http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/10/08/a-total-body-workout-for-everyone/A Total Body Workout For Everyone  by Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui for ATHLETA

Whether you’re an advanced athlete or re-entering fitness, enjoying your workout is important. We can all agree that working out has to be fun. Let’s face it, if it’s not fun, it’s not going to happen!

I’ve designed a simple workout for you to add to your current routine, or start fresh with this one. In my workouts, I always try to touch every muscle group, including the core, and also incorporate a little balance training. Everyone is so different and has different workout goals. But remember — we don’t want our bodies to plateau. I’ll often grab a workout that I’ve designed for one my clients and do theirs. Granted, I’ll adjust it to suit my training needs, but it’s fun, it’s different and I love it.

This workout will be about 45 minutes and offers a little something for everyone. I recommend you try it first in the order I’m presenting, especially the warm up and the core work. You can mix and match the strength training portion in any way that suits you. I like to save abs for last since they support us all throughout the workout.

Equipment: Medicine ball (4-8 pounds), resistance tubing with handles, tube circle or Thera-Band®, stability ball, dumbbells (5-15 pounds).

Training Tip: When you change “variables” in your training routine, your body will likely respond more quickly vs. doing the same old thing. A variable may be increasing or decreasing the number of reps, changing the order in which you select the exercise, changing the platform you are training on; such as an inflatable disc, or increasing the amount of weight used for the exercise.

Let’s begin…

Active Warm Up

I prefer and recommend my clients to do active warm up exercises vs. static stretching (stretches where you hold the stretch for a period of time). It can be a quick spin on the stationary bike, walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes, or try the exercise below.

To the rest of this informative article on total body training, go to: http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/10/08/a-total-body-workout-for-everyone/

To inquire about training with Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui, future SUP clinics, Private SUP/ Fitness Adventure Bookings click here

http:www.suzietrainsmaui.com

Here is my client Joel Edwards riding in the Iao Valley.  He loves to ride his road bike, cross the island channels in his one man canoe or with a team of 6,  kite board, stand up paddle,;taking advantage of the great outdoors here on Maui! His cardio is strong and when he’s in my studio, we train his core, strength and balance training. Joel is often a 3 sport a day kind of person! Go Joel!

Here are a few tips to working out outside, whether it is in the park, or at the beach.

Make sure that you are extra hydrated. Although Maui isn’t as humid as other parts of the country, it’s a good idea to drink a little more water prior, during and after your workout.  Wear sunscreen and even a light colored hat. Protecting your scalp from burning is important.  Hats can also keep you cooler. Maybe head out earlier or later in the day say before 10am or say past 4 o’clock so you don’t overheat too fast vs. in the heat of the day. Grab a rash guard if you want extra sun protection.

Also, if you are thinking of walking or running on the beach, and you haven’t done so in a while, it may be a good idea to perform a little more active stretching with emphasis on the calve and hamstring muscles. Start out slow, keep your body upright and avoid leaning too far forward.  Watch your stride and keep your pace steady.

If you kick off your slippers to enjoy the nice soft sand, remember to scan where you walk or run at least a few steps ahead. Sometimes there hidden chunks of coral that can take you down so fast you won’t know what happened.  Watch out for twigs, sharp pieces of glass or here on Maui, sharp kiawe branches.

Besides walking or running, some of our beaches have picnic tables and benches. These are great to do single leg squats, tricep dips on or pushups!  What I love to do, is deep sand lunges up in the dunes at Baldwin Beach.  I also carry some tubing to wrap around the trees to perform back rows and tricep presses and core exercises.

Besides walking, riding your bike or running, you can paddle your canoe, hike in the crater, surf , or your SUP ( stand up paddle board).   Tennis is a great total body workout. Did you also know that swimming  1 mile is equivalent to running four?

Remember, if you’re reentering fitness, take it slow and you may want to check with your physician if you have any specific injuries or are rehabilitating from surgery.  Always be sure to warm up with some active stretching, eat at least an hour before you workout and maybe keep some extra energy good to keep you going.

For more tips or if you want to get into the shape of your life, call me at 808-283-2121 or email me: http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com/contact/

You CAN be healthy and fit!  Thanks Joel for inspiring me and so many others!

Suzie Cooney, CPT  Suzie Trains Maui

Follow me on Face Book:  http:/www.facebook.com/suzietrainsmaui

Born Free: Barefoot Running

Suzie Cooney • Mar 1st, 2010 • Category: Run

Whether you surf the big waves of Maui’s North Shore or touring the beautiful channels and waterways of Jupiter, Florida, or on Lake Tahoe, it’s known that if you have good balance and can respond quickly to changing water conditions or obstacles that can come in your path; better chances for a more enjoyable SUP session.

Time and time again I’ve had to call upon some of the tiniest muscles, to fire fast and respond to get me out of trouble or to dodge a turtle on the same wave! I’ve also encountered large pieces of floating debris, strange breaking waves, or other people in my line that I had to have quick reaction times and good balance for recovery to get my footing back.

As a trainer and water sports enthusiast, I’ve always encouraged the importance of trying to mimic similar conditions in your workout program on land. You can keep it really simple or add some fun equipment too.

