New Training Options

  I have decided to add some new services as we come to the end of another year.  As we head into 2013 (yeah, I said it, 2013!  I am not buying into this end of the world stuff), I want to offer semi-private and group training options.  Why do I want to do this?  There are three important reasons....

1. It's affordable!  Group training allows me to keep the cost down for everyone participating and that's makes training accessible to just about everyone who is interested in doing it.
2. Build camaraderie!  Training with other people can increase the intensity of the workout, hold you accountable to others, add an element of competition, cooperation, and forge new friendships.
3. Provides you with coaching and a structured training program!  All you have to do is show up and the program is laid out for you.  Some people don't need or want me right next to them during a whole workout session but could still benefit greatly from being coached.  You will still get that coaching in terms of exercise explanations, technique correction, and words of encouragement or motivation.

So here are the options that will be available...

Work out with friends or other health minded individuals and save money!

Semi Private: (2 to 5 people)  You can join with up to four other friends or strangers to share a coaching session.  Each person still receives their own personalized workout but they will share their workout sessions with others.  I will move around from client to client as I deem necessary and try to spend equal time with each one.  Most warm-ups and cool-downs will be done together.  This is a perfect option for someone who wants to save money but still receive a personalized workout without me analyzing their every move.  You can sign up with some friends or I will connect people who are interested.

Unite with a team to take your workouts to another level!

Team Training: (6 to 20 people)  This is a great option for larger groups or those wanting to workout with a larger group.  I have been the unofficial strength coach for several Southern Oregon University teams which includes a couple of seasons with SOU Softball, and several seasons with SOU Volleyball which I currently still work with.  As a group, we will come together on a common goal and I will design a training plan to get us there.  We will follow one workout as a team and I am there to oversee it.  Goals could range anywhere from losing weight and increasing general health to specific sports related goals for groups such as endurance athletes or recreational sports competitors.  In general, workouts would include a dynamic warm-up, power training, strength training, core work, and a cool-down.  

Boot camp workouts are a challenging blend of strength and endurance training!

Boot camp workouts: (up to 20 people)  This is a mix of strength and endurance training.  It involves a lot of intervals utilizing body weight exercises, agility drills, plyometrics, and fitness games.  It's affordable, challenging, and even a little fun!  Exercises can be modified so people of all fitness levels can participate.

Pricing:              

    Semi Private:  1 hr training session- $25   1 month (2x a week)-$160  (3x a week)-$210

   Team Training:   Only available in monthly rates-  1 month (2x a week)-$50  (3x a week)-$67.50

   Boot camp workouts: Only available monthly and 2x a week- 1 month (2x a week)-$50

Physical Fitness and Cancer

When a serious illness strikes, it's important to stay active.  We may not feel like exercising when our health is compromised, but physical activity provides us with many important benefits, not just physically but also mentally.  Hopefully, if you live an active and healthy lifestyle, you will never have to deal with a serious illness, but if you do, it's important to keep moving.  David Haas who works for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance wrote an article on how exercise can provide great benefits to help fight cancer and I wanted to share it.

Physical Fitness and Cancer- Great Benefits To Help Fight Cancer

When a person is diagnosed with cancer, he or she will want to explore every available option of recovery. Surgery, oral medication, radiation treatments, and even holistic methods are often important aspects of cancer treatment, but it's good to remember that physical exercise also plays a crucial role in both recovery and prevention.

Exercise is one of those things that is always going to be a big part of staying healthy in life. Muscle keeps us strong and burns unhealthy fat, and heart rates that are elevated regularly tend to keep the blood pumping for a long time. Doctors have discovered that the average individual needs to make a point of getting a good workout for at least thirty minutes per day, five days a week. The benefits of exercise do not change after a cancer diagnosis. In fact, they become even more important.

While physical exercise might not cure cancer, studies have shown that it can indeed aid in preventing it. In fact, some information on the benefits of exercise can seem downright miraculous. For example, vigorously active individuals are thirty percent less likely to get colon cancer. Exercise also helps to reduce the chances of getting breast, endometrial, and lung cancer.

