Rider Fitness and Health Contest! Win a $500 Fitness and Health Makeover!

We’re giving away two $500 Fitness and Health Makeovers in the next two weeks!

What do you do to stay fit when you’re not riding? Do you have great exercise or nutrition tips? What are your fitness goals?

Post your fitness tips, goals, challenges and ideas below and you’ll automatically be entered in our draw to win a fabulous fitness package!

A $250 shopping spree at the new Omega Alpha Store, where you’ll be able to choose from the incredible world-class supplements for yourself, your horses and even your pets! Click here to check out the new store. Good luck to the winners - it will be hard to choose from so many great products!

A $125 personalized exercise plan created for you by Claire Moscone-Biafore, Osteopath and Certified Athletic Therapist. Claire works with members of Canada’s Olympic gold medal women’s hockey team and we are thrilled that she is offering her time to help our two winners.

A $125 personalized nutrition plan created for you by Patti Bartsch, M.A., Ph.D. Patti is the founder and owner of Naturally Unbridled, a holistic life and wellness coaching company specializing in equestrian women.

Patti holds a Ph.D. in Natural Health & Wellness, a master’s degree in Biology and two undergraduate degrees in Animal Science. She also holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University. A million thanks to Patti for providing your insights for our winners!

We’ll be doing our first draw on June 23, and the second on June 30.

We’ll be drawing from all the posts, so if you have lots of tips or fitness ideas to share, post as many times as you like. All of your posts will be included in our draws!

Good luck to all!!

*A quick thanks to Elizabeth Levitt, who intended to participate, but is unable to do so.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Jakubik-Nieves on June 14, 2011 at 12:41pm

I prefer to keep up on my Pilates when I'm not riding; it keeps me balanced!

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Permalink Reply by Karen on June 14, 2011 at 12:48pm

For me, portion control is a very important component of trying to keep trim; when I'm riding and especially when I am out of the saddle for an extended period of time.

I will go to the gym at my office and do lots of stretching and leg, core and upper body strengthening exercises and then depending how much time I have left I will spend 10 or 15 minutes on the elliptical at a slow and steady pace.

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Permalink Reply by Emily Sandhack on June 14, 2011 at 12:49pm

If I'm not riding for a couple days.. I know my cardio will suffer.. So in turn,

Eat more frequently. More carbs in the beginning of the day as opposed to late at night. Drink lots of water.

Hop on the elliptical and do at least 20 min cardio to get the heart rate working.

Take the dogs for a longer walk and ride twice as hard the following day!

Maybe a little hot yoga to sweat out the bad stuff :)

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Jakubik-Nieves on June 14, 2011 at 12:53pm

A Wheatgrass shot and limting the bad carbs with fresh live carbs with lean protein is a great way to stay on track.

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Permalink Reply by Cortni Volkman on June 14, 2011 at 12:53pm

To stay fit enough to ride my big, strong thoroughbred mare I have recently started road biking. Before I was a cross country runner but the impact of running and riding was severely destroying my joints and I'm only 18 years old! So, I am going to build muscle through bike running and when I feel strong enough to run again without injury, I will probably pick it up again because I love it! On top of that, I have stomach issues, so I am almost forced to eat healthy and honestly, I love vegetables! As well, I also eat lots of fish, chicken, noodles, rice, and drink plenty of water throughout the day. I'm moving to Arizona next week, so once I get there I want to look into getting back into dance or pilates. I love being healthy and it truely benefits my riding!

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Permalink Reply by Susan Deakin on June 14, 2011 at 12:56pm

Pilates, Pilates, Pilates! I've been doing it 3 times a week for almost two years now and my back has never been better...used to be sore all the time. My riding has improved immensely and my endurance is like I'm 25 again (I'm 56 in few days!).

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Permalink Reply by Jen Pretty on June 14, 2011 at 1:24pm

HI, In the spring, summer and fall I run, when i'm not riding. i find its the fastest way to keep all systems "GO". In the winter i rarely need any help to stay fit. Between lugging frozen buckets, pushing the wheel barrow through snow drifts, shoveling snow and sometimes even just the effort of wading through the snow to get to the barn is enough to keep me fit and ready to ride. My fitness goals have always been about strength and endurance - being able to use my body for what i want to do. Nutrition plays a solid role in reaching my goals - balancing carbs and proteins against the type of work i am doing, making sure i am getting enough calories in a day to fuel my work and trying to avoid overly fatty foods or empty calories as much as possible with out feeling like i am missing out on the foods i love most (hello, chocolate) <3 Alpha-Omega

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Permalink Reply by Brenda on June 14, 2011 at 1:26pm

I use yoga to help balance my assymetries. It has really helped my hips and pelvis, which has a twist that affects all aspects of my life.

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Permalink Reply by Brenda on June 14, 2011 at 1:28pm

I do a lot of heat training in the summer to increase my fitness and tolerance for endurance races during the hottest part of the season. I run huge sets of stairs in sweat pants and a sweat shirt and then do boot camp-type excercises between sets. It's tough, but it whips me into shape in no time.

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Permalink Reply by Beth Wonson on June 14, 2011 at 1:49pm

To stay physically prepared for riding I hike the small mountains and hills on the Central Coast of CA. I try to hike between 3-5 miles at least 2 times per week. I also try and walk at least 40 minutes 2 times per week.

I also try to watch my portions when eating as a tool for dropping some weight. As I get older, the climb up into the saddle seems to get higher and higher ( :-) ) so getting an extra 20 pounds up there with me isn't really what I'm looking for!

To stay mentally ready for riding I meditate two times per day for 20 minutes each time. Many times if I'm feeling rushed or stressed by my work day right before a ride I'll slip in another 10 minute meditation to bring myself back to a state of being present.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Hellewell on June 14, 2011 at 2:04pm

I keep my horses at home so I do all the mucking, fence fixing, general farm duties PLUS I always ride everyday. I also do yoga, I've added powerwalking around my hayfield (when I can squeeze it in) and I'll be doing hay very soon, which is a killer work out (but short lived thankfully!!)

I use my elliptical for hanging double bridles on...I much prefer outdoor exercise for getting the heart rate up and yoga for indoors.

I also have healthy greens (powder mix) for b-fast - although my husband says I'd be better eating a bale of hay! The colour and fibre content are about the same and greens are kind of expensive!

Jane

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Permalink Reply by Brenda on June 14, 2011 at 2:27pm

Staying on top of my diet is key to maintaining my weight. I have almost completely eliminated processed and refined foods from my daily consumption, and have moved towards a vegetarian diet, although I still eat meat on occasion. The more whole, raw foods I incorporate into my diet the more energy I have and better I feel. I have started following portions of the Thrive Diet, which was developed by Brendan Brazier (professional triathlete who is a vegan), and have found that my body feels much better. I also staying physically active throughout the year by running, lifting weights, and shovelling manure (and snow in winter).