Heart Rate Monitoring

So it seems that my writing comes in waves. Unless something excites or inspires me, I don't think there is any reason to write about it. Well, after a small draught, I have again found inspiration dear readers and it comes in the form of a Garmin Heart Rate Monitor!

Let me just say that I have been a big fan of the heart rate monitor from the get go.  I originally used it to track the amount of calories I had burnt during a session but my love affair has evolved! Monitoring your heart rate, speed and/or cadence during a training session can be extremely motivating and is a very useful tool when training in your sport of choice. From serious athletes to those of you wanting to track how many more calories before you burn off that burger...... H R monitors are what it's all about!

      Garmin FR60

Advertised as an easy-to-use watch, the Garmin FR60 has a great range of features which I use to track my progress during sessions. The watch can be set for Bike, Run or General fitness and works in sync with tools such as the foot pod and speed/cadence sensor. It has a number of different displays so you can focus specifically on your heart rate or km's covered and receive instant feedback on how hard or fast your are working.



According to a number of reviews, the Garmin FR60 is 98 accurate and compares highly against other similar products. It is water resistant 50m which is perfect for those of us who have a love for a wide range of sports in and out of the water. The watch is easy to calibrate with the extra tools and comes with the USB ANT+ wireless connection so that you can view all your results online using the Garmin software. I will note here that the software is designed primarily for windows (much to my disgust as a preferred Linux user)but can also be used with Mac.

The Garmin package comes with a hard chest strap but a soft one can be purchased for an added cost. There is a male and female version of the watch but both are small and streamlined. I must admit I have only ever tried one other brand of watch, Polar and so far Garmin is a hands down winner!

It is now pretty clear that measuring max heart rate using 220 - age, is far from accurate! However, using it as a general guide may be helpful for beginners or those who are not too serious about training. For those looking for something more accurate check out this article by Joe Friel.

Monitoring how hard your heart is working during a session is a great indicator of cardiovascular fitness. By keeping a record or log of this data over time you can then start to pin point your ideal 'training zones' and the levels at which you need to train to improve your fitness. The monitor will measure your average and your max heart rate as well as your speed over the entire session. It will calculate calories burnt and distance travelled and present to you a calibrated graph of all these results.... it may only be a matter of time before it cooks and cleans for you as well!

A lot of trainers will use HR monitors to keep track of clients progress and to encourage and motivate by showing them something tangible. I wear my monitor during most workouts these days and have even been known to challenge fellow wearers to a a heart rate 'duel'. Heart Rate monitoring has added a new dimension to my training and I never get tired of coming home after a session and having my hard work show up clearly on the screen for all to see!
Be Inspired!

Rest and Recovery. What every fitness addict hates to hear but needs to learn!

I am speaking from first had experience with this one. Over the last month or so I have felt that my body has ' given up'. I have been wondering why my workouts and new running routes have not been giving me the usual excitement and challenge I have become so used to. Yoga sounds like a bore, stair running makes me dizzy and the very thought of completing a triathlon makes me want to curl up and hide!

Most people who know me or have trained with me will tell you that I am fairly motivated and consistent with my training. What I am not so great at, is taking a break to let my body recover. I am the first to admit that I have been guilty of living by the "more is better motto". I often feel that if I am not drowning in a pool of sweat, aching the next day or burning 100's of calories, then the workout has been a waste of time. Well my friends..... my body has won this time and has not been shy in telling me to SLOW DOWN!

Rest and recovery is a vital part of any training. The muscles need time to repair themselves, in order to build up bigger and stronger in the long term. Exercising at a high intensity, too often will likely cause a prolonged state of raised cortisol levels ( a hormone which is produced in response to stress on the body). "High cortisol levels increase muscle protein breakdown and inhibit protein synthesis (building up muscle proteins)". So essentially by over-training, we are doing ourselves more damage than good and are going no where to achieving our fitness goals.
With this in mind, I went on the search for a well balanced workout schedule including good amounts of rest and recovery. Dr Mercola suggests the following:

1. Minimum 2/1 easy to hard workout ratio (easy = maintaining easy conversation while exercising)
2. 1-2 moderate workouts with 2 days in between (moderate = can speak in words but not sentences)
3. 1-2 hard workouts with 3 day's in between.(hard = impossible to talk during workout)

We are all going to have 'good and bad' days with our training but please refrain from over-training and give your body the rest it needs! I need you with me to continue our goals towards a fitter and healthier life!

Lushious

Gourmet Vegan/Vegetarian Catering

 

There are pro's and con's about holding an entirely vegan wedding! In fact you may struggle to find any on your pro's list. If so, you have definatley not had the opportunity to enjoy a meal prepared by the vegan/vegetarian 'Master Chef', Sid from Lushious catering.

My husband and I set out early on to find a catering company which would provide tasty, exciting and reasonably priced vegan food for our wedding. As you can imagine there are not a lot of options in this category and an even smaller number that impressed us! Luckily for us we were holding the reception at my family home which allowed a great deal of flexibility and a large cooking space for our potential chef!

I came across Lushious in a simple google search and was impressed with their wide range of options. The man behind the brand is fondly known to me as Sid. He was extremely helpful from the very start and provided us will all the information and confidence we needed to create our menu.
Sid gave us the opportunity to visit his home town for the day for a taste testing session. So, with rumbling tummies, worried parents and open minds we made the trip to Katoomba NSW, to be served by the man himself.

