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Team Robertson / Education (Page 3)

Racing Ironman

I did my first triathlon back in 1998 and little did I know it would change my life in many different ways all for the better. I remember having a horrible swim, did the cycling portion on a mtn bike, and followed it up with a decent run  and passed several people along the way. That last part about passing people on the run turned out to be how I would end up racing the next 10 years, even while having much improved swim and bike times along the way. This past weekend my hometown hosted Ironman Texas. Athletes were greeted with hot and humid conditions, as well as torrential rain the back half of the day. I had several athletes I coach that participated,...

Powerful Veggies

It is quite obvious by now that the one food group you should be consuming the most of are vegetables. It is also the one food group I can think of that gets no bad press either! The diseases that vegetables prevent would not fit into this blog there are so many. I personally like to think of vegetables as medicine, since they essentially are and some of the compounds are hard to pronounce as well! There are some veggies that are a better choice as far as getting the most nutrition from each serving. Most people don't consume anywhere near enough of these foods and could use at least 2-3 cups a day of vegetables. If you are picky about a variety of different...

Sugar Burner or a Fat Burner?

A hot topic in nutrition today is becoming a fat burner. This is the most optimal way to keep body fat low, as well as help ward off different diseases. A sugar burner is just what it sounds like, where a person is burning sugar to rely on energy. A fat burner gets their energy from stored body fat that they carry with them at all times. Most of us have plenty of that to go around, but the key to becoming a fat burner is gradual and can take as long as 6 months or even longer in some cases. How do you even know you are a sugar or fat burner? I created my top 5 list below to help find out whether...

Cardio vs. Weight Training

For years now, the average person has been trying to figure out which form of exercise is best for my health, cardiovascular training or weight training? Is there even one that is better? Do I do them on the same day? Which helps with weight loss? Do athletes benefit from both? These are a few questions I have heard the last 20 years in the fitness industry. I compiled a list below of who can benefit from which form the most and why.   Weight loss- I picked this as number 1 due to the fact that a large majority of the population is overweight. If you are trying to lose weight I recommend about 75% of your overall exercise time is best spent doing cardiovascular exercise.the...

Health Crisis

Here we are in the year 2016 and I can think of a million advances in our society. Technology has made a tremendous impact in how we do business whether for social, or monetary gain and I can attest to that as I work from a computer outside in my backyard. Unfortunately, with those modern advances comes a price tag of declining health for a large majority of our population. While life expectancy has steadily increased,  morbidity rates have increased which is leading to a significant number of people in the last 20% of their life living in a diseased state. Why is this happening you ask? I have compiled below my top reasons why and with possible solutions as well. Food Guide Pyramid- I can't...

Inflammation

Controlling inflammation is a hot topic today in disease control. Acute inflammation is actually a good thing (think bee sting, poison ivy) that comes on fast and happily leaves the body fast as well. Chronic inflammation is the one we need to worry about and can wreak havoc on the body with disease like atherosclerosis, cancer, depression, diabetes, alzheimer's, autism, obesity, and arthritis to name a few. I don't know about you, but I don't want any of these diseases! Below is my list of top foods to eat to combat inflammation, as well as my list of foods to avoid. Keep in mind the key take away is eating as many NATURAL foods as possible!   1. Omega 3 fats- This might sound like an easy...

10 Ways to Burn More Fat

Whether you are a professional athlete trying to become leaner for your sport, or someone who has been trying to lose weight for health reasons, teaching your body how to tap into your stored body fat as fuel is the key to achieving your weight loss goal. In the list below I have compiled my top 10 ways to maximize your metabolism to pull from stored fat instead of ingested carbs. 1. Intermittent Fasting- This is key to long-term sustainability in your body becoming a fat burning machine. The idea is to eat all of your calories in a short window of 6 to 8 hours. Not only will this help your body burn stored body fat, but it will also make your day much easier...

Top Foods for Exercise Recovery

There are countless methods to enhance exercise recovery, good nutrition and hydration standing out as two of the most beneficial. These are my top 10 favorite foods for post workout recovery. 1. Plain greek yogurt with fruit- Greek yogurt provides anywhere from 15-25 grams of protein in 1 cup, and most fruit  has enough simple sugars to create the perfect post workout snack 2.  Omelette- Anyone in my family knows this is my all-time favorite post workout dish. I usually start with 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup of cheese and my roster of veggies I choose from are - broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, and onions. This meal will give me about 400 calories total that includes 30 grams of fat, 30-40...

Best Cross Training Sports For Runners

When it comes to running faster most of us have figured out that to run faster we need to run OFTEN and FAST, but there are several different cross-training methods that can greatly enhance your running. Some of the benefits of cross-training are increased aerobic fitness, better recovery, more flexibility, injury prevention, breaks up the monotony, more efficiency, as well as increased strength. In this blog I am going to discuss the 5 best activities for cross-training to improve your running.     Swimming- Swimming will work every muscle in your body, as well as provide for minimal impact. I recommend swimming on an off day from running or after a hard or long run to help speed recovery. Swimming can also be very therapeutic and feel very refreshing...

Open Water Swimming vs. Pool Swimming

When it comes to the sport of triathlon it doesn’t take a long time to realize that swimming in a pool with a black line to stare at vs. swimming in an open body water are 2 completely different things! In this article we are going to compare the 2 ways to gain an advantage in your swim training. First lets look at the pros and cons of swimming in the pool. At the pool you have temperature control in the water and outside of the water, calm water, perfect visibility, pace clock, masters swim coaching (most of the time), convenience, lack of sun exposure (if indoors) and lifeguards. All of this can create the best and safest venue for someone to gain swim fitness....