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Training

Why is it such a science?

That's a good question, here's an answer. As well as a few more you may have about training, like - Why?

Read these articles for specifics on Biking, Backpacking, Climbing, Cross-training, Hiking, Running, Snow-shoeing, Walking, and Nutrition.

Training is a science of body and mind. It takes into consideration health, diet and resources. Finding a balance between these is truly the goal we all eventually must obtain for optimal health and endurance. Learning to listen to what our bodies demand and actively take part to nourish and care for them can be as spiritual of an experience as life itself.

This page gets updated with some new information and links.

Training is movin into winter mode ...

That means hitting the gym, making plans for the next year and deciding what hills to climb. Training doesn't stop once winter hits though. It is definitely a time for your body to rest, heal and catch up on lost nutrients. But please don't let this equal sitting on the couch and munching on pizza till your hearts content. In order for you not to start from ground zero again you need to keep up on something. If you are use to hiking, running or swimming in the summer, try taking on some snowshoeing and winter trekking. When the weather turns, put on warmer socks, an extra layer and strap instep crampons to the bottom of your boots. Winter takes on a world of its own, one you don't get to see too often in person.

But if you don't plan on getting out much, at least take on a nice mellow pace at the gym. Keep up with some sort of routine while you are planning for the next year. Keep in mind what you want to climb, trek or conquer and it will help keep your motivation up through the gloomy days. For us training for the next year starts January 1, if we don't start our plan then... we know we will never make it though the next years adventures.

If you need help planning your training for your years events, hikes or adventures please let us know, we'll help you for free! (WHY? Because we are just that crazy, and we love it!) click here and tell us what your plan is, help me!

Where do I start? 

    Tiz the first question. What are  you wanting to do, where do you want to go, what is your goal? Whether you train for a race, climb mountains or just want to get in shape, there is going to be activity involved. Its good to have goals even if you are not actively planning to run a marathon. Most of the time we can set goals that are well within our limits. Our goals depend on our current stage of health and activity levels.  With a little training these goals can be within reach.  Your optimal goal is to become the energizer bunny, if you could keep yourself fully fueled and equipped you should reach a point where you feel you can just keep going and going.              

    I know I may sound like your mother here but, one of the best places to start is in your doctors office. Go get a check up, you may not have had one in years. Let you doctor know what your plan is, you want to start training for a specific event. Part of the training process is health. You want to make sure that you are not going to damage you body externally or put more stress on yourself internally. You may be visiting your doctor sooner or later anyway because of some crash you may take preparing for the event you are wanting to do - it's always nice to give your doctor a heads up.

• Answer the first question... what is it I really want to do? Climb mountains, participate in an endurance event, backpack for days on end, or just be healthy. Whatever your 'event' or reason may be... keep it as your focus. Remember that no matter who is with you, it's only you alone that will conquer the task, so you will need to learn to focus.

• One of the greatest keys to training is finding that place where we tap into our muscles' strength and use it for what it is indented for. We tend to think we need to walk into a gym and start lifting the heaviest thing we can pick up. This idea needs to be purged from your brain before you even enter a training program. This will damage your joints, ligaments and muscles.

• As far as what to do to train, try cross training. Try to spend one day doing some other activity other than the sport for which your event is in. If you are running a race, try riding your bike one of your days. If you are planning to do an adventure race you will need to do more extensive cross training. Adventure training is tricky, but can be done. Depending on how many events that race is, you will need to dedicate at least one day a week to each event, rotating each day. Then when you can dedicate one bonus day, preferably 2 times a month to a day you can incorporate shorter distances of all your events you'd be surprised at what you have accomplished in the prior training days.

• The week prior your event you will want to take it easy. Whack your training in half. Half the time, half the weight, half the days. And the day prior - NOTHING! You need to make sure your body is fully charged, healed and well rested. Your focus that week should be on nutrition and rest.        

How do I know when to increase my time or distance in my training?

