follow these guidelines. I also have witnessed how few of these people actually know, or at least follow, them. 

When biking, you go with traffic, your bicycle is your vehicle and you are responsible for all the rules, signs, and lights as a motorist. That means you’d stop at stop signs and lights, use proper signals when turning and be in the correct lane.   If you ride in the early morning or dusk, make sure you wear reflective clothing or at least have reflective lights on your bike; it is not always easy for vehicles to see you. As a cyclist, it is essential to be very aware of your surroundings.  Cars don’t always pay attention and many don’t know to look for a cyclist on the road in the first place. When reading up on bicycle laws and regulations, I came across many discussion boards and I read some pretty negative things people had to say about cyclists. Some people even discussed stories where they aimed their cars at cyclists in an attempt to run them off the road. Needless to say, there is a battle between cyclists and motorists. This makes it even more important that all rules are abided by and extreme caution is used when cycling. 

Now running, on the other hand, has some different rules. Runners are to run the opposite direction of traffic. This way you, the runner, can see cars as they approach, even if they can’t see you.  In general, there seems to be less hostility towards runners by motorists, but I’ve had things thrown and me and cars purposefully aimed at me while running.  Reflective or bright colored clothing is useful when running as well. The more you’re able to make your presence obvious, the safer you will be. Never assume a car can see you, even if you’re in the cross walk.  Of all the close calls I’ve had with cars, they’ve all been when I had the “walk” signal for a cross walk and if I hadn’t checked for cars, they would have hit me. 

If you’re a cyclist or a runner and you take your workouts on the road, be aware of these guidelines.  When you’re driving, be sure to be aware of the potential for runners and cyclists on the roads.

Strength Training

Most people have at least a general understanding of what strength training is.  Not everyone knows why it’s important though, or how to strength train safely and effectively.

 Strength training has a number of benefits and requires consistent participation to achieve them.  Benefits of strength training include: improved bone density, increased muscle strength, reduced risk of injury, and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol.  There are also functional benefits associated with strength training like improved posture. Also, strong muscles are better able to support joints thus making them function more efficiently and with greater range of motion.  Strength training can help reduce your risk of bone diseases like osteoporosis. 

A general guideline for strength training is that it should be done twice a week. Your strength training workout should consist of at least eight to ten exercises that utilize the major muscle groups of the body. For each exercise, eight to 12 repetitions should be completed.  The weight you choose for these exercises is important. You want a weight that will challenge you, but not so much that you cannot perform the exercise with the proper form. An appropriate weight will be one in which you can complete each set with proper form, but feel like you wouldn’t be able to complete more repetitions without a break. Proper form during strength training is essential. Without proper form, you are not only likely to injure yourself, you’re also not getting the benefit of the exercise.

Keep in mind that the above guidelines are broad and apply mainly to beginners and those desiring to maintain their current muscular fitness. If you have a specific goal, your strength training program will be altered.  If your goal is to increase muscle mass for example, you will want to change your repetitions and even the format of the workout. For building muscle mass, super sets are useful. This entails working muscle groups back to back with no rest. For these super sets, you use a heavier weight and do fewer repetitions, usually between six and eight. This is fast paced and intense. This same process would not be appropriate for someone trying to improve their muscular endurance. Endurance is the ability to sustain activity over a long period of time, so a fast paced, few repetition strength training program would not produce the desired results. To improve muscular endurance, you can probably guess, it would require higher repetitions with lighter weights (more similar to the general guidelines I listed above).  Your strength training program will vary depending on your specific goals, your limitations, and your experience level.  Sport specific strength training will require yet another program format.  If you’re a sprinter (requiring short bursts of high intensity and muscle firing from the legs) it would be beneficial to train your muscles a similar way in the weight room. In this case, it would come in the form of explosive and powerful lifts targeting the muscles of the legs.

If you’ve never done any strength training before, it is recommended you choose eight to ten exercises and complete two sets of ten to 12 repetitions for each one. When you first start out, this should only be done once a week. Once you see how your body responds to the new program and you learn what weights are appropriate for each exercises, you can gradually increase the number of days you strength train and the number of exercises you complete. 

Your muscles need 24 hours to recover between workouts. Not allowing for this recovery time does not give your muscles the chance to heal themselves and grow stronger. In general, this means that you shouldn’t strength train more than four times per week. There are exceptions though. For example if you do split body workouts (meaning you work lower body one day, and upper body the next) since you’re working a different body part the next day, you’re still allowing for recovery in the muscles you worked the previous day.

The key things to remember, no matter the strength training program you follow or the desired results, are your form and your recovery. Pay attention to form on every single exercise and if you are unable to complete a repetition without compromising your form, choose a lighter weight. Allow your body the time it needs to repair the muscles as it is during that time your muscles gain strength.  Strength training requires consistency, dedication and focus, but offers numerous benefits.

