Summertime Workout Plan

As the sun keeps playing tricks on us we at least know that spring is here and summer is on its way. I had a request for an article for what kind of workout would be good for in the pool, so I decided to talk about that as well as other activities you may want to go out and try this summer. Health and fitness is all about variety and keeping it fun so don’t feel like you have to be cooped up in a gym all day to get a good workout. I would recommend that you get as many of your “workouts” or activities outdoors so that you can enjoy the sun, get a tan, and start producing some vitamin D while you’re at it! So here are the outdoor activities that I like during the summer, but anything that keeps you moving and having fun is great.

Swimming:

The reason I didn’t want to focus a whole article on swimming is because there really isn’t too much to know. As with all exercise, you should decide each day whether you are going to have an “all-out” day or a “enjoy the roses” day. This should be based on how your feeling that day so that you keep your workouts in tune with your body’s ability. If you are feeling great, go for it, but if you are not 100%, go ahead and take it easy. The movement will still be good for you, but you won’t burn yourself out.

When it comes to swimming, it is up to you which style you want to use. You could do one workout with just backstroke and then the next freestyle. Or you could even change every other lap. Whatever you decide, keep it fun and interesting.

For the “all-out” days, you will want to do intervals of 25 or 50 meters. Start with a 10 lap (250m) warm up to get the blood flowing, and then go for 5-15 intervals. These should be 100% efforts, so your first time out, see if 25 or 50 meters is more suited for your fitness level. Each time, try to do one more interval than the last time, and if you are so inclined, keep your times and see if you can maintain your efforts. If you notice that you start slowing down, it might be time to start the cool down. Rest time should not be more than 90 seconds, and once you can do 15 intervals, start decreasing the rest time. Keep track of how well you maintain though, and make sure you are resting long enough after each interval to produce similar results on the subsequent laps.

For the easy days, just go out and mess around. Backstroke is nice for these days because you can just glide through the water with each stroke. Get together with friends and play some pool basketball or volleyball. Whatever it is, don’t worry about the work and worry more about being relaxed and having fun.

Beach Days:

The beach is a great place to exercise, not only for the diversity of activity but also the fact that you can jump in the cool (or freezing cold, if you’re in Santa Cruz) water after you’re done. Some of my favorite activates are soccer (hardest thing ever on the soft sand), volleyball, jogging, or going in the water for swimming, body boarding, surfing, or any other sport you can think of. That’s what makes the beach great—it lends itself to fun, sun, and moving.

If you want to have a more tradition workout, the beach is a great place to get in some sprint work. Again, we focus on intervals, and we shoot for 15 seconds of all out work followed by 90 seconds or less of recovery time.

Honestly though, unless you live right near the beach, I like using this time more for play and relaxation. You could even meditate or do yoga, so it’s up to how you feel and what your motivations are that should drive your beach workout.

Hiking:

What a great activity. You’re outside, you’re on all types of terrain, and you can decide just how much work you want to put in. If you want to just go out have a nice picnic hike, go for it and your body will thank you (just make sure pack some fruits and veggies!). If you want to train a little harder, what better way to give you body variety than to go trail running. It’s nature’s own interval training course, just run the hills, jog the flats, and walk the downhill’s (though running downhill can be a lot of fun too, and will still act as recovery). If your goal is to go hard though, I don’t want you to think about sets, times, rest, or any other exercise factors. All you should be worried about is going as hard as you can for as long as you can and then resting as you need to. Trails usually work themselves out as with every up there must be a down, so have some fun with it and vary your pace as you go. As for those of you just out to enjoy nature, I still recommend finding a trail that gives you lots of elevation changes as it will still do the body good and those trails just tend to have more to see (and good lookout points).

Other:

Some other random ideas for people that are a little more adventurous include:

Kayaking - great upper body work and will take you places that you would never see otherwise.

Skating - Strap on those old rollerblades and cruise the coastline. Skateboarding is fun too.

Whitewater Rafting - Great way to get a group of friends together and enjoy the fury of your nearby river!

Rock Climbing - This one takes a little more training, but fun nevertheless!

If you have any of your own favorite activities I would love to hear about them. Now get out there are start making the most of this beautiful weather!

Colin

Dealing with Injury

I recently saw a comment on my post, “Training with Injuries & Disabilities”, that I thought should be answered through another blog article. The question was about training on a sprained ankle which is probably something we have all dealt with and should all know more about. When you sprain your ankle or have any muscle/tendon/ligament injury, the most important thing is to decrease inflammation.  To remember the treatment needed, just remember the acronym PRICE: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

Protection:

The first thing you need to do is make sure you are not in danger of exacerbating the injury by putting more stress on the area. If it is an ankle sprain, you should find some help in moving to a place you can sit so that you do not have to put weight on that ankle.

Rest:

The area will need sufficient rest after an injury to allow for the quickest recovery time. If you continue to put stress on the area, the area will get worse and the healing process will only take longer and may not heal as fully as it would otherwise. For minor injuries like an ankle sprain, 48-72 hours is usually enough time to allow for adequate recovery before you begin using it again.

Ice:

Ice should be applied as soon as you can after the injury. Do not use heat on any area of your body that is in pain. This goes for acute or chronic injuries; even if you feel better after using heat, it will only increase the inflammation and make the pain worse in the long run. Whenever there is pain, ice is the way to go. You generally want to have 20 minutes of icing as soon as possible and then repeat every hour for the rest of the day. Depending on the severity you may have to spend the follow 1-5 days continuing the ice cycle to help speed up recovery.

Compression:

Compression of the area should be immediate after the injury occurs and should be kept in place for 72 hours after the injury. For an ankle sprain, this will usually be an elastic wrap. Both compression and Ice are highly important for reducing the swelling that will occur, aiding in recovery time.

Elevation:

For the first 72 hours, elevation will also be important to control the swelling as it will reduce the amount of blood flow that can reach the area. For the ankle sprain, you would try to elevate the foot as high as possible to allow for the greatest reduction in swelling while also helping the area to drain any fluid that has built up.

If you follow these five steps, then you will dramatically decrease the time of recovery for any muscle/tendon/ligament injury. More appropriately, you will remove any factors that would prolong recovery. Any injury will take time to heal, so the best thing you can do is give it the support it needs to heal.

To address the question more specifically, the woman asked what to do in terms of exercise. Well as we can now see, for the first 72 hours, there should be little to no movement or pressure put on the area. Once the swelling has gone down, walking will be the first step, though this will need to be built up slowly. I would walk for a week, increasing the time a little each day, then the second week see how a jog feels. If at any time the ankle hurts or gets worse, stop and go back to walking. You would also want to ice it after any exercise for that first week and then any time that it feels pain again. There is nothing worse the prolonging recovery time so be careful, make sure to get your rest and get back to your normal routine as soon as possible! Thanks for the question on ankle sprains—I hope this helps!

Colin