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Saturday, November 26, 2011

I can’t stop eating- Eat on a diet!

I can’t stop eating.
I can’t stop eating- Eat on a diet!

The season has started and you have completed your first few events, what adjustments can you make to your diet to improve your performance? What can you eat on a diet?The season has started and you have completed your first few endurance life events or perhaps you are training hard for your biggest challenge yet. Your winter training has paid off but you wander what adjustments you can make to get a few seconds per mile faster to beat your biggest rivals.
Now is the time to start thinking about nutrition. Appetite is one of the biggest keys to getting your weight down and increasing your power to weight ratio, and key to this is your daily intake and knowledge of what you can eat on a diet.

Our appetite has worked well for millions of years of evolution but our modern lifestyle means we can’t rely on our natural appetite, we spend so much time being sedentary that we easily eat too much and get fat. It is important to remember it takes 20 minutes for your body to recognise being full. There are a few things to look out for and change to make you feel like you are running, cycling or kayaking with a turbo attached to your back.
1.    Eat natural foods which contain less calories. Nowadays packaged foods are so calorific that we can eat 500-1000 calories in just a few minutes. It could take a lot longer to eat the equivalent amount of calories just eating vegetable such as carrots.
2.    Eat a big Breakfast. Research shows those who eat more calories before midday eat less calories as a total for the entire day than those who eat less before midday. You will also experience less cravings throughout the rest of the day.
3.    25% of calories. Aim to eat 25% of your daily calorie intake within an hour of waking up to give you the best chance of maintaining your energy levels throughout the day and shedding a few extra pounds of useless fat.
4.    Eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day to prevent sugar highs and lows which result in your body depositing fat. Research shows that people who eat more frequently eat less.
5.    Resist temptations, the more you resist treats in a short amount of time the more likely you are to break the bad habits quickly.
6.    Don’t supersize it. Just because you get offered the ‘make it double size for the same price’ doesn’t mean you have to have it.
7.    Energy Supplements. Try not to use them for every training session, otherwise your body will start to rely on the massive amount of sugar in them. As a result your bodies fat burning mechanism will switch off.
8.    Fat Burner. Once a week try doing a ride or run for 1-2 hours before breakfast to get your body burning fat fast. If you haven’t eaten anything since the evening meal on the day before your body will have no choice but to get into fat burning quickly.
If you feel light you will go faster. For a free healthy eat on a diet plan as used by the girl below check out Isabel de la Rios here http://eatonadiet.com


Friday, November 25, 2011

Breathing Made Easy
 - Get Fit for Rugby

Breathing Made Easy



Some of the simple things are often missed out when it comes to training to get fit for rugby or any sport. Breathing is something we do all day every day and so we take it for granted. But there is an art to breathing correctly and getting the most out of each breath. For example if you are asked  to take a big breath you do so in such a way that you probably hold your stomach in. But why would you hold your stomach in when really it should be sticking out because of the volume of air inside the lungs. Likewise when you breathe out your stomach and chest should go in as you release the used air as you exhale but so many people push their stomachs outwards. The action of breathing brings air in through the lungs which then goes into the blood and gets transported around the body to help exercise. As you exhale carbon dioxide is removed from the body as a waste product and room is made for new oxygenated air to come in. Good breathing technique will help lower blood pressure, purify the blood, increase metabolism, improve digestion, promote rapid recovery after exercise, help you to relax and most importantly of all have non-stop endurance for adventure.



During exercise most people resort to shallow, short fast breaths, because they are breathing just using the top part of the chest. Excessive panting will be a waste of energy and it won’t deliver enough oxygen to your lungs. This rapid shallow breathing may cause what the experts call a flight-or-flight response. Your heart rate will increase as the heart has to pump faster to use what little oxygen it has been given and this puts bigger stress on the body which will leave you with no choice but to slow down and it will make recovery from your training session take longer. Your mind will think you are exercising at a high intensity when in fact if you were able to breathe correctly you would soon find out that the intensity is not that hard after all. Using just the top of the lungs with this short shallow chest breathing doesn’t make use of the bottom half of your lungs where the most efficient exchange of oxygen takes place. It is important to exhale fully before you take another breath in because if you don’t you simply won’t have enough room for the new oxygen to come in.

Breathing out correctly is like emptying your rubbish bin to make room for more rubbish. You would empty the whole bin before you started to fill it up again. You need to empty your lungs completely before you take another breath in. Stop smoking if you haven´t already.