    When you start training you may be able to walk the track only 4 miles in an hour. If you find that you are making your 4 mile marker in less time on a regular basis, try increasing your distance to cover that hours worth of time. It should be your goal to be able to compact your activity with time. The balance of time and distance is a key element in increasing your endurance. You want to make sure that you don't increase your distance prior to your being able to regularly maintaining your set distance.

    To figure out how much to increase your time you first must know the total distance you are traveling in 1 hour. You know you can already go the necessary distance to fill that time, now you need to ride, walk, run longer. As you increase time you want to compact that time with miles. Your ultimate goal should be to compact as much distance you can in an hour span. Remember your event will be different than your training. You want to push your training so that when it is time for your event... its a piece of cake.

    If you feel you are not able to increase either of your time or distance, make sure that you are not overexerting yourself. Exhaustion has no place in endurance training. You may need to look at your nutrition, are you keeping up with your activity as you are training? You don't want to eat to much as you work out, but you need to feed your body as you go if you want your body to "endure" where you are taking it.  A key element to training is listening to your body. You want to maintain your status level during your training that you started with. If you feed and water yourself in small increments during your training you will find that your body has more fuel to burn and work off of and will go much farther than if you don't.

What is the easiest way to increase my energy levels?

    Doing little things also help increase your energy. An example of that being when you go to the grocery store, park farther away instead of closer. One, it increases you activity slightly, it takes you only about 10 - 20 seconds longer to get into the store and the chances of someone else hitting your car decreases. If you work  in a multi-level office building take the stairs more often than not. You don't have to sweat in your business suit prior your 9:00am executive meeting, but increasing your activity makes it easier to stay in shape.  Anytime you can do anything where you become more active, even if it doesn't seem worth it, will help increase your energy. Most people fail when they say "I'll do it when I have the energy for it". Truth of the matter is, effort makes energy. The more active you are the more energy you will have to do more later.

    Also making sure that your diet is correct. One easy way to increase energy with your diet is by cutting back on refined sugars. Sugar is a number one killer of energy. While it may give you a sudden "sugar high", it in turn takes twice as much out of you. The best way to get carbs into your system is by taking a more natural approach. Eat fresh and/or dried fruit for example. You will find that your body is more stable and much more satisfied than if you ate candy bars.

Does what I eat affect my performance and training levels?

       YES.  What you eat greatly affects your ability to perform at any levels. There is more information on nutrition under just that topic on this website. But we will discuss it a little bit here anyway.

    You will want to eat some sort of protein within 1 1/2 hours after your workout. Otherwise your body takes the protein it needs from your muscle. So the weight you will be loosing won't be  as much fat as it will be muscle this is not what you want to be doing. In general a person can only loose a maximum of a half pound of fat per day. If you find that you are loosing weight quicker than this, your loss is going to be that of water and muscle. It is good to weigh yourself daily to make sure that you are not loosing weight too quickly.

    Many find it difficult to maintain a healthy diet in this fast food world. But you can, it takes a little planning and change in habit. Don't make huge drastic changes or it wont stick.  Many that change quickly to a very nutritious diet tend to jump back in a short time after. You need to make permanent changes slowly.  Be open to try new things, but start with shaving off some of the fat of your current diet and add an apple or two. Teach your body to crave the healthy foods it needs to stay fit. We have included some recipes for shakes if you need some help getting started. The book put out by Dr Fuhrman called 'Eat to Live' gives incredible health tips on eating and nutrition. It is geared to those that want to loose weight... but anyone who wants to know anything needs to read this book.

