Running for six-pack

The Kettlebell Transformation.

2012-01-15T17:53:00.000+03:00

My Kettle-bell collection.

Back in June 2011, when I first started getting serious about kettle-bells, I didn't realize just how serious it would get.

Fast forward six months, and the year 2011 is over, and a new year has started. I now do kettle-bell workouts 3 times a week.

And that's it. No gym, No treadmill running, No bench-pressing, no Nike+ running. Just kettle-bells.

Initially, my biggest fear with kettle-bells was the danger of injury. When you are swinging a 16 kilogram round object all around your body, it is very easy to assume that it is a very risky and a very technical workout. I was discussing kettle-bell workouts with my gym trainer, and the first thing he told me was that I would likely get injured, since he had seen many people getting injured while doing kettle-bell workouts.

Well, there is no denying the fact that kettle-bell workouts are highly technical workouts. You can get injured if you don't follow correct form or do not respect the kettle-bell. This means watching YouTube videos and trying to repeat the same at home is a sure-fire way to injury.

I was lucky because I was guided from the very beginning by a RKC certified trainer, and under his guidance, I moved from a kettle-bell newbie to someone who can comfortably do swings with 24 kg kettle-bells and snatches with a 16 kg kettle-bells.

I did not get a single injury with kettle-bells - which is quiet different from the regular injuries I used to suffer, while doing running or resistance workouts.

Last week, our trainer made us do an evaluation to see what we are capable of. When I first started kettle-bells, I could not do a single snatch with the 16 kg kettle-bell. During the evaluation, I did 80 snatches in 5 minutes.

The Kettlebell Influence.

2011-06-19T23:20:00.000+03:00

An edible Kettlebell. Courtesy: My wife.

When I first got interested in Kettlebells (thanks largely to YouTube videos), I had no idea how much involved I would actually get into these type of workouts.

My blog post on Kettlebells got the attention of Suleiman - a certified Kettlebell expert, who is currently settled in Kuwait. Suleiman wrote to me and offered to show me the correct way to do Kettlebell workouts. I jumped at the opportunity of getting expert advice - even though the suggested time was 6 AM.

For the past 1 month, I have religiously woken up at 5:30 in the morning every Saturday - and headed off to our workout place. Under the expert guidance of Suleiman, I have learned the proper technique of executing a Swing, a Turkish Get-up, and a Clean. It was an eye-opening experience to me, because I was made to realize how little I knew of handling Kettlebells. YouTube videos may be fine to demonstrate basic exercises, but when it comes to complex (and potentially dangerous) exercises such as Kettlebells, it is always a good idea to learn the basic form under expert guidance.

Kettlebell workouts now form a major component of my weekly exercises - while my running has reduced greatly due to my obsession with Kettlebells. I still try to put in a few miles on the treadmill at least once or twice a week, but it is no where near what I used to do few months back.

The influence of Kettlebells in my life can be best described by what happened to me yesterday (which also happened to be my 46th birthday):
- I got up at 5:00 AM and headed off to our workout place.
- 90 minutes of solid Kettlebell workout.
- Returned home to find a birthday cake prepared by my wife and daugher, shaped like a Kettlebell.

Protein Bars on the Cheap.

2011-06-07T22:36:00.000+03:00

Home-made protein bars.

I've been looking at protein bars as a snack for in-between meals, but the price is simply outrageous. A single bar retails for anything between KD 1.500 to KD 2.000, depending on the brand.

Last week, I received an email from Lee Haywards, one of the body-builders that I subscribe to on YouTube. The email was a link to his video showing how to make cheap protein bars at home. The video and the recipe is here.

I've previously seen home made protein bars from another one of my favorite body-builder Scooby. However, his bars looked like dog poo, and he even proudly calls them Scooby Poo Bars. You can see the recipe for that here. I was not really that keen on eating bars that resembled poo, so never gave that a second thought.

Lee's recipe looked reasonably edible, so I decided to give it a shot. I picked up all the required ingredients, which are:

8 scoops Whey Protein powder
1 cup oats
1/2 cup skimmed milk
3 table spoons honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
Crushed peanuts (I purchased normal peanuts and crushed them myself)

These are the actual ingredients that I picked up.

Ingredients for Protein Bars

My wife helped me to mix the stuff up and roll them into nice rectangles. Each bar packs a solid 27 grams of protein, and taste good too.

What is interesting, of course, is the cost break-down. Each bar costs approximately 300 fils (1 dollar), which is 5 times cheaper than the cost if purchased in the shop. Lee claims that his bar comes to 49 cents - which makes sense, since protein powder costs half as much in U.S, compared to the price here in Kuwait.

The nutritional values will be the same - and in fact, the home-made bars have an added benefit of not having any additives or preservatives. Now I can comfortably keep my protein intake at the required level thanks to these cheap protein bars.

The 30-Day Diet.

2011-04-30T22:21:00.000+03:00

Healthy Veggies.

I have maintained a very good diet for the past 1 year - ever since I got serious about my fitness. This, in turn, has translated into a fit and trim body. There is still a bit of fat in the mid-section that I am sure will disappear in the coming months - as long as I stick to my current diet and exercise.

However, I have lately started feeling that the gains (in terms of muscle-building and/or fat-loss) have ground to a halt. Since my workouts are pretty intense, I believe the lack of gains is due to the food. Even though I am careful in what I eat, I do tend to indulge now and then, but since I don't keep track of these "indulgences", I believe the calories are creeping in unchecked.

That's why I came up with this idea of a 30-day strict diet regimen. During the next 30 days, there will be no more indulgences, no more cheat meals. This is what my daily diet is going to be:

Breakfast: An omelet made of 4 Egg whites plus 1 glass of low-fat milk.
Mid-Morning Snack: 1 fruit.
Lunch: Green Leafy salad with grilled chicken.
Pre-Workout: A serving of nuts
Post-Workout: Smoothie with Whey Protein + 1 glass low-fat milk.
Dinner: Green leafy salad with grilled fish.
Plus Multi-Vitamins to keep things in check and plenty of water.

The workouts will remain more or less the same. If I see any results after 30 days, I will know the result is due to the food. I can accordingly set my future goals based on this experiment.

I just finished day 1 and already I am craving for fat and greasy food. Not sure I can keep this up for another 29 days.

Kettlebells for intense workouts.

2011-04-03T21:11:00.000+03:00

Kettle bells

I am a big fan of CrossFit training. One of the key component of any CrossFit exercise is a set of Kettle bells. Up till now, I had been unable to locate Kettle bells in local sports shops. Even my well-equipped gym does not have any Kettle bells.

Last week, I was at Muthana Complex in downtown Kuwait and passed by Orient Sports shop. I was pleasantly surprised to find a range of Kettle bells. I picked up 2 medium-sized ones to try them out, and incorporate into my daily workout.

Kettle bells provide several benefits over traditional weights. Due to the explosive range of motions used in Kettle bell workouts, they provide a full body workout and combine both cardio and resistance into a single workout, targeting multiple muscle groups at the same time.

To learn more about the benefits of working out with Kettle bells, read this article.

I've started working with Kettle bells on alternate days, and so far, I am enjoying the hard workouts. I am using this "300" workout as a starting point. As of now, I am unable to complete the full workout with my puny 7 Kg Kettle bell. The guy in the video is doing it with a 24 Kg monster!!.

The Color Purple

2011-03-26T12:09:00.000+03:00

I started running with the Nike+ System for a little over a year now. In that period, I saw my metamorphosis from being an average guy with a pot-belly to running my first official half-marathon.

Just this morning, I finished my weekly workout. A nice 2 hour run at the gym. When I went to the changing room, a fellow gym-member walked up to me and asked me what is the secret of my running? How is it possible for someone at my age to run for 2 hours? I told him the same thing I tell everyone. There is no secret. You just have to commit to it mentally and keep running - making sure that you challenge yourself by increasing the distance or the speed slowly every week. That is exactly what I did and that's why I can run for 2 hours.

The workout itself catapulted me to my next Nike+ Level. The Color Purple. This color is assigned to those who complete 2,500 kilometers. This means that I have run an average of 200 kilometers every month or about 6.5 kilometers every day for 30 days in a month. Any way you look at it, that's a lot of running.

When I uploaded the run, I was immediately greeted with a video from Nike+ congratulating me on achieving the Color Purple.

Last June, when I reached 1,000 K, I had predicted I would reached the Color Purple in February 2011. I missed the target due to the 1 month vacation that I took in December, and also the slowing down of my running recently, in order to focus on the half-marathon.

Now the only challenge left is the final color code. The Color Black. This is like the black belt of running and is assigned to those who complete 5000 K of running.

At my current pace, I should achieve this in May 2012. Well, if the world doesn't end before that, of course.

My First Half-Marathon.

2011-03-20T20:16:00.001+03:00

Yesterday, I ran my first official half-marathon race. Today, I can't walk.

As my wife massages my sore muscles with Iodex, I have to ask myself. What is the difference between running 21K every Saturday morning on a treadmill without any pain, and running the same distance on the road and having my body in complete ruins?.

I think I know the answer: Heat.

It was a nice and sunny day, as I headed out with the family to the Marina Mall - where the race was scheduled to begin. I had not run for the last 6 days to ensure that my legs were well rested, and I had plenty of sleep the night before. I was feeling good.

I collected my timing chip, and mingled around as runners started turning up. It was a very good turnout. Nearly 200 runners for the half-marathon and a similar number for the 10K run. The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM.

Everything was really well organized, and the race started at the scheduled time.

The start of the half-marathon. Photo by bloggermathai.

I started off really well. My Nike+ GPS app alerted me that I had completed my first KM in 5 minutes. If I could maintain that pace, I was pretty sure I would get a nice place. However, it soon became apparent to me that I would not be able to maintain the same pace because I started feeling the heat. Heat is something that I am not accustomed to when working out on the treadmill. I had earlier participated in a 10K race in November - but during that time, the weather was very nice and I never felt the heat. But this time it was different. The heat was hard and direct - and even my patented silly hat was no match for the heat.

As I continued running, I started noticing a second problem. The drinks. We had been briefed that there would be drink stations along the route serving water, Pepsi, and Gatorade. The problem was picking up the right drink. I would have preferred to sip Gatorade throughout the run - in order to maintain salts in the body and avoid cramps, but it was not apparent which glass contained what (unless you stopped by to inspect). Most of the time, I ended up with a glass of water. This was not a good sign.

By the time we reached the half-way point, I was really tired, and my pace dropped considerably. It was now 6 minutes for every kilometer. On my return trip, I tried to be more choosy on the drinks - even stopping by twice to make sure that I got Gatorade.

The heat was really intense and maintaining pace was now a struggle. I felt I should stop, but I carried on. At the 17km mark, I suddenly got a cramp in the calf and stopped in sudden pain. After drinking some more water, I started again - this time being very mindful of the cramps developing.

I was determined to finish the race under the 2 hour mark and I am proud to say that I did it. I completed the race in 1 hour and 55 minutes, and my official position was 60th out of 150 runners who completed the event.

The only strange thing I found was that my GPS shows that I completed only 19.7Kms, while the distance markers showed that I ran 21K. I don't know which is correct.

All in all, it was a well-organized event. I hope the organizers make this an annual event for Kuwait.

Fry foods without oil?

2011-03-16T19:52:00.000+03:00

The Philips Air-Fryer.

I first heard about the Philips Air-Fryer when a local business posted a Facebook contest. The contest was very simple. Write a comment about the Air-Fryer and you could get a chance to win the Fryer.

Of course, I never win anything. But that did not stop me from posting a random comment. Also, as a marketing gimmick, it worked. My first thought was: "What the heck is an Air-Fryer?". Philips claims that you can cook tasty fries with 80% less fat than a conventional fryer.

80% less fat? That's very impressive. My heath antennae immediately went into overdrive. My kids regularly eat fried food so cutting the fat percentage by 80% would make me feel a little bit less guilty. Reviews suggested that this is the real deal. Even though the price is a bit on the steep side (KD 75/- or around $260), I thought the health benefits will make the device pay for itself so I went and bought it the very next day.

So what exactly is an Air-Fryer? And more importantly, how can it prepare fried food without oil?. Well, to start off, the device is not actually a fryer in the traditional sense. You don't fry food. It could be more accurately described as a baking oven on steroids.

Simplistic and space-age design.

The device itself is very simple. It has just 2 dials. One dial for temperature and another for time. The accompanying book has lots of useful information and recipes for different types of food. You put food inside the container, set the temperature and the timer, and you are done.

The internal technology behind the device is equally simple. A heating coil generates heat at the required temperature (much like an electric oven), and a big fan pushes that heat all over the food creating a kind of frying environment.

In summary: The Air-fryer is an electric oven with a fan.

Does it work? Indeed it does. I took a batch of McCain frozen fries for this review. You should note that frozen fries are already precooked and contain some amount of oil. To cook these in the Air-Fryer, you don't need to add any extra oil. Just put them in the convenient storage box, and slide the box inside the fryer. Frozen fries cook in exactly 12 minutes.

A batch of frozen McCain fries.

After 12 minutes, the timer goes off and your fries are ready for eating.

The fries come out nice and crispy.

The fries look (and taste) just like fries that come out of a deep oil fryer. The only difference here is that zero amount of oil was used to cook the above batch.

Since the Air-Fryer is technically an electric oven, you can cook anything that you would otherwise cook in an oven. So far, we've cooked chicken nuggets, fresh chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, and even puff pastries. The included recipe book has recipe for even cakes. Yes, you can bake cakes in the Air-Fryer.

If you are concerned about you or your family's intake of fried foods, this device will go a long distance in reducing the health risk associated with excessive fat intake.

And here's a funny thing. That random comment I posted on Facebook? Imagine my surprise when I saw that I was the winner!. I now have 2 Air-Fryers in the house. Party time!!.

Pushing Hard

2011-02-12T21:25:00.000+03:00

Less than 2 weeks after I started doing push-ups on a regular basis (using the awesome Push-Up wars app), I managed to make it to the Top 100 in the Global rank.

My 63 push-ups that I did today catapulted me to #89 on the Global leader board.

Of course, this does not mean that I am #89 in the world. My ranking is purely between the list of participants:

a. Who own an iPhone.
b. And heard about the Push-Up Wars app.
c. Then decided to pony up the $1.99 required to purchase the app.
d. And don't mind posting their videos to the games' website.

Whatever the case may be, it's nice to be on the Top 100 list and now I am determined to aim for 100 push-ups.

Kuwait's First Half-Marathon Update

2011-02-07T20:41:00.000+03:00

Back in November, I wrote about Kuwait's first half-marathon event. The event was originally planned for January 28th, but got postponed. I think that was a smart move from the organizers, as January would have been too cold to run.

The event is now scheduled for March 19th. Registration is now open and you can register for the run by visiting either the C-Club or Extreme Sports shop. Details of the registration can be found here.

I did my registration last week. The registration fees are KD 10/- and you need to put a deposit of another KD 10/- for the timing chip. The deposit will be returned back to you after the end of the race - when you hand over the timing chip back to the organizers. You can (and should) also give a donation for the charity.

I love the idea of running with a timing chip as I will have a clear idea of the exact time that I will take to complete the race. I am currently training 5 days a week and hope to complete the race in the top 30 or 40.

There is also a 10K run on the same day for those who find running 21K too daunting. Participants of the 10K race will not get the timing chip.

The Push-Up Wars

2011-02-03T14:52:00.001+03:00

This is a fun little app for iPhone, that I found on iTunes. I use the word "fun" loosely here, because doing push-ups may not exactly be fun to most people.

The idea of this app (or is it a game?) is to record video of your push-ups using the app. This ensures that the video is straight from the app - and not edited or enhanced in any way. That's a subtle way of saying that no cheating was involved. The video is uploaded to the pushupwars.com website, where it can be viewed by other members, and flagged for any discrepancy.

The application also features direct integration to Facebook, where you can brag (or in my case.. lament) your achievements.

The application features Global Leaderboard (I am not going to be featured on that list - at least in this lifetime), and a ranking system that promotes you based on the number of push-ups completed. It is even integrated to the Game Center for achievements.

For $0.99 that's an amazing deal for any fitness addict. Just as Nike+ improved my running, this should help me build a strong upper body.

Anyone care to challenge me?

RATING: 5/5

The South Beach Run.

2010-12-08T19:09:00.000+03:00

Map view of run from Mobor Beach to Benaulim Bach.

It seems ironic that my first blog post in Goa is on my fitness blog instead of my photography blog. I had promised myself that I would focus mostly on photography during my vacation and give my running legs a rest but I guess even if you take the running legs away from the treadmill, you cannot take the running from the legs of a dedicated runner.

My plan was basically run on the beach as far as I could and then figure out how to return back home. I was hoping that I could run as far as the Colva beach (I estimated this to be about 12 kilometers from where I live, which is the Mobor beach). The last time I tried running here was back in May, when I has come down for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. At that time, I could do only about 8 km. But since my running has improved a lot since then, I thought 12 km should be achievable.

I started at 7:30 am. The weather was crisp and beautiful. And even though the sun had come up, it was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. Ideal combination for a long run.

The beautiful Mobor Beach.

I started off at a fairly strong pace and maintained my pace. The tide was low so the beach was nice and hard. The only dark spot was the Nike+ GPS app - which was crashing every time I tried to select music. Finally, I decided to run without music which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I could focus on the beautiful surroundings.

I wish I could have taken more pictures of the passing scenery. The beach is dotted with beach shacks and people strolling around for an early morning walk. There was even a Rampon (a method of fishing by casting a big net on the beach and pulling it from the 2 sides) in progress, which is always an excellent photo-op but I decided to focus on my running and continued on. At one point, I suddenly encountered a small river flowing into the sea and blocking my progress. I decided that water was not going to stop my run so I just waded through the knee deep water. The shoes were soaked and I have a feeling that I may have damaged my Nike+ sensor.

The water-soaked shoes slowed down my running and it was getting uncomfortable. I finally reached what seemed like Colva beach, so I ended my run and was feeling rather pleased with myself for completing the distance in 1 hour.

Ramponkars contemplating putting their net.

I stopped and chatted with some Ramponkars, who seemed very perplexed as to why a Goan would want to run on the beach. They were very helpful and suggested that I walk up to the bus station and catch a bus back home.

It is only after I went up on the beach that I realized that this was not Colva beach. I had actually stopped at Benaulim beach, which is about 3 kilometers before Colva. I was too tired to restart the running so I decided to return home by bus.

A fruit stand near Benaulim beach.

I stopped by a fruit stall and gobbled down 3 bananas to help recover from the run. The fruit owner (ever the salesman) wanted me to eat more. "Body acha hai - Aur theen kao" which means "You have a great body - Eat 3 more". While I was flattered with the compliment, sane judgement prevailed and I decided to move on.
I caught a local bus to return home.

The bus was packed so I had to squeeze myself next to an elderly lady who kept looking at me in a very displeasing manner as if to question my judgement of coming in a bus with shorts. But I was already feeling elated with the fruit sellers compliment so I decided to ignore the stinky eyes from the lady. I finally reached home from one of the most interesting runs.

