The Sweat-Less Commute
In this new economy and our heightened awareness of the state of natural resources in the world so many people are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and one of the biggest impacts is reducing or cutting , but in our auto-centric landscape that we have created this can be difficult to achive for all but the most avid and dedicated bikers.
If you find you can’t afford to drive your car in this “New Economy” , get yourself a hybrid that uses no gasoline. The two power sources: electricity and your thighs. The current crop of EBikes, the electric-assist bikes that appeal to urban commuters who want an alternative to their car or any other form of transportation that requires them to find parking or buy gas.
For commuters who like the idea of riding a bike to work, but who hate the idea of being sweaty on arrival, Ebikes do just that. The intention here is less on bikes for the spandex crowd and more for those pedaling to a job. Or at least a job interview. These EBikes a great alternative to getting into a car. With improvements in technology (thanks in part to developments on the electric-car front) this trend is moving toward commuters, baby boomers and those who want to shrink their carbon footprints. So when thinking of how to decrease my carbon footprint I thought of cutting out the middle portion of my commute. The small steps do count and as it gets lighter later and warmer during those early mornings you may find me out on the paths more and more.
My A2B Ebike , from UltrMotor, looks very much like a regular bicycle except that it has some very heavy-duty looking components and a wide center stem where its lithium-ion battery (recyclable) is housed. It doesn’t require any kind of license or special permit, as does a motorcycle or scooter. This means that a new buyer could jump on it and get going without any kind of bureaucratic runaround at the DMV .This is also a zero-emissions scooter that just happens to be an electric bike. And the A2B gets lots of attention. When people see me riding it they do a second take and the experience of riding is truly exhilarating.
These bikes are way too much fun. Sure, you can pedal them hard, but faced with a hill on the way home from work, who could resist switching on the juice? My Ebike, the A2B, is extremely easy to ride, stable and solid-feeling. The procedure is simplicity itself. Hop on, turn the key to A or B “on” position, start pedaling and then twist the motorcycle-type throttle and you’re off with lots of zip for climbing hills or cruising at 20 mph. Range is 20 miles, and a full charge takes 3.5 hours. The charger plugs into a wall plug and into a three-point outlet on the side of the bike. And with my new Solar Panels on top of the garage I am really…”riding on Sunshine!”
Take it Outside!
Now that spring has sprung, it’s time to trade in your regular indoor workout sessions for some outdoor activity. As the sign in the front window of my studio, The Train Station says : “Ready or not, here comes summer”
Even just a few minutes out in the fresh air can have an immediate effect. You can give your self-esteem a lift, brighten your mood and increase your lifespan. I’m talking about activities like walking around town, gardening, or taking a bike ride. These are simple things that can lead to improvements in both your physical condition and your mental state.
Got a lake, river or creek nearby? Here in Sebastopol the nearby Laguna de Santa Rosa has easily accessible hiking trails. A recent study suggests that the increased benefits of “taking it outside” is especially true if you live near water. “There was a significant increase in people’s self-esteem and mood, particularly when they exercised in the wilderness or by water,” Jo Barton, co-author on the study,observes: “Historically we are drawn to water to survive.” So why is being outdoors so good for you? It’s a natural reaction, according to Barton. “It is in our genetic make up to be at one with nature.”Getting outside for twenty or thirty minutes doesn’t sound like much but short bursts of exercise combined with a good “hit of fresh air” can make all the difference.
On a larger scale, our runaway costs for health care could be dramatically decreased by patients using exercise as a cure. “There is a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to ’self-medicate’ more with green exercise,” she said. In my fifteen years of experience training folks to achieve their fitness goals, I have seen first hand that a just a small amount of exercise can have an incredibly huge effect on a person’s life.
So is it time to stop going to the gym or working out with a personal trainer? Not necessarily… the bottom line is that you have to choose an exercise routine that’s right for you, and if that routine involves a treadmill, an elliptical trainer or an air-conditioned fitness studio, so be it. Even so, you should make an effort to get outside every day, even for a few minutes, … it might do you a world of good!
Just Breathe.
Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjzitek/
Have you ever noticed that when you lift something heavy your natural reaction is to hold your breath?
When performing strength training exercises, most people have the natural tendency to hold their breath. When I train people, I always tell them to exhale with the exertion or to“blow the weight up”. When you hold your breath while lifting heavy objects, not only does your blood pressure rise, but you can also get a lasting headache and in very extreme cases even burst a blood vessel.
So if this is true, why do we have a natural instinct to hold our breath, especially as things get harder to lift?
The simple explanation is that when you hold your breath and tense your muscles you are creating air pressure inside your abdominal cavity. This pressure serves to stabilize your spine by acting as a support beam, or pillar for your spine, minimizing anterior stress when you’re trying to lift something. The technical term used by scientists, doctors and other people with like minded brains is the Valsalvic manuever.
Valsalva is a natural, pre-programmed instinct which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If you are a cave man, way back in the day, about to heave a giant bolder and the lumbar support belt (emblematic of all UPS deliveries) hasn’t been invented yet, some extra stabilization on the inside could be useful.
Problem arises, however, when you try to sustain Valsalva for any period of time. That same protective pressure which supports your spine also cuts off your blood flow, raising your blood pressure and lessening the blood return to your heart, making it harder and harder for your heart to pump oxygenated blood to your muscles.
So remember to “blow the weight up”
Or in other words, as the weight (your body or an external weight or resistance) is being lifted, exhale your breath. Conversely, as the weight is being lowered, inhale. Using this method you will deliver a continuous supply of fresh oxygen to the lungs, to the blood, and to those muscles you are working. In general, unless you are a heavy weight lifter, the issues are small but knowing what is going on inside your body might just help you to remember next time to, “just breathe”.