To me, balance training is like brain training. Without getting too technical, it’s like adding a few more wires to our brain or panels so you’re ready for anything. One technical term I will use is called neuromuscular training. The definition simply means selecting specific exercises that are very specific to increase one’s performance, and trigger the appropriate actions to allow your nervous system to operate and perform functionally at its maximal level.  

Your eyes, core, and all of the muscles connected to your central nervous system have an important role to quickly gather information, route it to the right department and fire away. Ever had the feeling like you’re moving in slow motion while during a serious wipe out? I have. It’s the strangest feeling. I’m not sure I’m fond of it and I try really hard to have cat like reactions and excellent balance to avoid that.

Stand up paddling, as simple as it looks does in fact require a little balance when you’re beginning and as you advance. When you’re learning, you’re so busy turning the paddle in the right direction, looking at the horizon and more than likely, gripping the deck with every single muscle in your foot, leading to early fatigue.

Once you’re up and gliding there’s not much to it. But, as you step into your first wave or go down in the size of your board, you may discover you need a little better balance or to retrain your brain to learn again.

Next time you’re in the gym or in your own home gym, start practicing a couple balance techniques to keep your brain and muscles fine tuned.

Equipment: The BOSU, INDO Board, my KIALOA paddle and an 8lb medicine ball or 12 -15lb body bar.

These are advanced moves, so start out slowly and progress safely:

1. BOSU, dome side down with paddle, medicine ball or body bar:

 I’ve actually taken a bit of sand paper to roughen up the plastic side of my BOSUs to aid in traction, or have sand on my feet!  I recommend barefoot so you can really get the feel of the movements of the BOSU. Step on safely, feet parallel to the plug, posture nice and tall, relaxed looking ahead. Take your paddle, medicine ball or body bar and start to paddle 2 strokes each side. Switch off to mix it up. As you move your arms out and to the side, notice how sensitive the BOSU becomes.  I like to try and go to fatigue or until my legs scream!

2. INDO Board on top of dome of BOSU: see photo up topPlace the INDO Board itself on top of the dome of the BOSU. I like to have a little less board off the back to I can really pretend I’m heading down the line. Or if you’re more comfortable to start, place the INDO board so it’s nicely balanced in the center. Change it up. You can place your feet side by side as if you’re cruising and do it that way, or if you’re charging some waves, assume the surf stance.

 This time you’ll notice the added extra burn to your back carving leg at the same time looking ahead where you want to go, down the line.

Good balance for stand up paddling is key and important for many things we do in life. Next time you’re on the water, try paddling on one foot, or simply standing on one foot. In the gym, try kneeling on a stability ball for extra fun. Be sure to hang onto a sturdy object at first. Add more air to the stability ball to make it more challenging and fun.

Any questions about these exercises or to learn more, feel free to email me at Suzie@SuzieTrainsMaui.comor check out www.suzietrainsmaui.com and www.standuppaddlingfitness.com

Glide with good posture, react fast and paddle hard!

Aloha, Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui

Suzie is a Pro Team SUP Rider for Naish International.  Check out her profile here!      Follow Suzie on Face Book:  http://www.facebook.com/suzietrainsmaui

Suzie is wearing shorts from Athleta  click here.

You’re the only doc than can rip and carve on and off the water..  I’ve seen your work in the OR and on the water.. way cool my friend..  Surfing like this requires quick action, strong hips and legs for holding that rail. Thanks for sharing this great shot. Suzie

Sweet Set up Cas Fiji

Work Out Traps: A Few Tips So you Don’t Fall In One!

Break out of the fitness trap, and don’t be like the others stuck in the same routine, and the same body. You see the same person, at the same time on the same treadmill or weight machine, doing the same routine.  But, do they look any different?  You say to yourself, “is that me?” Here are a few tips to avoid falling into the same work out trap and get the results you desire.

1. More is Not Always Better

Lifting too much weight can compromise the alignment of your spine and may cause muscle and ligament injuries. Heavier is not necessarily better. Watch your form and avoid swinging weigths or overloading the cables. For example, although very popular the lat pulldown machine can be very dangerous if one loads up with too much weight.  Maintain a controlled movement and pace, and avoid the rocking back and forth movement that tends to come with too much momentum.  Keep your spine properly aligned and stay in control on the way down.

2. Where’s the Beach? There’s more to train than just the bicep!

Most people love to train the bicep muscles, because it tends to respond to training rather quickly.  I think of the muscle man at the beach who, says, “ladies, the beach is that way,” while he flexes his bicep muscle and the girls swoon.  Have you noticed that when you’re at the gym, everyone’s doing a bicep curl. People love to look in the mirror and flex their guns. Yeah, it looks great, but it’s the smallest upper body muscle, so don’t forget your legs, your back, shoulders and abs too! Balance your workout for total body conditioning.

