coach-related stories
Running a Race? Join an Online Team
I challenge you to sign up for a race this year. Ideally, in a distance you've never done. I don't care whether you plan to run it at breakneck speed or want to intersperse some light jogging with walking, but set a goal. And then, get yourself some support.
No, I'm not talking about proper undergarments (although, that's pretty important, too). I mean support for your training. You might have friends who will train with you, or a local running team you can join. But, if you don't, Active.com has several online teams you can train with.
Choose Rookie Runner (which takes you from the couch to your first 5k), First Marathon, First Triathlon, or Bye Bye Baby Weight. Each category has a coach and several runners who are blogging about their training, so you're never alone in your training. And, they have training plans you can download (for a price).
So, what do you say? Will you sign up for a race this year? Let me know in the comments what you plan to run!
Need Motivation? Find a Coach
I did the stadiums, all 25 of them. I counted something like 15 steps in all, so with one rotation up and down, I tackled 30 steps. In all, my legs powered up and down 750 steps. Mission accomplished. I was motivated.
Next, my littlest guy and I ran some bases. We ran two home runs, actually, and while we I didn't have the time for a full-out workout (the purpose of the trip was family time, after all), I do plan to return for some solo home-run fun. And some more stadiums. And some jogging around the nearby track too.
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Round-up - October 31, 2008
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs: Ashton Kutcher's new love
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs, Celebs & Entertainment
Last month, Maggie gave us the scoop on Ashton Kutcher's new role ... as the assistant coach for a freshman football team. And now, Ashton himself is speaking up about the experience.
Basically, he loves it. On his MySpace Celebrity blog, he talks about how his team has a winning record (4-2), saying his team is "a great group of individuals that understand that the collective force is greater than any individual can ever be."
He also talks a little about why he started coaching. While he always wanted to do it, he admits that he didn't do it earlier for several reasons: "I was afraid of the time commitment. I was afraid that I would look stupid. I was afraid that the players wouldn't listen to my football advice. I was afraid that the advice that I gave wouldn't be very good."
Ashton Kutcher is on the sidelines
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Ashton Kutcher has a new role, but it isn't in any movie. He's working as an assistant coach for a high school freshman football team. Kutcher played football when he was in high school, and he's decided to put that knowledge and love of sport to good use. Kutcher attends team practices five days a week as well as games. If you've got kids, you may want to take a hint from Kutcher's playbook. Coaching is a great way to encourage your kids and show them your love of sport. If your kids aren't interested in joining your team -- no problem. Kutcher isn't letting that stop him! If you have knowledge to share and love a sport, consider coaching a youth or high school team. You're helping other kids develop their athletic skills and you're setting a good example for your own kids.
Your cell can help you stay well
Think of your cell phone as a diet coach, your quit-smoking partner, your own personal health manager. Really. Just sign up with these three companies and your cell phone will help you stay well.INTELECARE
For $5 a month, text messages, e-mails, or voice mail reminders will alert you about prescriptions and appointments.
QUITEXT
If you wish to kick your smoking habit and have a spare $20, supportive tips and advice will come your way for six weeks.
SENSEI
You log your weight-loss goals and fitness habits and you'll get daily meal recommendations and weekly grocery shopping lists. Motivational notes too. All for $6 per week.
Summer school features PE every day
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
"Mom, come here," my five-year-old Danny said to me the other day after summer school. "I have an exercise to show you." Clearly, I went running to see what my littlest guy had in his fitness bag of tricks. "You lie down," he said. "And cross your arms like this (across the chest)." Then he told me to sit "criss-cross-applesauce" -- that's elementary school speak for sitting with your legs crossed. He wanted me to sit on his feet so they wouldn't budge. So I did. And here's what he did: A sit-up. A perfect, so-very-cute sit-up.Danny did four sit-ups and was so proud of himself when he finished. We exchanged high fives, and he moved on.
Danny and his older brother are spending three hours each morning during June in a summer enrichment program where they're learning a little, playing a lot, and reporting to PE class every day. Every day. I love it. During the school year, they go once per week for 40 minutes. This summer schedule is going to spoil me -- and them too. They love their gym time. Joey has been practicing new stretches, they both have been demonstrating "crab crawls," they're learning to do pull-ups, and now sit-ups are coming home. Thanks to "coach," who is teaching my boys their new moves, summer school is tops.
Get in shape and help a child with Girls on the Run
Healthy Events, Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements
Girls on the Run holds 5K events and pairs up a girl with a running buddy -- that could be you! According to the Girls on the Run Northeast Florida Chapter's website, "a running buddy chaperones and mentors one or two girls through her two 5K experiences: the Practice 5K and the RITA CASH 5K. That means keeping pace with the girl, ensuring her safety, and cheering her on!" Each location might be slightly different, but you get the point.
You'll be running slightly over three miles, encouraging a young girl to get involved in fitness, and building her self esteem. Just try to find something that's not to like! If you're interested (and I hope you are), check out the website for locations near you.
via FitSugar
Fitzness Fiend: Alexandra Harris
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Stress Reduction, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Healthy Kids, Cellulite, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!
Name: Alexandra Harris
Age: 51
Occupation: Life Coach
How often do you exercise? I eat seven days a week, and I exercise seven days a week!
