Warrior Fit Boot Camp Fitness Fun!

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You can learn a lot about a couple by stalking, I mean looking at, their wedding registry. How else are you going to find out if they prefer drip coffee to espresso, what color their fluffy bathroom hand towels will be, and if they ever plan to host a holiday? It’s an absolute gold mine of information.

Recently while mining for even more information, we asked our friends at Zola, an online wedding registry platform, for some insider intel on the latest registry trends. We learned this fun fact and felt that we needed to share with you all: This Le Creuset covered rectangular casserole dish is THE most popular casserole dish on the site.

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Friends and family, gather round — I’d like to tell you all a magical tale. Once there was a woman named Nancy, who had very little time to make dinner (DO YOU RELATE?) so she bought a slow cooker in hopes that it would help. Nancy poured her heart into many a recipe, and found that there was still too much prep work involved, and her family passed out from hunger pains before she could put dinner on the table.

So she huffed and she puffed and she scoured the internet and found all the best slow cooker recipes with five ingredients or less (SHOCK!). These recipes have now been passed down generation through generation and I’m very happy to report that I’m now in possession of this mighty list. BEHOLD!

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Because the editors here at Kitchn get a healthy dose of kitchen inspiration every day, we basically work on our wish lists all year long. Whether it’s a cool new tool we see at a trade show, an ingredient we sample, a beautiful dish we use for a photoshoot, or something else, we see a lot of stuff we end up wanting. Sometimes, even on a weekly basis.

This list can serve three purposes: It can help you add to your own wish list, it can give you ideas for the person on your list who’s hardest to shop for, and it can serve as a super subtle attempt at telling our loved ones what we want for the holidays.

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Ina Garten’s not-so-secret talent is making everyone feel like they can be a really, really good cook. Her recipes are precise, her instructions are clear, and her end goal is always the same: Is it delicious? If we had to choose one specialty out of the many recipes that Ina has concocted, we would have to say chicken, hands down.

Not only does Ina help us master all the classic chicken recipes, but she’s also our go-to source for quick weeknight hits. Here’s a list of our all-time favorite Ina chicken recipes on both sides of the spectrum.

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Your kitchen is the workhorse of the home, and the items you store in it — serving pieces, utensils, and all that cookware — are among the toughest items in the whole place because they have to stand up to daily use.

And even though these items are usually pretty durable, if you store them incorrectly, you could potentially damage them (or, at the very least, waste space you could be using for something else).

Here are five kitchen items you may be storing the wrong way.

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Are you one of the 20 million Americans who has thyroid disease? (1) Have you taken proactive steps to improve your thyroid health, such as cleaning up your diet and supplementing with thyroid-supportive nutrients, but with little to no improvement? If this sounds like you, you may be missing a big piece of the thyroid puzzle—chronic stress.

But how does chronic stress cause hypothyroid symptoms? And, if your day-to-day experience is consistently stressful, how can you correct it? Read on to learn more about the stress–thyroid connection and get 12 tips on reducing stress in your daily life.  

Long-term stress can have a profound impact on your thyroid gland. Check out this article to learn how chronic stress causes hypothyroidism and what you can do to fix it. #healthylifestyle #wellness #chriskresser

What Is “Adrenal Fatigue” and Is It Real?

Chronic stress has become epidemic in our society. Many people live by the motto “the busier, the better,” adding an ever-increasing number of obligations to their already jam-packed schedules.

Unfortunately, our high-paced lifestyles are not without health repercussions. Sixty to 80 percent of office visits to primary care providers may be stress related, according to statistics. (2) Healthcare practitioners working in the integrative and Functional Medicine communities also see their fair share of patients with stress-related illnesses; for years they’ve used the term “adrenal fatigue” to describe the stress-related health problems observed in these individuals.

The adrenal fatigue hypothesis asserts that chronic stress causes the adrenal glands, which are one component of the body’s stress-management system, to weaken over time. This “weakening” then causes a range of nonspecific symptoms, including:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Brain fog
• Joint pain
• Allergies
• Weight gain

When we dig into the science and the studies that back it up, it becomes clear that so-called adrenal fatigue is an oversimplification of the body’s stress response. And while there are some cases in which a person’s adrenal glands are functionally compromised, these situations are rare.

There are three main problems with the adrenal fatigue hypothesis:

• Those who subscribe to this theory maintain that the major stress hormone cortisol rises in the early stages of the disorder and decreases in the later stages, depleting as the adrenal glands become “fatigued.” However, many people with stress-related pathology have normal or high cortisol, rather than the low cortisol purported to occur in adrenal fatigue.
• They also argue that abnormal cortisol production is the fault of the adrenal glands. However, the adrenals aren’t the primary controllers of cortisol production—the central nervous system is. In stress-related illness, the problem lies in the brain, not the adrenal glands.
• The scientific literature does not support the concept of adrenal fatigue. A systematic review of the literature, published in 2016, found no evidence to support it. (3)

If it can’t properly be called adrenal fatigue, then what is it?

Unlike adrenal fatigue, HPA axis dysfunction is biologically plausible, well studied, and associated with numerous health problems, including: (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

• Cardiovascular disease
• Neurodegenerative disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Schizophrenia
• Depression
• Infertility

If Adrenal Fatigue Isn’t to Blame, What’s Really Happening?

The HPA axis is the body’s central stress response system, formed by an intertwining of the central nervous system and endocrine system. It orchestrates the response of the body and brain to cues from the environment, including positive and negative stressors. The three primary structures that comprise the HPA axis are the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, located in the brain, and the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys.