Exercising in the Heat

In a previous blog (How to Hydrate During Exercise, Feb. 23, 2011), I touched briefly on some of the affects dehydration has on the body, and how those symptoms are amplified in high temperatures. I will be discussing that in greater detail for this blog.  Summer has finally arrived here in Colorado, bringing with it sunny skies and hot temperatures.  This, naturally, encourages people to take their workouts outside. While exercising outside is a great way to beat the boredom of the gym, enjoy some sun and scenery, there are some things to be aware of when doing so in the summer months.

In the How to Hydrate During Exercise blog, I state dehydration as a major concern for endurance athletes. This is especially true during the summer. The body needs to work harder in order to cool you down, and since the outside temperatures are already so high, it takes less physical activity before you begin to sweat.  Sweating is your body’s natural way to cool itself in an attempt to maintain homeostasis.  But with sweat, comes increased water loss. Staying properly hydrated becomes more important when the temperatures are hot, as you’re losing more fluid through sweating. To avoid dehydration, be sure to drink water before, during, and after exercising, being sure to take small sips during exercise  If you’d like to read a bit more about dehydration, please refer back to the above mentioned blog post.

The time of day you exercise is important during the summer. Try to schedule workouts either early in the morning or in the evening so as to avoid being outside during the hotter parts of the day (noon-3pm). Exercising midday will only slow you down and decrease performance.  If an early morning or evening workout isn’t permissible with your schedule, you may consider going to the gym.  A run on the treadmill, although boring, is better, and safer, than a run outside in 100 degree temperatures during your lunch break. You not only risk dehydration by exercising in the heat, but heat exhaustion as well.  This occurs when the body is unable to cool the body at the rate your body is heating up. This can happen due to dehydration but also, and perhaps more commonly, overexerting yourself in hot weather. When this happens, your body becomes severely less efficient at cooling itself.

 Symptoms of heat exhaustion include: dizziness, muscle cramps, fatigue, weak and rapid pulse, nausea, and headache. You may notice these symptoms are similar to those of dehydration, making it important to pay attention to these, and listen to your body. If you think you might have heat exhaustion, stop exercising immediately. Top priority is to cool your body; move to a cooler location, take a cold shower, drink cold fluids.

  I experienced the danger of dehydration and heat exhaustion during a marathon a few years ago. The temperatures were unseasonably high and I was unprepared for the heat.  I was not the only ill-prepared runner that day. Several people needed to be put on IV fluids while others, like myself, experienced less severe symptoms like dizziness and lightheadedness. While your summer workouts might not be running 26.2 miles, it is necessary to keep these tips in mind and stay properly hydrated in the heat.

How to Choose a Personal Trainer

Working with a personal trainer can be of great benefit to you.  Whether you’re a beginner and need help with proper use of weights and creating a program, or a seasoned gym-goer needing to add something new and challenging to your workouts, a personal trainer can get you there.  I should rephrase that. The right personal trainer can get you there.

Far too often though, people end up working with unqualified, uncertified, and inexperienced trainers.  This leaves the client no closer to their goal, frustrated, never wanting to hire a personal trainer again, and possibly injured.  I feel the general opinion of personal trainers is negative, and for good reason. Most of you reading this now have probably worked with a trainer who didn’t know what they were doing.  The majority of the clients I’ve worked with have had at least one negative experience with a trainer before coming to me.  It’s not a surprise this is the case, with so many online trainer exams available, you could pay a fee and call yourself a personal trainer today if you wanted.  And thus, the unqualified and uncertified personal trainer is born. 

Although the numbers of this type of trainer are high, don’t despair.  There are trainers out there (like myself) who hold a degree in a fitness related field, and studied extensively to pass the challenging exam to be certified through an accredited personal training agency.

That being said, here are some things to look for when choosing a personal trainer.

·         The very first thing you should look at is their certification. A knowledgeable personal trainer will be certified through an accredited certifying agency. ACSM, NSCA, and AFAA are some examples of such agencies. These agencies require both a written and practical exam (ACSM being the most difficult) to ensure knowledge in anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology, fitness testing, nutrition and weight management, metabolic calculations etc.

·         CPR and First Aid certified. If your trainer passes the first test and is accredited through a respectable agency, they will already be CPR and First Aid certified as it is required to be in order to sit for the exams.  If they do not hold a current CPR certification, chances are, either their personal training certification has expired, or they were never required to have one in the first place.

·         Education: Does your trainer have a college degree related to the fitness field? If that is important to you, it’s something to consider.  A degree in a fitness related field will add to the credibility of the trainer.  A degree is required to be ACSM certified, but not for the other accredited agencies.

·         Specialties: Find out what your potential trainer specializes in. Does it correlate with your fitness goals? If the trainer you’re considering specializes in bootcamp style and advanced clients, and you’ve never set foot in a gym before, it may not be a good fit.

·         Interests: If a trainer bio is available, read it. Choose someone who has similar interests to you. Although this is not nearly as important as the above bullet points, you will be working with this trainer on a regular basis and it’s good to be able to have some things in common to talk about.

When it comes down to it, you’re trusting this personal trainer with your health. You’re trusting them to not injure you, to motivate you, and to safely help you reach your goals, so make sure you take the time to choose a trainer carefully.