ENDORPHINE RUSH

It doesn't get mutch better than this folks. Just completed a laid back, 5 mile run on this sunny Saturday afternoon. What a great feeling to come out in the fresh air - heavy snow and extreme temperatures has kept me on the treadmill for months. In fact, last time I ran outside was at a beach in Hua Hin, Thailand (which isn't to bad either, both environments definitely has it's charm).

A DISGRACE TO SALAD

I almost couldn't believe when I found this "salad" at the salad bar today, right next to the garbanzo beans and spinach (take a look at the ingredience list above...) To me this is a heavy abuse to the word salad and a totally misplaced item.

Here's the definition of "salad" from the online dictionary dictionary.reference.com

"A usually cold dish of raw leafy green vegetables, often tossed with pieces of other raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, cheese, or other ingredients and served with a dressing..."

This example, along with muffins or sugarcoated cereal in a plastic bag for breakfast, are some things that drives me to promote healthier, smart, food choices.

OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Stride characteristics & knees

Run with light feet, imagine that you are running on eggshells or thin ice. Don't lift your knees to high or drive drive them forward since this will increase stride length and your feet will land far infront of your center of mass. Extract from previous post (OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Hips):
Your hips determines where your center of mass is. That fact is crucial to be aware of when it comes to maximize performance. Think of this: If your foot lands well infront of your hip every time it strikes the ground, your body will decelerate, you'll lose momentum and need to use your muscles to pull your body forward and thorough the motion for next stride

To prevent your feet from landing far infront of your center of mass you will have to increase stride cadance (stride frequency). In other words, a faster stride rate will mean less ground contact and softer landings (less mechanical stress on structures, ex. knees). This technique might be hard to apply at first and like I've stated before, I'm not posting these tips and saying "this is how everyone should run". I'm just sharing scientific facts that has proven to be effective and that I hope my readers will find interesting!

To practice a faster stride rate you can start of by building your running session in shorter periods of focused "lighter" running (intervals). For example, run 4-8 100yard/meter dashes with 30 seconds of rest in between, concentrating on "lighter" footwork. After a few initial practice sessions, increase number of intervals (first) and duration of run to build allow your body to adjust to the new style of running. Remember the basics (refresh your mind by reading previous post on OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE) and avoid to tense up - RELAXATION is key when running!

Next and last post in the OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE series will be the most constroversial and debated subject in running: Foot landing...(I just realized how uninteresting that sound, but for those of you that are runners, or plan to become one, and perhaps have heard about this topic before, you'll have something to look forward to=)...)

THE ASIAN SQUAT

At one of my lectures yesterday, the professor talked about some fundamental body movements. One thing she mentioned was how people in the third world use the squat whenever they need to rest from standing, waiting for the bus, etc and how it's such a natural part of their daily life - no matter age or form. In the western world, a full, deep squat is rarely seen or used (except in children), which is a shame since it's exactly what the human body is designed for (the "asian squat" technique is also used and prescribed in Physical Therapy).

Living in Hanoi, Vietnam I'd see people deep squating ALL the time and it's functionality fascinated me. Is stumbled across this YouTube video that demostrates the "Asian squat" in humoristic but yet very good way.

Start practicing!=)

WHAT IS COACHING?

A pic from one of my Personal Trainer sessions at the Botanical Garden in Hanoi, Vietnam.

I'm in the process of becoming an ASEP certified coach, to complement my Personal Trainer accreditations. As a part of the course I've been asked to define "What is coaching?" and this is what I've come up with so far:


What is coaching?

To me, the definition of coaching is the interaction between a coach and an individual, or group of individuals, and the dynamic processes of communicating, demonstrating, analyzing, encouraging, questioning, challenging and assisting individual(s) to attain a desired personal and/or professional goal.
Coaching a skill isn’t the same thing as executing or practicing a skill, very few world class athletes become world class coaches. I think this is in part of the great pedagogic, educational skills needed to be a good coach. Another important feature of a coach is also to be able to analyze situations and movements and then transform those observations in to easy comprehendible instructions and advice that will help the individual(s) excel and perform better.

Wikipedia defines coaching as following:
“Coaching…is identifying the skills and capabilities that are within the person, and enabling them to use them to the best of their ability – and by that increasing the independence within the individual, and reducing reliance”

To me coaching is also about mentoring and leadership (being a role model), practicing and teaching skills, especially in coaching athletes. And although I agree some form of reduction in coach reliance is advantageous, I think it’s always beneficial to have presence of a good coach (feedback, guidance, etc). 