    Researchers have found that the best way to determine how much food you should be eating is by figuring out your daily expenditure. There are many ways to determine caloric intake, but all result in about the same answers. To do that can be quite tricky, you want to find out how active you are during the day, per hour and so on. Another way to look at it is if you find out how much you should be taking in and going with that. First you want to find your BRM (Basil Metabolic Rate). For men follow the following formula. Your weight multiplied by  .45 multiply that (which is your body weight in kilograms) by  1.0 then multiply that by 24.  For women follow the following formula. Your weight multiplied by  .45 multiply that (which is your body weight in kilograms) by  .9 then multiply that by 24. The reason women multiply by .9 and men 1.0 is because women have more body fat than men. Men usually have more muscle than that of women which means pound for pound women burn fewer calories than men do. However you look at it this will be the approximate caloric intake for your average life. If you are endurance training (moderate activity for 2-3 hours) you will want to increase that by 200-400 calories. The week prior your event you should stay at your increased intake level to help prepare your body for the extensive demand you will be asking of it.

    I am also a big believer in supplements. Getting the required daily dose of amino acids are almost unheard of. There isn't enough organic foods in this world that we can eat that keep our bodies at prime performance levels on their own. Aside from the stress' and concerns of daily living, we are now pushing our bodies past comfort levels and current performance levels. Consider too, the possibility of possible poor digestion, our bodies may need more than a little help to keep up with our diet.  Under the topic of nutrition, there is an example of nutrients we can take to support some of our activity. If you have concern for a particular event let me know and I will send you examples of what might be helpful. (Contact us)

So what should I eat?

    I dunno, what do you like? I'm not going to sit here and tell you what you should eat and when, I think everyone responds differently to foods and has different tastes. However there are some basic principles to apply when you are figuring out what to stick in your stomach, especially when training.

• One being that of food value. That tends to be something that gets over looked in this day of fast food and quickie marts. Food value means that the food we take in actually has nutrients that our body needs. Example; if we are hungry we go eat 4 fast food hamburgers, 2 french fry's, a milk shake and find we are full but still hungry, that is because whatever it is we just consumed didn't contain the nutrients our body needs to make our body work. If we consume better, healthier foods we will find that we will actually eat less amounts and become full and satisfied quicker.  Even the difference between conventional and organic foods makes a difference. Organic foods contain more food value than that of steroid implanted, quick grown, altered food because it is grown at a normal rate without the use of pesticides and chemicals. It's no wonder most people don't like fruits and veggies, because they don't taste like anything. Try organic, you'll be much better off.

• Eat smaller meals more often. Its a good idea to eat 6 smaller meals than 3 big ones. This will give our body a constant supply of nutrients to help support building muscle and recovery. A bulk of your protein should be eaten earlier in the day. Your body is going to need that nutrient while you are active, not while you are sleeping at night. Try not to eat to close to going to bed. The food that is left in our tummy's while we sleep won't be burned but will turn in to stagnant fat, hence weight gain. We want to be lighter, quicker and not have to worry about burning off more fat while training.

• Don't forget to treat yourself. Yes that's exactly what I mean. Make sure that you give yourself a treat now and then. In fact it is good that we do. When we alter our diet completely and eat very healthy it tends to stick better as a routine if we treat ourselves to things we really enjoy. We don't want to over do it, or eat lots of candy and binge so to speak. But just a little something as a reward, you are working hard, you deserve a treat now and then. You will find that as you start eating better you will eat less of your treat or you may change your treat all together.

• The next thing is that of digestion. Remember that we need to be able to digest properly what we eat. Just because we may eat good food doesn't mean that all the nutrients are being absorbed to the fullest extent possible. If you find you are eating lots of protein but you are craving it like its going out of style, there may be a reason. You may need to inquire about a digestive enzyme. Enzymes are what our stomach produces to break down the food we eat. Many times we may lack all the enzymes needed for proper digestion. Don't be afraid to take papaya or Hydrochloric acid to help the break down of dairy and protein. Fact, as we get older we produce less and less  amount of Hydrochloric acid needed for proteins. You can find supplements in your local health food stores or pharmacy.  Make sure you take them with the food you are eating to get the best results.

    The rest is up to you. Remember that if you make drastic changes to your diet the chances of the good habit are less likely to stick. Make slower long term permanent changes.  

