Strength Training Tips For the Triathlete

Triathletes are some of the best athletes; they are well-rounded, powerful, have high levels of endurance, and possess extreme mental toughness. As a personal trainer, I have worked with numerous triathletes at all levels. One common theme that I see is that they do not perform enough strength training. This can happen for a few different reasons:

1. They do not believe there is benefit 2. They want to focus on their sports 3. They cannot make time in the training schedule 4. They are afraid to get bulky and slow 5. They do not know how to properly train, so they avoid it

Strength training is a valuable tool in any athlete's tool box. A properly designed program will promote strength, power, endurance, joint health, mobility, and ultimately improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. With the amount of work and repetitive training that triathletes do, it is important to develop a training program that will incorporate movements that will improve their running, swimming, and biking as well as counteract any repetitive movements that can lead to injury. A good example of this is that swimming and biking both promote a high level of internal shoulder rotation so external shoulder and scapular work is important for the health of these athletes.

Running is a high impact, repetitive exercise so many athletes develop nagging injuries such as knee pain, IT band tightness, and low back pain. A strength training program designed for triathletes is important to develop muscular strength and joint mobility. This will help to reduce the stress on the joints and reduce tightness if all muscles around that joint are balanced (abdominal and lower back strength are equal, quadriceps and hamstring strength are relatively equal).

Here are some quick and easy tips for strength training as a triathlete:

1. Focus on multi-joint lower body movements (squats, dead lifts) 2. Incorporate single leg lower body movements (lunges, step ups, single leg squats) 3. Develop upper back strength and improve posture with rows, pull ups, and body rows 4. Maintain shoulder health with overhead pressing and rotator cuff work (internal and external) 5. Build core strength with standing abdominal training, medicine ball rotations, and hamstring/glute development such as bridging 6. Avoid machines and seated movements 7. Avoid isolation exercises as those can promote muscular imbalances around a joint, lead to decreased performance and wasted time 8. Strength train 2-3 days per week depending on your training cycle 9. Train for 45-60 minutes with superset and circuit formatted workouts 10. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between most major strength movements 11. Develop overall power with box jumps, cleans, kettle bell work, and medicine ball throws 12. Be sure to perform dynamic warm ups prior to training to promote tissue quality, joint health, and overall mobility. This can be done with foam rolling and dynamic stretching 13. Spend 5-7 minutes stretching problem areas after your training session. Areas to focus on are hip flexors, hip rotators, shoulders and chest, and hamstrings.

Incorporate these techniques into your training program and you will see marked improvement in overall speed, power, endurance, and health. Seek the assistance of a qualified personal trainer or strength coach with experience in triathlete training. Programming needs to be specific and well planned to avoid overuse or burn out.

Positions for Giving Birth

Television and movies make it seem like women always give birth one way: half-reclined in a bed, feet in stirrups, with a doctor between their legs. Though this may be true in many hospitals, it's actually not a position women prefer to give birth in. There are actually a wide variety of positions for giving birth.

Upright Positions

Most women naturally choose an upright position to give birth. Though the semi-reclined position you see on all the television shows is slightly upright, it works against gravity because the lower half of the mother's body is propped up and pointing at the ceiling! This gives the doctor a great view, but doesn't help the mom or the baby.

Many women prefer to use a squatting position. Most women's bodies open very easily in a squat. The baby's head is aligned directly over the opening in the mother's pelvis, helping the baby move down through the birth canal easily.

A semi-squat where the mother is on her knees, or has one knee up and the other beside or behind her is also very comfortable. These positions give mothers a lot of stability but also allow the baby through the birth canal very easily.

Some mothers find that standing up is the easiest way to give birth! Having a helper support and hold the mother up lets her focus all her efforts on pushing the baby down and out. Gravity is a great help!

Lying Down

Some moms do find that a lying down position is most comfortable for giving birth. If a mom is very tired from pushing, or is having trouble supporting herself, lying down can give her a break.

Mothers who choose to lie down do not usually do so on their backs. These mothers usually choose to labor on their sides. A helper can hold the top leg up while the mother pushes.

A mother who positions herself on her left side can be sure a good blood supply is reaching her baby. This can help babies who may not be doing well with the semi-sitting labor position (which can cut off blood flow). A strong blood flow and relaxed mother let the contractions work effectively to get the baby down.

Other Options

Another good position to get plenty of blood and oxygen to the baby is the hands and knees position. This position is very natural for many mothers. It's a very effective position for pushing.

