OCR training – Infinite Life Fitness

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…Dehydration: Endurance Athletes kryptonite…

As an avid endurance runner, one of the first AND last things that are on my mind when I am getting ready for a race is nutrition. How will I nourish my body to ensure it has the nutrients it needs before/during/after my race AND how can I prepare my body to obtain/maintain hydration.

What is dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated.

Dehydration also can occur in any age group if you don’t drink enough water during hot weather — especially if you are exercising vigorously.

You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment.

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic

How to tell if you are dehydrated:

In Adults

Extreme thirst

Less frequent urination

Dark-colored urine

Fatigue

Dizziness

Confusion

Infant or young child

Dry mouth and tongue

No tears when crying

No wet diapers for three hours

Sunken eyes, cheeks

Sunken soft spot on top of skull

Listlessness or irritability

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic

If dehydration is not taken care of, the side affects can cause some severe body issues.

There are several things that can be done to help someone stay hydrated for normal day-to- day activities OR for those that are getting ready for athletic activities.

Drink water before, during, and after any physical activity that you do
Avoid or limit alcoholic beverages (studies have shown that consuming alcoholic beverages actually dehydrates your body MORE than it hydrates your body).
If you are on a high protein diet, make sure that you are drinking additional water to help aid your body with digestion and processing the food that you consume.
You can use electrolyte tablets, salts, or drinks to help maintain your hydration during vigorous events

I was lucky enough to get to try SaltStick chewable tablets.

When I get the chance to try a product like this, I like to put it to the test. I used and tested this product while I completed several different races:

5k (3.1 Miles)
10k (6.2 Miles)
Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)
25 K Ruck March (15.5 mile Hike with my weighted ruck sack on)

Typically I get slight dehydration issues when I complete a half marathon or during my 15 mile ruck. Typically around mile 10 is when I start to notice some slight issues and I take measures to hydrate more (in addition to already drinking water). I also did these events in weather that was not above 60 degrees. So, the heat was not a major factor for me.

I consumed two tabs before the start of each of the above events which I found to be helpful (from my own personal expedience). I took two more tabs around mile 8 and also at mile 10 to hopefully prepare myself for my usual dehydration symptoms. To be completely honest… I did notice a positive difference in my overall hydration AND my pace was slightly faster than normal.

Believe me… I was somewhat skeptical of this product being able to aid in my hydration AND increased pace for my longer races. But, then I stumbled upon an article and research about SaltStick (CLICK HERE TO READ IT)

Now, to be honest I have been training and pushing myself to become a more efficient runner leading up to these races. BUT, I was not expecting my pace and speed to increase as much as it did (I ran my half marathon 12 minutes faster than normal AND I completed the 25 K Ruck March 15 minutes faster than normal).

Overall Comments:

I was excited but also skeptical to try this product. But, from the times that I tired the product I did not find anything negative to say. The chew-able tabs had a taste similar to the sweet tart candy tablets. They were not overly bitter and they did not cause me to have dry mouth. I also had some tablets on a empty stomach and the tablets did not seem to cause me any issues. The product is sweetened with stevia and is said to be non-GMO, gluten-free, vegetarian, fat-free.

Quality for Price:

These capsules and chew tabs can be purchased online and in stores. Be expected to pay around $22 for a bottle of 100 capsules. The 60 count chew-able tabs are about $15. You can also get individual packs to make them easy to pack/carry during events. In my opinion this is a great price for this quality of product.

Ranking Scale: (on a scale from 1-5)

Price: 4.0

Overall Quality: 4.5

Quality for Price: 4.5

Overall Ranking: 4.33

Closing Remarks:

I would say that I would recommend this product. I enjoyed it and I did notice a slight difference while using this product. I would for sure suggest trying it out on your own to see if it indeed is something that you can regularly incorporate while you endure athletic activities. For more information about SaltStick please CLICK HERE and you will have access to their website and the other products that they offer.

**NOTE: Please make sure to note my product review disclaimer that can be found HERE***

November 8, 2017/by admin

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…Fitness: my lift, my love, my addiction…

Hi…My name is Stephanie. And I have an addiction.

