Should I Rest or Should I Workout?

Just read the most interesting article in the NY Times about how lack of sleep can cause weight gain. Maybe this is the answer to the question, "Should I rest or should I workout?"
Read this now!

A Current UVAC Shed & Shredder's Untold Story..

By Garrett Wilson, ACSM CPT & UVAC Personal Trainer

Sue Buckholz is a UVAC member, and is also one of my clients and Shed & Shred participants. Through all of her hard work, dedication, and sweat she has lost more than 30lbs. This article featured in ESPN magazine speaks about her and her teammates' hard work and dedication as members of the Woman's Yale Crew team.
Click on the link to view this amazing story.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/title-ix/7985418/espn-magazine-1976-protest-helped-define-title-ix-movement

Going Paleo: Eating What We Are Meant To

My name is Heather Graham, I’m 22, and I work at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in the marketing department.  When I started working at UVAC, I was surrounded by people who were healthy or becoming healthy and seeing the positive changes in their lives.   Being from a family whose genetics are more of the ‘heavy-set’ type and always being of an ‘average’ type body myself, I decided it was time to make a change.

I started small by just working out in the gym a little bit, and eventually moved into personal training with the wonderful Katherine MacPhearson.  When I had my first PT session, I realized just how much weight I had put on.  I was 5’7 and 173 pounds; needless to say the freshman 15 in college was more like a freshman 30 for me.   Katherine suggested I try the Myfitnesspal app along with exercise to increase my weight loss.

So, I tried it and I became way too obsessed.  All I would talk about is calories, and it would drive not only me, but my boyfriend crazy!  I stopped Myfitnesspal, and tried to eat healthy on my own.  

It was not going the way I wanted, and I became pretty discouraged because I could not find a solution that would work (I should mention I also do not have internet at home, so online trackers and programs were no help).  One day, Katherine started talking about this diet called Paleo or the ‘Caveman Diet.’   That day I went home and talked to my boyfriend, Chris about it and he was saying how he had heard of it from a co-worker as well.

The next time we were in town, Chris said let’s go to the bookstore and get some healthy cookbooks.  We bought our first Paleo cookbooks on February 2^nd, and have been Paleo eaters ever since (with a few cheat days of course).

Me BEFORE Paleo

So what is Paleo?  Paleo is a lifestyle of eating that cuts out all the processed and icky junk that we are putting into our bodies, and leaves us with ‘what we were meant to eat.’

Paleo cuts out grains, dairy, soy, legumes, items with added sugar, processed items, and items that have a ton of chemicals.  It encourages you to eat as much natural, raw, grass-fed, and organic foods as possible, and the biggest portion of what you eat should be vegetables and meats.  The best part of the diet is that I do not have to worry about counting as intensely as I did before!  Paleo does give you some guidelines of portions and encourages moderation like most diets, but because you are eating the fats and sugars that are easier for your body to naturally digest and cutting out the junk, counting becomes a little less important. (If you are on Paleo and not seeing the results you want/can’t control your portions, you can still count of course).

This is an example of how the Paleo food pyramid looks.  Notice dairy must be raw if consumed. You will find coconut to be the perfect food/oil/milk/sweetener for Paleo. Also, raw honey is a great sweetener in moderation, and spices are awesome!

Me AFTER Paleo: Ten Pounds Lighter

So does it work?  So far I have lost about 10 pounds in a little over a month, and my boyfriend has lost 20 pounds (darn those boys).  That’s the most weight I have ever lost on a diet, and I still eat plenty of food (a.k.a I don’t feel like I am starving 24/7).  Paleo has encouraged me to keep going, and I am happier and proud of myself which is the best feeling ever.

I encourage everyone to try the challenge to go Paleo, whether you take it on full swing (all Paleo, all the time), a medium amount (like a whole30 challenge of 30 days of complete Paleo), or just a little (85% Paleo 15% regular diet) whatever you choose, just try it!  I will warn you that the first week is the hardest, but with Paleo and regular exercise (I try to do at least a hour 4 times a week if not more, but my boyfriend usually does not do any) you should see some results that will make you smile, and when your smiling you’re the prettiest you can be inside and out (handsome for those guys out there)!

