We discussed several pieces of equipment of various levels of efficiency. On of the most common and more popular pieces of cardio, the treadmill is the one we received the most response to. This is a great tool for runners to take advantage of if the opportunity to run outdoors or on a track are not readily available.

We also discussed the many negatives associated with the Recumbant bike but also provided you with some examples of how to make it more efficient.

The Stairmaster for all of its calorie burning abilities also comes with a heavy amount of poor posture training and high amounts of muscle imbalance. However, we also gave you a chance to see how to make this machine a little less damaging so you can reap greater rewards from it.

We also went over both rowing machines and elliptical trainers with you. Check each of these links on this post for some great information on each of these machines. Also look in the cardiovascular category for more info on cardiovascular machines.

Finally Train2move also created for you the perfect companion to your cardio workouts. All cardio machines have their strengths and weaknesses. Our goal as always is to provide you with programs to help make your muscular system be at its best. The Cardio Cheat Sheets we designed to compliment each of the cardio machines it available in the store. If you are looking for that extra edge to help make your cardio workouts the most effective they can be, check them out!

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The answer from our perspective may surprise you. I sat down to calculate this out and came up with an amount that has nothing to do with cardiovascular requirements or calorie burning but rather what would it take for us to be able to maintain true physical health. True physical health meaning that our bodies are maintaining a high level of efficiency that allows us to be flexible, strong, have good posture, have high levels of endurance, and high energy levels throughout the day. We all had this at one point, it was called childhood.

Childhood was a time in our lives where physical activity was of premium importance. I am now 35 years old but I can remember how highly it was stressed in my Elementary Schools. Thank you Bear Creek in Lakewood Colorado! We had P.E. everyday along with multiple recesses all the way through 5th grade. Now my son who is in 3rd grade gets one recess if he is lucky and P.E. for 45 minutes 1x per week. So think back to being 6 years old and we begin to get closer to how much time we need to exercise during the week.

The answer is hours, many hours not per week but per day. Our Bodies were designed to be used, not occasionally sitting on a silly little bike reading a book but used, a lot. Playgrounds, fences, trees, and any other obstacle we could find used to be our training equipment. When we used them we were strong, had more energy than our parents could stand, and were as healthy as we will most likely ever be in our lives.

So how do we replicate this as adults now with kids of our own and full time jobs and the many other stresses we deal with on a daily basis? The answer is in smaller amounts. We no longer have the luxury of a 3 hour marathon game of Cops and Robbers. We now are luck to have 30 minutes. One of the many reasons I wanted to create this blog was to give you tools to become as healthy as possible regardless of your current situation. If you have not looked in the Store, go check it out. For the cost of going to a movie you can get some of our programs.

If you work at a desk all day, Purchase our AM/PM routines, the Complete Cubicle Workout Series, and the Abdominal program. You now have the tools you need to get an hour worth of exercise a day without making much of a difference in your current schedule.

Give us some feedback and let us know what other types of products will help you out in your goals to stay fit and healthy. In the meantime make sure you are doing exercise everyday. The ramifications of not doing so go way beyond not burning enough calories or needed to work your cardiovascular system more.

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Many people tend to use the cold weather as an excuse to not workout. It is so much more appealing to sit on the couch by that nice warm fire instead of going out in freezing temperatures. I have done this many times myself but for many I think they have a legitimate excuse of just not knowing if it is ok to go outside to workout when the temperatures drop into the 20′s or below.

Here are some things that we want you to be aware of when exercising in the cold. If you take the proper precautions it is completely safe for you to exercise when the temperature get real cold.

Stay hydrated - This is a mistake that a lot of people make. We tend to not drink as much when it is colder outside so make sure you are hydrated before you go to workout. You will still sweat if you follow the next piece of advice about your clothing.