UPDATE: that was 2 days back. Since I do not like incomplete challenges, I strapped on my shoes this morning and went all the way to Colva beach.

Map view of run from Mobor to Colva.

Now I can sit back and enjoy the rest of my vacation.

The Technical Shirt

2010-12-01T21:24:00.000+03:00

Reebok PlayDry Shirt

In one of my previous articles "Dressed to Run", I highlighted the importance of wearing the right clothes (especially the shirt) while running.

These shirts are also known as "Technical Shirts". Basically, they are made from a special micro-fiber that pulls the sweat away from your skin and dries it quickly - keeping your warm and comfortable.

I have some good running shirts, but none of them are the real deal. At the end of the run, my shirt would be soaking in sweat and I would be desperate to hit the shower. The reason that I avoided buying technical shirts is that I just couldn't justify paying around KD 20/- for a T-shirt that is used primarily for running.

Yesterday, I was passing through a shopping mall in Kuwait City (Al-Muthana Complex) and noticed that one of the sports shop had a sale going on. I thought I'll check out to see if there is anything interesting. I hit the mother-load when I saw the Reebok technical shirts on sale for KD 8/-. I quickly picked up 2.

The "PlayDry Compression Shirts" are designed to move moisture from your skin. It accelerates evaporation, increases ventilation and reduces chaffing. And it doesn’t trap the heat inside. PlayDry. Because dryer is cooler. - Source.

As can be seen from the photo, these shirts are like body gloves and cling to your body. You don't even feel that you are wearing anything. Obviously, you need to be in pretty good shape to carry it off. If you happen to have a pot belly or love handles, you will look awkward wearing something like this.

I tried my first run with the shirt. I now regret not having invested in a technical shirt before. The difference is amazing. The sweating is still there. However, because the shirt is clinging to your body, it is the equivalent of running without clothes. This running without clothes is emphasized by the fact that the shirt almost turns "see-through". As I said before, if you are not fit, you will be VERY uncomfortable wearing this shirt while running thinking that everyone is looking and laughing at you.

However, once you start running in a technical shirt, there's no going back to normal shirts. I need to go back to that shop and pick up a few more before the sale runs out!!!.

Monitoring your body fat index at home.

2010-11-29T17:18:00.000+03:00

Omron BF400

Whenever I need to check my body fat index, I normally visit one of the local pharmacies and take my measurements using the machine that they keep there for such purpose. I've done this a few times before and posted it on this blog.

I had heard about these Omron home-use devices that use Bio-electrical impedance to measure your body fat percentage and thought I'll pick up one just for convenience. My wife is also interested in keeping track of her BF% but doesn't like visiting the pharmacy.

The Omron BF400 allows me to store up to 4 profiles and quickly measures the Body Fat Index once you select the profile and step on the device. It also doubles as a weighing scale.

A preliminary check shows my BF as 20% but I this may not be accurate as I had just had lunch before taking the reading. I will do this again tomorrow morning to get a more accurate reading.

The BF400 is available in X-Cite Electronics for KD 19.500 (after the normal 20% discount).

Trying to be Fahad.

2010-11-23T14:55:00.000+03:00

Fahad Al-Yehya (well, his resemblance).

"Trying to be Fahad" is a health & fitness blog by Fahad Al-Yehya. Fahad is the owner of Core Fitness, a fitness gym that focuses on short 20 minute sessions that people can easily incorporate into their busy life - while ensuring that they stay active and healthy at the same time.

I have personally not met Fahad, but I bet he bears an uncanny resemblance to his avatar posted on his blog. In other words, I wouldn't want to mess with him or piss him off.

Besides being a fitness guru, Fahad is also a certified nutritionist - which means that when he tells you to eat something, you eat it. No questions asked.

Fahad writes with a light and entertaining style, which makes his blog a nice addition to anyone who is interested in fitness and health.

Fahad is very helpful and answers all of the queries posted on the blog, including detailed advice on diet and nutrition. For example, I recently asked him to review my diet and he gave me a complete diet plan - which I plan to incorporate immediate.

The good news? The advice is completely free!!.

This is my new diet plan - as written by Fahad. Note: The Vetal milk Fahad refers to is a brand of low-fat milk fortified with proteins.

Cajie: I would like to make a few changes if you don’t mind (since I’m more familiar with your daily routine and preference in activity)

Breakfast –
2 boiled eggs, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats in 125ml Vetal Milk w/ raisins
1 slice of whole wheat bread w/ 2 slices of non-fat cheese

*Sip on 1 teabag of Organic White Tea 60 minutes after breakfast*

Lunch – (4-5 hours after breakfast)
6 oz of Chicken or Turkey Salad (1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tbsps vinegar, salt and lemon if needed)
1-cup of non-fat Yogurt

*Sip on 1 teabag of Organic White Tea 60 minutes after lunch*

Pre-Workout – (4-5 Hours after Lunch)
125ml of Vetal Milk + 1 non-heaping tablespoon of Raw Honey (I posted about this, it has a milky texture)
Add in a tablespoon of instant freeze-dried coffee for a further boost in energy

Post-Workout – (Skip your shake and jump straight into dinner, which should be 4 hours after your pre-workout mixture)
1-cup of Indian Basmati white rice (long grain)
1-cup of non-fat curry (no potatoes, only spices and non-starchy veggies)
8 oz. of Chicken or Fish (you may mix these in with your curry)

Notes:
- If you noticed, you’re eating less frequently. I’ve combined the snack with lunch, and your pre-workout sandwich and post-workout shake are too heavy for your cardio workout, since they’re designed to feed your body after a hard weight-lifting workout (which is why I asked you if you lift weights prior to my diet inquiry)

- You’ll feel a lot more satiated when eating your meals, but hunger will strike in after the 3-4 hour mark. This is perfectly fine and serves as a great precursor to fat-burning. Your body will be running on body fat once you feel the hunger, but the food’s actually still in your system for a good 6-8 hours. Embrace the hunger and enjoy the ride

Dieting vs Sugar: Sugar Always Wins.

2010-11-16T20:37:00.000+03:00

A delicious calorie-rich cake.

Ever since man created sugar, humanity has been struggling with obesity. As each generation passes by, the war on obesity becomes more bitter as sugar keeps gaining the upper hand. This is despite all the knowledge and research that we have gathered and synthesized over the years. Humanity has conquered every known frontier - why is obesity so difficult to overcome?

I watched a very interesting episode on BBC called "10 things you need to know about weight loss". One of those 10 things focused on why skipping meals (or extreme dieting) is a bad idea. To prove this theory, a volunteer was subjected to a MRI scan on 2 different days. On the first day, the volunteer arrived at the test facility after he had a full breakfast. On the second day, the volunteer arrived at the facility completely hungry. On both days, the volunteer was put insider the MRI chamber and subjected to a series of images of food, and his reaction (as determined by the brain movement) was recorded.

The result? When the volunteer was not hungry (i.e. on the first day), there was no significant difference in brain movement when he was shown low-calorie foods such as salads or calorie-dense foods such as donuts, or cakes. The MRI showed a totally different picture on the second day (when the volunteer was very hungry). The brain did not register much activity when shown low-calorie foods, but it lighted up when shown high-calorie sugary foods.

The researchers determined that when we are hungry, our brain is programmed to seek out high-calorie food. It is something we do unconsciously and no amount of self-control seems to be able to overcome this barrier. I know it happens to me and I am sure it happens to each one of us. It looks like we are genetically predisposed to overcompensate with extra calories when we are hungry. We essentially end up undoing all the hard work we put during our diet and end up worse off than what we were - before the start of the diet.

And that's why we are losing the battle against obesity. It's not our fault. It's our brain that is making us seek out these calorie-dense sugary goodness. It is our brain that is urging us to stuff our face with cakes and donuts and cheesecakes.

If you are obese, now you can at least feel better about yourself - knowing you never had a chance!!

Do we have any hope? The only way to fight obesity and to stay healthy is to look at health as a life long project and not worry about losing weight for the next big event. Most of the time, we obsess about losing a certain amount of weight to fit into a dress for an event or an occasion. Once we cross the milestone, we are lost and return back to our usual habits and end up gaining more weight than we lost.

Once we stop obsessing on short-term gains and and focus on long-term goals, things will start falling into place. Long term goals focus on a balanced diet that includes everything (including calorie dense foods in moderation) and a healthy lifestyle that incorporates at least 30 to 60 minutes of vigorous workouts 3 to 4 times a week.

As of now, everything else is a myth.

The Push-Up Challenge.

2010-11-15T14:40:00.000+03:00

Back in September, I started incorporating push-ups into my regular workout schedule. At that time, I was struggling to do 50 push-ups and decided to keep pushing myself till I could do 66.

Why 66 you may ask? According to U.S. military guidelines, doing 66 push-ups would give me the maximum score of 100 for my age group (42 to 46). I figured that if I keep pushing myself, I should be able to reach this goal in about 2 months.

Well, it is 2 months since I started the challenge and I have not been able to reach the target. I have slowly managed to increase the number of push-ups but I end up hitting the wall at round 58 or 59. Today, I decided to record my workout hoping to hit at least 60.

I managed to do 61. Still 5 push-ups less than my goal. According to U.S. military guidelines, this would have given me a score of 94%. Pretty good but not good enough.

The quest continues...

Kuwait's First Half-Marathon Event.

2010-11-07T06:22:00.001+03:00

Now that I have successfully completed my first 10K outdoor run, I am looking for the next big challenge. The first half-marathon event in Kuwait is planned by Kuwait Charity Run along with Bayt Abdullah Children’s Hospice. The event is scheduled to take place on January 28th 2011.

Not much details are available at the moment. They had a stand at the RunQ8 event where they collected registration details of people interested in running this longer distance. The form mentions 10 KD registration fee but I noticed that it includes a timing chip. A timing chip allows for more accurate results of all the participants.

I submitted my registration - though I did not pay any registration fees. They mentioned that they will contact us with further details.

A basic website has been put up for the event. You can visit it by clicking here.

The RunQ8 Event.

2010-11-06T16:39:00.000+03:00

Participants of the RunQ8 Event.

Today, I ran my first official 10K race after more than 20 years. The race was organized by Fawzia Rehabilitation Center.

I had been practicing for this race for the past 3 weeks - even going so far as to run on the exact same route of the race twice. The first time I did it, my time was 57:50. I improved upon this time during my second trial run and came up with 53:05.

Based on this, my expectation was that I should be able to complete the circuit in less than 50 minutes (assuming that I did not get affected by the heat which was an unknown quantity for me). I asked my wife to modify a cap that would be suitable for running. She did an excellent job by attaching an elastic band to a normal cap so that it won't fly off.

We got up early and headed off to the starting point (Kuwait Scientific Center). The mood was festive and the turnout was great (official estimates are more than 500 participants). After a warm-up session, the race started at 9:00 AM and all the runners were off.

I stuck to my planned pace of around 5 minutes per kilometer so that I could finish it in under 50 minutes. After the initial jostling and bumping, the field thinned out and I could see the top runners racing ahead and I settled down somewhere in the middle and continued running.

The weather was excellent for running. The cap helped me immensely. I was also wearing polarized sunglasses which helped me to focus on the road without worrying about the sun. I felt I could have gone a bit faster but since this was my first race, I decided to stick to my plan and not overdo it.

I finished the race in an official time of 44 minutes 30 seconds. My official position in the race is 30. I have just one word for that. WOW!!!.

Just one year, I could not run for more than 10 minutes without gasping for breath. Today, I finished a 10K road race in a time that can only be considered great for someone my age.

This is me - about to finish the race.

The cap looks dorky, but worked well for me.

I hope they update the top runners list on their official website.

When Running, It's mind over matter.

2010-10-29T00:22:00.000+03:00

When I first started running, I had to overcome the physical limitations of my body. i.e. I was overweight with excess fat, My muscles had wasted away and were unable to push my body, and my weak heart was unable to deliver the required oxygen to continue running.

However, once that was sorted out, I found that any gains that I made in running (whether it was to run longer or to run faster) was more to do with mental preparation rather than physical preparation.

Let me explain.

Before I hit the gym, I make a mental note of how long and how fast I will run (this is based on my current abilities). For example, I may decide that I will run for 1 hour at 12kph. When I start running, I find myself getting comfortable in the beginning of the run. As I start approaching the 1 hour mark, I find that my body starts shutting down. If I try to run more than the planned 1 hour, it becomes extremely difficult. On the other hand, if I plan that I will run at the same speed for 2 hours, I find that I am running at a comfortable pace even after I cross the 1 hour mark. My body starts shutting down only once I start approaching the 2 hour mark.

In both the above examples, the speed was the same but the time was very different. Even though my body is capable of running for 2 hours, it becomes very difficult to actually run that long unless you mentally prepare to run for that duration.

Of course, this does not mean that I can mentally challenge myself to run for 4 hours and just go and start running. Any increase in distance or speed should be gradual. If your current running speed is 12 kph, don't expect to run 14 kph for the same amount of time. Similarly, if the longest you have run is 1 hour, don't expect to jump to 2 hours the very next day. You might do it, but you can easily injure yourself by pushing too hard. Let your body adapt slowly to longer distances or faster speed.

When it comes to running, slow & steady wins the race.

Getting ready for the RunQ8 event.

2010-10-26T13:12:00.000+03:00

Last week, I mentioned about the 10K run event on November 6th 2010. I registered for the run and got my t-shirt and race card.

The race will start at 9:00 AM, and the course will be from Kuwait Scientific Center to the Corniche Club and back. I decided to get ready for the run by trying out the course before hand. I did my first run last week and clocked 57 minutes and 50 seconds. Since I used the Nike+ GPS application to track the run, you can see the replay of the run by clicking here.

I was not very happy with the time - since I wanted to finish in around 50 minutes. Yesterday, I decided to try the same route one more time. The only difference was that I went well-prepared (I had only done light jogging the previous day). I was determined to finish it in less than 55 minutes so I increased my pace a bit and stuck to this pace. At the 2 kilometer mark, I knew I could finish it in a little over 50 minutes.

The final time was 53 minutes and 5 seconds. Much better. You can see the replay of this run by clicking here.

I now firmly believe that I can run the race in under 50 minutes. Here's why.

1. The actual race will be run on the proper road and all traffic will be closed. This means no going up and down the footpath - or stopping to looking behind you when crossing the road.
2. The actual course will be a bit shorter than the one I ran. Since I used the GPS chip, it took me exactly to the 5K mark before turning around. However, the actual turning point appears to be around 400 meters less.
3. Since there will be other (better) runners around, I can try and follow in their pace.
4. The adrenalin of running with a group should give me that extra boost to run a little bit faster.
5. I won't be carrying a bottle in my hand - since drinks stations will be available to keep us hydrated.

My only concern (so far) is the heat. I have never run in the heat before and I wonder what effect that is going to have on the run. My son recommended that I wear a cap & shades - which is an excellent idea. The only problem is that I have never run with cap or shades before, so I am not sure how that will influence my running.

At the end of the day, this is a fun race. There won't be individual timings. The whole objective is to complete the race - which (as one of my friend said), should be a walk in the park for me.

I made a YouTube video of run animation, which shows the exact route that I ran.

My Personal Coach: Alberto Salazar

2010-10-24T22:09:00.000+03:00

Alberto Salazar.

Having a legend like Alberto Salazar as a personal coach would be pretty awesome.

Alberto Salazar is a winner of 3 consecutive New York City Marathons from 1980 to 1982, and also the winner of Boston Marathon in 1982. He currently works with Nike as a coach to train Olympic-caliber athletes. More information on Alberto can be found on this Wikipedia page.

So why do I consider him as my personal coach? Alberto Salazar has produced a number of running music mixes as part of the Nike+ program. These music mixes are designed to improve your stamina and speed and focus on high-intensity interval running. A directory of all the mixes is available here and can be downloaded using iTunes.

When I start my run, my playlist is always set to Alberto Salazar. He is very passionate about running and this is very evident when he eggs you on with an impassioned appeal to keep running. It's the closest thing to having a personal coach who keeps you on your toes.

Yes. It would be pretty awesome to have Alberto Salazar as my personal coach. For the time being, I will settle for him being my Virtual personal coach.

What about the Six-Pack?

2010-10-22T00:29:00.000+03:00

October 2010

When I first started this blog in June 2010, the objective was very simple. Get a Six-Pack by dropping most of the fat through running (since that's what I love to do). It's been 4 months since I started the blog and I have been running ever since.

I also combined my running with a fair bit of resistance training - since resistance training is crucial for building muscle.

And Finally, all these exercises were combined with a sensible diet that combines a good mix of the essential macro-nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats).

In these 4 months, I have learned a lot of things. However, the most important thing I have learned is that I am on the right path. The progress is not dramatic but it is there. Every day, I find that I can run a little bit longer, or a little bit faster, or that I can push weights that are a little bit heavier than what I pushed last week. And ever so slowly, the definition of the abs begins to take shape.

I really don't know how long it will take me to reach my target. Perhaps a year based on my current progress. That's just fine by me. I never had any abs in my life so it is all the more difficult, because the fat that I accumulated over the many years has become ingrained in various organs of my body. Getting rid of all that stubborn fat is not going to be an easy task. But I knew this when I started this challenge.

If someone had asked me 2 years back for my ideal body shape, I would have happily settled for the body that I have today. But that was 2 years back - when I did not know what my body is actually capable of. Now that I have the knowledge, the quest for the perfect body will go on.

10K race in Kuwait on November 6th.

2010-10-19T14:17:00.000+03:00

A friend on Facebook alerted me of this 10K race organized by FSRI (Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute). on November 6 2010.

From the looks of it, it appears to be a fun race for charity with a registration fee of KD 5/-.

According to their wesbite, the race day schedule is as follows:

7:30am: Registration at the grounds of the Scientific Center in Salmiya.
8:30am: Warm-up lead by various trainers from the Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute and Al Corniche Club
9:00am: 10K Run/Walk will start on the Gulf Road outside the Scientific Center, will continue to the Al Corniche Club and loop back to the Scientific Center.

Childrens activities will be provided for the duration of the race on the grounds of the Scientific Center by Fit4Fun.
Runners will not be individually timed but there will be 5 pacemakers running the race at various speeds. Runners will be able to follow them for timing.

Since it is on a Saturday morning (which is my normal day for long distance running), I am looking forward to join this group of runners to make this a successful event and bring more awareness to their cause.

Source: RunQ8 Website.

Meet The Healthiest Member in our Family.

2010-10-17T14:34:00.000+03:00

Erika trying skating.

I would like to think that I am the healthiest member in our family - considering all the running and regular workouts that I do - combined with a balanced diet that I follow religiously.

But I have to grudgingly hand over the "Healthiest Member" crown to my 6-year old daughter Erika.

Does this mean that Erika eats only healthy food? Far from it. She enjoys eating Chicken Nuggets and French Fries from McDonalds and she drinks thick milk-shakes.

