Get Fit Quick Tip:

Lunge Stretch for Runners

Stretch your leg muscles with this Lunge Stretch: Begin kneeling on your right knee, with your left foot forward and flat. Place one hand on the floor on either side of your body for support, or place your hands on your hips. Let both hips fall forward, feeling a slight stretch in the front of your right hip and thigh. For more of a stretch lift your right knee up about two-three inches off of the floor. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release. Repeat the stretch kneeling on your left knee, and your right foot forward and flat.

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Lunge Stretch for Runners

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Stick to the basics when planning for a race!

Nothing new on race day. This applies to food, hydration, clothing, and pacing. If you haven’t tried it in training, don’t do it in racing.

Research ahead of time. Do an online search of restaurants, grocery stores and markets in the area. Make reservations for dinner the night before. Plan out every detail of your breakfast.

Plan morning-logistics. Expecting traffic? Parking troubles? Plan ahead. Know exactly how you’re getting to the starting line down to the route, the mode, the exact departure time, closed roads and traffic control information, and the exact drop off or parking details.

Big race coming up?

Take a healthy step with #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) on Twitter! Pick up tips, ideas, solutions, find accountability, get motivated and have fun chatting with others also on their fitness journey.

Here’s how to join:

1. Log into your Twitter account.

2. Enter hashtag #HealthyWayMag.

3. See questions posted for discussion noted as “Q1″ for question 1. “Q2″ designates question 2.

4. Chat with other participants and have fun!

Monday April 25, 2016 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat Sponsored by RunnerBox:

Looking for an economical and effective method to learn what running, cycling, triathlon, racing and fitness gear is available, and more importantly what’s best for you and your training? Consider RunnerBox! A bimonthly subscription service or one time box (makes a great gift) allows you to sample the best top gear on the market. Offering a Runner Box, Tri Box, Cycle Box, you will find a box for you. Their boxes include everything from gels, bars, healthy snacks to skincare and accessories. They’ve done the research and only include the best gear for you to sample… all delivered right to your door! It doesn’t get easier! Check out their new race-specific kits. These “race survival kits” insure you are prepared and arrive at the starting line ready to race hard! Quantities are limited, so order yours NOW!

Build Fitness Momentum

So you’ve decided to toe the line and participate in your first running race. Congratulations! While distance and training required varies from race to race, there are a few tried and true race habits to get you to the finish line health and happy.

Respect your taper. Your goal is to arrive at the starting line recovered from training, refreshed and ready to RUN! Avoid the urge to log last minute miles. Fitness is cumulative and adding unplanned long miles will sabotage your training efforts. Watch a funny movie, kick back with friends, read a book or take a nap.

Follow predicted weather. Let’s face it, we’re no longer in a not-knowing world! Know the forecast for race day, including temps, wind and humidity. Each of these can change how your body handles your race. There’s nothing worse than shivering your way through a race or overheating due to lack of planning.

Read the athlete information, and then read it again. Athlete instructions are emailed for a purpose! You should know parking details, the starting area lay-out, where aid stations and restrooms are located, as well as the post-race reunion area. Doing so will decrease stress and energy wasted race morning.

Lay out your clothing and supplies the night before. Place all race items on the bathroom counter. You’ll have an easy visual of your gear to save time. Again, no wasting energy or distracting your mental focus.

Stick with foods used during training. A little planning goes a long way to insuring good energy and avoiding stomach distress race morning. Eat what you usually eat the night before long runs and eat what you usually eat the morning of long runs. When in doubt, pack food from home. Nothing new on race day!

Running your first race? Be in-the-know with these tips. By Nicole Bryan

Adventure for Every Fitness Level by John Taylor

Mud runs offer adventure activities for every fitness level
 

In April of 2011, I asked my students to participate in an activity they had never been exposed to before…a mud run. I believed that they could all complete a military-style obstacle course where they had to climb over 12-foot high walls, propel their bodies across rope swings, crawl underneath razor sharp barbed wire, and dive into mud pits that were 3-feet deep.

Many of my students were scared about signing up for the event, and were even more apprehensive about going to the starting line once we actually got to the race. However, due to the encouragement from teachers and peers, every one of my learners completed the 3.1 mile obstacle course.

Imagine that…my students came to me at the beginning of the school year with obese BMI scores, and they have now conquered an event that many Americans would be too timid to even sign-up for.

The reason my students and I love mud run events is because teams can go at their own pace to complete the race, each member of the team can help one another overcome every obstacle, and in cases when a person is unable to complete a certain task, they can simply go around the impediment and continue their journey.

Of course every mud runner would benefit from physically preparing for the event through an ideal training regimen, but finishing in the top 3 in your age group is not what a mud run is about. Events like the Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, Rugged Maniac, and Primal Run are meant to help friends and colleagues work together to complete a common goal and have fun.

If you are looking to physically prepare for one of these events, here are a few tips to help you train for a mud run competition:

Work on your upper body strength. In many mud runs, you’ll have to go across monkey bars and crawl through some pretty thick mud. Strengthening your shoulders, triceps, and lats will really help your efforts

Build up your cardiovascular endurance. Most people only think of the obstacles when mud runs come to mind, but there is a lot of running in-between these obstacles. Make your training more realistic to the actual event by doing trail and hill sprints and jogs.

Bring sympathy, understanding, and encouragement when you compete in a mud run. Remember, you may be able to get through every obstacle with ease, but your teammate who has just begun working out may struggle. If you are demanding that they “try harder,” do you think they’ll want to compete in one of these events again? The goal is to provide support and encouragement for fellow athletes!

By John Taylor, MS. Star of Emmy-nominated reality television series, “Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back” Follow John on Twitter: @tvfitcoach. Find John on  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coach-John-T/151964238255488?ref=tn_tnmn or reach him via email, jtaylor@wellbalance

Adventure for Every Fitness Level by John Taylor