Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 2

As a runner you may think that strength training doesn’t necessarily apply to you as running is all you need to either stay or get in shape.  I had that thought once, and it didn’t work out too well for me.  Achy knees and a lot of hip pain from poor mechanics.  Don’t let my mistake be your downfall.  Let’s learn from it.

Mechanics or Phases of Running

Breaking down the mechanics of a stride, it’s a series of single leg exercises, with 2 different phases:

Stance- This is where the all your bodyweight is on a single leg and typically where breakdowns occur.  This phase can also be broken down into smaller phases:

Initial Contact- Your foot first hits the ground, and as you touch down, the knee and ankle flex a little to absorb the force of the ground, and the foot pronates or turns in slightly.  This can create the first break down if we don’t have a requisite amount of strength or motor control.

Midstance-  Once the foot and leg are underneath the hip, you enter what is the midstance phase.  This is where all your weight is on the one leg.  Again, there is potential for injury here.  An over pronation at the foot can cause a chain reaction up the leg into the knee and hip.  Hip stability is also vital here as you need to be able to load the base leg in order to set yourself up for the propulsion phase.  It’s a basic load and explode situation.  Your muscles, tendons, and fascia are all storing up elastic energy from the previous phase, waiting to use it.  Lacking necessary joint stability and strength will hinder your stride, and really, your ability to run efficiently.

Propulsion- The final stage where the foot starts to come off the ground, starting with the heel.  This is where you will use all that stored/absorbed energy and push off to get into the next phase.  The ankle, knee, and hip all go through extension in order to achieve this.  Additionally, your foot/ankle should supinate, however this doesn’t always occur due to poor mechanics or poor shoes.  Either way, this is another instance in which we need to corrections during running.

Swing- From the moment your foot loses contact with the ground, till the moment it touches down again is the swing.  In this phase, your body needs to prep the leg and foot for that initial contact phase again.

There is a third phase where both feet are simultaneously off the ground, and if you freeze frame a runner, they appear to be floating or hovering off the ground.

So as you can note above, each phase of running comes with the potential for injury if the right mechanics aren’t in place.  This means a combination of strength, stability and mobility.  Thankfully we can incorporate strength training that focuses on those three aspects, and we can likely avoid injury or any aches and pains.  Then we can get back to doing what we love, which is running.

The Training

Putting together a strength program for a runner is a little tricky as you want to build as much strength as you need to avoid injury and resist the forces of running, but without putting on weight that may potentially slow you down.

Single Leg Exercises–  Being that running is largely a single leg exercise repeated over and over again, it’s important to include these into your program.  That doesn’t mean eliminating bilateral exercises like squats and deadlifts, as those will set a large strength base.  It just means adding in more single leg variations to maintain or improve hip stability.

Examples:

Lunges

Single Leg Deadlift

Step-up

Split Squats

Core Strength & Stability– Everyone uses these terms, but no one really knows what they mean.  In terms of running, the core needs to be strong and stable in order for the body to transfer forces from the lower body to the upper body, otherwise we just look like one of those wacky inflatable tube guys outside car dealerships.  And no one wants to look like that when they run.  Nor do we want to have any injuries or pain when we’re running.  If we lack the necessary core stability, meaning the control of the movement of the hips, it could result in hanging out on passive structures instead.  Have you ever gone for a run and your back was killing you halfway in or when you finished?  Yea that’s one, poor mechanics, but also lack of muscular strength and the ability to stabilize the hips.

Examples:

Anti-Extension – Plank

Anti Lateral Flexion – Side Plank

Bird/Dog

Anti Rotation – Pallof Press

Chops

Hip Extension Activation & Strength– The main mover for hip extension should be the glutes, however many end up predominantly using their hamstrings.  Hamstring injuries occur in part because they aren’t strong enough to control the eccentric contraction of the muscle, meaning a contraction as the muscle lengthens.  But also because the hamstrings compensate for a lack of glute strength.  It’s vital to the health of your hamstrings to get your glutes strong.  Then you can focus on strengthening the hamstrings via eccentric exercises.