Physical exercise helps people fight cancer. Sometimes a cancer patient feels bad, both physically and emotionally, and the absolute last thing they want to do is exercise. While this is understandable, it's important to push past that roadblock. Exercise improves the quality of the patient's life, reduces instances of fatigue, and counters any unwanted weight gaining side effects of cancer medications. Physical exercise can be a great asset whether someone is going through chemotherapy or someone is going through a different and more difficult treatment protocol such as mesothelioma treatment.  

 While it can be difficult to exercise when dealing with an illness, the end results of a great workout can't be beat.  The mood is elevated to a natural high, and fear and depression subside. This is important, since fear and depression can be big problems for a cancer patient. Exercising regularly can help reduce the fatigue a patient usually feels after a major bout of treatments at the hospital, allowing them to enjoy the rest of their day instead of spending it depressed in bed.

Physical exercise also helps people who have gotten rid of their cancer. Studies have shown that, in many cases, individuals who get enough physical exercise are less likely to have their cancer return, and are more likely to survive for a longer period of time.

Exercise has been shown to help prevent cancer, combat cancer, and help the patient keep the cancer at bay after recovery. The natural benefits of regular and vigorous physical exercise help keep everyone on planet earth alive, including cancer patients.   


David Haas
Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Guest Blogger

The Art and Awareness of Happy Health

My live TV debut!  The topic was the 4 pillars of health.

Client Profile: Ultrarunner Shahid Ali Follow-up

 
   I wanted to follow-up with ultra-runner Shahid Ali, who I interviewed back in early September as he was preparing to run the Pine to Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run directed by Hal Koerner of Rogue Valley Runners. For those who don't know, Shahid finished the race, but he did more than just finish.  He crossed the line in 7th place and he made it under the 24 hour mark which is considered a huge accomplishment in a 100 mile race, especially on a course like Pine to Palm.  Running under the 24 hour mark is a big deal and his effort was rewarded with a special belt buckle.  He also ran one of the fastest splits in the final 10 miles of the race.  Now if all this didn't seem remarkable enough, he had also done a majority of his training leading up to the race during Ramadan in which he fasted during daylight.  If you haven't read the initial interview, you will find more details on his training regimen leading up to the race in that earlier interview.  I was there first hand to witness this miraculous performance because I was part of his crew, providing supplies at specific aid stations.  I wanted to have him share what it felt like to run 100 miles and what he has planned for 2012.

RVFT: So how long did it take for you to recover from the race?
Shahid Ali: I took one week off and then ran a couple of miles the very next weekend.  I went for a 25 mile run two weeks after the race but ended up with plantar fasciitis and had to take another week off.  Then I went on a 8.5 mile run but my feet still weren't feeling right, so I had to shut it down for another eleven days. My quads were shot for a long time!

RVFT: How did you feel during the race?  Did you have ups and downs?
Shahid Ali: I felt relatively good until mile 71 and then on a downhill section, my quads started killing me.  My pacer told me to take some salt and feeling powerless at that moment, I watched a couple of runners pass me.   I don't know if it was the salt tablets, granola bar, and gel kicking in, or just the sight of a familiar face in fellow runner Todd Ragsdale, but I felt invigorated and was able to start running at a decent pace again.  I passed Todd and another runner.  Climbing up to Wagner Butte, I tried to conserve some energy for the final 20 miles.  I hit another rough patch on the way up to Wagner Butte and it was really a struggle.  I had to rely on my pacer to keep me moving and get me to the downhill section.  I saw Jenn Shelton and Erik Skaggs up near the summit and this gave me another boost of energy.  I realized I was going to be cutting it really close to the 24 hour mark when I passed through the final aid station.  My pacer and I ran one of the fastest, if not the fastest final 10 mile split in the race.  I was motivated to run as hard as I could, knowing I was so close to that 24 hour deadline.

RVFT: Did you believe you could break 24 hours? Did you have any idea you could be in the top 10?
Shahid Ali:  I believed I could break 24 hours and it was one of my goals.  At the Rogue Valley Runner's group run in the week leading up to the race, I asked Hal Koerner for his honest opinion on whether he thought I could go sub 24 hours on the course and he said "No". I still secretly believed I could do it. I didn't really think about where I would place in the race, I just wanted to go under 24.

