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Dr. Miczak's X-Training BLOG
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Cross Training Special
Mood:
 chillin'
Now Playing: Canoeing the Outback
CANOEING THE OUTBACK This issue, we are going to introduce you to the pleasures of boating, fishing, hiking and camping. All four can be had via the outdoor sport of canoeing. In fact, the average canoe can haul enough gear and supplies to last two people two weeks out in the wilderness. Here below is the Trangia camp stove with pots and a frying pan which folds neatly into a compact 7 inch diameter stack. An outfitter like Moosineer has these items and everything you would need for such an expedition.  Canoeing is a fantastic way to navigate areas that would be impossible to explore on foot. With the cooler fall weather coming, this is the perfect time to plan your outback getaway. 
To begin, as with any cross training experience, you'll need to take some lessons. Check your local park system or even a outfitter who rents canoes. They can give you the basics on how to get the canoe into the water, board it and steer. A seasoned conoe instructor can advise about what class of waterways you would be suited four. Category I is best for beginners as they have no rapids or swift currents. They will also make sure that your gear, such as the paddles are the right length for your height. One way of measurement is to place the paddle on your toes. If the handle comes to your chin level, it is the right length for you. We set out with our HighGear AltiTech 2 digital compass and altimeter.  This kept us on course while allowing us to check the changing temperature and weather conditions. Always pack a radio communication device and wear a secure flotation vest, (life jacket). Nutrition is also very important. You'll need to plan a more intense vitamin protocol at least two weeks before your outing. I personally like Rainbow Light's Women's One Multivitamin for everyday nutrition. It is a wonderful whole food balance of nutrients but for more intense exercise, I use their Advanced Nutritional System multivitamin. Simply more of what you need to help you go the extra mile. Your day out on the water should start with a high protein shake to quickly deliver necessary nutrients and energy. Rainbow Light's Protein Energizer contains NO soy, (you can read why in my book, The New Woman's Herbal & Nutritional Guide, by Lotus Press), or sugar and blends easily into a fruit or vegetable smoothie. What's great about this product is that if you are buying blue green algae powders, you can save money because it has 500mgs of spirulina included with spinach, kale and dandelion greens. Other essentials for the day's energy supply include their Ultra Energy Plus which contains bee pollen and octacosanol. Bring along plenty of water to stay hydrated and sunblock as the water intensifies the sun's rays by way of reflection. Due to our planning ahead and by God's grace, we had energy to spare from carrying our 100 lb canoe to the water to navigating several miles that day. The photo below was taken after a full day out in above 98 degree weather. Proof positive that proper nutrition works! Last of all, recovery is very important. That soreness you feel after using muscles unconditioned for that sort of work is due to lactic acid buildup. This is the "Charlie Horse" or cramping one gets in the middle of the night after such a work out. To prevent this and for overall bone and muscle health, one should take a balanced, absorbable form of calcium. After our time on the water we took Rainbow Light's Calcium + which contains 500 mgs of calcium and 1,000 mgs of magnesium. Both work synergistically to remove excess lactic acid. 500 mgs is the most calcium your body can absorb at one time but this type is an absorbable amino acid chelate. Bound to a protein molecule, it is readily absorbed, not just stored in your soft tissue. The magnesium is likewise excellent for calming the nerves and aiding in a good night's sleep, something we all can use! When chosing any nutritional supplement, you must consider absorption. We are not what we eat as much as what we absorb. The entire Rainbow Light line offers a digestive support complex which helps the vitamins and your food break down properly. I took their prenatal vitamins through two pregnancies and never suffered nausea or an upset stomach. Therefore, they can be taken with or between meals. Now that's convenient! This is perhaps the best whole food based product available today. I enjoy having energy to spare to take on new challenges like canoeing. If you take care of yourself, you will find that you have both the energy AND the interest to try new activities. That's what keeps life interesting, isn't it? To find out more about Rainbow Light's nutritional supplements for active women, and the other gear mentioned in this article, visit: RAINBOW LIGHT NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS www.rainbowlight.com TRANGIA 27-5 CAMP STOVE WITH 2 SAUCE, 1 FRY PAN & BURNER www.moosineer.com HIGHGEAR'S ALTITECH 2 DIGITAL COMPASS & ALTIMETER www.highgear.com DORFMAN - PACIFIC OUTBACK HATS & BAGS www.dorfmanpacific.com ATHLETA - SPORTSWEAR FOR WOMEN - ALPINE PANTS www.athleta.com  "He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul..." Psalm 23
Friday, 15 June 2007
Summer X-Training Tips
Now Playing: Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer
Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer
Now that we have broken back into our outdoor training schedules, you’ll note that you are being exposed to more and more sunlight as the days grow longer. The rays are strongest between 10 am and 4 pm, however, since sun exposure is cumulative, you may need to restrict your overall daily exposure. Fitness Magazine's research has shown that athletes don't put on sunblock most commonly because they forget, according to Philip Cohen, M.D. who is an assistant team physician from my alma mater, Rutgers University. Karen Burke, M.D., Ph.D. of Mount Sinai Medical Center in NYC specifically cites high risk individuals as those who train or play in the sun. Activities such as boating, swimming, hiking and mountain climbing expose one to even more harmful rays because the sun is reflected and intensified by water. While rock and mountain climbing, the sun is even stronger hence more deadly at higher elevations.
