June 4, 2026

Triathlon Open-Water Swimming Tips by Mark Kleanthous

Swimming in open water is very alien for most people. Beginners, experienced triathletes and the elite all sometimes get nervous from open water swimming.

For the majority of most people it is almost impossible to sink when wearing a correctly fitted triathlon wet suit. Just try to dive down in 1.5m swimming pool wearing a wet suit, then try and touch the bottom. Being relaxed in a wetsuit will give you the biggest improvements in performance. It is perfectly normal to become nervous, your mind is telling you to not swim in open water to avoid going into the unknown.

Two important principles for open-water swimming success:

Practice swimming in open water. Firstly do not venture out too far. Stay close to the edge where you can easily get out of the water. Try and float on your back in a swimming pool and see how much effort it takes, then repeat with a wetsuit on and you will soon realize how easily you float without any effort. You will have considerably more confidence in open water once you have experienced the art of floating.

Never swim alone and always swim close to others. Make sure you have already discussed an emergency action plan and you know the address of the entrance for emergency services to arrive THE BEST safety decisions are always made before you get into the water.

Here are three how-to tips to gain comfort swimming in open water:

Swim in all different conditions; calm day’s windy days, dull days and bright sunny days. Learn to love and experience what Mother Nature decides to throw at you. Frequency of open water swimming builds up self confidence.

Before you venture into open water, practice in a pool breathing on both sides. Learn the water polo style of looking ahead. If possible, swim is an adjacent lane to an aqua-cise or fun swim session and the pool will have more waves than normal. This will better prepare you for open water swimming.

Sighting or correct navigation is easy to learn. Find out how often you need to look up before going off course. You may need to look up every 4, 6 or 8 strokes. The more you swim in open water the less often you will need to look up and still swim in as straight line. If you swim 2 metres in the wrong direction you will at least need to cover another 2m to get back on track. Use 2 points as reference, a buoy and a tall building or tree directly behind the buoy. Make sure when looking up to sight, you kick a little more to keep your body vertical in the water and avoid the legs sinking.

Mistakes to avoid:
-Only start swimming in open water only when YOU are ready, not when others are ready. It is much better to wait a few extra weeks for the water to warm up then try and swim in freezing cold water and lose any confidence you have. Taking the plunge too early can set you back months.
-Avoid swimming close to rocks, weedy areas,  boat traffic and harbour walls where there is no place to exit the water.
-A wet suit can make you over confident, and will not prevent you from drowning.

Mark Kleanthous is an open water swim coach and has his own lake for individual coaching. He has competed in more than 450 triathlons and has competed as an elite and recorded some of the fastest T1 & T2 transition times overall. Mark Kleanthous has competed in triathlons for 30 consecutive seasons and crossed the finish line in more than 450 triathlons including 35 ironman events. He is the author of The Complete Book of Triathlon Training and is a full time sports and nutrition coach. Mark can be contacted via his web site www.ironmate.co.uk.

Circuit Workout by Tera Busker


Are you looking for a fast, efficient and equipment free workout that will challenge your entire body? The 30 x 3 Workout is perfect for beginners – it can be done in a gym, in the privacy of your home or at the park while your kids play. Ready for a challenge?

30 seconds WORK, 30 Seconds REST, 30 Minutes (thus the 30 x 3) and you’re done. Complete this circuit 6 times for a great, heart pounding workout. As always, consult your physician before performing the following exercises.

30 Seconds: Squat Jump
30 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Mountain Climbers
30 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Jumping Switch Lunge
30 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Jumping Jacks
30 seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Burpees
30 seconds: Rest

Repeat for a total of 6 circuits

30/20/10 Workout
Need a little more of a push? Try the 30/20/10 Advanced Circuit

30 seconds Strength, 20 seconds Cardio and 10 Seconds REST = 30 Minutes and you’re done. Complete this circuit 6 times for a great, advanced full body workout.

