Hydration; the why's and how's for triathlon training

With the weather heating up it is more important than ever to keep on top of your hydration.

Here are some things to think about when planning your training this summer;

* Drinking fluids is essential to staying alive - duh. The human body is compromised mostly of water. 

* Hydration starts well before you train or compete in an event. Drink as soon as you wake in the morning. Continue to sip during your training or event. Remember to hydrate after to replenish body fluids and flush out metabolic waste.

* Sweat keeps you from overheating during exercise and in hot environments.

* Measure your water losses - weight yourself (naked) before exercise, perform a 1 hour intense workout with no fluid intake, the change in body weight reflects fluid loss. 500grams = 2 cups of fluid lost.

* Aim for your pee to be light yellow. Clear pee is showing you are diluting your body's sodium levels with too much water. Dark yellow you are not hydrated enough. 

* Dehydration can hinder athletic performance. 

* Headaches and cramping a common signs of severe dehydration. 

* Add a Nuun tablet or sports drink to your water to add electrolytes and salts to help avoid depleting your sodium levels during prolonged exercise. Electrolytes help regulate nerve and muscle functions. 

* Sodium containing liquids help retain the fluids consumed. When electrolytes and water are consumed together they stay together causing the body to retain the fluids you have just consumed.

Keep safe and stay hydrated!

Strength and conditioning for Triathlon.

Incorporate single leg work into your strength routine to improve your muscle balance (left vs right), reduce your chance of injury and increase your triathlon performance.

Try these no equipment needed exercises:

- single leg glute bridge (pictured)
- single leg squats
- single leg step ups
- one legged bend and reach (bend from the hip, reach down to the floor)
- balancing on one leg with your eyes closed

Start off with 2-3 sets of 10 reps on each side and slowly build up to 20 reps over the space of a few weeks. With the balancing start with 30sec on each leg and increase the time as you improve.

You will notice the difference in all three Triathlon disciplines as you get stronger, more efficient and more balanced!

Ocean Swimming Skills for triathletes

Sighting - Pick a higher point directly above the buoy/person in the water to sight to. Look up regularly to make sure you are staying on course. Kick harder when sighting to stop your feet from sinking. Only lift your head as high as necessary while still being able to spot your destination. Triangulate by looking for two aligned, easily visible objects on land.

Breathing - It is a good idea to practice turning your head to either side to breathe after you have looked up to sight. Make sure you are breathing into the shore when there is a large chop or waves to avoid getting a mouthful of water. 

Drafting and close swimming - practice the high five drill for gaining confidence in touching other swimmers around you and to practice lifting you head and breathing to either side. Keep close but do not disrupt the persons stroke who you are drafting off. Feet are better to draft off than hip as the leading swimmer will be able to go faster - meaning the drafting person will also go faster. Drafting off someones hip makes it harder for them to swim.

Stroke rate - The ocean is different to swimming in the pool as the water is constantly moving with surface chop and currents so a higher arm rate works better than trying to glide like you would in a pool. A higher arm turn over will also keep you warmer in cold water. Make sure you find a rate you are comfortable with and practice.

Happy swimming everyone!

Cauliflower pizza recipe

Yields 1 pizza crust

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 medium head)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten
• Pizza toppings (pizza sauce, olives, mushrooms, fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, meats or extra cheeses)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a food processor, lightly pulse the cauliflower in batches until it resembles rice. Place the cauliflower "rice" in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 6-8 minutes or until soft and allow to cool.
3. To the cauliflower, add the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, the egg and season with salt and pepper, mixing very well. Add the mixture onto the baking sheet and press down to form desired pizza crust shape.
4. Bake the pizza crust for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with desired pizza toppings and bake again for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve immediately

Speedo Swimsuit Review

Winter Swim Tips for Triathletes

Winter Swim Tips for Triathletes.

In this article I will be discussing some techniques and ideas based on how to keep motivated and work on your swimming during winter. If you are new to Triathlon swimming or an experienced racer looking to improve, I hope you find something new to try out!

Keeping motivated to swim during winter is crucial, as this is a great time to be working on your swimming to get ready for an awesome summer of racing! If you are struggling with motivation, try get a buddy or a group together to swim with or join a swim squad over winter. You could set a challenge for your own session, a small goal to work towards, such as swimming 1km non stop or taking 20 strokes per lap instead of 22 . The most important thing is to get excited about it and enjoy it, make it interesting!

Here are some technique tips to think about while you are swimming up and down the black line:

Look straight down. Keeping your eyes to the bottom of the pool reduces the amount of drag you create by keeping your torso high and feet up at the surface. Keeping your head down also reduces strain on your neck and lower back

Make each breath count. Exhaling all the air out of your lungs into the water before turning your head will help you to take a quick full breath to the side. Beginner swimmers will need to breathe after every stroke but as endurance improves, begin to breathe every 3 strokes to alternate the side you breathe to. This will reduce the strain on the neck and shoulders caused by repeatedly breathing to one side.

Kick like your feet are fins. When kicking, your feet should remain long and flexible, while your legs are long and taut, scissoring through the water. Your feet should snap at the downstroke. If you are struggling with flexibility, buy a set of fins to help add flexibility.

Try these ideas to make your pool session more open water Triathlon specific:

Instead of pushing off the wall each lap, try to flip or turn at the black T. Pick a couple of lengths to practise sighting your drink bottle at the end of the pool or your swim coach on the side. You could even practise dolphin diving in the shallow end of the pool (if your pool is shallow enough). To simulate a race situation try to swim two or three wide down the lane with some friends and practise drafting off each other. This will also help you to get a feel of what it is like swimming close to another swimmer. Swim half lengths and pretend there is a buoy in the middle of the lane and practise turning around it - you could even get a friend to pretend to be a buoy. Practise hypoxic breathing to improve lung capacity, for example, 100m increasing the amount of strokes you do between breaths each 25m - breathing every 3,5,7 strokes.

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Raspberries

I love raspberries. They are rich in vitamin c, high in antioxidants, anti inflammatory and can help with weight loss. They are also key for maintaining healthy hair and skin! 

Try them with yoghurt, cream, desiccated coconut and coconut flesh for a healthy breakfast or snack! 

Frozen raspberries are available all year!