Category: Uncategorized

Should I jump on fasted cardio bandwagon?

by Agata, posted in Uncategorized

Have you heard of fasted cardio? Because I have. A lot. Some celebrities enjoy talking how awesome it is. I have found out that Henry Cavill is a big fan. And we’ve all seen a picture of him without a shirt. He has to know a thing or two about working out… So I finally caved in and decided to look into the issue.

What is fasted cardio?

First things first though. It’s when you exercise on an empty stomach. Checking how long you’re not supposed to eat to consider your cardio ‘fasted’ had my head spinning in no time – answers ranged from 4 to 14 hours. The point is to have your insulin levels very low. There are probably a few reasons for different timelines and they will differ from person to person and from day to day. Some people digest food faster than others, so for them, it’s going to be on lower end. Size and nature of the meal will play a huge factor as well. You can probably digest a handful of carrots pretty quickly. Steak dinner – not so much.

Benefits

Fasted cardio is all about weight loss. Research says it’s not meant to improve your performance. When your body doesn’t have glycogen to burn, it turns to fat and protein for the energy. Sounds almost great. Burning protein means tearing down your muscle, which is not great. It can seriously impede your fitness progress.

Not eating before your workout will shorten the time during the day when you do eat and this may be helpful in decreasing number of calories you eat in the day.

Another benefit many people point to is that you can do it first thing in the morning, without wasting time for eating breakfast. Fixing something to eat takes time and then you have to wait a little bit before you can go for your run. You may want to opt for a bit more sleep.

Downsides

First and foremost, your body may turn to your muscle to fuel your run or a ride. Is that really what you want? From what I have read, there is another issue with the fat burning benefit: it only burns more fat while you are working out. Scientists found out that for the rest of the day, you tend to burn less fat. At the end of the day, it’s all about eating less than you burn.

Going back to the second benefit of helping you eat less. Well, it’s a double-edged sword. You may eat less than if you were to eat before and after the workout. On the other hand, you may be more like me and be famished afterwards and eat everything you can get your hands on. Not exactly helpful in limiting your caloric intake…

Your performance during the workout may suffer due to energy depletion. You will feel sluggish and some may get light-headed. That’s not going to make for a good HIIT session, will it? I actually like doing a fasted workout every now and then specifically for those reasons though. Why? It’s for mental toughness actually. It simulates pretty well feeling of hitting a wall during a marathon. So I treat it like a simulation of that stage of a race. There is no science behind it and I don’t believe I have ever heard anybody else talk about it. Just my personal take on the issue.

How to do fasted training?

In my research, I found one guy talking about HIIT sessions, fartlek and such after fasting. He was the only person I found thinking it was a good idea. Remember tearing up your muscle part? The sluggishness? I guess it may speed up your metabolism, but it doesn’t sound healthy. Science says the exact opposite: if you’re doing fasted training, stick to lighter cardio, like a slow bike ride, a walk or a light job. And keep it under an hour. Anything past that – eat something before leaving, even if it’s just a banana or a granola bar. You want to improve your fitness and lose your weight, not hurt yourself.

Should I do fasted training?

Some people love it and say it works for them. Some hate it and think it’s not worth it. It’s not how you work on getting ready for endurance races, but a weight loss strategy. As always: start slow and check with your doctor. Whether you choose this or not: good luck and keep going! You’re doing great 😊

How to prepare for open water swimming?

by Agata, posted in Uncategorized

So it’s summer and your pool is closed, so you want to head out to open water? Or maybe you are planning a race that involves an open water swim? Either way, you need to do your swim practice in open water. There is a number of things you should consider beforehand.

First, here is a list of how to prepare yourself to make sure you can swim in open water safely:

  1. Are you a strong enough swimmer? – I know that most of us thinking of taking on open water swimming know how to swim. However, open water swimming differs some (see my past post on that). You may want to make sure that you are plenty strong to fend for yourself in the open water
  2. Can you spot when you’re swimming? – and by that, I mean see where you’re going. This is a challenging skill. During a race, you can mostly follow the crowds, but if you’re on your own, it can be harder. I should know, last time I went I got quite a bit off track 😆. Part of this is being able to see at all. If you wear thick glasses (ok, contacts – I hate glasses) like me, you need to plan for that. In the pool, you’re pretty safe, since markings are easy to see. In the open water, they will be blurrier and probably not that high above water level. Personally, I love my contacts. I know a few people though that have prescription goggles, so that’s another option to consider
  3. Are you confident enough in the water? – not quite the same thing as being strong enough. Your body may be perfectly fine with an open water swim, but you also have to make sure that your mind is going to work, too. To be fair: you may not be able to tell where you are at on this without actually trying to swim in a lake, river or an ocean, so start slow when you get out

Then there are issues coming from the world around us:

  1. Where to swim in open water? – find an area where open water swimming is permitted – it may sound silly to many. I know that I grew up with plenty of open water options near home. And then I moved to the DC Metro area. I knew there were lakes around and it’s not that far from the ocean, so it can’t be a problem, right? Wrong! Between DC, VA and MD, there are only like 3 places allowing open water swims (I don’t mean beaches for splashing around, I’m talking proper swim practice) and none of them happens to be close to me. Well, unless you consider 2 hour drive close. I don’t
  2. Can you bring support crew with you? – this sort of goes together with your strength and confidence in the water. If you are lucky, you may be able to find a family member or a friend who’d be willing to go in a kayak next to you and ensure your safety from boats, jet ski, help you with direction and if you get tired, provide a place to rest or even a transport back to shore
  3. Are you visible in the water? – when you are out there and alone, it’s helpful to have at least a bit of a safety net. Many swimmers bring a swim buoy (like New Wave Swim Buoy – not a sponsor, but I use their product and enjoy it), which is bright in color, making you more visible. It can also be used as a flotation device. It may not be rescue-grade, but when you are tired, it’s nice to have something to hang onto. Oh, and last but not least: you can put car keys inside and they will stay safe and dry. I think plenty of people put even their phones inside, but I am not that brave
  4. Is it going to be warm enough? – plan if you will need a wet suit. I have been ‘lucky’ that water around has been plenty warm, so I don’t really need one. Down side: I don’t get too accustomed to it before the race (and that’s a whole another problem)
  5. What will be water conditions? – temperature is only one aspect of the water in open water swimming. For most part, that’s mostly a comfort concern. Waves and currents, on the other hand, those are the real deal. Check online or with a lifeguard if there are no riptides or anything of the sort to watch out for. Take a look at the waves and whether the water is choppy – this may be a judgement call, but make sure you give it a solid thought. I heard that on a sprint triathlon the day before my 70.3 Gdynia, they had to fish out over 100 people for whom the water conditions turned out to be too much
  6. Are there any unsafe plants or animals in the water? – and I am not talking just about sharks, although those are worth considering if they are common to your area. How about jelly fish? Ones in the Baltic Sea are just gross, but I heard the ones in the Atlantic can sting pretty badly. Then you can get hit by a stingray. And ton of other sea animals may take issue with you infringing upon your territory. Make sure you know what to expect and act accordingly. It’s less common, but plants in the water may be unsafe as well. I heard that on the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea they have some sort of algae that is very toxic when in bloom. A family friend went for a very early morning swim in the sea and didn’t see any warnings. Well, the lifeguard was putting them up just as the guy was coming out of the water. Yes, he drove himself straight to the hospital (if I recall the story right).

Don’t open water swims sound like fun??? 😜

I know it’s a lot to take in and this article is all about things to be concerned about when going for an open water swim. It’s meant to be a list of things to consider and is not meant to scare you off. Open water swims are truly fabulous and so freeing! Prepare yourself, get out there and enjoy 😊

How to get back to training after a long break?

by Agata, posted in Uncategorized

So probably many of us have missed out on some training due to lockdowns – not allowed to go outside, pools closed, other priorities in life. I have been missing the pool and my strength training had to shift to online format. I also went with a lot of stair climbing instead of regular progression in running and cycling. It helped with speed, but did nothing good for my endurance. I suspect my swimming won’t be up to par once I can get out there again, either.

Let me start with the list as old as idea of exercise that is both given to people who first start working out, as well as returning to it:

  • Ease back into it
  • Set an achievable goal
  • Find workouts you enjoy
  • Stay accountable

Different lists will have a different number of items, but at the end of the day, they are going to be just versions of this small list.

But what if you have been serious about your workouts for a long time, but had a longer break. It may be due to an injury or even recovery after a big race (maybe a bit extended – after all, you need to fully recover and catch up on everything else in life). What now?

I’d say if you are a sport enthusiast with a lot of experience, you are plenty familiar with this list and you know how to get into a workout routine. Your challenge will be coming from your head.

It takes a lot of effort to remember that you lost some fitness. According to scientists, it starts after 2 weeks. So then you end up like me on my attempt at a long run many years ago:

Yes, when it comes to getting back to working out, you are your own worst enemy. You will expect too much. You will get discouraged. You will hate having to put in the ground work again. Here is my advice on getting back to working out:

  • If you get a chance during the break, stay active to minimize losses. For example, if you broke your arm and can’t ride a bike, find out if you can run. Or at least go on solid walks. And do exercises you can, such as leg days, some core and stretching
  • Keep reminding yourself that you are starting a few steps back, so you can’t do it all
  • Pace yourself, so you don’t get yourself injured. I know it’s hard, but you have to
  • Remember: Rome wasn’t built in one day, as the old saying goes. Endurance is built over time, through many, many hours on the road/ in the pool

There is one piece of good news if you are getting back into it: you will be building your fitness back up much faster than somebody who never did it before. The longer you were fit, the better your body’s memory will be. It will still feel awful to see your pace be worse and to tire out so much faster. But you will get there again. You already did it once (or more times?) before.

And for the love of all that is good: be kind to yourself and remember about rest days!

