Train for the 2009 Philadelphia Distance Run!

2009 Philadelphia Distance Run Training Team

Two Feet Off the Ground

Lindsey Schweiger, B.S. Exercise Science

Distance running is not just for the tall, lanky, and swift! Find the sense of personal accomplishment and warmth of community that comes with training for and participating in the Philadelphia Distance Run! Philly’s premier half-marathon starts at Eakins Oval, cuts through Old City and winds along the scenic Schuylkill River on its 13.1-mile journey!

In training for an endurance race like the Philadelphia Distance Run, each of us faces a challenge. For some, ten miles may feel like an insurmountable distance to traverse. For others, it may feel realistic but confused with logistics: When should I run? How fast? What do I wear? What should I eat before? And still others may feel that they are practiced runners who want to improve their performance.

No matter what your hurdle in 2009 - train under the guidance of a running coach with Two Feet Off the Ground! Feel the camaraderie and support of peers as we meet once each week for a "long run" group training. Explore your individual commitment further, following your personalized running program, with runs of shorter duration in between our meetings.

Make a commitment to improving your health and fitness level. Make new friends! Have an experience - though the training process can be tough, it is fun, enlightening, and rewarding.

And the race itself is AWESOME. Sign up!

2009 Philadelphia Distance Run Training Package:

Cost: $125

Includes:

• Ten team trainings - see schedule below


• Personalized running program


• Weekly Motivational Email


• Pre-Race Pasta Party


• 4 x 6 Two Feet off the Ground Team Photo

Does Not Include:

• Philadelphia Distance Run Registration Fee


• Running Singlet with Two Feet Off the Ground Logo - more info coming soon!
  

Friday, July 3rd: Team Happy Hour, 5pm, Location TBA

Sunday, July 5th: Training Run, 9am, Valley Green/Forbidden Drive

Sunday, July 12th: Training Run, 9am, Lloyd Hall

Sunday, July 19th: Training Run, 9am, Lloyd Hall

Sunday, July 26th: Training Run, 9am, Lloyd Hall

Sunday, August 2nd: Training Run, 9am, Lloyd Hall

Sunday, August 9th: Training Run, 9am, Valley Green/Forbidden Drive

Sunday, August 16th: Training Run, 9am, Lloyd Hall

Sunday, August 30th: Training Run, 9am, Valley Green/Forbidden Drive

Sunday, September 6th: Training Run, 9am, Valley Green/Forbidden Drive

Sunday, September 13th: Training Run, 9am, Valley Green/Forbidden Drive

Saturday, September 19th: Pre-Race Pasta Party, 5pm, Coach's house

Sunday, September 20th: Philadelphia Distance Run, 7:45am, Eakins Oval

For more information about Lindsey and OutFit, click here. To sign up or inquire about this program, email lindsey.schweiger@gmail.com.

Be Aware of Calories: Don't Count Them

Please, I urge you: Just say "no" to calorie counting. For one thing, you might drive yourself mad tallying numbers that are often inaccurate and/or estimated. For another, you may start destroying any positive associations (i.e. enjoyment - yes, you are supposed to like eating) you have with food by assigning a number to every blueberry and grain of rice that goes into your mouth. I have yet to meet any calorie-counters with the ability to enjoy eating and healthfully negotiating their weight management efforts. A better idea is to develop a concept of how weight loss/gain occurs in general, and how your particular caloric intake (what you eat) and output (what you do for physical acitivity) patterns are affecting your results.

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of body weight. In order to lose one pound, you must expend, or burn, 3,500 calories. If you consume 3,500 calories in excess of your body's requirements, you will gain one pound.

Most people require about 2,000 calories each day to sustain vital organ function and carry out daily activities like washing dishes, brushing hair, driving, etc. If you are a person requiring 2,000 calories per day and consume 2,000 calories per day, your weight will remain steady. No rocket science there.

Unfortunately, anything that you take in over 2,000 calories will be stored by the body as fat - whether that calorie came from protein, carbs, or fat. So if you've been eating an average of 2,500 calories each day, you will gain one pound over the course of a week: 500 calories/day x 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound. On the flip side, by reducing your caloric intake under 2,000 per day, you can start to lose weight. A daily caloric intake of 1,500 would yield one pound of weight loss over a week's time.

Now on to applying the science of calories without carrying a calculator around...

