Comments on A Teen's Dressage Dream: Have more energy whilst out riding!

Hi Anonymous, Because its a little quieter on the ...

2011-12-09T17:19:17.203Z

Hi Anonymous,
Because its a little quieter on the competition side of things and my top horse Seigneur is only just coming back into work from surgery, I havn't included much on the riding side recently. But I can absolutely give you an insight in to what I'm currently doing every day, even with just small competitions and what goals I have in mind to achieve for the next competition season ahead.
Motivation is a big one too, I love hearing about what gives other riders their motivation as I sometimes use it for my own.

Thanks for the request, a post is on its way! :)

It's great to hear about your own health plan ...

2011-12-09T08:38:00.932Z

It's great to hear about your own health plan and fitness regime as a rider, but I would love it if you could focus a little more on what you do on a daily basis with regards to training your horses. How do you prepare during training sessions to have the success that you have been experiencing at competitions? What exercises do you focus on during training? What challenges do you face? What keeps you motivated?

Wow, thank you again - that's super interestin...

2011-12-08T19:41:12.010Z

Wow, thank you again - that's super interesting about the coconut oil! Who knew! And everything else - guess I best stick with the planks. Thanks again :)

To improve my core strength we don't do anythi...

2011-12-08T13:22:47.577Z

To improve my core strength we don't do anything in the way of crunches/situps etc. We focus on plank exercises, use the ab wheel (that little toy is deadly) and many of our exercises involve core strength but not isolated.

For example, the core is any muscle that attaches to your spine, from the very top of your neck down to your pelvis, so even weight lifting and variations of squats and lunges work your core because you have to engage those muscles to make your body do the exercise.

James has a very organised and particular session plan for me so I am lucky to always be heading in the right direction and not left second guessing what I am doing in the gym. Soon we are planning to do some videos which I will upload to my blog so I will make sure to include lots of core strength exercises!

Yes it is hard to get the protein when you are a vegetarian. You can always get your daily amount from tofu, nuts, beans, cheese, milk and protein shakes.

That's true about the coconut oil, but the saturated fat in it is medium-chain triglycerides which are easily absorbed and very, very good for you.
Look at this article:
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
It has a lot of info on why the saturated fat is good for you! :)

Glad you are inspired, hope you feel the difference soon :)

Oh ug, I hope you feel better soon. Though I know ...

2011-12-08T01:34:07.714Z

Oh ug, I hope you feel better soon. Though I know how satisfying it is to be able to finally get6 around to things that are piling up - I do similar things on my sick days ;)

It was rather ironic that as I opened your post and started reading I was drinking coffee and eating the best part of a pack of Gingernuts, that being my "breakfast" (at 10am). Shame on me!

I love hearing about all the things you learn/know and now that I know you don't mind elaborating I will ask a bit more :o)

My last post on my blog was actually about improving core strength - but I don't really know a lot, so I would be VERY interested to hear about that! What exercises does James have you do? Do you have a gym routine?

Your food tactics gave me some good ideas. I'm an ex-vegetarian who still likes a lot of meatless meals, so it was interesting that you had beans and lentils in the carbs list. I guess I can't rely on them as much as I would like to.

Isn't coconut oil quite high in saturated fat? I'm not sure that I would eat it regularly. But it sure does taste good!

Thank you for all the tips and explanations in this post (and sorry my comment ended up so long!). I'm re-inspired to be good about breakfast and actually pack a lunch.

Very interesting. Thanks for posting :)!

2011-12-07T19:14:33.278Z

Very interesting. Thanks for posting :)!