When the body experiences stress, the following four-step response is normally produced by the HPA axis.

Step 1: In response to a stressor, the hypothalamus releases a hormone called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF).

Step 2: CRF travels from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland, where it binds to CRF receptors. This stimulates the pituitary to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Step 3: ACTH travels in the bloodstream to the adrenal glands, where it promotes the adrenal release of cortisol in the right quantities to protect the body from stress.

Step 4: When the stress response lasts long enough to cause cortisol to reach a certain concentration in the blood, negative feedback is relayed to the hypothalamus. This feedback tells the hypothalamus to stop releasing CRF, effectively halting the stress response.

What You Need to Know about HPA Axis Dysfunction

The stress response described above helps us manage short-term stressors. It evolved over millions of years in our hominid ancestors, enabling them to efficiently respond to short bursts of stress, such as being chased by a predator on the African savanna, and then return to an unstressed state once the stressor was removed. Unfortunately, many of us today live in a state of chronic (ongoing) stress, rather than acute (short-burst) stress.

Chronic stressors such as rush-hour traffic, work-related and financial stress, relationship challenges, gut dysbiosis, blood sugar dysregulation, and environmental toxins overwhelm our HPA axis, which was designed to deal with acute stressors. Long-term activation of the HPA axis reduces our metabolic reserve—the ability of our cells and organs to withstand repeated physiological changes.

Think of metabolic reserve like a rubber band. Stretching the rubber band every now and then doesn’t alter the rubber band very much. However, repeatedly stretching the band eventually causes it to lose elasticity and become permanently elongated. Similarly, short, intermittent bouts of stress are efficiently handled by cells and organs, while chronic stress causes harmful changes to our systems.

In a state of chronic stress, the body does everything it can to preserve metabolic reserve. As a result, one of two situations takes place in the HPA axis:

1. The negative feedback mechanism in the HPA axis is desensitized, leading to extended HPA axis activation. Think of this as the body’s attempt to continuously stay “on guard” for potential threats.
2. The negative feedback mechanism becomes overly sensitive and limits the stress response in an attempt to protect the body. In this case, the HPA axis can’t appropriately respond to stressors, leaving the body vulnerable to new threats such as pathogenic bacteria and toxins.

In both cases, these adaptations serve an important immediate purpose: to protect your body’s metabolic reserve. However, if chronic stress continues, metabolic reserve is eventually depleted. This changes cortisol output, increasing or decreasing it, or changing your diurnal cortisol rhythm. (Cortisol is a diurnal hormone, meaning that it’s not secreted uniformly throughout the day; normally it’s highest in the mornings and declines throughout the rest of the day and into the evening.) The production of other hormones and neurotransmitters, such as DHEA, melatonin, and epinephrine (aka adrenaline), is also impaired, which will impact multiple organ systems. HPA axis dysfunction is the term used to describe the physiological changes and associated symptoms that occur in response to chronic stress.

The HPA Axis–Thyroid Connection

Every cell in the body has receptors for thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones regulate and impact all body systems. When the thyroid malfunctions, it takes the entire body down with it.

If you have thyroid problems, you’re not alone. An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, and it’s likely that 60 percent of those with a thyroid condition are unaware of it. (9) Hypothyroidism, a form of thyroid disease associated with decreased function of the thyroid gland, causes a variety of symptoms:

• Fatigue despite sleeping eight to 10 hours a night; needing naps during the day
• Weight gain or inability to lose weight
• Mood swings, anxiety, and depression
• Brain fog, poor concentration, and poor memory
• Constipation
• Cold hands and feet
• Hair loss
• Dry or cracking skin
• Neck swelling and a hoarse voice

With 121 million prescriptions written annually, the use of levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone medication, far outpaces statins and blood pressure medications in the United States. (10) Nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as diets and supplements, are also widely used by patients with hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, the reality is that these interventions will all fail unless people address the underlying causes of their thyroid health issues.

How Does Your Chronic Stress Cause Hypothyroid Symptoms?

The thyroid gland is intimately connected with the HPA axis. When chronic stress alters HPA axis activity, a cascade of effects ultimately disrupts thyroid function.

Stress Depresses HPA Axis Function

Chronic stress promotes the release of inflammatory cytokines, small proteins that interfere with the HPA axis and reduce hypothalamic and pituitary function. (11, 12) The hypothalamus and pituitary glands are responsible for making thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and thyroxine-stimulating hormone (TSH), respectively. In a healthy human body, TRH and TSH travel to the thyroid gland and stimulate it to produce the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). When the HPA axis is suppressed or slowed down due to stress, TRH and TSH levels decrease. This chain of events leads to lower circulating levels of T3 and T4 and promotes the development of hypothyroidism.