Consider this common scenario: A woman (or a man) says to me, "Lindsey, I don't understand...I'm working out during the week every day and I watch what I eat. Sometimes I cheat on the weekends when I go out, but overall, I'm working really hard and I'm trying. I've been trying to lose 15 pounds for months and months, but my weight just stays the same."

The first question that arises is:

How do you cheat and to what extent?

This woman may be working very hard the majority of the week but not realize the profound caloric consequences of her cheating patterns. Let's say she goes out every Friday with her friends for Margaritas, and usually has about 3 drinks. Then Sunday she hits a BBQ and has 3 beers. Margaritas run about 350 calories each, beers 200. So she could easily (we all know how easily the drinks go down...) take in over 1,500 calories over the weekend. Assuming her other eating habits stay the same, two weekends of this activity would account for nearly one pound, one month of it for two pounds. I speak with people quite frequently who are eating in a manner that supports weight loss/maintenance most of the time, not realizing how insidious and detrimental their indulgences - even when they are sporadic - may be.

So the second pertinent question is:

How hard do you exercise and does it offset the effects of your cheating?

If this woman is taking in an excess of 1,500 calories per week, she needs to expend that additional 1,500 through exercise to maintain her weight and expend even more if she wishes to lose the 15 pounds. Let's say her workout schedule entails five workouts per week - 2 Elliptical sessions, 2 body sculpting classes, and one yoga class. From the details she offers me, I estimate that she burns about 300 calories/workout, putting her at about 1,500 calories each week. This expenditure would effectively cancel out her calorie consumption from alcohol on the weekends, but it would not be enough to fuel her weight loss efforts.

This is a classic example of the manner by which people tend to underestimate the calories they consume and overestimate the calories they expend. It is not necessarily sound logic to say, "Well, I can have this ice cream because I worked out." You have to ask the questions and be honest with yourself about the answers: How are you cheating and to what extent? How much ice cream are you having - a scoop? A pint? You have no idea? Can these calories likely to be incorporated into your body's daily caloric needs? Or have you worked hard enough through exercise to offset the effect of eating the scoop or pint?

There is no need to account for every calorie you eat each day, but having an educated and honest awareness about your body's energy balance may lead to significant improvement in the decisions you make regarding food and exercise. As my friend and yoga teacher, Corina, frequently reminds us in class, "You can have anything you want; but you can't have everything you want." You can have chocolate, Margaritas, and french fries...but you also have to find balance and moderation in order to comingle these yummy foods with fitness goals. Talk to a trainer or nutritionist who can help you understand more about the calories in your particular food/beverage indulgences, and to what extent they are conflicting with your goals.

www.outfitphilly.com

Summer Smoothies

Don't chuck your nearly-rotten fruit. If you can get to it before the fruit flies do, fill a sandwich bag with fruit that you would otherwise toss - browning bananas, the mango you've been too lazy to cut up all week, blueberries that will mold in your fridge when you head to the beach for the weekend, etc. 

On mornings when you're in a rush, throw a bag into the blender with some OJ and maybe a scoop of yogurt and - Voila! Breakfast is served. 

www.outfitphilly.com.

Check out the New Website!

http://www.outfitphilly.com/

Exercise Common Sense in the Heat

The short-lived season Philadelphians call "Spring" appears to be over. Tomorrow, it's official: summer, with its stagnant humidity and oppressive heat, is here to stay. The high temperatures will certainly have an effect on your body - and will probably slow you down, but they don't have to stop you from exercising outside altogether. Understanding the physiological changes your body undergoes when working out in the heat can help you make smarter and safer decisions about continuing to do it.

When its ultra hot, your body's main concern is cooling itself down, which is does through perspiring. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it cools the body. (Think of the way rubbing alcohol feels cold on the skin as it quickly vaporizes.) Sweat's downside is that it reduces overall blood volume, forcing your heart to pick up its pace in order to do the same amount of work. On a hot day, you might feel your heart rate sky-rocketing for a task that normally feels easy. 

A second method of regulating body temperature lies in blood redistribution. Your body directs more blood to the skin to dissipate heat (this is why your face gets so red), therefore less is available to the working muscles/organs. Reduced blood flow to exercising muscles is another reason why your normal workout intensity may feel compromised. 

That's the nerdy scientific background on exercising in the heat - even Temple couldn't take the geek out me - but here is a user-friendly and practical checklist for how to handle these effects:

• Realize that you are not going to set any records in the heat. If you typically run a 9 minute mile with ease, don't be surprised when it feels nearly impossible on a hot day. Slow down. Respect that your body has a tremendous responsibility to regulate its temperature - your brain doesn't function at 105 degrees!
  