What type of exercise do you do? Power walking, light weight training (for muscle tone), and yoga (for balance, flexibility, and occasionally turning my organs upside down). I think there's something really healthy about moving your organs around!
Fit Gadgets: I went running with Lance Armstrong!
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
That's right! I went running with the Livestrong legend, and you can too!Nike+ has created a 40 minute running workout featuring Lance Armstrong, and they generously allowed me to download and review it. And I'll tell you what -- 40 minutes on a treadmill has never gone by so fast. The mix of music included songs by artists like Weezer, Beck, and The All-American Rejects and, more importantly, had Lance Armstrong coaching me through the workout.
I definitely liked the extra motivation -- every time I wanted to slow down, I heard Lance's voice and thought of that scene in Dodgeball where he sees Vince Vaughn in the airport bar and talks to him about quitting:
Youth sports and running as punishment
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Having coached youth sports, I understand the need to have some sort of punishment, and it's totally logical that the punishment be something that will also benefit the players. However, it's also important that the kids realize that's why you've chosen this consequence.
Teach kids sports by letting them teach you
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Think about it -- kids love to play because it allows them to be creative. If you're trying to teach your daughter to play basketball, by all means teach her the basics of shooting, passing, and dribbling, but let her use her imagination to create new ways to play the game.
Cancer coaches help guide patients
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Cancer is a scary thing to tackle alone, so a lot of people reach out for help when they get news of this nature. Having someone in the family with this situation, I can attest to how dizzying it can make a person feel when advice is coming from every angle. However, "cancer coaches" are now starting to become more widespread that offer help with information, not advice.These patient navigators are an outlet for someone to talk with about options and other help they may need to consider. The article says that an ideal candidate for this supporter should be someone who can lend support. This includes mental reinforcement, because not everyone has a strong family to lean on. The coaches should also be able to lend a hand with sorting through information and resources.
Objectivity is also important, because these people may have survivor experiences of their own. Either way, volunteers doing this (and paid workers alike) are turning out to be a valuable asset. Almost 90 locations have these coaches available, and the American Cancer Society wants to take it further. It's good to hear about straight-forward solutions to information overload that involve real people for once.
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Basketball Coach Billy Donovan of the two time NCAA National Champion Gators
Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.
This weeks featured guest is Coach Billy Donovan, of the 2006 and 2007 National Champion Florida Gator basketball teams. I chose Coach D. not only because he's brought endless excitement and pride to my Alma Mater, the University of Florida, but because he epitomizes athleticism, perseverance, determination and success. Don't we all wish for that! Coach Donovan just oozes excellence.
He's one of the youngest yet most intense, and successful coaches in the history of NCAA basketball. A master of the court, Coach Donovan and his Florida Gators are still riding high from their second straight National Championship. His 2006 team was the underdog going into the championship game against UCLA, and shocked the nation with a dominating 73-57 win. 2007 was an entirely different story. Donovan's' Gators were picked as the number one team at the beginning of the season and completed it in the same way. With a commanding win 84-75 over Ohio State, the Gators made history as only the seventh team ever to win back to back titles.
Billy played guard at Providence College under the infamous Rick Patino, and went on to play one year for the New York Nicks as well. Although his success as an athlete was impressive, Billy Donovan was born to coach. He runs a first class program, with top notch recruiting, a unique ability to inspire teamwork, and a great attention to academics. I love the fact that he makes no excuses, and takes no excuses. A fine rule of thumb for anyone trying to become better at sports, fitness, or anything else in the world.
Fitz: What do you do to stay fit?
Coach Donovan: I try to run/walk and lift weights at least 5-6 times a week.
Fitz: Do you utilize the guidance of your UF athletic trainers for yourself?
Coach Donovan: Yes, very much.
Fitz: You've spent the last two years coaching NCAA Basketball National Champions. Have your championship years been more chaotic than the rest? How does it all affect your personal fitness level?
Coach Donovan: Because of the time demands, it can be very easy to fall out of a workout routine. But I try to do my best.
Fitz: Do you make time to exercise during the March Madness tournament?
Coach Donovan: Yes. I do try to make time each day.
Fitz: What's on your MP3 player?
Coach Donovan: Stones, U 2, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan
Fitz: What's your favorite healthy dish?
Coach Donovan: Yogurt for a snack and any type of fish for dinner.
Fitz: What's your favorite sinful indulgence?
Coach Donovan: Ice cream and cheesecake.
Fitz: Do you ever play ball with your teams?
Coach Donovan: No. My playing days are over!
Fitz: If you were to play or coach any other sport besides basketball, what would it be?
Workplace Fitness: Use career strategies to aid weight loss goals
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Sometimes people get so good at separating their work life from their home life they lose track of the fact that whether we like it or not the two are connected. Although it's necessary to be able to "turn off" and leave your work on your desk when you leave to go home, it's still a fact of life that who you are at work and who you are at home intersect a great deal. The author of an article on eDiets, John McKee, says that many times the strategies people use to succeed in their jobs and careers can also be used to help them succeed in others areas in life, like with goals for weight loss and healthy living.He calls it "The Four Windows Method," and it breaks down something like this:
