Step to the Beat

More on the Benefits of Stair Climbing

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:36:00 +0000

I really liked this study:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743500906340 Abstract: Twenty-two sedentary college-aged women walked up 199 steps – more than you’re likely to find at home, but doable in a high-rise – in 2.25 minutes, a “brisk but comfortable” pace which shot their heart rates up to 90 percent of their predicted maximum.

They progressed from one ascent per day during the first week to six ascents per day, for a total of 13.5 minutes over the course of a day,during the sixth and seventh weeks.

By the end of this modest exercise program, the women were measurably more fit: Heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate levels during climbing were reduced, and their HDL (”good”) cholesterol levels had increased.

Another article on stair climbing here:http://gymequipmentinformation.com/stair-climber

Running on the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:10:00 +0000

Running on sand can be great exercise, but be careful when transitioning from pavement. The added resistance takes some getting used to, and you can injure yourself if you add exertion without conditioning your legs to the new surface first. A friend of mine recently blew out his knee by sprinting on the beach without any prior experience doing so.

Here's an article on running on sand. And another one that breaks down calories burned.

Smoothie for a Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:05:00 +0000

What's for breakfast? I just had a smoothie, let's see if I can remember what I dumped in the blender... 2 apples (1 gala, 1 grannie smith), 2 handfulls of Costco berry trinity (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry), 2 bananas, 2 handfulls of frozen "Normandy" vegetable mix from Costco (broccoli, squash - I removed the cauliflower as it's just bulk, not nutritionally-dense), 12oz water, 12oz DIET Splash (really hard to find the Diet Splash around here, so we stock up like crazy when we're able to track some down), 2 handfuls of spinach, 2 heaping tablesppons of Greek yogurt. Blend well for 50 seconds. Yield: 50oz of serious GO JUICE! Total prep/blend/drink/cleanup time: 14 mins.

The SOURCE - FDA Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Want the honest 411 on food? Why not go right to the source? Here's the FDA's take on whole milk - read it HERE.

Exercise Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:16:00 +0000

Brought my exercise ball out of my attic yesterday and then found this site that has animated exercise ball routines. Enjoy!

Who Made That Granola?

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:14:00 +0000

You can trace breakfast cereal back to gruel-eating ancient Greeks, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that the idea of eating cold cereal was embraced. In 1863, Dr. James Caleb Jackson, a health reformer who believed illness was rooted in the stomach, began experimenting with cold cereal to augment the mineral-spring treatments at his sanitarium in upstate New York. He baked graham flour into brittle cakes, which he then crumbled and baked again. It was not an immediate success; in fact, it was edible only when soaked in milk overnight. Even so, Jackson’s granula, as he called it, would soon have competition. It was not long before Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a Michigan man with a sanitarium of his own, was also promoting a healthful cold cereal. MORE...

Step to the Beat on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Cruise on over to STTB on Facebook where I'm posting (almost) daily inspirational photos, smoothie recipes, and other stuff to keep you motivated and on-track with your exercise and healthy eating.

Click HERE to be transported :)

Thanks!

Ready, Set, Blend!

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:53:00 +0000

This morning's smoothie: 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 heaping tablespoon of Greek yogurt, 2 tangerines, a handful of peeled baby carrots, huge handful of fresh spinach, scoop of whey protein powder, trinity of berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries - frozen Costco).

More on the STTB Facebook page HERE.

What's your favorite smoothie?

Avocados are NOT the Pits

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Don't shy away from avocados. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat.

One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.

More here: http://bit.ly/GXcP6O

Smoothies - Oh Yeah!

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:53:00 +0000

NOT my smoothie, but same color! :)
Imagine this in a plain, ugly tumbler and you'll have a vision of what I make daily.

Been blending smoothies with my new Blendtec for a few weeks now - awesome.

Some of my favorite variations:

Morning Maximum
Spinach
Carrot
Apple
Orange
Berry mix (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry)
Tropical fruit medley - mango, pineapple, papaya, strawberry
Broccoli
Small handful of walnuts and almonds (approx 1.5 ounces)

Protein Pro
Broccoli
Banana
Apple
Berry mix (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry)
Whey protein powder (Costco brand, chocolate)

Green Machine
Broccoli
Spinach
Apple
Banana

What about yours?

