Ways to Stay Motivated During The Holidays

The holiday season is here, it’s the time for family gatherings, and holiday parties. This means a long list of delicious foods that may not be healthy for your body. During the holidays people forget their day to day routines of working out and maintaining a well-balanced diet. “Studies show that the average American gains 1 to 2 pounds during the holiday season. And, those extra pounds tend to become permanent baggage.”3 This leaves you feeling sluggish, miserable and regretting everything that you ate during the holidays.

There are a few ways to prevent over indulging in the holiday foods and sticking to regular exercise.  First, when traveling for the holidays make sure to pack running shoes and clothing. This will keep you from making excuses about not having proper attire to able to workout. Next, make a schedule of the gatherings and parties that you will be attending, and write times on those days to go for walks and workouts. Make your workouts short, this will motivate you to push yourself  to have an intense workout. “In the one or two hours after intense exercise, our bodies are more sensitive to the hormone insulin, which helps transport sugars to our depleted muscles. All those precious carbohydrates found in starchy holiday dishes like mashed potatoes, or sugars found in cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie are excellent for glycogen replenishment. And the protein you'll get from that holiday turkey meal will help repair damaged tissue.”2  To keep yourself accountable get a workout buddy. “Exercising is a great way to stay active while having fun and enjoying the company of loved ones at the same time”1

Walking is a great way to work off  those holiday dinner calories. After you are stuffed take a walk around the block with a family member or pet. While shopping for gifts, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator this will give you a little exercise while doing your shopping.  

 

These are just a few ways to not feel guilty about diving into those yummy holiday meals and goodies. Happy Holidays!!

References:

1Haupert, T. (2012, December 19). 5 Ways to Stay Motivated During the Holidays. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://news.health.com/2012/12/19/holiday-fitness-motivation/

2Mueller, K. (n.d.). 10 Strategies to Prevent the Holiday Bulge. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/10-strategies-to-prevent-the-holiday-bulge

3Zelman, K. (n.d.). Healthy Holiday Food and Diet Tips from WebMD. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/holiday-foods-diet

Tarleton State University Athletic Performance

Tarleton State University’s Athletic Performance program consists of all athletic sports including football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, women’s tennis, women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, and the cheer squads. Head strength and conditioning coach, Rod Cole, assistant strength coach Adam Biehl, professional assistant Leigh Anne Rogers, and graduate assistant Cole Martin implement strength and conditioning tactics for the above teams.

Tarleton State University’s athletic performance program is growing with the amount of interns and also student athletes. TSU’s athletic performance program is the best in Division II, considering our head strength and conditioning coach is a Master Strength coach for NCAA and the program also keeps on staff an assistant strength coach some Division II colleges do not have. There are approximately 300 athletes with one head strength coach, an assistant, one paid professional intern, one graduate assistant, five graduate interns, and a slew of student volunteers. The facilities provide 10 powerlift racks along with 10 separate platforms where athletes are able to Olympic lift throughout a work out that’s provided. 

 I have noticed there are not any signs presenting where the athletic weight room is in the halls of the kinesiology building. Incoming freshman that are athletes, Texan tours, and kinesiology professors know where the weight room may be, but students of other majors do not know that the facilities is athletes only. There are some majors that need activity courses and some may need to know where it is within the specific class chosen. Some classes within the kinesiology major also use the weight room and individuals may not know where it is located. Recruits know that our facilities are located in the west wing of the kinesiology building but some walk-on athletes may not. Signs that direct people towards the weight room would be beneficial. I propose we create signs to direct to where our program is located. This is where we strive to improve athletic performance and decrease the injury rate of our athletes that we conduct work outs for on a daily basis.

Within our program we sell tank tops as a fund raiser. With those funds the department purchases polo’s, t-shirts, and other official gear that will show recognition towards our staff. As of now the tank top fund raiser is the only event we do to raise money for our department. Equipment purchases come from an annual budget set by that Athletic Director. 

Pursuing classes for students that have an interest in strength and conditioning better prepares interns with knowledge about the field. The provided knowledge to our current interns and student assistants, could possibly create better strength coaches for not only at the collegiate level but even at the professional or high school levels. The staff is so busy during the day with the amount of athletes that come in we are unable to provide the time to teach each other new things within our profession since there is a constant change in new learnings.