• Avoid exercising when the sun is higher in the sky, between 10am and 4pm. 
  
• Wear synthetic clothing that wicks away sweat. Remember, sweat has to evaporate off of the body in order to cool it. Cotton clothing will soak up sweat and cling to you, leaving no room for this process.
  
• Wear light-colored clothing. White = good. Black and navy = bad.
  
• Stay hydrated. Plan your route around water fountains or carry a water bottle.
  
• Try to stay in shady areas.
  
• Don't be afraid to take breaks!
  

Air Conditioner Deadlift

Ok, ok...I know I'm getting a little carried away here with this whole no-gym-needed concept, but rest assured, I am not suggesting that you do 3 sets of 12 deadlifts with your window unit. It occurred to me though, hauling the A/C upstairs this morning, that it would be pretty easy to injure yourself lifting one of these monsters improperly - or not being strong enough to lift one in the first place. 

So, if you know this job would be better left to someone a little bit burlier, invite said friend over and offer him/her a cocktail in exchange for the lifting and installation. If you are going about this yourself, keep a few things in mind for your own safety:

• Clear the path from the A/C to the window before you pick up the unit.
  
• Squat down to pick up the A/C, keeping your back flat.
  
• Come to a stand the same way you squatted down, with a flat back.
  
• As you come to a stand, keep your abdomen very tight to stabilize your spine. 
  
• Lift with your legs, not your back. The joint angle will change at your knees and hips, but your spine should stay extended throughout the movement. 
  
• Make sure you have someone to help you secure the A/C within the window. 
  

Bar Calisthenics

Muscle Group attendee recently spotted performing late-night couch dips at Pub on Passyunk East. Other possible calisthenic bar adaptations include:

• Bar stool squat jumps
  
• Dart board to pool table shuffle
  
• Break-the-seal squats
  
• Counter top planks
  

3 Breakfast Ideas

Several of my clients have mentioned to me that they either skip breakfast, skimp on it, or eat something that more closely resembles dessert (fyi, you put icing on a muffin and it becomes a cupcake). In each case, it seems that they are not eating enough food to supply adequate energy to the body until lunch time. If you are starving at your desk by 10AM, it's a good sign that you need to reconsider the morning oatmeal packet as a wholesome meal. Here are the main problems I see with what people are eating for breakfast:

• Not eating enough food. A single packet of flavored Quaker Oatmeal has about 140 calories. If you are someone who should be eating 1800 or so calories per day, you're not even eating 10% of the calories you need. 
  
• Lack of Fruits and Vegetables. It is actually possible to diversify your breakfast fruit menu beyond bananas. I promise.
  
• Not enough fat/protein. Fat and protein take longer to digest than carbohydrates (especially simple carbohydrates) so they keep you feeling full longer. 

To address these problems, here are three simple breakfast ideas. Bear in mind here, I am not a nutritionist. I'd be ok with swallowing any of this advice should a more qualified professional challenge any of it. But most of what I'm offering is pretty practical and widely available information. 

1. As pictured, half a bagel (or a slice of toast) with peanut butter and a handful of strawberries. You could substitute any piece of fruit but berries are coming into season:) If you are a more active person, the whole bagel might be more appropriate.
   
2. A 2-egg omelette with spinach and a sprinkle of cheddar, and a piece of toast. Again, you could substitute a different vegetable in the omelette like peppers.
   
3. A smoothie with vanilla yogurt, orange juice and berries/banana. Toss all the ingredients in a blender and pour this in your own to-go cup. I would recommend using a yogurt that is NOT fat-free because this breakfast has no other fat source. Many will contest this I'm sure, but again, you want something that will keep you feeling full until lunch. 
   

Take Time to Recover

I recently read an article about how to tell if you are adequately recovered from an endurance event like a marathon. Most of its content was pretty specific to committed athletes with grueling schedules. While I'm fairly certain most of my readers (if I still have any...I know, one post in May = lame) have more moderate exercise routines, we all have days where we don't feel 100%. On these days, should you push through it or back off and give your body a rest? Here are a few things to consider:

1. If your resting heart rate is elevated above normal, it means that your body's central nervous system is still "on" and you are not fully recovered from your training. If you don't know your resting heart rate, count your pulse in the morning right when you wake up for one minute...preferably not when you've jolted awake to an alarm or started thinking about your to-do list for the day.
2. If you have no idea what your resting heart rate is and you feel extremely sluggish, try a systematic warm-up before your next workout. If you're a runner who can typically run a 9-minute mile comfortably, try jogging for a couple minutes at an 11-minute pace. If the workout feels abnormally hard even at the lower intensity, again, you probably have not fully recovered. For those who lift weights, you could perform a warm-up with 50-75% of your normal load and gauge the difficulty. 
3. Don't forget to factor in the emotional recovery your body needs when you are experiencing stress over relationships, exams, pressure at work, etc. These will all prolong your recovery time. 
   