I am addicted to the stale musk of sweat when you walk into a gym…

I am addicted to the sound of weight plates clanging together…

I am addicted to hearing the light humming sounds of treadmills and other fitness equipment…

I am addicted to feeling sore when I wake up in the morning…

I am addicted to the feeling you get when you physically push yourself so hard during a workout that you can’t quite figure out if you are going to pass out or puke (sometimes as the same time…LoL)…

I am addicted to crushing personal records that I know that I was unable to do previously…

I am addicted to pushing myself mentally and physically…

I am addicted to helping those around me see their potential both physically and mentally…

I am addicted for helping to educate, motivate, and inspire someone to get up and make changes in their life so they can help improve the overall quality of their life…

But most importantly…

I get that not everyone will truly understand my desire or need to push myself constantly. Do I know I can do it…yes. But, I have not found anything that I can not do and that is what drives me even further.

This fitness craze for me started in 2012. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been an athlete and I have always been active. Growing up, I played a lot of different sports and remained active even throughout college. It wasn’t until AFTER college that I had the time, resources, and money to dive into doing more athletic activities. I started by first doing a Zombie Run with one of my best friends. The trail run mixed in with mud bath instantly had me hooked. I was not a huge fan of being chased by blood dripping mummies, but I enjoyed the “capture the flag” concept that the race offered. A few months later I signed up for my first Tough Mudder. WHILE I was training for my first Tough Mudder I was also training for my first NPC bikini competition. After that, I did a few more NPC competitions but really started to take a dive into endurance races. For the year of 2016 I wanted to put my focus on endurance races and GORUCK events instead of NPC competitions. And that was one of the best things I could have done.

I spend 2016 traveling, exploring, and living. Most importantly, I spent 2016 doing what I love most…growing my business and pushing myself physically.

me&bri_1

Why do I do these races?

These races are not just about the medal or patch that you get when you complete the race. The race is about the experience and the people. No two races will be alike. You will get to battle some of your own internal demons.

You will question if the training you have been doing was enough. You will question if your strength and overall abilities is enough. You will question if what you are doing is something that you should actually be doing. You will question if you are helping or being a burden to those that are around you. You will have a million other questions rummaging through your brain, but most importunately you will battle and defeat these questions of self doubt.You will conquer those very things that are trying to hold you back. To your surprise, you will also help to push and motivate someone else around you to also push through those same questions and self limiting thoughts/feelings.

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I do these races BECAUSE I CAN. So many people take advantage of the fact that we have bodies that are capable of moving, climbing, pushing, pulling, running, etc. So many people 2nd guess themselves and do not show up to do events that they sign up for. So many people fail to even understand their worth and physical capabilities. If I am able to help just ONE person push past those barriers, that helps for me to validate my efforts. It helps to prove to me that all of the work that I put into my training while people are sleeping, while people are out partying and having fun, while people are inside and I am outside getting tortured by the weather of mother nature is worth the milestone of conquering a feat that was once unconquerable.

Yes, there an be far worse things for me to be addicted to. But, to be addicted to fitness….is that even really an addiction? What could you classify it as? I would like to say that it is apart of me. It is apart of my lifestyle. I am NOT sorry that I am not the type of person to sit at home EVERY weekend (don’t get me wrong a weekend at home is nice…but that is only blissful for a short period of time). If I have the time, resrouces, and money YES I will fill my scheudle with events. Why not explore and travel if I have the ability to do so? If I had the choice to go party at a premiere club or go roll around in the mud, with my ruck, next to 20-100 team mates, in the rain….guess what I would pick? #mudbath #justanotherdayatthespa

From the outside looking in, I guess I can not expect or assume anyone to understand or be able to relate to my feeling of passion about what I do.

If I could just take your hand and walk you through my foot steps, then maybe…JUST MAYBE…you would be able to grasp why I do what I do. I don’t want to put you in my shoes because my shoes are shoes that can not be filled. My ambition and drive is something that can not be replicated but only observed. My dedication to not just to myself, but to my clients and fellow fitness addicts. This dedication is something that is strong and it will take dynamite to even weaken it. It is a bond between conquerors and fellow competitors that can not be broken. No matter how muddy a trail is, no matter how crappy the weather may be, no matter how much it hurts, we are one.

