Emily Batty "Stepping It Up" at Worlds

Avoiding 'Ruts'

It happens to everyone, you do the same workout everyday, the same routine every week, the same route each ride AND you start to get bored or even plateau. The challenge may disappear, fitness may stop increasing ... or even decline!!

One of the best ways to keep yourself out of 'ruts' is to mix things up. Do a different route, vary a workout with a different cadence (work at a bit lower RPM to make things more muscular) or interval duration (instead of the same old 3 or 4 x 10 min ... go for 30min on or maybe 20min/15min/10min/5min). A weekly series can substitute for the same old weekly threshold workout every now and then. Your morning push-ups could become push-ups on an exercise ball or push- ups with one leg in the air.

There are infinite ways to keep your workout fresh and new no matter how restricted you are for time to ride, routes to explore or level of experience.

Let us know how you keep your workout fresh through the comments section below!

Food for Fitness - Cherries

I have been enjoying cherries the last few weeks as they have come into season and on sale !

The benefits of cherries seem to be overshadowed by other 'superfruits' like blueberries and pomegranate (which are very good in their own right).

The Cherry actually provides several benefits in addition to their great taste and variety of forms (dry, juices, fresh, frozen). These include significantly high amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, magnesium and folate. Look for darker cherries as this should indicate a greater concentration of antioxidants.

One interesting benefit I just read about was the cherry's status as one of few foods that contain melatonin naturally. Melatonin is a hormone that helps with immune function and also plays a large role in falling asleep. This hormone decreases in concentration as we age and some studies have shown increased sleep quality after adding cherries to the diet. A further idea would be to utilize cherry products during flights and time zone change to help support the body through the stress of the flight and adjustment to new sleeping pattern. Consuming a handful of dried cherries (melatonin higher in the dried variety, but present in all forms) during the flight and about an hour before bed once arriving should help. Including them before bed 1 night for each hour time difference can also help ease the transition once at your destination and when returning home.

Additionally, recent studies have showed cherries (esp. tart/sour variety) are helpful in reducing inflamation. This is acredited to the fruit's possession of a phytochemical called anthocyanins, which control the inflammation caused by oxidative stress associated with auto-immune diseases. Interestingly muscle inflammation has been found to be reduced in several studies with athletes over the past few years after daily cherry consumption was introduced to the diet.

The benefits of cherries can be obtained in fresh, frozen, canned or juice forms of cherries. Fresh Cherries should be stored in fridge to prolong their life as they do not ripen further once harvested.

Add another fruit option to your nutrition plan and you will not be disappointed!