Ordinary Blender Vs Blendtec Blender

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Broke down and bought a Blendtec Total Blender from Costco last week. Costco has the best price I've found on this, so click HERE for that product page if you're interested.

While researching blenders, I found many comparisons between Vitamix and Blendtec, but not any decent video comparisons between an ordinary blender and the Blendtec. Hopefully, this video will serve others seeking a similar comparison.

One note that I didn't include in the video: When blending softer fruits and veggies, oranges, bananas, and spinach, for example, the Hamilton Beach ordinary blender seems to do fine. Still not as smooth as the Blendtec, but satisfactory for the most part. The real difference between the two, and this is worth noting for those who aren't sure they want to shell out $400 for a Blendtec, is that the Blendtec breaks down the cell walls in the fruits and vegetables - regardless of how hard the fruit or veggie is, resulting in a pulverized mix of all the ingredients and a true blending of all the components of each. What you get is soup-smooth drinks instead of chunks of ingredients mixed with unblended pieces.

One may think that simply blending items longer in an ordinary blender would allow you to achieve the same smoothness as the Blendtec. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. What happens is the blades in an ordinary blender can only spin so fast, and reach terminal velocity within the mix. Keep blending and the drink begins to froth or foam-up, but the unblended components continue to evade the blades as they can only spin so fast.

I hope this helps you decide on which blender to get. I'd like to get my hands on a decent "commercial" $100 blender to compare with the Blendtec, so if you live in the Orange County area, have one of these blenders, and want to help me make another video - please leave a comment below and we'll try to make this happen.

One more thing. If you like my video, please leave a comment on YouTube to that effect, and be sure to share it on Facebook or via email.

Thanks, and happy blending!

Blending Vs Juicing - My Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Let me start off by mentioning that I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, nor do I have any formal training in either the medical or dietary fields. Just a guy who has read a lot of peer-reviewed literature on these subjects, done quite a bit of juicing, and is very interested in optimizing my eating plans to achieve a healthy, long life.

I've been using juice extractors off and on for 20 years now, and have owned four or five of them during this span. While the benefits of drinking three pounds of vegetables in a single glass are undeniable, I've found the prep, processing, and clean-up become burdensome over time and inevitably discourage me from continuing juicing for any period longer than a few months at a stretch. Just recently, I've pulled my blender out of our cupboard and have started blending my fruits and veggies instead of extracting juice from them. I must say - the process is much quicker, and the resulting beverages are delicious. Here's some benefits of blending in more detail:

Time Saver - Preparation - The biggest advantage to me of extracting vs blending is prep, processing, and clean-up. Both juicing and blending require fruits and veggies to be washed thoroughly, but ordinarily you’re forced to chop them up into smaller pieces for the juice extractor. This adds prep time, especially when you consider the sheer number of items going into the juice you’re preparing. A typical 12-14 ounce glass of my favorite fruit and vegetable juice uses six large carrots, half a melon, several hand-fulls of spinach, and two apples. Contrast that with an orange, an apple, two bananas, spinach, and a scoop of protein powder for the blended drinks, or smoothies.

Time Saver, processing - Once washed, all the fruits and veggies are placed into the blender pitcher and they're ready to go. Add some ice too, if you'd like. I found that ice helps keep the froth level down in blended drinks. Simply put the lid on, turn the blender power on, and let it whirl. I typically blend for 60 seconds so to make certain there are as few chunks as possible. I'll soon invest in a Blendtec blender, as my research has shown this is slightly better, and certainly a little cheaper than the Vitamix. More on this in another post.

Time Saver, Cleanup - Simply give the blender pitcher and lid a rinse under warm water, put a teaspoon of dish detergent into the pitcher and fill it 1/3 full of warm water and then place it back on the base. Turn the blender on and let it spin for 30 seconds, then rinse the pitcher and lid again and you're done. Contrast this with the cleanup associated with a juice extractor. The extractor must be disassembled and each piece rinsed individually. In addition, the pulp basket must be cleaned out, which usually involves a brush of some kind. Of course the pulp (fiber) makes pretty good garden mulch, so there's no real waste in that sense.

