This week I’m sharing two songs with you. The first is an older tune that I use every year to mark the end of summer. Well, not officially the end of summer, but the time when those of us that are teachers or have kids in school get back into the swing of things. It’s always a bittersweet time of year for me because I do enjoy having my summers off, but I also see this time of year as a new start, much like January first is to some people.
This is actually a cover of the very popular song by Don Henley, Boys of Summer. This version is by The Ataris and is a bit more ‘cycle friendly’ than the original. It lends itself very well to what I call ‘accelerations’. You may call them ‘sprints’ or ‘surges’. Here’s how I use it:
Seated flat road with accelerations on the chorus @ :45 (for 20 seconds); 1:45 (20 seconds) and 3:17 (20 seconds).
*Fun Fact: The Ataris version replaced the ‘Deadhead sticker’ reference with a ‘Black Flag’ sticker in honor of the 80’s punk band.
*You may also want to check out the DJ Sammy version, available on both Spotify and iTunes.
The second song I’m sharing with you in hopes that someone is able to use it in their club, gym or studio. I recently saw this one performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and fell in love with the sound, but because I teach at a YMCA, I’m not sure that the lyrics are entirely appropriate. Here’s hoping some of you can use it in your classes because it’s just a great tune! Leave a comment and let me know if or how you’ve used it!
Really. There's no changes that I can see that would be of any value to you, as a Fitness Instructor. The preferences section is exactly the same – OK, not exactly; they've removed the option for gap-less playback, but kept the cross-fade.
This brief post offers one possible reason you may have difficulty sticking with your food plan.
Let’s start here: Do you have food cravings? And are the cravings specifically for sugary foods and other junk?
Next: Do you give in to the cravings by eating some of the foods you crave, especially sugar?
If the answer is yes, it’s possible that your way of handling the cravings is actually creating more cravings.
It’s all too easy to blame premenstrual hormone fluctuations, for example, but eating sugar when you crave it is a virtual guarantee that you’ll crave it again – later in the day, the next morning or other times of the day, and possibly for two or more days after you’ve had it.
No, this isn’t the case for everyone. Some people really do have a take-it-or-leave-it reaction to sugary foods.
Still, food cravings are common. And it seems to be common “wisdom” that the way to deal with those cravings is to eat a little bit of whatever you crave.
I absolutely must question the wisdom of that perspective. Of course, eating what you crave will take away a craving temporarily – after all, you just ate what you craved.
But the cravings will return – often stronger than before. You may be setting yourself up for these future cravings, and almost guaranteeing that they become too strong to resist.
What To Do Instead
Admittedly, this approach takes self-discipline when you have a craving, but here it is.
For short-term craving relief, here’s a solution I’ve proposed before, but I stand by it.
– Reach for 1 teaspoon of liquid B-complex when you have a craving. (Please first check with your doctor to find out if this solution is appropriate for you.)
– Make sure you’re using B-complex, rather than any individual B vitamin.
– Give the B-complex a few minutes – really! – to do its work.
– Get on with your life, craving-free.
Now let’s say your doctor has told you not to use B-complex, or you don’t have any available when a craving strikes. What’s an alternative?
One way to go is to have a little high-fat food – even one that you might not consider particularly healthful. Examples might include nuts (yes, roasted and salted are fine), cheese, guacamole, or other high-fat fare.
Combining those fats with a small amount of starch (most people say “carbs”) is a good choice. If you feel it won’t be enough, add something hot and spicy. This is one reason guacamole will work well.
In any case, the combination will modify your brain chemistry so it resembles the neurochem you’d create by eating sugar – only you’ll simply bypass the addictive response you might have to sugar.
It’s a surprisingly good deal.
If I could do one and only one thing for my clients (and my non-clients), I would love to communicate the foolishness of eating what you crave – especially if the food is addictive.
A self-perpetuating cycle is characteristic of food addictions – and absolutely not worth the taste of sugar or the follow-up taste of more of the same.
If you’d like help eliminating cravings or even quitting sugar for good, that’s what I do. Just visit www.FoodAddictionSolutions.com/Coaching and grab your free Eating Empowerment Consult. Find out how easy it is to regain control, increase your energy, and feel fantastic.
Tom Scotto with Cycling Fusion provides this informative PRO Podcast / Audio PROfile Hybrid
Here is the link for ICI/PRO members to participate for free on Saturday Jan 15th (day one) of Cycling Fusion's 12 week Winter Training Simulcast. I have been told that PRO members will have access to the recording of Saturday's training for one week.
PROFILE DESCRIPTION
This profile is called Aerobic Base Building. It is a hybrid profile consisting of a sample of drills
that focus on aerobic development and aerobic endurance. Each focus can be a class in and of
itself, or both focuses can be combined to create a single class. Often times aerobic development
is introduced earlier to help riders prepare for longer endurance efforts.
Here's your Spotify PRO/Playlist! Deezer. We have made every attempt to replicate the original playlist. In some instances the tracks specified were unavailable in Spotify. When necessary we have substituted individual songs of similar length and tried to maintain the Instructor's intent.
All of us at ICI/PRO are very excited about our very first conference we are hosting October 8th – 10th in Boston, MA. We have been receiving a number of questions and felt it would be helpful to put together a FAQ for our community of Indoor Cycling Instructors.
Number one question we get…Do I need to be an ICI/PRO member to attend?No, this conference is open to anyone interested in improving as an Indoor Cycling Instructor.
Is there a charge for the Friday Night Reception? Nope 🙂 It's included in your conference registration. There is a $30.00 charge to attend the Saturday dinner.
If I don't get a bike for the Friday night ride, can I still attend? Absolutely! But you can see the benefit of signing up early – this will be a high energy very emotional and fun class – and it's in high demand! We encourage everyone to sign up as soon as possible to ensure you'll get a bike for the Friday night ride! Once we fill them, everyone else is very welcome to enjoy the energy and watch from the sidelines. The reception follows 30 minutes afterward.
I see there is a limit of 3 bike-sessions per day, but can I audit more?Yes, any registered attendee can audit any session (provided we don't go over the hotel's maximum room capacity – but that is doubtful). In fact, you may learn more if you do not ride occasionally, and sit on the sides and take notes. It's also better for your body to give it a break!
Can I attend the Pre-Con Workshops without registering for the conference? Yes. Please contact me directly john @ Indoorcycleinstructor.com (you need to remove the spaces in the email address.
Do I need to be certified to attend?Our preference is that attendees be certified Indoor Cycling Instructors. Please contact one of us if you have a special situation.
Can I get my initial Indoor Cycling Certification at this conference?We are offering an 8 hour Heart Zones Power Cycling Certification during Friday's Pre-Con, but no initial Indoor Cycling orientation or certification this year.
Why Boston and why this date?The survey we conducted said October was the preferred date. October 11th is Columbus Day, a holiday for many. Finding a host facility with less than 6 months lead time was very difficult, limiting our choices. The hotel we choose has a lot of experience hosting fitness conferences.
I would like to share a room. Do you have a way for me to I connect with another Instructor?There is a post over at Pedal On for just this purpose here.
Check out the new remixes of Cake by Flo-Rida and 99 Percent if you're looking for a faster-than-the-original version of the feel-good track that will rock your next class. The original version is fun, but pretty slow. Luckily, these new remixes have been released recently and both of them come with a beat that won't quit.
Tom Scotto with Cycling Fusion provides this informative PRO Podcast / Audio PROfile Hybrid