I'm a vegetarian, how can I make sure I get all the nutrients I need?

    This does make it a little more difficult, but definitely doable. In fact I am vegetarian myself. It would be easier to eat this way if I were not so active, but because I am both it makes things a little more scientific and planning is definitely something you have to be good at.

What is your puke point?

    There was a time somewhere back in the 80's that we were told that you need to exercise till you puke. That is also when we thought purple hair, massive amounts of aqua net and bright clothing were a good thing. Really though, sometimes this is usually a matter of timing with your protein drink and your work out. Most people that train regularly have a nitch and routine for eating and exercise, however the timing of the two at times results in a point when you either do or feel like you are going to barf. If you feel like this, try varying the time you eat prior to your exercising, or eat a little less. You want to keep all the nutrients that you eat, not purge them.

    There is also another reason for feeling a bit woozy, it would be that of exertion or over exertion. You body can only take so much impact. If we are not keeping up with the demand on our systems, our body's will revolt some how. The stress' we are asking of our body really require proper nutrition. In endurance events and even training you are continually asking it to perform at top levels, this takes energy, energy comes from nutrients, nutrients come from the foods that we eat. No eat, no energy, no performing. This leads to not only puking but exhaustion, wearing of tissues and the breakdown of muscle. Hence no endurance. If anything you will be taking a ride to the hospital because of anorexia. Not good.

    Make sure you are listening to your body. This is a very important step in your scientific equation. I've said it before and I'll say it again, your body will tell you when it's hurt, and needs something. That doesn't mean you need to wait till it tells you it is hungry or thirsty, if you do this, that means that you've waited to long to nourish it. What it means is that if you are putting too much of a demand your body is going to tell you it needs more. If you are starting to feel tired during training, pause, eat an energy bar and drink some water. If your knee hurts, stop - take a break, stretch, eat an energy bar and drink some water. If your head is pounding, stop - take a small dose of pain killer, eat an energy bar and drink some water. Most of the time our body reacts is because we are not giving it the nutrients it is requiring to burn, therefore it takes it from other places of our body, like our organs. So this results in internal pain. Not that it always will cure, but most of the time eating something quick and drinking water will take the edge off our issue. Make sure though that when you are done training for the day, you get yourself to some solid food and water, you took care of the quick fix but now you need to give yourself the nutrients your body needs to repair and grow those muscles you just worked.

I feel like I'm getting a cold every time I workout or go run. Why do I keep coughing up all this stuff?

    Because we all have moisture that accumulates in our lungs, DON'T WORRY!  this is normal. As we go about our day no matter where we live we all take in a normal amount of fluid into our lungs. This is due to the amount of moisture that is in the air we breathe. Most of this moisture gets burned off, but some remains depending on how active we are. If we accumulate more than the normal amount then yes we can get pneumonia or the like. When we increase our levels of activity that fluid becomes active, we are breathing more and we are asking much more of our bodies so that fluid is going to come out. So if you feel the need to spit, go for it. Its good to get this out of us. You will find the more active you stay, the less this fluid will build in your lungs. 

Why do I keep getting muscle CRAMPS?

    Getting muscle cramps really stinks as we are trying to get back to the car and back from lunch in a hurry. Your  electrolyte levels are too low. As a preventative measure try carrying a sports drink or water that has electrolytes added into it for such the occasion.  The fact is that when we start training or exercising, we forget to  adjust our diets correctly to match our increased activity levels. So we are demanding more of our bodies but not feeding it what it needs to keep up. Even if we are training to loose unwanted weight we still need to take in the right nutrients to acquire a healthy body. One of the easiest ways to help this is by taking a multi-vitamin and multi- mineral supplement before and after your activity. This helps work toward that body balance you need.

How come I'm all dizzy when I'm done?

