That's Fit

If you're a super-fit, regular Joe or Jane, your mug could land on the cover of Outside Magazine. Nominations are currently being accepted for Outside's Fittest Real Athletes.

While professional athletes reap the benefits of sponsorship, 40-plus-hour 'workout' weeks and total dedication to their sport, Outside's Fittest Real Athletes perform athletically at a high-level amidst family and job responsibilities.

Sporting enthusiasts around the globe have been cheering the athletes of the 2008 Olympic Games. What better time than now to honor the ones winning the Real Athlete all-around -- that guy or gal you know who happens to excel at their sport of choice as they care for their family, work a regular job and volunteer their time to community good works. These are the athletes who inspire me.

I once knew a girl in college who seriously thought the chorus to The Band's song The Weight (Take a Load Off Annie), was 'Take a Load Off Your Fanny'. We'd die laughing at her every time the song played. I don't think anyone ever clued her in.

Today, cheap-o fanny packs are out and dynamite daypacks are in. After delving into the backcountry on a recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, I jealously admired the myriad of active daypacks strapped on by hikers enjoying our same longer day hikes and ascents. As my over-stuffed, backpack-detachable waist pack (circa 1994) flopped around and dug into my hip bones, new technology packs nestled snugly against hiker backs as their hips and shoulders shared the load. Most offered bladder hydration systems or secure side pockets for 32 oz water bottles.

If you're ready to dump your fanny pack and upgrade to a high-tech daypack, Outside's Gear Guy recommends the following three lightweight beauties:

• Z30 by Gregory: $120 will get you 1,800 cubic inches of load-stable suspension and plenty of pockets.
• Stratos 24 by Osprey: Smaller than the Z30, the harness is sewn into the bag. Sweet load. $129.
• Raid Revo 30 by Salomon: 3,000 cubic inch capacity weighing only 1 lb, 6 ozs. A cheaper $80.

Check out the gallery for photos of these brands, as well as three other options to lighten your fanny.

If you're looking to buy new outdoor gear this summer, Outside Magazine's already done some preliminary footwork for you. Their 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide lists 392 pieces of top gear across the following categories:

• Run
• Ride
• Travel
• Hike
• Float
• Women

One other nice touch, Outside offers several videos within each category to show you some of the gear up close.

We just purchased an REI Half-Dome 4 HC tent (pictured/www.rei.com) for our family of four as we felt it combined generous space with a low weight. Also, its unique pole design allows for easy set-up in wind, and the fly ventilation flaps deliver awesome airflow. We were right on the money with this tent -- the 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide listed REI's Quarter-Dome (a smaller version of our tent) the winner for Best Space-to-Weight Ratio. Employees at our local REI were raving about the tent, and we saw two other Half-Domes in a field of 15 tents or so during a recent rock climbing weekend with the Chicago Mountaineering Club.

If you're starting to think about winter gear, consult Outside's 2008 Winter Buyer's Guide to get a jump on cold weather gear shopping!

If you live closer to sea level and are planning a high altitude trip this summer, you'll have to do more than casually hike some hills. Strapping on a pack and hitting outdoor hills or indoor stairclimbers are terrific ways to get muscles ready to accommodate a load in the mountains and prevent Stupid Sore Moments, but your heart and lungs also need serious workouts at higher intensity levels to get ready for high altitude. Outside's Chris Carmichael explains high altitude hopefuls need to strengthen their aerobic engines to ultimately maintain their normal pace at a lower heart rate by transporting oxygen to muscles with less effort.

Here enters the idea of increasing your ability to hangout at your maximum sustainable intensity. Carmichael recommends working out at the highest intensity level you can maintain for 10-20 minutes at a shot, then ramping down to a gentler jog or walk for eight minutes before ramping back up to a higher pace. If you seriously and regularly challenge your aerobic engine pre-trip, your body will ideally develop into a much more efficient machine at high altitude.

