I've been competing in triathlon for more than 10 years and I've learned a lot about health and fitness. Mostly what I've learned is that mainstream society really doesn't have a clue what their talking about and the proof is that the majority of people are just getting fatter and unhealthier. There are a few simple rules that "Anyone Can Do". There is nothing fancy but it's a bit counter-intuitive. If you don't believe me now, just try this EASY program for 12 weeks and change your life.

1. Fitness and Nutrition
Facts and Opinions by Kevin Strauss
April 9, 2009

2. No More Excuses
“We do in life what is truly important to us and we do not
wait to do it.” – Kevin R. Strauss

3. No More Excuses
Priorities
If your car breaks down, what do you?
If your child is sick, what do you?

4. Goals
Why are you here?
Lose weight?
Build strength?
Look good?
Live longer?
Finish a Marathon?
Finish a Triathlon?

5. Marathon
A 26 mile 385 yard foot race
The distance from Marathon to Athens
World Record: 2h 3m 59s
4:44/mile
A solid beginner time: 4h
9:09/mile

6. Triathlon
Swim, Bike, Run (in that order)
Distances
Sprint: .5 mi, 15 mi, 3.1 mi (2 hr)
Olympic: .9 mi, 25 mi, 6.2 mi (3 hr)
Half-Ironman: 1.2 mi, 56 mi, 13.1 mi (6 hr)
 Professionals finish in ~4 hrs
Ironman: 2.4 mi, 112 mi, 26.2mi (12hr)
 Professionals finish in ~8 hrs

7. Training
Consistency is the key
Marathon – 3-4x per week
Triathlon – 6-12xper week
Simple Truths
You cannot get fit in a day
You cannot lose 20 years of weight in 3 weeks
You cannot spot reduce fat

8. Water
Your most valuable resource
How much should you drink each day?
8 x 8 oz. glasses per day? (64 oz.)
 What if you are a 105 lb woman?
 What if you are a 250 lb man?

9. Water
Try this equation for ounces of water each day
0.66 x (your body weight) = X oz.
Kevin
 0.66 x 165 lbs = 109 oz.
 128 oz. = 1 gallon = 4L (my personal goal)

10. Water
Hyponatremia (a.k.a. Water Intoxication)
Electrolyte imbalance
Very difficult to do in a normal day
Easy to do on a hot day while exercising and not eating
enough balanced food
Heavy sweating + Water only = Hyponatremia

11. Rest
Rest is a part of training
The more you train, the more rest you will need
Listen to your body
You will learn how, in time

12. Nutrition
Why do you eat?
Happy
Sad
Comfort
Depressed
Time of day
Tired
Bored

13. Nutrition
Why should you eat?
Fuel

14. Nutrition
Think in terms of eating a “healthy diet” rather than
“going on a diet”
Kevin’s Goals
Have the healthiest shopping cart
Only eat healthy, simple foods
 Single ingredient foods (e.g. oatmeal, almonds, tuna, etc.)
 Fat is your friend

15. Nutrition
Useable energy per type of fuel
Protein – 1g = 4 calories
Carbohydrate – 1g = 4 calories
Fat – 1g = 9 calories

16. Nutrition
How different fuels burn
Carbs
 Burn like newspaper in a fire
Fats
 Burn like logs in a fire
Proteins
 Burn like wet logs in a fire

17. Nutrition
Types of Fuel
Carbs
 Quick to burn, quick to use up
 Easy to ingest and process
Fats
 Slow burning for the long haul
 Easy to store but you have to learn how to use
Proteins
 Very difficult to convert to useable energy
 Require a lot of water to process
 Come into play after 2 hours of activity

18. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Think in terms of eating a “healthy diet” rather than
“going on a diet”
My goal has always been to have the healthiest shopping
cart

19. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Balance your diet
Fat is your friend
Kevin’s story about energy and cholesterol

20. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Kevin is lucky – he doesn’t get bored easily
Breakfast
Protein shake
Oatmeal, brown sugar, almonds, walnuts
Lunch
Turkey, whole grain bread, 2 slices cheese, ½ avocado
Dinner
Tuna with olive oil
Quinoa with flax seed oil
Spinach with olive oil

