Thursday, October 29, 2009

Here are a few tricks to stay away from the treats

This time of year can really throw me off of my diet and training plans. I have four kids who will be hauling home big sacks full of tasty candy and treats and then all of the left over from the trick or treaters that didn't come.That candy will be around tempting me along with all of the other Autumn treats pies, cookies, hot chocolate, carmel corn. mmmmm... and then Christmas is only 7 weeks away and we start into the christmas nummies.If you are like me and have a major sweet tooth then you know what kind of will power and discipline it takes to control your sweet tooth from Halloween through Christmas.

Here are some of my tricks to avoid the treats.
Allow myself a certain number of treats per week so that I don't feel totally deprived.
Have a competition with a friend to see who can stick to a one treat a week diet. Put $ on the line.
Send all the left overs candy and goodies to work with my husband, the guys there have no guilt.
Don't put the nummies out on the counter at home, it makes it too easy to snack on those instead of making a healthy snack choice. Out of sight out of mind.
Here are some other tricks that I found that we can try together.
Chew sugar free gum instead
Eat something with mint, it nautrally curbs a sweet tooth.
Brush your teeth
Get busy- occupy your time with something outside of the kitchen. You will likely forget about the treat.
Be sure to eat regular meals with protein and complex carbs so you are not hungry and looking for a quick sugar fix.
When you have a craving, go do sit ups or go for a walk or some form of exercise for 10 minutes. This will usually curb your sweet tooth and help you make a better snack choice.
Have sugar free treats available to fill your need
Eat fruit- it is sweet and will many times fill the sweet tooth cravings.
Freeze small squares of dark chocolate and savor one a day or when a craving hits.
Try a chewable vitamin C, along with boosting your immune system it is also known to help with cravings.
Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Follow up - Running Clinic

Thanks to Tom Miller and Glen Gerner the running clinic was great.
Tom talked a lot about learning to run smarter not harder.
Many Footbikers are runners first and use Footbiking as a crosstraining tool just as Tom Miller suggests. His clinic gave a lot of good information about running form, about the mechanics of our muscles, about listening to our bodies and our feet, proper breathing and
he gave a lot of tips about running from a mental aspect.
Many of the things he talked about can be applied to Footbike training or any sport really,
I was glad I went. I have a lot to work on.
Keep up the hard work and maybe we can all have the same spunk as Mr. Tom Miller
when we are in our later sixties.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Running Clinic with Tom Miller Author of Programmed to Run

On Tuesday October 27th at 7PM I am going to the Wasatch Running Center for a running clinic.
All are invited to come. There is no cost. Just show up it should go for about an hour.
Tom Miller, who is the author of the book Programmed to Run
will be the speaker at the clinic.
I know many Footbikers don't or can't run any longer,
but for those of us who still do this could be a great clinic.
I have not been able to get my hands on a copy of this book yet, but I am told that Tom Miller uses a Footbike or a scooter similar to a Footbike in his training and
references it in his book as a cross-training tool.
Glen and the guys out at Wasatch Running Center have a Footbike out at their shop right now that they have been using and showing to customers so for those of you who don't know what a Footbike is and need to satisfy your curiosity go to the Wasatch Running Center and check it out, try it out, give me a call if you have any questions and we will see you next Tuesday at the clinic.
8946 South State Street, Sandy www.wasatchrunningcenter.com
See you there!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Footbike Story, by Sarah Cox

January 2009

August 2009


One year ago this month (August) I got on a Footbike for the first time. I had no idea at the time where that would take me, but this is how it started for me.