I view coaching as a resource to provide feedback, critique, motivation and opportunities to individual(s), allowing them to grow. For example, if a client to a Personal Trainer (PT) wants the loose weight, the PT will give directions, examples, advice, motivation, instructions and guidelines how to get rid of the unwanted excessive weight. But at the end of the day there’s only going to be one person that decides if the weight will come off and that is the client herself.  In other words, a coach assists people achieve their goals by being an educator, a listener, a motivator and an analyst that helps people develop.

...please feel free to leave a comment if you agree/disagree or think something is missing in my definition!

HOLISTIC TRAINING - LIVE IN THE PRESENT

Here's an article I found in a swedish newspaper a while ago. I like the simple examples in the text of what we can do to increase presence and that it also brings up what I view (in most cases) as the biggest "threat" to live an exciting, constantly learning, dynamic life - ROUTINES. Once you're doing something purely on routine you stop to learn, minutes, hours, days, weeks float together and suddenly years are just flying by. Change can sometimes be uncomfortable and hard but it's crucial to avoid becoming a "creature of habit"!


Use your senses
Much of what we do in life is made of pure routine. But try to occasionally stop and really feel that your senses perceive. Focus on the feeling of water against your skin when you shower, the smell of freshly baked bread when you walk past the bakery or the sound of cars that rushes past outside the window. It forces you to find yourself completely in the present.

Know your emotions
From childhood we have learned to restrain our emotions and in some situations it is useful to be able to control your temper. But the risk is that we do not allow us to feel anything at all without becoming emotional blunting. Ask yourself regularly: "What do I feel at this moment?" Practice that and don't immediately push away feelings of irriation and disappointment, and make sure to enjoy and be grateful for the wonderful moments in life.

Breaking habits
Humans are creatures of habit and tend to do things on routine. This is a valuable feature that enables us to avoid thinking through each step when we are performing a task. But to get out of autopilot mode, it is important to occasionally test new ways of doing things. It can be something as simple as getting off the bus one stop earlier or start at the other end of the grocery store when you shop. Anything that stimulates the brain and makes you more present.

Trim to-do list
It takes energy to be able to live life to its fullest. A major threat to the ability to be in the moment is to constantly be weighed down by an over-filled to-do list, says coach Jane Herman. The first step towards breaking this trend is to write down everything you need to do on paper - then at least you avoid the stress of keeping everything in your head. But equally important is to take a critical look at your list. Do you really need to do everything you've written down? Is there anything you can skip or delegate? Remember that you do not have to say yes to everything.

Stop doing two things at once
To live in the moment means focusing attention on what you are doing right now. If you ever do two things at once - driving while talking on the phone, reading while eating or watching TV while you are writing e-mails - you can never be completely present. To constantly switch back and forth between two tasks also tires out the brain.

...Routines are of course not always "bad". Especially when it comes to healthy eating patterns and physical activity!

DOES RUNNING SHOES CAUSE MORE BAD THAN GOOD?

In the article "Running Shoes May Cause Damage to Knees, Hips and Ankles" researchers observed "increased joint torques at the hip, knee and ankle with running shoes compared with running barefoot". The researchers also states that although "the typical construction of modern-day running shoes provides good support and protection of the foot itself, one negative effect is the increased stress on each of the 3 lower extremity joints (ankle, knee, hip)"

CLICK HERE to read the article in it's full version, it's pretty interesting.

Since the article talks about injuries in running, it kind of also touches the whole footstrike debate (heel versus forefoot). That's a topic I will come back to soon, in future posts!

Now it's time to watch Sweden vs. Finland!

GO SWEDEN GO!

LESS IS MORE

I had a great workout in the gym today...For the first time in weeks, I went through a round of HIT (High Intensity Training - read my previous post on HIT or visist my website to learn more about HIT principles). Lately I've been training more long-duration, low repetitions using heavy weights to increase my maximum strength. But considering how rewarding it felt after only 15-20 minutes in the gym today, with endorphines rushing through my body and a great feeling of accomplishment, I will definitely be doing more HIT rounds coming weeks.

Today's workout:

MAGIC 50's:

5 rounds of...

5 Kettlebell snatch (One arm)
5 KB snatch (One arm)
5 KB swings (One arm)
5 KB swings (One arm)
10 burpees
...rest 60 seconds between each round

I used kettlebells for this particular HIT (24 kg KB snatch, 32 kg KB swing), but dumbbells works just as good.

I got inspiration for this particular HIT from the American based trainer Ross Enamait and his website www.rosstraining.com (check it out - he's got some intresting articles and tips as well as workout videos displaying his superhuman strength).

Please leave a comment or click here to contact me if you'd like more info on Hanoi Fitness HIT.

OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Hips

Your hips determines where your center of mass is. That fact is crucial to be aware of when it comes to maximizing running technique. Think of this: If your foot lands well infront of your hip every time it strikes the ground, your body will decelerate, you'll lose momentum and need to use your muscles to pull your body forward and thorough the motion for next stride.
To find an effective hip position, have a good upright, upperbody posture (open chest, shoulders back), stand tall and tilt your body slightly forward starting from the ankles to the hip.



A common mistake is to lean forward at the shoulders rather than lower body/hips and this actually pushes your hips backward and can also limit the volume of your lungs (oxygen intake).

These biomechanical principles of hip position during running may not be simple to follow at first. It requires endurance and strength in core muscles to keep the body and hip in a slight forward leaning position and like most other skills it takes time and practice for the neuromuscular system to learn the new paths and movements.

Next post in the OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE series will talk about KNEES and STRIDE CHARACTERISTICS.

OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Arms

The arms are the "jockey" to the body and legs, which are the "horse" during running. The faster and more explosive you run, the more critical arm movement becomes to counterbalance the torque and forces from the trunk and legs (i.e sprints).
During long distance running, remember to relax wrists, fingers and hand to avoid tension. If it accours, tension in neck and shoulders is often related tension in arms. Let your arms swing in a natural symbiosis with legs. There's been some debate about the importance of elbow angle (80 - 100 degrees would be considered normal and most effective) as well as the arm swing. Many trainers would recommend to keep a straight arm swing to advocate forces going forward and go along with running direction. With that said, "one-fits-all" guidelines are hard to swear by, something that top world class runner Kennisa Bekele demostrates by his somewhat wild, lateral arm movements.

Next post in the OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE series will feature role of the HIPS.

Stay strong!

OLYMPICS IN PRIME TIME!

Opening ceremony of the Olympics 2010 later today - and I get to watch all the action in prime time!=)

Here's some good facts from USA Today and the increase of TV coverage during the games:




Also, some good old American modesty at the front page of USA Today's Special Olympic Bonus Section...

INCREASE YOUR "FOOD IQ"

Just over a year ago, I competed at "Luciapokalen" - the biggest amateur Fitness/Body Building event in Scandinavia. The preparations for the competition required me to go on a strict, calorie restricting diet for several weeks. I knew a lot about nutrition and food before that too, but keeping a food journal definitely was an interesting eye opener in many ways for me.
Today I'm more aware of how my body responds and reacts to different types of food and nutritents. I encourage everyone that's interested in learning more about nutrition and how your own body functions to keep a food diary, if only for 3-7 days.

To become more "Food Smart", this is what you'll do:

Go to www.fitday.com and create an account (it takes less than 2 minutes and it's free...)

Record the foods and drinks you consume and add everything it all to your "Food Log" (as accurate as possible - eat like you would normally and don't try to fool yourself by not recording food or snacks!).

Now do this for a few days (suggestion, 3-7 days, they don't have to be consecutive days) and you will be able to see charts and tables of your daily nutrient intakes (vitamins, carbs, fat, minerals, etc)...You can set up custom nutrition goals and if you record your physical activity you will get an estimate of your daily calorie balance too.

Hopefully this will make you a little more aware of the contents of what you are eating, how it makes you feel and perhaps also how you distribute your calories during the course of a day and if you could make any changes/smarter choices in your food habits.

Just to clarify - I'm not generally a supporter of "calorie-counting" AT ALL. I'm more a fan of a physically active lifestyle combined with smart food choices (along with some unhealthy ones, occasionally) - who want's to be on a diet for the rest of his/her life?

"You will lose weight when dieting, but it's mostly water...from crying". Unknown

More on my personal nutrition philosophy will follow in future posts!

OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - Head & Shoulders

THE POSITION OF YOUR HEAD AND SHOULDERS

To keep it simple – relax your shoulders and neck and you'll save energy and prevent pain and cramping in your shoulder region.

To relax the head and shoulders when running is a skill and takes practice. Try to let your arms hang loosely without hunching your shoulders and allow your mouth, jaw and neck to just “go with the flow”.

CLICK HERE to see a video of Paula Radcliffe's unique head nodding motion – seemingly a huge waist of energy. But considering the fact that she's the female Marathon World Record holder, apparently the characteristic style works for her and trying to correct it could possibly cause her to tense up and effect her running in a negative way.

Again, every individual is different so a standard position that applies to everyone is impossible to give. Although exercise physiology (and common sense) shows that relaxation of the head and shoulders is desirable for optimal running performance.

More on running technique and the role of your ARMS when running will follow soon!

OPTIMAL RUNNING TECHNIQUE - part 1

No one picks up a tennis racket for the first time and fires of a perfect serve, right?
So why is so little focus and time in general being spent on refining and practicing running technique?



Is there such a thing as an optimal running technique?