Make sure to wear layers – Wearing multiple layers is a great way to combat the cold weather. Start with the lowest layer (closest to your skin) as a dri-fit type material that is designed to get the moisture off your skin. Try to not do cotton as this will absorb the moisture which can cause some problems for you as you begin to sweat because it can freeze and cause you to become chilled. Also make sure your layers are easy to remove or add back on based on how warm or cold you are. When you exercise your body can make it seem like it is 30 degrees warmer than the actual temperature.

Protect your extremities – I grew up in Denver and I remember my mom always telling me that I lose the most heat from my head so I always had these awesome winter hats to wear. This is key if you are going to be exercising in the cold. Wear some type of protection for your head. Also make sure to wear some gloves on your hands so you do not develop any frostbite. Double up on socks can also be a good idea to help keep the feet warm.

Talk to your Doctor – If you have asthma or any other type of respiratory issues make sure to ask your Doctor if it is safe for you to be exercising in the cold. The cold can make certain types of respiratory issues more pronounced which can have a dramatic impact on your ability to exercise.

Understand when it is too cold – These tips will help you to be able to exercise in the cold but do remember that it can get to be too cold. One thing many people forget about is the windchill factor. make sure to take into account the windchill when you are outside. If this drops the temperature down below 10 degrees it might be time to think about staying on the couch by that nice fire!

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How Cycling Helped Me Lose 50 Pounds
Paul Lopez
pacificpedaling.com

In 1990, the year I got married, I was somewhere just over 190 lbs, which was a few pounds up from my high school days. Fast forward to the year 2007, 16 years later I was tipping the scales at just a pound or two under 260. I’d gained nearly 70 pounds in just under two decades. It was finally time for a change.

Like most people wanting to lose weight, I’ve been on the roller coaster ride of losing a few, and gaining them back, with no real plan of attack besides eating better and trying to get more exercise. The problem with telling yourself that you’ll eat better, is that can be a floating curve. The same is true about simply telling yourself to get a little more exercise. On top of that, I hate exercise, so that plan is bound to fail! But something needed to be done, so I started doing a little research.

I know that counting calories is not the end all, be all solution to losing weight and getting healthy, but for me, it was at least the start of some tangible measurement. When I stopped to add up what my day looked like, it was pretty frightening. Couple bowls of cereal in the morning, latte mid morning, (sometimes with a scone to go with it, ‘regular’ lunch out just about anywhere, and I could easily be pushing 2000 calories only halfway through the day. With another coffee drink, a big dinner, and a snack in the evening, I was regularly having 3000-4000 calorie days.

I set out to make a daily goal of eating less than 2000 calories each day, with the basic knowledge that any calories I didn’t burn, or expel some other way, would transform into additional pounds of fat on my body. Within the first couple weeks I dropped over 10 pounds and was excited about the realization that I could, in fact, control my weight if I simply made a plan and stayed with it.

However, I knew I would need to incorporate other elements into my plan. I started not only counting calories, but evaluating the types of calories I was taking in. I started drinking way more water than I normally did, which had previously been very little. I tried to eat more often during the day, in smaller meals, and I tried to stop eating altogether by 7 pm. To cap it off, I decided it was time to exercise.

As a kid I loved riding bikes, so I purchased a cheap WalMart bike and started getting out around the neighborhood, and immediately discovered that I still loved riding. Within a month or so, the bike started falling apart, so I upgraded to a Trek Navigator comfort bike and started adding in more miles.

Within the first month or so, I had been regularly doing a 12 mile loop near my home, riding in baggy sweats, garden gloves, and tennis shoes. Happily pedaling along on my comfort bike, dressing up in tight, bright clothes and locking my feet down to the pedals were the furthest things from my mind. I would never become one of THOSE cyclists, I was more of the fuddy duddy dad, happy to be on my comfort bike. Then I had a massive paradigm shift.