Not recovered? First off, give yourself a break. I see too many clients and friends who are really hard on themselves when they aren't performing to their own high standards, saying things like, "I don't know why this is so hard," or, "I should be able to do this." You will get back to your ass-kicking workout agenda when your ass is rested!! In the meantime, take a day off if your body feels depleted. (I recommend doing this once/week anyway.) The other option is to use active recovery - easy or light exercise - until you feel rejuvenated. This will facilitate the removal of waste products from the bloodstream. 

Broad Street Run 2008

The Broad Street Run: Where there's always someone faster than you. 

This year, I ran an 8-minute mile and still came in 4,146th overall. Oh, but wait, I came in 1,000-something among women. And 269th among women in my age group. My friend, Dan, said, "Don't worry there's a medal for you...I think it's zinc." Yea, yea. My point is, if you're gonna run Broad Street, you need to have your reasons in order. 'Cause this race dumps you into a land of crazy, swarming, GU-toting, die-hard runners that will whoop your ass, personal trainer or not.

This was the 4th time I've run Broad Street. It's not about crossing the finish line anymore. Here are the reasons I run it:

1. Community. Runners eat GU (essentially liquid tootsie roll). They wake up early on weekends in freezing cold weather to run long. They use Body Glide to prevent nipple-chafing. There is something very settling about standing among a community of 22,000 people, otherwise strangers, who consider this behavior normal.  

2. Spectators. Because I've lived in Philly for my entire life, I typically see a few familiar faces along the course. This year I was cheered on by my childhood best friend, my old roommate, a classmate from high school, and my chaffeur for race day. And that's not to mention how exciting it is to receive the generic fanfare coming through Center City.

3. Fever. I wasn't even going to run this year. I registered about five days before the event. But damn, May rolls around and I get this itching to be cruisin' down Broad Street.

4. Adrenalin. When I go out for a jog, I don't run 8-minute miles, and if I do, it's not necessarily easy. Last Sunday, I was so wired from all the excitement that despite having slept for only 3 hours - long story - I still felt like I had springs in my shoes.

5. Price. The Broad Street Run has all the frills of other distance runs (expo, goodie bags, water stations) but you're only charged for the price of the average 5K - $25 if you're on time.

6. Port-a-Potty Lines. You tell me where else thousands of people are anxious for their turn in a Johnny on the Spot, and I'll register for that event too. 

7. Challenge. For me, the challenge is obviously not to beat any body, or even to finish the race; it's to look up from the pavement once in a while and enjoy the run. 

8. Pictures. This year, there were so many participants that it was a tough job for the photographers to get a decent shot of everyone, unless of course, you knew exactly where they were stationed 'cause you wanted a picture for your blog!!!

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Tuesday night I attended a presentation of four psychologists titled "Body Image Issues for Gays and Lesbians." At the panel, sponsored by the civil rights organization Equality Forum, I learned quite a bit about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) - and its applications to those in and beyond the gay community.

Taken from Wikipedia: "BDD is a mental disorder in which the affected person is excessively concerned about and preoccupied by an imagined or minor defect in his or her physical features. The sufferer may complain of several specific features or a single feature, or a vague feature or general appearance, causing psychological distress that impairs important functioning or social aspects of life."

Panelists used the example of men in the gay community who have a preoccupation with big and lean muscles, one which drives them to spend countless hours in the gym.

Also from Wiki: "Most people wish that they could change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance; but people suffering from BDD, generally of normal or even highly attractive appearance, believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation about their appearance."

Panelist Elan Cohen described many of his male clients with BDD as having "ideal" body types (ripped abs, huge arms and chest, etc) who still believe themselves to be fat. Another therapist, Carly Schulman, mentioned that 90% of her BDD clients - mainly women who believed themselves to be fat - weren't actually overweight.

