Meet Rachel.  Committed mother, wife, full time worker who travels a lot, and now 10th in the World Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike Champs.

Rachel and I started working together early this year with one goal in mind, the World's, which were being held in Canmore, Canada in August.

It was all a bit overwhelming at first when we sat down and went over the year ahead.  Rachel was keen on a fresh coaching approach and I was super keen to work with such a serious athlete.

Needless to say, she has been amazing to work with - this woman means business!  Her dedication and determination make her the dream client.  With only limited time for training relative to other cyclists at her level, the way her body responded so well was amazing.

Rachel would follow the program strictly and the results would speak for themselves.  Apart from one race where she was ill, she podiumed every event she entered this year.

At the race that mattered most, where athletes compete for 24 hours on a very hilly and technical course, Rach's mental toughness shined through.  After a fall which left her with only half her available gears, she pushed on and finished 10th against competitors from all around the world.

Now, she is on a break but rumour is that she cannot handle the inactivity and will be back in training soon for the 24Hr Worlds of 2010 which will be held in Australia.

Congratulations again Rach.

Rachel's blog can be found here - http://sockpuppetracing.blogspot.com/

U-Turn Fitness has teamed up with leading software provider, Trainingpeaks.com to provide a state of the art coaching and training platform.

Users have the ability to track all workouts either by updating manually or uploading from anyone of 80 devices directly to the Trainingpeaks web interface.

The software also allows users to monitor their food intake, track weekly goals, and have their workouts emailed to them on a daily basis.

"It's very exciting to be able to offer these new features as it will improve the feedback and workout planning which will lead to better results for our clients",  says Steve Tapper from U-Turn.

Darren came to U-Turn at the beginning of September, 2008. At the time, he had just bought a nice new road bike from my friends at www.bicycleriders.com.au and was looking to improve his fitness and lose a couple of kilos.

He was already doing some indoor soccer and had a reasonable amount of fitness. Where Darren could make improvements was his strength and diet (pizza and beer wasn’t quite cutting it).

In the past six months, we’ve made some great progress. Darren has really focused on eating in moderation and has cut right back on the drink. That alone has increased his energy and helped with weight loss. Also, we have worked hard on fitness and strength, not only in the gym, but also out on the bike. The speed at which Darren is able to ride surprises me each time we manage to hit the road together.

As we hadn’t focused on the scales, I asked Darren if he had lost much weight. His reply was that he wasn’t sure, but he was using an extra two holes on his belt. It’s an excellent result. Not only has his measurements improved, but his intensity/fitness has dramatically increased and he now easily keeps up with more experienced gym goers. 

Besides that, I always look forward to training Darren. He’s great fun to work with and always smiling (funnily, the smiles are more common when he’s leaving…Strange).

If there is one thing that holds many people back, it’s procrastination. We (myself included) always seem to find a reason why we can’t do something. Instead of jumping off the couch and saying “Yes! I’ll do it”, we find ourselves sitting there two hours later watching a film with Hugh Grant, wondering what just happened to our day..

Below are the most common reasons people have for not exercising and I’ll admit, some of them seem valid (more on that later).

3. I'm too Tired: This used to be the excuse I used. The last thing I felt like doing after a 12 hour day at the office was putting on my workout clothes and heading to the gym.

Ironically though, regular exercise will boost your energy levels, improve your overall mood and sleep patterns. Because your quality of sleep improves (your ability to exchange oxygen and repair), you actually require less sleep per night to feel fresh and awake.

2. I'm Traveling: This can certainly make finding time for exercise a challenge, but unless you are literally tied down to a chair inside an unusually long winded meeting, there is still hope. Here are some tips:

1. If you are staying at a hotel, try to stay at one that has a fitness center or gym. 
2. If the hotel doesn't have a gym, walk, jog or run outside.  Make sure you bring appropriate clothing for the weather.  And don't forget your sneakers!!!  Seriously, forgetting your workout clothes should not be another excuse.
3. Tuck some fitness DVDs into your suitcase.  Play them on your laptop and exercise in your room.

1. I don't Have Enough Time: This is the absolute worst excuse of them all.  Why?  Because you have to make time.  If you don't prioritize exercise, you will never have enough time for it.  Once you get used to making time, you'll realize that you always have the time to fit in a workout.  Whether it be squeezing in a brisk walk at lunch, scheduling 'you time' in your calendar or developing a daily routine that you can stick to, your time is yours.  So use it wisely.

So, there you have it. At the end of the day, it’s up to you whether you want to feel and look great. Of course it requires you to prioritize exercise over some other activities.

I find the key is finding a type of exercise that you enjoy. It might be boxing, running, weights, cycling, rowing… it doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun and raising that heart rate.

Safe training,

Steve