30 Seconds: Squat
20 Seconds: Squat Jump
10 Seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Pushup
20 Seconds: Mountain Climbers
10 Seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Alternating Reverse Lunge
20 Seconds: Jumping Switch Lunge
10 Seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Bench Dips on a Chair
20 Seconds: Jumping Jacks
10 Seconds: Rest

30 Seconds: Plank with Shoulder Tap
20 Seconds: Burpees
10 Seconds: Rest

Repeat for a total of 6 circuits

Tera Busker is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Fitness To Go, an exclusive In Home & Private Studio Personal Training Service based out of Roberts, WI. www.fitnesstogo.net

Boost Workout Recovery and Fitness Performance with RecoFit

Want to recover faster and perform better? RecoFit boasts technical-fit compression gear for not only athletes and fitness enthusiasts, but for those who spend long hours on their feet. Their uniquely designed gear helps you get more oxygen to your muscles, reduce swelling and delay fatigue. Whether you participate in 5K’s, marathons, play golf, tennis, participate in cycling or triathlon just to name a few, appropriate compression gear will help improve your performance and your recovery.

Founder Susan Walton, explains “we are based in Boulder, Colorado, home to Olympic and professional athletes from just about every sport you can imagine.” She continues, “we ask them to try our prototypes and provide feedback for improving their design.” Rest assured, RecoFit products are designed for athletes by athletes.

One athlete who has provided valuable feedback is Patty Peoples. Patty is the 2012 USAT Sprint Duathlon National Champion, 2011 ITU AG Sprint Duathlon World Champion and 4-Time USAT #1 Ranked AG Duathlete. When asked which of RecoFit’s products are her favorite she says, “I have two – the ArmCoolers and the thigh high sleeves (Full Leg Compression.) The thigh high sleeves I use before and after events, as well as sleeping and travelling for big events and high intensity training. The ArmCoolers I wear primarily in warm weather to help keep me my body temperature cooler.” Patty adds, “the first time I wore the ArmCoolers were at the 2012 USAT Sprint Duathlon National Championships when the temperature was in the 90’s!  I never felt overly heated, which enabled me to push harder and be crowned the Overall Female Sprint Duathlon National Champion!”

What makes RecoFit’s compression gear different? RecoFit is the only compression gear that cuts their fabric in a cross-grain process; this means effective compression and no-slip positioning! Their breathable material disperses body heat and moisture, and has a negative ion charge to help oxygenate blood. As an American-made durable product, RecoFit’s specific manufacturing method allows users the exact amount of compression, exactly where they need it most. Several teams have entrusted RecoFit as their official compression sponsor, including the Garmin-Sharp Pro Cycling Team, currently competing in the Tour de France, as well as the MarkAllenOnline Elite Triathlon Team.

According to Susan, RecoFit’s best-selling product is the Calf Compression Sleeve. Susan shares, “its unique design – it is cut and sewn, not knit like a sock – and its carbon-based technical fabric bring fantastic qualities to the sleeves. These are beneficial for both performance and post-exercise to improve circulation, delay fatigue and reduce vibration and swelling.”

If you’re looking for a product to improve muscle recovery, consider their Full Leg Compression Sleeve. Susan explains the benefits of this particular product, “using the same fabric and patterning of the calf sleeves, these extend the support the full length of the leg, to the top of the hamstring and quadriceps.”

So, where did the RecoFit idea originate? “Growing up with four brothers, I had to be athletic to survive!” Susan says. As a self-proclaimed weekend-warrior with years of competing in 10k’s, duathlons and cycling “it was my tendency to suffer from shin splints that got me on the road to compression.” Susan continues “I wanted a solution to prevent them, not just heal from them. And RecoFit was born!”

RecoFit has found another raving fan in Olympic distance runner and an XTERRA Champion, Roberto Mandje. “It’s tough to pick a favorite product” Robert, who has used their products for about 3 years, says. “I’d say it’s between the full leg compression sleeves, which I live in when resting at home between runs, and the calf sleeves. I use the calf sleeves for training/racing as well as in between run recovery. So in short, my favorite product would depend on the level of soreness” he adds. “I’ve noticed that I recovery faster and feel fresher, especially the following day when I’ve slept overnight in the full leg sleeves. I’m able to bounce back from long and tiring training days thanks to my varied use of RecoFit.”