Stress Reduces Active Thyroid Hormone Levels

As I mentioned above, the thyroid gland produces two hormones, T3 and T4. The majority of hormone produced by the thyroid is inactive T4, which must be converted into active T3 in peripheral tissues and organs before binding to thyroid hormone receptors on cells. Stress initiates the release of inflammatory cytokines that inhibit the conversion of inactive T4 to active T3. This results in lower circulating levels of thyroid hormone. Given the fact that all body cells have thyroid hormone receptors, the reduction in active T3 has adverse health implications for many body systems. (13, 14, 15)

Stress Promotes Thyroid Autoimmunity

Chronic stress was first identified as a risk factor for autoimmune disease over 50 years ago by Dr. Hans Selye, a pioneering endocrinologist who dedicated much of his career to studying the stress response. (16) We now understand that stress-induced HPA axis dysfunction changes levels of certain hormones that regulate immunity. These hormones alter cytokine production, which, in turn, can trigger immune dysregulation and autoimmune disease. (17, 18, 19) While scientific evidence demonstrating a direct relationship between stress and autoimmune hypothyroidism is lacking, several studies have identified stress as a factor in the development of Graves’ disease (autoimmune hyperthyroidism) and rheumatoid arthritis. (20, 21)

Given this evidence, it’s likely that stress also plays a significant role in the development of autoimmune hypothyroidism, also known as Hashimoto’s disease.

Stress Causes Thyroid Hormone Resistance

Thyroid hormone receptors control the process of transcription, the first step of gene expression, in which DNA is copied to make RNA. The central role of thyroid receptors in gene expression means that thyroid hormones have effects on all cells of the body. Inflammatory cytokines produced by chronic stress suppress the sensitivity of thyroid hormone receptors to thyroid hormones. (22) Reduced binding of thyroid hormone to its receptors prevents thyroid hormone from performing its crucial gene expression-regulating functions. This means that stress can impair the function of all cells of the body!

Stress Causes Imbalances in Other Hormones

Chronic stress doesn’t just reduce thyroid hormone levels; it also alters levels of other hormones that indirectly influence thyroid function, such as estrogen. It goes something like this: Prolonged cortisol release due to chronic HPA axis activation decreases the liver’s ability to process estrogen. Estrogen increases levels of thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), a protein that binds thyroid hormones in circulation and inactivates them. High estrogen caused by chronic stress can cause hypothyroidism by reducing circulating levels of free, active thyroid hormone. (23)

These mechanisms indicate that chronic stress can cause hypothyroidism without any problem in the thyroid gland itself. Given the influence of stress on thyroid function, stress-reduction strategies should be a central part of any protocol designed to improve thyroid health.

12 Ways to Reduce Stress and Improve Your Thyroid Function

The implications of stress for thyroid health, and the health of the entire body, can’t be ignored. Thyroid-damaging stress can come in the form of physical, mental, and emotional stressors. Proactively addressing these stressors reduces the burden on the HPA axis and may improve your thyroid health.

1. Balance Your Blood Sugar

As I mentioned earlier, physical stressors activate the stress response and the HPA axis. Blood sugar dysregulation is a significant physical stressor that disrupts HPA axis function. Diabetes has been found to impair the HPA axis response to hypoglycemia, while insulin treatment to reduce blood sugar levels normalizes it. (24) By dampening HPA axis activity and normalizing the stress-related pathways that cause hypothyroidism, improved blood sugar regulation may boost thyroid function. For more information on the relationship between thyroid function and blood sugar, read my article “Thyroid, Blood Sugar, and Metabolic Syndrome.”

2. Heal Your Gut

Gut dysbiosis is another physical stressor that takes a significant toll on the HPA axis and thyroid function. Research has found that germ-free mice, which lack balanced gut microbiota, demonstrate increased HPA axis activity; this finding suggests that an abnormal gut microbiota activates the body’s stress response. (25) The gut–brain axis is linked to the HPA axis through certain neural pathways. Elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines and bacterial lipopolysaccharides in the gut, characteristic of gut dysbiosis, activate the HPA axis and raise cortisol. (26) In addition, multiple studies have linked gut dysbiosis to autoimmune hypothyroidism. (27)

Given the research, it’s reasonable to assume that gut dysbiosis may be a significant stressor underlying hypothyroidism. Correcting gut dysbiosis with antimicrobials, dietary modifications, and probiotics may help reduce the stress response. Probiotic strains that reduce HPA axis activity, as indicated by lowered cortisol and ACTH, include Lactobacillus plantarum, L. helveticus, L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus, and L. casei. (28)

3. Identify Your Food Intolerances

Anything that triggers inflammation in your gut is seen by your body as a physical stressor. Food intolerances are no exception. For example, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) has been found to trigger inflammation of the central nervous system and cause gut–brain axis dysfunction. (29) The interconnection between the gut–brain axis and HPA axis suggest that NCGS, and potentially other food intolerances, may represent a form of chronic stress to the body. In the case of NCGS, avoiding gluten may reduce your body’s stress response and normalize your HPA axis activity.

4. If You’re Suffering from a Chronic Infection, Treat It

Chronic infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus and Lyme disease, cause the body to produce large amounts of inflammatory cytokines, which impact the HPA axis. (30) Resolving chronic infections reduces inflammation and can help normalize your HPA axis activity.

5. Avoid Environmental Toxins

Certain environmental toxins can disrupt the HPA axis and set off the stress response. In animal studies, bisphenol A (BPA) can cause hyperactivity of the HPA axis, resulting in anxiety and depression. (31) Lead, a heavy metal and a known neurotoxin, also induces HPA axis dysfunction. (32) Reduce your exposure to these and other environmental toxins by filtering your drinking and bathing water with a high-quality water filter and by using glass or stainless steel storage dishes and water bottles, rather than plastic.