My younger brother left for two weeks on vacation. Before he left, he suggested I babysit his steel, Italian road bike and see if I like it. It was very much UNlike my comfort bike. It had dropbars instead of a nice upright wide handlebar. Super narrow tires compared to my big wide knobby balloon tires. Zero suspension as opposed to the fork and seat suspension of the Trek. And a seat that looked like it wouldn’t be comfortable to anyone at all, let alone a guy with a big backend, who’d be used to a wider, cushier saddle as he rode. “Looks can be deceiving,” my brother insisted.

The first time I took out the road bike, a hot looking, fire engine red Torelli, it felt foreign and unstable to me. The front end was squirrely, and I didn’t like leaning over the bike rather than sitting upright. Additionally, my butt and the tiny saddle didn’t agree. However, I noticed one thing that I did really like. The bike really responded to my pedaling. I felt like every ounce of energy I put into a pedal stroke, I was immediately getting back in performance of the bike. I began to realize that the big tires, both shocks, and the extra weight of my comfort bike were sucking up some of my energy. The trade off for a less comfortable ride, was a gain in performance….very much like a sports car vs a luxury sedan. I could get used to this.

The next day I took it out for a 20 mile ride. I had never been 20 miles, but figured I’d give it a shot since I had a ‘real’ bike to do it on. I was still in a funky, mismatched sweats and windbreaker outfit, but the bike looked good. I flew. Ok, in all actuality, I probably was doing 15 miles an hour or under the whole way, but to me, compared to my 10 mile an hour riding on the comfort bike, I was moving like the wind! And by the end of the ride, I was instantly addicted. I went out several days that week, and over the two weeks my brother was gone, logged 200 miles on his bike. After the first week I went to the local shop in town that had put his together for him, and asked him to build me it’s twin, and as quickly as possible!

As I said earlier in my post, I don’t enjoy exercise. I still hold true to that statement, with one exception, I love cycling. I started riding that comfort bike in early spring, and by late September I rode the 70 mile Livestrong Challenge, in a monsoon-like conditions. Additionally, along the way, with keeping an eye on my caloric intake, drinking water, making smarter food and meal choices and spending time on the bike 2-4 times a week, I had managed to lose 50 lbs, and felt TONS better. In a 6 month period of time, I had managed to turn my health completely around.

Fast forward two years and I still love cycling. I run a cycling blog, sponsor a cycling team, and even competed in multiple race series for the first time ever. My weight has waffled a little here and there, but I’ve managed to keep off 40-50 lbs over the past couple years. I won’t be going back to that crazy place I was at 2 years ago. Finding time to ride can be tricky, but I know how to eat smarter, and work in a couple workouts a week. I love helping other people discover the joy of cycling as well, and love to answer any questions about bikes or riding that I can.

Get out there and ride!

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The History and Evolution of A Cycling Blog
Paul Lopez
pacificpedaling.com

In the Spring of 2007, I set out on a serious effort to lose some weight. I had gained nearly 70 pounds over the 16 years I’d been married, and all my previous attempts at getting healthy ended like most folks experiences–either shortlived, or in rollercoaster fashion at best. I would need something to help me get out of that rut, and the internet proved to be an invaluable tool in doing just that.

I read an article about a very tangible way to lose weight by watching closely what you eat, counting the calories, and understanding how many a typical person needs for each day. The article made sense to me, and resonated with me as well, so I set out to give it a try, not really knowing what to expect. Surprisingly, it worked. I started dropping weight and was very excited about it, but I’d been there before and didn’t want to fail after just a few days, so I set up a sort of accountability for my efforts — I started blogging about it.

I launched a personal weightloss journal at http://weightlossgrace.blogspot.com/, and kept track of all the things I was doing to get healthy and lose weight. Additionally, I told all my friends about it, so they could keep checking in on me as well. If EVERYONE knew I was trying to do this, I’d be more inclined to succeed and not give up.

Over the course of the year and a half that I was journaling there, I realized that my posts had slowing started turning from meal plans and daily weigh-ins to stories about bikes, cycling and anything else having to do with two wheels. This change in postings reflected my thought process in life too. I had gone from thinking everyday about how to lose weight, to thinking “how can I get out on my bike today?”

