Water and Your Body

As a personal trainer I am frequently asked about the importance of water and hydration. Next to breathing, drinking water is the most important thing you can do for your body. You can go many days without food, but only a couple without water.

The absolute best thing you can do for your overall health is to drink water regularly. Every single function of the body requires water. Many aches and pains show up simply because of dehydration. The human body has a hierarchy for how it uses water and if dehydrated will draw water away from the extremities to give to the vital organs and bloodstream. After all, the body does not need fully functioning knees and elbows as much as it needs a functioning liver and heart.

A simple guideline is half your body weight in pounds; try to drink that number in ounces of water each day. If you weight 150, then try to get in 75 ounces of water per day. I weigh around 185 pounds and aim for 4 liters a day (1 to 1.5 liters of that is taken in during my daily workouts). Also remember, drinking too much water without sufficient salt is not good. Consider this; the very first thing they give you in a hospital, almost regardless of WHAT you’re there for, is an IV saline drip of .9 percent salt. They do that for a reason. Depending on the size of your bottle, add one or two pinches of unrefined sea salt. The darker and more off colored the salt, the better. I would highly recommend staying away from the common processed white table salt as it has far fewer benefits and DO NOT OVER DO the amount of salt, especially if you have blood pressure issues, as it can be harmful to your health. If you still think salt isn’t that important,

Keep hydrated and stay healthy.

-By guest blogger Troy Linder

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN OPINION! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your diet ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician! 

Please Rewind

In a world where consumerism is king, it’s easy to get caught up in all things superficial and believe that buying fancy, expensive things creates happiness, so let’s rewind; remember childhood and how it really didn’t take much to make you happy back in the day? Well, as an exercise, I decided to try a few fun activities that used to put a smile on my face and you know what … they made me really happy!

Here are some random, simple, little things that you can do with your friends or better yet, if you’re a parent, with your child(ren), to bring back those good times and you wont be breaking the bank!

1. Watch The Little Mermaid (my fave) or any other great kid flick (if you’re a parent this doesn’t mean catching glimpses here and there as you pass from the home office to the kitchen! SIT DOWN and watch it!).

2. Build a fort (or a tree-house if you’re feeling ambitious).

3. Make pb&j sandwiches. YUMMY.

4. Make friendship bracelets. Once you start making them, you’ll really be surprised by who asks you for one.

5. Re-arrange and decorate your bedroom. Let’s face it; it’s just as fun now as it was then.

6. Play capture-the-flag. Put your game-face on for some serious fun.

7. Run relay races (avoid hospital trips for stitches if possible).

8. Dress-Up Tea Parties. You can really get crazy with this one!

9. Eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Lucky Charms. You’re an adult now and your parents can’t tell you no.

10. Bake a chocolate cake. Right after you put it in the oven don’t forget to lick the bowl clean, it’s the best part!

-By guest blogger Caroline Stilwell Burckle 

Intermediate Swim Workout

WARM-UP

• 300 swim

• 200 kick

• 200 pull

WORKOUT

4x: (1 round of each stroke)

• 6x50 (2 kick/2 drill/2 swim) 1:00

1x:

• 4x100 kick (no board) 2:00

• 4x100 kick (with board) 2:00

4x: (descend rounds 1-4)

• 25 swim mix up strokes :30

• 50 swim mix up strokes :45

• 75 swim mix up strokes 1:10

• 100 swim mix up strokes 1:45

WARM-DOWN

• 300 easy

TOTAL: 4,000 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

-Amanda

 

Mommy Style

Next up in mommy fashion we head to J. Crew! (Or J.Crew online for the added convenience.) The chosen item is the woman’s “Boy Shirt” in Indian voile (that’s cotton!), specifically in bright emerald because it’s a universally flattering color that will carry you through into spring.

The shirt is a lightweight button down oxford with sleeves you can roll up or leave down. It’s in their classic men’s shape but with seams at the bust to keep it ladylike and fitted which is perfect for when you’re looking for comfort but don’t actually want to borrow a man’s clothing.

The shirt is sophisticated enough to wear in a formal or business situation, but since it’s a lightweight cotton it’s also an easy fit at home. Tuck it in, belt it, or leave it unbuttoned with a tank for an even more casual experience. It won’t feel stiff when you bend your arms like a traditional button down can, think more like a comfy flannel but half the weight.