    Same reasoning as the question above, and for those that didn't read that one I'll say it again. Your  electrolyte levels are too low. As a preventative measure try carrying a sports drink or water that has electrolytes added into it for such the occasion. Also include in your training pack a small bag of dried fruit or energy bar. A quick bite as we go will help make those uneasy feelings get worse.

    We need to make sure that we take in something prior our training activity. It should be something light and that can give us plenty of carbs for the quick release of energy that we need. Protein is good but takes longer to digest. If we can take in a healthy balance of protein and carbs prior to our training we won't have that out of body experience we may feel at times.

Stopping vs. pausing, what's the difference?

    While you are training it is important to keep your heart rate up. Stopping and pausing can be both good and bad.  As we exercise we need to listen to our bodies, especially when we are just getting started. If we find we are getting extremely exhausted after our workout then we might need to consider taking a pause for nutritious intake, be it bite of an energy bar or sip a sports drink. Its good if there is a point in our training day that we can stop and take a quick break. This allows our energy stores to catch up with our training. But don't stop for too long. We don't want to break out the camp stove and cook a meal while we are on a training mission, that maybe fine while we are on our planned event. But if we break for longer than 5 - 10 minutes our heart rate will have dropped off and it may be difficult to get back into the grove of our routine hence compromising our endurance levels. Keeping our heart rate up for extended periods are necessary for proper endurance training.

Are you sweating?

    Question should be, how much are you sweating? This all has to do with the balance of your clothing layers you wear during your workout and the amount of water you are drinking while you are in your training time frame. First, we tend to wear to much clothing when we start out, this is why we need layers. When we start any activity we need to remember we are going to get warm. You should start with enough clothes on to be just cool in temperature. We will heat quickly. Keep in mind that you won't loose fat or gain more muscle by making yourself sweat more. The only thing you are going to do is give yourself heat-exhaustion, or become dehydrated. There is no proven link to more sweat = more loss of fat.

    Do you find yourself sweating too much or not at all. That comes to our Second point, we need water.  If you sweat allot even with the right amount of clothing, remember you are loosing water. You will need to replace it as quickly as you are loosing it. If you find you don't sweat much at all, you may not be drinking enough water to start with.  You may find yourself thirsty during your training, which means you've waited too long to start drinking, you are dehydrating your body.  If you don't carry water with you while you exercise make sure you keep up on it prior your work out, just after your work out and also during the day time.

    Water is a critical element to life and your endurance. You can't function properly without it.  Remember the main reason for drinking water during your event and training is to replace sweat. Sweat is essential for cooling off the body. If your body temperature rises to much during your event your performance will suffer. Take special care on hot humid days, which are the worst for endurance training and events. This is because the temperature causes the most amount of sweat with the least amount of evaporation, possibly leading to and causing heat exhaustion.

    Scientists discovered that not just water is lost through sweat. Valuable minerals and nutrients are lost as well. This discovery led to the explosion of re-hydration drinks. The solutions that make up these drinks replace not only water but help replace necessary electrolytes to your system. Watch for sugar content though. High sugar content will have drastic effect on your health. Refined sugars are very hard on your system and will make your system more acid than alkaline and unbalanced. They lead to false energy and this effects your performance levels, as well as overall health. If you want to consume sugar, try using raw sugar forms. These have a alkaline effect on the body and will help keep the toxins in your system stay at lower levels.

   (updated 8/31/04) SALT! you need it. Its a proven scientific fact that salt does not lead to heart disease. In fact one needs plenty of salt in their diet especially if you are in any way sweating as an athlete. Salt is necessary to normal liver function, without salt your liver with shut down and life can not live without a liver. Also without salt in your diet you CAN drink too much water and become over hydrated. When your body can't release the excess water you run into lots of trouble. There was a woman that died during the Boston Marathon because she didn't have enough salt in her diet, her liver shut down and she expired right there on the  race course.  The only time one needs to be concerned is if there are issues with the Kidneys, this you should know if you make regular visits to your doctor.

How come I don't hurt when I'm done, or the next day?