Each day competitors of all facets and sports wake up and train as if there is no tomorrow. Olympic athletes get a pass for their dedication because ” they are training for the Olympics”. But common people get questioned and bantered because they want to regularly attend athletic events? Because their dedication to health/fitness is not within the realms of what “some people” feel is normal? All because we are not training to go to an Olympic event? In your eyes there may not be a master event or title we are trying to win. In our eyes…we are doing what makes us happy. We are doing what gives us a purpose and a meaning. We are doing what gives us life.

August 30, 2016/1 Comment/by admin

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…What to do w/ what it do: DIY RUCK Handle…

When doing any type of endurance event you want to make sure that your gear will perform to handle any/all tasks that are thrown at you. You may learn to adjust or modify the things that you use for events to assist you.

My good friend Kelli came up with a CHEAP and EASY handle that you can attach to any pack that has molle. The idea is to use the molle as an anchor for the handle. This is also a light weight and hazard free method to have an additional handle. All of the material is very durable yet “soft” if you were to drop it, land on it, or come into contact abruptly with the components of the handle.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

approximately 10 feet of 1 inch Nylon webbing (may be found at stores such as REI or any other similar store)
approximately 11 inches of 1 inch (or bigger) Nylon Tubing (may be found at most home improvement store) You want this to be the length of the ruck/backpack that you woul like to add the handle.
Ruck/Backpack (For this project we used a GORUCK GR1 and GORUCK GR0) For the difference of sizing of the other GORUCK bags check out my previous post by CLICKING HERE

Instructions:

you can watch the video at the top of the post or click HERE

Weave nylon webbing through one side of the molle that is on your ruck. (START FROM THE BOTTOM).

You will then RETRACE your step and thread the molle back over the same section

You will pull a little bit of the webbing through the molle (to make sure that you have enough) and you will do the same on the 2nd row of molle that is on the ruck.

After you do this you will want to cinch it down and get the webbing tight and secure. You will use the “tail” (or left over portion) of the webbing to tie the two open ends together when you are done.
Next, feed the other end of the webbing into the tube

Pull all of the webbing tight and snug and weave the webbing on the other side of the back through the empty molle. DO EXACTLY THE SAME TYPE OF WEAVING ON BOTH

Feed the webbing BACK THROUGH the tubing (this can be slightly difficult to do! We used a screwdriver and other tools to help feed it back through the tubing).

Once you feed the webbing back through the tube TIE IT to the loose end that is on the other side of your ruck. Make sure that you use a secure not to ensure that it does not come apart while you are using it. You can knot it and burn the knot to secure it.

I have personally used the handle in 2 HCL’s plus other various events. It has held up to the weather, rough terrain, and the abuse of the events that I have done.

Kelli did not want to charge people for this handle. She wanted this to be something that anyone could use. All that she asks is that you make a donation for the BEWBS event that we are participating in this upcoming 4th of July.

You can make a donation via clicking the link below:

https://www.crowdrise.com/bewbschallenge005/fundraiser/kellimartino/setup_success/member

Let us know if you have any questions! And please feel free to share pics of the handle that you create with us! We would love to see how other people are creating their handles.

Make sure that you utilize a More Solid Backpack for your ruck handle to work properly and last for an extended period of time.

Happy training!

March 30, 2016/by admin

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…What To Do W/ What It Do: GORUCK Packing List…

The packing list is just as important as preparing and training for a event you want to do.

Here are the things that I typically pack in my ruck when doing a GORUCK TOUGH event (12+ hours and 20+ miles). You can also find the official GORUCK packing list here:

ID (drivers license or government issued identification)

$20 (for can fare or to use to purchase food/snacks)

Headlamp and extra pair of batteries

Water bladder (I will usually pack two and leave one bladder empty or other water sources)

PT/Reflective belt

Weight (bricks, sand bag, iron plate, etc. Anything that will help to reach the required weight for my ruck)

Gloves

First aid Kit/foot repair kit

Food/snacks

Tylenol & caffeine pills

electrolytes (tabs or powder that can be added to the water bladder)

straps and carabiners

Dry bag

extra layers of clothing

Duct tape, multi use tool, sharpie

sunglasses and hat

Like I stated in the video you want to make sure to not pack too much! This can be a hindrance to you during any event that you do. You will want to pack only the things that you will need. Simplicity is key!!!

