LASERS TAKE A DRINK

The Fall 2011 “Laser Sailor” Quarterly Magazine has an article on effect of caffeine on exercise by Evan Lewis... Caffeine causes release of adrenaline which increases energy, reduces fatigue, and enhances mental alertness. The effect is in 15 to 30 minutes and lasts around three hours with difference due to body size and Tolerance.


Test done with cyclists and runners showed that caffeine in levels from 3 to 9 mg /kg increases time to muscle fatigue. Caffeine from coffee doesn’t seem to do the same. Probably due to other compounds in the coffee.

Now an ideal Laser sailor at 170 pounds (about 77 Kg.) would need 231 mg caffeine to get up to 3mg/kg. 12 ounce Coke has 35 mg so that is 6.6 cans. We will need some other way. An energy drink called Bing 120 mg caffeine in 12 ounce can, so you could do that with 2 cans, but look out because there are several other larger amounts of maybe stimulating things listed on the can. Monster Energy drink has 2500 mg of “energy compounds” listed along with caffeine, but doesn’t say how much caffeine.

The two ounce gels at the gym have 140 mg of caffeine. That maybe the stuff. Warning on the bottle -- don’t take more than two a day.

“5 Hour Energy” (2 ounce) has 1870 energy blend including caffeine, but no note about how much caffeine. I bought a little bottle and took a sip. Hardly any, but got so shaky that I threw the rest away.

While the studies apparently were double blind with some contestants getting caffeine and some not and no one knew which were which until after it was all over. I didn’t see any attempt to see what continued high doses would do. That is the question of Tolerance which I capitalized in the first paragraph. I have been on and off caffeine a bunch of times in the past many years and whenever I come back on, I get a big kick from a little and after a while it settles back.

Probably you want to get stronger by sailing and exercise and not by drinking this stuff. If you do use it, do it regularly and be sure to continue it with your sailing. Be careful. All the bottles say not to be taken by children or pregnant women or if you are taking other caffeine products.

Not much help I know!
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LASERS LIST 7

Continuing the best of 2011.

I want to roll three together that are somewhat related.

LASERS GET STRONG   January 24.

LASERS STRETCH   January 28

LASERS SLEEP  April 25

Look those up and see how they are related.

Good luck in the New Year. 

I put three in the next group also..
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LASERS AND OTHERS REST

Now just after we have been told to get plenty of sleep, this stuff about resting comes to the surface.  If you don't get proper rest after strenuous exercise, the muscles will not build in strength and bulk.  If you exercise too close together, the muscle doesn't have enough tiime to rebuild.

So now sleep and rest --- go to the gym occassionally and sailing occasionally.  

Well, how about FUN.   Maybe do what you like.
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LASERS STRETCH

This should be Lasers Stretch and have Fun..  Look at that smile..

Thank you, John Payne at JOHNPAYNEPHOTO.COM

I have finally found a topic to use with this picture.


If you have more flexibility, you will be able to move about in the boat better.


In Ben Tan’s “Complete Book of Laser Racing”, Michael Blackburn has a chapter on “ Sailing Fitness” with a section of Stretching. Basically he recommends “Static stretch” for sailors. That is a stretch of a muscle gently for at least 30 seconds. He recommends a stretch after a little warm up and then again after a work out and a third time in the evening.


Stretch should be gentle and depend on the time spent with a mild stretch and the repetition to produce more flexibility. You will be tempted to push hard and get it all done at once. That will only lead to sore muscles and delay of the whole process.

I pick out these stretches for you.

1. Hip bent with back straight . This pulls the “hamstring” or the muscle behind the thigh.

2. Then with the back bent, do the same. Now you are reaching for the toes and beyond.

This works the hamstrings and the back flexor.

3. Calf stretch. Pull the toes up with the leg straight.

4. If you don’t have two Lasers in the water like in the above picture, then the push up position on the floor and lower your body with your arms straight. This stretches the abdominals and hip flexors.

5. Elbow up with hand behind the head and reach down your back.

6. Hand behind your back low and reach up toward the
                                              other hand in 5.


Then a few that I add because I have trouble turning and looking behind.



7. Right and left body rotation

8. Right and left neck or head rotation.



Get Michael’s book and read more or go “on line” for a thousand stretches.

DO EASY . DO OFTEN.
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LASERS GET STRONG

Good bye Jack.  You tried to get all of us to be strong and active.

A little bit ago, when we had some big wind and big waves, one of our Laser sailors turned over and had a little trouble getting back up. Then he just sailed home again.  When I talked to him afterwards, he said he just knew that if he flipped again he would be on the verge of being too tired so he sailed back to the club.   I think that was smart.  Know yourself.   Add the skills slowly if you need to.  But you need to be strong to sail competitively.

On the same note, a few years ago I visited with a Laser sailor who had been an accountant, but for family reasons had taken over a lawn care business.  Now he was outdoors working with his body and muscles every day and felt that his Laser sailing had greatly improved.

Get strong Laser sailor.
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THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH

  

    The Laser Sailor and the Life Coach.. Chapter One.