    BECAUSE YOU ARE DOING THINGS RIGHT! and that is ok. Pain is not good. You should not feel pain. That takes us back to the same theory about puke points. Some still believe that if you don't hurt and can't walk the next day you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. This is again wrong thinking. A little soreness the days after you increase some of your endurance levels is acceptable, but pain is not. Pain means there is something wrong. If pain persists you will need to go speak to your doctor. Its very important NOT to have pain while you are doing endurance training. If you do injure yourself and continue to train on that injury you can cause long-term damage that can be quite costly in the end. Pain not good, quit and heal if something is hurting.

    Note on pain. When we hurt, you maybe aggravating something that was already there prior to the start of our training. This is why it is recommended that you make a doctors visit prior to starting, and then keep him/her close by. Yes I know, nobody likes to go to the doctor, but - we're talking performance. You need to get the best performance from your body and this is the best place to start. One note on soreness... don't sit and wait for it to go away. Go do whatever it is that made you sore to begin with, only do it slowly and less weight or time. This stretches out the muscles and releases the lactic acid in the muscles, aiding in recovery. Example: if lifting 40lbs on dead-lifts is killing your hamstrings.... stretch it out with 20lbs or less, doing at least 1/2 the weight slower than you did the prior day at 50.

    Also post exercise fatigue can devastate and hinder your recovery capabilities. It limits the ability to bounce back and train harder and more often, causing setbacks that are not welcome in your world of training. There are three major factors that cause fatigue; lack of oxygen to the working muscles, accumulation of waste products such as lactic acid in the liver and muscle tissues, and microtrauma. One good way to eliminate toxins in your system is by mixing the juice of one small lemon (must be fresh) with 10-12 ounces of water. Drink this first thing in the morning, prior to eating anything else, for 2 - 5 days. This will help flush out the toxins and remove impurities in your system. It will also make you pee a lot,  which is good. This is going to eliminate wastes thorough out your system, which is extremely helpful during training.

But what if my training buddy doesn't go the same times I can/need to go.

    Dump them! Really. Yes, it is always nice to have someone along for encouragement and to help keep us motivated. But, you are the only one that is capable of doing the task that you are asking your body to do. It's good to go into your training thinking that you are in it alone, that way when you have someone along, they are an extra bonus. And if you are only working out to impress or because of your buddy you are out there for the wrong reason... fix it!

    Sometimes we will gauge our progress on the people we train with. This is not what we should be doing. If we think that if we can out run or out perform our training buddy we are making progress, we could be kidding ourselves. While a result of proper training may show us that we can out perform someone it isn't what our goal should be. Our body performs much differently than that of others. Requirements may be similar but not exactly the same. Make sure that you aren't taking someone with you to show them up or to show off. You may end up doing more damage to yourself than encouraging performance.

 Its hard to stay motivated sometimes, that I know. That's why we plan, set goals and go out to achieve them. Every little bit of effort makes a difference. Put on your head-phones, find a place you enjoy being and just go.

I keep hearing people sing or talk while they train, I can barley breathe... what's with that?

    This is a good sign that either they are getting enough oxygen while they are training or they are crazy. Either way it is a good thing to do. If you can easily talk or sing while you are under an activity its a very good sign that you are getting the oxygen you need. You want to get plenty of oxygen during your work out. Oxygen is like water, it is something that most people don't consider a nutrient but that the body demands and cannot survive without. Oxygen not only keeps the system working but it feeds the cells. The best training program not only builds muscles and increases stamina and endurance but improves the body's ability to take in and properly utilize oxygen, which builds bigger muscles and increases your endurance even further.

    If you find it hard to speak, sing or even whisper, taper back a little until you can speak during some point of your work out. You don't want to over exert yourself to the point of exhaustion.  Again this would be bad and could be a sign that something else could be wrong.