Glute Bridge

Hip Thrust

Lateral Band Walks

Clamshells

Supine Hip Extension

Nordic Curls

Hamstring Curls via TRX, Glide Discs, Stability Ball

Running is a simple way to exercise and probably one of the most accessible to those of all levels, from beginner to advanced.  Now that the weather is getting nice, more and more people will be out there running.  Just because you can run, doesn’t mean you have to run or should.  Take account of your strength and stability, but also look at your own mechanics to see if running is for you.  Then you can move on to what could be the most important, whether or not you actually enjoy running.

http://amp-training.com/are-you-strong-enough-run/

Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 1

What does strong enough mean?  Or in the case of this title, strong enough to run?  Would deadlifting 200lbs make you strong enough to run?  Maybe, maybe not. When it comes to running and being strong, expressing strength is more a matter of resisting forces put on it, than creating them. although you will create force into the ground to push you forward.

Everybody runs or can run, but not everyone that runs does so efficiently with good form.  Sometimes it looks a little wonky, like Elaine Benes trying to dance or like a calf trying to walk for the first time.  While running is a natural movement (for some), it does require a number of things to work synergistically so as not to get injured.  How often are you thinking of stride length, frequency, how your foot is landing, hip shifts, arm movement, etc when you go for a simple run or jog.  Or maybe its yogging, it might be a soft ‘J.”  Probably never.

Strength has more to do with running than you think, and it doesn’t just stop at the legs.  Think of running as a full body exercise, where all your muscles are coordinated to fire to ensure you absorb the forces appropriately.  And if there is a weak link in the chain, you can bet that your body will find it, and expose it.

Everyone can run, but not everyone SHOULD…..right away.

What To Do When You Eat Healthy But Can’t Lose Weight

“Help! I can’t lose weight even though I eat real food. Most of my meals include lean protein and lots of veggies. The other foods I eat are fruits, low fat dairy, nuts, beans, and whole grains. I rarely eat sugar or junk food. Why can’t I lose weight?”

That’s an email from a reader of this website, and I’ve received countless ones like it. Many clients make a similar statement at the beginning of our working relationship about eating right but not being able to lose weight. The first course of action I tell them to take: “For the next week record everything you eat and drink; nibbles, tastes, and sips count. You don’t need to record the calories, just what you eat. For example: chicken breast, mixed veggies, a handful of M&Ms, and a cup of green tea, or whatever the case may be. Record every item.”

A week of this practice leaves many flabbergasted. Turns out they in fact do not eat the way they proclaimed in the initial email/conversation. A sleeve of Girl Scout cookies snuck its way onto the list, several slices of pizza, daily trips to the candy bowl at work, a bottle of wine on Friday night followed by a pint of ice cream, and the occasional 20-ounce soda appeared on the food log.

Sometimes people forget, or simply omit, certain foods and drinks from memory. By recording everything for a week, they see their food and beverage consumption in black and white, so there’s no denying what’s really going on.

This is why one of the first steps I recommend for someone who claims to have trouble losing weight is to record their food and drink intake for a week to get an idea of their average consumption (this works for building  muscle and improving overall health, too). This hard data provides a framework going forward. How do you know what to correct if you don’t know where you need the most improvement? The food log provides this answer.

This exercise is not meant to conjure feelings of guilt for the foods you eat. Using the example from above the woman was quick to declare, “I feel terrible about myself and how much I failed” when sharing the food log with me. The purpose of the food log is to make you aware of what’s going on. This is a judgement-free exercise. We see what’s really happening (via the food log) and decide on the simplest changes to implement first.

My response when she declared to have “failed” was: “No, you didn’t fail and you shouldn’t feel bad. We have data and know what’s going on. Now we can make simple changes so you can get the results you want.”

Here’s what we do.

Having Trouble Losing Fat? Try This.

If you’ve tried counting calories and other typical diets, you may want to try this simple approach. More often than not, it works.

Step 1: Track everything you eat and drink for the next week. Do this during a typical week; for example, don’t do this if you happen to be traveling or on vacation. You want a picture of an average week of eating.

Step 2a: Using the results from the food log, identify the simplest changes to make that will lead you in the right direction (e.g., fat loss). Perhaps you realize you eat processed foods and snacks at lunch during the week. A simple change would be to take a real food lunch to work each day, and bring healthy snacks (e.g., nuts and fruit, Greek yogurt, etc.) to keep on hand too.

Convenience oftentimes (i.e., most of the time) wins over what’s “best,” so set yourself up for success and have good stuff within easy reach.

Step 2b: Get enough protein. Build your meals and snacks around a good source of protein, and aim for .7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. (If you’re obese use that guideline for a lower bodyweight you’re trying to attain. E.g.: if you weigh 230 pounds and want to get to 180, use 180 to calculate the .7-1 gram guideline.) You’ll have to track and count this at first, but after a couple weeks you’ll know how much protein the foods you eat most often have and it’ll be much easier.

Step 3: Implement the changes from Steps 2a and 2b, and keep another food log for a week or two. This way, once again, you know exactly what’s going on. Ideally you’ll have successfully practiced the simple change from 2a and increased protein intake every day of the week.

Helpful tip: I’m not suggesting you should avoid your favorite not-super-healthy foods (I despise labels like “cheat” or “dirty” — there’s just food) because that oftentimes leads to binge eating or disordered eating habits (and I know from years of personal experience with both). You can still enjoy things like pizza or ice cream or whatever you enjoy most. Either enjoy those foods less frequently and/or control the portions.

For example, I used to order a small pizza and eat the entire thing. Now, I split a small pizza and have a salad on the side. This way I’m still enjoying a favorite food, but not in the unnecessarily large quantity I used to. It’s not about depriving yourself and trying to be super disciplined and avoiding certain foods — just be smart and keep things simple by limiting the frequency you eat them, or decrease the portions.

Are you the kind of person who wants something sweet every day? Find ways to indulge your sweet tooth by either a) limiting the portion size as discussed above or b) choose lower calorie substitutes. Pay attention to the term “lower calorie substitute” and notice I didn’t say “healthy.” A lot of “healthy” dessert recipes still have the same number of calories (sometimes more) than the “unhealthy” foods they replace.

Some argue the Justin’s option is “better for you,” but the calories are the same. Don’t let marketing or nutrition gurus fool you into believing the “healthier” version will help you lose fat and improve your health. Even though you may be eating better-for-you foods with the “healthier” options, calories matter when weight loss is the goal.

An example for lower calorie substitutes: swap out ice cream for a pudding cup or a few squares of chocolate, or whatever the hell your taste buds prefer. Drink your favorite diet soda to appease your sweet tooth. Lately I’ve been wanting to chow down on cookies and ice cream; while I enjoy these foods once or twice a week, I don’t want to get in the habit of eating them every day. I’ve been drinking a calorie-free soda a few times per week and that tames my current sweet tooth. (Diet soda may increase the craving for sweets for some people, but for others, like me, it’s nice when I want something sweet.)

Nutrition can be simple, if we allow it to be. It doesn’t have to be a stressful all (eat “perfectly” all the time) or nothing (slip up and then continue to make poor choices because you “screwed up anyway”) mentality.

The goal with nutrition should be to develop long-lasting, sustainable behaviors. The changes you make today need to be changes you can continue to practice a year from now. This way the improved body composition and health results you achieve next month will be maintained next year. You can count calories or macros or use traditional dieting methods if you prefer, but if you’ve tried those methods to no avail or want to try something simpler, give the alternative above a try for a few months and see what happens.

Note: want more detailed nutrition information than I provide here? Go to those who know their stuff: Precision Nutrition, Alan Aragon, Leigh Peele, Georgie Fear.

Related Article: 5 Health and Fitness Principles That Don’t Suck

What About People Who do Eat Healthy And Can’t Lose Weight?

Rarely, in my experience, has someone actually eaten nothing but meat, veggies and fruits, whole grains, and other real foods as shown via a food log and claimed they couldn’t lose weight. If this did happen it was usually because they were eating larger-than-realized quantities of calorie-dense foods like nuts, nut butters, and things like coconut oil (there’s this current obsession with coconut oil being deemed a “superfood” and some women are convinced they need to put it on, and in, everything).

If this is the case — someone is eating mostly real food but can’t lose weight* — I look for the simplest solution, and this one seems to work well: reduce the amount of fat-dense foods (put a serving size of nuts in a bowl instead of eating from the container, for example); omit fat-dense foods (stop putting coconut oil on everything, for goodness’ sake); swap a fat-dense food for a protein-rich food (Greek yogurt instead of full-fat cheese). These are simple ways to reduce calories, thereby allowing weight loss to begin.

And if by some chance you’ve been convinced to put butter and coconut oil in your coffee — stop doing that. Boom. You just eliminated hundreds of calories from your daily intake. (And avoid such health and fitness bullshit going forward.)

*Note: if you have unexplained weight gain, weight loss, or reducing calories isn’t producing weight loss, go see your doctor. Get blood work and see if there’s an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

Another Option: Stop Focusing on Weight Loss

Guess what: you don’t have to focus on losing fat. You can focus on something else like, oh, I don’t know, getting stronger and eating things that make you feel great. Instead of thinking about all the foods you “shouldn’t” eat focus on the abundant variety of awesome foods you can eat. Instead of looking at exercise as a means to just burn calories it can be something you do to feel awesome and unleash your body’s potential.

Believe it or not, fitness doesn’t have to be about getting abs, a rounder butt, torching fat, or fixing flaws. I’m not saying those goals are bad — you should do whatever the hell you want with your body — but those things can be a means to an end instead of an end themselves. In other words: make getting stronger in the gym a priority and eating more of the things that are great for you the focus in the kitchen. Allow weight loss to be a side-effect.

http://www.niashanks.com/eat-healthy-cant-lose-weight/

Cravings Sweets After Eating

Sugar cravings often strike after a meal, despite feelings of fullness. Habits, brain, chemistry and your diet’s makeup cause you to crave sweets. You can learn to fight the cravings, but only after you understand why they occur.

Significance

Adam Drewnowski and Allen S. Levine write in the "Journal of Nutrition" in March 2003 that added sugar and fat make up more than 50 percent of the typical American diet and contributes to the obesity epidemic. Craving sweets after a meal can hamper weight loss efforts. You try to deny the craving, only making it more pronounced. If you indulge the craving, stopping with a small serving may be impossible for you.

Expert Insight

Drewnowski and Levine point to evidence that regular consumption of foods high in sugar and fat leads to "neurochemical changes" in the brain--hardwiring you to crave these types of foods. Food cravings often are a result of habit and association--if you have always had something sweet after a meal, you do not feel closure unless you meet that need. Sweet treats often are associated with rewards and positive feelings, so you feel good when you eat them.

Another cause of post-meal sweet cravings has to do with the mood-elevating brain chemical, serotonin. When serotonin is low, feelings of depression and sadness set in. You crave something sweet because sugars and simple carbohydrates prompt the body to release serotonin, improving your mood. Uneven blood sugar levels cause you to crave sweets after a meal as well. If you fail to balance macronutrients at your meals and eat primarily carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels soar--only to drop suddenly shortly after the meal. Your body seeks the "high" again, causing you to crave sugar.

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Considerations

Deprivation also can set you up for cravings. If you are following a strict diet and avoiding all sweets, you can make cravings worse by denying your desire to satisfy your sweet tooth. Professor Peter Rogers from the University of Bristol notes in the online resource ScienceDaily.com that the desire to eat foods, such as chocolate, combined with a knowledge that they should be eaten in moderation causes you to crave them more.

Solution

If your cravings are due to deprivation, allow yourself a small sweet--perhaps a cookie or a miniature candy bar. Sometimes, however, this sets you up for binging, in which case it might be best to go cold turkey for a few weeks. Over time, if your cravings are due to habit, they will subside. Make sure you are consuming adequate nutrition and calories during the day. Try to make each meal contain a serving of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates such as whole grains. Techniques such as brushing your teeth immediately after eating or chewing a piece of minty, sugar-free gum also may help cut the desire to consume sweets after a meal. If you must have something sweet--opt for fresh or dried fruit, which offers nutrition along with natural sugars.

Misconceptions

If you seek to cut out sugar, eliminating cookies, cakes and candy may not be enough. Manufacturers add sugar to all sorts of products, from bread to salad dressings--so read food labels carefully. Artificial sweeteners may offer you a sweet taste with little or no calories, but they do little to curb your cravings. A 2004 study at Purdue University showed that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the body’s ability to count calories, setting you up to consume more calories overall. Also, because artificial sweeteners exhibit sweetness hundreds of times more intense than sugar, they may cause you to crave sweeter and sweeter products.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/77144-crave-sweets-after-eating-meal/

10 Ways To Eat Yourself Beautiful

From anti-ageing miracles to fruits that work on your inner beauty, you really are what you eat. So munch your way to magnificence with these brilliant tips.

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It should come as no surprise that a varied, healthy diet will make us look better as well as feel it, with healthier skin, stronger hair and even a more svelte figure. There can be all kinds of reasons why we look grey or why our eyes have lost their sparkle, but most of the time we just need to refuel with a few of the everyday foods that can make a difference to our natural healthy appearance. Here are our top picks.

Peppers for bright eyes

Red, orange, yellow, green – they’re all a good source of carotenes some of which the body safely converts into vitamin A – which is essential for healthy eyes and our immune response.

Citrus fruits for anti-ageing

These are good sources of vitamin C, which is an essential antioxidant vitamin that is involved in collagen synthesis, helps build healthy tissue (including skin), protects against daily damage and supports your immune system – which makes you look great because you feel great! Blackcurrants are a good source too.

Whole grain foods for UV protection

Yes, believe it or not, you can help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays from the inside out. Wholegrains, along with seeds, are a wonderful source of vitamin E. The only fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin, it has many important properties, particularly protecting cell membranes, making it valuable for skin health and reducing UV skin damage.

Cereal for healthy skin

B2 can also be found in dairy produce and eggs, but some breakfast cereals are a useful source of riboflavin, which helps maintain skin health. It also helps to keep the eyes and mouth in good condition.

Leafy greens for general health

The term ‘superfood’ has fallen out of fashion because it suggested that just a few foods could solve all your problems. Although that’s not the case, there are some foods that tick more than one nutritional box. Leafy greens are a great source of carotene, folic acid and vitamin C and K (essential for healthy blood clotting), as well as fiber. That’s pretty ‘super’ by anyone’s standards…

Water to stop bloating

If your body isn’t getting enough fluids, it will hang on to the fluids it already has, leading to water-retention and bloating. The recommended 6 to 8 glasses of fluids a day is a good guide – and although you don’t have to exclusively drink water, at least you won’t be tempted to dunk a biscuit in it! Tea, coffee, and alcohol can cause dehydration, anyway, so are best avoided if possible.

Nuts for the brain

Nuts are an amazing source of nutrients and will stave off hunger as a long-lasting snack, which means you don’t need to feast on them – just keep a bag handy to nibble on from time to time. And while they may be very high in fat, they also have a good mix of mono-unsaturates and poly-unsaturates. Steer clear of coconut – high in saturated fat – and instead enjoy almonds and hazelnuts, particularly rich in vitamin E. Walnuts are packed with healthy unsaturated omega-3 fats, as are Brazil nuts, which are also a phenomenal source of selenium. For zinc try pistachios, cashews, and pecans.

Kiwi for the immune system

Kiwis are rich in vitamin C, which not only helps boost your immune system (reducing the risk of those grey-looking periods when you’re on the verge of illness) but also aids iron absorption when you are eating iron-rich foods. If you become iron-deficient you will most likely lose your bloom, as well as feeling tired and possibly dizzy.

Tomatoes for good skin and eyes

A great source of lycopene and carotene, tomatoes also contain vitamins C and E, important for maintenance of healthy skin condition and eyes. Even purées, tinned tomatoes, passata and tomato juice can be nutritionally good for you.

Fish for strong hair and nails

Tuna, sardines, mackerel and salmon are useful sources of essential fatty acids (omega-3 group), great not only for better inner health but also for problems like eczema. Protein and EFAs could also help keep your hair and nails looking great, too!

What foods do you swear by to help keep you looking gorgeous? Let us know in the comments section below.

https://www.supersavvyme.co.uk/health-wellbeing/diet-fitness/article/good-food-for-looking-good?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=health_wellbeing&utm_content=3112