Boating and marine sports increase your risk for sun damage due to the intensified rays reflecting off the water
Coming out from winter hibernation you may be like me and notice a “fish belly” white pallor to your skin. Unless you’ve recently vacationed in a tropical area, this is the bane of many a athlete as a natural result of wintering over indoors. Now you may, for vanity’s sake want to run to your local tanning salon just to start yourself off with a “bit of color”. Please consider this: Although the tanning salon industry has lobbied for years contending that their lights do not cause skin cancer, it has been conclusively found that they inflict just as much damage, if not more, than natural sunlight.
For years they touted themselves as the safe alternative to laying out in the sun. Well, there appears to be no real difference between the UV lights used in the tanning beds and the effects of sun tanning outdoors. As early as 1994, a Swedish study showed women 18-30 years old who visited tanning parlors 10 times or more a year had seven times greater incidence of melanoma than women who did not use tanning beds. In another study, people exposed to 10 full-body tanning salon sessions had a significant increase in skin repair proteins typically associated with sun damage, indicating that ultraviolet (UV) radiation from indoor tanning is as dangerous as UV from the sun. In 2002, a study from Dartmouth Medical School found that tanning device users had 2.5 times the risk of squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times the risk of basal cell carcinoma .
UV-A and UV-B, What’s the Difference?Actually tanning salons may be even more dangerous than normal sun exposure. Natural sunlight contains a mixture of both short-wave UV-B and the longer wave UV-A rays. Both UV-A and UV-B exposures can lead to premature ageing of the skin, and both increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer, including malignant melanoma. The difference is that UV-B rays cause more rapid tanning and burning while UV-A rays do not cause burning until exposure levels are very high.
Indoor tanning booths and beds most commonly use ultraviolet bulbs that emit predominantly UV-A rays. This puts one at greater risk because, UV-A rays penetrate more deeply into the skin and can even inhibit the effectiveness of cells supporting the body’s immune system in addition to raising the individual’s risk of developing malignant melanoma and other skin cancers.
Solutions…If you wish to have a natural looking tan without the risk of damage to your skin, I can suggest the Badger Totally Tan Waterbased Airbrush Tanning System. Models, competitive body builders and dancers have used airbrushing for application of theatrical make up for both the face and body. It is a natural, flawless application that stands out as being nearly undetectable.
 Badger’s Totally Tan is a waterbased solution applied with their patented airbrush to give beautiful, even coverage with a very natural development of color within a few hours. This is NOT one of those other sunless tanners that turn your skin an unnatural orange or stain your palms. Spray can tanners likewise are costly and do not give the same fine, natural coverage as an airbrush. A Totally Tan airbrushed tan will last 7-10 days and can be refreshed in between times with their Tan Refresh and Extend lotion. This lotion renews your tan while softening your skin with aloe vera, vitamins, botanicals and grapeseed extract which is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, grapeseed extract when applied to the skin, has actually been seen to reduce sun damage. The Totally Tan system includes the Thayer and Chandler Air Star V compressor with air filter and regulator, automatic shutoff, on-off switch, and built-in airbrush holder. The Totally Tan airbrush gun sprays a controlled, fine mist for complete whole body coverage. It can be adjusted down to do your face and even apply liquid airbrush makeup. It even comes with an instructional video. You'll learn all the nuances of airbrushing so that you can do others if you wish. Have a sunless tanning party! I have had this equipment for at least 3 years and it performs like a workhorse. Don’t be fooled. This is professional quality equipment and will pay for itself in savings from what you would pay visiting tanning salons. More than that, it is a savings from surgeries to remove skin cancer lesions as a result of overexposure to UV light. Don’t damage your skin for vanity’s sake! Get a lovely, natural looking illusion of a deep tan with the Totally Tan Airbrush Tanning System and apply sunblock when you are out training. You’ll have the best of both worlds!
