This one assumes you’ll be doing a longer “Tempo” run a few days before this workout. As a result, this provides a workout with shorter intervals to work on sustaining that speed on potentially tired legs. Here you go! 10 Min Warm-up 10 x 1 min with 30 sec rest 3 min jog 5 x 90 sec with 1 min rest 1 extra min rest after last one 5 x 1 min with 1 min rest  10 min warm-down

Call me a dreamer (everyone else does- among other things), but articles like this one out of Wake Forest really makes me wonder when the day will come where we require some sort of action on the part of individuals to accompany their prescriptions.  Here’s the article: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/543855/?sc=dwhr;xy=5040555.  It demonstrates significantly negative cardiovascular effects to certain types of Diabetes drugs.  This isn’t new, nor will it be the last time.  What if, instead of looking for ways to decrease the costs of drugs, we provided a discount to individuals who – in the case of diabetes – demonstrated consistent activity, weight loss and healthy eating (which obviously all go together)?  The result would be far better long-term health for all involved, cost … MORE→

After more of an endurance/pacing workout last week, we’ll focus in more on speed with the additional rest in this week’s workout.  Here’s the rundown… 10 min warm-up 4 x 3 min with 2 min active rest 3 x 2 min with 2 min active rest 3 x 1 min with 2 min active rest 10 min warm-down

Did you see it?  Big announcement last week based on a national survey.  Companies will be facing “ONLY” an 11% increase in their health care premiums in 2009.  Isn’t that fantastic news? Are you kidding me?  11% increase is good news?  Is anyone else laughing along with me?  Can you imagine if your accounting costs went up 11% (for the 8th straight year)?  Or what if your lease jumped 11% again.  Would that be good news?  Fortunately, some forward-thinking companies have stopped covering their eyes.  They’ve stopped being shocked by the annual increases and started taking action.  They’re initiating an employee wellness program that will not only reduce those health care (and disability!) costs over the long run, but will also … MORE→

This week, we’ll be working on sustaining leg speed over long periods, running a total of 15 two minute intervals over the 40 minutes of our work set.  Here are the details: 10 min warm-up 10 x 2 min interval with just 30 seconds rest in between.  Goal is to maintain your pace throughout, in spite of the minimal rest 5 x 2 min intervals with 1 min rest 10 min warm-down See you there!  Or, for those of you who are accessing this workout remotely (which is entirely fine), we’d love to hear your comments on how it went.

On a beautiful day, Wellness Nation Coaches Cathy, Ann and Jennifer joined several thousand triathletes in the Tri for the Cure event in Colorado.  

Not a week goes by where I don’t hear something along the lines of “I don’t run because it’s bad for you.”  The individual will point to a specific “case study” of someone who died in a marathon or the death of a famous “runner” like Jim Fixx as their own personal research. I have to admit, that while I do my best to engage the individual in a conversation of reason (ie, reminding them that Jim Fixx was a long-time smoker with heart issues before taking up running and likely extended his life span – not shortened it – through his love of running), inside I’m rolling my eyes a bit. Start with the bones and joints (“it’s bad … MORE→

Several people coming off of longer events this weekend but few with “A” races in the immediate future.  So we’re going to do a workout that starts with a little more consistent effort over longer periods and then reverse it and do higher intensity at the end, but with equal active rest included: 10 min warm-up 3 x 5 min interval at 5k pace…2 min active rest 5 x 2 min interval at mile pace or faster… 2 min active rest 10 min warm-down

Employee Wellness obviously isn’t about high energy at all costs.  The impact of high caffeine drinks has now been shown to have a clearly negative impact, as demonstrated in this article from Reuters: “Just one can of the popular stimulant energy drink Red Bull can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, even in young people, Australian medical researchers said on Friday. The caffeine-loaded beverage, popular with university students and adrenaline sport fans to give them “wings”, caused the blood to become sticky, a pre-cursor to cardiovascular problems such as stroke.   “One hour after they drank Red Bull, (their blood systems) were no longer normal. They were abnormal like we would expect in a patient with cardiovascular disease,” … MORE→

On Sunday, August 3rd, participants in the unique Ready…Set…Live! weight management program passed another landmark, as participants completed the Evergreen Town Race 5K event.  Jennifer (pictured with Brad and Suzanna of Wellness Nation), drastically exceeded her expectations in the program, completing the event with a smile on her face and skip in her step.  “4 months ago, I didn’t think there was any way I could do this,” she said with a grin, “and now I just completed my first ever 5K!!” The Ready…Set…Live! program starts with 8 weeks of developing healthy habits, followed by gradually preparing for a specific event (usually a 5K, but many alternatives are available).  Participants consistently enter the program thinking – like Jennifer – that it’s … MORE→

Ben Greenfield recently interviewed Wellness Nation CEO Brad Cooper for his national “Train for Top Dollar” program.  Here’s the link to the podcast if you’re interested in hearing the interview in full (approximately 15 minutes in length):  http://www.trainfortopdollar.com/trainfortopdollar

Panorama Orthopedics, one of the largest and most respected orthopedic practices in the region, has proven itself to also be one of the most forward-thinking.  They already have designed their employee wellness program through Wellness Nation, and now have decided to include dependents of employees in their wellness program. “It’s encouraging to work with a company like Panorama Orthopedics who really understands the far-reaching value of including dependents in their employee wellness program,” said Brad Cooper, CEO of Wellness Nation.  “They clearly see this not only as a way to save money on health care costs over the long haul, but also see value in terms of recruitment and retention for employees, which may turn out to be an even larger cost … MORE→

A diet loaded with omega-3 fatty acids from fish may prevent atherosclerosis over a lifetime, researchers found. Higher intake of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids appeared to entirely account for the lower intima-media thickness and coronary artery calcification seen among Japanese men living in Japan compared with Japanese-American and Caucasian-American men, according to an observational study published in the Aug. 5 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The results suggested that diet, rather than genetics, accounts for the two-fold lower coronary heart disease mortality in Japan than in the U.S.  Here is the complete article:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/tb/10300

With several people looking forward to a big race this weekend, the following will privide more extensive rest between intervals and a focus on getting those legs moving… 10 Min Warm-up 4 min interval at 5K Pace 5 min active rest 5 x 2 min interval with 3 min active rest 6 x 1 min interval with 2 min active rest 10 min Warm-down