Race Across America – TeamSam.com – Part 2

Swamis Cycling TeamSam.com turned in a great effort and solid performance in the Race Across America 24 hour Corporate Challenge, covering 493 miles from Oceanside, CA to Flagstaff, AZ in just over 25 hours to take 3rd place behind a super-charged Clif Bar team featuring former pro dualthete Kenny Souza and triathlete Chris Randall, and the American Specialty Health teams. Swamis Cycling TeamSam.com kept close to the second place team despite losing a rider to injury during the first part of the race.   I have to give credit to the RAAM organizers. They have done a great job this year increasing the media coverage of the race with video posted to YouTube.Sammy Hutchison (honorary team captain) and rider Jon Martin made part of the segment below.   

Ten Workout Tips

10 Tips for Safe Workouts

1. Get a check-up by your doctor
If you’re new to exercise and a male over the age of 40 or woman over the age of 50 or have a personal or family history of heart disease such as high blood pressure or heart attacks, get a check-up by your doctor before starting an exercise program. Other risk factors that may require a medical evaluation before starting an exercise program include:
- Current smoker
- Chest pain or tightness or shortness of breath with exertion
- History of asthma, diabetes or other heart, lung or kidney problems

2. Have a plan and a goal
Write down your fitness goals for the upcoming month, season and year, and then keep track of your workouts in a workout log. Review and update your goals monthly.

3. Make exercise a priority
You can’t success at your fitness goals if you don’t make it a priority. Try to schedule workouts earlier in the day. If exercise is on the top of your daily “To Do” list you’ll find it easier to commit to a daily routine.

4. The best place to start is where you are now…
Look at your current activities and see what types of exercise you may already be doing: walking the dog, playing with the kids, working in the yard are all forms of exercise.

5. Start gradually, increase gradually
Look at exercise as a lifestyle choice and make it a part of every day. Use these activities as a starting point and try to increase the amount of time or the intensity. Look for easy ways to add extra time – take the stairs instead of the elevator, park in the furthest row in the parking lot from the building, try to walk for some errands instead of driving.

6. Warm up!
Take 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of each exercise session to warm up and decrease your risk of injury. Start with brisk walking or a slow jog to raise your heart rate followed by a gentle stretching routine.

7. Fill up the fuel tank and stay hydrated
You wouldn’t start driving on a long trip on an empty gas tank, and the same holds true for exercise. Try to eat a snack or small meal 30 to 60 minutes before a workout, especially in the morning. Remember to stay well hydrated. Even a small amount of dehydration can impact your exercise tolerance and performance. Athletes notice significant effects with as little as 2-3% dehydration/ Drink water for workouts less than 30 to 45 minutes. Try a sports drink with carbohydrate and electrolytes for exercise lasting longer.

8. Cross Train
Find several different exercise routines to keep interested and refreshed. Try to mix up aerobic exercise (jogging, cycling, or swimming) with resistance (weightlifting) and stretching. Vary the routes, distances and intensity throughout the week.

9. Get a workout partner
It’s easy to make excuses to yourself and skip a workout. Its harder to skip that workout if someone else is depending on you to be there – so find a workout partner that shares some of your fitness interests.

10. Rest and recovery – are important components to a successful workout program. Give your body time to rest, heal and recovery from your workouts and you will experience less injuries.

Exercising while sick

With the cold and flu season upon us, a common question we hear from athletes is recommendations for exercising when ill. There is some misinformation out there that suggests trying to “sweat out” a cold or flu. However, that exercise could be doing more harm than good when you’re sick.

While regular and moderate exercise such as light jogging has been shown to boost immune system function, more vigorous exercise such as a hard tempo run, intervals or racing temporarily suppresses the immune system up to 24 hours after exercise.

Immune system suppression may lead to a worsening infection such as pneumonia or bronchitis, or even an infection of the heart muscle (myocardium) called myocarditis that can be life threatening or fatal.

One easy piece of advice is to remember the “neck check” in determining whether to exercise during an illness or not. If your symptoms are mild and isolated to the neck and above, such as a runny nose or sore throat, then you’re probably ok for light to moderate workouts. If the symptoms are below the neck- fever, muscle aches and pains, productive cough, or diarrhea, then consider holding off and rescheduling your workouts.

How fast can you return to a full workout schedule? Start back at about fifty percent of your normal exercise distance or time at a reduced intensity. Also allow extra recovery time between workouts. A proper amount of rest is important to a quicker recovery. Listen to your body and if you’re finding that you fatigue quickly, continue to limit your exercise time, duration and intensity.