21. Nutrition while Training
16-24 oz water per hour
<300 calories per hour (consider when > 90 min)
 Mostly carbs
 Activity longer than 2 hrs, some protein can help
Electrolytes (consider when > 90 min)
 Sodium (Na+)
 Potassium (K+)
 Calcium (Ca2+)
 Magnesium (Mg2+),
 Chloride (Cl−)
 Hydrogen phosphate (HPO42−)
 Hydrogen carbonate (HCO3−)

22. Nutrition while Training
Find your preferred type of nutrition
Liquid – Carb drinks (e.g. Gatorade, Cytomax, Heed)
Gel – Consistency of icing (e.g. Gu, Hammer Gel, Cliff Shots)
Solid – Normal food (e.g. PowerBar, Trail Mix, PB&J)

23. How to Train
Americas mis-conception
You don’t have to go “balls to the wall” every workout
American’s don’t know how to burn fat as a fuel
Teach your body to burn fat as a fuel

24. The Secret
How to lose weight, the only way
Calories In vs. Calories Out
Nutrition
 If you are currently maintaining your weight, reduce your daily
caloric intake by 300 calories and you will lose one pound per
week.
Exercise (this method has many additional benefits)
 Add exercise to your daily routine (e.g. 30-60 min. brisk walk)

25. Fat As Your Main Fuel Source
Base Training – Even the pros do it
8-12 weeks
3-5 days per week
30-90 minutes per workout
DO NOT let your heart increase above 70% of your
maximum heart rate
Base Training Heart Rate = (220 – age) x 0.7
Kevin’s BTHR = (220 – 40) x 0.7 = 126
If you let your HR go above your target, your body will
switch fuel sources and won’t go back – be disciplined!

26. The Mindset
Try thinking in terms of a “healthy lifestyle”
Everything you do will have “health” in mind
Balanced diet
Daily exercise
Good rest
Stress relievers (try a few deep, controlled breaths a few
times a day)

27. Endurance Training
It’s all about…
Consistency
 3-4x per week so your body can adapt and reduce the likelihood
of injury
Build gradually
 Your long run should not be more than ~50% of your weekly
mileage
 3 x 3 mi run + 10 mile run = 19 mile week
 When increasing distance/time, do not add more than ~10%
 E.g. Week 5 – 15 mile long run, Week 6 – 17 mile long run

28. Post-Training
Recovery drinks/food are vital to daily training
Ingest carbs and some protein within 30-60 minutes of
stopping training
Ingest a well-balanced meal, when you feel ready, after
your training

29. Mental Training
If it’s not fun, don’t do it
Some days you won’t want to train but you have to
anyway
Some rest days you’ll feel great but you still should rest
Do some long runs alone and without music
Most races do not allow music
Finish, at least, one similar, shorter race prior to your
main event

30. Pre-Race Day Tips
Get plenty of rest the 2-3 nights prior to race day
You likely will not sleep well the night before the race
Carbo-loading is so ‘70s eat normally
 If you’ve trained your body to use fat as a fuel, carbo-loading will
only make you extra hungry in the morning
 Did you carbo-load the day before a big training run?
Stick to your normal nutrition and water in the days before a
race
Plan everything the night before because something
unexpected will happen the morning of race day
It’s more important to sleep than wake up early to eat a pre-
race meal. You just don’t need it.

31. Race Day Tips
1. You trained hard and you’re ready, remember that
2. Avoid making last minute, race day changes like new shoes,
socks, shorts, shirt and especially nutrition
3. Start your race slower than what feels comfortable, you’ll be
feeling an adrenaline rush and I doubt you trained for that
4. If you trained right and your nutrition is sound, you
shouldn’t need to eat prior to the race
5. I try to finish a liter of Cytomax 20 minutes prior to race start
6. If your really hungry, a gel 10 minutes prior to the race may
help
7. Stick to your race plan but be ready to change because
something unexpected usually happens

32. Questions?

33. Good luck and have fun!!!