Fiber - Fiber is a vital, often-overlooked component of everyones' diet. Aside from fiber's well-known roles in digestion, it's also useful in slowing down the absorption of dietary sugars into the bloodstream. Abrupt concentrations of sugar cause insulin spikes and these are usually followed by feelings of hunger soon after. Where extracted juices have high-concentrations of sugar with no fiber to regulate their absorption, blended smoothies have plenty of fiber, which does not cause dramatic spikes in insulin, and the additional bulk helps you feel full and stay satisfied longer.

Storage - Blended drinks tend to keep longer in the refrigerator than extracted juices. I've read that extracted juices should only be stored up to 24 hours, and my experimentation confirms this. Blended juices can be kept in an air-tight container for up to three days, although I'd not go beyond two, just to play it safe.

Cost - Blended juices contain all the fiber of the original fruit or vegetable, so they yield far more juice than the same amount of fruit or veggies would if you were to run them through an extractor. If you make the switch to blended juices, you'll save money on produce. Don't use this as an argument against extracting though. The benefits of getting enough produce in your body far outweigh cost considerations. Buy as many fruits and veggies as you need for optimal health, and then do the math as far as which method you'll use to consume them.

Lastly, before you ditch your juice extractor, consider what you're using either device for. If you get plenty of fruits and veggies in your diet in a normal day, blending may be the better choice. If your sole source of fruits and veggies is going to be in your extracted juice, then don’t give that up for blending. And if you have plenty of time, and don't consider clean-up a chore, you might do well to combine extracting and blending. Since extrators don't deal well with bananas or oranges, use the blender for those, and then add your extracted juice into the blender for a powerful, delicious, and nutrient-dense smoothie that provides fiber as well as concentrated nutrition.

Chime in by leaving a comment. I'd like to hear what you're thoughts are on this.

Inspiration is...

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:31:00 +0000

This is a photo of Aimee Mullins. You can read Aimee's story on NPR.org here. Truly inspirational.

Sometimes a photo like this one of Aimee can be all it takes to make me want to jump on my bike or go for a run. Other times, it's a story I've read or heard.

This weekend, I watched the arm wrestling documentary, Pulling John, the story of John Brzenk. I pulled out my dumb bells while watching that and set a new personal record for curls!

What motivates you?

Fitocracy - Quick Tip Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Join me on Fitocracy! Group name: Step to the Beat

A New Way of Looking at Food

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:40:00 +0000

I've discovered a new way of eating that I'm excited to share. I read the book, "Eat to Live," by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. While I didn't agree with everything he wrote, I did like his take on weaning yourself off of processed foods and eating as many fresh fruits and vegetables (read: nutrient-dense foods) as you want. I LOVE eating plans that allow you to eat as much as you want, so this one fit me like a glove.

In the past two weeks, I've cut way back on processed foods, even going as far as limiting my beloved diet sodas to one every other day. I also loaded up on frozen peas, broccoli, green beans, stir-fry vegetables (without sauce), and assorted berries. On the raw, unfrozen side, I've been buying assorted fruits and fresh greens, including red and green leaf lettuce, spinach, and kale. I also bought a pound bag of raw mixed nuts, Kashi cereal, several cans of black, pinto, and kidney beans, and a few bags of baby carrots. These foods, in various combinations represent my daily food intake.

Breakfast: For a typical breakfast, I'll eat 1/2 to 1 cup of Kashi Heart-to-Heart cereal - dry, no milk. This is actually better than it sounds, and after about a week I didn't miss the milk at all. I'll also eat a banana, peach, or apple for this meal and a cup or two of coffee.

Mid-morning snack: Here I'll eat another piece of fruit and a few nuts, maybe a few baby carrots as well.

Lunch: Lunch consists of broccoli and either a can of green beans or, as is more-likely the case, leftovers from the previous night's dinner.

Afternoon snack: My berry break - assorted berries that I've had thawing in the fridge since the morning.