Follow RecoFit’s latest News feed to read about exciting opportunities to join the RecoFit mission. Join their Facebook and Twitter communities as well to view latest products and blog posts. Join the RecoFit movement and let YOUR results speak for themselves!

Post-Baby Sadness by Tatum Rebelle

5 ways to deal with post baby sadness:

Having a baby can be a beautiful and joyous experience for women, but it can come with many unpleasant side effects. Hormones are all over the place, and so is sleep. There is a tiny new person who relies on you for everything, and life as you knew it is completely different. It will inevitably be a tough transition for most, but there are things you can do to make this time a little easier. (Seek medical help if you have ongoing feelings of sadness or depression.)

Accept help: Chances are that you have friends and family who have offered to help in some way. If they have, accept it. If they haven’t yet, ask them! Let people bring you meals so you don’t have to cook, or babysit so you can nap, or anything else to help make this time a little less overwhelming.

Move: The typical recommendation is that you cannot workout for 6-8 weeks after delivery. But, that does not mean that you can’t go for a walk or stretch or begin doing light exercises to rehab your body from pregnancy and prepare it to handle a workout when you’re able to. Start by deep breathing and contracting your ab muscles to pull them in as you exhale. Rehab your pelvic muscles by doing kegels.

Hydrate: This is a simple, yet often overlooked trick to improving mood, increasing energy, decreasing hunger, helping you lose weight and more. If you are breastfeeding it is absolutely vital to being able to do so successfully. You need much more water post-baby than you did before or during pregnancy.

Sleep: This may seem like wishful thinking, but the more sleep you can squeeze in the better. Sleep is when your body recovers physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you are running on empty the feelings of sadness will only intensive. Try to get even 15 minutes of rest when you can. Just like with exercise, every little bit counts with sleep too.

Give yourself a pep talk: “This too shall pass.” “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”  “Fake it until you make it.” These became clichés for a reason. They’re true! Remind yourself of these or any others on a regular basis to help you make it through. When it feels all too much remind yourself that it’s temporary, and that it is all going to be ok.

Tatum Rebelle is a pregnancy and new mom fitness and nutrition expert. She founded of Total Mommy Fitness in 2005 after seeing an unnecessary trend of women opting out of exercise once they became pregnant and had young children. Learn more at www.TotalMommyFitness.com and www.FitPregnancyPlan.com.

Second-Chance Summertime Shape-Up

Second-Chance Summer time Shape Up
It’s not too late to get fit and get healthy. It’s never too late to take control of your fitness! Start TODAY- here’s how:

When: Monday’s 5pm(pacific)/ 8pm(eastern)
Where: Find us at #HealthyWayMag on Twitter

Wondering how to bust through a fitness plateau? Worried how to get your workout back on track after a setback? Not getting the exercise results you’d like? Find your Fitness Answers by participating in our Live Fitness Chat on Twitter!

Health Your Way Online proudly presents our Second-Chance Summertime Shape-Up Chat Series Sponsors:

Rock My Run. If you’ve hit workout motivation-slump, be sure to check out Rock My Run. Their music mixes are designed specifically with runners and fitness enthusiasts in mind. Their music is your motivation solution. You can even choose the style of music you prefer, along with beats per minute selection, along with your desired duration. Since 2012 Rock My Run has been insuring awesome workouts of all kinds through their creative, eclectic and motivating music mixes. For a list of their mixes, check out www.rockmyrun.com. Follow them on Twitter to learn about all their new and upcoming mixes, @RockMyRun. Whatever musical style moves you, you’ll find it with them.

Jessica Matthews. Health Your Way Online welcomes our chat co-host Jessica Matthews on July 15, 2013. Jessica is a fitness expert, @acefitness health coach, fitness blogger, yoga educator and college professor, just to name a few. Follow her @fitexpertjess and get inspired to get fit by checking out her blog Fit for Life. Jessica’s positive and upbeat energy will inspire and motivate you!