    Proper breathing is also very important. There is a rhythm that you will sub-come to while training. When your endurance levels are pushed and truly tapped into, your breathing will become the only thing that you can concentrate on. Its very important that you breathe deep enough to get the oxygen you need and shallow enough to keep a steady rhythm.

"Why water? it tastes icky... "

    Water is a critical element to life and your endurance. You can't function properly without it.  Water is the most abundant and most important nutrient in the body. For a person that trains regularly, water is even more important. Athletes who participate in endurance events must make sure to drink extra fluids.

    Whether you are competing or requiring higher endurance levels for your event, meaning being active longer than 30 minutes in any one event, water loading prior the event becomes a hydration factor.  You should be keeping track of your daily water intake during your training. In general a person can only loose a maximum of a half pound of fat per day. If you find that you are loosing weight quicker than this, your loss is going to be that of water and muscle. It is good to weigh yourself daily to make sure that you are not loosing weight too quickly.

    If you don't carry water with you while you exercise make sure you keep up on it prior your work out, just after your work out and also during the day time. There is a bottled  water that contains electrolytes, this is another good source to help replenish your system quickly. If the heat rises above 70 degrees you will need to increase the amount of water due to the fact you will be sweating a bit more, especially while exercising.

    Prior your event, by about 2 hours you should consume 18 - 24 ounces of water. This will allow you to top off your body with water and allow you time to pee off the excess prior to starting out your event. Fifteen to Twenty minutes before drink another 12 - 20 ounces of water. Remember the main reason for drinking water during your event is to replace sweat. Sweat is essential for cooling off the body. If your body temperature rises to much during your event your performance will suffer. Take special care on hot humid days, which are the worst for endurance training and events. This is because the temperature causes the most amount of sweat with the least amount of evaporation, possibly leading to and causing heat exhaustion.

If you don't enjoy drinking 'just water' try this for something new, ginger water! Get yourself a finger or two of fresh ginger, slice

"Can I get a double grande almond mocha with extra whip, please?"

    NO! In fact ALL caffeine should be out! Caffeine and alcohol are a health training enemy, there have been many books written on the caffeine question. One huge reason why is that they act as a diuretic. You need that fluid in your system for a reason. Caffeine also has other unwelcome long-term side effects that would never be acceptable if you were really aware that it was going on. You can receive spikes and loss' that can be detrimental to your training. Never mind all the fat and calories that are in whatever espresso specialty it is you are trying to drink.

    Believe me I know coffee smells so good. You walk into a Starbucks and instantly our bodies react to the sweet aroma of coffee. You can go in, just get yourself herbal tea instead. Tea is an adjustment but is much better for you. Make the transition slowly, over a period of maybe a week, but really you want something that is going to benefit your body not rob it of necessary nutrients you need while training. If you ultimately have to have something that contains the coffee and can't get through the day without it, try Teeccino. It's a newer product out that tastes like coffee, they have many flavors, and it actually tastes good (unlike some other coffee replacements). I've seen it in a rare store but you can get it for sure through b Healthy llc. (that's our family company) They will also send out free samples if you want to just try it.

    Thought on tea, especially that of White and Green Tea. These two teas are a wonderful tool for optimal health, training or not. You can drink these teas by the gallon and you won't do a bit of harm to your system. White and Green Tea enhance your immune system, helps prevent normal cells to turn cancerous, suppress' the formation and growth of tumors, helps regulate cholesterol levels, helps control blood pressure, and lowers the risk of stroke by making blood platelets less 'sticky'.  It has also been known to help control blood sugar levels, assist in weight loss, ward off viruses, fungi and food-borne bacteria, fight bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and bad breath, as well as slow the aging process. If you ever get your hands on White Tea, you'll even be better off. White tea contains even more anti-oxidants than Green Tea and is known world wide as one of the highest forms of cancer prevention in humans. White Tea tends to be a little more expensive and rare to find, but if it comes to spending up to $100.00 a pound for the stuff (about $1 -2 bucks a cup, less than the amount you spend on a latte) and staying alive and healthy, give me the tea! There are many different flavors of these teas to  help your palate. Most Green and White Teas are better without cream or sugar, believe it or not, just try it.