My answer to that questions would be “yes”. But since everyone is different in body proportions and size, there's hardly not a “one size fits all” technique available that all runners can copy or apply to. But more knowledge and understanding of how the body works, reacts and functions when you are running might help you become a faster, better and more effective runner.

Today, there's a lot of running clinics, certifications, books and DVD's available to improve the skill of running. They often demand a complete change in running technique and prescribes exercises to teach “proper” running form, in the same way as golfers practice putting on the putting green.

To learn more about the two most popular modern running techniques, visit:

www.posetech.com
www.chirunning.com

or Youtube/Google “Pose running” and “Chi running”

In coming blog posts I will present each one of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Runners” that are applied and adopted by running coaches and elite runners today. The 7 principles of effective running are; Position of HEAD, SHOULDERS, ARMS and HIPS, as well as STRIDE LENGTH and FOOT LANDING.

Stay posted!

/Henrik

HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING

Continuing on the previous "GO HARD OR GO HOME" post...

CLICK HERE to read an article by Chris Collins, founder of Okanagan Peak Performance, that highlights some great points and advantages of a short and intense workout - the same principles as a Hanoi Fitness HIT (High Intensity Training) workout.

GO HARD OR GO HOME

Here's a presentation of Hanoi Fitness HIT (High Intensity Training) - an Effective, Fun and Challenging way to stay fit!

To downlaod free PDF's - CLICK HERE
Choose "HITintro", "HITnr1" and "HITnr1jr" which are intro's and examples for you to read, print and follow.

The Hanoi Fitness HIT (High Intensity Training) workout will target all areas of fitness – body composition, balance, muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, just to name a few. The workouts are designed to keep you on your toes by competing against the toughest opponent you'll ever face in life – yourself. Record and take notes of time, repetitions and/or rounds after every workout and suddenly you'll have a short term specific goal to beat.
The intensity of a HIT workout ranges from high to very high (subjectively) and it requires hard work and a strong mind to perform good numbers and time. But rest assure, you will get back what you put in. The results and amount of time saved from a HIT workout will most definitely be worth the effort!
The HF HIT is NOT a weekly repetitive workout routine. The exercise, form and duration will constantly variate and change, always keeping your body guessing. That prevents muscle adaption and stagnation as well as lack of motivation which makes following the principles of HF HIT a fun and effective way to stay in shape.

Next week I'll be holding the first HIT (High Intensity Training) workout at Gustavus. First, because of my proud scandinavian heritage, I wanted to incorporate "Sweden" in name somehow. But apparently the shortening of Swedish High Intensity Training got voted down for being unpolitically correct...

Visit www.hanoifitness.com for free HIT downloads

/Henrik

WHO SAID EVERYTHING IN ASIA ISN'T DONE UPSIDE DOWN?

There's a fine line between inventfulness and stupidity when exercising. This Hanoian crossed that line a long time ago...

This pic was taken by my mate Adam (whom by the way insists it was neither staged nor photoshopped.

After over a year spent in Hanoi I have seen some weird and questionable exercise methods but this one takes the price=)

More photos and vids will follow soon...Stay posted!

OBESITY INCREASE IN USA, 1985 - 2005

News to anyone? I didn't think so...

LIFESTYLE CHANGE ADVICE

“- Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate”. - Charles Schultz (creater of "Peanuts")

Ok, to officially start of this blog I've chosen to post my my personal view and advice to people that want's to make a lifestyle change...

When starting a new workout routine or opting to take on a healthier lifestyle, aim to make small but smart changes progressively over time. Don't put too much pressure on yourself in the startup phase or make a drastic lifestyle change that you can't maintain. TV shows where they clean out the fridge and literally force feeds the participant with seaweed certainly makes "good" TV but doesn't exactly promote healthy eating.
In most cases, if you're trying to break a bad habit (like inactivity or too much fast food), it's better to start off nice and easy and allow yourself to discover that being healthy truly pays off in all aspect and areas in life. Eventually the healthy lifestyle will become a natural part of your life and simply something you wouldn't want to live without.

Makes sense to you? Feel free to leave a comment...

Welcome to Hanoi Fitness' NEW blog!

Now, I know you're probably thinking "here's another blog about the secrets behind Fitness, miracle diets and new health trends" - just what the world needs, right? =)

Well, this blog will mostly work as an extension of my website - hanoifitness.com, giving more up to date news, videos and photos.

The mission of this blog is to:

• Share inspiring videos of Hanoi Fitness workouts
• Give motivating tips and advice
• Provide specific exercise instructions
• Post personal reflections and thoughts every now and then
• Upload pictures
• Explain facts in anatomy and physiology
• Update with the latest research in the Fitness industry
• Link to sourceful Fitness sites
• ...etc, etc.

Thanks for checking in - stay posted!