After a long winter of reduced activity or inactivity you might be tempted to get outside and train as soon as the weather improves. You may also be tempted to exercise at the same level you did at the end of the last season. But such enthusiasm often leads to early season injuries. If you changed your routine for the winter, you need to get back into shape slowly. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you head out the door this spring.

• Slow but Steady. Don’t succumb to the weekend warrior syndrome. Try to get some exercise 3-4 times per week on alternate days. One of the best ways to get injured or sore is to go hard all weekend and do nothing during the week.
• Monitor Your Level of Exertion. Use the perceived exertion scale, the talk test, or the heart rate range to help you determine an appropriate intensity level. Stay at the lower end of the scale (11-13) and build up over several weeks.
• Increase Your Training Slowly. Increasing training (mileage, time or amount of weight lifted) more than 10 percent per week increases your risk of injury. To avoid this, increase your training gradually over the weeks.
• Avoid All-Out Efforts Until You Build a Solid Base of Fitness. Depending upon how much inactivity you had over the winter, it could take as long as 6 weeks to re-establish a solid fitness base. Start your exercise program with slow, steady aerobic sessions. When you add intervals or all-out efforts, make sure you allow enough rest and recovery (at least 48 hours) between those hard effort training days.
• Follow a Training Program and Keep Records. If you really want to build back up to optimal fitness, it helps to establish a training plan and stick with it. There are many training programs for all types of sports and having one is not only good motivation, but it helps keep you from doing too much too soon.
• Cut Yourself Some Slack. If you took the winter off, don't expect to be back to peak fitness in a week or two. It's ok to go slow and just enjoy being outside again. There's plenty of summer left, so don't worry about going a bit slower in the beginning.
• Train With Others at Your Fitness Level. If you can find a few people with the same fitness level and goals as you it can help kept you progressing at a good pace. Training with those who are farther along will only encourage you to overdo it, get injured or feel ‘behind’ in your training. Workouts with more fit people can be motivating and help you improve, but only after you have a good solid base to work with. Otherwise they can be harmful.
• Remember to Have Fun. Keep in mind that this is Spring Training which is a time for fun, light-hearted exercise. You aren't competing and you aren't burnt out yet. So just relax and enjoy your activity.

By Elizabeth Quinn

Return to top

Okay, maybe I'm over-indulging in the chocolate theme this year, but the article was too good not to share it with you. With so many benefits, chocolate, in it's recommended form, is a great treat that I find very satisfying. Dark, rich 70% cocoa can make me feel like I'm truly enjoying one of the finer (and all too often, forbidden) things in life without the guilt!

So, go ahead. Indulge! And know that you are improving your heart health, lowering your cholesterol, and fighting cancer, stroke and dementia.

In health,
Heather Moreno

Follow Heather on Twitter

Return to top

This cool bean salad combines hearty garbanzo and cannellini beans with albacore tuna. It's easy to prepare, filled with flavorful herbs and offers a light and refreshing way to begin the spring season. Tuna is a great source of high quality protein and is low in saturated fat. The unexpected addition of olives in this version adds complex flavor to the dish and enhances the depth of both its taste and texture.

*Special populations, including pregnant women, nursing mothers and small children, should limit their albacore tuna consumption to no more than 6 ounces per week as part of their overall seafood intake of up to 12 ounces weekly.

Tasty Tuna and Bean Salad

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup natural rice vinegar
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 can (about 8 oz.) no salt added garbanzo beans
• 1/2 can (about 8 oz.) no salt added cannellini beans
• 1 dozen kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced lengthwise into thin slivers
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 (12 oz.) can solid white albacore tuna in water, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

In small bowl whisk together oil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside dressing.

In medium bowl gently toss beans, olives, onion, mint and parsley. Add tuna and sufficient dressing to coat. Gently toss and drizzle additional dressing, if needed, to thoroughly coat. Add chopped red pepper and mix well. Cover and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 24 hours before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 310 calories, 13 g total fat (2 g saturated fat),
20 g carbohydrate, 26 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 330 mg sodium.

From www.aicr.org

Return to top