Some mothers like to use one of these pushing variations in a birth tub. A birth tub warms tissues and the water provides gentle, equalizing pressure as the baby is being born. It helps many mothers relax and open for their babies.

Other tools like a pull bar, scarf and birth stool can be used during the pushing stage to help a mother push more effectively.

It's important to "try" various positions before you go into labor. A position that helps one mother open may make you feel closed. Experiment so you know what may be right for you.

Why Marketing Fails: Situational Marketing 101

There is a nuclear-strength "secret" weapon that 90% of self-employed professionals are missing out on as they try to build their businesses. It's amazingly simple, amazingly powerful - and - amazingly overlooked!

It's called "Situational Marketing," and it can revolutionize your business.

As professionals in service industries, we live, eat, and breathe ideas. We live flying in the stratosphere, soaring with angels, shooting with stars. We think in terms of big ideas and processes. When we talk about what we do, we love to describe how things work in our field and theoretical explanations of how to fix problems.

The trouble is that the vast majority of our potential clients don't live in the world of ideas. They live on the ground. They think about getting their kids to school. They worry about being laid off from work. They struggle with getting their own businesses to work better.

People have very short attention spans. Most people are aware of a very small number of acute, practical problems that are driving them crazy. They want solutions, they want them to be quick, and they want them now. They don't have the bandwidth for a lot of exposition.

Self-employed professionals like coaches who try to sell "realizing your potential," "getting where you want to go," or "creating the life you want to live" really have a problem. Most people might think those are nice ideas, but they have to think so hard to figure out what that means for them that they'd rather go home and balance their checkbook. Even if they might be intrigued, they are thinking something like, "It would be nice to work on that right after I deal with my employee turnover problem."

Other professionals who try to sell "accurate accounting services" or "high-quality graphic design" face a different but related problem. Those are commodities in the minds of their potential clients. Such language goes in one ear (or eye) and out the other. Ten minutes after finding out about you they have forgotten all about it.

It's a well-known fact that people buy what they want rather than what they need. Your marketing needs to be about the client: the client's situation, the client's feelings, the client's problem, and - finally - the solution you will provide for the client.

I was talking with a struggling self-employed woman the other day. She asked me what kind of coaching I do. I said, "I work with business owners who are tired of having their marketing efforts fall flat." She said, "Oh my God, that's me!" I asked her, "Do people's eyes glaze over when you tell them what you do?" She said, "Yes! They do! I need you!"

She was excited when she heard my marketing statement! She instantly heard herself in the description. It indicated to her that I know her situation and probably have the perfect solution. This is what situational marketing does for you.

Good situational marketing has several important qualities. It is:

· Clear and specific - the listener hears themselves exactly in the message

· Emotional - it elicits a response in the gut or the heart

· Communicated in the words your clients actually use themselves

· Easy to remember

· Unusual in a way that really makes it stand out.

Start with a careful examination of your unique talents and strengths. Then examine the situations your ideal clients face and listen to the words they use to describe them. Ask yourself what they say to themselves as they're driving to the office or brushing their teeth at night. When you find a match between the work you are passionate about doing and a problem your clients are aware that they have, you have struck gold. You know what to say, and you know what products and services you need to develop in order to help them. You know you can help them because their problem is really rooted in an area of personal growth in which you are an expert. And your ideal clients actually become excited to talk to you!

Here are some more examples of situational marketing:

· People who secretly wish they'd get laid off so they can go do what they REALLY want to do

· Single working moms sharing custody with a jerk

· Contractors who are tired of worrying where their next job is coming from

· Business owners who wish their employees would stop bickering and do their jobs

Some Information About the Contraceptive Pill

It is estimated that currently around 100 million women world wide use some sort of contraceptive in the form of a pill. The figure in the UK alone is roughly around 3.5 million, this equates to roughly one in three of all females that are at the reproductive age. It is still considered a taboo subject and the safety of its constant use is often under scrutiny from the media. The contraceptive pill is now over 50 years old but these 'Pill Scare' stories continue to be publicized. Despite the large amounts of negative information about the pill its popularity and effectiveness for women seem to out weigh any of the slight risks that have been mentioned.

The pill is considered safe but it has been known to have some serious side affects in some women who take it. A recent report has indicated that users of the contraceptive pill are in fact at a %12 lower risk level of developing cancer. It has also been noted that statistics for breast cancer are the same throughout users of the drug compared with those who have not. It is still considered a prescription only medicine that should not be just dished out to anyone and everyone. Previous health reports, and for patients undergoing treatment for recent illness may not be suitable to take the drug. There is now a small range of different medications that all do a similar job, the beauty is that depending on previous health the patient can be prescribed a pill that will be most suited to them as a an individual.

