Sauna Benefits

Sauna Benefits

Saunas have been known throughout history to help relax and improve one's overall health.  To increase these benefits, you can exercise before using the sauna and stretch while inside. This will get your blood circulating, making your time in the sauna that much more beneficial.

Here are 5 reasons you should include the sauna in your routine:

1.Saunas make the immune system stronger.

The heat in the sauna increases production of white blood cells and antibodies. The sauna strengthens the immune system and can be a preventative measure against illness. If you take a sauna at the first signs of a cold or flu, the infection will be prevented in most cases. Regular sauna users have a higher count of blood cells, they stay healthier and heal faster.

2. Saunas flush toxins.

The human body removes toxins from the body through sweat. Intense heat in the sauna causes the body to sweat and helps flush the toxins from the body.

3. Saunas help improve performance during endurance sports.

Our body has a certain level for heat tolerance. Regular use of saunas increases the heat tolerance threshold. This leads to significant improvements in endurance sports as regular sauna users have a higher heat tolerance level and thus, feel less fatigue and can maintain their energy level over a prolonged period of time, improving performance.

4. Saunas help to recover from workouts and increases human growth hormone.
Saunas are highly effective ways to recover from workouts. The heat relieves muscle and joint pain by relaxing the muscles, which in turn speeds up recovery.

Studies have shown that HGH levels were on average 140% higher immediately following a sauna session than they were before the session.

5. Saunas help in weight loss.

Sauna therapy is a great way for weight loss. During a sauna, the heart rate increases substantially due to the heat. The body's metabolism speeds up like it does when it is doing physical exercise.

Spartan Race Training

Training for a Spartan race

The Spartan Race is an obstacle course race usually held at a ski hill that has different levels of difficulty. The shortest distance is the Sprint which is 5km. Next is the Super, which is about 12+ km, and then there’s the Beast, that is 21+ km.

Training should start  12 to 15 weeks out from race day.  You'll need to implement a training program designed to increase your muscular strength for obstacles and endurance. When possible you want to train outdoors on hilly terrain. You're going to need to actively train five days a week with two active rest days.  Two days will be dedicated to strength, three days for speed and endurance.

Example of 1 week of training:

Always do a short warmup and dynamic stretching before each workout.

Monday: body weight resistance training

High knees                            2x  30
Pushups                                 2x 15
Jump squats                           2x 20
Pull ups can be assisted         2x 10
Lunges each leg                     2x 30

Bear crawls                            2x 30
Crunches                                2x 20
Burpees                                  2x 15

Plank                                      2x 1min

Tuesday: running hiit hills or stairs

Run 1 min
Walk 2 min
30 minutes total time
increase time each week

Wednesday: weight training

Weighted lunges.                  3 x12
Dumbell shoulder press        3 x12
Leg press                               3 x12
Lat pull down                        3 x12
Cable crunch                         2x15
Deadlift                                 3x12
Bench press                           3x12
Squats                                    3x12
Weighted russian twist          3x12

Thursday:active rest day

Friday: hiit running

Sprint 30 seconds
Jog  1 minute
Total time 20 min

Saturday: run

Start with 1 km run and add 1 km each week
End workout with as many burpees as possible

Sunday: active rest day

Each week, as your strength increases, you’ll want to increase the intensity and reps. Make sure you're always pushing at your maximum.

See you at the finish line.

Chocolate chip sticky rice

Chocolate chip sticky rice

This is the Chocolate version of the thai mango sticky rice

Ingredients:

2 to 3 cups of sticky rice
1 cup of coconut milk
Stevia to taste
Dark chocolate chips

Follow sticky rice cooking method on package

Mix sticky rice, coconut milk and stevia in pot til milk evaporates.

Put half of mixture on baking pan top with chocolate chips, pour other half of mixture and let stand

Cut into squares

eat during race

Post Race Recovery

Post race recovery

I just finished a Spartan super and am extremely sore

Here is what I do after an intense race to speed up recovery so i can get back to training fast.

Hydration and vitamins for inflammation

After a hard race day its important to rehydrate i aim to drink 4 to 6 liters of water a day and i find my body has a lot of inflammation so on top of my regular vitamins i like to take a higher dose of curcumin, chlorella, spirulina

Curcumin

• curcumin iz a natural anti-inflammatory
• dramatically increases the antioxidant capacity of fhe body
• Start using curcumin and you will notice improvement with stiffness, soreness, and overall well-being.
  
  
  

Chlorella

• more than 20 vitamins found in chlorella
• very high in protein 16g per 3 tbsp.
• detoxifies heavy metals and toxins in the body
• supports your immune system
• greatly reduces oxidative stress
• lowers blood sugar levels
  
  
  

Spirulina

• high in protein
• contains omega3, 6 and 9
• high in iron and calcium
  
  
  

Foam rolling and Stretching

I like to foam roll before i stretch i find it warms up the muscles. I like to start with a softer roller then move my way up to a harder one.

Benefits of foam rolling

• helps you recover faster
• improves mobility and flexibility
• removes lactic acid to aid recovery

you can buys these foam rollers on amazon

After rolling i move on to stretching

Stretching is good for

• relief from pain
• increased flexibility
• better range of motion of the joints
• greater circulation of blood to various parts of the body
• relaxation and stress relief
• enhanced muscular coordination

After stretching i hop in an Epsom salt bath

• Eases stress and relaxes the body
• Relieves pain and muscle cramps
• Helps muscles and nerves function properly
• Eliminates toxins from the body

After my bath i apply Rock sauce from Rocktape on all my sore muscles

Just before bed I take zinc magnesium b6 an effective supplement for enhancing muscle recovery, boosting muscle size and strength.