When can I sleep?   

    It is important to have your rest day. You definitely need to make sure you get proper sleep. If you don't there will come a day when your tired muscles and internal organs are going to just say "hey, how bout we just sleep today", and getting out of bed will be the hardest thing you will do that day.

    Your body needs time to heal and muscles to grow. By altering your training this allows you to continue with activity, increase your endurance while your body is healing other areas you worked the day prior. Keep in mind that larger muscles take longer to heal than smaller muscles. So by varying our training we are allowing those muscles to heal while working others. Making sure you keep up with your diet during your healing days is very important. Just because you might not be working out that day doesn't mean that your body doesn't need special attention when it comes to food. Please see the section titled nutrition for more information on what you may want to eat.

Why do I feel like I'm going to die soon after I start?

    Endurance training doesn't mean lets make our body suffer. Endurance training means that you are training your body to go beyond normal levels of activity. You are asking it to go beyond the call of duty to reach a particular goal or state. This means that you have to learn to listen to your body very carefully. Its going to tell you what it needs to keep up with the pace you are asking. LISTEN TO IT! This is part of that science that you need to figure out.

    As we start our training there is a point that our body feels as though its going through " the first mile of hell". This is a known fact to most athletes. Especially when you let up on your activity for some time. If we are just starting out in our training we will find that it is very difficult when we first start up the hiking hill or out on our trail. But as we keep going there comes a point that our bodies adjust and it becomes a little easier. This is because our body is going through a change of alteration. Its going from our normal daily routine levels to active mode. It takes some time for our body to make that transition at first. But as we increase our training, that "first mile of hell" seems to fade.

What kind of muscles are you stretching, warm or cold?

    Stretching before your training isn't the best idea you've ever had. For the longest of time we've been taught to stretch prior to our work out. Not what you want to be doing any more. Reason is, when we stretch before we warm up our bodies and muscles we are stretching are cold muscles and tendons. This is the time when we actually can cause a great deal of damage to them. We are actually pulling and tearing muscles prior to putting any activity to them. You want to expand and stretch those muscles so that they will grow and help enhance your performance. You want to warm up on a stationary bike or an easy run, start your program for 5 - 10 minutes then pause, stretch and continue. You will find you will have much better results and your body will be thanking you a great deal.

    Stretching after your training will even do your body good. When we stretch after, we are helping to break up the lactic acid buildup in our muscles. Thereby not becoming sore the next few minutes or even days. Being sore is going to set you back, set backs like this are not acceptable when we are trying to increase your endurance. You will find that even just a few moments of stretch after training will really make a difference in how your muscles heal. When you get back to the shower give your muscles a good rub down, this will help keep the lactic acid at bay as well.

Ohhh a massage would feel so nice!

    Go get one. Did you know that it only takes 3 minutes of massage to get the lactic acid out of your muscles? Massage therapy is an excellent way to help your muscles heal properly. Massage also helps calm the soul and balance our mind. When muscles have been stretched and pulled, pushed and bruised along with the demand we are asking from our body massage becomes an excellent aid to training.

    Acupuncture and acupressure are also wonderful additives. Don't forget your chiropractor.  Just don't forget that if we are training on bones and muscles that are not in proper alignment we will be causing more damage than doing any good. It will also slow your progress. If something feels out of whack, it probably is. Get it checked out. You will find that you will get to know those in your health care community very well while you are training. This is good, and that is what your insurance is for. If you don't have insurance... you need to make sure you plan for the added expense, you still need to go. Go see Rachael at Breathe Body Works in St Johns, she will cure what ails you.

Read these articles for specifics on Biking, Backpacking, Climbing, Cross-training, Hiking, Running, Snow-shoeing, Walking, and Nutrition.

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