FitSugar

ACTivism: Team In Training

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:15:00 -0800

Do you want to run a marathon and don't want to train alone? Are you are interested in participating in a triathlon and want some outside motivation? Then Team In Training (TNT) might just be for you.

With TNT you raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so you are training for a cause. Plus, you join a team that is training (hence the name) for endurance events just like you. Once you join the team in your area, you receive personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a four to five month period, access to training clinics, your own Web site for online fundraising, and lodging and airfare to your event. All that and you are going to make a lot of new friends as you train with your team.

Interested? Just enter your zip code on the entry page of the Team In Training to find out what events folks are training for in your area.

Want to Run a Marathon? Team in Training Can Help

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Have you always wanted to run, cycle, or walk to help fight or raise awareness about a deadly disease? Not only is it a powerful feeling to cross the finish line, but it makes it even more worthwhile if you know your efforts are going to support a cause. Your accomplishments will give you the sense that you did something more important than just get in good shape.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program will help you get there. They offer training from certified coaches for four to five months, training clinics, your own website for fundraising, lodging and airfare to the event, and they'll connect you with a patient so you know who all your hard work is going to benefit.

In exchange for their training and support, the money you raise will go towards finding cures to help beat blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

To get started, all you have to do is type in your zip code here. You can train with the largest endurance sports training program that's been saving lives for 20 years, and has raised over $700 million. It's a great way to help make a difference.

"ACT"ivism: Team In Training

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:30:00 -0800

Did you know that every five minutes, someone in the United States learns that he or she has leukemia, Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma and that every ten minutes, someone dies of a blood cancer?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training is one of the world's largest endurance sports training programs. Basically thousands of runners, walkers, cyclists and triathletes have participated in the world's major marathons, half marathons, centuries and triathlons this year on behalf of the Society. What happens is in exchange for training and support, you help raise money towards cures for blood cancers like lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia -- the No. 1 disease killer of children.

By helping to raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services, you'll get:

Personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a period of four to five months
Your own personal Web site for online fundraising
A supportive group of teammates
Lodging and airfare to more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad

What's a better reason to train for that 5k? To find a chapter near you, go here.

When Did You First Start Working Out?

FitSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:30:03 -0800

A little workout nostalgia - I was just thinking back to when I first started exercising, thanks in large part to my dad. Outside of required gym class or a sports team, I was trying to remember when fitness became important to me, and landed right at about eighth grade.

Around the end of middle school, beginning of high school, I started to pay attention to other girls and the way my own body was shaping up. At the same time, I was being exposed to new ways to work out. During high school, I was offered the choice of a regular P.E. class, or a semester of yoga and Pilates. I chose the latter and have been hooked ever since. Additionally, my dad used to ask me along to his training sessions at the gym, where working with his trainer helped to give me a better understanding of fitness and what I could do on my own to stay healthy.

Since then, I've made a conscious decision to keep myself fit - a lifestyle choice that I attribute to such a great introduction to working out during my early high school years. Obviously fitness is important at any age, but I'm curious, when did you first get into a fitness routine?

Operation Jack

Fit Community — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:00:26 -0800

This bit of training inspiration comes from jennsteria, part of RunningSugar.

Operation Jack

I remember one of my friends calling me crazy for my whopping 3 marathon (so far) schedule for next year. How about 60 marathons in 2010? Well, that's not something I think I am anywhere close to being able to do, but Sam Felsenfeld sure is. He'll be ending 2009 with four Boston qualifying marathons under his belt while ramping up for next year - crazy right?! His 60 marathons in 2010 plan (with seven marathons in January) is an attempt to raise awareness for a great cause, Train 4 Autism. This is a cause that is near and dear to Sam and his family. The plan is simple: they are basically looking for people to sign up for any of the races that Sam will be running under the running team "Operation Jack." That's it. You can fundraise if you want, but what they're really aiming for is participation. I've already joined the Operation Jack team for three races next year (looking to add at least three more). If you want, I suggest taking a look at Sam's schedule and joining too. Who doesn't love running for a great cause?

What inspires you to run? Join the conversation at RunningSugar. Have a post you want to see featured on FitSugar? Private message me here to pitch your ideas. I can't wait to hear them.

Celebs Like to Shake It

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:50:58 -0700

At first, the Power Plate seems like another gimmicky weight-loss product, but its website features endorsements from fit celebs like Madonna, Courteney Cox, and Hilary Swank. On top of that, it's used by over 60 college and pro sports teams, and the Police brought one with them on their reunion tour. That's some serious ~~celeb~~ street cred.

The secret behind the Power Plate is its vibrating plates. The manufacturer claims that if you stand on it for 10 minutes a day, three times a week, you'll lose weight, tone your body, and improve bone density. To really maximize the benefits of the machine, it's encouraged that you do the same exercises you would do on the floor - sit-ups, for example - on the Power Plate.

Cougar Town actress Cox says the Power Plate was essential in shaping her up for her new role: "The Power Plate machine has dramatically changed my workout. I know that every muscle in my body is being ignited in ways that you can't do with traditional training."

To see a video of Cox's trainer Michelle Lovett demonstrating the Power Plate, read more.

They call the technology behind the machine Acceleration Training: the vibrations transmit energy waves to the body that are able to contract muscles 25 to 50 times per second. This is suppose to help stimulate blood flow, work the muscles harder than ever before, and increase strength and flexibility.