Dinner: For dinner I'll add the following to a pot on the stove: 1 cup of water, 1 can of pinto, black, or kidney beans (rinsed off in a colander first - not sure of that viscous, mucousy-liquid these things come packed in), 3/4 bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, a can of green beans or 1/4 bag of frozen peas (or any other frozen veggie that looks good to me), a few ounces of chicken breast or tuna, garlic powder. I'll cook this over medium heat for 15 minutes then reduce to low heat for another ten. I'll remove the pan from the heat and dish out a serving - usually a good-sized cereal bowl, add some fresh or frozen broccoli florets, a few tablespoons of salsa verde or salsa picante (still need to find some without all the ingredients my current brand has), and a couple of pinches of shredded Parmesan cheese. I'll microwave this until I'm sure the broccoli is hot enough - 1 minute or so. Whoalla! May sound like a lot of work, but this yields three servings, and, since I'm the only one eating it, this means I get dinner, lunch, and the following night's dinner out of it!

Dessert: For dessert (my favorite meal of the day), I eat one of my new favorite desserts: Weight Watchers Ice Cream Candy Bar... OMG - 150 calories and SO very good. No, it's not 100% natural - pretty darn far from it, actually, but hey - you gotta live! By the way, this alteration in my dessert choice cut my typical dessert calories by more than 50%.

And yes, I'm drinking water throughout the day. Interestingly enough, I'm not drinking as much water as I did when I ate high-sodium meals and snacks. Also, the high-water-content in the fruits and vegetables adds to my daily fluid intake anyway.

So, where does this radical new eating plan take me? How about losing two pounds per week for the past two weekly weigh-ins? Perhaps even more important than the weight loss though is that I'm shocked at how satisfied I am with how I feel. This eating plan certainly doesn't feel like a diet, because it isn't. I'm eating three full meals per day, just removing the junk and inserting healthy, beneficial, nutrient-dense foods. The fiber from each meal and snack keeps me full much longer than processed foods did, and, instead of being weighed-down and lethargic after each meal, I'm energized! The other night I had a meal as I described above and about a half-hour later got the sudden urge to do some kettlebell swings. I did 100 swings in a row and felt great. That NEVER happened after eating a full meal of processed foods loaded with simple carbs. Shocking.

There's also a motivational effect from feeling better and more energized. Each time I'm faced with foods that fall outside of what I'm becoming accustomed to, I'm not nearly as tempted to indulge. I'm only on my second week of this eating plan, but am not even considering changing back to my old habits. If anything, each day brings new ideas on how I can improve upon what I'm already doing.

There are some unavoidable questions:

Q. What about a splurge night with burgers and fries?

A. Well, right now that doesn't appeal to me, but give me another week or two and I'll let you know. Fact is, just like with an exercise routing that yields the results you're seeking, once you begin to feel better and look better from a new eating plan, your usual motivations for deviating are no longer as tempting.

Q. What about the fact that so many fruits are high in natural sugars? Shouldn't I avoid sugars if I want to lose fat?

A. While it's true that fruits such as apples, bananas, and oranges contain large amounts of fructose (plant sugar), the fiber within each piece of fruit helps to prolong digestion and moderates the absorption of its sugar into your bloodstream. If you're still concerned with this, try eating fruits with less sugar, such as avocados (also a terrific source of healthy fats), strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or watermelon.

Q. Will eating all this plant matter, ya know, affect me in ways that might cause "digestive" problems?

A. Yes. :) Start out by slowly substituting processed foods for the foods I've discussed above. It only took a week or so before my body got used to the increased fiber and all the associated "side-effects."

Let me know if you decide to give this eating plan a try. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Remember - Consult your physician before making any radical changes to your diet. One of the potential side-effects of suddenly eating as I've described above is that your blood pressure can drop significantly over the course of just a few days as a result of the diminished sodium in your system. If you're currently taking hypertension medication, this could result in dizziness or other symptoms. This also applies to people who are on any medications for diabetes. Ask your doctor first - then follow their advice, please.

KettlebellChallenges.com - Start Your Challenge Today

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:55:00 +0000

Podcasting buddy Russ Turley (Fat 2 Fit Radio, among other ventures), and I have created a Kettlebell Challenge for y'all! If you're into kettleballing (that NEVER will sound right to my ears), and want to challenge yourself, head on over tohttp://www.kettlebellchallenges.com/ where you can sign up and track your progress.

This site is still being developed, so look for exciting new features coming your way. Have suggestions for features to the site? Send 'em on in to steptothebeatpodcast [at] gmail.com. In the meantime - get swingin'!