Is It Possible To Have Small Business And Homeowners Insurance Policies Together?

In today's society, the need for insurance is never far from us. Even with so much unemployment, the current need for healthcare insurance has reached national proportions, and is under much debate because of government responses. But it does not stop there. The high unemployment rates have fostered a spirit of entrepreneurship that has not been seen in decades, and many of them are being run out of shoestring budgets and home basements. With this kind of monetary limitations, will the need for small business and homeowners insurance policies be the next topic up for national debate?

The Differences Between Small Business And Homeowners Insurance Plans

When you originally got your homeowners and renters insurance policy, you were seeking to insure the environs of your living space, as well as the contents of that space. Furniture, electronics, mementos, all of these are physical objects that have an intrinsic value to you and your family. This is the spirit behind homeowners and renters insurance policies, to replace what is destroyed as best can, for a monetary amount. A business and homeowners insurance plans could not be more different.

Small business insurance policies are nothing like other kinds of insurance policies. The nature of owning and running a business carries with it a different level of risk to an insurance company than owning a home or car, and there are quite a few variables involved that can easily raise or lower that risk on a daily basis. The fact that a small business is defined as one employing from one to under five hundred people does not help matters, as the one who is actually responsible for any risk is two: the owner, and his insurance company. This makes the nature of any created business and homeowners insurance policy hard to explain.

Small Businesses Today

With today's economy the way that it is, it is estimated that those who have chosen to start a small business for self-employment do so out of their homes. Many may not have told their insurance companies this, and are taking a far greater risk than they realize by not doing so. While the monetary risks that a small business can incur, like personal injury lawsuits or product liability lawsuits, will not be covered under a homeowners policy, the insurance company needs to know so they can reassess the risk of further insuring the property.

One option that is open as far as insurance is concerned is to create your own version of a business and homeowners insurance policy by adding a small business liability insurance rider to your current homeowners insurance policy. This is essential if you will be running your business out of your home, as it separates legally what any claimants for liability against your business will have access to financially. With this rider attached to a small business and homeowners insurance policy, claimants cannot touch any assets not directly belonging to the business, like the owner's home, for example.

How To Capture the Best Pictures or Photos of Your Westies

For most West Highland White Terrier owners, the dog is a beloved member of the family. Like your children, you will want to capture pictures of your Westies from the time they are puppies until they are old-timers. Getting good pictures of Westies may require a bit of special preparation and know-how, but even the amateur photographer can get good ones at home.

Camera Angle

A common mistake amateurs make when taking pictures of their Westies is to shoot from a standing position, with the dog on the ground. Although you might get a good picture (teeth showing) or two this way, the best are shot from your Westie's level - low down, on the floor. Alternatively, for a posed picture, you can raise your dog up on a table or chair. The aim is to capture your West Highland White Terrier from his perspective on life.

Sitting Still

Pictures do not have to be hit or miss, with the dog owner struggling to get perfect candid shots. Dogs can be trained, and posed pictures can be taken if you prepare yourself and your pet. It is best to start when West Highland White Terriers are puppies, getting them used to the equipment and the picture-taking process.

A simple strategy is to take pics of the dog while he is in his bed. Try placing the bed near a window for natural light. Reward your pet with small treats when he remains still, and he will quickly learn this behavior. It helps to know your dog and his routine. Try to take your images at times when your Westie is neither tired-out nor frisky. Capture their attention, to pose the head in the direction you want, with interesting sounds, food, or a toy.

Lighting

There are two main lighting issues when taking pictures. The first is the camera flash. Like with humans, the bright lights reflecting off the Westie's eyes produces a blurry, red-eye effect.

If the flash can be removed from the camera, set it off to one side, where it will not shine directly into the eye. Natural light is the best solution, as it is with many picture-taking problems, but for indoor pics, increasing the room lighting will cause the dogs pupils to constrict, making red-eye a lot less likely.

The second issue is the color of West Highland white terrier fur. The solid white reflects all the light back at the camera, often causing the picture to be overexposed. If you have the camera and expertise to do it, close down the aperture on your camera one f-stop. Dark-colored dogs, like Scottish Terriers, have the opposite problem, with the fur absorbing all light until the detail is lost. The solution there is also the opposite - open up the aperture one f-stop.

(Disclaimer: Any information contained in this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of Westies or other animals and their treatments is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing the health of any animal. You should always consult and check with your own vet or veterinarian.)

I do hope that you have found the article of use to you.