6. Fix Your Sleep Cycle

Circadian rhythm disruption is a grossly overlooked but significant source of chronic stress that we all face in the industrialized world. Circadian rhythms are the set of biochemical processes in our bodies that follow an approximately 24-hour cycle and regulate many aspects of our behavior and physiology. Signals from our external environment such as light exposure, temperature fluctuations, and food intake sync our circadian rhythms. When we receive signals at inappropriate times during a 24-hour cycle, our circadian rhythms are disrupted and the physiological processes governed by those rhythms suffer. The HPA axis is one of the physiological systems impaired by circadian rhythm disruption. (33, 34)

Minimizing disruptions to your sleep cycle is crucial for normalizing HPA axis function and may improve thyroid health. To optimize your circadian rhythm, avoid blue light exposure at night by wearing blue light-blocking glasses. Banish all blue light-emitting devices from your bedroom, as even these seemingly benign light sources disrupt circadian rhythms. You may also want to stop eating at least three hours before bed because late-night eating enhances the stress response and induces circadian disruption. (35)

7. Take Sleep Seriously

Sleep deprivation is a significant source of stress for many people and has been associated with abnormal thyroid function. (36, 37) To reduce your stress and optimize the function of your HPA axis and thyroid, aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night. The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity. Keep your bedroom completely dark and free of light pollution from street lamps, digital alarm clocks, and other electronic devices. If you struggle with disordered breathing issues, such as obstructive sleep apnea, I recommend you seek corrective help. Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with HPA axis dysfunction and a slew of other health problems, including subclinical hypothyroidism. (38) That’s where your TSH may be high, but your levels of other thyroid hormones are within a normal range.

8. Exercise, but Not Too Much

Exercise is essential for optimal health. However, over-exercising is not healthy; in fact, it activates the body’s stress response and causes serious damage both over the short and long term. The amount of exercise that a person can handle without going too far depends on the individual. For guidelines on how to avoid over-exercising while still enjoying yourself and getting benefits from physical activity, check out my podcast “Exercise and ‘Adrenal Fatigue’.”

9. Try Adaptogenic Herbs

Adaptogens are plants that help the body adapt to stress, protecting it through various mechanisms:

• Adaptogens induce the production of proteins that protect the cells when the body is under stress (39)
• Adaptogens increase neuropeptide Y, a stress-responsive hormone that stops the HPA axis from overactivating (40)
• Adaptogens modulate stress-induced gene expression (41, 42)

Ashwagandha, a popular adaptogen that has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine, has stress-reducing effects and has been found to improve thyroid function in those with subclinical hypothyroidism. (43) Rhodiola rosea, an adaptogen native to Siberia, increases neuropeptide Y and reduces the hypothalamic expression of the stress-related gene c-Fos. (44, 45) These adaptogens may be beneficial additions to protocols designed to normalize HPA axis activity and improve thyroid function.

10. Think about Your Stressful Experiences Differently

While all of us face stress in our daily lives, we can influence how we respond to stressors by changing how we perceive them. In psychology, this strategy is known as “reframing.” Reframing gives us some control over how we respond to stressful events in life and can thereby reduce our stress levels and HPA axis activity. You can read more about reframing, and how to incorporate it into your life, in my article “5 Simple (But Powerful) Tools for Fighting Stress.”

11. Start a Mindfulness Practice

While stress initiates the release of thyroid-damaging inflammatory cytokines, stress-reduction practices decrease these cytokines and may improve thyroid function. (46, 47) In a group of 80 healthy women, consistent mind–body training (MBT) decreased TNF-alpha and IL-6, two inflammatory cytokines that have been associated with impaired thyroid function. (48, 49) Mind– body training refers to a practice that incorporates rhythmic movements with deep breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga is another mindfulness practice that may improve thyroid function by reducing stress. A small study found that six months of yoga practice decreased TSH, an effect associated with increased thyroid function. (50) Mindfulness practices also tend to have antidepressant effects. Antidepressants have been found to directly improve thyroid function in rats. (51) Other stress-reducing, mood-boosting strategies that don’t involve antidepressants may also help hypothyroidism.

12. Make Play a Part of Your Life

Play is a powerful tool for reducing stress and enhancing resilience. (52) While play can take countless forms, it has one defining factor: it’s an activity you engage in for enjoyment or recreation. Here are just a few examples:

• Roughhousing with pets or children
• Playing make-believe
• Playing organized sports such as soccer, baseball, or basketball
• Engaging in other forms of physical activity such as rock climbing, skiing, surfing, or ultimate Frisbee
• Playing board games
• Dancing
• Going outside and walking in nature
• Engaging in creative expression such as making art, music, gardening, or cooking a meal
• Performing creative, innovative work (yes, work can be play!)
• Engaging in playful banter at your job or a party
• Having a playful relationship with your partner or spouse

Set aside time in your schedule for play, just as you would for other commitments such as work and exercise. I think you’ll find this to be one of the most enjoyable stress-reduction strategies listed here! You can read more about the benefits of play in my article “10 Benefits of Play.”

Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you have questions about how chronic stress causes hypothyroid symptoms? Have you tried any of the stress-reduction strategies outlined in this article? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Can Chronic Stress Cause Hypothyroid Symptoms? appeared first on Chris Kresser.

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Brownies, like chocolate chip cookies, are one of those baked goods where it’s best to have a few favorite recipes rather than just one. You need a brownie recipe for every occasion: a favorite boxed brownie, a favorite cocoa brownie, a favorite chocolate brownie, and a favorite easiest-ever brownie (that’s where these come in).

