A good laugh on Valentine's Day

Last week I gave a presentation at the Rosedale Running Room to a Learn to Run and 5K Run group. My topic was on Preventive Injury and the benefits of Cross Training.
A few days later, the Coach emailed me this message. I think my message was missed!



HEALTH MESSAGE:

1. If walking/cycling is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.
2. A whale swims all day, only eats fish, drinks water and is fat.
3. A rabbit runs and hops and only lives 15 years.
4. A tortoise doesn't run, does nothing ..yet lives for 450 years.

AND YOU TELL ME TO EXERCISE!

What is the single best thing you can do for your health?

This will probably be THE most important Youtube video of your entire life! Please take 10 minutes out of your busy day to learn how you can live a longer, healthy and more full-filled life and by all means, SHARE this with everyone you know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo

Stay active and anything is possible!

My next big Adventure!

This photo was taken after finishing the 100KM Oxfam Trailwalker this past July. My team mates and I completed the walk in 24hours and 27 minutes with no sleep!

The reason I am posting this photo now is that I am now starting to train for my next big adventure! Trekking to Base Camp of Mt. Everest in May of 2012!

Getting back on track

The most common health and fitness topic this week has been how I do get back on track?

Exercising and eating healthy on a daily basis can be quite challenging. So, what do you do when your motivation decreases and you fall off the fitness wagon? Here are some of my favourite recommendations.

1. Start your day by eating a healthy breakfast. If you eat healthy right from the start, you'll be more likely to stay consistent and eat healthy throughout the day.

2. Exercise for at least 10-15 minutes a day. No matter how busy we think we are, we can always find at least 10 minutes to do 1 exercise. ie. 1 set of 20 pushups followed by 1 set of 20 sit ups.

3. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Every little bit counts! You can even make this more challenging by walking up the stairs 2 steps at a time.

4. Walk! Take a walk at lunch, get off the bus a few stops earlier, or go for a 15 minute walk when you feel your energy level decreasing late in the afternoon. By moving your body, you are stimulating your muscles, including your brain muscle! You'll find yourself more alert and awake and ready to tackle the rest of your day!

5. Work out with a buddy. We all know that when we make a commitment to a friend, family member or colleague, we are more likely to stick with it. So go ahead and make yourself more accountable by recruiting a buddy into your fitness routine! You'll be doing them a favour as well!

Stay active and anything is possible!

Are you too busy to exercise?

""Where did the day go?""

Is this a common question in your life? Many of us pack so much into our daily routines, there's seemingly no time to relax, let alone exercise. Lack of time is one of the most common excuses for not having a decent fitness regimen. But do you realize that in the time it might take you to go through your e-mail, you could fit in a good workout? We're not talking about giving up 60 minutes either; all you need is 10.

Just 10?
Forget the ""all or nothing"" mentality when it comes to exercise. Fitness does not live or die by 60-minute workouts; there is middle ground. Short spurts of exercise, when they accumulate, have been shown to share similar benefits of longer workouts.

So after reading my blog, get up and do one of the following exercises! It only takes 10 minutes!


Workout 1: Light jog in place (2 minutes), jump rope (2 minutes), light jog (2 minutes)
Workout 2: Sit-ups (2 minutes), 25 push-ups, sit-ups (2 minutes), 25 push-ups
Workout 3: Light jog in place (2 minutes), 1 set squats (8-12 repetitions), 1 set lunges, 1 set squats, 1 set lunges, leg stretches (2 minutes)
Workout 4: Take your dog (or just yourself!) for a quick walk around the block
Workout 5: Walk/run up and down the stairs 5 times
Workout 6: Brisk walk in place with arms pumping, knees up (3 minutes), 25 jumping jacks, brisk walk (3 minutes)
Workout 7: Light jog in place (2 minutes), fast jog in place (5 minutes), light jog in place (2 minutes)


(these exercises are brought to you by sparkpeople!)
Stay active and anything is possible!

Get Fit by Walking

Need a new challenge for the fall? Why not join me for the 5K Powerwalking Clinic with the Rosedale Running Room! This is an ideal program for those interested in Stress Management & Weight Loss. It also enhances the benefits of walking and essentially turns walking into a workout!

This 10 week program starts Monday, October 17th at the Rosedale Running Room located at 1087 Yonge Street. The clinic portion meets every Monday at 6:30pm and our practice walks will occur every Wednesday at 6pm and Sunday at 8:30am.