BDD should not be taken lightly as it seems to go hand-in-hand with depression, OCD, anxiety, and eating disorders. The panelists spoke of the frequent need to medicate clients with BDD.

So how do you recognize this condition? Some signs include:

• Compulsive mirror-checking or obsession with one's reflection


• Reassurance-seeking from loved ones


• Social withdrawal


• Frequent referencing of celebrities the person wishes to resemble


• Obsession with plastic surgery

Two unique signs came from Dr. Petros Levounis, who compared the disease to that of an addicted gambler, and offered the following:

• Someone who makes a promise or an agreement to do (or not do) a certain behavior - i.e. "Today is my day off from the gym." - and then still does it, may be suffering from BDD.


• Someone who lies to his/her family or friends about eating or exercise behaviors may be affected as well.

____________________________________________________

As a trainer, what concerns me is that there seems to be a fine line between encouraging people to take interest in adopting healthy behaviors and feeling proud of their body's resulting physicality, and pushing them to the point where they are obsessed over these habits and their accompanying aesthetics...where things like BDD enter the picture. Unfortunately, our culture likes to emphasize feeling proud about the body more than adopting healthy behaviors. Just think to the widely-accepted "If you got it, flaunt it" mantra. The media feeds us images of men and women with "perfect" bodies in magazines, advertisements, movies, and on TV. And because we dwell on these nicely-packaged finished products, we spend less time exploring and becoming excited about the other part of the equation, which is adopting healthy behaviors.

This leaves me wondering, Is BDD specific to active people who workout in the gym? Or does it occur evenly across populations of those who seek exercise outside the gym (like outdoor runners, bike commuters, or those practicing yoga)? We try to keep the addicted gambler from the casino, the alcoholic out of the bar...should we be trying to keep the person with BDD out of the gym?

Two friends of mine - one a sociologist and the other a psychologist - weren't sure, and agree that I may have stumbled upon a dissertation topic. Yikes!

Any thoughts?

The Spot Reduction Myth

"What exercises can I do for a flatter stomach?"
"How can I get rid of my belly?"

This might be the most common type of question clients and acquaintances ask me. Usually, it's as if they are expecting a one-minute answer and an easy, simple solution. Sorry! There isn't one. No magical crunch variation will make abdominal fat disappear.

As with any body part, you can't "spot reduce," or eliminate fat at one region in particular - i.e. belly, back of the arms, inner thighs, etc. - by simply doing exercises to target that body part. Your body is composed of muscle tissue covered by a layer fat tissue. You cannot turn fat into muscle tissue. Period. It's impossible. You definitely can't put in a few sets of crunches every now and then and expect to turn a pot belly into a 6-pack. Exercises like sit-ups, crunches, and planks will strengthen and grow the abdominal muscles but they still will not appear toned if they are covered with a layer of fat tissue.

Reducing fat at a particular body part requires reducing fat on the body overall. This can be done most efficiently with a combination of:

1) Strength-training. Perform exercises for the entire body. Choose exercises that have a core stability component (typically for these your feet will be on the ground) over those that don't: squat over leg press, push-up over lying chest press, pull-up over lat pulldown. This way your abs are at work all the time. Include ab-specific exercises but don't obsess over them. Spend about 10 minutes three times per week doing abdominal exercises that fatigue your muscles in 45-60 seconds. PS - The people who say they do 1,000 crunches are foolish. First of all, I would LOVE to see anyone do 1,000 crunches with correct form. And second of all, you'd still have to figure out a way to reduce body fat for those PHENOMENAL abs to rip through...

2) Cardiovascular exercise. Make sure you are regularly doing some form of exercise that elevates your heart rate and keeps it elevated - i.e. walking, running, biking, boot camps, etc.

3) Balanced caloric consumption. If you are taking in more calories than you are expending, your body stores those extra calories as fat. Most people I talk to know exactly what they are eating that is causing weight gain or delaying weight loss. They are simply not making any changes. You don't need to count points or go on a cleansing cocktail fast to moderately adjust your areas of indulgence. You might reduce your portions, avoid processed foods, eat more fruits and vegetables, stop buying takeout, stop going back for seconds, cut down on soda and sweetened beverages, limit fried foods, or - horror of horrors - reduce alcohol consumption (No!).

Get the idea?

It's a commitment.

If it were easy, more people would be running around with rock hard abs.

