Working Out While Sick

Last week my world was spinning. I had extreme dizziness and weakness. The doctor thought I had an inner ear infection causing Vertigo. She said I had to rest. No working out, no house work, no driving. Do as little as possible.


I am feeling better now, and am very grateful. Rest is a huge part of an exercise plan whether you are healthy or not. How do you know when to skip a planned workout due to illness?

Some suggestions from a CNN.com Health Minute article :
- It's a myth that you can sweat out germs and toxins.
- Your workout may prolong your illness.
- If you have a fever, don't exercise.
- Don't exercise if you have chest congestion, coughing or shortness of breath.
- Gentle exercise is probably OK if you just have the sniffles or a mild cold.

Wishing you a great workout.

Iron Girl race on NBC Sat July 26th 2:30 EST

I watched a sneak peak of the Aflac Iron Girl Las Vegas Triathlon this morning. The course looks beautiful and challenging. I can't wait to see the broadcast Saturday. It'll be the first time a women's only triathlon will be showcased on NBC. Cool!

If you are curious about triathlon and what it's like, plan on watching.

NBC Saturday July 26 2:30-3:30 EST

Find the sneak preview here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2g5LzUYr_M

Iron Girl’s mission is to empower women toward a healthy lifestyle. Iron Girl began in 2004 with just two events. Now the Iron Girl brand offers ten events nationwide, varying in distance from 5K to duathlon and triathlon.

Looking forward to it!

Where Does Fear Come From?

As a kid, we used to sit on the bottom of the shallow end and look toward the deep end of the pool. We could see where the deeper water switched to dark blue. That's where Jaws lived.

Many years later I swam 2.4 miles in the ocean as part of an Ironman triathlon. At the pre-race meeting, a lot of people wanted to know about sharks. Could there be sharks during the swim? The announcer replied, "well yeah, this is the OCEAN, there could be sharks. But unless there is a school of 200 sharks cruising the course, we'll be OK." No sharks in my swim, but tons of jellyfish.

What scares you about triathlon? Where do those fears come from?

Here are some thoughts about fear in general to get you started.

Move beyond the fear, and try life. It's worth it.

Race Morning Traditions

My husband and I raced at a nearby sprint triathlon last weekend. It was fun to both be racing again.

We have a favorite CD we listen to while driving to the race site. It only has 4 songs, but listening to it is one of our pre-race traditions.

• Alison Krauss "Down to the River to Pray"
• Sixpence None the Richer "Kiss Me"
• Train "Drops of Jupiter"
• Green Day "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

What race week or race morning traditions do you have?

Have a great week.

Save Time in Transition

Recently I raced my first sprint triathlon of the summer. Last summer I was pregnant, so this was my first race back after having our third son. It was a perfect day for racing. Even better, I improved my time at this course. I was thrilled!

My friend Stephanie and I attended a race preview of this course a few weeks before race day. (That's us peeking over the shoulder of a Clydesdale athlete.)

Coach Cindi Bannick runs a series of race previews of the Wisconsin Triathlon Series events. At the clinic we:

• Swam, biked and ran parts of the course,
• Practiced our transitions (swim to bike, bike to run), and
• Talked about race day preparation.

Cindi suggested getting special laces for our shoes to save time in transition. I had seen these before, but hadn't tried them. I bought some after the clinic and now really enjoy them. There are many options out there including:
Yankz!

SpeedLaces

Easy Laces

What works for you?

Have a great workout!

Reverse Crunch, My Favorite Ab Move

This Yahoo Health article claims the bicycle is the most effective ab move.

A San Diego State professor compared 13 common ab moves and determined the bicycle is the most efficient. When you use the bicycle move, you're moving continually, and you work abs and obliques at the same time.

Find more ab resources at these sites:
10 Most Effective Ab exercises
Flat Abs Fast
Celebrity Abs
Best and Worst Ab exercises

My favorite, the reverse crunch, is #7 on the 10 most effective ab list.

Keep moving, it's worth it.

Sports Devotionals

For some inspiration in your training and your faith check out the daily sports-themed devotionals from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In today's e-mail, the author discusses a scene from Chariots of Fire. In it, Eric Liddle explains his passion for running. He tells his sister, "Jenny, you've got to understand. I believe God made me for a purpose—for China—but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Each devotional includes three parts:

• Ready (the scripture),
• Set (a story or example), and
• Go (the application questions).

Check it out. And keep moving!