Finally, there are many great things Tarleton State University’s Athletic Performance provides for the athletes and staff. More things could be done but the staff is still able to provide the athletes with a well-designed, injury free, and character development program within NCAA guidelines.

"Coach Up" Your Marketing Plan

Sports marketing is the job of everyone within the Athletic Department including the coaches. Yet, marketing a program is an on-going and ever changing process.  Coaches should consider the developing a basic marketing plan to address the needs of various target groups within the program.

   1. High School athletes - As a college coach, you must market your team to high school athletes.  The team as well as the school must grab the attention of the young student. A student-athlete is not going to join a team if he doesn’t feel at home and inspired by the program.

   2.  Parents- Yes, you are recruiting the student-athlete; however, you must sell the parents on the school, degree, and the program.  But with that said, no matter how much influence the parents have on their child, the student-athlete is not going to come if he is not ‘wowed’ by your program and sales pitch. 

3.    Pep Rallies-Yes, it may sound like a high school event; however, if designed appropriately pep rallies can also be an effective means for getting college students to come out and support the team.  

4.    Social Media- This is the hottest trend for marketing right now.  It is vital to keep up with the times and social media is the perfect way to market your school and get that “Hype Machine” rolling.

5.   Meet the Players Night- Having a meet the player’s night is a great way for the student body and local community to build some camaraderie with your team.  It also allows the fans to put a name with a face!  They want to know who they are watching!

6.   Community Service- Getting your team into the community is vital in building your program.  Community service not only allows you to build a good reputation, but also allows you to reach the older generation as well.

7.   Church-Being involved with a church is another great idea!  It allows you to help others in need of help by doing things like food drives and toys for tots.  This will continue to build your reputation as well as the schools. It also allows you to reach and gain fans you normally would not.

Coaching in this era is more than about wins and losses!  It is about who you can do for your school, community, and your players.  Keeping up with today’s trends and being a master marketer go hand-in-hand with being a good coach.  It’s about being a trend setter!

Staying Healthy Over the Holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas are meant to be the happiest time of year spent with family and friends, stuffing our faces and cozying up indoors. However, for people working to get fit, it can be a nightmare. The holidays sneak in to deter any further fitness progression you have accomplished over the year and make it all seem like a waste. According to the National Institutes of Health, holiday eating can result in an extra pound or two every year.1 This year will be different. Here are some great tips to help you fight the holiday heapings.

• 
  Maintain your workout routine. With family traveling to and from, it can be easy to get side tracked from your regular schedule. Plan ahead by taking note of any changes in your schedule, and make sure to incorporate a secondary workout time just in case the first one falls through. Also, encouraging some family activities such as sports can help get everyone involved and off the couch. Afterall, 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise is recommended by the ASCM.2
• Moderation. Not giving in to family favorite homemade traditions may not be the most realistic way to approach the holidays. However, do not splurge or over-indulge in foods you would normally not eat. Allow yourself to a small serving if you must, but do not stuff yourself with these foods. Writing down what foods you ate and the portion can help you keep from overeating with out realizing.
• Make a healthy dish or two. Crustless pumpkin pies substituting two egg whites per egg and skim milk is an example of making healthier holiday choices. However, these substitutions do not mean you should overindulge. Portion control should still be monitored.
• Satisfy, not stuff. It is important to eat enough during the holidays, but do not overdo it. Eat enough to satisfy your appetite, but do not overeat. This causes the body to feel lethargic, and will cause bad habits to develop.  

The holidays are meant to be joyous and shared with loved ones, but they are still no excuse to digress your fitness achievements. Keep these tips in mind as the holidays roll around to ensure your habits do not break!

Macaire, Greta. Tips for Holiday Eating. Sutter Health CPMC. 16, Nov 2014. from,

http://www.cpmc.org/about/e-health/11-05%20healthy-holidays.html

American College of Sports Medicine. (2013). Exercise Programming Across the Lifespan. In ACSM's Resources for the Health Fitness Specialist (pp. 220-221). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

The Myths About Doms

"Delayed onset muscle  soreness (DOMS), is muscle soreness that becomes evident six-to-eight hours following activity, peaking around 24 to 48 hours post-training."1 Muscle soreness usually occurs most frequently to those individuals that are not used to intense workouts, they are newcomers to the exercising world, or simply switching up their workout routine. There are a few myths individuals who are unaware about DOMS often to believe true.

