I just read an interesting article about the impact of stress in our lives.  And yes – stress is certainly an issue.  But sometimes I think we forget that there are two parts to the impact of stress… Stress – in and of itself- isn’t a “bad” thing. It’s what makes us stronger, faster, more educated, closer in our relationships, etc. Rather, stress is only a problem when the amount of stress exceeds our capacity to tolerate it. Too often, we focus on the outside issues (the stress) rather than enhancing our own ability to tolerate that outside stress. Take a triathlete, for example. As a new participant, running a 10K after the swim and the bike portion of the event is “stressful.” It’s difficult … MORE→

Ok Gang – we went with the longer intervals last week with minimal rest.  This week we’ll sneak in a little more rest (but then of course target faster split times).  Here’s the plan: 10 minute warm-up 3 x 3 min with 2 min rest 4 x 2 min with 2 min rest 2 extra minutes rest after last one 6 min at 5K race pace or faster 10 minute warm-down

If you’re doing a longer “tempo” type of run during the week, this workout provides a slightly shorter distance intervals this week as follows: 10 minute warm-up 5 min run/3 min jog 4 min run/2 min jog 3 min run/2 min jog 2 min run/1 min jog Repeat 10 minute warm-down 10 minute warm-down

Impressive outcomes on this study out of Harvard University and reported in Reuters:  Women who heed common sense health messages about smoking, diet and exercise can cut their risk of premature death in half, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. Here’s the link to the full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1650682620080917?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

Each year, the Harvest Moon Half Ironman Triathlon includes a Club Competition into the mix.  Different from the standard relay team, this competition involves every member of the team completing the entire event, consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.  Then, the top 4 times, including at least one female team member, are combined to form a total “team time,” with the lowest combined time winning. In their first year as part of the competition, the Wellness Nation team snagged the top spot, 20 minutes ahead of the second place BikeSource team. Here are the detailed results if you’re curious:  http://www.racingunderground.com/harvestmoon/msresHMclubs08.html

Back to some longer intervals this week… 10 minute warm-up 2 x 6 min interval with 3 min jog 2 x 5 min interval with 2 min jog 4 min interval… 2 min jog 3 min interval 10 min warm-down

It’s true!  Lance Armstrong will be returning to professional cycling in 2009.  If you’d like to see him discuss it, here’s a link to his site:  http://www.lancearmstrong.com/ What does this mean to us – as regular people, participating in an employee wellness program?  A lot!  Lance has all the money he can ever spend.  He’s one of the most recognized individuals on the planet.  He’s well respected.  He’s enjoyed staying in shape as a 3-time marathoner.  And yet, he’s not content to settle. In many ways, improving your own health and wellness involves a commitment to ongoing improvement.  Among the thousands and thousands of clients with whom we work, not one person is perfect.  There’s always room for growth, improvement … MORE→

Very interesting.  The finding of a gene that was related to obesity has been found to be insignificant in the face of physical activity. According to the study, “Vigorous physical activity can help even people genetically prone to obesity keep the weight off, U.S. researchers said on Monday. They said a study (published in the Archives of Internal Medicine) among a group of Amish people found those who had an obesity-related gene called FTO but were very physically active weighed about the same as others who did not carry the gene.” For the full article, see this link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0846769020080909?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

This week is a taper week for a few of us, which means less volume but greater intensity.  As a result, this week’s track workout will involve full recovery between intervals and a variety of distances… 10 minute warm-up 5 min interval… 5 min jog 2 x 3 min interval… 3 min jog 6 x 90 seconds at highest sustainable pace with 2 min jog in between 10 min warm-down

In an interview with Forbes Magazine, John McCain had the following to say about employee wellness: “They should pay dollar one for prevention, because if you have this person for a sustained period, that’s the cheapest way to deliver the care. Don’t let them get into the acute-care system. Keep them out, pay for prevention, pay for wellness–that’d be a much better insurance design to match the kind of health initiatives that everyone thinks [are]necessary, including us.” Here’s a link to the entire article:  http://www.forbes.com/businessinthebeltway/2008/07/22/mccain-economy-holtzeakin-biz-wash-cx_0723adviser.html

In the midst of the busiest 2 weeks of the political year, a new website was launched to assist employers, employees and other interested parties to stay up on the latest news in regards to the potential law that will provide a tax credit to employers who implement an employee wellness program. Interested in reading more?  Here’s a link to the site:  www.WellnessTaxCredit.com