In the picture is our local Laser PRO on the left and your “Life Coach” on the right.

We old folks need to be introduced to the idea of “Coaching”. Most of us are familiar with the Football Coach and the Basketball Coach. We called them Coach Jones and Coach Smith. We are familiar with the teacher, instructor, trainer, mentor, leader, captain, professor, doctor, lawyer, accountant, insurance agent, financial advisor, minister, police and judge. They all give advise.

Now we have the sailing coach, parenting coach, physical coach, family coach but/and what is the the “life coach” thing?

Slowly we have been learning about exercise, diet and a lot of other little things that add up to a long and happy life – but they don’t seem to be getting much attention, so maybe we have a need for someone to put it all together for you. Soooo, if you are interested, Laser sailors, here is your LIFE COACH. It will come in multiple chapters. Perhaps better to call it “life instructions”, because we will not be looking over your shoulder and making comments or reviewing your last actions like a real coach should be doing.

What has all this to do with Laser sailing? A smarter, stronger, and happier person is a better Laser sailor, maybe? What do you think? And if you live longer, you might sail more?

Start with exercising. Maybe the most important and most widely disregarded. As long ago as 1971 the German Ernst Van Aaken MD reported marked decrease in cancer in veteran long distance runners. (Figure out that connection?) Easier to understand how running and exercise helps reduce weight, reduces type two diabetes, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, prevents heart attacks. Stimulates stronger bones and keeps joints moving. Running stimulates the release of “happy hormones” that make people happier and maybe smarter. (The runner’s high after 30 to 60 minutes running.) Exercise simulates formation of new brain cells, something that a few years ago we thought didn’t happen at all. (You had so many brain cells at a young age and only lost cells after that.)

So RUN if you can. Walk if you can’t. Ride a bike if you must, or swim or dance or mix up the bunch. Apparently the body was meant to move and it does better if it is doing it. Do as much as you can. Start out slow if you need to and gradually increase. How much? As much as you can fit into your life. Skip the elevator. Take the stairs. Park further away at Walmart. When waiting, get up and walk around. Turn off the TV.

Maybe do the pedometer thing and go for 10,000 steps (4 or 5 miles). The 10,000 steps come from some Japanese suggestion. Not a bad suggestion, but not set in stone.

Laser sailors will hike longer, work the waves better, sail happier.

When you get past the age of 25 or 30 years, things and strength will start going down hill, but if you keep moving, it will not go so fast.

Listen to your body– if you walk/run and feel tired and sore , rest a little. If you get sore knee, foot, etc – switch to the bike which pounds less, or swimming which unloads the weight while you still use all the muscles. Back to run/walk when the soreness is gone or continue the other activity if you enjoy it more..

Get with your exercise.

Coming later in other Chapters–eat or not eat, think, friends, community, reduced stress, laugh, share, forgive, tolerate, learn, behavior modification, and goal setting.                                                                                                                                                                   
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LASERS NEED WATER

Lasers need water.

On hot days Lasers need to drink water. It helps to hydrate before going out. The April 2010 Journal of Athletic Training reported that a 2% dehydration before running gave slower times and recommenced 16 ounces of fluid 1 to 2 hours before and another 4 to 8 ounces 15 to 30 minutes before running.



In 2008 the Medical Society in Sports and Exercise found that cyclists that drank cold beverages before and during work out were able to ride longer.


No reason it should not carry over to the active sailor.  So if it is hot, start hydration early and if you can, make it cold. .
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LASERS MAKE A LIST

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The picture is just practice to steal pictures from around the world. I put it here to sort of brighten up the view. Actually this is one of Martin Zonnenberg's pictures from the Lake Eustis SC web site, and used with out permission.
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Today is the Goal Setting Guide.

1. Make the big list of all the stuff that you want to do. Take a couple of days if you need to, but then you can revise the whole thing tomorrow, so go it today.

2. Cut it down to 4 Goals. One each for these categories.

A. Wealth building or keeping.
B. Health
C. Relationships
D. Personal Growth

3. Convert each to annual or at least small chunks.

4. Make a weekly plan including each of the seven days.

5. Daily -- make you work list. Try to get it done while putting out the daily fires.

XXX
Under 2A you might sell the big boat.

2B Strength and weight control.

2C Helping with the fleet and youth sailing.

2D Maybe sail the Laser more??
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GET STRONG FOR A LASER

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Sailing is an athletic sport --so if you are really going to be good

ENDURANCE, STRONG AND FLEXIBLE.

1) Walking, running, bicycling, etc. as much as you can work in.

2) Sailing.. as much as you can work in, especially if it is windy.

3) Hiking bench .. really harder than sailing a boat. Time straight leg hikes, 2 to 4 minutes apart.

4) Sit ups and other "core" exercises.

5) Upper body stuff -- arm curls, pull ups, push ups.

6) Stretching before and after exercise and at night.

7) Strength and bulk are separate things, but linked together. Serious people get help at the
gym or YMCA.
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