I like to call these desperation brownies. They require just a few pantry ingredients and no mixing bowl, meaning you can make them at a moment’s notice in almost any kitchen. The best part? They’re just as chocolatey, fudgy, and crave-worthy as any brownie recipe we know.

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Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.

When I think of kitchen staples, one of the first things I think of is a big bowl of bright-yellow lemons. They’re one of the few perishables that I know I’ll always use before they go bad. I use them for desserts, pasta sauces, and cocktails. A lemon is the key to many brilliant weeknight dinners, like this honey-lemon chicken recipe that delivers sweet and tart deliciousness in just 15 minutes.

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I remember when I started lifting consistently and exceeding my expectations of what I could do. I started searching for other types of physical challenges, and contemplated the triathlon.

Could I do it? Would I like it? Is it too much? How would it fit into my lifting?

In wondering if the foray into this hardcore competition is for me or for you, I decided to talk to a couple people who know personally what a triathlon entails.

What Is a Triathlon?

A triathlon is an intense race that encompasses running, biking and swimming — all three in the same race! While the most commonly known is the Ironman, there are actually four major types of triathlons. In order of distance, most triathlons can be categorized as sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman and Ironman.

How Do I Start? 

Often, the most likely person to be drawn to a triathlon is already a runner. Because runners are used to those longer distances and training cardio regularly, it is theoretically a natural progression. 

Because it’s the shortest and gives an overall introduction to a triathlon, the sprint is recommended as a first-time race by triathlon coach Alison Headley. Typically, a sprint triathlon is comprised of a half-mile swim, 12-mile bike and a 3.1-mile run. If possible, the most ideal first sprint race is an indoor one. Gyms often sponsor indoor sprint triathlons for their members. Having the sprint indoors controls the run, swim and bike environments, making it more approachable. 

Now, here’s a little known fact about training for a triathlon: running isn’t the hardest part!  

USA Triathlon (USAT) studies have shown that the swim is the greatest problem area. Coach Headley points out that most of us are not prepared to do an open water swim where the water is dark and choppy; we are accustomed to seeing the bottom of the pool or pool walls surrounding us. Furthermore, of all the modes required in a triathlon, the swim requires great form in order to be most efficient, as the resistance of the water demands efficiency to support endurance.  

Competitive triathlete Kerry Girona says, “Swimming is easily the most frustrating and demanding from a mental standpoint for me. I spend 5-6 days a week in the water.” Girona’s history is as a longtime competitive runner before she started in triathlons in 2010. She competes in 12-15 triathlons each year since 2016. She attests, “Initially when I started triathlons, I didn’t quite realize just how much of a struggle swimming was. I didn’t realize how slow I was until I got competitive.” 

Why Is Swimming So Hard? 

Swimming is the most technical discipline of the three. Besides adapting to the outdoor water, a triathlete needs to come to terms with the close proximity of the swimmers around them — people bump bodies regularly. In addition, Coach Headley points out that swimming in a wetsuit is a far different experience than swimming in a bathing suit. For some, the wetsuit can feel extremely constricting.  

With biking or running, an athlete simply needs to push harder to go faster. Girona points out that swimming is the opposite, “The best swimmers swim with ease and use minimal effort to go fast.” This is why perfecting one’s technique is so essential for the swim. 

What Kind of Training Do I Need? 

First and foremost, pick a race and sign up. The commitment will help you mentally focus and create your training schedule.  

If you’ve got little to no cardio training in your workouts now, Coach Headley advises giving yourself six months to prepare. If you have some cardio training, she suggests 14 to 16 weeks of triathlon-specific training (that’s three to four months), considering the complex scheduling required. 

Once you’ve got your timeline scheduled, your focus will be to train twice a week in each mode of race. That means two swims, two runs, and two rides each week. If you can fit it in, two strength sessions would be ideal. Strength training can help reduce the risk of injury, especially in runners. 

When training starts, athletes should begin with shorter distances and slowly build each week. For example, in the first two weeks of training, swim distances would be 200-500 yards in the pool. Ideally, as one gets closer to the race, training distances should exceed those of the actual race. 

For biking, this could mean starting with 5-mile rides and adding 10 percent each week. For running, one might start with a 1-mile run or walk. As with the swim, the goal is to build so that by the end, training discances exceed race goals. The week before the race will be a taper week. 

Girona asserts that for a sprint or Olympic race, one might not need a coach. However, for a half or full Ironman, she believes a coach is essential. Having trained without a coach, and with various coaches as she got competitive, “A great coach changed my life,” she says.  

A good coach will look analytically at technique, but also at the emotional and psychological demands of the athlete in this sort of race. 

What Kind of Challenges Are There? 

As Coach Headley mentioned, the surprising challenge is the difficulty of the open-water swim. She suggests training the swim portion outdoors whenever possible. Girona echoes this sentiment as the swim was and continues to be her greatest challenge. 

An equal but non-physical obstacle when training for a triathlon is time management. “Most people underestimate just how much discipline and time training for a triathlon requires,” says Girona. Training is a juggling act of schedules and programming. How does one get in two swims, two runs, two bike rides and two strength workouts all in seven days while also adding in a day or two of recovery? 

Most people train a single sport; training to excel in three sports requires time and planning. 

Coach Headley advises creating specific days for specific activities, and understanding that in order to get all the practice in, triathletes will need to stack days. This could mean lifting and swimming or biking and running on the same day. 

I’m Used to Training for Strength or Hypertrophy — How Will I Adapt? 