Many people are under the impression that the cause of delayed onset muscle soreness is the culprit of the build-up of lactate acid, which isn’t the issue."People produce lactate all the time, even at rest. It clears your system 30-minutes to one-hour after working out."1 While you are lifting weights you most likely experience a burning sensation and this is caused by acidic build-up in the cells and the burning vanishes shortly after the exercise. “Instead, that soreness is actually caused by tears in your muscle that occur as you exercise—especially if you're just starting an exercise regimen: "It turns out that strenuous exercise leads to microscopic tears in the muscle, which leads to inflammation and soreness.”2 The tearing of the muscle repairs itself and you then build new healthy muscle tissue. Now, the tearing of the muscle fibers does not in any way sound like a good thing and that is why people believe that muscle damage is bad.  For your muscles to enhance and grow stronger the tearing of the tissues is the building block and is crucial for growth.

There is no cure or easy way out of DOMS but there are a few ways you can ease up the post-workout soreness. Going to get a massage is beneficial and it helps spread the blood and fluid throughout the body. “Other common ways to treat DOMS include foam rolling, contrast showers (alternating between hot and cold water), Epsom salt baths, increased protein intake (to increase protein synthesis) and omega-3 supplementation (to reduce inflammation), and sleep.”2 A day or 2 of DOMS is well worth it when you begin to see the physical, emotional, and mentally results. So don’t give up because you are waddlin’ around like a duck or have a hard time getting out of bed because the benefits are life changing!

References:

1 Yu, C. (2014, August 5). No pain, no gain? 5 myths about post-workout muscle soreness.    

Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/04/health/muscle-soreness-myths/

2 Henry, A. (2012, March 21). 10 Stubborn Exercise Myths that Won’t Die, Debunked by

Science. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from

http://lifehacker.com/5895140/10-stubborn-exercise-myths-that-wont-die-debunked-by-science

#CreateYourOwnBrand: How to Use Social Media to Market a Strength & Conditioning Program

As a Strength & Conditioning (S&C) coach, I often wonder what I can do to put each sports team into a class by itself. How can the work we do in the weight room help the athletes compete at the highest level possible? How can S&C coaches reset the rules and redefine the standards in order to transform the game and produce champions on the field of play?

At any level of S&C, speed, strength, and agility programs are paramount to the success of the athletes. The final product of S&C coaches efforts are strong, fit, well-conditioned athletes that are able to perform to their potential on the field. Yet how can a S&C coach market the work that occurs in the weight room? With so much of life now taking place on or via the internet, I believe social media is the answer.

Most everyone is on some form of social media a few times a day, so why not take that opportunity to market your program and all the improvements you are helping your athletes achieve. Establishing a strong presence on Twitter or Instagram can help your program advertise the progressing success of your athletes. Twitter has a reported 284 monthly active users¹ and Instagram has around 150 million monthly users.² Why not use a free resource, that can reach millions of individuals and that can help build your public image and reputation? By simply tweeting or posting a picture or video of an athlete setting or celebrating setting a P.R. (personal record) it shows the impact your S&C program is having on your athletes. It can be as simple as posting something along the lines of, “Congrats to @(TwitterHandle) for setting a P.R. in the weight room today! #PushTheLimits #WonTheDay.” What this does is helps publicize the success of your athletes who are partaking in your program. The kicker is that if you are well connected via social media to various athletes, coaches, universities, scouts, etc. you can have a meaningful impact on your public image and reputation and individuals will think, “Wow that schools S&C program is really helping their athletes set P.R.’s left and right all year long, they must be doing something right!”

Through the constant posting of the success of your athletes, you can build a reputation and develop the brand of a program that continually improves athlete’s strength and conditioning. Social media can be used to post more than success of athletes; it can also be used as an avenue to educate your athletes, fellow coaches, or programs in all facets of athletic performance.

Many S&C programs post more than pictures; they post fitness tips, nutrition tips, and daily motivational quotes. Athletic performance is more than just lifting weights, and many programs already understand and are being proactive with their understanding of trying to build the complete athlete, both mentally and physically. At the end of the day, your reputation is your brand, and the only thing that will advertise you, is YOU! If you’re not familiar with technology or social media, or believe it’s a “fad.” Sorry to say it, but social media is here to stay, so we all need to get with the time. If you haven’t already, use social media to advertise yourself, your program and “#CreateYourOwnBrand.”

