This weekend another article was published all about upper body strength training with a focus on the core and the pushing movement. It is really important that if you are an athlete that you have the strength to create a strong frame to support your spine and maintain good posture. This article demonstrates progressive exercises to get you from push ups on your knees all the way to more challenging exercises such as push ups on a physio ball on one leg. All it takes is patience, perserverence and practice.
You may be one of those dedicated athlete who does back to back BJJ sessions, or who goes to the gym do weights followed by a run and then stretching. If you are training or working out for anything longer than about 2 and half hours I highly recommend taking an easy and convenient snack with you to literally shove into your mouth as you move onto the next session - regardless if you are hungry or not. Your snack does not have to be fancy, just something that will maintain your blood sugar level and keep your energy up for the next session. Also, by eating something in between, this will keep your metabolism elevated and ensure that your body is more efficient at burning fat rather than storing. Eating too little and going for too long without food is a sure fire way to depress your metabolism so that it processes the calories you consume more slowly and becomes more efficient at storing the calories you do provide. In addition if you train a lot and don't eat regularly, this can compromise your immune system so that you are more likely to get sick.
Here are some very easy, basic snacks to take with you on your training marathons that contain protein, fats and carbs.
1/ Sliced apple and fruit and nut mix.
Half an apple and a handful dried fruit and nut mix is all your need. Make sure to get the mix where the fruit has not be dried with sulphates.
2/ Hard boiled egg with half a banana.
One egg and half a banana should be enough to get your energy levels up without making your feel overly full.)
Any snack will do that contains some sugars which can be broken down by the body easily to provide immediate fuel to the working muscles as well as some protein. The fat keeps things smooth and consistent. These example so some good sources of fat, derived from nuts and the yolk in the egg.
The lagoon, where we can relax after a tough training session
The next Lifestyle Camp is just around the corner, starting April 30th the lucky ladies who have signed up will be enjoying a plethora of yummy home cooked healthy food, BJJ training, and some body balancing which is all necessary when you are an athlete. We will be visiting my favourite mediation center where we will do a guided meditation that will take us to a place of such deep peace and relaxation and also to some zen places near the lakes (who would have thought there were lakes in Las Vegas?)
This is going to be fun! I am looking forward to meeting some more incredible women through the sport we all love!!!
The next camp May 23 has filled up for the Lifestyle spots but there is still the opportunity for those who would like to attend the training camp in preparation for the Worlds. Contact me on Sophiadrysdalefitness@gmail.com for reservations and enquiries.
Try eliminating foods one by one that you may think are causing bloating, to achieve that flat tummy.
Unfortunately there are lots of healthy foods that can make you bloated. Just because a food has a lot of antioxidants or is high in cancer fighting agents such as broccoli, doesn't mean that it will always react well with you. Everyone is different and understanding what works best for your body is really important so you can feel your best and have that flat tummy without looking bloated and feeling uncomfortable. Some foods known to cause bloating are: nuts, apples, avocados, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower just to name a few. Dairy is a food group that is very well known to cause bloating which is why I don't recommend it. In fact due to all the other not so great qualities, the only dairy I recommend is organic greek style yogurt with no added sugar and all the live cultures.
If you are eating 'healthy' and feeling bloated start by eliminating some foods from your diet to see what exactly is affecting you.
BJJ Peeps of Canada on Saturday May 7th! I am heading over to Ottawa ON and I will be demonstrating some spider guard techniques and some smash passing. I will be discussing some ideas on nutrition and eating for weight loss and performance.
Contact www.rollersofthewrorld.com to book your spot.
When training for performance it is important to think outside the box and a time to get creative and have fun!
What a lot of people don't know is that gyms and weight training as we know it do not benefit the typical athlete. Most people do hypertrophy style training which is designed with one end in mind: to build muscle that looks good. Which is fine if you want to be a body builder. However, this type of training won't necessarily help you improve in your sport. Read on on my article published in Breaking Muscle magazine to find out why.
I would like to share with you all my candid podcast interview with the new host John Evans for Jiu JItsu times. In the interview I discuss my divorce and switching academies. I also discuss the differences in teaching women as opposed to men and also my future plans for women's jiu jitsu. Enjoy!
My first Lifestyle camp is over and I say farewell to all the amazing ladies I have met throughout the week with a tear in my eye. This was the most amazing opportunity for me to be able to do what I love best which is to teach, train and connect with even more awesome women. The camp went smoothly with two training sessions a day, a visit to the Rowdey Rollers event, lots of good healthy food and some outings to some nice sites with nature.
The next event is scheduled for the end of April and start of May and is already booked out but I am certain it will be just as amazing. I love how BJJ connects us all.