STTB 36 - 125 BPM - Binge Beat

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:04:00 +0000

I should have listened to my own advice and stepped on the scale on my usual weigh-in day - Thursday, instead of today, the day after a two-week vacation.

Fourteen days of double desserts and carb-o-licious feasting put on an astounding six pounds. I'm oddly okay with that though. I'll have this back off and dip below my normal weight within two weeks. You can hold me to that. :) I'll be back to tell you how I did it too, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy the latest 125 bpm beat and please... have a piece of cake for me. I won't be eating any for a little while.

Share your exercise motivations with others on the STTB Facebook Page!

Thanks for subscribing in iTunes or directly from our feed HERE.

Follow Step To The Beat on Twitter.

Play this episode by clicking HERE.

Hope you're workouts are going well!

Intermittent Fasting

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Right now, as I write this, I'm experiencing the following health benefits:

• Decreasing body fat & body weight while maintaining skeletal muscle mass

• Decreasing blood glucose levels (stabilizes blood sugar levels)

• Decreasing insulin levels & increased insulin sensitivity (body fat is burned only when insulin levels are low)

• Increasing lipolysis & fat oxidation (releases fat from cells so it can be burned)

• Increasing Uncoupling Protein 3 mRNA (increases fat burning)

• Increasing norepinephrine & epinephrine levels (trigger the release of glucose from energy stores and increase fat burning)

• Increasing Glucagon levels (helps maintain blood sugar levels, decreases cholesterol, increases fat burning)

• Increasing growth hormone levels (stabilizes metabolism during fast, increases fat burning and maintains muscle mass)

• Decreasing food related stress

• Decreasing chronic systemic Inflammation

What if I were to tell you that I've found a way to get these health benefits, and it didn't cost me a cent. In fact, it saved me money. I didn't have to travel anywhere to get these benefits, do any unreasonable physical activity, change my daily work, sleep schedule, or ingest any pills or liquids.

What am I doing? It's called intermittent fasting, or IF. Twice a week, I'm not eating for 24 hours. That's two days per week that I've turned into fat-burning and cell-healing rests from food. It's not tough at all, and once I put my mind to it and realize all the benefits of IF, it's something I actually look forward to.

Don't take my word for it, and please stop me as soon as this starts sounding like an infomercial. If you're interested in IF, read the book "Eat Stop Eat." I read it, twice, actually, and found that it dispels many myths that I believed were true about fasting. No, you don't slow down your metabolism; no, you don't burn muscle instead of fat; no, you don't become stupider as the fast progresses (my results may vary :); and no, you don't harm your system in any way. In fact, as you can read from the list of benefits above, the overall affect on your health is outstanding.

While there are plenty of on-line articles on intermittent fasting, you might consider purchasing "Eat Stop Eat," as it consolidates theories, peer-reviewed studies, and a generous helping of common sense into an easy-to-read reference for your IF journey.

I've got five hours left on my 24 hour fast, and I'm burning more fat than people on Atkins right now. My stomach is grumbling a little, but it's easy to ignore, and this comes and goes. I fasted last Thursday and found it easy enough to want to try it again. Now I'm hooked. Twice a week is all you need to drop 1.5 pounds/week while otherwise eating perfectly normally. Try it - after you consult your physician, and let me know how it works for you.

Walking With the Kettlebell - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:08:00 +0000

I'm about to launch an all-out-campaign on the benefits of walking with a kettlebell. This new activity has yielded the most dramatic results in the shortest time of any other exercise/fitness regimen I've tried. Take a normal-paced walk, mix in a 16 kg (35 lb) kettlebell, and you're in for a slow-burn workout that improves core strength, balance, endurance, and provides a workout for all the major muscle groups, with a focus on arms (forearms, biceps, grip strength), shoulders, deltoids, and back.

WARNING - Before walking with a kettlebell though, be sure to do at least a month (3X/week) of kettlebell swings to acclimate your muscles, tendons, and joints to this weight. I can imagine the stress on tendons and muscles is profound, as I'm seeing results without damaging anything at this point, but I've also been using a kettlebell three times per week since last January. One of the drawbacks of using hand weights while walking is the stress on the joints, ligaments, and tendons that it can cause. Most hand weights are in the 1 lb to 5 lb range. Take a 35 lb bell and walk with it, and you'll do some serious damage unless you're arms and shoulders are prepared to dealing with that amount of weight.