Sources

1.     About Twitter. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 30, 2014, from https://about.twitter.com/company

2.  Axtell, John. (2014, March). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.panhandlepost.com/2014/04/08/eagles-hope-offseason-weight-training-pays-dividends/

3 Davidson, Coy. (2013, November 9). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.coydavidson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/iStock_000017221776Small.jpg

4.     Herman, J. (2014, February 17). Instagram Statistics for 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://jennstrends.com/instagram-statistics-for-2014/

The Impact of Social Media on Campus Recreation

It probably comes as no surprise to hear that social media is the most accessible form of information sharing on the planet. Internet communities such as Facebook and Twitter have the entire globe connected to one another. In our current day-to-day life, we see companies and interest groups using these media outlets as sources for advertising as well as a means to observe market trends. Administrators of Campus Recreation centers around the country are embracing the power of social media in an effort to effectively market programs to a tech savvy student population.  If you want to build a strong program, check out my Top 3 list.

1.      Participation. Campus Recreation centers are using social media to encourage participation in programs and increase daily attendance.  Daily tweets and Facebook posts allow students to know what’s happening at the Rec. For instance, here at Tarleton State University, every program or upcoming intramural season is posted on our Facebook page, posted on our twitter, and photos of daily activities throughout the rec are posted on our Instagram. It’s imperative to get the word out to the students if you want your programs to grow and be successful.

2.      Trends.  The easiest and most common way to stay current is to monitor what’s going on in the industry – follow the trends.  By implementing the current trends at your own facility the students will be more likely to get involved. At Tarleton Rec Sports, we keep an active log of all rec programs in our general area (both collegiate and non-collegiate), monitor attendance/success of those programs, and implement our own programs styled after many that we see people using outside of our facility.  The world of recreation is constantly changing and evolving –  so should your rec center. Keep  an active and open line of communication with the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) through Facebook, Twitter, list serves, and other means, to insure that your customers are engaged in the latest fitness and recreation trends. 

3.       Communication.  Basically, overall global success of Campus Recreation centers requires constant communication and the sharing information. Develop a base of contacts in the field, keep an open line of communication, and constantly discuss happenings in the rec sports world. Implement the positive aspects of what you discuss with your colleagues and adapt them to fit your facility and student community.  For example - Personal Trainers can use social media to communicate with other professionals within the field to learn about new techniques that can help them do their jobs more effectively. 

By embracing the power of social media, it will give your Campus Recreation center a better opportunity to serve the diverse needs of your students and will also  help your center stay current in the recreation world.

 

Check out the Tarleton State University social media outlets:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TarletonRec

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TarletonRec

Personal Training 101: Growing Your Business

Social media plays a huge role in the success of any organization. But like most things in business, half the battle of a growing and prospering is to first get your name out there. It is important to get potential clients interested in your company or line of work. The fitness world has become big business, so as a Personal Trainer you must learn to focus on your business!

As a Personal Trainer, the only way to develop a good clientele is to get your name out there.  Ask your current clients to use social media to Tweet or Facebook post their success stories for others to see.  It is motivating to witness the successes that they have achieved in your program.  Client satisfaction is a sure-fire way to promote your business.

Social media is also a great way to advertise your Personal Training business.  Post sample workouts that might entice future clients.  Post photos of meals that recommend; this could easily be the difference between growing a healthy clientele.

Client referrals are key to growing a Personal Training business. One of the main goals every personal trainer should have is to make sure current clients are happy so when their friends and family ask them questions about how they look they can give them a report that reflects upon you in a positive manner. This in turn will help others make the decision to use your services as well.

In order to be successful, I must figure out a way to let people know what sets my Personal Training program above the rest. I must stay current with all the new trends that are exploding in the fitness world. Again, social media is a great way to let potential clients know about new trends; I often post various articles about a particular trend and let my audience know new and fun ways for them to reach their fitness goals.

Social media can play a huge role in the success of your business or training programs. Over half of Americans are on social media and the way you present you and your business can be the difference between failure and success. Staying on top of nutrition and workout trends is a great way to keep your programs better than the rest.