Nutrition

     Having been a track coach for over thirty years, I realize the importance of nutrition to physical performance.  I am increasingly aware that my athletes do not take in the nutrients necessary for optimal performances.  As a result I have added advice on diet to the many aspects of coaching.

         I concentrate on teaching athletes a revised food pyramid which emphasizes the importance of eating 9-11 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.  I also advise the intake of more protein than the average noncompeting person.  And of course I teach the importance of drinking lots of water.  A well hydrated system is imperative for the best performances.

     In general, eating a wide variety of fresh, whole (unprocessed), foods has proven favorable to one’s health and athletic performances.  The following links contain useful information about nutrition:

http://www.nutrition.org/

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

http://nutrition.about.com/

http://www.mypyramid.gov/

http://nutrition-for-athletes.com/

New blog

   Yelena Isinbayeva, a russian pole vaulter, won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games.  Her vault of 5 meters earned her both the gold medal and the World Record in the women's pole vault.

   Yelena scaled such heights as a result of years of training.  Yelena's level of fitness allows her to take over 20 high quality vaults per session.  

   Pole vaulters are known for their high level of fitness.  In fact, a study was conducted to rank sports according to their fitness and determined that track and field was number one.  Track and field did their own study and found that pole vaulters were the fittest of all the events.  Is it fair then to say that Yelena is the fittest female athlete in the world?    

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My blogging experience

I am enjoying learning all the aspects of blogging.  I can see how this would be great for my students and / or athletes.  The way the gadgets are set up makes it easy to find pictures, videos or slide shows.  I can't wait to get started on one for the track team.

Personal Fitness Program

     The class was giving the assignment to design a personal fitness program that would include cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength.  They were divided into groups of the 4 to 5 students.  Each group had to collaborate in their effort to design an efficient fitness program.
     To design their program they had to follow the GET SET to get fit steps for training.  The  acronym GET SET spells out the 6 steps.  The first step is Goal.  This step establishes the goal of training.  Is the goal cardiovascular endurance or muscular strength?  If the goal is strength then the group needs to establish the specific goals of strength development?  The second step is Exercise.  Based on the students goal they should create the appropriate exercises to use for their training regimen.  Step three is Times per week.  Each group must determine how many times per week he/she should perform the exercises. Sets and reps is the fourth step.  After selecting the number of sessions per week they needed to decide on the number of reps and sets that they would perform during each training session.  E is for Effort which determines the amount of resistance, or speed that is used when performing repitition.  The final step is the Time of rest between each set of exercise.
      While designing the program they were required to set up one of the strength sessions outside of the weight room or fitness room.  They were limited to the small amount of equipment that was brought into classroom.   

  

Purpose

     The objective of this blog is to provide students with  additional information pertaining to health topics that we do not have time to discuss in class.
     American teenagers need to be conscious of their health.  The lifestyle you adopt now can have a profound affect on your health in the near future.
     In the upcoming posts I will give you some suggestions on easy ways to improve your level of fitness.