What about exercises? Well, she doesn't run any Marathon distances.

So what keeps her healthy? I've been noting down all the things that Erika does, trying to understand what keeps her healthy and I thought I'll list them down so that we can try to incorporate some of her better habits in our day-to-day life.

1. She Sleeps...a Lot. Sleep is the most important thing for Erika. Once she goes to sleep, it is impossible to wake her up until she completes the full sleep cycle. This ensures that her body is well rested and she is full of energy when she gets up.

2. She eats variety of foods. Erika loves to eat different foods. She may love to eat McNuggets, but she eats strawberries and cucumbers with equal relish. This experimentation with different foods automatically results in a sort of a balanced diet plan for her.

3. She is always on her feet. It's very rare to see Erika sitting in one place. Even when she is watching TV, she is usually walking around or dancing or singing along with the characters. This means she is constantly burning calories - and staying fit.

4. She was born healthy. Ok, this is really an unfair advantage that she has over most of us and something we have no control over. When she was born, the first call that I got from my wife was to inform me that Erika just popped out without any trouble - and the very first thing she did was grab her and start sucking away. She came from the hospital the very next day and only visits the hospitals on very rare occasions. When she gets sick, we avoid taking her to the clinic unless it is necessary - because she can usually fight off most diseases on her own.

That's about it. Except for the last part, the key elements of staying healthy remain the same.

- Take plenty of rest.
- Eat variety of foods
- And workout regularly.

There really are no shortcuts in life. You want to stay healthy, you need to work for it.

Our job as parents is to ensure that Erika continues on this path and stays healthy as she grows from a young girl to a teenager (oh man, I am dreading that period), and then to a healthy adult.

After that, she is on her own!.

My First Marathon Run.

2010-10-16T19:45:00.000+03:00

My first Marathon Run. What an amazing experience!.

I achieved something today that I was very sure was beyond my capabilities. I ran a full Marathon distance (42.2 kilometers) and I did it without stopping or changing my pace and I completed it in less than 4 hours (considered to be very good).

The thought of running such a brutal distance came to my mind about 2 days back. Due to some problem or the other, I was not able to do any running for 4 days. This meant that my legs were fresh. Since I normally run a half-marathon distance every Saturday (21.1 Km), I thought this would be a good opportunity to push myself from the normal routine and see how far I could go. Could I go for 3 hours? (around 30 kilometers) or could I continue running the full Marathon distance?

I have never run for more than 2 hours straight (which is the time it takes me to complete a half-marathon). So a full Marathon would theoretically take me somewhere in the range of 4 hours. To prepare myself, I did a couple of things:

1. Informed my family that I plan to run for very long so that they would not get worried.
2. Carried a 1-liter bottle of Gatorade (I calculated that this will last me for 4 hours).
3. Paid attention to my previous posts and ensured that I was properly dressed.
4. Ensured that I had a good night sleep.
5. Ate a breakfast full of carbs and protein (cornflakes mixed with low-fat milk) to fuel the run and drank plenty of water before hitting the gym.
6. Weighed myself on the weighing machine at the gym (I wanted to see how much weight I would lose by running continuously for 4 hours).

I normally run the half-marathon at 11 kph so I decided to set the pace a bit slower at 10.5 kph. This pace is normally slow for me - but it is still enough to complete the Marathon distance in under 4 hours.

I completed the first 2 hours as expected and I was relatively tired. Everything after this was unknown territory for me - even the music. At one point, a fast tempo number which goes something like "I got a blue pill...Viagra..I am going to pump you UP and DOWN, UP and DOWN" started blasting from my playlist. I continued running.

At the 3:00 hour mark (about 31Km), I was very tired. I have heard of many runners hitting "The Wall" - which is another way of saying that you hit a mental block and can go no further. I did not hit such a wall - but my legs were definitely getting heavy.

It is at this stage that I realized that my Gatorade bottle was almost empty and there was no way that I could continue running for another 1 hour unless I replenish the drink. Luckily for me, one of the gym waiters was passing by and he got me a fresh (and refreshingly cold) bottle of Gatorade so I decided to continue running.

At the 3:30 hour mark, my legs were feeling like pieces of wood. I knew that if I stopped now, I won't be able to continue running. I was hoping nobody calls me on the phone because if I stop to answer the phone, my run would be essentially over. Again, luckily for me, nobody called me.

At the 3:45 mark, my legs were turning from wood to lead and each step was proving to be more and more difficult, but I continued at the same pace. The end seemed so near.

The playlist was getting pretty weird by this time. I suddenly got one of the gospel songs called "Victory to our King" and the lyrics go something like "Oh glory unto you...This battle cry we sing...That victory belongs to him...Victory to our king". Normally, I would have quickly hit the "Next" button since it's very difficult to run to gospel songs, but something about the lyrics struck a chord and I got goosebumps all over my body as the lyrics seemed very fitting at this stage. I think the song is what actually rejuvenated me to complete the remaining 15 minutes.

I finally completed the distance in 3 hours 56 minutes and 46 seconds (more than 3 minutes ahead of my goal). I was exhausted and could hardly walk, but I knew that I had to stretch and cool-down to avoid any injuries.

Finally, I checked my weight on the same weighing machine. I had dropped 3.5 Kilos of weight!!. I understand that most of the weight-loss is water loss but keep in mind that I was drinking continuously during the run (I finished 1.6 liters of Gatorade), so there was definitely a significant loss of body fat (and perhaps some muscle loss too).

When I uploaded my run to the Nike website, I was immediately directed to a video by Marathoner Paula Radcliffe, congratulating me on being the 0.1% of the world population that has completed a Marathon distance. You can watch the video by clicking on this link.

I am tired..but happy of this achievement.

Hot or Cold Bath for Post-Workout Recovery?

2010-10-11T08:48:00.000+03:00

Jacuzzi

The gym that I go to has a nice jacuzzi room. After a hard workout, I used to go in the jacuzzi and relax for 5-10 minutes - enjoying the hot jets of water massaging and soothing my sore muscles. I would feel pretty refreshed after I came out of the jacuzzi.

I would have probably continued doing this as a post-workout recovery method. But luckily, while researching on post-workout recovery, I discovered that I was not doing my body any favors by jumping into a hot-water jacuzzi.

Here's why it's not a good idea.

After a long run or any tough workout, your joints and muscles are inflamed. If you put heat on them, the blood flow to those areas will increase, which can make them even more inflamed. In addition, you may already be slightly dehydrated post-run, and the heat from the hot tub may dehydrate you even more. - Source.

Your body is basically in overdrive after a hard work-out. What you need to do is shut it down - similar to how you shut off the engine of your car after a long drive. The best way to do this is to have an ice bath which will shut off (or at least slow down) your metabolism and allow your body to recover.

Since our gym doesn't have ice baths, I guess I will have to go for the next best thing. A cold shower.

But what about that lovely jacuzzi? Perhaps on my non-workout days.

How often should you weigh yourself?

2010-10-08T23:16:00.000+03:00

Regular checking of your weight is very important.

Keeping track of your weight is very important for a healthy life-style as it acts as a warning indicator in case you suddenly start gaining weight (or losing weight for that matter). All you need to do this is a cheap bathroom scale that you find in any super-market.

But how often should you weigh yourself? My recommendation would be to weigh yourself at least once a week (If you can do it daily, then that would be ideal).

By weighing yourself frequently, you will notice if the weight is going up and you can then determine the root cause of the weight-gain - and hopefully, take corrective action to reverse the process.

Keep in mind that your body weight fluctuates during the day by at least 1 to 2 kilos so it is very important that you weigh yourself at similar times. For example, if you noted your weight immediately after getting up, make sure that the next time you compare your weight, you do it at the same time.

Keeping track of your weight itself is of not much use - unless you have a target goal in mind. Calculate your target weight by using a BMI calculator, and then plan your course of action (exercise, diet or both) to achieve your ideal weight. Keep track of your progress by noting the weight on a notebook. Analyze your progress and adjust your diet/workout accordingly.

Anatomy of a half-marathon.

2010-10-02T19:58:00.000+03:00

My half-marathon run on 2nd Oct. 2010.

Few months back, I started doing half-marathon runs (21.09 km) once a week. I usually reserve this run for Saturday morning (which is a non-working day) and I make sure that I don't do any workouts on Friday to ensure that my legs are well rested in preparation for the run.

The half-marathon run is a very interesting run. It is very challenging and requires lots of physical and mental preparation to complete the grueling distance. But at the same time, it is not as energy sapping as the full-marathon.

When I initially started running the half-marathon distance in March 2010, I would be totally drained of all energy and would need at least 2 days to recover. When I compare that to todays run, I realize just how far I have progressed in my running. After I finished the run today, I did 5 minute stretching and relaxed in the jacuzzi for 15 minutes to unwind, and I was back to my normal self. It is amazing just how much our body (and mind) is capable of doing. We are very good at under-estimating our capabilities, and usually need a good kick in the butt to make us realize our potential.

There are no short-cuts in fitness. Your fitness level is directly proportionate to the amount of effort you put in your daily workouts and your nutrition. If you are not willing to work for your fitness, you will be unfit and suffer from health-related problems. On the other hand, if you work extremely hard, you can be sure of extreme success in fitness. For most people, the balance should be somewhere in the middle.

Coping with Injuries.

2010-10-01T17:03:00.000+03:00

Illustration purpose only. I don't walk
around half-naked like this.

Once we start working out (especially heavy resistance workouts), injuries are expected. We try out best to minimize the injuries with:

1. Proper warm-up and cool-down.
2. Proper form.
3. Gradual increase in weights or intensity.

Even when we do all of the above, injuries will still happen. This is because we all have our breaking point - and by increasing the weights or intensity, we are essentially testing our body "breaking point". At one point or the other, you will find the breaking point. Result is Injury.

My resistance workouts (especially the upper body workouts) have come to a complete standstill for the past 2 weeks after I suffered a minor elbow injury. The injury may be minor, but it essentially prevents me from lifting any weights.

Fitness theory suggests that I should work "around" my injury - giving my elbow enough time to recover, while focusing on other parts of the body (legs, abdomen etc.).

That is exactly what I have been doing so far. I've focused more on running (I run almost every day now for an average of around 60 kilometers per week). I also do some ab-workouts. This should help me to reduce some more body fat (hopefully without any muscle-loss).

Once the elbow heals, I will have to start the whole process of slowly training my upper body once again and then increasing the weights till I reach my breaking point.

And the cycle will continue.

The Power of Perseverance

2010-09-27T17:58:00.000+03:00

There are tons of body transformation videos on YouTube. But I think this particular video says in 5 minutes everything I have written on this whole blog - and whatever I will write in future on this blog.

Move It!!

2010-09-26T21:08:00.000+03:00

The PlayStation Move.

I've always been fascinated by the concept of active video gaming. It all started off with the revolutionary Nintendo Wii. Not only was I one of the first adopters of the console, I also convinced all my friends with kids to buy the Wii instead of the PS3 or XBOX gaming consoles. When Nintendo released the Wii-Fit, I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon and paid a heck lot of money to ship the big box all the way to Kuwait.

One of the reasons I like active video gaming is that generally games tend to be more sporty in nature - so I don't feel guilty letting my children play such games. On one hand they are enjoying gaming like all kids, and on the other hand, they are staying active moving around. It's a win-win situation.

The main problem so far has been the lack of interesting titles on the Nintendo Wii. The other problem being the rather sluggish and imprecise controls of the WiiMote. The MotionPlus accessory made this a little better, but still left a lot to be desired.

This is all set to change - now that both Sony and Microsoft have come up with their version of active gaming. I just picked up my copy of the Playstation Move sold at a very aggressive price of KD 19 in Kuwait (compared to nearly KD 30 on Amazon).

The Move device is built solid like any Sony accessory and the controls are very precise. The starter bundles contains a bunch of min-games (including Tiger Woods Golf). The mini-games show the promise of what the Move device is going to deliver once game developers start incorporating this into their future games.

I also plan to pick up the Kinect accessory for the XBOX, which is a completely device independent method of playing games. The system uses advanced facial recognition and movement in 3D space to determine what the player wants to do. This is (in my opinion), the future of video gaming.

Play games and stay fit?. It doesn't get any better than this.

Game on!

Nike+ App gets Wireless Sync.

2010-09-20T21:53:00.000+03:00

Nike+ application.

Nike currently has 2 applications available for the iPhone.

1. Nike+ : This is part of the iPhone and you get it automatically when you purchase the iPhone (or iPod Touch). This app works with the Nike+ sensor (that you slot in your shoe) to provide accurate information of distance run. This app is ideal for running indoors on a treadmill, though it can also be used while running outdoors.

2. Nike+ GPS: This is a new paid app that was recently released. This works using the built-in GPS to track distance run. This is ideal for running outdoors where the GPS satellites can track your movement. My review of this app is here.

I mostly use the first application (Nike+) because I primarily run in the gym on treadmill. Up until now, I had to wait till I connect the iPhone to the computer and synchronize my runs to the Nike website using iTunes. The newer app (Nike+ GPS), on the other hand, has built-in sync that allows it to connect to the Nike server and upload the run data directly over a 3G or Wi-fi connection.

Few days back, I noticed a red dot on the "History" tab of the Nike+ application. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it and was surprised to see a new option available "Send to Nike+". I have no idea when this was updated (probably with iOS4). I clicked on it and Voila!. My run was magically transmitted to the Nike server.

I entered my login credentials and I could see my run data and other statistics on the Nike server without ever going to the computer.

My iPhone is becoming better and better with each update.

Status Update: Body Fat Percentage.

2010-09-18T21:08:00.000+03:00

Comparative Body Fat Index Results

Back in July, I stated keeping track of my Body Fat (BF) Index. Today, I did a new measurement and the results are a sort of mixed bag.

I gained 1.3Kg weight, which is actually not a bad thing since almost most of that weight gain (1.2Kg) is pure lean muscle. My fat free mass went up from 56.5Kg to 57.7Kg.

The problem that I see so far is that I am unable to get rid of my body fat. It has remained nearly constant. This is really surprising (and disappointing) for me considering the level of cardio workout and strict diet regimen that I follow.

I can only conclude that the remaining fat is the one that I gained over a long period of time and is most likely ingrained in my organs (visceral fat), and getting the Body Fat percentage down is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought. Running half-marathons every week has no effect on my body fat? Come on!!!

If the BF% does not go below 20% within the next 2 months, I will need to start looking seriously at fat burners to kick-start the fat loss process. For the time being, I will stick to safe fat-burners (coffee and green tea) which contain caffeine and assist in the fat burning process.

I will see after 2 months.

iPhone App Review: iFitness

2010-09-14T14:59:00.001+03:00

iFitness Application Home Screen

I was browsing through the featured apps on iTunes, when this app caught my attention. iFitness is a product developed by Medical Production Inc. So far, their website seems to be quiet sparse and the only available link on their main page is for the iFitness application.

At its heart, iFitness is a database of over 230 exercises, conveniently grouped by muscle group (abdominal, shoulder, chest, arms etc.) or body part (you click on different parts of the body and the app shows you all exercises related to that body area).

So it is worth to pay $1.99 for information that you can basically get on internet for free? As an example, this page from bodybuilding.com is a comprehensive list of all known exercises with description, pictures, and detailed video demonstrations. If you just want to know about exercises and the correct way to perform them, then the bodybuilding site wins hands down - plus it's free to boot.

The value proposition offered by iFitness is that it is exercise data "on the go". When you are in the gym, you don't have a laptop next to you to check bodybuilding.com. When you want to see how to do a particular exercise, just take your phone out, tap a few keys and check the exercise. Each exercise comes with a detailed description, pictures showing the correct form for performing the exercise and (for some exercises) a video demonstration.

Selecting exercises is very easy due to the easy categorization of the exercises based on muscles and muscle groups. There is even an option to view exercises by equipment or the complete exercise list sorted alphabetically.


Exercises organized by muscle group	Exercises organized by body muscle.

Once you select the exercise, you can read a detailed description of the exercise, images showing how to perform the exercise correctly and (for some exercises), a video demonstration.


Graphical view of the Exercise.	Video demonstration of the Exercise.

I really wish they had included videos of all the exercises (currently, there are videos for around 100 exercises - which is less than 50%). Videos are downloaded from the server when required, which means you need internet connection to view the videos. However, there is a setting that can be enabled to store downloaded videos locally so that the next time you want to view the video, the app does not have to connect to the server. I immediately enabled this option and viewed all the exercise videos when I was connected via wi-fi. Now I don't need any internet connection for previously viewed videos since they are locally stored.

So far, the application is all about information - information that is freely available on the internet. But the following features is what makes it an attractive proposition.

1. Custom Workouts: You can create customized workouts that are tailored to your needs. For example, I follow an awesome muscle-building workout that I got from bodybuilding.com. I immediately created the custom workout and identified the number of sets/reps to be performed for each workout.


Create Custom Workouts.	Exercises within each Custom workout.

2. Record Exercise Data: The app allows you to record your actual exercise data. This is very handy instead of carrying a pencil and a notebook. Just tap on the exercise, enter the weight and the reps that you did and the app will keep a history of all your exercises and the progress you are making. Exercise data can be easily displayed in a chart form which acts as a motivation as you don't want to see a dip in your chart. Currently, I record my exercise data in an EXCEL spreadsheet, but I think I will start using the app from now onwards.


Record workout data.	View Past history.

3. Customized Routines: If you get bogged down with all the exercises and cannot decide which exercise to do, you can try the customized routines prepared by the developers. There are different routines for different people. The app currently has 20 different routines ranging from "Beginner's Program", "Muscle Building Program", "Business Travel Program", etc. There are special routines for women too.

4. Micro-Apps: Finally, the developers of iFitness have added a bunch of fitness related tools such as a BMI calculator, weight tracker, and body measurements. These will be quite handy to keep track of your progress. Additionally, the data can be synchronized with the iFitness server.
Finally, the app supports multiple user profiles in case the device is to be used by different individuals.

All in all, this is a very comprehensive application and well worth the $1.99 they charge you. My only niggle so far is the lack of videos for more than 50% of the exercises. The developers are constantly updating the app and I hope they resolve this issue soon.

RATING 8/10.

Chilled Water on the Go.

2010-09-11T18:30:00.000+03:00

When running over long period of time, it is extremely essential to remain hydrated with either Water or sports drinks like Gatorade. It is also recommended that the liquid be chilled because:

1. Chilled water or sports drinks passes through our body faster and hence reaches the destination faster.
2. It tastes better.

The problem for me usually comes when I am running my Saturday morning half-marathon distance. Running for 2 hours means the chilled water bottle becomes distinctly tepid or near room-temperature by the time I cross the 1 hour mark. This means that my second hour of running is fueled by Gatorade that tastes very yucky. It is at times like these that I wish they had a small refrigerated compartment in the treadmill.

I saw this interesting gizmo at a local sports shop and thought I'll give it a try. It is essentially a water bottle with a long attachment with some liquid trapped inside. You keep the attachment in the freezer so that the liquid inside freezes up. When it's time for your run, just pour cold Gatorade or water in the bottle and close it with the frozen attachment.