What do you have to lose other than weight?

Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions at dfosterlarocque@gmail.com.



Stay active and anything is possible!

My Oxfamtrailwalker experience

24 hours and 36 minutes. That is how long my teammates and I walked 100KM, (no sleep!) on the Ganaraska Trail starting from Barrie and ending in Orillia. During that time, we experienced various emotions and physical challenges. The terrain went from flat to hilly, sandy trails to paved roads, farm lands to paths that were overgrown with trees, shrubs, and grass or filled with rocks, tree stumps, and roots.

The weather was hot, humid, and sometimes muggy. On occasions, we were blessed with a breeze and some overcast clouds. But the sweat still poured out of my body while the mosquitos clung to me feasting on "fresh" blood.

As time wore on, my body slowly began to feel the effects of the walk. First, my heels, then my toes and then the pain slowly started to work it's way up to my calves and then my knees. My shoulders ached from carrying my bag pack filled with some of my "comfort foods" and a few extra bottles of VitaminWater. I could have sworn I packed light! But by the 40km, my back pack felt like I filled it with a load of bricks.

Along the trail we had 9 checkpoints where we could refuel, recharge, and regain our mental state of mind. But each checkpoint began to feel further and further apart and it took more mental strength to keep my legs moving. I was afraid to stop for fear my muscles would seize and my legs would not be able to continue. This is when my "mental" strength kicked in. Although my body was saying, no, I mean SCREAMING STOP! My mind kept saying KEEP GOING!

Another amazing experience was watching how the group dynamics changed throughout the walk. In the beginning, everyone was all smiles, full of energy and enthusiasm. We had designated a team leader, a pace leader and motivators. But after long hours of walking, the smiles turned to frowns, the level of energy decreased and our roles changed from person to person.

Our team strategy also changed throughout the walk from aiming to finish in 23 hours, to finishing in 24 hours to just finishing in one piece! This was the most challenging aspect of the walk for me. I am very competitive and push myself hard. My own personal goal was to finish in under 23 hours and I was very excited that our pace in the first half of the walk was on target! But every individual's body is different and how it handles physical stress varies. The longer we walked, the more physical challenges we faced. Blisters, muscles spasms, muscles seizures, body temperature's dropping, and physcial and muscle fatigue setting in.

But no matter what condition our bodies were in, we were a team and our goal was to walk together as a team.

I am very proud to have shared this experience with Chadash Sangur, Dhariya Panda, Thomas Fischer and our support team Stefanie, Bernice and Walid. It was truly a test of physical and mental strength, but more importantly, how to work together as a team when the going gets tough!

Hiking for a cause!

On Friday, July 22, I will hike 100km in under 48 hours on the Ganaraska Trail for Oxfam! http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.ca/

My 3 team mates and I raised $2500 to tackle the root causes of poverty, inequity and help people to create self reliant and sustainable communities in developing countries. We are all very excited to be a part of this event and even more excited to impact the lives of those less fortunate around the world.

What does one bring on such an endeavour? Below is our prep list. You never know when it may come in handy for you!

Clothes:

Extra shirts (1 or 2)

Socks (10 pairs)

Underwear

Raincoat

Shorts or long pants

Accessories:

Hat

Shoes

Towel

Deodarant

Camel Back (bladder)

Sports bag

Head lamp

Batteries

Poles

Blanket (I'm bringing the foil blankets that I've saved from previous marathons! They work amazingly well to keep the body warm)

Medical:

Tylenol (or any aspirin that works for that individual)

Painkillers

Mosquito repellent

Muscle cream (bengay, etc)

Wraps

Band aids

Vaseline, body glide

Vitamins (B12!)

Sunscreen

Nutrition:

Energy drinks (not for me, but they work for some people)

Cheese (string cheese are great for a quick snack and so easy!)

Yogurt or priobotic drinks

Trail mix

Bananas

Apples

Grapes

Dates (Dhairyia has a famous recipe!)

Electrolytes (Powerade works best for me as does Vitamin Water)

Each individual will have their items placed in a "bag" which will be carried to each check point (of which their are 9) by our lovely support team. This will enable us to carry water and light snacks only to stay light on our feet as we walk the Ganaraska Trail!

Stay tuned for the outcome of this physically and mentally challenging event!

Stay active and anything is possible!