It’s available in numerical sizes 00-16 and in a couple other jewel tone colors. Supposedly they run a bit large so don’t leave too much room for growth/movement, or whatever else you need space for in there. At $69.50, it’s a reasonable way to add a go-to staple to your day-to-day collection.

-By guest blogger Kate Ferguson

Novice Swim Workout

WARM-UP

• 200 swim

• 100 kick

• 100 pull

WORKOUT

• 200 kick (each 50 gets faster) 4:00

• 2x100 kick (second 100 faster than the first) 2:00

• 2x50 kick (second 50 faster than the first) 1:00

• 100 easy

• 8x50 (25 drill/25 swim) 1:00

• 8x25 (20 yards fast/5 yards easy) :45

WARM-DOWN

• 200 easy

TOTAL: 1,800 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

-Amanda

Dry Workout

BEFORE JUMPING IN THE POOL:

1x:

• 50 crunches

3x:

• 10 burpees

• 20 walking lunges

• 10 sit-ups

1x:

• 50 crunches

3x:

• 1 minute elbow (prone) bridge

• 8 v sit-ups

1x:

• 50 crunches

3x:

• 8 push-ups

• 6 pull-ups

1x:

• 50 crunches

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

-Amanda

Advanced Swim Workout

WARM-UP

• 400 swim

• 400 kick

• 400 pull

WORKOUT

1x:

• 10x100 (25 kick/25 drill/50 swim) 1:30

6X:

• 4x25 fast :20

• 2x50 fast :45

• 100 easy 2:00

1X:

• 4x200 pull (50 free/50 breast) 2:45

• 16x25 (1 easy/1 no breath) :45

WARM-DOWN

• 300 easy

TOTAL: 5,500 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Kimbra In My Ears

It may seem like I'm slacking this week by posting just one artist's work but in Kimbra's case it's because she deserves the attention.

Her standout songs to me are the live version of Plain Gold Ring and the studio version of Settle Down.

I'll be very surprised if Kimbra doesn't tear up the charts with her next album.

Settle Down - Kimbra - Vows (Deluxe Version) - LP

Limbo - Kimbra - Vows (Deluxe Version) - LP

Plain Gold Ring (Live At Sing Sing) - Kimbra - Settle Down - EP 

Cameo Lover - Kimbra - Vows (Deluxe Version) - LP

Shanghai Flashback

View From the Bund

Here's a shot from my trip last summer to Shanghai. It is an incredibly interesting city that is home to some of the most interesting architecture in the world.

Favorite Pre-Workout Snack

I often wake up and have a hard time putting anything in my stomach before a workout, especially if it's early. While this can be good practice once a week to teach your body that it's ok to use an alternate energy source, it's definitely not good to do every day or even most days.  Recently, I've found a solution that's healthy, fills me up and is a great fuel source; Manna Bread.

"What is Manna bread? It is a cake-like, sprouted bread, yeast free bread, organic bread, free of salt, no oils, no sweeteners, no leavening agents. Manna is a moist and delicious, high in protein and fiber. Available in 9 delicious flavors in your favorite health food store, and most Whole Foods markets, in the USA and Canada..."

Now as moist and flavorful as Manna bread is, I like to spread a little Artisan Coconut Butter (or almond butter or bananas) on top to help liven it up from something I need to eat to something I want to eat.

Warning: The combination of Manna bread and cocunut butter is really, really ridiculously good (in my humble opinion) and can be very addictive! Try not to eat too much. I find one to two slices, depending on how big the slices are, is usually plenty especially if you are adding other foods to your meal.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. When making any changes to your diet you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!

Intermediate Swim Workout

WARM-UP

• 300 swim

• 200 kick

• 200 pull

WORKOUT

• 20x100 (50 kick/50 swim) 1:45

• 3x100 swim 1:20

• 3x100 swim 1:15

• 3x100 swim 1:10

• 16x25 (4 of each stroke) :40

WARM DOWN

• 300 easy

TOTAL: 4,300 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Wakatobi

Island In the Banda Sea I was just thinking today about where to vacation after this summer and came across this picture of the resort where Sacha and I were married. If you ever get a chance to visit Wakatobi you definitely won't be sorry … truly the most beautiful place I've ever been.