 3. Where’s my six pack? I always tell my clients, if you want to lose in the middle you must ,you must, do cardio a little..okay way more cardio. Your six pack is waiting for you, but until you get that heart rate up to boost your metabolism, good luck. It’s not to say if you did 500 crunches a day you may start to see some defintion, but all fitness specialists agree that even if you include some resistance training too, you won’t see much until you lose the fat first.  So don’t groan and moan about cardio, find something you enjoy. Punching a boxing bag is fun, jumping rope is awesome too. Be careful again not get stuck in the same cardio routine as well.  Call me and I’ll help you develop a cardio plan to help you burn.

 4. Machine Monkeys  These are the ones all hunched over hanging over a treadmill, or stationery bike with a death grip on the handlebars. First, make sure your posture is straight up, and shoulders back. If the speed is to high, or elevation too challenging, bring it down as not compromise good form. You know you are going to fast on the treadmill if you must hold onto the rails. I like Elliptical machines because you can’t really just hang there.  Don’t cheat yourself from a great effective workout.

 5. Stay Out of the Trap for Good

We all enjoy doing what is easy, and that’s how bad habits take shape.  If it wasn’t a little challenging, then everyone would be in tip top shape.  Working out should be fun and different. Some people do like routine, but I promise your body doesn’t. It’s important to mix it up so you get the results you want. Go to the beach and have an outdoor workout. If you like the gym, go for a run down the street instead of the treadmill. Grab your board, get some paddling in and a few waves, then finish with a weight workout. This is my favorite thing to do, for I feel pumped and warmed up!

I like to really mix it up for my clients. I always make the workouts fun, safe and challenging, while getting the results they desire.  I hope this article was helpful and informative.

Make changes today so your body makes changes tomorrow. Please call me if I can help you develop a program so you and your body doesn’t fall into the workout trap! It’s time to maybe try something new and have some fun!

Aloha and in good health, Suzie Cooney, CPT

8 Common Nutrition Mistakes…and How to Fix Them

No time is No Excuse!

By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD
For Active.com

Nutrition may be your missing link in training. Here are eight common nutrition mistakes many athletes make with tips and recipes for how to solve them.

No. 1: Beneficial Protein Intake

Some athletes eat too little protein; others eat too much. For example, a 150 lb (68 kg) athlete may need 0.5 to 0.75 g pro/lb (1-1.5 g pro/kg); this translates into about 75 to 105 g pro/day. This athlete can easily consume too much protein if the foundation of the menu is:

This amount of protein is excessive, to the point some of the protein could be wisely traded for more carbs to better fuel the workouts.

In contrast, a vegetarian athlete on a reducing diet could easily under consume protein if foundation of the menu is:

Too little protein contributes to poor recovery, muscle wasting, and sub optimal results from hard training.

Solution: By meeting with a sports dietitian, you can learn your protein requirement and how to translate that into food.

No. 2: Iron to Prevent Fatigue From Anemia

Iron-deficiency anemia is common, particularly in females. Anemia causes needless fatigue and reduced performance. A survey of collegiate athletes indicates 20 percent of the female volleyball and basketball players were anemic, as were 50 percent of the soccer team. (1)

Anemia is particularly common among women who have heavy menstrual blood losses, but eat neither red meat nor iron-enriched breakfast cereal.

Solution: If you feel needlessly tired, get your blood tested by your doctor and be sure to get your serum ferritin measured. To help prevent anemia, strive to eat an iron-rich diet of:

red meat, or iron-rich alternatives (dark-meat chicken or turkey, salmon, tuna) iron-fortified cereals (Wheaties, Raisin Bran, Total)

To enhance iron absorption, include with each meal a source of vitamin C, such as orange juice, berries, broccoli, tomato or other fruits and vegetables.

No. 3: Post-exercise Food

At the end of a hard workout, you haven’t finished your training until you have refueled. Don’t rush off to work or school, with “no time to eat” as the excuse.

Solution: Plan ahead, so you have recovery foods readily available. Even in a time-crunch, you should be able refuel your muscles properly. “No time” is no excuse.

No. 4: Recovering With Both Carbs + Protein

Recovery foods should offer a foundation of carbs with protein as the accompaniment. A reasonable target is about 240 calories of carbs (60 g carb) and about 80 calories (20 g) of protein. Some popular choices include Greek yogurt with honey, chocolate milk, cereal with milk, and pasta with meat sauce. You need not buy engineered recovery foods; standard fare works fine.

Note that recovery foods can be eaten pre-exercise. That is, a pre-exercise yogurt gets digested into amino acids and glucose; those food components will be ready and waiting to be put into use when you stop exercising. In a 10-week study with recreational body builders, those who consumed a protein-carb supplement both immediately before and right after the mid-afternoon strength training session gained 2.3 pounds more muscle and 7 pounds more in strength (as measured by bench press), compared to the group without the pre- and post-exercise fuel. (2)

Athletes who do two workouts a day really need to rapidly refuel with a proper recovery diet. A six-week study with swimmers reports those who did two workouts (morning and afternoon) sprinted slower than those who swam only in the afternoon (3). If nutrition is your missing link, don’t even think about double workouts.

Solution: You may not feel hungry for solid foods after a hard bout of exercise, but you are likely thirsty. A fruit smoothie (made with yogurt) is excellent for recovery, as is a chug of chocolate milk. Both contain carbs to refuel, and protein to build and repair muscles and reduce muscle soreness.