I tried it out today and I can say that it definitely works. The Gatorade was chilled even when I took my last sip.

The bottle is available in Naser Sports Center and costs KD 2.250. Highly recommended for long distance running.

The Burpee Pull-Ups

2010-09-10T16:35:00.001+03:00

This is a very intense strength+cardio exercise that can shoot your heart rate through the roof and leave you panting for dear life. I came up with this exercise on my own by combining a "burpee" and a "pull-up" but later on came to learn that this is common exercise performed by the CrossFit community. Incorporate this exercise in your daily routine to take your strength building to the next level.

The "Burpee Pull-Up" is a compound exercise that targets your chest, triceps, legs, and back with an explosive jump that works on your heart. Practically speaking, it is really a combination of a Push-Up (the King of upper-body exercise), the Squat (the King of lower-body exercise), the Pull-Up (one of the toughest exercises) with a fluid and explosive movement between these 3 exercises.

WARNING: You should only attempt this exercise if you are comfortable doing all the 3 exercises that this particular exercise incorporates (i.e. you are comfortable doing push-ups, squats and pull-ups).

WHAT YOU NEED: A Pull-Up Bar that is placed relatively high so that you need to really jump up to grab the bar, and a clear space under the bar to perform the push-up/squats.

HOW TO PERFORM THE EXERCISE: Stand under the pull-up bar and jump down and do a single push-up. Then quickly stand in a squat position and jump up and grab the pull-up bar and perform a single pull-up. Drop down from the pull-up bar and repeat the exercise for as many repetitions as you can.

I was planning on doing a video but conveniently found one on youtube that demonstrates the Burpee Pull-Up. Enjoy the pain.

Here's another video on YouTube of a guy who did 100 Burpee Pull-Ups in 19 minutes and 35 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPUS5hYGc4&NR=1

And a funny comment on the video.
"I tried this the other day and halfway through decided I'd rather die by drowning... This s**t is hard as hell!"

First Impression: Nike+ GPS for iPhone

2010-09-08T00:46:00.000+03:00

Fig 1: The main screen of the App.

If I was asked to give my review of the new "Nike+ GPS app for iPhone" in just one word, my review would look like this:

"JUST WOW!!!!!"

I realize that is actually two words and I also realize that a single exclamation mark is sufficient to convey amazement but I added 5 exclamation marks just to be on the safe side.

INTRODUCTION
The "Nike+ GPS App" is a new application that is designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It works with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. It also works with the iPod Touch but since the Touch does not have a GPS (Global Positioning System) chip, the mapping functionality does not work. So for all purposes of this review, I will only focus on the functionality of the app as it relates to the iPhone and the GPS. The functionality as it relates to the built-in accelerometer for the iPod Touch (or the iPhone when running indoors) is not reviewed here.

A 3G data connection is recommended on the iPhone to get the full benefit of the application.

WHAT IT DOES
The app works with the built-in GPS chip of the iPhone to track your outdoor runs. This means you don't need the Nike+ sensor (that you put in your shoe) to track your run. Just click on the start button, wait for the device to acquire the GPS signal and start running. Since the chip tracks your GPS coordinates, it works only when running outdoors where you can lock into the GPS satellites. If you are running on a treadmill, then the app will not work properly so you would still need the Nike+ sensor for such cases.

This is not the first application for the iPhone to make use of the GPS chip to track your outdoor runs. Runkeeper does the same thing. But Runkeeper can only track your outdoor runs and does not work for treadmills. Since I mostly do treadmill running (with an occasional outdoor run), the Nike+ system that works both on a treadmill (using the sensor) and outdoors (using GPS) works much better for me.

THE REVIEW
I downloaded the app from the iTunes store (costs $1.99). When you first start the app, you are greeted with the main screen (Fig 1 - shown above) with options:
1. Start a New Run (Choose this when you want to start from fresh).
2. Challenge Me (Choose this if you want to improve on your previous run).

Once you select the "Start a New Run" option, you will be presented with the following screen (Fig 2):

Fig 2: Choose type of run.

   1. Choose "Basic run" when you are not sure how long you want to run.
   2. Choose "Time" when you want to run for a specific period of time.
   3. Choose "Distance" when you want to complete a specific distance before stopping.

For my first test run, I chose "Time" and selected 30 minutes (Fig 3).

Fig 3: Select or customize time to run.

Next, you choose the music from your playlist, select location (indoors or outdoors) and hit the "Continue button". If you choose "Indoors", the app assumes that you don't have a GPS access and will switch to the built-in accelerometer. I chose my favorite music mix, and selected "Outdoors" and hit the "Continue" button (Fig 4).

Fig 4: Select Music & Location

The app will start scanning the GPS satellites to get a lock on the signal. I got the signal lock in less than 5 seconds. Once you get the signal, click on the big button to start your run.

Fig 5: Scanning for GPS satellite

Once the signal is locked, you can check the live map (3G connection required) to ensure that the GPS coordinates are accurate (Fig 6).

Fig 6: Real-time satellite image/map.

Once you start running, it is the same familiar feedback that I am used to from normal Nike+ application. Even the audio feedback is from the same generic female voice. I got an alert after every 5 minutes including my current pace and after the 30 minutes were completed, I got the congratulatory feedback for completing the target. I stopped the run and the run summary window automatically popped up (Fig 7).

Fig 7: Run Summary

The "Run Summary" screen allows you to review your run, see the map route (3G connection required), insert comments about the run and finally sync it to your nikerunning account. The direct syncing from the device is something I really love. When I run using the normal Nike+ sensor, I have to wait till I connect the iPhone to the computer and sync the run using iTunes. Using the new app, I was able to instantly send my run with the 3G data connection, and review my progress on the nike running website using the Safari browser of the iPhone.

Things gets more interesting when you log into your Nike+ account from your laptop. The run appears along with your other Nike+ runs, but has an extra option to view the detailed GPS data. I made this short youtube video of my run data.

Pretty cool, huh?
You can also see the run on the Nike+ website by clicking this link.

CONCLUSION
This is an amazing app for runners who already own an iPhone. I love the way you can track your run on the map. Now that I have the app, I actually feel like going to different places and running there so that I can visually see where I ran. This app will be great for me when I go to Goa and run on the beach. I would love to map my runs there.

FINAL RATING
10/10. A must-have app for runners who own an iPhone.

Assess your upper body strength.

2010-09-06T17:21:00.002+03:00

Erika doing the push-up

When it comes to upper body strength, the push-up exercise is most likely the king of strength training exercise. It is no wonder then, that the U.S. army uses it to assess the physical fitness of its personnel.

Push-up is a compound exercise that works multiple muscles in your body. The exercise primarily targets your chest and triceps. In addition, it also works your shoulders and back.

The U.S. Army fitness standards require all its personnel to do this exercise during the physical fitness test and points are awarded based on how many push-ups the person can do in a single stretch - without any rest, except for the authorized rest position. For example, to get the maximum 100 points, one has to do a specific number of push-ups (based on age) as per the following table:

Age Range	# of Push-ups for 100 points
17-21	71
22-26	75
27-31	77
32-36	75
37-41	73
42-46	66
47-51	59
52-56	56

The full points table is available here.

This got me thinking. I am reasonably fit with my running and resistance workouts but how many push-ups can I currently do? And most importantly, how many push-ups could I really do if I train for it?

After a few days of preparations, I tried my first push-up test. I struggled to do 50 non-stop push-ups. According to the U.S. Army table, this would get me 82 points out of 100. That's pretty discouraging as I hate getting anything less than 100%.

The good news for me is that this number 50 can easily be improved. That is because push-ups, like any resistance workouts, requires training to become good - and I have never trained in push-ups. So I immediately started a push-up training program to see how far I can improve in 8 weeks. Since push-ups is a resistance workout, it is important that we treat this exercise like any other muscle-workout. This means:

   1. Train to failure (i.e. do as many as you can do till your muscles can take it no more).
   2. Give at least 48 hours rest to your muscles before exercising the same muscle again.
   3. Take enough proteins to allow your muscles to grow.

If you are a beginner to push-ups, you can follow this 8-week U.S. Army training plan to improve your push-up capabilities. You can also try this push-up improvement exercises.

I will report back in 6-8 weeks about my progress. I am fairly confident that I should be able to do 66, if not more.

Low-Fat Activia Laban.

2010-09-04T18:46:00.000+03:00

Low-fat version of the popular pro-biotic drink.

I've been drinking Activia Laban drink on a regular basis - partly because I have incorporated yogurt into my daily diet and partly because I believe it "helps" my digestion.

So far, my only problem was the lack of low-fat version of the drink - which meant that the calories would creep up and I had to keep my limit to 1 glass a day.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this low-fat version in the milk section of Sultan Center. There were only 2 bottles which I quickly grabbed.

I have yet to see the drink available at the local bakala - but I hope that Danone makes it widely available as I would love to get my pro-biotic kick with low-fat option (39 calories per 100ml, instead of the 63 calories from the regular version).

Nutrition data Source.

It's not a stretch to stretch.

2010-09-03T21:35:00.000+03:00

Stretching after a hard workout.

Failure to do proper warm-up or cool-down is the main cause of many exercise related injuries. Sometimes we are so eager to get into the action, that we tend to just jump into our exercise routine without giving our muscles proper time to warm-up. This causes the muscles (that were inactive and cold) to experience a sudden stretch - causing them to break and tear. Result: painful muscle injuries.

Similar injuries can happen if you don't do a proper cool-down after an intensive workout. Your expanded muscles need to slowly cool-down. If you immediately go from exercising to complete rest, you will end up with muscle cramps.

Follow these guidelines for warm-up and cool-down to ensure that you enjoy your exercises and remain injury-free.

1. FOR CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUTS

If you are doing cardiovascular workouts such as running, cross-trainer, elliptical etc. the warm-up and cool-down will be slightly different compared to resistance workouts.

1.1. WARM-UP FOR CARDIO: Generally speaking, you don't need to do specific warm-up exercises when doing cardio workouts. For example, if you are going to do running, than your warm-up portion could be a brisk walk and/or a light jog for around 5 minutes to ensure that your muscles are warmed-up before you start your run. No specific stretching exercises are required. However, if you want to do some stretching exercises, there is no harm is doing some - provided you do them after a brisk walk or a jog.

You can do these 5 lunge workouts before your run to get all your leg muscles nice and warm. REMEMBER: If you choose to do them, do so only after a 5-minute brisk walk or a jog.

1.2. COOL-DOWN FOR CARDIO: Stretching after a hard run is very important!!. Do not go from running to a complete rest, otherwise you will end up with muscle cramps. Your cool-down should be a light jog or a brisk walk for 5 minutes followed by some stretching exercises that target your quads and your tendons.

This is an excellent video demonstrating cool-down exercises that are ideal after a hard run.

2. FOR RESISTANCE WORKOUTS

Warm-up and cool-down is different for resistance workouts, and will depend on the type of resistance workout that you plan to do. For example, some people may focus on just 1 or 2 muscle groups during their entire workout while others may do a full-body resistance workout. My general rule of thumb for warm-up and cool-down when doing resistance workout is as follows:

2.1. WARM-UP FOR RESISTANCE WORK: Do a 10-minute cardio-workout, usually jogging or on an elliptical machine. The elliptical is ideal for warm-up because it works both the upper and lower body. I prefer to do jogging - simply because I love jogging.

In addition to the cardio, I do specific warm-up for each resistance workout. For example, if I am doing a 120 pound bench-press (currently my max limit), I do a warm-up set of 6 reps with 60 pounds (50% of my max capacity) before going for the maximum weight of 120 pounds.

2.2. COOL-DOWN FOR RESISTANCE WORK: My cool down after a resistance workout session is to do stretches and a 5-minute jog or a brisk walk.

The following exercises can also be used for both warm-up and cool-down when doing resistance workouts.

That's all for now.

The Best Exercises in Life are Free.

2010-08-30T18:19:00.000+03:00

If you thought that getting in shape meant joining a gym, then you would be dead wrong. In fact, some of the best exercises for our body do not require any fancy gym equipment. Our body is all that we need.

As I progress towards increasingly more difficult exercises, I find that the best and the toughest exercises are the ones where you use your body for generating explosive power & strength.

Here are some of my favorite exercises that do not require any fancy equipment.

1. Walk/Jog/Run: All you need is a pair of good shoes and you are good to go. It does not matter where you run or what time you run. As long as you can make the time to do it, it can be done.

Make it Harder: Incorporate Interval running into your workout. Interval running is a great way to boost your metabolism and finish your workout in a shorter time.

2. Push-Ups: The push-up, is most likely, the single most comprehensive workout for your upper body. The push-up works the chest muscles, the back, and the triceps. It is no wonder, that the U.S. Army uses it as a key indicator of physical fitness of its personnel.

Here's a video demonstrating the correct way to do a push-up.

Make it Harder: Mix it up with these different versions of the push-up
   1. Walk-Out Push-Ups.
   2. Medicine Ball Push-Ups.
   3. One Arm Push-Ups.
   4. Clapping Push-Ups.

3. Squats: If the Push-Up is the king of the upper body exercise, then the Squat has to be the king of the lower-body exercise. Squats can be done in any place where you can stand.

Here's a video demonstrating the correct way to do squats.

Make it Harder: Just like the push-ups, you can do squats in a variety of ways.
   1. Frog Squats.
   2. Weighted Squats.
   3. One-Legged Squats (The most difficult).

4. Sit-ups: The Sit-ups take care of the mid-section of your body. The Abs. Sit-ups is probably one of the most misunderstood exercise. Many people think that by doing a lot of sit-ups, they will get ripped abs in a few weeks. Nothing could be further from the truth. You build abs by losing the fat around your mid-section through diet and cardio workouts. Sit-ups will only assist in the process of getting ripped abs by building muscles around the core. But sit-ups on their own cannot give you ripped abs.

The Sit-ups is the second exercise of the U.S. Army physical fitness test (the first being the push-up and the third being the 2 mile run).

Here's a video demonstrating how to do the full military Sit-up.

Make it Harder: Just like the previous 2 exercises, you can do the sit-up in a variety of ways.

1. 8-Minute Abs: This 8-minute abs workout shows 9 different variations of the sit-ups. If you can do the full 8-minute workout, you are in great shape.

5. Jump Rope: Skipping rope is a great way to burn massive amount of calories in a short amount of time. Most people will have a hard time doing 1 minute of continuous jump rope.

Here's a video demonstrating jump ropes.

Make it Harder: You can mix up jump ropes with intervals and double-unders.

1. Interval Jump Ropes: Do this 10-minute workout that changes from walking in place to jumping ropes for every 30 seconds.
2. Double-Unders: This exercise features heavily in the Crossfit Workout. I think I have a long way to go before I can do a double-under.

6. Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups: Both are very similar exercises and all you need to do this exercise is a pull-up bar. You can find pull-up bars in any sports shops that you can easily attach to a door-way. Chin-ups target your biceps, while the pull-ups target your back and triceps.

Here's a video demonstrating how to do pull-ups.
This video demonstrates correct chin-ups.

Make it Harder: You really can't make the pull-ups any harder as they are already very hard to do. There is a variation of one-hand pull-up but if you can do that, you don't really need to read this blog.

Incorporate these exercises in your daily routine and you won't have any excuse for not staying in shape.

Avoiding Common Running Injuries.

2010-08-27T21:29:00.000+03:00

Running is a high-impact activity, so it is inevitable that we will suffer from some form of injury during or after running. Since injuries cannot be completely avoided, all we can do is understand what is in store for us when we start running seriously - and take precautions to lower the risk of injuries.

Not all injuries are bad though. For example, every time we run, our bones suffer micro-injuries due to the impact of our body hitting the hard ground (similar to how our muscles get micro-injuries when we lift heavy weights).

But these micro-injuries are good for us because it causes our body to counter the effect of the injuries by healing the bones and making them stronger. This results in higher bone density and eventually helps us overcome the effect of Osteoporosis.

What we should try to avoid is major injuries that can cause disruptions in our daily activities. The following are some of the injuries that I have gone through - and something that I could have easily avoided if I had read this article first.

1. Blisters: Blisters can be painful and will force you to take a break from running.

How to avoid Blisters? Blisters can be avoided by wearing proper footwear. The usual cause of blisters is wearing shoes that are too tight or too loose. Shoe is the most important item in your running inventory so make sure you choose the right footwear. You also need to break-in new shoes till your feet are adjusted to the new shoe. If you buy new shoes, don't wear them for your next long-distance run. Instead, wear them for walks or short runs till the shoe becomes comfortable.

2. Muscle Cramps: If you start running for the first time, or re-start your running activities after a long break, this is something you are bound to encounter in the early stages of your running. It is your body protesting against the sudden onslaught.

How to avoid Muscle Cramps? Muscle cramps can be avoided by doing proper warm-up and cool-down. Warm-up should be brisk walk or light jogging while cool-down should be stretching exercises.

3. Knee Joint Injuries: Knee joint injuries happen due to over-training. Each of us have a injury threshold. Once you reach the threshold, joint injuries are inevitable. Trick is to find your threshold and make sure you don't cross it.

How to avoid Knee joint injuries? Don't be the Hare. Be the Tortoise. You need to take it easy in the beginning and increase the distance and pace very very slowly till your body gets adjusted to running. Going overboard is the usual reason for knee joint injuries. When I first re-started my running, I was so excited that I could run 5K, I would try and see if I could push myself to 10K. That was not the correct approach (and something I learned the hard and painful way). We need to increase our distance in small increments. Also, listen to your body. When you feel tired or feel any pain, don't run through the pain. Stop and rest. We are not competing for the Olympics. The objective is to get into shape. Of course, if you are actually competing for Olympics, this blog is not for you.

4. Black Toenail: Black toenail injury is related to long-distance running (more than 10K) and usually happens if you increase your running distance unexpectedly. For example, if you are used to running 5K and suddenly decide to run half-marathon, you have an excellent chance of getting a black toenail.

How to avoid the Black Toenail? The solution is similar to the knee joint injury. Increase your distance gradually. This excellent article describes the black-toenail injury in detail and recommends solutions in case you do end up with one.

5. Nipple Chafing: Yeah. When I first read about nipple chafing, I did not believe it either till it happened to me. Nipple chafing usually does not happen to women since they use sports bras. However, for men, it can happen - especially during long distance runs. The constant movement of the shirt (especially if the shirt is loose) against the nipple results in chafing and is very painful. The problem is that you don't realize the injury until the next day, when it is too late to do anything about it except to nurse the injury.

How to avoid nipple chafing? Wearing proper running shirt (preferably the newer "technical" shirts) will solve the problem. Whenever I plan my half-marathon runs, I take a much simpler preventive route and put band-aids over both my nipples (don't laugh). You can also get specialized nipple guards, but I don't think they are available here in Kuwait.

So there you have it. Run sensibly and avoid these injuries.

The Ultimate Post-Workout Drink.

