April 23, 2024

Celebrate Your Fitness!

July 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Celebrate your Fitness!

Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat EVERY Monday 5pmP/8pmE on Twitter and celebrate your fitness! Regardless of where you are on your fitness journey, it’s important to stop along the way and acknowledge how far you’ve come, the strength and conditioning you’ve gained and the skills you’ve mastered.

You’ll also pick up workout motivation, exercise accountability and fitness tips for the week. Consider this your virtual fitness club meeting to jump start each week exciting about living healthy and fitness. 

Here’s how to join:
Log into your Twitter account.
Enter #HealthyWayMag to see the chat feed.
Chat with others, offer your thoughts and input on questions, have fun!

 

Monday July 11, 2016 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat is Sponsored by Running on the Wall:

Looking for a way to acknowledge your running friend or family member on run well done? As “your gift source for running”, Running on the Wall is your one stop shop for gifts for runners. They offer everything to commemorate and motivate running miles from decals and magnets to race bib displays and medal displays. Offer a thoughtful token of congratulations with a small gift to acknowledge their race commitment. And don’t forget to celebrate your own success! Have you completed a racing goal that you’d like to show off? Don’t hide your medals in a drawer or closet when a high quality display is just a click away. And as a bonus, seeing your medals regularly will provide visual reinforcement of your workout and training efforts, super-charging your fitness motivation! On their website you’ll also find apparel, motivational plaques and jewelry for every runner and every distance. Visitors can also commemorate participation in the hot trend of virtual races with running hats, shirts and medals. Follow them on Twitter, @Gift4Runners.

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How to Run Faster by Charlene Ragsdale

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

So you’ve been running for awhile and even have a few races on your athletic resume, but how do you increase speed? Running faster takes a specific approach as well as specific training. Get back to the basics of running faster specifics with these three expert tips:

Choose the right race, for fastest times
This may seem like common sense, but if you want to run a faster pace choose your race wisely. Participate in a race that is known for being a fast course, at the right time of year for weather and conditions.  Stay clear of races that have hills, extreme weather (cold or hot) or many corners. The straighter the better.

Do more training at your race pace
Beginners tend to run their long runs at a slow pace, which makes them good at running long, slow miles. But if you’re shooting for a certain race time, you’ll need to focus more on your goal race pace.  Every distance has it’s own requirements.  Focus on the race requirement to complete a 5k, 10k, Half or Full.

Do speedwork
Do track work, sprints, or even fartlek’s.  Until you engage your fast-twitch muscles, your legs will not know how to react when you need to run fast.  Just as you are building endurance, you have to build your fast twitch muscles for speed.

Charlene Ragsdale is a RRCA Certified Running Coach, IFA Certified Sports Nutritionist and member of the USATF Master’s All-American Team. She can often be seen at on the podium as a frequent Age Division & Overall Winner in several distances. She lives with her Chef husband, two sons and two dogs in Las Vegas, NV. You can follow her at her blog: www.FABRunning.com

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Race Recovery Essentials! Written by Kristie Cranford

October 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This article is sponsored by ELANVEDA. Are you an athlete or fitness enthusiast? Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy relief from sore muscles, at a one-time-only discount! http://elanveda.com/essential-oils/muscle-and-joint.php  ELANVEDA Muscle & Joint Relief, a blend of essential oils created to relieve joint discomfort & muscle soreness, is a must for every recreational and professional athlete. Also perfect for anyone who has muscle pain due to an injury, fatigue or exercise. Use coupon code HYWOL20 to redeem your 20% discount through 11/30/12. ELANVEDA provides best-of-breed alternative medicine for everyday ailments, formulated using organic, wide-crafted and ALL NATURAL herbs and essential oils. ELANVEDA is partnered with Dr. Marc Halpern and the California College of Ayurveda to offer high quality products assuring the best formulas are used. Discover all their products, www.elanveda.com. Email via info@elanveda.com or call them directly, 310.570.9535. There is help for sore and achy muscles, ELANVEDA is your all-natural solution!

Race Recovery Essentials! Written by Kristie Cranford

A lot of focus and energy is put into preparing to get to the finish line of a race strong and ready. What happens when you cross the finish line? In all the planning one crucial part is often overlooked, recovery.
Recovery is both physical and mental. It is important to prepare for both.

Here are some quick post-race recovery tips:

•    Replenish. Eat or drink something containing complex carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of the finish. Typical rule of thumb is 3 part carbohydrate to 1 part protein. Your body needs to refuel and will need protein to help muscles to rebuild/recover.

•    Hydrate. Drink plenty of water, and not just after the race. Continue throughout the day and days ahead. It will help to move the lactic acid out of your body.

•    Don’t stop. At the finish, don’t stop and sit down. Keep moving. Walk, a lot. Stretch. You want to keep your muscles from locking up and tightening.

•    Foam Roll. A foam roller is an athlete’s best friend. Roll out your whole body, not just the legs, paying close attention to “hot spots” (sore spots.)