Visit these links for more info:

www.Paleomg.com

www.Swisspaleo.com

www.blogger.com/purelypaleo (my blog)

You can find many more online too, just google Paleo!

Cookbooks Owned:

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Paleo

Everyday Paleo: Family Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso

Learning to Love and Respect the Water in Early Childhood: The Many Benefits of a Parent and Me Class

Author Karen Cox teaching a Parent and Me class

Parents often enroll in a Parent and Me class desiring to start their child off with an early appreciation of the water.  Some parents are looking to gain strategies for working with their child in the water, while others know they have never mastered feeling comfortable in the water themselves and specifically don't want to pass their discomfort along to their children.  As a Parent and Me swim coach, I believe all of these goals can be met!  

The Parent and Me classes at UVAC are for children 6 months to 3 years accompanied by a parent or care giver as their primary teacher in the water.  The first half of each class is designed to be welcoming and fun.  Through ball play and songs, children are learning to engage in a group lesson, to share and to learn from others.  Embedded in the songs are body movements that will aid in the child's swimming progress.  The songs provide a developmentally appropriate structure for the children, which in turn helps them to relax and actively participate in the lesson.  This predictable structure helps the child feel secure and successful in the midst of the splashy unknown randomness of the water environment.  Most importantly, the child and parent are learning to have a trusting relationship in the water together.  This bonding is essential for the child's progress.  The child is taking their cues from the parent!  The parent is looking for opportunities to challenge the child, progressing them in their journey of learning to swim.  

During the second half of each class we work on developing a skill set together.  I think of this as a bag of tricks for each parent.  Incidentally, these are the same skill sets I would use while teaching an older child to swim.  The difference is found in the amount of physical support a child needs.  The joy in the Parent and Me class is that we get to start these little ones early!  Learning to back float (essential safety skill), to put one's face in the water, air exchange (take a breath, exhaling in the water), to kick (building muscle memory for proper technique) and to glide from the wall and learning to return to the wall for safety… All these skills go into the parent's bag of tricks.  

The key is to understand each child is on their own continuum.  The job of the parent is to develop their own understanding of each skill and then to read their child in such a way, that through lots of practice, they can encourage and coach their child to take that next challenge.  An example of this would be to start a back float with a child's head resting on your shoulder, then switching the support to their head resting on your hand, then progressing to a hand supporting their back...you get the idea!

Does this happen over night?  No!  But if you provide plenty of positive exposure to swimming, your child will learn to swim!  Keep in mind each parent/child partnership has their own personality and learning style.  Some children are by personality greater risk takers, others are more reserved.  The same holds true for parents.  Start where you feel comfortable and little by little try to push the envelope.  Keep it fun!  Sense your child's tolerance level. Stay engaged and enthusiastic. The beauty of the group lesson is that children do pick up on what other children are trying and then they try too!  Many parent/child couples come to 3,4 or 5 sessions, some even more!  The songs stay the same but the child progresses!  

Join me in the pool!  

Swimmingly! ~ Coach Karen   

A tip from a UVAC Personal Trainer

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

Many clients of mine including myself find it a real challenge each week to whip out delicious and nutritious breakfasts, lunch, and dinners for ourselves and our families.  Here is a tip that will make your life easier by giving you more time during the week, and a happier stomach.

THE TIP….PLAN OUT AND PREP OUT YOUR MEALS!

Above is my Sunday Prep Out.  I made all my salads, cut up fruit, separated the trail mix, and even made a chili!

 

Every Sunday afternoon will find me at my dining room table doing ONE thing.  Planning out my weeks’ worth of food.  Here is how to do it: For starters, all you need is a little bit of free time and lots of Tupperware.

PLAN OUT:

·         Get two sheets of blank paper.  One for your “shopping list” and the other to “list your recipes and mark where they came from” (example: Turkey Meat Balls; Paleo Cook Book, page 27)

·         Choose 3-5 major dinner meals & add all the ingredients to your shopping list

·         Choose your lunch themes:  add ingredients to your shopping list

Perhaps…

o    veggie salads with a hard boiled egg

o   Turkey slice roll-up

o   Fruit

o   Trail mix

·         At your convenience go to the food store.  When you return its PREP OUT TIME!