RVFT: Did you have an awesome crew and pacers, or what?
Shahid Ali:  I had some really great pacers in Tamara Ellis and Chad Wikander.  They definitely helped me when I was hitting those low points and helped motivate me to keep moving.  I was lucky to have a great crew making sure I had everything I needed and it was nice to see their familiar faces.  They did everything to help me get through the race.  Having great pacers and an awesome crew is huge in a 100 miler.

RVFT: How did you feel when you crossed that finish line?
Shahid Ali:  It felt so good to cross that line and accomplish my goal.  It was awesome to have friends and family there.  It meant a lot that they took the time to show up at the finish line even though it was so early in the morning.  When I looked at the time as I crossed the line, I was shocked and felt redeemed after not finishing the year before.

RVFT: What races have you done since Pine to Palm? Fill us in!
Shahid Ali:  I ran Lithia Loop Marathon with one of the teachers I work with.  I also signed up my boss for the race without his knowledge and then surprised him.  I signed up for North Face 50 miler but changed it to the 50K because I didn't feel like my training had been good enough for that race after Pine to Palm.  I cut about an hour off my time on the 50K course from when I ran it the previous year.

RVFT: What do you have planned for 2012?
Shahid Ali:  Chukanut 50K, Lake Sonoma 50 Miler, and Miwok 100K are all the major ones I have planned so far.  I was disappointed that I didn't get into Western States but I may do San Diego 100 miler.  I will run Pine to Palm again as long as I am healthy.

RVFT: What award did you pick up at the year end ultra-runner party held here in Ashland?
Shahid Ali:  I won the golden toe for having a good year and also "How to get fired from your job" award for that whole signing up my boss for Lithia Loop Marathon without his knowledge.  I also received a crew award because I ran over Tim Olson's Moms's foot but for what it's worth, she was not injured.

RVFT: Thanks for your time and I can't wait to see what you do in 2012!

Shahid Ali: Thanks!

Pear Blossom Strength Training

Here are the videos that show demonstrations of the exercises included in the Pear Blossom strength training program.  I hope they are helpful and sorry for the parts where my daughter runs through the video, she didn't want to be left out!  Contact me if you have any questions.

All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks.  Rogue Valley Fitness Training advises viewers of this blog to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits.  Before practicing the exercises demonstrated below, be sure your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness.  As with all exercise programs, you should get your doctor's approval before beginning.

Dynamic Warm-up:

Strength Training Day 1:

Strength Training Day 2:

Core Supersets Day 1 & 2:

Mobility Drills:

Eating the Paleo way!

    About 6 months ago, my family and I began following the Paleo diet.  I was first introduced to this way of eating a few years ago, I happened to glance through the Paleo diet book at the local bookstore and found it very intriguing.  Over the years, more books on the topic followed and they also caught my interest, but I wasn't willing to give up grains and dairy at that time.  My wife and I had tried many different ways of eating, which included vegetarian, vegan, raw foods, and allergen free.  Even though these are touted as healthy diets, I never truly felt healthy.
    During the time we followed the vegetarian, vegan and raw food diets, I was sick quite often.  I had people tell me that I was just going through the cleansing process caused by the poor nutrition intake from my past which included a lot of processed foods.  If these diets were so healthy then why was I getting sick so much?  I just didn't buy the cleansing theory and decided to add animal protein back into my diet.  I immediately noticed a difference in the form of increased energy and better immunity.
   Things became a little more complicated when my daughter was born because she suffered from several food allergies which included wheat, dairy and soy.  We switched to an allergen free diet and had to make sure everything we ate was gluten, soy, and dairy free.  A lot of the gluten free products are highly processed and loaded with lot's of unhealthy ingredients.  Around this time, two more paleo diet books came out, the Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and Everday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso.  Due to my daughters allergies and our interest in this way of eating, we finally decided to make the switch.
    Our meals are centered around animal protein, vegetables, and healthy fats.  We also eat a modest amount of fruits and nuts.  I have dairy from time to time, but a true Paleo diet doesn't include it.  It's interesting, because two other books I have read this year, Wheat Belly and Why We Get Fat, also point people in the direction of a Paleo type diet.  I have been happy with the results so far!  My energy has been more solid and my immune system has been stronger.  I recently had blood work done which I was able to compare to a blood test that I had done just before I started eating Paleo.  I thought it would be interesting to share the results. My cholesterol has increased from 112 to 158, still in a healthy range but the good part is that my HDL rose 15 points.  HDL cholesterol is considered "good" cholesterol and they appear to act as scrubbers in our arteries and veins, bringing fats back to the liver for processing.  My HDL cholesterol has been low for most of my life and I could never get it to increase much even though I was always very active.  This was a breakthrough to get a jump in my HDL.   Some may look at that rise in overall cholesterol as a bad thing, but 112 was at the very bottom of the normal range and some research appears to say that while it's not healthy to be too high, it's also bad to be too low.  My triglycerides and LDL cholesterol have both risen slightly but they are well within healthy ranges.  Besides the improvement in my HDL number, I have felt significant improvement in my digestion which has been a problem in recent years.  I have gained about 10 pounds in weight without any significant increase in body fat.  I must admit though, some of the increase in muscle mass can be attributed to a decrease in my running mileage and an increase in strength training.  I plan on getting my blood work checked in a few months to see where the numbers are going.  My wife has yet to have blood work done to see where she is at and it will be interesting to find out.  For now, I am liking the results of this eating experiment and I am going to continue with this lifestyle.