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What you should know about bike helmets?

by Agata, posted in Uncategorized

I have recently brought wrath of some twitter folks by agreeing with another gentleman that I don’t get why somebody wouldn’t wear a helmet while riding a bike and added that when a friend of mine admitted to not having one (his wife has been nagging and he never could get around to it by his own admission), I quickly ordered one for him on Amazon as a present. I genuinely didn’t know that it could lead to that much hate!

Why wear a helmet?

Well, I don’t understand why would people decide not to wear bike helmets on purpose. Maybe if you are cruising by the beach at super-slow speeds for a couple of miles? Well, maybe. But if you are doing something serious – why not?

On Twitter, one of helmet opponents said ‘are you doing it out of fear? That’s stupid!’. Yes, I am afraid to develop a head injury while I crash. Yes, I am afraid that my friend would hurt himself. Hitting your head and getting seriously hurt is a true risk and I mitigate it by wearing a helmet.

I looked into studies of benefits of wearing helmets and yeah, it’s totally worth it. To those who say people who wear helmets get hurt more often: yes, it’s because those also, on average, people who go faster, further and more often.

Enough of me ranting! Time for real information.

Type of helmet

Not all bike helmets are the same, so before you go shopping for one, you should at least know what you are looking at. Start with this: we are talking about bike helmets, so skip ski helmets, hard hats and such – they are meant for a completely different activity and are built with different types of impact and colliding with very different surfaces. So just keep moving through that store aisle (whether real or virtual). Here are your actual choices:

Road helmet

Those are the ones you see most often when you are on a ride. They have a ton of vents, so people’s heads don’t overheat during exercise. Road helmets are not perfectly round, making them aerodynamic.

Commuter helmets

Commuter helmets are similar to road helmets, but frequently come with additional stuff, like those rear-view mirrors or lights. That’s because they are meant for people riding on roads and they are more about being practical when sharing roads with others than about bring sleek and enhancing performance.

Trail helmets

Apparently those are their own class. Their main differentiating feature is reaching lower in the back. May be nice for preventing exposed forehead if you struggle with your helmets sliding back…

Kids’ helmets

You have probably seen them – those are the clunky-looking things. If you’re an adult, that is definitely not the aisle for you. But they are nice good for little ones and tend to provide a lot more coverage, frequently with fewer vents.

Aero road

Aren’t these cool? They are small and very aerodynamic. On the down side: it comes at the expense of vents. If, like me, you live in a place where it gets really hot, you understand why helmets of this type aren’t going to be your go-to for daily exercise…

Downhill mountain bike racing

Combo of a road helmet with vents with mountain bike protection for your face. They are still pretty light and nice, but will probably look a bit silly on a city bike path.

BMX

There is a range of helmets in this category, but you are definitely venturing towards motorcycle look. They will protect your head well on impact, but they will also make you sweat like crazy due to limited air circulation. Also: looks ridiculous when worn on a civilized road away from mountain trails and trick parks.

Chrono

Those are those super cool time trial ones. They are awesome, but I think they are rather out of place on every day roads…

Proper fit

Size

Your helmet should fit snugly on your head. This means it should actually be around your head, not weirdly stuck on top of your head. Helmet is not meant to be able to do a 360 around your head while you’re wearing it. There should be a bit of space, but you shouldn’t be able to turn it around. It should not cut off circulation to your brain, either…

Position

Have you ever seen people with their helmets on the side of their head? Yeah, no… It needs to be straight on top of your head. With the inside of the helmet touching top of your head. It should also be pulled over your forehead without obstructing your view. Those people who wear them all the way in the back, so they don’t have tan lines on their face? They are definitely doing it wrong. Remember: helmets are not there for making you look pretty. But they sure can announce to the cycling community that you aren’t that bright…

FYI: handlebars are not the correct positioning for your helmet. It won’t help you there.

Straps

Use them. They are there for a reason. They should lay flat on your cheeks and be tight (but again: no cutting off circulation) under your chin. In case of a fall, you need the straps to keep the helmet on your head. Let them do their job, it’s the only one they have!

Do helmets expire?

Yes. There is no official law about it, but 5 years is about the right retirement age for your helmet. A few things will happen over that period, not the least of them being progress in technology. Many of us though don’t replace objects just because newer, shinier one became available (although when safety is in question, that’s not quite that wasteful). There are some quite real reasons why your helmet will need replacing though. First of all, there is a good chance that it will be banged up by that time. You may not have had any major crashes (if you do – just replace the helmet because you can’t know for sure that its integrity wasn’t compromised), but it probably came into not-so-gentle contact with other surfaces. You know like accidentally dropping it on the ground by being a klutz or your kids kicking it around just because they thought it was a good idea. The environment will also take a toll on the materials in your helmet. Oils from your head (especially is you sweat a lot). Sunscreen. Sun itself. Rain. Freezing temperatures. And many, many other things. You probably can’t tell that your helmet is getting old, but it’s feeling it!

Please stay safe out there and enjoy the ride!

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