Shaping Her Esteem. Check out this unique non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the health and well-being of young women! They offer free programs through in-person StronGirls Fitness Classes, online nutrition tips, as well as via motivational videos. Contact them if you know a girl between 8-16 who loves to write about her experiences in sport/dance as they are currently looking for bloggers to share positive experiences in physical activity! Find more information on www.shapingheresteem.com. Follow them on Twitter, @ShapeHerEsteem. Encourage the young girls in your life to live healthy, balanced and well!

Master the Swim by Mark Kleanthous

There are many things you can do in a swimming pool to prepare yourself for open water swimming.

If you improve your technique you are more likely to swim in a straight line. Anyone planning on open water swimming should first practise straight line swimming in a pool.

Any imperfection of stroke technique, like pulling your arm across the body will send you off course every single stroke. Most swimmers benefit from a faster stroke rate when swimming in open water, just like mountain biking on a rough road. A quick but efficient stroke during open water swimming is essential because you need to be able to adjust your stroke to the conditions, if you’re unable to do this you’ll have a slow laboured stroke.

An average triathlete takes 1.2 seconds to cover 1.0 metre so every metre that is inefficient, you have wasted at least 2.4 seconds going wrong and correcting. During an open water swim triathlon if you deviate you will also bump into other swimmers who are going in a straight line, this will slow you and other swimmers down wasting even more time and energy.

1- Avoid drills that cause you to glide, as this should be avoided when open water swimming. Do not try and slow your stroke down during pool swimming in the belief that this will mimic wearing a wetsuit in open water. Swim with fingers open during the warm up and cool down and at any time you are getting fatigue and your arms are aching or you feel your stroke is slow and laboured.

2 – Swim with your head out of the water polo style during every other work out.  Aim to practise this for half of each length for at least 20% of the total distance of the water polo style segment. This is a very time efficient and demanding work out. If you plan to cover 2,000m in training then you need to incorporate a total of 400m, half length sprints then half lengths water polo emphasis. Recover for half the time taken and repeat. Many triathletes slow down to recover during a competition because they failed to practise this during pool swimming training.

3 – At least one session a week swimming in a pool should involve either treading water in the deep end or during the recovery. No standing in the pool or tumble turns or pushing off from each end. Start floating in a star fish shape away from the edge and make sure you u-turn at each end without touching the sides. During open water swimming you will be constantly swimming and there will be no ends to push off or places to stand up during a swim.

Mark Kleanthous has competed in more than 450 triathlons and has competed as an elite and recorded some of the fastest T1 & T2 transition times overall. Mark Kleanthous has competed in triathlons for 30 consecutive seasons and crossed the finish line in more than 450 triathlons including 35 ironman events. He is the author of The Complete Book of Triathlon Training and is a full time sports and nutrition coach. Mark can be contacted via his web site www.ironmate.co.uk

Worst Weight Loss Advice by Danielle Prestejohn

Admit it, at some point in time we’ve all fallen suspect to the lure of some fabulous new diet or weight loss tip. Maybe it was to stop snacking at night, eating mini meals, or swapping half of your grains for vegetables. Regardless of whether they’ve worked, you’ve likely tried or at least thought about it. Let’s be honest some of these tips actually work wonders, and others not so much.

Here is a collection of some of what I consider to be the world’s worst weight loss advice. Dieters Beware!  

Low fat diets. Luckily we are slowly moving away from this trend. Eat a diet low in fat and you will be hungry, cranky, and likely not absorbing key vitamins you need to thrive. Fat does not make us fat; instead it protects our major organs, absorbs certain vitamins, and helps our bodies to function. Worst of all are the “health” foods geared at dieters that are far from healthy. Beware of fat free cookies, candy, and snack foods. It’s not healthy and will not lead to weight loss, even if it’s low fat.

100 calorie packs. Limiting your food to 100 calories does not make it a weight loss food. Packaged, processed, and packed full of not so good for you ingredients, 100-calorie packs are simply a marketing gimmick for dieters. You will not lose weight snacking on these. Most are high in carbohydrates and devoid of fats and protein meaning you will burn them off quickly and be hungry again in 20 minutes. Eating 3-100 calorie packs does not equal a healthy snack.

