Archive for February 2010
Fuel up for running
16/02/2010 by admin.
When people take up running, particularly when trying to lose weight, they tend to neglect the fuel they require for their training. What you eat and the time you eat before, during, and after exercise will impact both your performance and your recovery and therefore the benefits you get from your training.
Eat a light meal 2 hours before a run. This should be high in carbohydrates but low in fat and fibre to avoid gastrointestinal problems.
If you are running for over an hour, you will run your glycogen stores down. It is therefore necessary to top these up during your run. Some sugary carbohydrates are best for these. Lots of people use sports drinks and gels. Find something that works for you.
What and when you eat after a workout is essential for good recovery so that you get the best out of your run. It’s a common mistake not to eat anything immediately after your run, either because you are ‘trying to lose weight’ or because you ‘aren’t hungry’. However, it is important that you make every effort to have a meal with plenty of carbohydrates which includes some protein. Something along the lines of a jacket potato with tuna makes a great post run meal or a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Curry for good health
15/02/2010 by admin.
Curcumin is one of three curcuminoids of the Indian spice, Turmeric, responsible for its yellow colour. More people are looking to take curcumin daily due to its many benefits. These include:
- Boosts our immune systems due to its antioxidant properties and will therefore help prevent coughs and colds.
- Curcumin improves the body’s liver function and therefore aids in the elimination of toxins.
- It also has anti-inflammatory properties and reduces oxidative damage, and therefore helps to keep our neural pathways clear, beating dementia such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
- One of the benefits of taking curcumin daily is that it can help prevent cancer by encouraging the infected cells to destroy themselves and, in the process, leaves the healthy cells alone.
- The lowering of our LDL cholesterol (ie bad cholesterol) is a benefit of taking Curcumin on a regular basis. High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors of heart disease.
Must be time for a curry, purely for medicinal purposes.
Getting Off Road
14/02/2010 by admin.
I don’t know about you but I don’t enjoy running on the road. This is partly because I find it boring, I find I cannot relax around the traffic and I know it’s not doing my joints much good. Hence I like to get off road and Guernsey offers perfect terrain for such running.
We have incredible cliffs which are unforgiving whatever your level of fitness. Running up the slopes and steps will not only improve your aerobic fitness but it will make your legs strong. Also, we have fantastic beaches, headland and coastal paths where we can escape the traffic. Something for everyone.
Tuesday’s boot camp
13/02/2010 by admin.
Remember that Tuesday’s boot camp is at Castel Church Hall - usual time of 7.45 pm.
Today’s Boot Camp
13/02/2010 by admin.
It was great to see a good turn out at boot camp today despite the frosty temperature. Everyone made a great effort on the steps and there were some really good performances. A good few of you suffering from “hill climber’s cough” at the end of them too.
Improving your running technique
13/02/2010 by admin.
Why aren’t we taught to run properly when we are at school? Afterall, we are taught other skills and running is a skill we should all have.
If your running technique is good, this will make you more efficient, it will feel easier and you will run faster. Afterall, surely you want to maximise the time you spend training.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed, tension in the shoulders can lead to tension elsewhere and interfere is a smooth technique.
- Ensure you don’t overstride, ie taking a longer than your natural stride. If your forward leg is nearly straight on landing then you are most likely overstriding so work on a quicker leg speed but shorten the stride length to avoid increasing the impact on your joints which will result in injury, not to mention slow you down.
- Don’t clench your teeth or your fists. Focus on being relaxed with your arms moving forward in a fluid movement and not across the body.
- Think about your breathing pattern, don’t breathe too quick or shallow. Your breathing should feel regular and comfortable.
It could be worth getting someone to watch your running motion as they might be able to see areas which require improvement easier than you can.
The Cost of Obesity
11/02/2010 by admin.
Once again the continued rise in the number of people with obesity and cost to the Health Service has hit the news. So why are we getting it wrong and where does it go wrong?
The problems starts at a young age because we pick up bad eating habits from our parents so in the first instance it is up to parents to keep food in perspective.
- Don’t always reward with food.
- Don’t always celebrate with food.
- Don’t commiserate with food.
- Don’t make a big deal out of your children clearing their plates
As a society we need to get a grip on this but it’s down to each individual to do their bit and seek the help they need.
ViPR Update
10/02/2010 by admin.
The ViPR’s continue to go down well, I had a text this morning from one client who had clearly found some muscles she didn’t know she had as she struggled to get dressed this morning. I am hoping that will encourage you to try them out rather than deter you, hmmm.
Last night’s boot camp
10/02/2010 by admin.
Tuesday’s boot camp was fun. There were some burning thighs and some great shapes put together in our squat-fest especially by Mel and Claire.
Saturday’s Boot Camp
09/02/2010 by admin.
Saturday’s boot camp will be at Jerbourg at 10 am. Wrap up warm!