Anyone up for a kettlebell challenge? I've got one coming up in September, so stay tuned - more info in August on this. :)

Walking With the Kettlebell

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:01:00 +0000

I've switched up my 3X/week morning walks by adding a kettlebell to the mix.

That's right, while some people take their dogs for a walk, I've started lugging my 35 lb cannonball with a handle around the neighborhood. I start out by simply doing a farmers walk, switching sides about every 300 yards or so. Then I carry the kettlebell in front of me, holding it with both hands and keeping it close to my chest as to not put too much strain on my lower back. After a few hundred yards of that, I'll do a couple sets of ten overhead presses with each arm.

The surprisingly-easy and quite effective exercise I just discovered on this morning's walk is to swing the bell around my waste, alternating hands, in an exercise I'm naming whoolabelling...no, I may have to rethink that name. Point is, once you get in a rhythm with the circular motion, it's quite fun and easy to just keep swinging it.

I'll get some video together. Should be good for a laugh, if nothing else :)

Kettlebell Swing - Keeping Your Back Straight

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:37:00 +0000

Video I made showing the proper form for keeping your back straight during the kettlebell swing.

STTB 35 - 127 BPM - Back to the Beats

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:13:00 +0000

I've been tearing into the kettlebell lately and mixing jogging into my morning walks. For the kettelbell, my 35/30 23 rep/14 set routing with the 20 kg bell was getting monotonous, so I changed it up a bit and do 100 reps in a row, followed by a one minute rest, then 50 swings, another minute rest, another 50, then four sets of 25 with 30 seconds in between each set for rest. Also been using the kettlebell to tighten my external oblique abdominal muscles. I'll shoot some video on this soon and post it. Seems to work well - sore today :)

Today's link is to my buddies over at Fat2Fit Radio. You can download their podcast from iTunes and buy their inspirational book HERE. Thanks Russ and Jeff for keeping me motivated and honest during my weight loss journey!

Hope you're workouts are going well!

STTB 34 - 151 BPM - Up Beat

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:30:00 +0000

151 BPM

Okay - I'm stepping up my workout routine this week and adding walking back into the mix. Yes, walking. I know that running was there before, but I need to build some base miles on my legs, stretch out my Achilles and calf muscles and condition these bean poles in some way to "accept" running as an activity at which I'm destined to succeed. Beat them into submission, so to speak.

So...How was your week?

Share your exercise motivations with others on the STTB Facebook Page!

Thanks for subscribing in iTunes or directly from our feed HERE.

Follow Step To The Beat on Twitter.

Play this episode by clicking HERE.

STTB 33 - 146 BPM - Beat Down

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:16:00 +0000

While building up my mileage in regular heel-strike running, my Achilles/calf seized up last Saturday at .6 miles into the run. So discouraging. I'm tired of injuries. I cycled for decades and never had one injury. I run for five months, and have six of them or three in different forms, depending on how I decide to count.

On a positive note, my kettlebell routine is going great. 20 KG for 16 mins 3x/week now, with 23 Reps on a 35/30 work/rest set schedule. Gotta keep looking at the stars, not the road ahead, I guess.

STTB 32 - 132 BPM - Personal Best

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Jordan) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:45:00 +0000

132 BPM

Just recently, I've set a couple of fairly lofty personal fitness goals. One of them has to do with the Kettlebell, and I'll talk about that in the next couple of posts. The other one is related to running.

Since I started back into running, I've begun thinking about what it would take for me to break a five minute mile. Well, we could start with the math - shaving three minutes off my current pace. But what about physically and emotionally. What an amazing journey this could turn out to be.

So, I'm giving my self a little over a year to attain this. My birthday is June 8th, and I'm setting a goal to break a five minute mile on my 47th birthday - 14 months from now.

There - it's out there. Published on the Web, so you KNOW it's true. :)

Anyone else care to join me?

Do you already run a sub-five minute mile? If so, what are some tips you can share?

It might not take a year to train for this, but I'll tell you one thing - if I apply myself to this goal, I'll make it happen sooner or later. It's how I roll.