Here is a part 2 quick shot video of how I use rollers in my triathlon mind training program.

 

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Weight loss can be incredibly simple if you approach it correctly. It is important to remember that success comes from a three-pronged effort. You have to achieve all three to get to your ideal body weight.

1. Portion control. Most Americans eat too much at one sitting, several times a day. To fix this, you need to stop eating when you start feeling full. Practice by eating only a few bites of your sandwich, only part of your energy bar, and putting the rest away in a baggie for later.

2. Replace the wrong foods with the right ones. Carb-dense items like bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice should be eaten with caution and used as race fuel, not everyday nutrition. Alternatively, fruits, veggies, and other high-fiber foods should be eaten with reckless abandon.

3. Balance resistance training with aerobic workouts. Too many triathletes swim, bike, and run without working on core strength. You don’t have to join a fancy gym to get in the essentials – push ups, pull ups, and squats. These build muscle that burns calories all day long, even while resting or sleeping.

People often take the wrong approach to triathlon training. It’s a complicated sport, so this is understandable. Here’s a list of common misconceptions and how to approach training better.

1. I’m working out a lot, so I can eat whatever I want. You couldn’t be more wrong.  Sure, your workouts may make you lose five or even ten pounds, but you are still 20 pounds or more overweight if you are eating carelessly.  If you eat nutritious food and exercise portion control, you’ll hit your ideal weight easily.  You will also notice how much faster and farther you can go when not carrying around all that extra weight.

2. I will make up for my weak sport by going really fast with my strong sport. Ouch!  If you are not a strong runner and go really hard on the swim or bike, you’ve just ruined your race and don’t even know it.  If you are a strong swimmer or biker, the smart thing to do is actually hold back on your strong event and save your energy for where you will need it – the run.  If you are are fast swimmer or biker, you will already be going much faster during those portions than most other people.  Then you have huge amounts of energy left to really push it when you need it.

3. To go long, I just need to do lots more aerobic training. While this is partially true, you are missing one critical component – Core strength.  The farther you go, the more your whole body fatigues and then your form starts falling apart.  Once you lose your form, your efficiency literally disappears and you spend lots of energy to go almost nowhere.  An easy fix for this is to mix in push ups, pull ups, and squats into your running routine.  This builds incredible core strength that seems to miraculously carry you endlessly on race day.  People who focus on core strength go from having trouble running half marathons to easily tackling ultra-marathons of fifty miles or more.  My favorite method of working the core is to start off my daily run by doing a set of pull ups at the house.  I then stop every ten minutes on the run and do fifteen push ups and ten squats.  I finish by doing another set of pull ups when done.  Give it a try on your next run and feel the difference!