Needless to say the food was amazing and we were sold! Lushious catering offers a huge array of finger foods including, Organic Brown Rice-balls, Sweet Potato and Coriander Croquets and Fresh Rice-Paper Rolls, stuffed with veggies and tofu, served with tamari and toasted sesame seeds. They also have the option of theme based menu's for your main course. We went with the Middle Eastern theme which was made up of delicious falafel, dolmades, stuffed zucchinis and orange infused baklava, just to name a few.

Sid and his 'Lushious' staff created a fantastic vegan buffet which impressed every guest in the house! (even the sceptical oldies) They were professional and enthusiastic from the first email enquiry right through to washing up every last plate!

If you are looking for a catering service in Sydney, vegan or not, Lushious catering would be my first choice every time!!

Check out their website http://www.lushious.com.au/ 

or contact Sid on Mob: 0432 143523

Body composition Analysis

I usually hate testing of any type! Maths tests, test match cricket, 'the beep test'. However I have found one test that did tickle my fancy. VLA testing, or more widely known a Bioimpedance Analysis. I had heard of this before in the form of specialised weight scales that you give you a reading of your body fat percentage and muscle mass. It has always intrigued me but I had not been game to try it.

When my chiropractor told me she offered this type of analysis in a more thorough form, I started to think more seriously about it (after all, she did have my neck in both her hands while telling me.. who was I to say no!)

The analysis provides information on various aspects of your health. It basically gives you an insight into your body composition including percentage of fat mass, active tissue (muscle) mass, BMI and hydration levels, just to name a few.
The testing also provides nutrition information and calculates how many calories are ideal for your particular body to be consuming and breaks that down further into what percent should be protein, carbs and fat. Needless to say, this simple tool produces eye opening data which I found extremely useful for my ongoing health and wellbeing goals.

The test is done by a qualified practitioner who attaches leads to your hands and feet and passes a low voltage electrical current through your body. This may sound alarming, but it is safe and painless and apparently is a similar level of current to using your mobile phone.The results were printed out for me on the spot and I had a follow up appointment booked in 2 months. Surprisingly the analysis is not intimidating but rather gives you and your health practitioner and opportunity to discuss where you can make improvements (in my case, hydrating those poor little cells of mine) and also provides positive feedback in regards to what you are doing right! ( only .23 kg of fat mass to lose before I am considered ideal!.. if only it were that easy)

As I mentioned, I had the testing done with my chiropractor Vivienne at Chiropaedic. She is someone I see regularly and who I have full faith in when it comes to my health and wellbeing. Vivienne also used the analysis results to further discuss with me my current nutrition and what small changes I could make to better improve my body composition and my overall health.

Vivienne is offering this to 'sydneywellbeing' readers at a discounted price of $60. (usual price $120) Small price to pay I would say for the huge insight and potential gains it can lead to.

To book an appointment contact Chiropaedic
Phone: 9438 2868 or email chiropaedic@bigpond.com

Pyramid training

Pyramid style training overloads the muscle and is a very effective way of working out! The idea is that you start of easy and continue to add exercises until you reach your peak (or your legs start to shake uncontrollably like mine did).

Check out the Bodyrock challenge I completed this week. It was a brutal session but the different style of training motivated me to do the best I could! I only reached the half way point the first time I tried it, so I am determined to complete the whole set on my next attempt!

Workout Breakdown

Time: +/-30min.Workout Type: Time Challenge Exercises: 5

• Round 1 = 10 Get Ups
• Round 2 =Round 1 + 20x Backward Lunge & Sandbag Press
• Round 3 =Round 2 + 20x Sandbag Squat
• Round 4 = Round 3 + 10x Burpees
• Round 5 =Round 4 + 40x One Leg Toe Touch

Instructions:

This workout is like a game. You start with just one exercise and each round you are adding a new one so that in the 5th round you end up doing 5 exercises. Then you reverse the order and start with 5 exercises and work your way down to the first one.

Check out Bodyrock.tv for a full explanation of all the exercises.

Good Luck!

Sandbag training!

For my birthday this year, hubby bought me a fantastic new fitness tool.
THE SANDBAG! One could expect that most girls would turn their noses up at such a  gift and the reaction of my friends was commonly " but what else did he get you... you know, that sparkles?".

Shall I remind you that my favourite pass time is keeping fit! What more could one want, than new equipment, which once filled with chosen weight, can assist you in working all those muscles we thought " un workable".

The sandbag is increasingly used in workouts to challenge the body in agility, strength and stability.  It appears to be the only fitness tool that actually has the weight shift and move,which means your body must work much harder to perform the exercises. Because sandbag training emphasises the whole body, you will find that each one of your workouts burns more calories than your typical workout with weights or cardio machines.

The bag is sold empty, which allows you to fill it with your preferred weights, sand or in my case '1.5L of water, a bike lock, 2 sweet potatoes and a 1kg bag of rice'. It is important to start off with a relativly light bag, to get your body used to working with such an awkward, unstable object. As you become more comfortable with the equipment, you can add more weight.

I had a few great suggestions of sandbag exercises such as shoulder/overhead press, squats and chest press. These were great to start with!

I want to share with you the 'Bodyrock' workout I completed which incorporated my new sandbag! I had such fun using it and am looking forward to my next session.

Check it out
http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/03/10/only-girl-in-the-world-workout/

Triathlon Training...update

27:48  
Time recorded for my Second Biathlon attempt 



Well I didn't quite make my goal time of 27:00 but I did beat my previous score by 1min and 3 seconds.