My New Training Options: What they are and how it all works!

  We have almost reached the New Year and with it's arrival brings the addition of new training options that I will be offering.  Please refer to my previous blog post for the price list.  I wanted to describe the different levels of service so you can find the right option.  I must once again mention that these options will not be available at the Ashland YMCA. 

  All new clients will be required to fill out a health history form and sign a personal training agreement.  The other requirement will be a fitness and movement assessment, which allows me to understand what fitness level you are currently at, and also if you have any muscle imbalances, flexibility restrictions, compensation patterns, or injuries.  This is important information for me to know when it comes to designing your workout.  It allows me to know what level of intensity will be right for you, and what specific exercises will be most beneficial or should be avoided.  I think the biggest problems with workout programs that don't have any elements of personalization is that they don't take into account what exercises should be avoided.  If someone has shoulder impingement problems and the workout has them performing a military press, you can't just scale back the sets and expect it to work for them.  The exercise should not be done in the first place.

  Premium training sessions are one hour in length and they allow me to cover every aspect of a well rounded training session.  They typically include a dynamic warm-up, power/agility exercises, functional strength training, core exercises, metabolic training, and flexibility/mobility drills. The way we delegate time for each mode of training depends on your goals and what is revealed in the fitness assessment. 

  Basic training sessions are 40 minutes long and cover the same aspects as a premium training session, but there must be more urgency in the pace of the session.  Also, certain areas of training will either be shortened or not show up in every workout.  It's even more important in the basic session to identify the critical areas of fitness you need to work on the most.

  Economy training sessions are 20 minutes in length and will provide you with a great workout, but will have very limited personalization.  These sessions will be centered around the concept of metabolic training, a combination of both endurance and strength training.  I will have a particular workout in mind for the day and it will be adjusted accordingly for you depending on the fitness assessment results.  You will be responsible for your own warm-ups and cool-downs.  It has been proven in numerous studies that a short and intense workout can provide significant fitness gains and improvement of health.

    Drop-in training sessions will vary in length and only be available at the spur of the moment.  When I have open time for training or receive a last minute cancellation, I will occasionally communicate what type of session is available to you through my e-mail list, Twitter account, and Facebook page.  These sessions will be deeply discounted and sometimes even free.  The first person to respond that they are interested in the session, will get it. You must have a current health history form, signed personal training agreement, and fitness assessment on file to be eligible for these sessions.  You may want to get cleared for training just so you have an opportunity to take advantage of these sessions from time to time.

   If you are looking to improve your performance for a specific sport, I would recommend the premium or basic options.  If you are seeking fitness gains and better health while on a tight budget or you like workouts that are quick and to the point, then economy training may be the best choice for you. Ultimately, I want to make it possible for everyone to afford training and I hope these new options will help people enjoy the benefits of a well designed training program.