2010-08-23T17:53:00.000+03:00

Several weeks back, I wrote about "The Chocolate Milk Diet" and how it was both a great pre-workout and post-workout recovery drink - delivering a healthy dose of protein and quick-absorbing carbs to help with the workout and also to recover from a hard workout.

While chocolate milk is a great pre-workout drink, you may want to add some extra proteins in your post-workout recovery drink. Adding a scoop of Whey protein powder to your chocolate milk will result in a potent combo. The extra proteins from the protein powder help the muscles in long-term recovery, while the quick carbs from the chocolate drink help in short term recovery.

I mix 1 scoop of Whey protein powder to 1 packet of chocolate milk (250ml) and vigorously shake the whole thing with ice. The blended drink is both deliciously tasty and very healthy. The nutritional data for this drink is shown below:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Protein Powder	120	1.0	2.0	25.0
Choco Milk 250ml	158	2.5	26.1	8.1
TOTALS	278	3.5	28.1	33.1

The great thing about protein powders these days is that they come in so many flavors. Once you get tired of one flavor, you can just jump to the next flavor as the protein content in all the flavors is almost identical.

Keeping an Exercise Log.

2010-08-20T13:22:00.000+03:00

Exercise data recorded in an EXCEL spreadsheet.

When I do any running, my Nike+ system automatically logs all the details of the run (distance covered, pace, calories burned etc.), and uploads all the data neatly into the Nike+ website. The website allows me to analyze the total distance run, my progress, my target goals etc.

But running is not the only exercise I do. I do almost an equal amount of resistance workout. The problem is there is no system to record the progress made in the resistance workout. Our gym does have specialized equipment for resistance workout that is linked to an unique key given to each subscriber. You insert the key into the machine and start your workout such as chest extension, leg raises etc. The machine records the workout on the key, which can then be reviewed on a separate computer. I did not subscribe to the service because I prefer doing free-weights (dumb-bells, squats etc.) instead of using assisted machines.

This means that if you are serious about sticking to a scheduled workout and ensuring that you progress increasingly to heavier weights, you need to keep a log. Many dedicated members in my gym carry a small notebook in which they record their activities. The notebook is also a great way to plan out your workout so that you do a specific set of exercises and then compare the actual results to what you had planned at the beginning of the day.

Initially, I tried carrying a small notebook and a pencil but found it annoying to write down the activity after each exercise. I then tried recording the workout details on my iPhone using a spreadsheet application that I downloaded from the iTunes app store. Even that seemed to get in my way so I finally opted to log all the details in an EXCEL spreadsheet on my laptop immediately after I reached home. I found this the most convenient method since the workout details are still fresh in my mind. It does not matter how you log your data as long as you do it.

Putting all the exercise data in an EXCEL spreadsheet allows me to easily analyze my progress and plan for improvements in my weight-lifting capabilities.

Convert exercise data in a graph.

Use the built-in functionality of EXCEL to graph your exercise data into a visual representation of your daily progress, and plan for your next increase in weight. For example, once I find that I can do 12 reps of a given exercise, I then increase the weight by a factor of 5-10 pounds. I usually find that once I increase the weight, I can do around 6-8 reps with the increase weight. I will continue trying to reach 12 reps over the next 2-3 weeks, and once I hit 12, I again raise the weight.

Logging your exercise data is both a good way of keeping track of what you have done - and a great motivation to do better.

Dressed to Run.

2010-08-17T00:08:00.000+03:00

In my previous article, I stressed the importance of shoes in running. While the shoe may be the most important item in your running inventory, it should not be the only one. There are couple of other items that you should pay particular attention in order to have a fun and enjoyable run.

1. Shirt: The shirt play an important role in determining whether your run will be comfortable or not. If you wear cotton shirt, it will get drenched with your sweat which essentially means you are running with wet clothes. Running with sweat-drenched clothes makes you cold and miserable and the sticky clothes makes you feel like ending your run as soon as possible.

What you need is a t-shirt/shirt that is designed for running. These shirts are made from special fabric that pulls moisture from your body - keeping your cool and dry during your run. Also the fabric is light, which makes them less bulky. You will find running t-shirts in sports shops. Though they are expensive, they are worth the investment.

2. Shorts: Wear comfortable shorts. The material of the shorts is not so important because you don't sweat in the lower part of your body. As long as you are comfortable in the shorts, you should be fine.

3. Socks: The sock complements the shoe by adding an extra layer of protection between the hard surface and your body. Always go for thick cotton socks that are made for running.

4. Music: This is especially important if you are running on a treadmill. It helps to manage the monotony of the running so that you focus on the music instead of the run. Compile a playlist with upbeat music with a tempo that matches the tempo of your run.
Playing music while running is advisable only if you are running on a treadmill. Outdoor running with music on can result in dangerous situations since you cannot hear what is going on around you.

5. Sports Bra: For ladies, make sure you wear a proper sports bra.

6. Sports Drink: If you plan to run for less than 30 minutes, you can sip on a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated during the run. However, if you plan to run longer than that, it is important that you have a sports drink such as Gatorade to replenish not only the fluids that your body loses, but also essential salts. When I run for 1 hour, I can finish a 600ml bottle of Gatorade - taking a sip every 5 minutes.

That's about it. Enjoy your run.

Can Running cure Asthma?

2010-08-15T22:51:00.001+03:00

My inhaler in case of asthma attack.

The answer to the question "Can Running Cure Asthma?"
The Short answer is "No".
Long Answer: See Below.

Asthma (meaning gasp) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that results in airflow obstructions resulting in wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

I suffer from asthma from childhood and I am told that I gravitated between life and death on a number of occasions when I was a baby. As is common with asthma, it sort of disappeared during my youth and I completely forgot about it. That is..until I came to Kuwait. The extreme climate and the desert dust acted as a "trigger" for my asthma and I started getting the asthma attacks. At first, it was just continuous coughing or wheezing twice a year (when the weather changed from summer to winter and vice-versa). I used to manage it with strong antibiotics and inhalers. However, the disease progressed and the asthma attacks changed from coughing to life-threating attacks where I could not breathe for an extended period of time.

I remember a few occasions when I got the attack while at home, and my wife and children watched in horror and helplessness as I stopped breathing, desperately gulping for air. I started carrying the inhaler everywhere I went and my wife made sure that it was always in my pocket before I left the house.

Asthma, as a disease, cannot be cured. Once you have it, you will carry it with you to the grave. All we can do is understand the trigger points (i.e. what causes the asthma?) and then try to manage it. Different individuals have different trigger points. Mine is dust and cold.

I had resigned myself to a life of inhalers, and uncontrollable coughing through the remainder of my life. That is..until I started running.

Asthma was not on my radar when I started my fitness journey. I started running and resistance workouts because I wanted to get in shape. However, after a few months into workouts, I realized that I was not getting any asthma attacks. I also realized that I could drink cold water or iced drinks and not end up gulping for air.

What exactly happened?

According to research, increased physical activity such as running causes your body to pump more oxygen into your body. This causes the congested air-ways to expand effectively making it easier to breathe and reducing the impact of asthma when the triggers such as dust and cold travel through your body.

It is now 2 years since I last had my asthma attack. I am aware that I am not cured of it - and it will always be there. I am also aware that as long as I keep running and doing other fitness activities, I will be able to get control of my life and not be at the mercy of this disease wondering when and where it will strike - and whether that strike will be fatal or not.

This does not mean asthma patients should put on their shoes and start running. Asthma attacks can occur after physical activity, so whatever activity you decide to do (whether running or resistance training), you should approach it cautiously and slowly to build your strength and stamina. In the initial stages, you may face difficulty as the physical activity itself will act as an attack-trigger. However, by slowly building on your stamina, you will ensure that your airways expand and the asthma attacks should gradually subside. Again, your doctor will advice you on your specific condition and whether physical activity is suitable for your condition or not.

So in summary, the question I should have asked was not whether running can cure asthma, but rather:

"Can you manage asthma with running and other physical activity?"
The empathic answer to that is: "YES"!!

The "Surviving Ramadan" Breakfast.

2010-08-14T22:31:00.000+03:00

Canon firing to indicate end of fasting.

Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting. During this period, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. Many Islamic countries go one extra step by imposing this as a law and prohibiting anyone (Muslim or otherwise) from eating or drinking in public during the day. This can play havoc with anyone who is on a carefully controlled diet.

Once nice thing about the month of Ramadan is the shorter working hours. While the usual working time is 9 hours, most people (including myself) work for only 6 hours during this period. So in reality, we (non-Muslims) need to manage the fasting for about 6 hours only.

Protein-heavy breakfast with eggs, lean meat & Milk

If there is one thing I have learned during my research on diet and nutrition, it is that eating proteins keeps you feeling satiated longer since proteins take longer time to break-down.

Keeping this fact in mind, my Ramadan-month breakfast is basically a protein-heavy breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, lean meats (chicken or turkey), cheese and milk along with some carbs.

Here's the nutritional data of my ideal breakfast that will keep the hunger pangs away for 6 to 7 hours.

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
1 Scrambled Eggs	100	7.4	1	6.8
Whole Wheat Bread	138	1.8	23.2	7.2
Low-Fat Milk	122	4.8	11.4	8.1
1 Kiri Cheese Cube 18g	58	5.6	0.3	1.4
3 Turkey Slices	60	0	3	10.5
1 Apple	72	0	19.1	0.4
TOTALS	550	19.6	58	34.4

I sometimes drop the apple and replace it with an extra scrambled egg (2 scrambled eggs for breakfast). This will drop the carbs, and increase the proteins. However, the calories remain almost the same.

With this breakfast, I can complete my days work without feeling irritable or anxious for my next food fix.

The Three Day Per Week Workout Program

2010-08-12T21:03:00.000+03:00

I came across this awesome workout routine on bodybuilding.com and have been following it religiously for the past few weeks with great results.

The workout is designed for building mass and includes detailed instructions on how to perform the workout and additional notes on nutrition plus basic theory behind why this particular workout is effective.

Prior to this routine, I used to work on specific muscles groups each day. For example, I would work on Biceps+Chest on Day 1, Legs on Day 2, Shoulders on Day 3, Back+Triceps on Day 4, and Abs on Day 5. Then take a day or 2 off and repeat.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with working on specific muscle groups each day. Almost all body-builders work on specific muscle groups and I will also go back to working specific muscle groups after a month or so. But the "Three Day Workout Program" is a refreshing change.

Here are some of the key elements of this workout:

1. You work on the whole body each time: The 13-exercises in this workout work the full range of muscles in the body. Nothing is left out. Legs, Chest, Biceps, Triceps, Abs, Shoulders. You work them all.

2. You only do 1 set of each exercise: The normal body-building routine is to do 3 sets of each exercise but in the "Three Day Workout Program", you do it just once. Of course, you need to do one warm-up set of 4 to 6 reps (with 50% weight) before doing the main set, but that's it. You hit the weight once for 10-12 reps and then move on to the next exercise. The only exercise I am currently falling short is the pull-ups. When I first started, I could do just 6 but I have slowly progressed to 9. My target is to do 12-15 pull-ups without stopping.

3. It gets over fast: You hit the gym, do 5 minutes warm-up and then complete your routines in less than 40 minutes and you are done. Well, 40 minutes may not exactly fall under the "fast" category, but since you are doing so many variety of exercises, It seems like the workout finished very fast.

4. A training partner is essential: All the exercises need to be done to absolute failure. i.e. If I am doing 12 squats, the 12th squat should be the absolute maximum I should be able to do. However hard I try, I should not be able to do a 13th squat. Obviously, that can be quite tricky when doing bench press because if you fail on the 12th rep, and there is no spotter to assist you, you are in big trouble. Since I currently don't have a training partner, I make sure the gym trainers are around while doing these type of workouts.

5. Increase the weights each time and keep a log: Since the premise of these exercises is "absolute failure", it is only natural that once your body rebuilds your failed muscles, you should be able to lift more than what you did the last time. So increasing the weight each week is essential. To ensure you are capable of increasing the weight, keep a log of each days workout. The log will help you to analyze your progress. I use a simple EXCEL spreadsheet to log details of each exercise. I will update my blog with the log data after a month of so.

6. It's effective: As long as you follow a sensible nutrition plan and include some extra protein in your meals (either though lean meats or protein supplements), you should see your muscles bulking up in 4-6 weeks.

SOURCE: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hitworkout.htm

Want Something? Say it or Write it Down.

2010-08-12T02:12:00.000+03:00

Few months back, I was in India to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary, and I came across a family friend after more than 20 years. She is a widow who raised 3 children all on her own and now the children have become successful adults. The thing is, she looked just as I remembered her 20 years back. Young, energetic and full of life.

Somehow the conversation turned to setting objectives and she had this very simple advice for me:
"You can do anything you set out to do - but you must say it for it to become real"

I thought those were very powerful words. And they are - especially when it comes to fitness. In his book "The Body Fat Solution", Tom Venuto writes:

"An idea, wish, or fantasy becomes a goal the instant you put it in writing. The act of writing helps put it on your brain's important list faster. Having your goals in writing also helps you use the power of repetition because you can read them repeatedly so they don't slip out of sight and out of mind"

I can relate to both my family friend as well as Tom Venuto. I decided to write down my objectives on this blog and follow them through by posting about my progress towards those objectives (NOTE: my objective is to get a six-pack. haha).

Many times, I feel tired or want to take a break from my regular training but this blog helps me to keep focused on what I want to achieve. The idea of writing my next blog entry with an update encourages me to plan my next days activities. In a way, I guess this blog is more for me - as MY motivator.

Finally, I'd like to share this very powerful words by Ross Enamait.

"Somewhere along the line people have been fooled into believing that life is supposed to be easy. I often work 12+ hour days, and there are weeks when I work 7 days. I perform my own workout at the crack of dawn. Do I enjoy waking up at 4AM? Not really, but I get it done. I have a wife and son, with another on the way next month. I also have dogs, house work, work in the yard, etc. I’m beyond busy. Oh well, that’s life. I won’t cry about it and feel bad for myself. I won’t rush to the local fast food restaurant. I cook much of my food ahead of time. I make time. I find a way. Most people aren’t trying to make time. They aren’t making an effort.

We need to stop making excuses for others. People need to stop feeling bad for themselves. Life is tough. That’s a fact. There are good times and bad times. There are action takers and action fakers. There are ultra busy professionals who make time for fitness, while others don’t. We all have options, and we all make our own decisions. If someone has made poor decisions, I won’t sugarcoat it and console them with more excuses."
- Ross Enamait

The Activia Challenge

2010-08-10T22:50:00.000+03:00

Activia yogurt by Danone.

Few weeks back, I happened to mention to a friend of mine that my daily diet includes Activia yogurt. He seemed puzzled because he always felt that Activia was meant for women.

Activia is basically a yogurt (a nice tasty yogurt, I must admit) that has a special culture called "Bifidus ActiRegularis" added. This "good bacteria" is supposed to reduce digestive comfort.

The yogurt is heavily promoted here in the middle east and most of the advertisements do seem to be focused on women but I never paid much attention to that. After all, most of the body soap that I use is advertised by semi-naked to naked women yet that has not stopped me from using body soap.

Even their website seems to target the product for women. I got the following blurb from their website.

"Don't just take our word for it: 82% of WOMEN with digestive discomfort said they felt better after eating one or two pots of Activia® a day**." Source.

It is strange that even the manufacturer seems to target the product for women. After all, it is basically a yogurt. I wonder why they would choose to exclude 50% of their potential customer base?. Of course, their FAQ clarifies this by indicating that Activia is not just for women.

"Yes, Activia is suitable for the whole family, including children age three and older, who are looking to eat a healthy, balanced diet." Source.

Activia yogurt that is available in the middle-east is not low-fat, so people who are looking to cut down calories will need to look elsewhere. There are about 100 calories in one pot of Activia plain yogurt and around 125 calories in the flavored version.

While doing my research, I found this very interesting article from Slate,com that questions the science behind the so called "good bacteria". If the author of the article is to be believed (and he cites sources), there is no clinical proof that Activia does what it says it does. i.e. reduce digestive discomfort.

I started taking Activia yogurt because the change in my diet started causing discomfort for me. Since I was very confident of my diet choices, I needed something to reduce the discomfort and thought I'll give Activia a try. If it works, then fine. If it does not work, then no harm done since I would have taken some other yogurt anyway.

After about 2 weeks or so (The Activia marketing material claims you need to take it for 14 days to get results), I started feeling better. I don't know if it is a placebo effect or if my body got adjusted to the new diet or whether it is a result of the Activia yogurt.

All I know is that I love the taste of the yogurt and it will now become an integral part of my long-term diet plan.

Running? The Shoes are Important.

2010-08-07T17:19:00.000+03:00

Nike Bowerman Zoom Series.

If you decide to start running, make sure you choose the right running shoes. The shoes are critical to the success of your running plans because it is the only thing that separates you from your body and the hard surface of the road or the treadmill. Shoes that fit snugly and comfortably to your feet will make running fun and prevent injury.

Each of us run differently, depending on the type of feet that we have. Some of us have high arch, while others have a low-arch. Accordingly, we must choose matching shoes. The term "one-size-fits-all" does not apply when it comes to running shoes. We must wear shoes that suit our feet

This article gives excellent advice on how to determine your feet type and then choose the right shoes for your running needs.

After experimenting with different brands, I have settled down with the "Nike Bowerman Series". They are light and comfortable, and most importantly for me, they are compatible with the Nike+ Running System.

In recent years, there has been a momentum (based on research and scientific data) towards running barefoot. Barefoot running involves running without any shoes and changing the style of how we run. Normally, when we run with shoes, we land on our heels and shoes are accordingly designed so that the heels absorb the shock of our body hitting the hard surface. If we remove the shoes out of the equation, our body automatically compensates by landing on the toes (to act as a shock absorber). Research done on barefoot running claims that this form of running is more beneficial to our bodies (especially our joints) in the long run - compared to running with shoes.

Running barefoot is not really practical for me. Even if I wanted to experiment with barefoot running, I would have a hard time explaining it to the gym management, as most gyms prohibit entering the gym area without proper shoes. However, if you need more information on barefoot running, this site is a good resource.

Even shoe manufacturers are getting into the barefoot running action. The Vibram Five Fingers are designed for barefoot runners by providing basic protection. Nike has also released their Free Run shoes that are supposed to simulate the barefoot running experience. Of course, hardcore barefoot runners will scoff at putting any shoes but those who want to start slowly might want to give them a try.

Power Food: Nuts

2010-08-03T19:36:00.001+03:00

Nuts play a very big role in my daily nutrition plan. I find that a serving of mixed nuts 1 hour before workout keeps me satiated and gives me the energy to complete a hard workout session.

I usually mix a variety of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, and cashews) and throw in some black raisins to give a sweet taste to the mix.

I also find nuts are a tasty addition to my morning breakfast. Take Muesli or cornflakes and add the mixed nuts and pour in some cold milk. Yummy and keeps you full for the whole morning.

Nuts are high in both calories and fats, but that should not stop us from eating them.