In October of 2008 I launched PacificPedaling.com, a blog about cycling, bikes, and riding in this Pacific Northwest area we live in. Our goal was to not only write about what was going on, but also be a part of the cycling community in very real ways.

In April, we sponsored, and helped pull off the Union Street Bridge grand opening event in downtown Salem.

In September, the Pacific Pedaling sponsored cycling team began racing in the MTB Short Track races  and in October we began racing in two different Cyclocross Series.

As we end 2009 and look forward to 2010, the PacificPedaling blog is a sponsor of the Boys and Girls Club Junior Cycling squad, and team members have become part of the team of mentors and coaches that will help train the kids to ride a 100 Mile century ride this coming summer.

We’re looking forward to 2010 at PacificPedaling.com!

Here are some great pictures we wanted to share showing off the awesomeness of the Pacificpedaling.com Team.

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Cardio machines take up a lot of space in most gyms due to their popularity and since they generally are easy to use, they are a simple way to get your heart rate up, burn some calories, and work on your lung capacity and endurance.

Remember though, each form of stimulus has both positive effects on the body as well as negatives. Look at the recumbent bike for example. What are the positive outcomes of using one for 20 to 40 minutes a few times a week? Well, it gets your heart rate up and burns calories. From a muscular standpoint, however, there can be some negative effects on your body if you never change up this one repetitive stimulus. For one, the constant seated position it like putting a cast on the muscles of the hips. Yes, the quads are getting lots of stimulus, and it gets your heart rate up, but as you may know, we cannot enough emphasize the importance of balancing the muscular system. Getting out of the seated position and giving your muscles a variety of stimulus will improve your overall fitness.

Change up your cardio routines often to give your muscular system new and different forms of stimulus. There are all sorts of ways to get different forms of cardio training. Treadmills, row machines, elliptical machines, running stairs, going out for a run, getting on the bike, jump-roping, swimming. Try not to choose the most comfortable one and do it over and over. Challenge yourself and change up your routine.

Check out our store at the top of the page, and look for the cardio cheat sheets. In this product we provide a series of cardio options that also include exercises to “neutralize” the negative effects of some cardio equipment to get the most out of your workout.

Loren Sheets

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RUNNING WARMUP

Here is the complete Running Warmup for you to follow. Give it a shot the next time you are headed out for a run. We have taken the time to put together an intelligent warmup that incorporates the various components necessary to promote an efficient stride. Here is the extra descriptions for each move along with the number of repetitions of each.

Standing 3 Position Arm Raises – 10x each position (Stand with feet at hip width, arms relaxed by sides. Lift arms to the 12 o’clock position (arms straight overhead pointing behind). Repeat arm lifts at 10 and 2 (arms halfway between overhead and straight out from sides) and finally at 9 and 3 (arms straight out from sides.)

Windmills – 10x each direction (Stand with your feet out much wider than the hips and your feet pointing forward. Now place you arms straight out to the side at shoulder height. From this position bend and twist from the waist as you bring your right hand down to your left foot. Stand all the way back up, then go to the other side)

Standing Cats & Dogs – 10x (Stand feet hip width apart, hands on thighs, and knees bent. Arch back up like a scared cat and push chin to chest, then lower back toward floor and raise head up. Repeat alternating between the two positions.)

Standing Quad – 30 seconds each leg (Stand in front of a chair on left leg, place left hand on chair for support; bend right knee and pull heel toward glutes, reach down with right hand and hold right foot. Keeping knees even and hips square to chair, squeeze right glute and slightly press hip forward and hold. Switch legs and repeat.)

Runner’s Stretch – 30 seconds each side (On hands and knees, place left heel directly in front of right knee, stand up keeping your feet in place and straightening both legs. Keep both thighs tight and bend over front foot. Rest hands on floor or chair and hold.)