Spartan Sprint 2016

Spartan Sprint Ottawa 2016

Just finished my first race of the year a spartan sprint which is usually 5km but ended up being 7.5 km. The race was held at eidelweiss ski hill in gatineau. We went up and down the hill 3 times. It took me around 2 and a half hours. I Felt super prepared since i have been training hard for 16 weeks. I really wanted to improve my endurance and running and felt that i did that. I was able to run for a good part of the race. For training I did a mix of 2 days hiit running and 3 days steady state stairs and strength training 4 days a week. I didn't cramp up at all and woke up the next morning not even sore.

The obstacles that i failed were the rig,  i couldnt reach the rings  and the balance beam so i know what i need to work on. 

There were a lot of bottle necks where i think i lost about 20 min in total of waiting.

New obstacle:

They changed the z wall it was super easy now...

For this obstacle I try to use my body weight to lift the tank so I don't tire out my arms too much.

i felt stronger with my rope climb even my descent was very controlled. Monkey bars were no problem i was skipping 4 bars at a time, it really helps if you swing your body.

Stuff that i brought for the 5km

Running shoes

Compression pants

Compression sleeves

Gloves (didnt end up using them)

Rocktape

Rocksauce

Waterpack

Sunscreen

Id

Change of clothes

Food

Supplements:

Creatine

Beta alanine

Bcaa

Onnit t+

Hammer nutrition endurolytes (for cramps)

Spirulina and chlorella tablets.

For my food it was a little restricted since im prepping for a bikini competition, but was able to have a high carb day to fuel my race.

For breakfast i had oatmeal pancakes and healthy mango sticky rice (recipe to come)

Pre race i had ground turkey and sticky rice.

I felt my energy levels were very good throughout the race, i didnt bring any food on the race since its a short race.

Post race i had 2 rice cakes with nut butter, mango sticky rice, and a cliff bar.

A few hours later i felt dehydrated and weak i had a grapefruit and felt that made me feel a lit better. For my next races i will make sure to bring some grapefruit since i really liked that.

All in all it was a great race and i definetely improved on my fitness. I cant wait til the next one!!! 

Protein Pancakes

Protein Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oatmeal flour
1/2 cup egg whites
1 scoop of  protein powder   (Ive found the arnold MusclePharm brand the best)
1tbsp almond milk

Mix ingredients together
Heat 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil or mct oil
Pour batter and flip
Make sure not to over cook or pancakes will be dry.

Topping options:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Peanutbutter
Walden Farms calorie free pancake syrup
Stevia chocolate chips

Time Management

Time management

The most common excuse for not following a fitness plan or exercising is not having enough time. We all have the same 24 hours it's all about how you manage that 24 hours.

This post is going to teach time management and help you reach your fitness goals.

Bodybuilding has taught me so much about time management in both fitness and everyday life and has helped me be more productive. I have learnt that if you really want to achieve something you will make time for it, but there are also some tricks to help make the process easier until it becomes a routine.

Here are some tips and tricks:

• Schedule an hour a day towards fitness (wake up an hour earlier or limit watching TV or social media)
• Plan out your workouts and meals, or you can hire a coach to do this for you.  I prep my meals for the week on my rest days
• Set short and long term goals, and write them down.
• Don't procrastinate,  as Nike would say just do it, you'll feel so much better once it done.
• Find a workout buddy and motivate each other. (It also keeps you accountable)

In the end no one is going to go to the gym for you or eat healthy for you, you still have to put the work in. But imagine how great you will feel once you achieve your goals.

Road to Bikini Nationals and Spartan trifecta

Road to CBBF Nationals and Spartan Trifecta

I am 8 weeks out from the ifbb world qualifier  and 7 weeks from my first spartan race this year which is the sprint. Preparing for both a bikini competition and a race makes it a little more challenging since both require different goals. Bikini you need to hold onto as much muscle as possible where racing the muscle might slow you down. Luckily I'm in the lean out phase of bikini and in past years the strength has helped me with the obstacles.

Currently im eating about 1600 calories a day. Im eating all whole foods nothing frozen or in boxes. I eat 5 meals a day and most of my carbs are eaten after my workouts so for breakfast and dinner. And fats before my workouts for energy.

My training consist of fasted cardio in the morning, mostly running sometimes hiit, sometimes steady state for about 30 minutes. Evenings i do weight training targeting specific muscle groups.

I also schedule 30 min a day to practice posing

Current shape at 8 weeks out

Seems like a lot of training and preparing, especially with working a full time job, but its all about time management. My next post will be tips on time management.

Follow me on Instagram for more pics
@christales
@ocrbikinibeast

my story

My Story

Since this is my first blog post I will tell you a little about me.

My name is Christale and I am a national bikini competitor and OCR addict. I wasn't always into all this fitness stuff, my journey started 3 years ago. I was at the heaviest I've ever been and my habits were terrible.

I hope to inspire and motivate others who are going through similar struggles. This is a touchy subject with many people, but in reality, many people do struggle with addiction and alcoholism.  I drank and partied everyday for 8 years. One day I was fed up feeling hung over all the time and uncomfortable in my own skin. I bought some weights and replaced my nightly drinking by exercising. I've replaced alcohol and partying with spartan races and fitness competitions. It hasn't been easy I've fallen off the wagon many times, but what's important is a get back up each time a little stronger.  A lot of people who begin the recovery process look for something to occupy their time and many people turn to weight training. Exercise/bodybuilding is a great way to relieve stress, tension, create goals for yourself, etc. The process of recovering from substance abuse is a struggle emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. Bodybuilding and exercise has assisted in the recovery process more than I could have ever imagined.  I just want people to know that no matter your struggle you can get through it. Each year I get stronger and set new goals. This year I'm competing on the national stage in the bikini division and working towards my trifecta and documenting my journey. Follow my journey and let me know what your goals for this year are.

Here are a few pics from my transformation