Vibration training is not a new thing in the fitness world (remember the black rubber belts that used to go around the waist to shake off fat?), but it's been picking up steam especially as it garners more backing from the medical community and health professionals.

Studies done on the effects of vibration training show that if used properly, it's more beneficial at building lean muscle mass, improving weight loss, and increasing strength and speed than exercise regimens without vibration training. Researchers warn that the machines should not be used for more than 30 minutes a day due to health concerns about engaging the body in high-amplitude vibrations like back pain or blurred vision.

I remain a little skeptical, mostly because I can't get the Shake Weights infomercial out of my head, but my curiosity is piqued. My gym doesn't have a Power Plate yet, does yours? I'd love to hear what you think of this new workout.

Another Reason to Work Out With a Group

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:57 -0700

Exercising alone can be lonely, but it may actually feel more painful. New research found that when training together members of the Oxford crew team had higher pain thresholds. Misery loves company, even in the fitness world!

When paddling in a group, the rowers were able to tolerate twice as much pain than when rowing alone. I know rowing relies on intense synchrony, but there's no reason you can't tap into the group mentality during a group run or boot camp. I suggest scheduling at least one, if not more, group exercises weekly to help increase the intensity of your workouts. I know I bike farther and run faster when working out with my gal pals.

Jessica Biel to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

FitSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:45:24 -0700

It looks like Jessica Biel is taking her recent roll of the earnest Salvation Army captain Sarah Brown in the musical Guys and Dolls to heart. She just volunteered to climb a mountain for charity.

We all know that Jessica Biel is no stranger to working out hard. We've seen the athletic actress running sprints at the track and doing crazy-hard boot camps. Well, Jess has signed on for a big adventure - climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest, free-standing mountain in the world. The climb is part of an awareness and fund-raising campaign for Summit on the Summit, a group dedicated to educating the public about the need for clean drinking water worldwide.

To see if JT will be joining her on the climb, just read more.

Jessica explained why she was joining the celebrity team of mountaineers, including Lupe Fiasco and Isabel Lucas, like this, "This is a basic human necessity that needs to be addressed now. [I want] to help any way I can in order to raise awareness toward the life-threatening clean-water crisis happening not only in Africa but around the world." On the boyfriend front, Justin told Jimmy Kimmel back in August that he was planning to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and it sounds like he has been training for quite some time.

Sounds like a fun adventure and a great cause. Go, Jess go!

Teri Hatcher to Try a Tri

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:30:03 -0700

Along with learning to play guitar and ballroom dance, Teri Hatcher explained that running in a triathlon was on her "bucket list." I am not sure how the guitar or the dancing are coming along, but her "bucket list" will soon be one item shorter, because Teri was tapped by Disney, parent company for her show Desperate Housewives, to lead a team at the upcoming Nautica Malibu Triathlon. The race is scheduled for September 13, and Terri has upped her regular training. She recently told People, the running is her least favorite segment of the race. About the four mile run that completes the race Hatcher said, "It's the least fun for me. By that point, I'm really tired, so the whole time I'm thinking, 'I'm not going to make it.'" Her participation in the triathlon will be doing more than whipping her into even better shape, Hatcher will be raising money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. What about you? Is participating in a triathlon on your "bucket list"?

Talking With Amazing Race Winner Tammy Jih

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700

When you're at the gym strength training, it's unlikely that you imagine yourself hauling a 50-pound block of cheese uphill or dead-lifting a pig on spit. However, if these fantasies entertain you, you should consider auditioning for The Amazing Race. I spoke with half the winning team from this season, Tammy Jih. She's a corporate lawyer in San Francisco and totally charming to boot. Not only do we live in the same town, but we both work out with the same trainer, Hannah, at Equinox - it's a small world. The Amazing Race is an intensely physical competition. Having never been athletic, Tammy started training in the pool once she knew she would be on the show. She didn't know really know how to swim and was certain there would be a water challenge. What she didn't know was that she would be swimming in Beijing, in the warm-up pool used by the Olympians, wearing a LZR suit. Learn what Tammy found to be the hardest challenge when you read more.

Aside from wearing a state-of-the-art swimsuit, the other fitness clothing Tammy swears by is lululemon. She told me

"I brought one pair of pants and one pair of capris that were both lululemon, but that material just works so well in the warm and the hot that I wore the capris under the long pants when I needed like a double layer . . . oh, it was cold! We went to Siberia . . . so it was cold!"

Unfortunately the challenge in Siberia involved running in underwear, and of course the challenge was filmed from behind. After going through so many challenges that pushed her emotionally as well as physically, this challenge was the hardest for her. She explains:

"I kept saying 'stop filming me from behind!' and I kept getting yelled at by the producers saying 'stop talking to the camera!' and I said, 'I don’t think you understand. No woman wants to see what they look like from behind in movement and in underwear!'"

In retrospect Tammy says she wished she had done more strength training before the show, but she still works out twice a week with Hannah and now she strength trains. She said, "Sometimes I imagine that we're still racing! When I'm running outside sometimes I'm imagining 'Oh! [Host of the show] Phil's going to be waiting for me, I better hurry up!'" The Amazing Race continues to inspire Tammy, even after she she won. Pretty cool, no? I probably won't be auditioning for the show anytime soon, but I am definitely going to watch next season. How about you?

Photo courtesy of CBS