April Book Review: My Depression

About four months ago, I started seeing a therapist for depression. I put it off longer than I probably should have because I thought myself to be far more emotionally superior to those who had experienced trauma or sexual abuse or personality disorders. Those were the people who needed help. I just needed to get over it. 

To look at my life on paper, things were going great. Making decent money? Check. Great partner? Check. Exciting friends? Check. Supportive family? Check. 

But when acquaintances casually asked me, "Hey, Linds, how's it going?" I felt disgusted with myself when I fired back automatically with, "I'm great. How are you?" or "Hangin' in." The truth is that I felt unstimulated, dragging myself through most days, unable to account for the funk that I was in, and hating myself for not being able to break through it. As it got worse, I cried myself to sleep on many evenings, not knowing how to accept comfort from others. I felt lonely and isolated. After nearly breaking down at work one day, terrified to teach a class for fear that I wouldn't be able to hold it together, I finally realized that maybe it wasn't such a stretch after all for me to talk to someone about the way I was feeling. 

I didn't intend for this post to be about me, only to relay how relevant a book like My Depression has been to me, someone who seems so "buttoned-up" (a phrase someone actually used to describe me recently!) on the outside yet often feels a lack of control inside.  

Elizabeth Swados, a well-accomplished musician and writer, shares the intimate story of her own depression using a children's book format in My Depression. With simple illustrations and humorous captions, Swados takes us on a 20-minute journey down into her "black hole" and out again. We learn what triggers a depression, how it feels to spiral downward, what it feels like to be in it, and the slow process of climbing out. While many people suffering from depression may relate directly to the feelings expressed in the book, others may gain insight into the lives of affected friends and family members. I learned about the book through my friend, Dan, a psychologist who uses the book to help clients, and their loved ones, connect to and understand the condition. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in taking a closer look at this disease in a refreshingly non-clinical way. 

March Book Review: Strength Training Anatomy

February Book Review: In Defense of Food

January Book Review: Mindless Eating

Take a Walk. Eat Gelato.

The forecast for Thursday afternoon is 70 degrees and sunny. Catch spring fever: park your car on the edge of the city, walk to Capogiro, and eat the best tasting gelato EVER.

Capogiro, with two locations in Philly (13th and Sansom; 20th and Sansom), is a family-owned gelato producer devoted to using seasonal ingredients and milk from local, grass-fed and hormone-free cows.

I know, you're thinking, But isn't that fattening? Why is a trainer telling me to eat ice cream? Gelato, the Italian version of ice cream, actually has half the fat and half the calories of ice cream. It is a denser dessert, containing less air, so more of its flavor reaches the palate. When I go, I order a small (portion control - holla!). It will look kiddie-sized, but I promise, it is more than enough.

Plus, I am advocating that you walk. If you park in Fairmount near the Art Museum or on one of the Schuylkill River bridges in West Philly (where you'll find parking more easily than in the heart of the city), it will take you a 15-20 minute walk to arrive at Capogiro. By the time you walk back to the car, you'll have expended the calories you just enjoyed consuming.

And if that's not enough convincing, Capogiro will let you sample the flavors until you find the one or two you like best.

Join the Yogurt Brigade!

We are about to collect LOTS of yogurt cups.

And save the environment.

And donate to a local non-profit.

No, forreal though. 

I just signed up to collect Stonyfield yogurt cups as part of the Yogurt Brigade, a pilot program run through a hip new eco-friendly company called Terracycle. As explained on the website, Terracycle aims to recycle the yogurt cups into planting pots: 

"Every year millions of yogurt containers end up in garbage and landfills. Stonyfield Farm, the organic food leader and environmental pioneer, is partnering with Terracycle in a pilot program aimed at collecting used yogurt containers and reusing them as planting pots. TerraCycle will then sell planting pots to large retailers who currently use black plastic planting pots, millions of which are discarded by consumers every year."

Even cooler than turning trash into usable stuff? Terracycle will donate 2 cents for every 6 oz yogurt cup and 5 cents for every 32-ouncer to Back On My Feet (my non-profit of choice). For more info on BOMF, click here to check out my blog post or visit their website at: www.backonmyfeet.org. 

What you can do: Save your Stonyfield yogurt cups!! Stack them in your basement or in a closet or right by the trash can so you don't forget to throw them away. If you know me and see me, you can hand them off at any point. Over the next couple weeks, I will be working on putting together drop off points and will make rounds periodically through the city to collect! 

Email me at lindsey.schweiger@gmail.com if you will be saving your yogurt cups so I can keep you posted on collections. Spread the word by guiding your friends, family, and co-workers to this post! 

