Happy October everyone! In Madison, we are still experiencing temps in the mid to upper 70s. While I will never turn away some good old sunshine, I am ready to wear my hoodies and fleeces. A couple posts ago, I mentioned Dr. Michael Joyner- a physician and exercise physiologist based out of The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He writes a weekly online article for Outside Magazine, and one of his recent posts summarizes a study that correlated how fast you could do a "sit-to-stand" test and life span. While these types of correlations are complicated and definitely do not prove causality, he brought up a great point- we need to have good cardiovascular "engines" as well as athleticism.
Having been a swimmer for most of my life, I have self-proclaimed "swimmer coordination" (aka- clumsy, unable to catch a ball, awkward on land). I have been "in shape" most of my life, but my athleticism in general terms is lacking. My competitive days in one sport are long gone, so I don't have any excuses to not work on athleticism. For the past 6 months or so, I've made an effort to expand my athletic horizons. This includes strength work (circuit training, TRX), yoga, & interval training in swimming and running. I do have belief that I can be a "coordinated" athlete, and with a move to Utah in a few months I plan to expand even more including:
1. Skate skiing (the type of x-country skiing where you push each leg back and out to the side)
2. Road biking (hills, hills, & more hills!)
3. cyclocross- I have always been intrigued with this sport
Don't be scared to test your athleticism by trying new sports and/or exercise classes. It's easy to default to what you enjoy the most, but "mixing it up" is good for your health.
Having been a swimmer for most of my life, I have self-proclaimed "swimmer coordination" (aka- clumsy, unable to catch a ball, awkward on land). I have been "in shape" most of my life, but my athleticism in general terms is lacking. My competitive days in one sport are long gone, so I don't have any excuses to not work on athleticism. For the past 6 months or so, I've made an effort to expand my athletic horizons. This includes strength work (circuit training, TRX), yoga, & interval training in swimming and running. I do have belief that I can be a "coordinated" athlete, and with a move to Utah in a few months I plan to expand even more including:
1. Skate skiing (the type of x-country skiing where you push each leg back and out to the side)
2. Road biking (hills, hills, & more hills!)
3. cyclocross- I have always been intrigued with this sport
Don't be scared to test your athleticism by trying new sports and/or exercise classes. It's easy to default to what you enjoy the most, but "mixing it up" is good for your health.