COACH CYNDEE

You're watching your calories, carbs, fat, but you're still not losing weight.  Unfortunately there are so many factors that could be causing you to stagnate in your weight loss efforts.  Today I want to talk about two elements that people seem to forget about when they want to lose weight.  The two things I want to discuss today are your water intake and fiber intake.   Let's talk about fiber first: It is recommended to eat between 25-35 grams of fiber a day from a food source not a supplement source.  It is typically recommended for men to eat more than women.  Here are some of the major benefits of eating fiber:   Reduced risk for heart disease  Helps maintain good bowel health Aids in achieving a healthy body weight Helps control blood sugar levels Reduced risk for colon cancer Lose weight and maintain weight Healthier gut bacteria  Most people don't get enough fiber in their diet, in fact most people do...

Chapman's Peak My boyfriend wanted to do the Two Oceans 35 mile run in Cape Town South Africa this year.  He is from SA and it was a good trip for him to see his family and schedule a racecation.  The Two Oceans is a bucket list race because of the beauty and toughness of the course.  It was a long flight that included 3 planes and about 28 hours.  I arrived at night so I went straight to bed and I had a few days to get used to the time change before the race.  We had lots of sight seeing to do so I was busy in those few days but it was so much fun!  Cape Town is an amazing place to visit.  We saw seals, penguins, donkeys and shop dogs (dogs hanging out in their owners shops)  We visited several vineyards and drank lots of wine, beer, and coffee.  Thats not necessarily the best thing to do leading up to an ultra marathon but I was on vacation and I did travel a very long way to enjoy myself so I did drink and eat!  We drove part of ...

Like everyone else I have days that I'm excited to go run and then I have days where its so hard to get motivated to go.  I'm training for an ultra marathon and Sunday I had an 18 mile run scheduled.  I was actually looking forward to it and had a route mapped out.  I struggled most of the run and ended it at 16 miles.  It was tough I felt very lethargic even though I had plenty of sleep.  I felt defeated by the end of the run and was disappointed.  I took the next day off from working out then was going to run on Tuesday.  Monday night I stayed up much later than normal because it was New Years Eve. Tuesday I had things to do in the morning so I decided to run in the afternoon and we were going to run 8 miles.  I didn't feel great and almost decided to tell my boyfriend I didn't want to run.  It was New Years Day and I just wanted to relax and I didn't feel that great.  I had a runny nose and was sneezing and wasn't sure if it was jus...

Small changes in your lifestyle habits can lead to big results.  It takes patience when beginning a new routine but eventually it will get easier and become something you just do and don't even have to think about it.  Here are a few changes that you can make to lead to a healthier lifestyle.   It is proven that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick to an exercise routine.  It's usually the first few weeks of getting up early that is the hardest.  If you can start with 2 early workouts a week this might be easier to get into a routine.  This way you give yourself a few days a week to sleep in a little later and thats something to look forward to.  Eventually you can add more early morning days if you want but starting with 2 is a great goal and a good way to make it stick and become a habit.  Get things ready the night before to make it easier to get up and get out the door.  Get an exercise partner - this will hel...

It's that time of year when its hard to stay motivated to workout.  If you race during the year it's likely during the next few months not a lot is going on and you may not have any races.  While it's nice not to have a strict training schedule you should have some off-season goals and focus on those.   It's a great time to get in an extra day of strength/functional training.  It's sometimes hard to find time for your strength workouts during a heavier load of training.  This is a great time to build some strength for your upcoming season.  Another thing I like to do is focus on my recovery by doing yoga.  I like to do this all year around but during my heavy training I don't get as much in as I 'd like to.  During these next few months I try and go a little more often.  Maybe swimming is something you struggle at.  Join a masters group or take a few lessons from a coach and add an extra day of swimming to your weekly plan.  These d...

If you're like me every year you are looking for the latest and greatest thing to buy for your fitness minded friends.  Gift certificates are always great but if you want to put a little more thought into something here are some suggestions.   Hydroflask Here are 10 gifts you can give the health conscious person. Hydroflask - these are great to carry your water so you can make sure you stay hydrated.  Hydroflask Website Fitness tracker - There are so many varieties of these gadgets. They are great motivation for the person who needs it. Heres a link to one site that reviews a few of them  5 best fitness trackers Essential oil diffuser - these are great to have in the house and provide a healthy natural aroma. Make sure you buy high quality essential oils when you diffuse. The Miracle Body Buffer - I personally have one of these and I love it! It's great for people who are active and can be used to warm up the body before a workout or used to help recove...

As the season comes to an end many athletes reflect on what went really great and areas they can improve upon.  Going into the year the races I had planned were the Boston Marathon, Ironman Maryland, and Mountain Man Half and Olympic distance triathlons.  I wanted to do a marathon in January but I wanted to do it with my dogs so it wasn't something I was doing for time just for fun.  My A races were Boston and IM Maryland.  I did end up doing a few local Olympic distance triathlons as well.  I don't like to over schedule races because I think it can lead to stress and too much pressure and  its important  to remember that we do this for FUN!   Now that its the end of the season is a great time to work on building some strength and maybe doing strength training if you've been neglecting it.  If your a triathlete its a great time to work on improving the discipline that you might struggle in.  If you're a bad swimmer then in the off s...