Strength is essential to combat injury. This statement is supported heavily by Coach Headley and Girona. Coach Headley points out that strength athletes are less prone to injury when competing. 

However, in shortening the strength aspect of training and increasing the work in swim, bike and run, athletes will lose muscle mass. Muscles will be lost for a max strength or hypertrophy athlete. In fact, as Girona says, “It’s not uncommon to lose a significant amount of muscle when training for an endurance event. It’s difficult to hold onto all of your muscle if you’re putting in hours of endurance training.” 

Strength is important for injury prevention in a triathlon but too much muscle will slow down the athlete. Because of this, athletes who are used to embracing gains in terms of strength and muscle mass may have to shift their during triathlon training. 

In conclusion, attempting a triathlon is not the same as trying a marathon. With three disciplines to master, all of which require a significant juggling of scheduling and practice, the triathlon takes pointed focus and devotion. The sprint is the easiest race to get a taste of a triathlon, and an indoor one specifically. Preparing for a race like this requires a sacrifice of personal time, and possibly family time. However, accomplishing a triathlon is commendable human feat!  

Alison Headley is a certified triathlon coach who also works for marathoners and half marathoners. Find her on Facebook at TRIumph Coaching LLC. She’s been a triathlete for 10 years and a lifelong runner.

Kerry Girona is a ranked competitive triathlete, triathlon coach, and personal trainer. She is the owner of Orlando Fit Body Bootcamp. She’s been competing since 2016 and devotes 13-20 hours a week to training. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook. 

A message from GGS…

Understanding how to get more results in less time so you actually enjoy exercise and can have a life outside of the gym isn’t hard, you just have to understand the Blueprint and be willing to trust the process.

Tell me how!

The post So You Want to Do a Triathlon? appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

I did it.

I proved somebody wrong on the internet!

I assume the internet will be mailing me a gold medal at any point this week, but until then, let me share the story.

I gave a TedX talk years ago, and I mentioned one of my long-term goals was being able to lift 400 pounds:

My first thought: “Ouch.”

My second thought: “Why am I reading YouTube comments!? No good can come of this.”

My third thought: “I’m gonna prove this person wrong.”

As a skinny nerd with chicken legs that couldn’t build muscle to save my life, this far-off goal suddenly seemed even further off.

Fast forward to last week: not only did I FINALLY reach my 10 year goal of deadlifting 400 pounds, I blew right past it. No straps, no belt. Just some chalk and “internet justice” rage:

For my final rep, I picked up 420 pounds at a bodyweight of 172 pounds. And it came up pretty quickly!

Now, I’ve internalized 5 big lessons on this journey to a deadlift I’m really proud of, especially considering all of those setbacks.

I wanted to share my lessons learned, and show you how you can apply this to your own life.

#1: Screw Your Genetics.

I have the genes of an elf, without the immortality.

If you’re familiar with body types, I’m an endomorph.

I’m naturally very thin and bony, have very thin wrists and ankles, and will forever have chicken legs.

This would be great, if I wanted to be a runner. Not great when you despise running, and you want to pick up heavy things.

Determined to overcome that fate, I began my journey to heavy lifting, only to get knocked back.

6 years ago, I discovered my genes also contain a super fun condition called “spondylolisthesis.”

Don’t bother trying to pronounce it, I still can’t.

It means my vertebrae don’t line up. Essentially, my L5 and S1 are less structurally aligned than a deep-game Jenga tower (Read how I used the “Iron Man Technique” when I got diagnosed).

Jenga: fun for game night, not for spinal metaphors.

When I first learned this, I initially assumed it meant my short lived career as a powerlifter was over, and threw myself one HELL of a pity party.

After that party ended, I got back on the horse.

(Not literally. I don’t have a horse.)

I started working on my deadlift form and core strength. I checked my ego, established a new “square one,” and essentially started over.

Thank god I refused to accept my fate.

Now, obviously I’m not a doctor – I don’t even have pants on right now – so you’re going to need to work with trained professionals if you have a serious medical condition you’re working to overcome.

In my instance, I decided that I didn’t want my genetics to decide my fate: that chicken legs and a crooked spine could be managed. While I might never reach my 10-year goal of a 400 pound deadlift, I’d get started and adjust along the way.

Yup, I know plenty of people can lift WAY more than I can. That’s cool! I’m competing against the ghost of my former self (like a Mario Kart time trial), and that’s all I can do.

I know I’m fighting an uphill battle when I focus on powerlifting when I’m much more likely to be good at running or another endurance activity. That sounds like my personal hell, so I’m gonna play THIS version of life on expert difficulty.

LESSON LEARNED: If you don’t like the game you’re playing, pick a different one! Who cares what your genetics are. You can’t do anything about them. All you can do is play the hand you’re dealt.

If you are a big-boned endomorph (you gain fat easily), and you want to be a marathon runner, GREAT! Start training for a 5k today. Who cares if you’re slow as molasses!

If you are built to run and want to strength train because that’s what brings you joy, go pick up heavy shit! Who cares if the person next to you can lift more? Are YOU lifting more than you did the day before?

We can only blame our parents for so much. Thanks for the crooked spine and acne, DAD.

(Kidding, my dad is cool as hell. He taught me to play poker when I was 5).

#2: Fail You Will. Learn, You Must.

After figuring out my spine sucked, I decided to hire my friend Anthony to coach me via email.

Because I couldn’t lift heavy to start, I had to reallllly focus on my form. It gave all of my muscles and tendons a chance to get caught up to speed.