Visit Badger Airbrush Company's Website below:
Totally Tan Airbrush Tanning System by Badger
Friday, 11 May 2007
Spring
Now Playing: The Outdoor Bible Hits the Road...
Spring is BACK and summer is close on her heels!
Now is the time to get those inline skates out of the bag and check them out. After brushing off the cobwebs, you'll want to give them a good tune-up and check over before going out for the first time this season. Here's a checklist of what I did to get mine road-ready:
1.) Remove and rotate wheels, (simply flip them from the previous position).
2.) Dust the wheel hubs and frame once the wheels are off.
3.) Remove the bearing shield and use a little BSB "dry" lubricant on the ball bearings.
Check for any chips in your wheels or other problems that could cause a hazard out on the road. Remember too to take along extra water for your first day out. You may be a little out of condition, (o.k. maybe a LOT), so be mindful not to push yourself too hard at first. If you've put on a few pounds over the winter and or lost a little muscle tone, give yourself a break! Rome wasn't rebuilt in a day and you are less likely to incur injury if you ease rather than blast your way back into your skating routine.
I cross train by bicycling but after being grounded for the winter, it takes some time to get into that "zone" I am used to functioning at. However once you get over that first day's shock, the rest is easy from there. Taking along an energy bar is always a good idea too but loss of water is the greatest factor in causing falls and accidents. Most of all, just have fun! Take along your iPod to help you relax and get into the flow.
If you are doing trails or going to be out for most of the day, you might want to take along the Outdoor Bible which is a map-like, tear & waterproof folding text.  As you can see here in the photo, we tested it when we were out snowshoeing this past March and held up beautifully. The pages just don't get soaked or rip! Mud, snow, grass and dirt just rinse right off. Perfect for putting into your backpack for the woods when you take a pit stop and want to be totally recharged. This is the perfect Bible to take kayaking, snowshoeing, mountain biking, hiking, camping and everything else you could think of enjoying outdoors. Published by Bardin&Marsee it gives you the complete New Testament to go. The one we tested is the New American Standard Version with the words of Jesus in red. Print is quite small but considering the lightweight and compact size, its an acceptable trade off. Comes in a camoflage duffle bag so you don't scare the animals away. For more information on how to get the Outdoor Bible visit: The Outdoor Bible Website
See you out there!
Friday, 29 October 2004
Suite 101's Figure Skating Guide - Pedaling into Fall Part 2
Mood:
 caffeinated
Now Playing: Advanced Cycling & Cross Training Equipment
Here it is! Part 2 of Off Ice Cross Training : Pedaling into Fall at the Figure Skating Guide is giving you some serious information on advanced cycling for cross training for the ice. Improved cardiovascular and leg muscle strength are only two perks you'll get. Great edge control and balance are often obtained by x-training with cycling. Read the complete reviews at,Off Ice X-Training : Pedaling Into Fall Part I & II by clicking right here: http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/9114/ or click on the Suite 101's Figure Skating Guide link to your right.
This is a photo gallery of the BEST equipment and accessories to make your time on the road safe, successful and super!
Many thanks once again to this issue's participating companies including:
Terry Precision Cycling, also representing Giro & Craft, Veltec Group for Look, Sidi, CicloSport, Enervit and Easton, Pearl Izumi, Shebeest, Athleta, Rudy Project, Rollerblade, Lazer, Park Tool USA, Cateye, Sigma Sport, Jerry Boy-PB n' Go, Sinclair Imports for Elite's Ozone Warming Oil and Atsko, makers of Sportwash and SnoSeal.
