Friday, December 4, 2009

Tune into Ironman on NBC

Mark your calendars if you want to hold a viewing party, set your DVR and VCR timers if you already know you have to be out, Ironman airing time is just around the corner. As for when: Don't forget to tune into NBC on December 19 to watch the action and hear the stories from the 2009 Ironman World Championships at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The program is set to air from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., eastern time, but be sure to check local listings for the time near you.

The appeal may seem a little less exciting this year since Universal Sports has added Ironman to its television schedule--past World Championships and 2009 events at Coeur d'Alene, Louisville and China--and live airings online, starting with the World Championships. But really, there's far more to get excited about than the commentary by veteran commentator and narrator, Al Trautwig. Not only will we get to watch Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington repeat as World Champions, but we'll see stories from physically challenged athletes, military veterans, retired professionals and weight-loss successes who all fit the "Anything is Possible" mentality of Ironman. Some profiled athletes include Chris Lieto, Rudy Garcia-Tolson, Matt Hoover, Kyle Garlett and Mike Adamle. Lieto, a professional out of Danville, Calif., who has finished in the top 10 three times, second to Alexander in 2009, and typically leads at one point during the race. Garcia-Tolson is a double amputee who excells at triathlon and swimming as well as holding numerous world records; this is his first shot at the Ironman distance. Hoover was crowned the champion of the second season of The Biggest Loser; but after falling in love on the show and starting a family, some weight crept back on and Hoover decided the Ironman was a way to make him feel like a champion again, get lean and teach fans to achieve their dreams. Garlett survived lymphoma four times and received a heart transplant. Adamle, a former professional football player and American Gladiators announcer, often covers the sports broadcast on Chicago's NBC channel and returns to Kona for the second time.

If you ever need motivation to convince yourself you want to do an Ironman or just hear some awe-inspiring stories, this is it. For more details, check out ironman.com. Photo grabbed from espensorvik at flickr. Posted by Kate

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Avoid Holiday Over-Eating and Weight Gain

Thanksgiving has already come and gone--maybe you're still recovering--Christmas is less than 25 days away and before we know it we'll be ringing in 2010 and saying sayonara to what felt like a speedy 2009. Yep, the end of the year is nearing faster than you’d like to admit and you’re watching your calendar decrease in training hours and increase in social soirees. With those parties on tap, often inevitably replacing the workouts, you’re starting to wonder have you can have your cake and eat it too, without being unable to squeeze into your pants come January. Before you find yourself setting your New Year’s Resolutions to rebound from an overeating holiday season and lose 10 pounds, check out these five tips to avoid holiday weight gain.

  1. Balance your meals to avoid "glucose" overload. Eat 3 to 4 ounces of protein followed by three 10-gram servings of carbs along with a 5-gram serving of fat (zone diet) so that you stay satiated longer. This is a proper 3-3-1 balance that correlates to the Zone Diet: 20 grams of protein to 30 grams of carbs to 5 grams of fat.
  2. Drink one to two glasses of water prior to gorging yourself at parties or events. Not only will it help you stay hydrated, but you’ll find yourself feeling full before helping yourself to another round of hors d’oeuvres or cocktails.
  3. Add some turkey trots or holiday runs to your festivities. The temperatures might cool off but running is still hot in Chicago with runs from now until the New Year. Turkey Trots abound on Thanksgiving, rev your metabolism for the indulging and still get you home in time to put the bird in the oven. Not in the mood to race? You can still get out and run with any of the weeknight fun runs at running stores around the city and suburbs who run year-round.
  4. Seeing a hotel room more than your own bed this season? Pick exercises that are doable when you are away from your gym or house. Think cardio that you can do in your hotel room like plyometrics or a workout DVD you can play on a laptop. Portable fitness can make it easier to stay committed to maintaining your routine even when your schedule makes it seem impossible.
  5. Remember to eat and never skip meals. If you know you’re attending a food-filled party, that shouldn’t be your excuse to skip breakfast or lunch so you can pack in the calories later. You might think you can lose weight by skipping meals, but instead it comes back at you times two: Your metabolism can slow, causing you to store body fat because you limited your calories for too long, and you might binge-eat at night which leads to weight gain. Even in sticking to meals, you can enjoy those holiday treats, just in moderation.
And don’t forget that you can still have fun at all of this season’s activities without stressing too much about what’s going into your belly and how much you’re sweating off during exercise. For related articles, check out these links at WebMD, That's Fit, About.com, Active.com and Centralhome.com.
Originally written for the Max Multisport monthly newsletter. Photo grabbed from CarbonNYC at flickr. Posted by Kate

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