Hi folks, I was riding the bus from Alicante to Torre Vieja on the east coast of Spain the other day and I espied the 'Chez Ollie.' I prefer to think of it as a salt farm, where salt is harvested from the sea as it has been done for hundreds if not thousands of years. I admire this kind of human invention, with local resources being exploited to create a whole industry. I then started to muse as the ... Read more
Fingers, Toes, Ironman Training, And The Power Of Human Imagination
Hi folks, We have many sensors with which to explore our environment, and now the Universe in general, including sight, sound and touch. We have extended our senses through the development of tools, which increase the reach of our bodies, from earth moving machinery to the Hubble Telescope. Feedback from these tools markedly extends the range of our minds, but once you start to train for an Ironman or other ... Read more
Conflicting Instructions On Head Position In The Water: Can Both Coaches Be Right Or Is It All In The Eyeballs?
Hi folks, Head position is critical for most sports, being at the 'crown of your posture,' and your head is heavy! I have received conflicting instructions on head position from different swim coaches over the years, but this conflict was glaring recently. Coach #1: Whilst swimming with Rick Fee, who is coaching me in the local pool, he said, "Kevin, you are swimming looking at the bottom of the ... Read more
Activating Your Core Prior To A Run As Part Of A Roller Routine
Hi folks, We sure have some lovely countryside here in North Carolina, including great running trails. I had two short runs to do today, and during the first of these I was gently cruising along and it occurred to me how much better I am at engaging my core and how this makes hill ascents more manageable. I was also playing with shifting the load from my quads and hip flexors back to the combination of ... Read more
Learn To Stand Before You Walk Before You Run
Hi folks, I have a problem with chronically tight calf muscles, and I may have found the cause. The way that I stand. I was receiving further core instruction from my dance and Continuum teacher, Rebecca, who commented that I tend to lean forward when standing. I did a quick internal body scan and there it was, plus lots of other things. My Feldenkrais training from Karen emphasizes the importance of ... Read more
You Don’t Have To Walk Like An Old Person However Old You Are
Hi folks, I was just reviewing an interesting book handed to me by my Feldenkrais instructor, Karen. The book is about rolling on a ball, and more specifically, 'The Ultimate Body Rolling Workout.' I think Karen gave me the book because of my recent interest in the use of rollers to fix tight muscles and, in my case, cure my plantar fasciitis. This book contains elements of Feldenkrais ... Read more
Feldenkrais Approach To Shoulder Flexibility
Shoulder flexibility is critical for the avoidance of shoulder injury. Nothing much worse than poor shoulder flexibility, when you have to carry awkward, heavy objects. Such as pumpkins! Halloween is over. We're are settling in for winter training. I am glad to say this will include plenty of strength work during the fall. I really enjoy working with weights in the gym. Strength is a critical aspect of ... Read more
11 More Free Training Tips On Safe Exercise For Better Health From FitOldDog
Hi folks, Just thought that I would pull out some more training tips for fun. Here they are, with an embedded link to the related blog post: Play at your workouts rather than working at them, because it is more joyful and thus more effective. Translation: take your training seriously but not yourself. Try running straight out of the gym after a heavy weight workout (yes, including your legs), ... Read more
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