Standing Hip Flexor Stretch – 30 seconds each side (Stand with hands on hips, right leg out in front of you and left leg behind. Bend both knees allowing your left knee to drop toward the floor. Hold this position with left leg a few inches above the ground and then without raising your hips, try to straighten your left leg. Switch legs and repeat.)

Rotational Stork Walk – 20 steps (stand with hands behind head. Pull left knee outside and up to 90 degrees and bring knee back to shoulder width while keeping foot under knee (one fluid motion). Step forward while lowering left foot toward the floor and repeat with right leg.)

Lateral Lunge Walk – 15 steps each way (Stand with feet under hips and hands behind head, bend right knee and take a big step to the side with your right leg. Standup by straightening right leg and bringing left leg underneath hips. Repeat then switch directions.)

Full Squats – 10x (Stand with feet directly under hips and toes pointing forward. Place hands behind head and pinch shoulder blades together. Without letting heels come off the floor, squat down as far as is comfortable and back up; repeat.)

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Some of the Athletes I coach were discussing this topic today. They were doing a workout for our winter track program in our indoor training center. At the end we went outside to do some sprints to open up their stride and it turned out to be significantly colder than I had anticipated. I was worried this would be a detriment but they all said it was a relief since the training center was getting pretty humid from the sweat and heaters.

I laughed when I heard this because I understand my runners well enough to know they would not choose to run in the very cold temperatures. From there the debate continued as to when the best temperature or time of year was to run.

I personally am a fan of late summer and early fall. The Spring in Oregon tends to be still quite cold and usually very wet. I remember a few years ago during a High School Track and Field Season we had 12 days of nice weather. Thats 12 out of about 90. The summer in Oregon is typically very nice but I do not run long distances as well in the heat. Late summer or early fall ends up being just about perfect. Not only is the scenery incredible with the changing of the leaves but the temperature is right around the 60 degree mark most days.

For many of you I would imagine that your climate determines a lot about when you prefer to run. Pleas share with us what is your favorite time of year to run wherever it is you live. If you have pictures, send those over as well and we will feature it in a future post.

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Stair Routines have been a standard of many workout programs for who knows how many thousands of years. Stairs are a tremendous training tool to help develop more power and efficiency in your stride. One of the major limiting factors that runners suffer from is a lack of proper muscle sequencing in their stride. To have an efficient stride it requires the proper muscles working in sequence. The stride should be initiated in the muscles surrounding the pelvis such as the iliopsoas and rectus femoris.

The major benefit of the stairs is that the stimulus it gives the muscular system is to lift the knee. Think of how many different strides you see from the various runners on the street as you are driving around town. The differences in all these strides is in relation to the improper muscle sequencing in their stride. Some runners have legs that make circular motion to initiate their stride while others have more of a shuffle. We could go on for hour about the differences in stride patterns and if you want more info on it, follow this running efficiency link to a post we did awhile ago.

The stairs help force the body to initiate the linear movement of running in your hips. If you have some stairs anywhere near your typical running route I highly recommend that you stop and take a few minutes to take advantage of what they have to offer. Start with simple moves like high knee walking. Use about 20-30 stairs and simply walk up with one foot on each stair, lifting that knee as high as you can before you step onto the stair.

Continue to repeat this now going up 2 stairs at a time, then 3 stairs and keep going until the height of the stair is too much for you to do with correct form. Make sure you keep your shoulders up tall throughout the moves and place your hands on your hips.

No take a similar approach to running on the stairs, start with one stair and then work your way up progressively. If you are not currently doing stairs, take the time to add them to your current running program. It will make an impact by helping to apply the stimulus to your muscles that will increase your overall efficiency.

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Standing Hip Flexor Stretch

You can never do enough lengthening of the hip flexors with the amount of siting we are forced to do as a part of our jobs. This is the main reason why we decided to add an additional stretch for the hip flexors as a part of the running warm-up. This is a great stretch that can even be done throughout the day to help break the tightness that we suffer from as we sit.

Try adding this in a few times an hour to help keep your hips in better alignment for your running workouts.

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