Coaching Philosophy

As a cycling coach my objective is to work with the individual athlete to determine realistic goals and to apply the optimum training in order to realize those goals.

I believe athletes are competitive, either with themselves, others, or both. A manifestation of that competitiveness is the desire to improve. As a coach I will provide training and competition knowledge that would otherwise require years of experience and study to acquire.

I will provide an individualized, adaptable, measured, assessed and reassessed training experience. An experience that fits within the stress and time constraints that each of us has. I will help the athlete get the highest quality training given the quantity of time they have.

Together, coach and athlete, we will define and reach the individual athlete's goals.

Sincerely,
Casey Lamers
USA Cycling Coach

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Holiday Challenge

Thanksgiving and Christmas season is upon us. These next few weeks can be a source of a few extra pounds or a lot of stress if you are trying to count every last calorie. Let's try to compromise this year. Being fit and healthy needs to include your mental health too. Stressing out about gaining weight is just as bad as stressing out about losing weight.

So how do we meet in the middle?

I think the word is accountability. If you were to write down everything you ate in the day are there things you would not want to write down? If you would feel embarrassed about something, that is a good clue as to whether or not it is a good idea to be eating that item. Think about that when you are serving yourself at the holiday party. Do you need mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce? If the answer is yes to all, then how much do you really need? It is OK to eat any and all of those holiday foods we love. However, consume in moderation. How big is a portion? A portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. How many decks did you put on your plate? How many calories are in your drink? Soda and beer are around 150 calories per 12oz. serving. How many drinks are you having? All of this is especially important as the number of events start to add up. Holiday work parties, family parties, parties with your friends all add up. Don't make it so you are adding up big numbers. Make it so you are adding up moderate numbers.

So, eat drink and be merry, but do so in moderation realizing that you are accountable for your actions.

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