It's the Middle of May. Do You Know Where Your Lean Muscle Is?

"If there is one single thing you can do to improve your health, there is no doubt it is exercise," says Robert Sallis, MD. He's promoting the Exercise is Medicine initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM.) This May marks the second annual Exercise is Medicine Month which was created to promote exercise and increase physical activity during the month of May.

Locally, Kara Nelson-Leone, is promoting fitness solutions for people to do just that: Get and stay active. She works out of her studio in West Olympia called Living Fit. Among several qualifications, she is certified by the International Sports Sciences Association as a Fitness Therapist. In a recent presentation, she points out that adults aged 30+ years begin to lose lean muscle mass at an average rate of 1/2 pound per year, no matter what their activity levels. (Ladies and Gentlemen! Your lean muscle mass is leaving the building!!) Gaining lean muscle through strength training, she continues, can help restore health and quality of life by reversing some of the problems associated with this loss. (ie. Loss of strength, increased bloodpressure, and decreased bone density, among others.)

I had the opportunity to experience some of her training sessions and found them very challenging and to the point. She incorporates high intensity/slow movement training, so most of my sessions were less than 30 minutes. I found my training with her very useful for my cycling since she was using exercises for my upper and lower body and core. I've definately never viewed strength training the same way since those workouts!

Check it out... Build some muscle. May is slipping away.

The Short Story about Sleep and Athletic Recovery

In the June 2009 copy of Bicycling Magazine, Lisa Fields chooses the topic of sleep and athletic recovery and highlighted some things that all of us can benefit from, athletes or not.

The Golden Nuggets:
~Athletes train hard, get too little sleep, and end up complaining of fatigue.

~Chronic sleep deprivation robs the body of deep healing and recovery needed after hard exercise.

~Experts recommend that an athlete in training get 8-10 hours of sleep (compared to current average of 6 hours/night.)

~Deep sleep during the first half of the night stimulates release of growth hormone to accomplishes recovery and muscle repair.

~Waking up too early short cuts REM sleep when the mind refreshes.

~Proper sleep can improve your athletic performance!

I guess really I could have just said that, but people do want to know the details sometimes.

Cheers!

Spending the Day with Dr. Jeff Spencer and Dr. Steven Noble

About halfway through the afternoon today, I got a text from my wife to ask if I'd kissed Dr. Spencer yet. Truth is, this is the third time I've seen his presentation for Erchonia Lasers. The first time I saw him, I turned my office upside-down as the information he shared completely changed the framework of how I thought about my treatment choices. Seeing today's presentation helped deepen my understanding of how the body works, how it heals, what it needs, and what it doesn't need. The techniques that I learned today have been honed by Dr. Spencer in his clinic and in the field while treating world class athletes, including Lance Armstrong and his Tour de France teams. I can't wait to turn my practice on end again.

While I was there, I also got to hang out with my friend and colleague Dr. Steven Noble of Noble Sports Chiropractic in Bellingham, WA. He and I completed our Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) training together in 2007. He had great news to share about the previous weekend of cycling excitement for the WWU team at the Collegiate National Championship in Ft. Collins, CO: First place (Phil Elasser) in the men's criterium and second place (Daisy Phillips) in the women's criterium. Both finished top 5 in the omnium. Dr. Noble has been involved with the team for several years. Kudos Dr. Noble!

Skirting Danger, Hanging On... Ravensdale Road Race Report

On Saturday, May 9, I raced in the Masters C category in the Ravensdale Road Race put on by BuDu Racing. As a beginner, it's still hard for me to judge which races are going to suit me and which ones won't (if there is such a determination for beginners... who don't seem to "fit" many things.) Nonetheless, knowing there weren't a lot of long, steady, steep climbs, I thought I might stick with the group for at least a lap or so in this event, and I was right.

My one focus going into this race was to pick a solid wheel and stay on it, no matter what. In this race, I picked my teammate Erik's wheel. I knew he was strong, steady, and has years of racing experience. One of my weaknesses is that I spend a lot of time trying to stay out of people's way, and one way that I am getting through that is to keep clarifying to myself that my objective is to defend my own personal space in the peloton... and... if I pick my wheel right, have a spot that other riders will envy.

By the third lap, I was already surprised to find that I'd made it as far as I had. Besides staying out of the wind, I was also focusing on staying fueled and relaxed, both things that would help get me through ANY 50 mile ride. Then, in an instant, the center of peloton collapsed! I was far enough back that I was able to steer around to the left of the many who had fallen. I quickly attached onto Erik and kept his pace as we weaved through slower riders. We quickly connected back to the lead group which was down to about 20 or so riders. The riders at the front dialed things up until the peloton was strung out into a single-file line. This eventually slowed back to an easier pace and re-formed the group. More and more of the chase group started filling in at the back of the pack and there were soon more than 50 of us.

On the next lap, just after I had come through a sharp corner and straightened up, another crash occurred just a few riders in front of me. It was due to a wheel overlap (most likely) or pedal. Either way, I ended up several feet off the road on the grass, but still upright! It was beginning to feel like cyclocross season had just started again. I accelerated out of the grass, despite having one shoe out of the pedals, but once I got my speed up again, I clicked in easily. (Two cheers for mtn. shoes in a road race! Huzzah! Huzzah!) I caught on to Erik's wheel again, feeling very confident that he would find his way back to the front group, which was speeding away from us. I followed him as he smartly worked thorough the string of riders trying to play the same game we were, and my position proved I'd chosen the best wheel. I found myself once again rejoining the front group.

The rest of the race played out fairly smoothly, I was in the pack, and knew I had the energy left to arrive at the end as long as there weren't any uphill attacks. This, too, proved to be true until the last 200 meters when it felt like my legs gave out. I tried to dial it up through the pain, but the pack began smoothly accelerating away towards the line and crossed about 10 or 15 seconds ahead of me. Though technically, it wasn't a "pack finish," (sorry Erik, in later reflection, I couldn't connect the dots) it was a milestone for me.

Happy Riding, Andy

Washington State Holds Highest Ranking for Bike-Friendliness for 2009

WA state was ranked by the League of American Bicyclists as the top state in the nation for bicycle friendliness. The "friendliness" refers to the state's commitment to promotion of cycling through legislation, policies, and programs for bicycles. It also accounts for the creation of new places to ride, education of motorists and cyclists, and encouraging people to use bicycles for commuting and playing. The announcement is part of the League's kick off to National Bike to Work Week. So... for those of us in Washington, let's show off that new medal by rolling it on two wheels to get to work this week! If you are in Olympia, a great way to do this is to get involved with Intercity Transit's Bike Commuter Contest. I have packets of information/registration materials in the office... it's not too late!

Taylor Phinney Making Some Chiropractic Noise I Like

Taylor Phinney is a guy to envy. Young, talented, destined to greatness... blah, blah, blah... that's all been said in a million places. Even though he's a bit noisy on Twitter, I follow him because there is something very intriguing about his perspectives as an 18 year old living the dream of being a rising star as a cyclist.

During the past week, a few of his postings have caught my eye. In one he posted a picture of his helmet that was broken in a recent bike crash. He goes on to encourage all cyclists to wear helmets, a point that I agree with, for sure. The second one that caught me was a tweet that he sent just after he saw his chiropractor to get "fixed up after his crash." All I could think was... "Oh, yeah. Tell the world Taylor."

For the past seven years, I've been cultivating my crush on Dr. Jeff Spencer's career as a chiropractor working with world class athletes such as Lance Armstrong. This has come in the form of hundreds of hours of reading and seminars, including trainings with Dr. Spencer, himself. Sigh.