The calories from the nuts are loaded with essential proteins, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.

The fat in the nuts is nothing to be scared of either. The fat in the nuts is the mono-unsaturated and the poly-unsaturated (omega-3) type. Also known as the "good fats" that is beneficial to our body.

Avoid the salted variety of nuts. Though they may be tastier, the sodium from the salt will cause water retention in your body - making you feel bloated.

So next time you are sitting on the couch and feel like popping some French fries or salted crisps, reach out for some healthy nuts instead.

HRM (Heart Rate Monitors)

2010-07-30T21:55:00.001+03:00

As soon as you start getting serious with any cardiovascular activity (be it running, elliptical, cycling etc.), the first thing you need to do is stop and take a stock of your activity level.

Are you doing the cardio too slow? A cardio activity that does not push your heart rate will not yield any positive results.

Are you doing it too fast? You will burn out and run the risk of injury and other complications.

In order to ensure that you are getting the benefit of your cardio exercise, you must make sure you are doing it in the target heart rate zone.

That begs the question. What is my target heart rate zone? The target heart rate zone for each person is dependent on age and fitness level. Use this calculator to determine the target heart rate zone for you. When I plugged in my age and my fitness level, I got my target heart rate results. When I am doing any cardio activity, my heart rate should be between 105bpm and 140bpm. That's my target heart rate zone. (Note: bpm=beats per minute).

The next question is how do I monitor my heart rate?. Most modern treadmills and other cardio-equipment comes with built in heart rate monitors. You place your palms on the HRM sensors and the machine takes a reading of your heart rate. I find 2 problems with this approach:
1. The sensors do not give a very accurate reading because your heart rate is measured using the readings from your palms. And as we all know, palms are a long distance away from our heart.
2. You need wrap your palms around the sensors at regular intervals to get updated readings. This is not very practical - especially if you are running vigorously.

The best way of determining your heart rate is to use a heart rate monitor. These devices come with a strap (containing the sensor) and a watch that receives the signal and displays the results. Advanced models can keep track of your history, calories burned, and even have a GPS chip (such as the Polar RS800CX) to keep accurate history of your exercise data.

Personally, I use the entry-level Polar RS100. But don't let the low price fool you. It is actually quiet a nifty device. Before using the device you need to setup the following data.
1. Weight
2. Height
3. Birth-date (Notice that you don't input the age. Inputting the birth-date allows the computer to compute your age accurately).
4. Max Heart rate (The default is the standard based on the simple formula of 220 minus your age. In my case, that's 175)
5. Resting Heart rate (You need to calculate this immediately after waking up. Use this guide to compute your resting heart rate).

The computer calculates your ideal heart rate ranges, but also allows you to override these values, if you so choose.

Once everything is setup, you wet the strap (to get good conductivity) and strap it around your chest with the sensor right on top of your heart. You then click on the start button on your watch and start your activity. When you reach your target heart rate zone, a small heart will start blinking telling you that your heart is ticking along nicely. If you increase your intensity and go beyond your limits, a beep will go off alerting you to slow down. The beeping will continue as long as you stay above the limits.

Another advantage of the Polar brand of heart rate monitors is that most professional cardio equipment that you find in the gym are compatible with the Polar heart rate straps. That means that these machines can detect the strap and show the heart rate readings directly on the big display. That can be very useful when you are concentrating on your exercise and don't have the time to look at the watch.

Somehow, this article reminded me of Celine Dion's "My heart will go on". If you are feeling nostalgic, click this link to relive the Titanic theme song on YouTube.

UPDATE:
After writing the above article, I had a perfect opportunity to give my Polar RS100 a workout. I have not used it for quiet some time since I know the zone in which I normally run hence I don't use it on a daily basis.

The event was my weekly Saturday morning half-marathon run. I went to the gym with the goal of completing the half-marathon in under 2 hours as I had missed this goal by just 2 minutes last week.

I strapped on the HR monitor and started my run. At the end of the run, the data from the RS100 is as follows:
Duration of Activity: 1 hour 56 minutes and 16 seconds
Average heart rate: 144bpm (82% of max)
Limits: 114 - 149
In Zone: 1 hour 35 minutes and 15 seconds
Above Zone: 19 minutes 56 seconds
Below Zone: 1 minute 5 seconds
Calories burned: 1462 (Fat % 35)

Based on the actual data, It took me just 1 minute to enter the HR zone and since the average is 144, I was essentially in the upper end of the zone the entire duration of nearly 2 hours. I was checking the HR on the watch and it was switching between the range of 140 bpm to 145 bpm. A strange thing that I noticed is that every time I took a sip of Gatorade, the HR would drop to 140 and then steadily climb to 145. Guess it has something to do with the shock of cold drink hitting the body. During the last 30 minutes, I pushed myself and essentially was above my desired zone (known as the Red Zone). That is okay for me as I am experienced in running and used to pushing myself. Beginners should not do this, of course.

I also had my Nike+ sensor tracking my run and the details from the Nike+ sensor shows the actual run in graphical form.

The interesting thing to note here is the calories burned as computed by the Nike+ sensor. 1565 calories. There is a difference of about 100 calories compared to the calculations by the HR monitor. In this case, I would give more preference to the values from the HR monitor as they are based on the actual heart beat rate while the Nike+ sensor computes based on the distance run.

Running a 5K in under-20 minutes.

2010-07-29T13:09:00.000+03:00

Just as a good movie plot will have sub-plots to keep one occupied, I find that my main objective of attaining a six-pack has resulted in many sub-objectives. For example, I am now determined to do a muscle-up, single-legged squats and other tough exercises which I had previously considered beyond my capabilities. While I am not so sure whether I will ever be able to achieve those objectives, there is one objective that I feel I can aim for - and achieve; with proper training and diet.

This new objective is to complete a 5 kilometer run in under 20 minutes. You may wonder what is special about running a 5K in less than 20 minutes. Let's just say it's pretty darn hard. World class runners run the 5K in around 13 minutes, professional runners will need 14-15 minutes while college-level runners will need 16-17 minutes. For amateurs, a sub-20 minute run is indeed an achievement. This interesting thread on coolrunning.com discusses the challenges and achievements of those who could do the sub-20 minute run, and those who wish to achieve this objective.

When I first started running, I was very happy when I could do a 5K run in 30 minutes (meaning I was running at 10kph for the entire duration of the run). I slowly managed to reduce the time till I was comfortable doing the 5K in 25 minutes (running at 12kph). Once I started the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), I found that I could decrease the time required to complete the 5K - especially after I started with the Asafa Powell training. Just 4 days back, I finished the 5K in a personal best time of 22:39. And yesterday, I bettered that by running it in 22:14. Cutting another 2 minutes and 14 seconds is not going to be easy. It will require specific training (think more HIIT), and mental preparation because you need to run at a constant 15kph for 20 minutes to complete the 5K in exactly 20 minutes. Currently, I am lucky if I can hold the 15kph pace for more than 1 minute.

What makes the 5K run special for me is the nature of this distance. It is not too long that you will get bored by it - and it is not too short that it gets over too quickly. It requires a perfect balance between speed and endurance to complete a 5K run. Start too slow, and you will have difficulty in doing the run in a decent amount of time. Start too fast, and you will burn out after 1 or 2 kilometers. You need to mentally prepare yourself to run at a specific pace and stay on that pace no matter what.

My new sub-objective is to run the 5k in under 20 minutes before the end of this year. Hopefully, I would have completed the main objective of a six-pack around the same time.

Importance of Weight-Bearing Exercises

2010-07-26T23:27:00.001+03:00

Few days back at the gym, I was relaxing in the Jacuzzi after an intense run on the treadmill. A friend walks in and starts chatting with me. He must have seen me - running my heart out, because he started giving me fitness advice. His concern was that running is dangerous for me due to my age. He recommended that the best form of exercise for me would be swimming (which is what he does regularly).

I looked at his pot-belly and liberal love-handles, while deciding how seriously I should consider his advice.

Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against swimming. It is a good and fun way of working out. But I believe that whatever exercises we do should be relevant to what we do in real life. We are not fish and we don't live in water so I don't see much point in swimming. Of course, there is that oft chance that I will be caught in the middle of the ocean in a boat that has just capsized and no life-jacket and my swimming skills will save my life. But if I have no plans on travelling in unsafe boats without life-jackets, I don't see how swimming can be a useful skill to acquire. My Dad literally lived in the sea his entire life - mostly fishing - and he still does not know swimming.

So what are the skills that we need to acquire? Here are some examples that I encounter on a regular basis.

1. My wife calls out "Honey, can you bring down that carton?". The said carton weighs somewhere around 20-30 kilos and I say a small prayer hoping that the weight of the carton does not cause some horrible back injury.

2. We visit a friends place who happens to live on the 8th floor. The lift is out of order and we have to make a difficult choice whether to climb all the way up or just drive back home. When we decide to climb up, the small one finds it difficult to climb the stairs, and I have to carry her the rest of the way.

3. I am at the airport carousel waiting for the luggage to arrive on the conveyor belt. I wait in apprehension to pull the heavy suitcase off the conveyor wondering all the time if my spine will break while lifting the suitcase.

4. We stop the car at the signal and suddenly the engine goes kaput. I am forced to put the car into neutral and push it to the side of the road so it does not block any traffic.

5. I go to the government office for some work and spend the better part of the day walking from one building to another trying to get 100 signatures from 100 different people.

Can you see the common theme here? Basically, our daily activities consist of walking, climbing, pushing and pulling stuff. All of these activities force us to push our body or some object against the gravity.

These, in essence, are weight-bearing activities - and if we are to do these activities in comfort, we need to do weight-bearing exercises. The definition of weight-bearing exercises is

"Weightbearing exercise is any activity you do while on your feet and legs that works your muscles and bones against gravity." Source: about.com

Swimming, Cycling, Elliptical etc. are NOT weight-bearing exercises, because they don't stress the bones and you are not fighting gravity when performing these exercises.

Now coming back to my friends concern of me getting injured with running. Of course, there is always a risk of injury in any exercise, if not done properly. Scientific data proves that weight-bearing exercises place stress on the bones but instead of damaging the bones, our body sends its troops to fix the stressed area by increasing the bone density, making them stronger.

This is something I learned the hard way. When I first came to Kuwait, I decided to stay fit and started running. After a few weeks, my knees started paining like hell and I thought I will damage them if I continued running so I stopped - and eventually turned into an overweight person. The information that is available today through the internet was not available at that time.

When I re-started my running program 2 years back, I did it the right way. i.e. start slow and easy. If I felt any pain, I would immediately stop and take a few days rest. But the difference this time was that I would get right back on the treadmill once I felt better. The pain disappeared and eventually, I found I could increase my running speed and time. Now I can run a half-marathon in 2 hours. That may not win me any marathon races, but to do something like that at my age is something amazing.

To conclude:
- Swimming. It's meh. Do it if you find it fun, otherwise, give it a pass.
- Walk/Jog/Run/Sprint/Climb or anything that forces you to push and pull (such as weight-training): It's a go!

Keeping track of your body fat percentage.

2010-07-24T16:03:00.001+03:00

Body fat should drop below 15% to reveal six-packs

Since the main objective of my current fitness routine is to get a "six-pack", it is very important to actually understand what a six-pack is. To get a six-pack, 2 things need to happen:

1. You need to gain muscle (resistance workouts).
2. You need to lose fat (cardiovascular workouts and/or dieting).

Both play an important role in getting a six-pack, but losing fat is (in my opinion) the more important criteria. That is the reason I have decided to give a higher priority to running plus nutrition and a slightly lower priority to resistance training. That does not mean that I ignore resistance training. It just means I focus on running a bit more. Of course, the fact that I enjoy running more than resistance training may have something to do with this choice of mine.

Whatever the case may be, it is necessary that we have a fair idea about how much fat we actually have in our body. According to Wikipedia, a living persons body fat percentage cannot be determine. That means whatever methods we use to know our fat percentages are only rough estimates.

Accurate estimates for determining body fat percentage rely on using x-rays or infra-reds. However, a more simpler option is to use a bio-electrical impedance machine. You find these machines in all pharmacies (at least in all the pharmacies here in Kuwait). You stand in front of the machine and firmly hold 2 electrodes in both your hands. A low-voltage electrical current is sent from one hand to the other (it doesn't hurt one bit and you don't even know that a current is being sent through your body). Some machines send a current through the legs.

The machine uses an algorithm to determine how long it took the current to pass through your body and uses that to determine your body fat percentage. In addition to giving out your fat percentage, it also gives various other indicators like height, weight, blood pressure (always a good thing to know), heart rate, etc. Here's my results from todays test.

The problem with this method of determining the body fat percentage is that it is not very accurate. Different manufactures may use different algorithms - so if you do the test on one machine, and repeat the same test on another machine (by a different manufacturer), you may get different results. The water contents in your body also affect the results from these machines.

But since this is easiest (and cheapest) method of getting a fair idea about our body fat percentage, we can use this method and monitor our fat percentage on a regular basis. I plan to do this every month in order to make sure that I am on the right track and that the body fat percentage is going down.

To keep the results consistent, I will do the test on the same machine, at the same time and ensure that the water in my body is similar every time I repeat this test.

My current index for the fat is decent and within normal range but it is nowhere near the desired level as far as a six-pack target is concerned. The fat percentage needs to drop somewhere in the range of 10% to 15%.

It's not going to be easy, but I always knew this when I took on the challenge.

Review: Calorie Counter for iPhone

2010-07-21T11:27:00.003+03:00

Last month, I wrote about calorie counting and maintaining a food journal. I use My-Calorie-Counter database to maintain my food journal. It's easy and intuitive. So I was suitably impressed when I saw that they have released a free iPhone app. I quickly downloaded the application on the iPhone hoping that I can now keep track of my calorie progress on-the-go.

Sadly, the app is just a reference database of common foods and their nutritional data. According to their ad, the database contains data of over 34,000 food items - which is very impressive, and it is something nice to have in your pocket when you are perusing a restaurant menu deciding what to order.

But it would have been so much better if they could have integrated the app with the main database to sync my food journal. Currently, I still have to log into the website everyday to update my calorie consumption. Having the ability to update this information on the iPhone would have been ideal. In fact, I would not hesitate to pay a fair amount for such convenience.

Hopefully, they will update the app soon to provide the ability to sync the food journal and record calorie data on-the-go.

Till then, if you just want a reference of nutritional data, and you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download the application using iTunes from here.

This is how the data pops up when you select any item.

The CrossFit Influence

2010-07-19T22:37:00.000+03:00

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning fitness methodology that promotes broad and general overall physical fitness. It was created by former gymnast Greg Glassman. The basic idea behind CrossFit is to promote fitness for the whole body - rather than focusing on specific training.

Why is CrossFit training relevant to me? First of all, I am too old to do the CrossFit exercises. They are just too intense. Secondly, CrossFit requires specific equipment that is not available in the general gyms (such as kettle bells, rings etc.)

But I am a big fan of their basic philosophy for body conditioning and nutrition. Here are some of their key values that I adhere to.

1. Keep the body guessing: The basic principle of CrossFit training is that you never let your body know what you are about to do to it. You get up each morning, log on to the CrossFit Website and find out what is the prescribed exercise for that day. The exercises are listed in cryptic codes such as Fran, Nasty Girls, etc. You need to do your homework to figure out what you actually need to do to complete these exercises.

How does this benefit our body? Well, when you do random exercises, you never let your body get adjusted and the body needs to keep adjusting (i.e. get fitter) to keep up with these exercises. Imagine if you ran 5 kilometers every day. Initially, you will find excellent results as your body tries to cope with you running such a long distance. But after a while, your body will get conditioned to this run and you will see no further progress in your fitness. So you need to keep changing your routine and keep the body guessing to gain maximum results.

2. Focus on the whole body: CrossFit requires that you get proficient in ten different domains (cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy). This means you don't focus on weight-lifting or running or sprinting or gymnastics. You focus on ALL of them.

How does this benefit our body? Since we are not focusing on specific type of exercises, we become generally fit in all areas. You will not get the body of Arnold nor will you look like those anemic Olympic runners but you will have a fit & trim body. You will not win any weight-lifting competition but you should be able to do quiet well. Similarly, you will not win any long-distance races, but you will surely be there in the top finishers. You see where this is going? If you objective is not to compete in events, then CrossFit is the best form of exercise for overall fitness.

3. Short Duration but Intense: Some of the CrossFit workouts can be completed in less than 5 minutes while some may require 20-30 minutes. That's all it takes and you are done for the day. While this may seem like a very easy thing to do, it is anything but. Spend 2 minutes watching this amazing clip (The guy is performing the "Fran" workout) to get an idea of how intense these exercises can get. Make sure you turn the volume all the way up!!

How does this benefit our body? The intensity of the exercises raises our metabolic rate through the roof and keeps it there long after our workout is completed. This is similar in principle to the HIIT workout that I wrote about earlier.

4. Nutrition: CrossFit diet recommends a 40:30:30 break-up of the 3 main macro-nutrients (40% Carbohydrates, 30% Proteins, and 30% Fat). These should come from garden vegetables (especially greens), lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch and no sugar. That's about as simple as it gets. You can read more about CrossFit diet plan here.

How does this benefit our body? The recommended diet provides our body with the right balance of each macro-nutrient and ensures that our body has sufficient energy to complete the workouts and sufficient proteins to build back the damaged muscles.

Will I ever become a CrossFitter? Maybe.

The Chocolate Milk Diet

2010-07-19T10:55:00.000+03:00

Can there really be something like a chocolate milk diet?

When I first read David Zinczenkos' article that popped in my inbox, I was a bit skeptical. After all, chocolate milk is something we associate with our kids lunch box. However, after reading the article, it made a lot of sense.

David proposes that the combination of Proteins, Calcium, Carbohydrates, fats and Vitamin D found in chocolate milk is just the ticket for good health, and a catalyst for weight loss. His proposal is to drink 3 packets of chocolate milk each day.

Three packets of 250ml (or 8 fluid ounces for those still living in the dark ages of the imperial system).

One packet in the morning, One packet just before workout and the last packet just after workout is the recommendation. Oh..and in case you thought you could just drink chocolate milk and lose weight, you were wrong. It needs to be combined with a workout session and a sensible diet.

As is usual for me, I trotted off to calorie counter database to check the nutritional data of chocolate milk to make my own judgement on the beneficial values of chocolate milk.

Nutritional Facts of Chocolate Milk.

Item	Per 250ml	Per 3x250ml
Calories	158	474
Proteins	8.1g	24.3g
Carbs	26.1g	78.3g
Fat	2.5g	7.5g

In addition to the main macro-nutrients listed above, chocolate milk is also rich in Calcium, and Vitamin D - both of which are good for our bones.

The 3 packets of chocolate milk taken as prescribed constitute a full meal (474 calories) with a good break-up between Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fat. The Carbohydrates in the milk is mostly sugar, but when you have just finished your workout, your body needs quick absorbing carbs to re-energize your body and the chocolate milk provides exactly that. In addition, the proteins in the milk start working on your damaged muscles repairing and rebuilding them.