So I spent two years making steady progress, which was awesome.

And then I went on vacation, where I severely strained my conjoint tendon. 

Lesson learned: never go on vacation again.

My injury was so brutal that I was convinced I had a hernia. I ended up getting an ultrasound on my crotch from two female ultrasound technicians, which was in no way at all awkward.

Kidding. It was aggressively awkward.

Anyways.

After taking multiple weeks off from lifting anything heavy, I started rehab, checked my ego (again), and had to rebuild my form (again), going back 250+ pounds and starting over again.

I felt like Sysphysis, rolling a rock up a hill only to have it roll all the way back down.

Or Charlie Brown trying to kick a football:

But I kept at it. I learned to improve my form. I changed my breathing technique for lifting. And I accepted that I had to go backward in order to eventually break through.

For reference, click through these images and videos below. The “Before” took place before my injury, while the “After” is just a month or two back:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Steve Kamb (@stevekamb) on Aug 15, 2018 at 1:32pm PDT

LESSON LEARNED: Always be learning, when you win or when you lose. Setbacks can be crippling, or they can be painful lessons learned that make you more powerful. I really didn’t have a choice.

You’re gonna get shin splints or plantar fasciitis when you start training for your 5k. Literally everybody does. Take it as a sign you need to fix your running form!

You’re gonna screw up on a lift. Take it as a chance to scale back and rework your form. Video tape your form and check with somebody

You’re gonna get sick and screw up and miss a lift or a hold or a thing. It happens. You can’t change the past (yet), so might as well learn from it and move forward. Rafiki gets me:

#3) Want to Reach a Far Off Goal? Use the Minecraft Strategy.

10 years ago, I had a goal I was racing towards: a 400 pound deadlift.

I’d get marginally closer and then have to back way off. This happened at least half a dozen times.

I believe the reason I finally achieved that goal is because I stopped focusing on rushing to get there! Instead, I just focused on the next workout, the next exercise, the next rep.

In other words: Don’t worry about the building you’re trying to construct. Instead, focus on putting the next brick in the right place, and then repeat. The building will take care of itself.

I call this the Minecraft Strategy.

As for my workouts, I train 4 days per week: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. One hour per workout. Each day has a big boring lift attached to it that doesn’t change much at all from week to week.

For the past four years, here’s the deadlift portion of a training day (after many warm-up sets):

• Week 1: Sets of 2, 2, 2 for 220 pounds.
• Week 2: Sets of 3, 2, 2, for 220 pounds.
• Week 3: Sets of 3, 3, 2, for 220 pounds.
• Week 4: Sets of 3, 3, 3, for 220 pounds.
• Week 5: Sets of 2, 2, 2 for 225 pounds.

And repeat. Every week. Every month. For 5 years. Notice that each week I added just ONE rep. And once I hit 3 sets of 3, I’d go up by 5 pounds, and start back at 2, 2, 2.

That is boring as hell. And effective too. Every single week I’d be setting a personal best! I didn’t care about the far-off goal of a 400-lb deadlift, I instead put all of my focus into “Can I crush this next rep?”

This is also EXACTLY how one simply walks into Mordor: one step at a time.

Two weeks ago, my “slow cook” deadlifting workout had me doing 3 sets of 3 reps at 385 pounds.

Anthony told me: “Let’s go heavy next week. And I won’t accept anything less than 415 pounds.”

This was a goal I’d have forever, and Anthony had already set my sights 15 pounds heavier to calm my nerves on the psychological challenge of seeing that much weight on the bar.

So after picking up 405 for a warmup, I went for 420 pounds:

 

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A post shared by Steve Kamb (@stevekamb) on Nov 21, 2018 at 10:43am PST

No belt, no straps. Just some chalk and Walk the Moon’s “Portugal” on my headphones. Honestly, it was almost a letdown because it came up so quickly…but I was so damn proud to reach a powerful milestone, banish the monkey on my back, and actually feel strong.

Hence the quick fist pump to myself.

This week? It’s back to the boring stuff. Boring, consistent, progress where I just get epic results and feel really good about myself.

I’m okay with that. I jokingly talk about how I went from Steve Rogers to Captain America with this slow, small tactic.

LESSON LEARNED: Are you a shiny-object chasing “I need to be entertained and I change workouts every 3 weeks but I can never seem to get results” type of person?

Fall in love with the process and incremental progress, and you’re gonna go places kid.

Each week, just focus on being better than you did the week before. If you ONLY worry about this, you’ll look back at the end of the year and realize you’re a changed person.

Note: This means you need to show up each week, with few exceptions. Even when life is busy.

#4 – Track the Problem to Crack the Problem.

Fun fact: I currently have a folder in Evernote called “Kambsformation” (Anthony came up with it, and it just stuck).

In that folder I have 1 note for every workout or progress photo from the past 5 years.

I now have 1159 notes in that folder:

As my friend Nick says, “You gotta track the problem to track the problem.”

I have tracked every single workout I’ve done since 2013 in this folder. I have them all in the same place, so I can quickly scan back to any date and time and see where I was, how I trained, and so on.

I know every week exactly what I need to do to be better than the week before. Using the Minecraft Strategy here, it just means I need to focus on ONE single rep heavier.

In addition to tracking my workouts, I’ve become diligent about tracking my calories too. I am not Paleo, or Keto, or Mediterranean.