Make time in your week to do some simple breathing exercises to help you get the most from each breath. Firstly make sure you make some simple changes whilst training. Keep your posture as upright as possible. If your shoulders are rounded and slumped you will not be able to inhale as much oxygen as you need because your diaphragm will be prevented from rising up. So relax your shoulders but keep your chest up and make sure your ears, shoulders and hips are all in one line to maintain good posture. Then as you inhale relax your abdominal muscles so your diaphragm can rise up and then contract your abdominal muscles as you exhale to help exhale completely.

Exercise 1
This is commonly known as abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe in look at your hands and make sure the hand on your stomach is rising higher than your hand on your chest. When the hand on your stomach is rising higher than your hand on the chest you know you are making good use of the space at the bottom of the lungs. Next take a deep breath in through your nose and then slowly breathe out through your mouth. When you think you have fully breathed out contract your stomach muscles to help completely empty your lungs. The process of breathing out should take twice as long as breathing in. Once you have mastered the technique repeat the technique for 3-4 minutes at a time. Practice the technique when you are resting and relaxed, then start to incorporate it into your training sessions. You will soon find that your training level of intensity can increase and so your rugby fitness or any other sport will improve immeasurably.

Exercise 2
This is commonly known as bellows breathing and you should try using this just before the start of the endurance life events, as it conditions the body to overcome the shock of a sudden demand for more oxygen by making the muscles involved in heavy breathing ready for action. This technique should be practised at first in the comfort of a chair as it can have the effect of hyperventilation and in some cases people may pass out. Breathe in fast through your nose and mouth and then breathe out fast through your mouth using all the correct muscles. It is especially important to use your abdominal muscles to make sure each time you breathe out you completely empty the lungs. Keep repeating the exercise but if you are new to it only do it for 10 seconds to start with and then build up the time of the exercise by 5 seconds each time you do it. The fast breathing will also release energizing chemicals to your brain.
Add these two breathing exercises to your training plan twice a week and you will see the benefits within a few weeks. Poor breathing technique will inhibit your ability to progress and perform at your full physical potential.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Awesome! The difference between moas and chickens.

The difference between moas and chickens. Well moas probably tasted like a chicken deer cross and were undoubtably harder to catch, and of course they´re long extinct, but there is more mana and mystery surrounding the history of the Moa, I don´t even think the colonels chicken recipie is secret anymore.
The french put up a great display, they were fast, responsive, good with defense and quick to attack. Luckily for new zealanders, the boys knew how to "go hard out" with a wobbly wheel, like the Last Indian perhaps? Compared to the bloody display the week before, this mornings match was pretty tame and I guess rightly so, If you throw a chicken up in the air enough times it´s still not going to fly, but it will eventually shit itself and noone like to be shat on. Congrats to the kiwi boys and the other teams for a great rugby world cup, all you guys are champions of rugby. For the kiwis with hearts of a moa, time for a well earnt bucket of chicken before sorting out that wobbly wheel I reckon.
Thanks!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

All Blacks Choke the Chickens Neck - Nice one Richie!

Go the All Blacks!
Say no more.

AWESOME! good win from the boys in the All Black vs france rwc 2011 match 37 17... Except, Sweet! I know this is shit quality but it was a great tackle that set the mood for the match, nice work Nonu chur chur from Bs As

Friday, September 23, 2011

CHOKE??!!! You´d better watch yaself! Choke you mate.

France fanker Julien Bonnaire looks on, Canada v France, Rugby World Cup, McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand, September 18, 2011


England v Romania at Dunedin
(18:00 local, 06:00 GMT, 03:00 ART)

New Zealand v France at Auckland
(20:30 local, 08:30 GMT, 05:30 ART)

Leicester Tigers v Saracens at Leicester
(14:30 local, 13:30 GMT, 10:30 ART)

Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby at Gloucester
(15:00 local, 14:00 GMT, 11:00 ART)

London Irish v Newcastle Falcons at Reading
(15:00 local, 14:00 GMT, 11:00 ART)

Worcester Warriors v Harlequins at Worcester
(15:00 local, 14:00 GMT, 11:00 ART)

Aironi v Edinburgh at Viadana
(15:00 local, 13:00 GMT, 10:00 ART)

Scarlets v Leinster at Llanelli
(18:30 local, 17:30 GMT, 14:30 ART)