I tried chocolate milk immediately after a hard workout. As the milk flows through your body, you can feel yourself getting re-energized. It has now become my staple drink after a workout. I still haven't started the 3-packets a day diet but I may soon start it.

It makes perfect sense and taste great too!.

Outdoor Running vs Treadmill: Which is Better?

2010-07-17T01:22:00.000+03:00

Whenever I am in Goa (India), I take every opportunity I get to run outdoors. My house is near a long stretch of lovely beach - so running there is an exhilarating experience. The cool breeze against your face, meeting friends and strangers on the way, and something different to observe each time.

But I live in Kuwait. Kuwait is a desert and the weather outside is a constant reminder that we are living in a place where humans are not supposed to live. If it is not the sand storms or the dust, then it's the heat or the chilling cold. None of this is conducive to outdoor running so I am forced to run on a treadmill.

This made me stop and ponder whether one form of running is superior to the other. I have tried to summarize the advantages of each method of running.

ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR RUNNING OVER TREADMILL.

1. Running outdoors means you are running in a natural environment - the way we were designed to run (yes, as a species, we evolved through running/hunting/gathering. We are not designed to sit in an office for 8 hours). When running outdoors, you react to your surroundings and make split-second decisions based on the obstacles and distractions that you encounter. This type of interaction with the environment is good for our body. Even the wind makes us adapt our running style to handle the wind-resistance or wind-assistance.

2. Running outdoors is not monotonous. There is something different to observe each day. You can take different routes to make the run more interesting.

3. Running outdoors is healthier. It is always a good idea to get some fresh air in your lungs and running outdoors is a perfect opportunity to do that.

ADVANTAGES OF TREADMILL RUNNING OVER OUTDOOR RUNNING.

1. You are not at the mercy of the natural environment and you don't have to abort your running schedule because of rain, snow, hail, floods, dust or any other disruptions caused by Mother nature. You can set your running schedule and stick to it.

2. Running on a treadmill is safer for your joints as the treadmill is softer than the hard ground and absorbs some of the shock on the joints as you run.

3. You can run at a set pace without worrying about obstacles, or distractions and the treadmill provides useful feedback about your progress such as distance run, current pace, calories burned etc. This makes it easier to set a goal and try to achieve the goal.

4. Sometimes, the fresh air outside is overrated. In many places, it may actually be safer to run indoors.

So both methods of running have their advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, one is not superior than the other. You choose one based on your circumstances and needs.

But choose........you must!!!.

The most important meal of the day.

2010-07-11T13:30:00.001+03:00

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day for a very good reason. Your body needs energy to fuel your day - and breakfast is the meal that should provide this energy.

A good breakfast should have a right combination of the three main macro-nutrients (carbs, proteins and fats), with the carbs playing a more important role in the early part of the day.

After experimenting with what works for me and what I like to eat, I have narrowed my breakfast choices to the following 3 options:

1. THE CARB-HEAVY BREAKFAST

This breakfast of mine centers around the "Old Fashioned Quaker Oats". I prefer the "Original" version of the oats over the quick-cooking version. I cook the oats in low-fat milk over a slow fire for around 10 minutes and throw in some raisins to add some extra fiber to the meal. The oats are topped up with chunks of 1 banana.

The nutritional data of this meal is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Original Oats	200	4	38	8
Raisins	78	0.1	20.6	0.8
Low-Fat Milk	122	4.8	11.4	8.1
Banana	90	0.3	23.1	1.1
TOTALS	490	9.2	93.1	18

This is the breakfast that I have most of the time (3 to 4 times a week). The 490 calories constitute 25% of my daily calorie needs. The complex carbs from the Oats keeps me satiated most of the morning.

2. THE PROTEIN-HEAVY BREAKFAST

This breakfast centers around eggs. Scrambled eggs to be more exact. I mix 3 eggs in a dash of milk and cook them in a frying pan. Many people ask me if 3 eggs is a bit much. It depends on your dietary needs. You should always check with your dietitian. For me, I find 3 eggs is just right (300 calories with a solid 19.5g of protein). In order to balance the proteins with some carbs, I take 2 slices of whole wheat bread (23.2g carbs) and a glass of low-fat milk (11.4g carbs).

The nutritional data of this breakfast is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
3 Scrambled Eggs	299	22.7	3	19.5
Whole Wheat Bread	138	1.8	23.2	7.2
Low-Fat Milk	122	4.8	11.4	8.1
TOTALS	559	29.3	37.6	34.8

This is quite a filling breakfast. I usually have it only once or twice a week. The fat, though very high, is the good fat from the egg-yolks. Contrary to popular myth, scientific studies suggest that the fat from eggs (from the yolk) does not raise blood cholesterol levels, and that eggs are safe to consume whole. If you want to cut back on the fat, but still get the benefit of proteins from the eggs, a simple option would be to remove the egg yolk, which will make this breakfast a "high-protein", "moderate-carbs" and "negligible-fat" meal.

3. THE CHEAT BREAKFAST

We all need to indulge ourselves once in a while. For me, that means eating out once a week. On Saturdays, I usually go to the gym early in the morning. On the way back, I tend to visit McDonalds and pick up their Egg McMuffin breakfast for the whole family. The Egg McMuffic sandwich, by itself, is quite a healthy option. It's the hash brown that turns this healthy breakfast into a cheat breakfast.

I choose coffee instead of their canned juices, and end up with a reasonably healthy breakfast.

The nutritional data of this breakfast is as follows:

Item	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Egg McMuffin	300	12	30	18
Hash Brown	150	9	15	1
Black Coffee (No Sugar)	2	0	0	0.3
TOTALS	452	21	45	19.3

The cheat breakfast does not appear to be that much of a "cheat meal" after all.

Of course, when it comes to breakfast, nothing beats the first option (Oats). Ever since I switched to this breakfast, I feel more alert and charged during the day. Nothing beats Oats. You just need to adapt your taste buds to its bland taste, which I guess, is difficult for most of us.

I'm loving' it - but should I?

2010-07-07T15:08:00.000+03:00

As parents of two "always-hungry" children, McDonalds has literally become our second home. My wife always wishes that they would have some kind of loyalty program because we could have collected enough miles by now to enjoy a nice round-the-world ticket for two, and perhaps a second retirement home, by the time our children get over the craze of McDonalds.

Yes. We are aware that McDonalds food is not good for them. Eating this type of food on a regular basis is a sure-fire ticket towards obesity. Unfortunately for our children, we happen to be a working couple living in a country that lives on a fast-food culture. And neither of us are good at cooking.

But is their food really that bad? McDonalds now publishes the nutritional values of all their food items. I recently picked up a copy to see what to make of it. I have segregated the data between main items, salads, dressings, and side dishes; and I have sorted the items from the most calories to the least.

Main Items	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Chicken Big Mac	593	32	47	29
Spicy McChicken	583	35	40	27
McArabia	566	30	50	24
McRoyale	540	31	38	30
McChicken	537	31	40	24
Qtr.Pounder w/Cheese	530	30	38	28
Big Mac	500	26	42	26
Veggie Burger	485	27	50	10
Fillet-O-Fish	470	26	45	15
Chicken Burger	317	14	33	14
6-pcs Nuggets	310	13	12	10
Cheeseburger	299	13	31	16
Beefburger	254	9	31	13

Salads	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Chicken Ceasar Salad	157	4	5	26
Green Salad	118	8	4	8
Caesar Salad	56	3	3	5

Dressings	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
1000 Islands Dressing	205	17	13	1
Caesar Dressing	194	15	13	1
Light Vinaigrette	40	0	10	0

Side Orders	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
McFlurry Kit Kat	349	13	48	9
Sundae Hot Fudge	323	11	49	7
Sundae Caramel	319	7	59	6
McFlurry Oreo	296	10	43	8
Sundae Strawberry	259	6	46	6
Apple Pie	220	12	26	2
McFries Regular Size	210	10	26	3
Icecream Cone	150	4	23	4

The following items (though available at McDonalds) are not available on their nutrition sheet, so I pulled it off from the calorie counter database.

Drinks	Calories	Fat(g)	Carbs(g)	Protein(g)
Orange Juice	140	-	33	2
Coca Cola Classic(M)	210	-	58	-
Coca Cola Diet	1	-	-	-

They also have a Tuna salad that I eat regularly, but I can't find the nutrition information on it. But based on similar salads, I expect it to be 192 calories with 9g fat, 10g carbohydrates and 16g of protein.

So now we have all the nutritional information, what to make of it?

Well, first of all, not ALL of the food at McDonalds is bad. If you have:
   a. Chicken Caesar Salad (157 calories). Throw the dressing away.
   b. Cheese Burger (299 calories)
   c. Diet Coke (1 Calorie)
You actually have a decent meal (457 calories) with a nice balance between Carbs (36 g or 25% of your daily allowance), Proteins (a healthy 26g) and Fat (17g or 25% of your daily allowance). A 25% portion of your daily needs makes perfect sense since it's one of your main meals.

The culprits are those where the food is fried (Chicken Big Mac, Spicy McChicken etc.) or where the food has a lot of mayonnaise and other dressings (most of the big burgers), and of course, the empty calories (fries, ice-creams and sodas).

So it is possible to eat healthy at McDonalds. It's just damn hard to do so.

Interval Running - The Asafa Powell Mix.

2010-07-05T16:14:00.000+03:00

In my previous article on Interval Training, I mentioned the special music mixes created by Nike, using famous sports personalities. My favorite is Alberto Salazar, who is really passionate about his running and this passion is easy to hear in the audio as he urges you to speed up or slow down till you complete the 45-minute interval sessions.

I had recently downloaded the Asafa Powell mix. This is a short 30-minute session with 4 intervals that decrease in time, but increase in tempo.

I decided to give this session a try by downloading the audio file from iTunes and then uploading the audio file on my iPhone 3GS.

I fired up the Nike+ application on the iPhone and started the 30-minute run. The 30-minute session is broken down into the following segments:

Activity	Time	Notes
Warm up Jogging	5 minutes	-
Run	4 minutes	Run at 65% of your maximum speed
Jog	4 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	3 minutes	Run at 75% of your maximum speed
Jog	3 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 85% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	1 minutes	Run at 95% of your maximum speed
Cool down Jogging	5 minutes	-

The interesting thing about this workout is how the intensity of each workout gradually intensifies till you are running full-out sprint in the last 1 minute.

Since this is a short run, I decided to do the jog at a running pace, and really push myself during the 4 intervals.

I am pretty impressed with my results of this run. It is my personal best for 30-minutes, and I also managed to complete the 5K at a personal best of 23 minutes and 17 seconds.

I could have done a bit better but the treadmill started giving me problems in the last 2 intervals - where I felt it going a bit wobbly when I tried to crank up the speed to 15kph. I decided to play it safe and reduced the speed to 14.5kph.

I will focus on this training for a few weeks to see how it goes. The great thing about it is that the workout is fast and quick - and I am free to do other things; like splashing in the pool with my kids.

Resistance Training.

2010-07-03T01:02:00.000+03:00

Workouts can be classified under 2 categories. The first are the cardiovascular workouts (also referred to as cardio or aerobic workouts). Cardio workouts involve working out your heart & lungs to deliver more oxygen to your muscles. Examples of Cardio workouts are walking, running, swimming etc.

The second type of workouts are the resistance workouts - which involve some form of pushing or pulling using your muscles.

Just because this blog is all about running, one must not think that running (or cardio workouts) is the only game in town. As with all things in life, we need a careful balance between cardio and resistance workouts.

Let's first see the some of the benefits of resistance workouts:

1. Increased fat burning: When you do resistance training, you build muscles. Muscles are like fat furnaces. The more muscles you build, the more fat you burn. That should be reason enough for most of us to start with a resistance training regimen.

2. Increased Metabolism: More muscles mean you increase your body's metabolic rate (i.e. the speed at which your body burns energy). So as long as you have some nice muscles in your body, you can eat more and not gain any weight, because all the energy that you consume will be used by the muscles. Increase metabolism also means that you are more alert and active.

3. Increased bone density: As we grow older, our bones become brittle and frail - which results in all kinds of problems (including arthritis and other bone and joint related diseases). Resistance workouts reverse this process by increasing bone density.

Clearly there are plenty of benefits for resistance workouts. In fact, "The Cario Free Diet" book goes so far as to claim that you only need resistance workouts to get a great body and you should avoid all forms of cardio-activity as it is merely a waste of time.

As I mentioned earlier, I am a firm believer in balance in life. I neither want to look like those anemic Ethiopian runners who can run a marathon race in 2 hours but look like they have not eaten in the last 3 years - nor do I want to look like those extreme bodybuilders who walk like Godzilla - and make just as much noise.

A good strategy for a long-term fitness is to alternate between cardio and resistance workouts. For example, you can do cardio workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do resistance workouts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sunday being the rest day. The resistance workouts will build muscles while the cardio workouts will burn fat. End result: A fit and trim body.

What kind of resistance workouts should you do?

Well, it all depends on your age, physical condition and your ability to bear pain!!. The best thing is to consult a certified trainer who will gauge your condition and recommend the correct exercises.

I do resistance workouts 3 times a week. I tend to focus on just one part of my body each day, so my schedule is something like this:

DAY 1: Chest and Biceps.

DAY 2: Back and Triceps.

DAY 3: Shoulder and Abs.

I try to include leg workouts now and then - but usually avoid them since they hamper my running. i.e. if I do strenuous leg workouts, I cannot run for the next 2 days. I know that eventually, I will have to do leg workouts on a regular basis, but for the moment, my preference is running over leg workouts.

Wake up to Water.

2010-06-30T16:53:00.000+03:00

When we get up in the morning, the first thing that most of us do is rush to the kitchen to get our early dose of tea or coffee. I used to do the same until I was convinced otherwise when I read this article on my favorite health website www.menshealth.com.

The reasoning is very simple. If we got a good nights sleep of 8 hours, it means our body was deprived of food and water during those 8 hours and we will be extremely dehydrated when we get up. So it makes perfect sense to hydrate our body first thing in the morning. Of course, there is no reason why we shouldn't drink our tea or coffee, but this should happen after drinking the water.

The amount of water that you drink first thing in the morning is important. It should be 2 glasses (around 500 ml). It has been scientifically proven that drinking around 480ml of chilled water in the morning boosts your metabolism by 24% for 90 minutes after you drink the water. This means:
- You will burn more 24% more calories for 90 minutes without doing anything.
- You prepare your body for the breakfast that will follow.

I know that drinking 2 whole glasses of water first thing in the morning is not easy. It took me couple of weeks to get adjusted to it. But now it is part of my daily routine.

I should also mention that drinking lots of water through out the day is also important. Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water during the day. More if you are doing workouts.

Interval Training

2010-06-28T12:14:00.000+03:00

In my earlier post, I wrote about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT will provide the fastest results in terms of fat loss and other fitness goals but the rewards come with significant risks that may not be acceptable to most individuals who have embarked on a fitness journey.

Once you start getting comfortable with running, (preferably with a solid foundation built using the couch-to-5k running program), you are ready to jump-start your fitness objectives with interval running.

Interval running is the more palatable form of intensity training. The basic premise used in HIIT (warm-up, series of intervals, and cool-down) still applies, but the focus of interval training is to run these intervals at a more acceptable speed (as opposed to all-out sprints witnessed in HIIT).

Let's see how this will work in practice. You will notice that the table that I have used here is almost identical to the one used in HIIT. The only difference is the timings.
.

Activity	Time	Notes
Warm up Jogging	10 minutes	-
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Jog	2 minutes	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Run	2 minutes	Run at 80% of your maximum speed
Cool down Jogging	10 minutes	-

That's 42 minutes total jogging/running. It might be challenging to most beginners but it is something you can aspire towards. If you are just starting off, you can easily modify the above formula to reduce the total time to around 20-30 minutes. For example, instead of 2 minutes, you can reduce the interval times to 1 minute each (which will result in 31 minutes total). Similarly, the warm-up and cool-down runs can be reduced from 10 minutes to 5 minutes, and so on.

Mix and match to suit your running requirements. The core objective here is to push your heart rate and bring it back down. Then keep repeating this for 4 to 8 times.

What are the benefits of interval training? Since you are alternating between jogging and fast running, you end up working both your heart (aerobic) during the jogging phase, and your muscles (anaerobic) during the fast running phase. If you would like to know more scientific details of the benefits of interval training, this article is highly recommended.

Since the duration of intervals is a bit longer, exact timing of the intervals is not very crucial. You can still use the Gymboss timer that I mentioned in HIIT, but you may be better off using a customized music mix that gives you audio cues when to start your intervals and when to slow down. This way, you can listen to some favorite music while doing the training. My favorite mixes are those created by Nike. These mixes can be purchased directly from iTunes and are specifically designed for interval running. The mixes are created by famous personalities like Lance Armstrong, Alberto Salazar etc.

Good luck.

The Coopers Test

2010-06-27T09:06:00.000+03:00

The "Coopers Test" is a test of physical fitness. According to Wikipedia, It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for military use. The objective of the test is to run for 12 minutes and determine your fitness status by looking at the distance completed (based on your age and gender).

Running 12 minutes is very tricky. If you start off the test with a sprinting run, you'll burn out quickly and will not be able to keep the pace. If you run too slowly, you will not achieve a good distance in the alloted 12 minutes. So the key to running this successfully is to keep a nice and constant pace that can see you through the 12 minutes.

The following table is a guide to determine your fitness level based on the distance completed in the 12 minutes.

Cooper test (Athletes & Juniors)
Age		Very good	Good	Average	Bad	Very bad
13-14	M	2700+ m	2400 - 2700 m	2200 - 2399 m	2100 - 2199 m	2100- m
13-14	F	2000+ m	1900 - 2000 m	1600 - 1899 m	1500 - 1599 m	1500- m
15-16	M	2800+ m	2500 - 2800 m	2300 - 2499 m	2200 - 2299 m	2200- m
15-16	F	2100+ m	2000 - 2100 m	1700 - 1999 m	1600 - 1699 m	1600- m
17-20	M	3000+ m	2700 - 3000 m	2500 - 2699 m	2300 - 2499 m	2300- m
17-20	F	2300+ m	2100 - 2300 m	1800 - 2099 m	1700 - 1799 m	1700- m
20-29	M	2800+ m	2400 - 2800 m	2200 - 2399 m	1600 - 2199 m	1600- m
20-29	F	2700+ m	2200 - 2700 m	1800 - 2199 m	1500 - 1799 m	1500- m
30-39	M	2700+ m	2300 - 2700 m	1900 - 2299 m	1500 - 1899 m	1500- m
30-39	F	2500+ m	2000 - 2500 m	1700 - 1999 m	1400 - 1699 m	1400- m
40-49	M	2500+ m	2100 - 2500 m	1700 - 2099 m	1400 - 1699 m	1400- m
40-49	F	2300+ m	1900 - 2300 m	1500 - 1899 m	1200 - 1499 m	1200- m
50+	M	2400+ m	2000 - 2400 m	1600 - 1999 m	1300 - 1599 m	1300- m
50+	F	2200+ m	1700 - 2200 m	1400 - 1699 m	1100 - 1399 m	1100- m

Since I fall in the 40-49 age bracket and I am a male, I need to run more than 2500 meters to get the "Very Good" grade. Based on my run data that I post regularly to Nike website, I knew this was possible; if I increased the tempo of my runs.