No carb diets. I say no carb as opposed to low carb. Some people thrive on a lower carbohydrate diet that is still full of fruits and vegetables and that is fine. What are not okay are diets that promote an extremely low number of carbohydrates, we’re talking less than 60 grams. This is a quick way to lose energy fast, and put your body into ketosis, which can potentially do some serious damage to your kidneys. The only reason people see initial success with low carb diets is because they lose water weight. Carbohydrates store water in our bodies while fats and protein do not. This means the second you start eating carbohydrates again; your weight will come back.

Skipping meals. Skipping meals is not an effective way to lose weight. You will slow your metabolism and end up hungrier in the long run, likely eating more at your next meal.

Very low calorie diets. I’m not talking about Very Low Calorie Diets, which are considered to be diets consisting of 800 calories or less, are monitored by medical professionals and are designed for those who are obese with serious health problems. I’m talking about the diets that dip below 1200 calories a day. These diets are not only incredibly difficult to follow, but they are also unsafe. Follow a really low calorie diet and you can expect the not so pleasant side effects of low energy, fatigue, a slowed metabolism, potential heart problems, and dehydration.

This article is written by Danielle Prestejohn, M.S. applied nutrition. Sign up for Danielle’s free guide to ditching the diets and ditching the misery via http://danielleprestejohn.com/free-updates/.  For more information go to http://www.danielleprestejohn.com and http://www.Facebook.com/daniellegracep.

Healthy and Refreshing!

Beat the summer heat with these healthy and refreshing smoothies!

Summer Smoothie
6oz non-fat honey greek yogurt
1/2 banana
1 ripe mango
1/2 cup pineapple
1/8 cup coconut water
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine ingredients and blend until smooth

Vegan “Ice Cream” Smoothie
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
Agave syrup to taste (*depending on how sweet you want it to be)
Handful of ice cubes

Combine ingredients and blend until smooth

Recipes contributed by Jessica Matthews. Jessica, MS, E-RYT, is an exercise physiologist, yoga teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, adjunct professor, blogger and fitness personality. Jessica strives to open minds, ignite passion and inspire the world to health and fitness through purposeful movement, quality nutrition and kind words. She has been featured as a fitness expert on CNN and has been quoted in numerous publications including Shape, Self, Oxygen and Oprah.com. For more health and fitness information, follow Jessica at www.twitter.com/fitexpertjess

Meet your new training partner, RockMyRun!

Looking for an exercise partner? Thanks to RockMyRun you don’t have to look any further than your computer! Since 2012 RockMyRun has been insuring awesome workouts of all kinds through their creative, eclectic and motivating music mixes.

“RockMyRun is different from other music applications because we provide music that is specifically tailored to help runners and other active people better perform and better enjoy their activities” says Founder and Chief Rocker Adam Riggs-Zeigen. “We’ve done hundreds of hours of research with runners to better understand how music impacts their runs and took that knowledge to DJ’s from around the world who publish mixes to our system that best serve the needs of runners” Adam shares.

RockMyRun’s competitive edge lies in the user’s ability to choose their mixes based on their specific criteria. “We allow runners to filter and sort by criteria that’s relevant to them, like BPM, length, clean vs. explicit lyrics, as well as read comments and votes from other runners, making it easy to find great running music” Adam explains. Although designed initially for runners, RockMyRun has enjoyed additional popularity among athletes and fitness enthusiasts everywhere from motivating gym workouts to exercise classes to a wide variety of sports.

RockMyRun offers two categories of memberships: standard and premium. “You can access a lot of RockMyRun for free! Mixes up to 45 minutes in length can be accessed 100% for free from the app. Access to premium mixes ranges anywhere from $4.99 per month to $35.99 per year” explains Adam.

Adam not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. He shares his story, “I spent 10-plus years as a traveling DJ – playing large nightclubs, corporate events, house parties, wedding etc.  When I started training for my first half-marathon about 6 years ago, I decided to put my DJ skills to work and create a mix rather than a playlist.” He continues on “the results were amazing! I found myself more energized, more motivated and it really helped the training fly by.”