•    Take an Ice Bath. Sit in a tub with ice and water, put your feet in a bucket of ice, or sit in a cold body of water. Ice baths reduce inflammation and tissue breakdown, therefore speeding recovery.

•    Compress. Put on compression sleeves or socks. Blood pools at the bottom of the leg when racing, compression will aid in improving blood flow, speeding recovery.

•    Rest. Allow your body to recover, repair, and become stronger. Muscle repairs and strengthens at rest. Do not immediately jump into a hard training program. Light yoga, swimming and biking for example, are good choices. Less intensity for a few days, even a week or longer to allow for proper rest and repair.

•    Expect the blues. Every athlete experiences post-race blues. When the euphoria and endorphins wear off, there is a crash. Just knowing it happens and being able to recognize it makes a difference. But plan for it. Have a next goal in mind so there is a new focus ahead, not “what am I going to do now?”

Planning and preparing for a race should not be just about how to get to the finish, but what to do after you get there. Remember to have a recovery plan in place.  

This article is written by Kristie Cranford, CPT. A wife, mother, cancer survivor and competitive athlete, Kristie is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer as well as a Running/Triathlon Coach for PRSFit Nation. Living in Las Vegas, she is the Chair of Long Distance Running for USATF-Nevada Association, Coolibar sponsored athlete, and Raw Elements Sunscreen Ambassador. Contact information: http://coachkristie.com, via email at CoachKristieLV@yahoo.com, www.prsfit.com

 

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Marathon: The Insider Scoop Written by Kristie Cranford

August 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This article is sponsored by ELANVEDA. Sore muscles?
http://elanveda.com/essential-oils/muscle-and-joint.php.  ELANVEDA Muscle & Joint Relief, a blend of essential oils created to relieve joint discomfort & muscle soreness, is a must for every fitness enthusiast and athlete. Perfect for anyone who has joint or muscle pain due to an injury, fatigue or exercise. Enter HYWON1 to redeem your 10% discount through 9/15/12. ELANVEDA provides best-of-breed alternative medicine for everyday ailments, formulated using organic, wide-crafted and ALL NATURAL herbs and essential oils. ELANVEDA is partnered with Dr. Marc Halpern and the California College of Ayurveda to offer high quality products assuring the best formulas are used. Discover all their products, www.elanveda.com. Email via info@elanveda.com or call them directly, 310.570.9535. There is help for sore and achy muscles, ELANVEDA is your all-natural solution!

 

Marathon: The Insider Scoop Written by Kristie Cranford
 

A marathon is not only a physical feat, but a mental one. The best way to have a great race is not just to train, but to prepare.

 

Train within your ability. There are a numerous training plans available.  Find one that fits you.  Don’t be afraid to consult with a Coach.  No matter your ability, it never hurts to have a professional help you along the way.

Train at race time. Plan your long runs the same time and same day of the week as your race. Your body has a memory and will learn to run the distance at that time.

Experiment. Try energy gels, sports drinks, try it all. Get it down to a science and find out what works for you.  Train with what sports drink and energy gels will be provided at the aid stations on the race course. If while experimenting you find they do not work for you, plan a way to carry your own.

Train for the course. If it is a hilly course, don’t do all your training on flat surfaces. Even better if you can train on the actual race course. 

18 Mile training runs will drive you batty. Ask anyone. 17 miles, 19 miles, even 22 miles, no problem.  18 will drive you bonkers.  Just accept it, tackle it and run 18.1 if you have to.

Have a dress rehearsal. On a training run wear what you plan to wear in the race, fuel and hydrate like you plan to race day. If something isn’t right, you’ll have time to make changes before race day.

You will go crazy. There will be a time when your training tapers down that you will experience what has been called: Taper Madness, Taper Crazies, or Taper Tantrums.  Whatever you call it, all your nervous pent up energy will make you a little looney and edgy to say the least. Having a good friend to talk to will really help during this time. 

Carb load does not equal a car load of food. While experimenting, you should have figured out your best meal for the night before a long run.  Eat what you know is tried and true the night before the race. You do not want to be searching for a porta potty on the race course like a heat seeking missile.

It’s code. Call it superstition, or an unwritten rule, NEVER wear the race shirt in the race.

Relax. Race day you know what to do. You’ve trained, experimented, prepared. So relax and enjoy the marathon. When you’ve finished put on that race shirt, slap a 26.2 sticker on your car, and wear your medal with pride. You ARE a marathoner.

This article is written by Kristie Cranford, CPT. A wife, mother, cancer survivor and competitive athlete, Kristie is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer as well as a Running/Triathlon Coach for PRSFit Nation. Living in Las Vegas, she is the Chair of Long Distance Running for USATF-Nevada Association, Coolibar sponsored athlete, and Raw Elements Sunscreen Ambassador. Contact information:
Email: CoachKristieLV@yahoo.com, www.prsfit.com, http://coachkristie.com

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