I decided to give this test a try. To prepare for the run, I stopped running for 2 days to ensure that my body is fully rested. I went early morning on Saturday and did a nice 30 minute warm-up run. There were no aches and pains anywhere, so I decided to give it a shot. I hit the treadmill at 14kph and started my run.

Once I crossed 8 minutes, I knew I could hold the pace for the remaining 4 minutes, and perhaps even increase it in the last 2 minutes. And that is exactly what I did. I increased the speed to around 14.5 after 10 minutes, and really let it go in the last minute by cranking the speed up to 15kph.

How did I do?

2.85 KILOMETERS!!!

That distance is good enough to get the "Very Good" grade even if I was half-my age. That is just incredible. I am patting myself with self-congratulatory taps and high-fiving imaginary friends.

The run did come with a very harsh lesson. Since I was using my iPhone 3GS to time the run and the distance, I needed to shut it down exactly at 12 minutes. The iPhone is a touch-screen device and it has no hardware buttons to act as a stop-watch. This mean I need to swipe the keyboard to unlock it, and then hit the stop button. It would be quite dangerous to do something like this while running at 15kph, so I decided to stop the treadmill (instead of gradually reducing the speed). Big Mistake!!. The sudden deceleration messed up my head. I could see things slowly going dark. Instinct made me hit the speed button on the treadmill so that I could start walking again and I slowly started walking again. It felt like I was in some kind of a dream and when I opened my eyes, I had no idea where I was and what I was doing there. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened. I was this close to falling over from the treadmill.

If I am to do this test again, I will only do with with someone else timing me - and after ensuring that he/she has an oxygen pack handy.

I am feeling Blue - But in a good way.

2010-06-24T09:22:00.000+03:00

Back in January, when I started using the Nike+ running system, I realized it was going to be an excellent motivational tool. The system encourages you to set goals, or join challenges with people from all around the world.

In addition to the above, it rewards your runs by assigning you a "level" depending on how many kilometers you have run. Levels (and the associated colors) are assigned as follows:

Yellow (0-49km, 0-30mi)
Orange (50-249km, 31-154mi)
Green (250-999km, 155-620mi)
Blue (1,000-2,499km, 621-1552mi)
Purple (2,500-4,999km, 1553-3106mi)
Black (over 5000km or 3107mi)

I just hit level "BLUE", which means I have run over 1000K since I started using the Nike+ system. Here's my run summary.

Running at an average of 5 minutes and 30 seconds for each kilometer (that's equivalent to running at 11kph on the treadmill), I have burned enough calories to drop my weight by 20 Kg (using the general rule of thumb that every 3850 calories you burn results in 1 kg of weight loss).

I started using the system in late January (a little less than 5 months ago), so it also means I have been running an average of 200 kilometers per month.

At this rate, I should hit the "PURPLE" level somewhere in February 2011.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)

2010-06-23T15:35:00.001+03:00

What if you could spend just 3 minutes on exercise each day and get a rock-hard body that would make even a professional body-builder jealous? Would you do it?

If the answer to the above question is "Yes", then the solution is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). The basic idea of HIIT is to do a series of short bursts of intense runs with a recovery period between each run. The objective of HIIT training is to jump-start your metabolic rate to a super-high level and keep the rate high - long after the training session is completed.

Let's see how this would work in practice. The following table shows a typical example of a HIIT session.

Activity	Time	Notes
Warm up Jogging	3 minutes	-
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Walk/Jog	30 seconds	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Walk/Jog	30 seconds	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Walk/Jog	30 seconds	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Walk/Jog	30 seconds	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Walk/Jog	30 seconds	Let your heartbeat slowly recover
Sprint	30 seconds	Run at your maximum speed
Cool down Jogging	2 minutes	-

The total time spent is 10.5 minutes, out of which only a measly 3 minutes is real exercise, 3 minutes is a warm-up jog, another 2 minutes for cool-down and another 2.5 minutes for the recovery between each run.

And that's all you need to do for around 3 to 4 times a week to torch away all the fat in your body and replace it with rock-hard muscles if you combine the above exercise routine with a proper diet!!. Sounds amazing, doesn't it?

So the question is: If this training is so effective, why is everybody not doing it? The answer, as it turns out, is very simple. If done exactly as prescribed above, it's freaking damn hard. Think of it this way: If you have not puked your guts out at the end of the session, you haven't done it properly. Even if you did not puke, your heart rate would have shot through the roof and you will be gasping for breath nearly an hour after the workout is completed.

You can vary the number of times (anything between 6 to 12 intervals is fine), and the duration (20 seconds to 1 minute should be the range) to keep your workouts varied and interesting. For example, you could run hard for 1 minute and recover for 2 minutes and repeat this for 8 times. It all depends on your fitness level and the torture you are willing to submit your body to.

Since the runs need to be exactly timed, a dedicated timer designed for HIIT sessions is a good investment. I purchased the Gymboss timer from Amazon. It's pretty easy to setup and allows you to define the number of intervals you wish to run, the duration of each run and the recovery period after each run. It's a tiny little gadget that clips to any part of your clothing.

Once it is setup, you do your warm-up run and hit the big button. It will emit a loud beep to indicate the start of your intense run and give another beep to tell you to recover and so on.

If a timer is not your thing, and you prefer to listen to customized music with orders barked to you through the headphone, you can try Workout Muse which creates customized HIIT audios.

The ideal place to do HIIT workouts is on an athletic field track or an open stretch of running area, that allows you to speed up to your maximum potential. Some people do HIIT workouts on treadmills or cross-trainers but these are not true HIIT workouts because it takes time for a treadmill to get up to speed and running at maximum speed on a treadmill is a disaster waiting to happen.

HIIT would be an excellent choice for me; to achieve my objectives for a six-pack, so you may ask me why I am not doing HIIT workouts. Well, I gave it a try. And as I mentioned above, it is just too darn hard. The risk of injury (running at 100% of your effort level) increases greatly. At my age, that risk is not acceptable.

I suggest HIIT workouts for younger people who are already is good shape and want to improve their strength and endurance without any muscle loss.

For the rest, a better alternative is Interval Training (which is what I do). I will explain about Interval Training in the next article. Interval training is a perfect balance between the extremes of HIIT workouts and sedentary jogging at a steady pace over a long duration.

Enjoy this fine example of a HIIT workout.

Are you a loser?

2010-06-21T20:58:00.000+03:00

"The Biggest Loser" is a TV show that takes overweight contestants and gives them the tools (training and diet) to lose weight. The contestant that loses the most amount of weight wins the title of "The Biggest Loser", and lots of cash. When the show first started airing in Kuwait, I was immediately hooked (and inspired) by it.

The training of the contestants is overseen by Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. Both have gained fame through the show, and are now fitness superstars in their own right. The spin-off from the TV show has resulted in plenty of fitness videos, books, and even video games

Because I love Bob Harper's holistic view on fitness, I decided to pick up a few of his fitness videos.

I had never tried home fitness videos before, so I was very surprised by the quality of these videos. I particularly love "The Boot Camp Workout". It's a six-week program that starts with a 30 minute workout (5 minute warm-up, 20 minute workout and 5 minute cool down). The workouts increase to 45 minutes in the 3rd and 4th week, and end up with 55 minutes in the last 2 weeks.

These workouts are HARD!!. If you follow the instructions exactly as shown on the screen, you will be completely drenched half-way through the workout. The workouts are a combination of resistance training (using dumbbells and resistance bands) and cardiovascular workout. A medicine ball is also recommended, though not compulsory.

Even though I am focused on running these days, I still do these workouts once in a while. They are a nice change from the regular running and gym workouts, and an excellent tool for those who don't have time to go to the gym.

RATING: 4/5.

Nike+ Running System explained.

2010-06-19T21:30:00.000+03:00

Earlier this year (somewhere in January 2010), I purchased the Nike+ system to keep track of my running and I have become addicted to it ever since. It has motivated me to run more and enjoy running at the same time.

Let me be clear. Nike+ system does not assist you in running. That is entirely all up to you. The system just records the distance that you run and allows you to keep track of your daily progress on the official Nike site. You can also join online challenges with other Nike+ runners, which in turn, motivates you in your running goals.

This official video from Nike+ explains how the system works.

COMPONENTS OF A NIKE+ SYSTEM.

1. The Sensor. The Sensor is a sort of a pedometer - though a highly sophisticated one. It is very accurate in detecting the pace, and distance run. When I do 10K run, the difference between the distance reported by the treadmill and the sensor is perhaps less than 100 meters. If you feel there is a problem in computing the distance, the sensor can be very easily calibrated. Ideally, you should purchase Nike+ shoes that have a special pouch in the insole where the sensor sits comfortably. I have the Nike+ Bowerman series shoes that I find very comfortable for long distance running. I'll write about running shoes in another article.

If you don't want to use Nike+ shoes, you can use any regular running shoes, and place the sensor on the laces by using a simple strap-on pouch like this one from Marware. Some people just tie the sensor in a small plastic bag and tie it around the laces. My recommendation would be the Nike+ shoes.

2. The Receiver: This is where it gets a little complicated because there are different options available depending on your style of running. If you like to listen to music and also keep track of your running, then you need to buy either a iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch or iPod Nano. If you have an iPhone 3GS or an iPod Touch then you are good to go as the receiver is already built inside these 2 devices. You do not need anything further. However, if you want to go the iPod Nano route, then you need a separate receiver called the "Nike+ iPod Sports Kit". If you buy the sports kit, then you don't need the sensor, as it is bundled inside the kit.

If you don't want to listen to music while running, you can buy the Nike+ Sports band that is sold by Nike. The sports band also comes bundled with the sensor so there is no need to buy the sensor separately.

So in Summary:
   1. If you have the iPhone 3GS or iPod touch, you need to buy the sensor.
   2. For iPod Nano, you buy the Nike+ iPod Sports Kit.
   3. For Nike+ Sports band, everything is bundled inside and you don't need anything else.

3. Start Running. Once you link your sensor to your device, you can start running. I use the iPhone 3GS for my runs, because it helps me to listen to music and also attend to the phone in case someone calls me up. Once I finish with the running, just upload the run data on your computer and it will automatically sync with the Nike running site www.nikerunning.com.

I am not a fan of the flash-heavy website, but it gets the job done. They also have a mobile optimized website that automatically shows up if you browse using a mobile device.

The website keeps track of all your runs and you can check your total runs, average running pace, calories burned etc. You can set targets (for example 100 kilometers in 1 month), and try to achieve the targets and earn medals.

The system has helped me keep fit and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to stay motivated in running.

Adidas has recently come up with their miCoach system, which is a more sophisticated version of the Nike+ system as it uses the heart rate monitor to better keep track of your running. I haven't tried it since I am addicted to the Nike+ system, and Nike has recently countered the miCoach with a heart rate monitor that integrates with the Nike+ system, so I will most likely buy that when it becomes available on Amazon.

The Couch-to-5k Running Plan.

2010-06-16T12:46:00.001+03:00

When I decided to get back into shape, I followed the couch-to-5k running program. I might have not followed it exactly to the letter, but I followed the basic outline of the program to get back into shape.

The key to this program (and its success), is the gradual increase in intensity which allows your body to adapt slowly to the change, and reduce any risk of injury.

When it comes to fitness, the usual scenario goes something like this:
You make a new years resolution to get into shape. The very next day, you visit your favorite sports shop and pay for an expensive treadmill, the most expensive shoes that you can find and branded running clothes (not realizing that sports shops jack up their prices during new year to get suckers like you). You get the treadmill installed and decide to give it the best you've got. You run till you feel sore. The next 3 days, you hobble like a 90-year old and decide never to get back on the treadmill again. Your wife decides to use the treadmill as a clothes hanger.

Do you realize the main flaw in the above plan?

You just can't push your body from a sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle in 1 day. It needs to be slowly coaxed into it. "Learn to walk before you run" is an old-age adage that is very apt when it comes to our body.

The Couch-to-5K program gradually coaxes your body to run over a period of 9 weeks (that's over 2 months). The time spent each day also gradually increases in order to avoid any injuries to your body.

The key elements of this program are as follows:

1. Allocate 3 days of the week for exercising. Exercise for one day, and take rest the next day. For example, you could work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
2. You start with only 20 minutes each day and gradually increase it to 30 minutes over a period of 9 weeks.
3. The first few weeks is mostly brisk walking with some little jogging. The jogging time is increased gradually till you can move from jogging to running.

At the end of the 9th week, not only will you feel great, you will want to upgrade to the 10K program.

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

Source:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Keeping a Food Journal

2010-06-15T14:07:00.000+03:00

When I started researching on health & fitness, the person that started popping up regularly on various fitness topics was Tom Venuto. He is perhaps the only fit person who is capable of reducing his body fat percentage down to 3.5%. According to this site, The minimum that is considered safe and acceptable is 5% for men and 12% for women.

After visiting his website, and his blog, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase his book "The Body Fat Solution". It's a must read for any fitness enthusiast. Though his recommended workouts focus mainly on resistance training (rather than the cardio activities that I enjoy), his nutrition advice is spot on for everyone.

One of the key nutrition advice he gives in his book is to maintain a food journal. According to Tom, you should write down everything you eat during the day. At first, I thought this was a bit much. Did he expect us to keep a book and a pencil to write down every time I put something in my mouth?

In retrospect, I should have followed his advice the very same day. Keeping a food journal is one of the key tools in your drive and success towards a healthier lifestyle. The reason is very simple. When it comes to our food intake, we always under estimate. For example, did you know that 1 tablespoon of olive oil contains 119 calories? Well, I had no idea how calorie dense this food is, until I started looking closely at the food that I was eating and the calorie contents of each food.

An excellent resource for figuring out your calorie intake is Calorie Counter Database. It has nutritional information on almost every food item.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just type in the food that we have consumed during the day and somehow get a daily log of our calorie intake? As it turns out, there are plenty of free resources on the net that allow you to keep track of your daily food intake and shows you exactly where you stand in terms of your calorie requirements.

I started using one such tool provided by My-Calorie-Counter. Not only does the site allow you to keep a food journal, it also allows you to keep a blog.

The food journal keeps track of your daily food intake, and displays calories and other nutritional information against each item that you consume. You can even create your own food such as a home cooked ethnic dish that may not be available in the database. You will have to estimate the calorie contents of the food and (optionally) provide other nutritional information such as fat percentage, carbohydrates, proteins etc.

In addition to the food intake, the journal also allows you to keep track of your exercises and determines whether you are going over or under the daily allocated calorie budget.

I strongly recommend everyone who is serious about their heath to start keeping a food journal.

How many Calories do I need?

2010-06-14T09:45:00.000+03:00

When you set out to get into shape (whether to lose weight, maintain your current weight or gain weight), one of the first thing you need to figure out is how many calories to consume each day.

The reason for this is very simple. The amount of calories you take in (through food) and the amount of calories you spend (through exercise and other daily activities) determines whether you will lose weight or gain weight. Everything else is irrelevant. Remember this simple rule. It is not the type of food that you eat which will make you lose weight. It is the amount of calories you consume.

So how do you determine your daily calorie needs? The jury is still out on this one as to the exact formula to be used to compute your calorie requirements. Dietitians use different formulas to arrive at something called the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) of each individual and then factor in your activity level to determine your daily calorie needs.

Let's see how this works in reality. All formulas need the following 5 bits of information. Age, Weight, Height, Gender and Activity Level. Some calculator use metric values and some imperial values. I have listed my vitals stats in both for this exercise.

Vital Stat	Metric Value	Imperial Value
Age	44	44
Weight	72 Kg	159 Pounds
Height	172 cms	5' 7"
Gender	Male	Male
Activity Level	Active	Active

HTML Tables

Armed with this information, let's see what the internet has to offer.

1. Mayo Clinic: This is a very slick looking calculator that is offered in both metric and imperial units. When I plugged in the above numbers, It came with the result of 2350 calories per day for me to maintain my current weight.

2. Free Dieting: Another good calculator. This one allows you to enter weight in either Kilos or Pounds but weight has to be entered only in imperial unit. The result I came with is 2294 calories per day.

3. Calculator.Net: This one uses the St. Jeor equation that is also mentioned on the site. When I plug in my numbers, I get 2433 calories per day.

So each site comes us with different results for the same input data. The difference between the lowest number (2294) and the highest number (2433) is 139 calories which is about 1 chocolate bar!.

So which formula to rely on. In my case, I decided to play it safe and rely on the lower values. This works out to somewhere around 2200 calories per day for me.

Once the daily calorie needs are determined, the simply rule of thumb is:
- Decrease your calories by 500 to lose approximately 1 pound per week (about 1700 calories for me).
- Increase your calories by 500 to gain approximately 1 pound per week.

So there you have it. My next article will discuss what kind of food I consume that constitutes those 1700 calories.

Running and a Six-Pack. Is it possible?

2010-06-13T10:32:00.003+03:00

First Blog Entry.

This is my first blog post, so let me start by giving a brief introduction about myself.

I was a long-distance runner during my college days and represented my college in the 5K and 10K runs. It is the only form of exercise that I was good at, and it helped me to maintain a trim and fit body.

That is..until I came to Kuwait, got married, and had 2 kids. Stressful work, family commitments, and living in a country with harsh climate meant that fitness took a backseat.

My fitness got a kick-start when a colleague at work casually inquired if I was pregnant. This was about 3 years ago. That question haunted me for a few weeks and I finally decided to do something about it. I really wish I had taken a picture of myself at that time to serve as a reference image, but, alas, I was too embarrassed of my body at that time and never took a self-portrait.

I initially started on my fitness journey by purchasing a treadmill and religiously started using it. At some point, I realized that the treadmill was not sufficient and invested in a stationary bicycle. I added some home fitness videos (more about this in a later post) to the mix.

Though I saw some difference, it was not the difference I was hoping for. I soon realized that I needed to join a proper gym, if I wanted to move to the next level. Last year, the whole family joined the Nautilus Fitness Center (part of Crowne Plaza, Kuwait) and I started working out seriously with a dedicated trainer.

There were some moderate improvements, but again, the improvements were below my expectations. Further research and reading made me realize that I was ignoring the main aspect of fitness. A proper diet plan. After some analysis, I finally selected a good diet plan and it was at this point that I could see my body responding the way I wanted it to be.

This is me...today. Have I reached my goal? Hell no. My objective now is to carve a nice six-pack and this blog will serve as a journey to help me achieve this transformation.

Since my main form of exercise is long distance running, the big question remains: Can you carve a six-pack through running?. I really don't know. Research indicates that you can. I plan to test this theory by documenting everything that I do and the type of food that I eat.