Each of these companies contributed their time, products and expertise to help me cross over from ice skater to road cyclist. I've made so much progress that I plan to enter the MS Tour next summer. PLUS...I am in More Magazine's January 2005 issue ice skating and discussing my x-training program. I'm also appearing on the CBS Early Show with co-anchor Rene Syler! Our next X-Training Photo Gallery will be a Winter Sports Special with Snowboarding, Sledding, Snowshoeing, Skiing and a lot more.
Thank you all for your continued support!
So I am pleased to launch our NEW online X-Training Photo Gallery format which allows you to click on the thumbnail photos below to read my reviews and comments on each item. All of the products discussed in Part I and Part II of this article series are here PLUS some items for cooler weather cycling and spring touring. Start clicking!:
Saturday, 2 October 2004
X-Training with Style, Cyclewear Fashion Show
Mood:
 cool
Now Playing: Clothes to Hit the Road With!
Ah yes, here it is! Just in time for our Suite 101 Figure Skating Guide "cross training with cycling" articles are some of the HOTTEST activewear. Keeping you cool and dry in new age fabrics such as CoolMax, Sueded Tactel, SilkSkin and much more. If you want to jump start yourself into a x-training cycling program, you can simply get these three essentials pictured below and hit the road. You'll find yourself wanting to take this first item, Athleta's Zippered Hoodie, with you to the ice rink after your ride.    LEFT PHOTO: Warm-Up Hoodie by Athleta in Bayou Blue. Semi-fitted with princess seams, it features an ergonomic hood and a kangaroo front pocket with hidden zip closures at both ends. Fabric, Sueded Tactel=buttery soft. To see more, click here: Athleta, Where Women Gear Up MIDDLE PHOTO: Pearl Izumi's Women's Heliarc Cycling Shorts. Generous padding, fusion welded seams and Microsensor fabric for high moisture transfer performance. Draw cord waistband for a snug fit. These are the shorts to wear in the summer heat. RIGHT PHOTO: Pearl Izumi's Women's Gel-Lite Cycling Gloves. Super light weight. Ribbed gel palms for flexible fit. Large wiping surface and mesh area for air flow. Women specific fit. Visit Pearl Izumi at: Pearl Izumi.com Fact is, hoodies and even some thin chamois cool weather cycling pants can do double duty on the road and at the rink. That's because the padding in the pants will give you some cushioning for the tailbone area should you take a spill on the ice. For example, I tested the zippered hoodie pictured above from Athleta which I used cycling AND on the ice. It transitioned beautifully while keeping me both warm and dry. HOT TIP! To maintain these fabric's breathability and moisture wicking properties, use Sport Wash or Sensi Clean from Atsko. These special laundry detergents rinse clean and do not leave a film which can inhibit the fabric's air / moisture transfer. Sport Wash also removes odors often associated with synthetic materials. Contact Atsko for Sport Wash & Sensi Clean More photos are yet to come of some fabulously colorful cycling jerseys but first let's look at some of the equipment and cycling fashions covered in the Figure Skating Guide's September 30th issue, "Off Ice X-Training, Pedaling into Fall-Part I".   PHOTO: This is the Look Pro Team fully zippered jersey and bib shorts. Serious road wear! The top is very easy to get in and out of and has extra CoolMax vented panels under the arms. Very handy zippered back pouch too. The bib short is thickly padded for extended cycling and racing. Padded Look gloves complete the ensemble.  PHOTO: Look Pro Team outfit in red with matching cycling gloves and my Nishiki 12 Speed. Why do racers wear bib shorts anyway? During a race, a rider can lose up to 7 lbs. While this is mostly fluid, it is enough to cause shorts to slide down. Bib shorts have elastic suspenders which prevent that from happening.   PHOTO: Sidi Genius Women's Road Shoes-Hook these up a set of Look A-5.1 Competition Pedals in blue as pictured above and you'll have nothing but power. Sure put some pep into my 12 year old Nishiki. The Sidi Genius Road Shoes offer soft, supple leather in a beautiful iridescent blue and lasted for a woman's foot. Very cool with side mesh vents and preforations. I especially liked the flexible tongue which does not cut into your instep. Both available in the U.S. from Veltec Group by clicking here: Veltec Group USALook for more women's cycling fashions and advanced gear next time as we follow up with the October 31st issue of the Figure Skating Guide, "Pedaling into Fall-Part II" See you on the road.... Dr. Marie Miczak
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