Different Types of Pull-Ups

Cathy posted a comment on the last post, wondering about the different types of pull-up grips. She asked how they vary with regards to muscles targeted and level of difficulty.

Any pull-up variation will involve contraction of the back mucles (mainly the latissimus dorsi, or lats - these are the muscles that offer a V-taper to one's back when well-developed) and biceps. When you take a wide-grip on a pullbar, you are relying on your back muscles to do almost all of the work, placing your biceps in a position where they aren't able to assist the movement efficiently. Without the help of your arms, the wide-grip pull-up is the most challenging variation, and intensely targets the back.

As you narrow your grip, bringing the hands in to shoulder width, to a neutral grip (hands facing each other), or to a chin-up grip (hands facing you, supinated), you are increasing the help/activation of the biceps in the order listed. By recruiting the help of the arms, you are increasing your ability to perform more repetitions. As you move your hands in, the pull-up will feel less challenging overall, though you may feel more of a burn in your biceps.

March Book Review: Strength Training Anatomy

Strength Training Anatomy

Frederic Delavier

Despite the meathead-looking dude on the front cover, this is my favorite strength-training reference book for men and women alike. Inside you'll find over 100 exercises broken down by body part: 21 for arms, 17 for shoulders, 14 chest, 20 back, 18 legs, 10 buttocks and 15 abdomen. 

Usually when people learn exercises for a certain muscle group, they learn one or two moves tops. If I were teaching someone chest exercises, I might show him/her a Bench Press and a Dumbbell Fly. But soon, these two exercises may become boring. Delavier's book provides such a thorough listing of exercises for each body part that even a well-versed body builder could probably find at least one fresh idea for a workout. 

Not only does Strength Training offer pages of exercises, it also explains variations on those exercises where appropriate. For example, when performing a Triceps Push-down on the cable, what's the difference between using a bar or the rope as an attachment? How does a push-up change when you narrow the stance of your hands? When lunging, does it make a difference if you take a big step or a small one? These peripheral questions are addressed alongside the main exercise. As further side notes, Delavier covers common errors in form (i.e. rounding the back while squatting) in addition to common weight-lifting injuries. 

The illustrations are phenomenal. Paging through, you may feel like you are reading a book specifically for body builders. Admittedly, there are some thick guys and gals pictured. But most importantly, the visual connection of the muscle group working during a given exercise is well-depicted. I was happy to see that men and women were used as models, perhaps helping to dispel the myth about females "bulking up" from strength training. Although, it didn't seem like a coincidence that the Buttocks, Legs and Abdominal sections were female dominated, while the upper body sections were shown using all male models. Hmmmm...too many sociology classes in college maybe...

One final thought...the publisher of Strength Training, Human Kinetics, is a great resource for exercise-related reading. My exercise physiology text from college came through them, in addition to other selections on my bookshelf like Lore of Running, Jumping Into Plyometrics, Strength Ball Training, and Yoga Anatomy. If you end up browsing a store like Borders for a book, I'd recommend checking the spine for the Human Kinetics logo or shopping directly from their website: www.humankinetics.com. 

February Book Review: In Defense of Food

January Book Review: Mindless Eating

Boom!

Yesterday at Muscle Group, I made the mistake of saying, "Boom!" as my foot touched down to demonstrate the pictured side step-up. I had to endure a wall full of people mocking me for 30 seconds, shouting, "Boom! Boom! Boom!" as they stepped.

Even though we lost a few expected attendees to Hillary Clinton's appearance at Temple, we kicked off the spring workout season with a strong effort. Shout-outs to Cathy, Emily, John Adams, Angie and the Dans.

Go Vertical

This weekend was all about fitness outside the gym...but inside the rock gym. I went climbing once when I was about 12. My mom and I went to Philly Rock Gym in King of Prussia, where she did little climbing but spent the day as my belayer. This time, my BFF, Dan, and I went to Go Vertical on Delaware Avenue to frolic away a Friday afternoon that we both did not have to work. 

On the way, Dan asked me, "Linds, I've known you for 5 years...why are we just now going rock climbing?" I couldn't say, other than the fact that I needed to change things up even if it was only for a day. In the world of strength training, we tend to move in patterns. Someone who asks, "Am I doing this right?" is asking whether or not they are following the correct movement pattern for that exercise. That's all fine and dandy, but going through the motions can get boring. Rock climbing seemed like a fun way to explore creative movement patterns but stay within the realm of muscular strength and endurance. 

So here's the scoop on indoor rock climbing...

Very fun. Go with one of your friends and you are sure to have a laugh about how ridiculous s/he looks in a harness, you will learn to trust other each even more as your partner is protecting you from going Kersplat! on the gym floor when you lose your grip, and you will feel like Spiderman scaling the walls and hanging from ropes. 

Not very cheap. This sport is not for the poor or inexperienced, to do regularly anyway. We went during off-peak hours so our day pass rate was reduced from $17 to $14. Oh, but wait. Then we had to pay $10 each for equipment rental, and since we needed a 20-minute belaying lesson, that was another $20-something each. Then we found out we could get 2 additional day passes if we paid an extra $12 for the 2-hour belaying lesson. What? But we did it. When Dan looked at the website and saw the day pass rate, he thought we'd be paying $14 each. Turned out it was $65 each. Woops! (Of course, if you became invested in your climbing habit, you could buy your own gear and take part in Go Vertical's membership options. Plus, you only need to take a belaying lesson once.)

Very challenging. My forearms were so pumped after scaling a few walls - and attempting a few others - that I chuckled thinking of weight lifters who actually train their forearms! There are different routes up the wall, each labeled with colored tape to show the specific course, and each denoting a certain rating of difficulty: 4 being doable for Dan and Linds, 12 being the most challenging and unthinkable for Dan and Linds. As amateur climbers, we had varying success within levels 4-6. I found that when I got stuck somewhere, I wasted a lot of time hanging out, growing tired, and trying to figure out what to do next whereas, as we saw on our return trip Sunday (with our freebie passes!), the more experienced climbers seem to conserve their energy by gripping the rocks less urgently, pausing when appropriate, and moving faster at challenging points in the course. 

A little scary. The first time you climb and the first time you belay will probably be a little scary, if not very scary. Trust that your instructor knows what s/he is doing and won't let you try anything stupid. Plus, once you see how easy it is to be the belayer, you will start to feel much more confident as a climber. Still, we both made it to the top of walls that were about 5-6 stories high and couldn't wait to be lowered to the ground from such a height.

A little time consuming. They recommend making a belaying appointment for first timers which can take 20 minutes or 2 hours. Even if you know how to belay, they are probably going to ask that you show them your skills, which may take 20-30 minutes to get someone's attention. Then you are free to climb for the day so it really depends on how quickly your body recovers. Dan and I spent 3 hours the first day and 2 the second. 

A little intimidating. When we went on Sunday, the climbing subculture had emerged from their day jobs. We kind of felt like tools in our "Go Vertical" harnesses and smelly rental shoes, having trouble navigating the level 5 courses with all the experienced folks blazing up the wall. So we encountered a few why-are-you-on-my-wall?-you-stink looks, but there were plenty of down-to-earth climbers, happy to see new people trying the sport, who instilled a sense of belonging. 

Shiver by the River

A few folks in Reading, PA must have been looking for fitness outside the gym - in the dead of winter - when they started Shiver by the River, a "no frills" winter race series. Once a month, from December through March, 400 or so runners take to the 5K course that winds through a residential Reading neighborhood and then shoots back down along the Schuylkill River. Participants have the option of doing the loop once for the 5K or twice for the 10K.

Last Sunday, I was part of two mother-daughter combinations running the 10K. My mom, Cathy, and I drove in from Philly to meet Clare and her daughter, Liz. Everyone except for me is currently training for the Broad Street Run, and after seeing how strong everyone ran the Shiver, I am optimistic that Broad Street will yield similar results, if not better.

Clare's number is posted as she was the catalyst for the Broad Street training process that landed us all in Reading for a 10K trial of sorts. After running the 10-miler over a decade ago, Clare has returned to running with aspirations to complete it once again. Her daughter, Liz, has recently taken up running pretty seriously as a high school senior and I believe Shiver by the River was her first race ever. Shout-outs for Liz - very cool. And as for Cathy, she is looking to place in her age group (60-64) this year at Broad Street. (Note to Mom: If there is prize money, remember who came to Reading with you!)

But back to Shiver on the River, this is definitely a race I would come back to. It was $8 to register, or $25 for the series. There were heated bathrooms with sinks (no port-a-potties) and really nice volunteers. Handfuls of M&Ms and goldfish are waiting for you at the finish. And it's a good excuse to spend time with your family.