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Riding with heart (rate)
In every Spinning class you’ll hear me refer to the suggested effort level for a particular interval, stated as a % of your max effort/max heart rate and comparing it to an everyday activity: 60%– Easy warm up or cool down pace. 70%–“Brisk jog” pace: Still a conversational pace, but you’re riding with intention, not slacking […]
Do you need an “off season”?
We hear the term all the time in relation to professional athletes– the “off season.” But could an average Jane or Joe who works out regularly–and perhaps participates in the occasional triathlon and/or cycling/running event–benefit from an off season too? If you stress your body on a regular basis in any way, the answer is […]
Home-for-the-Holidays Workout!
The holidays are here, and if you’re like me, that means travel–travel away from home, your favorite gym classes, familiar running paths, bike riding routes, and pool. Maybe you’re going somewhere where you can’t easily run outside or find a gym. If so, don’t despair! There are quick and easy workouts you can do in […]
High Intensity Intervals & Ironman Inspiration!
Hi gang! Good work to everyone who tackled those high intensity (or Tabata) intervals this morning. As promised, here’s a link to a great article from Active.com that talks about the benefits of high intensity training. Named for Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata, the four-minute protocol (composed of eight reps, with 20 seconds at your lung-burning […]
Must-see TV: Ironman World Championship this weekend!
Chances are you’ve seen the iconic video —in my opinion, one of the most moving in all of sports history. In it, a woman struggles to the finish line of a little-known race that billed itself as the toughest one-day test of endurance on the planet. The year was 1982, the event was the Ironman–just five years […]
Inspirational Fitness 3: Lina’s Fantastic 330-mile Bike Camping Adventure
Lina’s back from her inspirational 330 mile bike trip from Jacksonville, FL to Charleston, SC and agreed to share the details. All her careful planning paid off: she survived rain and warmer-than-expected weather, rode the whole way without equipment failure or injury, built up a hearty appetite but never went hungry, and successfully found places […]
Inspirational Fitness Part 2: Great Fall Fun
Fall is officially upon us, and those nice cool days seem to scream “get outside!” If you needed some inspiration, check out these ideas for enjoying the great outdoors in the Washington, DC area (and beyond)–from casual afternoon activities to events that will get your blood pumping. Running Races There are few more thorough resources […]
Inspirational Fitness: Lina’s Mega Ride!
The weather is wonderful here in DC after a long hot summer, making it the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors with long bike rides, hikes, and runs. This week, dedicated spinner Lina Khan inspires us with details of her upcoming 330 mile bike trip from Jacksonville, FL to Charleston, SC. Want to plan a multi-day cycling […]
Post Cleanse: I see fake food everywhere!!
I did it! I survived the cleanse: ten days of eating nothing but “real,” unprocessed food (so no dairy, meat, gluten, refined sugar, caffeine, or alcohol). The first question I’ve been getting: “Was it hard?” As I mentioned in my last post, the hardest part was finding the time and energy to shop for and cook real […]
The Cleanse Continues…
If you caught last week’s post, you read about my cleanse–a ten-day experiment in better eating where I’m avoiding all refined sugar, gluten, caffeine, meat, dairy, alcohol…basically any and all processed foods. How’s it going? So far, so good. We’re on day six and for the most part, it hasn’t been that much of a […]