Toulon v Stade Français at Toulon
(16:00 local, 14:00 GMT, 11:00 ART)
Julien Bonnaire believes the expectations of an entire nation could derail the All Blacks © Getty Images
Enlarge
France back row Julien Bonnaire has begun the mind games ahead of Saturday's crucial World Cup clash with New Zealand by questioning whether the All Blacks will buckle beneath the weight of expectation.
Test rugby's greatest team have dominated the game since the inception of the World Cup yet have won the tournament just once, the inaugural event in 1987. With the 2011 competition being staged at home, the pressure is building like never before and Bonnaire is keen to inject doubt in their minds.
"The All Blacks know we are unpredictable, both in a good and a bad way actually. We can either fail or pull it off - and that is what they fear," he said. "Clearly there are high expectations from a whole nation who support them fully - perhaps too much even. We experienced that ourselves in 2007 in France."
Much of the build-up to the match has concentrated on what has been described in the New Zealand press as a second-string line-up. The claim does not stand up to scrutiny with a host of big names - among them captain Thierry Dusautoir, scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili and winger Vincent Clerc - starting.
The main area of discussion has been on the selection of Morgan Parra at fly-half in what will be his first Test start in the position. Muddying the waters on the debate over whether Marc Lievremont has selected a weakened side is the knowledge that defeat would place them in the easier half of the quarter-final draw where two of England, Ireland or Wales will lie in wait.
"Controversy is part of the deal," said Bonnaire. "The media are looking to get their hands on anything. It doesn't affect me. It's up to us to prove them wrong on the field."
France have become something of a World Cup nemesis for New Zealand after staging famous upset victories against them in 1999 and 2007. All Black lock Brad Thorn admits Les Bleus can be unpredictable.
"The French can play a really attractive game of rugby. It can be out of the box, it's quite unique," he said. "They can throw the ball wide off their own try line, so it makes for interesting footy.
"My message to spectators would be to enjoy the rugby. Cheer their hearts out. Get every cent's worth out of their admission and just express themselves and have fun. Hopefully the two teams can put on a performance that can really excite fans from not only New Zealand, but from everywhere."

Monday, September 5, 2011

World Cup - Match Facts: South Africa v Wales

World Cup - Match Facts: South Africa v Wales

Match Facts: Check out the facts and figures ahead of South Africa's clash with Wales in the rugby world cup on Sunday.
Morne Steyn of South Africa's Springboks kicks under pressure from Will Genia (R) of Australia's Wallabies during their Tri-Nations rugby union match in Sydney July 23, 2011 - 0
Wales have lost all but two of their 25 matches against South Africa, a 6-6 draw in 1970 and a 29-19 win in 1999 being the exceptions, yet this will be their first RWC meeting.
Wales have only been prevented from scoring in three of their matches against South Africa (1906, 1912 and 1960).
Wales’s 96-13 defeat to South Africa in Pretoria in 1998 was the heaviest defeat in their history.
South Africa need six more tries to reach the landmark of 100 World Cup tries.
Defending champions South Africa have won their last seven World Cup matches and indeed have the best win percentage (87.50) of any nation in the competition.
South Africa have won all of their opening World Cup matches and have averaged 51 points in these four fixtures.
If Shane Williams scores a try in this game he will stand alone as Wales’ top try-scorer in World Cup games. He is currently tied on seven with Gareth Thomas and Ieuan Evans.
If John Smit starts this match he will become the seventh South African to have started 10 World Cup matches.
South Africa have been given two red cards in their RWC history, James Dalton in 1995 and Saracens’ technical director Brendan Venter in 1999, only Tonga and Canada have accrued more.
Wales won all four of their games in New Zealand at the 1987 World Cup, finishing third after losing in the semi-finals to New Zealand in Brisbane.
c/o Eurosport

Friday, August 19, 2011

RWC roadshow - a tour through New Zealand, George Nepia an original champion of rugby

Kiwis do this great! The community spirit in NZ is alive and kicking (well at least in the main centres, but that post is for another blog another time) One of the reasons has to be our small population base it is easy to be amiable and quaint when you´re small!
One of the greatest rugby champions of all time was George Nepia and back in the 20th century "the boot" as he was known was the 1900´s equivalent of Dan Carter. “It is not for me a question of whether Nepia was the best fullback in history. It is a question of which of the others is fit to lace up his cotton Oxford boots.” Denzil Batchelor, English rugby journalist. One of Nepia´s boots is to be found in the trophy cabinet at Tauranga Boys´College, I used to think it looked big and smelly, lord knows what it smells like now but probably better than DC´s!
Photo from Cliff Porter Collection, NZ Rugby Museum


The RWC roadshow is a tv series taking you through the land of the long white cloud aka Aotearoa where you will get to meet the people and supporters that are going to make the RWC 2011 an event to remember. The quakes in Christchurch were only a precursor to the epic rumblings that will take place around the 26th September but whatever happens expect people to rally together. The rugby rule is the same, if you´re on the ground let it go and enjoy the sensation of the rolling maul or scrum passing over (or through) you. Good waves to you all & go the all blacks!