The metabolic test starts with a little preparation before [...]]]> This past weekend, a small group of us got together to do a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test. Jared and Sam of MetaTest in Las Vegas came out to do this test for us and consult with us on the value of this information.

The metabolic test starts with a little preparation before hand to get the most accurate reading. At least 4 hours prior, and preferably 8-10 hours, we were asked to fast, refrain from ingesting caffeine, and refrain from cardio activities. For the test, we sat quietly, breathing into a mask for about 12 minutes. The machine analyzes the gas exchange in our breath to arrive at the RMR numbers at the conclusion of the 12 minutes.

My metabolism tested slow – about 1210 calories per day. This is about 17 points lower than “normal”. Others tested closer to normal and above. So, what does this number mean to me? This means that in order for my body to survive and maintain normal body functions, it requires 1210 calories every day. Then, we add exercise activities and lifestyle activities like work to arrive at a higher caloric count for realistic living. Even this number for me what not high – around 1600 on average.

What these numbers also mean is that if I want to drop some weight, then it would require a diet of 1000-1200 calories per day, preferably in 5-7 meals. This roughly equates to 200 calories per meal about 6 times a day. Wow. That’s not a lot. Consider that some meals out are already over 1200 calories! :-O

My main concern, however, is energy and strength for training. The advise that Jared and Sam gave to me is that I need to get into the gym to do some strength training. Based on my metabolism, they indicate that if I train for endurance now, I will neither feel strong nor be strong when it comes to Silverman. All the details are a blur, but essentially, it seems that based on my metabolism, my body will break down my muscles rather than build them up if I train for endurance now. They suggest building up muscle by doing strength training for the next couple months before going into periodized training for Silverman. This should help me build enough muscles that should my body break down muscles during my endurance training, I will still have plenty left to keep me strong and going during Silverman.

This is probably the last thing I would prefer to hear since my least favorite part of training is in the gym and on strength training. However, I will take that into consideration and digest it in the next week or so to determine how I want to proceed.

This week is also prep and research to develop quality, substantial meals that are in the 200 calorie range. I doubt this will be challenging once we start shifting our food paradigm. In fact, all the playing I’ve been doing with raw and vegan foods in the past couple of weeks should come in VERY handy in this next endeavor.

If you are embarking on a training regimen for the first time and are not quite sure how to incorporate diet, strength, endurance training, etc., a good place to start is with metabolic testing. It’s also a good idea for anyone who isn’t getting the results they anticipated if on a diet or fitness routine. Everyone’s metabolism is different and responds differently to foods, exercise and lifestyle. My friend Michael for instance is recommended to eat frequently and just about anything he wants because although he works out a lot, he isn’t feeding his body enough to stay strong and to slim down.

Here are 10 basic rules that Sam and Jared talked about:

1. Eat at least every 2.5 hours
2. Eat protein and carbs together….never the two shall be apart.
3. Drink/Sip water — plain water 8-10 oz an hour
4. Rest is important! Overdoing it will only lead to feeling of fatigue and exhaustion.
5. Make food easy for yourself. Pre make food as necessary.
6. Eat for fuel, not for emotions. If you find yourself eating for emotion try to recognize the triggers.
7. Give yourself a break.
8. If you stumble or make a mistake in your eating , move past it and learn from it. We’re all human, and humans like cookies.
9. Try to eat real food as opposed to processed food. (Within reason of course)
10. Enjoy the new information you have and embrace the changes. Smile and realize you are on your way and worthy of all the best things in life!!

Change doesn’t happen over night, but it happens over time. We are all very excited with our new knowledge and look forward to testing our RMR again to see the changes.

Have you done any metabolic testing before? What were the results and how did it help you? Tell us about your experiences in our comment section.

I’ve been out of touch for a while. Out riding my [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events. She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree. Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

I’ve been out of touch for a while. Out riding my bike through the cacti of Arizona. Training in the winter can be hard with the cold weather, bad conditions and dark days. My solution this year was to spend a nice day on the bike, then explore Arizona. Check out this link to my race report from the 24 hours in the old pueblo – a 24 hour mountain bike race.

I’ll get back to the bike info next week!

Among the folks I met was a man named Bruce. We chatted [...]]]> I was on the river this past Monday with the Las Vegas Kayak meetup. We paddled 12 miles from the base of Hoover Dam through the Black Canyon to Willow Beach. It was a beautiful paddle with great people.

Among the folks I met was a man named Bruce. We chatted a great deal, surprisingly, about food. Bruce retired last year and has since changed his diet to accommodate cleaner eating and has naturally lost 20 pounds. More importantly than loosing 20 pounds is that he feels as if he has more energy than ever. He eats a lot more raw foods, or cooks foods in more traditional mediterranean or asian styles. He eats often and he eats well.