Want to run a 2 hour Half-Marathon? Use RockMyRun’s ‘The 2 Hour Half-Marathon‘ as your training partner and pacer with their music mix specifically designed with a consistent beat to get you to the finish line. Or check out their ‘Disco-Dash‘ Mix for a steady beat of 130 per minute, an ideal pace for a mid-week run of 30 minutes. If you want to find your favorite rock songs all in one 30 minutes mix for your gym workout, check out ‘Rock-it Fuel’ and you’ll be cranking out more solid reps than ever before. ‘Dose of Energy’ is another mix that will keep you going strong for 60 minutes as you’ll become energized by House and Pop tunes. With over 15 genres of music represented, you’ll find a mix for every music-interest and every type of workout.

Fan and RockMyRun user, Katy Widrick, a runner and triathlete, explains “I was so excited to find it, since I’m one of those people who not only can’t run without music, but whose workouts are made better by a great beat.” One of Katy’s favorite aspects of RockMyRun is “I love that some of the mixes are free to download, because it lets people get to know the style and flavor before buying. But in general, I think the best aspect is the quality of the mixes — they include great music, really well-done mixes, consistent beats.” Nic Akins, a fellow RockMyRun enthusiast agrees, saying,“it’s a great way to keep you focused and energetic.” Nic continues, “the descriptions are really good in helping you decide what mix will work best for what you want in a workout. Knowing and understanding the BPM (beats per minute) is very helpful.”

Look for more innovation from this cutting edge business. “We’re even more excited about the prospects of building in additional technology into our application and creating truly amazing experiences for runners, cyclists, weight lifters, fitness instructors and active people everywhere” Adam explains.

Feel free to drop Adam an email via adam@rockmyrun.com. Be sure to join their Facebook and Twitter communities for all updates and new mix info! And check out their blog: http://blog.rockmyrun.com/

Choose RockMyRun as your workout partner; you’ll get motivated, get energy and get better workout results with your high-quality, fun, and consistent exercise sessions. No matter what genre you prefer, you’ll find it. From country to classic to reggae to seasonal music, YOUR ideal music mix awaits!

Pushups and Pull-ups: Worthwhile Exercises? By Derek Peruo, CSCS.

There are so many options when it comes to fitness. You can attend classes, lift weights, use resistance machines or go running, just to name a few. With all these choices, how do you pick the best, most beneficial exercise?

At times like this, it’s a good idea to return to the basics. And nothing is more basic than body weight exercises!

Body weight exercises are some of the most beneficial exercises you can do. Ask a gymnast if you don’t believe me. Gymnasts spend their entire workout pulling, pushing, and lifting their body weight against gravity, and they are some of the most fit athletes around.

Incorporating body weight exercises like pushups and pull-ups into your routine will help you get stronger, faster and leaner in a very short amount of time, regardless of your current fitness level.

Here are my top 3 reasons why pushups and pull-ups are so beneficial:

They’re Portable
Very little equipment is need to do pushups and pull-ups. All you need is the ground and a secure bar. This makes them amazingly portable. You can do them in the park, at your hotel, or anywhere else. Such portability means you never worry about missing a workout because you lack the proper equipment.

They’re Adjustable
With hundreds of variations, pushups and pull-ups can be made super easy or extremely hard depending on your needs. As you become stronger and more fit, you can adjust these exercises accordingly so you never plateau.

They’re Efficient
No one likes spending hours in the gym training each muscle individually. Pushups and pull-ups allow you to condense your workouts by hitting all the muscle groups simultaneously, reducing the time it takes for you to complete your workout.

Proper technique for pushups and pull-ups are very important to prevent injury, and I recommend consulting a certified fitness professional for guidance. But once you learn the techniques, you’ll know it for a lifetime and will feel empowered to exercise no matter where you are.

Derek Peruo, CSCS, is considered “one of the rising stars in the fitness industry,” and specializes in training high-stress clients. Derek writes and consults for magazines like Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness. For more information, check out  www.RenaissanceFitnessInc.com.