PREP OUT:

·         Be ready to donate 1-2 hours of cooking/prepping… (I know that’s a long time, but this will make prep time and cook time that much faster during the week.)

·         Pre-make salads (don’t forget to boil your eggs!)

·         Pre wrap trail mix and other snacks into serving sizes (the easier for you to grab on the go)

·         Prep out veggies for lunch and dinners by cutting them and properly storing from (the easier for you to whip out that awesome dinner!)

·         BAM you’re ready for an easy week! I encourage you try this.  

Developmental Squad: The first stage of swim team.

Developmental Squad:  The first stage of swim team.

By: Signe Linville, Head Age Group Coach and ASCA Level 2

I am writing to tell you a little about what we are doing during practice with the younger squads.  I hope this helps you understand more about what goes on in the pool.

In the Developmental Squad, the children are not only learning about competitive swimming technique, but also about their teammates, the sport, their kinesthetic abilities and swim-specific lingo. Most of all they are learning to feel confident in the pool and proud of the work that they do each day. 

We begin each practice with a team meeting, during which we ask swimmers to say their name and shares their favorite “something”.  Each day we choose a new topic for our "favorites", ranging from our favorite book to our favorite type of apple.  By the way, I was amazed by how many UVAC Developmental kids could name several different types of apples.  This team-building activity is a very important exercise, and I am very proud to say we have encouraged every child, shy or not, to be comfortable standing up tall saying his or her name and favorite "something".   Once we are finished with our meeting, the children head to their lanes.  Each practice is written carefully with a specific goal in mind.  For the benefit of our swimmers, we have divided the Developmental Squad into three different workout groups.  Each child is carefully placed in a group according to his or her technical ability and developmental level.  

During the fall, we started with two weeks of Freestyle and two weeks of Backstroke.  The coaches look to see who has natural body balance and feel for the water.  After the initial four weeks, swimmers who demonstrate some proficiency in the two long-axis strokes then begin to learn the short-axis strokes: Breaststroke and Butterfly.  Each stroke is taught in a progressive manner, allowing swimmers to build new skills on those previously learned.  This is why it might look like we are doing a lot of the same thing.  We give priority to teaching foundational skills and developing excellent stroke technique not to swimming "garbage" yardage (yards for the sake of yards).  We are firm believers that it is very important to have a strong stroke foundation upon which to build fast, happy swimmers.  Our goal is that each child swims each stroke correctly.  This will give them confidence in practice and races and will help lower the rate of injuries; especially as they get older and start to add substantial yardage. 

Swimming is an extremely difficult sport to master.  To optimize the learning environment, we try to minimize distractions. During Developmental practices we turn the radio off to minimize external noise and our group swims at the far side of the pool, away from the leisure pool which is so interesting and WAY too much fun.  Another benefit of practicing on the far side is that parents may now watch their swimmers from the stands. It is common practice in many swim clubs throughout the country to not allow parents to watch practice because Moms and Dads can potentially be a significant visual distraction. We welcome you to enjoy watching your kids move through the water and we ask that you allow them to put all their focus on us during practice.  We have your kids, at most, for 45 minutes, 3 times a week after a long day at school.  We want to use every bit of time with them for learning this wonderful sport.  We are not trying to just create fast swimmers; we are helping to develop outstanding young people with great self-confidence, strong values and ZEST for life.

Open Discussion: What is your training style and why do YOU love it?

Moving into the new year it is extremely motivating to discover your training style.  As we all have New Year resolutions or goals to drive toward, finding your consistency is key to your fitness success.

So...What works for you, and why?

Here is a few ideas.....

Group Fitness Classes: In a group setting you can really get encouraged!

Personal Training: One on one training targets YOU and all the things YOU may be needing.

Weight Loss Programs: Getting inspired to loseweight the right way isn't easy, but it's worth it!

TRX Training: Suspension Training truely works the core and helps with balance.  You'll love becoming stronger with body weight training.

 

 

What is your training style and why do YOU love it? Let Us Know!

 

Blog written by Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer