Ramping up your workouts

     In my last post I reported that I had been having trouble getting motivated to workout after my race.  If you find yourself having this problem then it is time to change your focus and ramp up your workouts in a different way.  I have decided that my next race is going to be a full marathon.  I have decided this because I was unhappy with my run time in my triathlon and I want to become a more efficient and faster runner.
     For the last week and a half I have been spending more time back in the gym lifting more weights.  I have also decided that I want to really intensify my lifting workouts to build some strength in the off season with the intent of working on my weak spots for next years tri season.  This goal may seem counter productive at first, but I said I am trying to build more strength and this does not necessarily mean mass.  I am looking to become leaner and stronger.  These will include some Olympic lifts, foot speed drills, boxing training, and yoga.
     Combining these two goals should help mend the chinks in the old triathlon armor and hopefully make me a faster and less injury prone triathlete.

Post race ambition loss

Tomorrow will mark two weeks post race for me. During the past two weeks I have been swimming three times, mountain biked once and not run at all. This comes in part because I am shifting my training focus for the off season. I am also realizing that I unfortunately am more externally motivated then Internally. I am finding it easier to blow of a workout here and there and much easier to eat things I wouldn't have while I was training for my race. I guess what I am saying is that it is important to train with a specific target in mind. If you are not aiming at anything you will never hit your mark. So, as I am in the process of acquiring my next target, I invite you to set your fitness sights on a new target as well. Stay tuned.

Ironman 70.3 Racine 2012

I participated in and completed my first Ironman 70.3 this past Sunday. It was a great learning experience. This is the longest triathlon I have done to date and with the longer distance comes some issues that I have not had to deal with in shorter events. I definitely made some mistakes that I will not repeat in future events, but overall I was very happy with my time and the results of the time I spent training. The day before a race, hydration and calorie intake are very important. I did well on the hydration and the calorie intake, but where I made a fatal flaw was in my food selection the night before the race. I don't know what the right foods would be for sure, but I know that haystacks (you may know them as taco salads) are not the correct option the night before a race. That is unless you desire to race with severe stomach cramps. From about mile 21 on the bike through the end of mile 1 of the run, my stomach was in knots. I did however, make myself eat about 275 calories per hour on the bike even though the food I was consuming made me want to vomit. I believe that this force feeding was what gave me the energy to complete the run portion because I was not able to take in many calories during the run. In spite of my mistakes during the race, I can't emphasize enough what a great time I had and how well the event was run. The volunteers where outstanding. It was also nice to go to my home town to compete and have family and close friends be a huge part of the process. It really is really meaningful when you see people that you love cheering you on from the sidelines. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and such close friends who care about me enough to come out and cheer me on. If you have ever done any kind of race, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't I would strongly encourage you to train for and do one. They are addictive.

Juicing continued

In my last blog I wrote that I was going to be experimenting with different juices. I have been doing that for one week now and I can definitely tell you that beet juice is not nearly as tasty as you might think. I did however kill it in the pool the next day. I am not sure that the beet juice and the great swimming performance were related, but I am going to experiment with it further. I have found out that when juicing vegetables, ginger root, carrots, apples and lemons can mask the taste of other veggies that might not be as good in the form of juice. I don't have any exact recipes to share yet, but those will come as I experiment more. Remember for your health it is important to supply your body with an incredible amount of nutrients. This will give your immune system ammunition to fire against disease. Juicing will allow you to do this because you get the nutrients from the veggies without consuming the mass amounts of veggies that you would have to eat to get the same benefit. Well, I have to get a workout in, so until next time.

Juicing

I know it has been a long time since my last blog. I have been very busy training for a triathlon. Actually, that is kind of what inspired me to write again. I have been contemplating what would be the best nutrition before and during a triathlon or any endurance sport. I remembered the documentary "Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead". I have done a little more reading on the topic of juicing and it turns out that juicing may be the perfect solution to nutritional needs for performance during an endurance event. So, I just got a juicer and I made my first juice concoction tonight. I will be experimenting with different vegetable and fruit juices over the next few weeks and thought it might be fun to share my mishaps and successes with you. I promise to make a more concerted effort to keep you up to date with a more regular blogpost. So buckle up and enjoy the ride because a-juicing-we-will-go.

Fat, sick and nearly dead

Just watched the documentary " Fat, Sick and nearly Dead". Check it out. It is really compelling. The guy looses a bunch of weight and really turns his life around and ends up making a real change in his body and in the way he looks at food. He also gets others to make changes in their diets as well. I would go as far to say that he saves one guy's life.

Forks over knives

I just watched the documentary "Forks Over Knives". It is definitely worth checking out. Whether you agree with it or not the research is there to support Their claims.

Guacamole Recipe

Recipe of the Week:

Guacamole Recipe

½ small onion

2 tbs lime or lemon juice ( I squeeze the juice fresh)

Chop the onion and soak it in the lime or lemon juice while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients. This will weaken the flavor of the onion so it is not overpowering.

4 Avocados

Cilantro to taste ( I usually use half a cup)

1 Roma Tomato

Garlic again to taste (I use 2 cloves)

dash of salt

Nutritional Facts per serving, this makes about 4 servings:

Calories 353 kcal

Carbs 24 g

Fat 30 g

Protein 5 g

Sugar 4 g

Sodium 83 g unsalted, sodium content will very with amount of salt added.

This is a great recipe for guacamole. My friend Heather Wood has been kind enough to let me share it. I know that it might appear to be high in fat, but this is a healthy fat that your body needs. These are all natural ingredients and they are all healthy. It is great with chips, but if you want a healthier option try it with Wasa multi grain crispbreads. Enjoy!

Recipe of the week

Recipe of the week: Smoothie to jump start your day

• 1/2 banana (best if frozen)
• 1/2 cup blueberries or 3/4 cherries, 1 cup raspberries (All best if frozen). If fruit is not frozen add 1 cup of ice to the mix.
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup fresh kale
• ¼ cup almonds or 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 dates
• 2 tablespoons hemp protein
• 2 cups cold water

Blend all ingredients together on high for 2 minutes. If mixture is pasty, add a little water. The dates will make it brown in color and may make it less than desirable to look at. However, they will make it much sweeter and add great nutritional value. Using almond butter will make it less gritty than if you use whole almonds, but that's just a matter of preference Makes four cups--roughly two servings.

Nutritional Facts:

With Blueberries With Cherries With Raspberries

Total Calories = 578 Total Calories = 574 Total Calories = 543 g

Total Fat = 17 g Total Fat = 17 g Total Fat = 18 g

Cholesterol = 0 mg Cholesterol = 0 mg Cholesterol = 0

Sodium = 59 mg Sodium = 59 mg Sodium = 59 g

Total Carbs = 103 g Total Carbs = 95 g Total Carbs = 89 g

Fiber = 17.3g Fiber = 18 g Fiber = 16 g

Sugars = 64 g Sugars = 64 g Sugars = 43 g

Protein = 18 g Protein = 18 g Protein = 18 g

* All nutritional facts found on “MyFitnessPal” calorie counter app.

Feel free to play with the recipe and comment if you have any great revelations on how to make it better. Keeping in mind that nutritional value trumps taste, but not to the point of being unpalatable.

Starting with the right mind set

     When you are first starting a workout program, the tendency can be to go one of two directions. On one hand, many people tend to overestimate their current fitness ability; they end up pushing themselves to extremes and getting hurt. On the other hand, some people tend to undertrain and really never see a significant difference in themselves. So this begs the question, “What is enough and what is too much?”

    I think the answer is different for each individual. This may appear as though I am trying to dodge giving an answer, but what works for one person really may not work for another. It really depends on a person’s attitude and the ability to listen to his or her body. As individuals spend more time exercising, they should, in theory, be getting more in tune with what their bodies are telling them. This does not happen automatically, though. I see people daily in the gym who are making time in their schedules to be there and arespending money to be there, but mentally they are checked out from what is going on in their workouts. They are just going through the motions.  In order to be successful in the gym, one must be engaged in the task at hand. This requires paying attention to each set, each rep, each muscle that is being worked. When this kind of focus is present, injuries are much less likely and progress toward a fitness goal is more often the result. 

    So, in your next workout, I really encourage you to be fully engaged; don’t just go through the motions.  Make the most out of your time in the gym.  If you are the person who wants to push too much too fast, slow down and listen to what your muscles and joints are telling you and avoid the injury that will sideline your workout for the next couple of weeks.  If you are the person who never really sees the benefits from your workouts, step it up a little, but again listen to your body.  

Introduction

Hello, my name is Kelly Frantz. I am a full-time personal trainer in Louisville, Kentucky. I earned a B.S. from the University of Louisville in Health and Human Performance and received my personal training certification from the World Instructor’s Training Schools. I have worked as a personal trainer since 2005. It is my job and my passion. Since that time, I have had a lot of success helping my clients reach their fitness goals. This improvement in quality of life is the reason I train people; it gives me great satisfaction both professionally and personally.

I have also had clients that were not as successful in reaching their goals, and this is, as you might imagine, unacceptable to me. It leads me to the question, “How can I be more effective with my clients and help them to have greater success?” That is the reason for this blog. The conclusion that I have come to is that, at best, I only see my clients for a short amount of time each week. I want to have more interaction with my clients and anyone who is interested in health, fitness, and nutrition.

My goal with this blog is to assist people in reaching their fitness goals by sharing my philosophies on fitness and life, giving exercise tips, providing nutritional information and healthy recipes, and sharing ideas that may help make personal workouts more effective. I certainly don’t have all of the answers about fitness and health, but I do have a lot of experience in the area of weight loss and sports-related performance. When I am not training clients I can usually be found training myself or participating in one ofthe many sports that I enjoy. I’ve also learned a lot of things that do not work for weight loss and performance, and I hope my insights can help you in your quest for health and fitness. If you have an interest in these topics and would like to join me in this journey, I look forward to getting to know you.

Sincerely,

Kelly Frantz