Two big boxes showed up at the house one August afternoon in 2008, this in itself was the most exciting event for me in days. Hmmm…. Maybe I should back up. In March of 2008 we were blessed with not one, but two beautiful babies. Yes Twins, to make a total of 4 children under the age of 6. Now with our first two babies I was determined to not let kids slow me down. They joined us, right? We went everywhere and did everything we always had and just brought the kids along, snowmobiling, hiking, camping, biking, snow shoe hiking, boating, snow skiing, running- you name it we did it, and had a great time at it. The boys just thought that was what people did. The outdoors and fitness was a big part of their lives from the beginning.
When I found out I was having twins I was terrified! Frightened of the pregnancy, afraid about how to handle two babies and totally perplexed about how to get out of the house by myself with four kids when two of them were infants. Well I didn’t get out. I basically confined myself to my house after several attempts because it was so overwhelming to even get everyone to the car let alone get them out of the car in a public place and have two screaming babies and try to keep track of two other kids. Let’s just say that I went an entire month on one tank of gas in my car and not because I was being so green. When Chris (my husband) would come home from work he was so great and helped to get me out of the house at least once a week, despite my overwhelming lack of desire. We would go to the store (a total nightmare for me) or for a drive, go on walks or small hikes. This was the only exercise I was getting at the time. Most of my days just consisted of diapers, feeding and cleaning.
Okay so now back to the Footbike story. When the boxes showed up it was an exciting event for me. Chris took the pieces and parts and built up two shiny new Footbikes. What strange looking things, but kinda fun to kick up and down the street in front of the house. OOOOOHHH….. and I feel that working my gluteus maximus and quads and hamstrings and everything else that has been dormant for about a year. This is fun! Weeeee!!!! I wonder if we can take the family out on a kick around the neighborhood. Sure enough- Put the babies on our backs and the boys on their bikes or scooters and off we go. The babies fell asleep- Total bonus! We went to the school and rode around the track a few times and then back home. The next night, I wanted to do it again. I found a freedom from the movement. I remembered how much I like to move my body, I remembered how much I like to have my heart pump. I remember how good it makes me feel mentally, physically and emotionally to get outside and get some exercise. Footbiking was fun, it was something I could do with my family, and it was something that raised my heart rate and made my muscles feel stronger. I became an instant addict. I wanted to go more and more. I found a friend who was crazy enough to get up at 6:30 several mornings a week to go out and kick with me. We started at the end of September and by the end of October we were doing about 5 miles each ride. Then at the beginning of November the snow came and the Footbikes were hung up for the winter. I kept up with my morning exercising okay by doing aerobics a couple of times a week, but I really had an itch all winter long for better weather so I could go out kicking. Finally in March the snow melted enough to start kick’n in the mornings again. My friend Brandy who is also a Footbike addict joined me again for our early morning kicks. At the end of March we got a crazy idea that it would be fun to Footbike a marathon. After working things out with Hyrum the race director of the Utah Valley Marathon, we began our training. We were dedicated. I set up a training schedule of 3-4 medium kicks each weekday with a long kick on the weekend. Gradually we worked up to 10 miles, to 13 miles, 15, 18, 21 and then 26. Wow I remember the Saturday morning I hit 26 miles. I was so exhausted. My muscles ached I was so drained, but at the same time I felt great. I was on top of the world. I knew I could finish the race. We kept up our training doing hills, and long distances. Race day came and it was awesome. There was so much energy and excitement. There were 10 racers in all. It was a rush to be a part of the event. It was exhilarating to cross the finish line. I took first place in the women’s Footbike division. Wow pretty cool and then a couple of days later I found out that I now held the Women’s US record for the marathon distance on a Footbike. Me???? Now that is cool, I have never held a record before. Now What? Brandy and I kicked a few times over the next couple of weeks and enjoyed our leisure kick, but what could we work toward now? What was the reason to get up at 6 AM? Was it enough to get up early just because we like Footbiking, because it is fun, because it is good exercise? We kept it up the morning kicks, but not as serious for a couple of weeks. I did two charity rides, which were fun. Then Chris and I were invited to become members of Team Footbike USA and train for the World Championship Footbike races in Italy in 2010. Wow, what an honor. Can I do it? Do I have what it takes? I spent the next few weeks training harder trying to pick up speed, studying up and deciding if this was something I wanted to do. I decided that YES! I was in. I wanted it, I love it, and it is thrilling. I love how this makes me feel. I enjoy pushing myself harder each day to go a little faster a little farther a little harder. Brandy my kicking buddy moved away. Would this be the end of Footbiking for me? Was I dedicated enough to do this without someone to meet at 6 AM. YES! I have set up a new training schedule and found that I have it in me to do this on my own. I do this for me! This is my time, this is my passion, this is my hour each day to reflect, to think, to relieve stress, to plan, to relax, to exercise, to accomplish something, to start my day off with some fresh air and adrenaline. I love how I feel, I love how I look, and I love to have something to work toward. I love the feeling of accomplishment. I love to compete. I love getting better everyday.
I LOVE FOOTBIKING!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

500 MILES


I added it up and my shoes now have
over 500 kicking miles
on them.
My shoes were feeling like they are breaking down
so I added up the miles.
A lot like running I think 500 is the magic number.

It is time for new kicking shoes!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

5K Race Results

Here are the race results for the John D. Hawkes 5k
We had a great group of Footbikers.

9 Total Footbikers
7 Women and 2 Men

Thank you to all that participated.

Chris Cox 11:43
Mat Greensides 12:41
Sarah Cox 14:37
Ruth Greensides 14:43
Connie Kitchens 16:17

Marian Decker 16:51
Larene Young 17:29
Daphne Bass 19:06
Amy Donaldson 19:08

Here is a movie of the race for your enjoyment.

Congratulations to Callee. The winner of the Story contest.

Thank you to all who sent in your footbike stories. They were all great and I will post a new one each month. The winner of the contest is Callee. I wish the prize was a Footbike and not just a gift card because I know she really wants her own Footbike. Keep saving. Many of you told me about stories, but never got them into me. The contest is over, but I would still love to have your stories and I will post them here on the blog.

Thanks again.

Here is Callee's Story.



Sure, I will try out your adult sized scooter. How hard could that be? But I am for sure not going to buy one!
That was my first thought about the Footbike when Sarah called and asked if I would like to try one out for awhile.
My first day with the Footbike, I mapped out a 3 mile trail that I would follow. The trail was on a flat road and had no hills. This would be easy! I made it about ½ miles and my legs were burning, I was sweating buckets and my heart was racing so fast. I turned around and came back home and was so mad that I was so out of shape that I couldn’t push myself farther on the Footbike.
The next day after realizing that this wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be, I paced myself and repeated that day after day and each day I went a little farther. I was so surprised on how many body parts I could feel getting a good workout. I loved feeling the burn in my butt and legs. It was instant gratification for me and not to mention that it was FUN!
Each day I would go out on the Footbike, put my iPod on and just “Kick It” –It was a great stress release for me; I was able to work out and actually enjoy it. I got a lot of stares from people and one person pulled their car over to ask me what it was, I was excited to explain it to him.
Then I received the dreaded phone call from Sarah. “Hey Callee, we need to come and pick up the footbike”
I actually was very sad and miss being able to exercise with the Footbike. I am anxious to buy one and get started with entering marathons and other activities with the Footbike

Thanks for the great opportunity to enjoy the Footbike.
Callee
Tooele, Utah