Instead, I employ a “mental model” diet, with specific rules I follow:

• Skip breakfast. I cover this in our guide on Intermittent Fasting.
• Eat big after a workout. Adjust the rest of my calories based on goals.
• Protein with every meal. Usually chicken.
• Veggies with every meal. Brussel sprouts or broccoli.
• Adjust carbs and fat to fit macro profile for that day.
• A powerbomb shake to hit calorie goals. Water, oats, frozen berries, frozen spinach, and whey protein (I use Optimum Nutrition Vanilla).

Over the past 2 months, I’ve actually leaned out, from 185 pounds down to 172 pounds. I did that by adjusting my caloric intake very simply:

• 2600 calories on training days
• 2200 calories on non training days.

For the first few weeks, I actually didn’t lose any weight despite “tracking my calories.” I still believed in thermodynamics, so I started weighing my portions (I like this one) and discovered a few key things.

Namely, that I was overeating without realizing it:

• I was underestimating my oats portion by 20% when using a measuring cup instead of a scale
• My chipotle lunch contained 1.5 servings of rice by weight, not 1.

As soon as I made those small adjustments, my weight started to drop consistently.

In addition to tracking my food, I take progress photos weekly, and weigh myself each morning.

I don’t freak out if the scale goes up or down. Instead I take a 7-day rolling average and make sure the TREND is in the right direction.

Think of this like the bumper lanes in a bowling alley: As long as the ball is moving towards the pins, that’s good enough.

LESSON LEARNED: We pay attention to the things we track. So track the right stuff! This applies not only to health and fitness, but learning, personal finance, etc. Keep a journal, or an Evernote folder, or a Google Doc. Write down what you did, and what you’re going to do.

It’s valuable as hell. And I don’t care what kind of diet you pick: whichever one leads you to sustainable calorie management in a way that doesn’t make you want to punch a hole in the wall.

If the scale isn’t going down for you, it doesn’t mean that you have a slow metabolism, or that you’re broken. It means you are eating too many calories to induce weight loss. Track your calories more closely.  Use a scale if you need to, until you learn what actual portion sizes are.

Are you taking progress photos? They can be a crucial for making sure you’re losing the right kind of weight!

Are you writing down your workouts or tracking them in an app? How else are you gonna know what you need to do this week to level up!?

#5) “It’s Dangerous to Go Alone. Bring a friend.”

I gotta give a shout out to my friend and coach, Anthony.

He’s been my online coach for the past 5 years and I truly consider him a valuable part of my success. He also has epic hair.

I’d say this is the best money I invest in myself each month – and I’m somebody that tells people how to exercise for a living!

When I’m traveling, or when I have busy weeks, my coach adjusts my schedule to make it work. When I am feeling good, well rested, and amped up, we crank things up. When I’m feeling overwhelmed he slows it down.

And most importantly, he doesn’t put up with my bullshit. You know what I mean – we all have excuses that we feed ourselves daily: too busy, I couldn’t because blah blah blah.

I know Anthony doesn’t want to hear this stuff, so I instead just DO the work! It’s pretty awesome to have somebody else that’s invested in my success, somebody that I can bounce ideas off of, somebody that I know is keeping me accountable, checking my form, etc.

And maybe most importantly, I have the peace of mind to know that I’m actually doing the right stuff, and doing it correctly. I feel confident saying I never would have lifted 420 pounds without my coach.

LESSON LEARNED: If you have the money to invest in yourself, hiring a coach who learns your story can be game changing. If you don’t, having a workout buddy in the trenches with you can be AMAZING too. An accountabilibuddy, if you will.

We’re proud that we have an online coaching program at NF, and we have an online community attached to our course, the NF Academy.

I also know lots of people who work with trainers in person and they can be worth every penny (sometimes!)

If you want to take your fitness more seriously, invest if you can. If you want to take running more seriously, join a running club.

You don’t have to go it alone on this journey, and oftentimes a coach or trusted friend can be an absolute game changer. It was for me.

I hope Anthony lets me keep him as a coach for the next 5 years too.

I proved a troll wrong, now what!?

So I mentioned that I proved somebody wrong on the internet. I mostly say this in jest.

The dude probably didn’t think twice about his comment, and hasn’t thought about it since.

Am I gonna try to right every wrong on the internet? Nope. People say really nasty things about me all the time, that just comes with the territory. It hurts like hell.

And then I get back to helping people and writing about Star Wars and sometimes wearing pants (but today is not that day).

So, although I jokingly say that “I owned that troll,” the reality is that it just. doesn’t. Matter.

I’m really proud of this accomplishment, and I hope my recap can help you crystallize the goals you have floating around your head.

These days, my goals are tighter, and more focused on the process:

• Work out 4 days per week, no exception.
• Hit my calorie goals 6 days out of 7 each week.
• Be better than the last workout.

I’m working on my handstands, mobility, and gymnastic rings stuff…but I’m gonna keep grinding on my deadlifts and squats too.

Considering how quickly that 420 pound deadlift came up, I wonder if I get a 500 pound deadlift…

No way, won’t happen. EVER. Not with these genetics 😛

(I’ll let you know in 5 years).

I’d love to hear from you: do you have a big “dragon slaying” goal you’re working towards in the future?

What can you take from this article and apply to your journey?

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: We are hiring 2-3 certified coaches to join our NF Coaching Program! This is a 100% remote work-from-anywhere position. If you think you’d be a good fit, or know somebody that would, please check out our “work with us” page!

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All photo credits can be found in this very special footnote^[1].