I'm planning a high altitude backpacking trip to Wyoming's Wind River Range this summer -- it's time for me to strengthen my low altitude heart and lungs with some intervals. Check out AOL Body's helpful article on interval training. Considering I haven't done any intervals in a few weeks, I'll start conservatively with three or five minutes at my maximum sustainable intensity and carefully work up to Carmichael's recommended 10-20 minutes. Sounds difficult, but it's definitely worth it to become physically stronger up high.

Plenty of nurses have taken my pulse during physical exams, shouting out a number usually in the low 60s before recording it on my chart. They're taking my resting heart rate, which is the number of beats per minute your heart beats at rest. A resting heart rate between 60-90 beats per minute is considered normal. Many factors can affect your resting heart rate, such as activity level, stress, posture and even temperature.

Elite athletes commonly have lower resting heart rates, some as low as the high 20s. According to Chris Carmichael at Outside magazine, a lower resting heart rate is the side effect of aerobic fitness. However he says there's no real health or performance benefit associated with a lower resting heart rate -- for as many elite athletes with a resting rate in the 30s, there are just as many elite performers with a resting heart rate in the 50s.

You may just be splitting hairs comparing the ultra-low resting heart rates of elite athletes, but for ordinary folk across a wider spectrum of fitness levels, lowering that resting heart rate indicates strengthened heart muscle gained through aerobic training. Simply put, if your heart muscle is stronger, your heart rate decreases since your heart can pump blood more easily. This is a good thing says one research study, a bit dated from 1999. Northwestern University researchers followed the pulse rates of around 34,000 adults aged 18 to 74 years old for a total of 22 years. Relative risks for deaths from heart disease, cancer and all other risks increased as participants' resting heart rates increased.

By now you've heard enough from That's Fit bloggers on the importance of eating breakfast. But what you eat for breakfast matters, especially if you're a morning fitness fan.

Outside Magazine offers a few breakfasts tailored for specific workouts and lazy days.

Quick-Energy Breakfast: A light breakfast before a cardio workout is best. Go for easily digested foods packed with carbs and protein. 2 slices whole-grain toast with 1 T peanut butter and 12 oz skim milk blended with 1 C frozen blueberries will deliver 460 calories, 23 g protein, 70 g carbs, 10 g fat, 10 g fiber.

Recovery Breakfast: If you prefer eating breakfast after a cardio workout, here's a quick-burning carb breakfast for faster recovery: 1 hard-boiled egg or 1 oz string cheese with 1 cup bran cereal tossed with 1 T raisins, 8 oz skim milk and 1 banana -- 560 calories, 24 g protein, 97 g carbs, 8 g fat, 12 g fiber.

Power Breakfast: Morning strength training workouts beg high-quality protein, ideally 30 to 60 minutes before lifting. You can eat this after the heave-ho, too. 4 egg whites scrambled, 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 1 sliced peach, 8 oz low-fat chocolate milk (mmmm!) with 4 T protein powder -- 525 calories, 41 g protein, 77 g carbs, 6 g fat, 9 g fiber.

Not working out? Stick with whole grains low in sugar, fresh fruit and lean proteins.

Outside online offers over two dozen health and fitness tips in their October article The Greatest Fitness Tips. Ever. They established the list through wisdom gained over 30 years in the health and fitness biz. Let's take a look at a few of their suggestions:

• Maintain base fitness: Never get so out of shape that getting back into shape becomes extremely difficult. Continually train for that annual marathon, 10-mile walk, climbing a new peak or whatever goal suits you.
• Cross train with the right sport: Runners should cycle, cyclists should run and row, rockclimbers should perform calisthenics ... you get the picture.
• Flexibility is important: You don't need to fold into a pretzel, but greater flexiblity also boosts muscle endurance.
• Don't blame food: Start exercising and you'll lose weight. It's not all about bad carbohydrates or bad food.

To Outside's credit, they mock poor advice they gave in the past, such as pro-tanning and saying exercising above 85 percent of your maximum heart rate has little or no cardio benefit (not true)! But in 1979, they did ridicule one physician who said a woman's weak abdominal muscles could cause her insides to fall out while jogging, as they're perforated by the vagina. A medical doctor actually said that? Oh yeah, this was 1979.