The weight that you choose for your ruck for the event is also important. You want to make sure that the weight will be durable and withstand the whole event. There are various things that can be used (sand, rocks, weight plates, steel plates, diving weights, etc). YOU have to find what will be comfortable to you. AND TRAIN WITH IT so you will know if it will work for you. You want to limit the amount of malfunctions you have for your event via working with and training with all of the things you plan to have during the event. It will also allow you to figure out what you will/will not need. Each person will prefer different things in their ruck. You will have to just figure out what will work the best for you.

Each event will have a different packing list:

GORUCK Light

GORUCK Tough

GORUCK Heavy

SPARTAN Hurricane Heat

Again, simplicity is key! Only pack what you will need. You will be grateful to have the limited amount of clutter and the light ruck for your event.

February 24, 2016/1 Comment/by admin

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…What To Do W/ What It Do: Gear Check…

GEAR IS A VITAL COMPONENT TO TRAINING FOR ANY EVENT.

If you know that you need to use gear for a event, you want to make sure to trouble shoot it and also figure out what will work best for YOU! There are so many options out there. I am simply sharing my opinion and view point on products that I have personally used over the years.

You will want to use it as much as possible so you can see if you have any issues with the gear that you will use during your event.

DO NOT BE THAT PERSON who has gear that is too large, too heavy, or just not functional for the event. Simplicity is key during any event and you want to make sure that your gear is function, easy to access, and can withstand the tortures that your event will throw at you. Some events are team events, so you can use your team as a resource to help you just in case something does happen. BUT if you are doing an individual event, you want to do your best to be ready and to make sure that your gear is ready to complete the event with you.

Bag Reviews:

Tactical Back Pack:

Detailed Description:

Capacity:30L
Constructed with waterproof 600D Nylon material, the backpack is wearable and durable.
1.5 Inch Waist Belt, 1 Inch Sternum Strap, padded and adjustable shoulder straps help relieve pressure on shoulders while carrying heavy loads.
Two large compartments with small pouches inside and two front pockets.

Product Overview:

Great bag for the cost for those who are just starting.
It has a lot of pockets for storage and easy organization for placing things where they can be easily be found.
Waist and chest straps are very helpful and easy to use and manipulate.
MUST MAKE MODIFICATION (shown and mentioned in the above video) to ensure the bag will perform with minimal flaws.
The shoulder straps do lose “cushion” after a while and become uncomfortable (and at times painful) when used for long periods of time.
This bag is NOT waterproof (in comparison to water not seeping into the bag). If it is raining lightly you are OK but a downpour did cause water to leak into the bag. Also being submerged in water the bag did retain quite a bit of water.

GORUCK Bag:

Detailed Description:

Product Overview:

All products on the GORUCK website are made in the U.S.A.
The “GR0” (which I talk about in the above video is now called the “GR1” and you can get it in the 21 L size
All products on the GORUCK website come with a SCARS lifetime Guarantee
There are various sizes to accommodate any persons bag size preference.
If you get an item and do not like it, you can send it back and get your money back (as long as it has not been used).
Bags have a lot of padding on the shoulder straps and provide comfort when bags have additional weight in them.
Bags have several internal pockets for storing/organizing items you may need during your event.
MOLLE provides the opportunity for you to attach other add ons/carabiners/webbing
All bags have 2″x3″ velcro section on the bag so you can attach a patch (which can be earned via completing events OR you can purchase novelty patches).

Questions? Comments? Concerns? PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THEM!

E-Mail me at: [email protected]

In a later video I will go over some suggestions for your Packing list (things to carry in your bag during endurance events).

Please note that all products discussed in this video were purchased by me. I have used them for an extended period of time to create my OWN opinion and views about how well they can perform. I have participated in over 40 events over the past two years. I am just sharing my own personal suggestions, opinions, and views about these products.

February 10, 2016/by admin

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