Of course none of this is news to me. I have, in fact, found myself eating effortlessly in that manner before. And I too, lost quite a number of pounds – completely unintentionally, and I felt awesome! Unfortunately, due to various “life” situations, I started going back to my old choices and found myself gaining back all the extra weight.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to start looking at how to create new patterns of good, healthy eating. First, I need to eliminate my excuses, which include convenience, time, and the tendency to ‘make do’ when I get really hungry. I suspect other people experience similar issues. I believe a larger part of the equation is to become more familiar with cleaner eating food choices.

It doesn’t seem very hard, it just requires a shift in thinking. I have to create guidelines for how I choose to eat and why, then I have to choose this lifestyle for a period of time. For me, I cannot go through a mental debate each time I come to a meal. Based on my past experiences, I know that this simply will not work for me.

So, my next step is to consider my guidelines. When I work this out, I’ll go ahead and post it here to make it public and official! What ‘clean eating’ methods have worked for you? Do you have any great recipes that are are essential in your training diet?

Along these lines, I found some great advice over at tinybuddha.com:

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/live-your-life-out-loud-30-ways-to-get-started/

It might seem like an eternity before we can get back in the [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events.  She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree.  Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

It might seem like an eternity before we can get back in the ponds again, but it’s never to early to think about open water swimming.

Open water swimming can be very intimidating to triathletes, experienced or not. Standing at the edge of a lake is very different then at the edge of the pool. There is no sense of containment, the bottom is out of reach and there are no lane lines or black lines to keep you on track. The best thing to remember at this point is that swimming is forward movement through the water – it doesn’t matter where. Focus on your technique and not the bottom, 40 feet down or the fish swimming around and you’ll reach T1 comfortably.

Keys to Open Water Swimming:

1. Check the course out. The buoys are usually up at least the day before the race. Find the buoy line, then look for landmarks that will help you with sighting. Remember that things look different at the surface rather then standing at the shore.

2. Know what the buoys mean. At Silverman, the orange buoys are straight line guide buoys and the yellow buoys are where you turn. If you know what colors mean what, there will be less stress about possibly missing a turn and swimming too far.

3. Know the start of the swim. Is it a wave start or a mass start? With waves, the field is broken up into smaller starts, usually by age group. This is a safer type of start with larger fields and USAT prefers waves of 150 or less. The only concern with waves is that it can be nerve-wracking when faster swimmers from later waves start catching up. In a mass start, everyone starts at once. If you’ve ever watched the Hawaii Ironman on TV, you know right away what the biggest issue with a mass start is. This can be a physical, rough and scary boxing match for the first part of the race. How long the melee lasts depends on where you are in the field. Fast or slow will have an easier swim then middle of the pack.

4. Know the starting area. Is there anything that might affect the first 100 yards of the swim? Be careful with narrow channels, sharp turns or other obstacles. It’s best to avoid them from the start instead of having to swim around at the last minute.

5. Line up in the right spot. Just like in a road race, faster swimmers should be in front and slower swimmers to the back. If you’re unsure about where to start, hedge your bets and stay in the back. Getting swum over is never fun and starting in the right spot will eliminate some of the unintentional contact that happens. If there’s a lot of people, try lining up on one of the edges. That will further reduce the amount of people around you. Just remember tip 4 – know the starting area.

It’s always a good idea to get a few practice open water swims in before the race. That way you have the ability to try out the wetsuit, practice sighting and gain some comfort in the water. Just remember that you should never swim in open water alone. Always have buddy in the water with you and stay together. The larger the group the better – that way there is always a pair of eyes watching out.

Yes, swimming has its own language. If you’ve ever gone to the pool [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events.  She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree.  Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

Yes, swimming has its own language. If you’ve ever gone to the pool and seen workouts written on the boards, it looks like gibberish. Yet somehow, the people in the pool are translating what is on the board to a useful workout. Here’s a quick lesson in interpreting the language of swimming.

s – swimming, usually freestyle. If specific strokes are indicated, it will be written Free, Back, Breast, or Fly
p – pulling, use the pull buoy for this interval set
k – kicking, either use a kick board or kick on your back
RI – rest interval or how long you recover

AxLLL – 00s RI – this is a set with a specified rest. “A” is the number of times you swim the distance specified by LLL. The rest you take between each interval (LLL) is written in seconds – 00 rest interval.

AxLLL, on 0:00 – a different way of writing the rest. This is a send off, so you’re swimming the interval distance (LLL), then resting until the next send off time arrives.)

I forgot to mention there was a test! Translate this workout and post the translation in the comments. I will also post the translation in a few days

The workout: (just an example – please don’t go out and try it!)
200s
200p/p
100k on back

2×300p (NS) – 30s RI
3×200s build – 20s RI
4×150s – 15s RI
100mod, 50 sprint

100 c/d