March 19, 2024

Moving Warm Up Stretch

Fit Body:

Moving Warm Up

A proper workout warm up means moving your muscles continuously for 8-10 minutes. The purpose of a warm up is to do exactly that, prepare your body for the work of an upcoming workout. Any activity that circulates your blood, increases heart rate and breathing, and moves several muscles qualifies. Try this moving single knee to chest warm up stretch before your next walk or run. Begin by taking a step with your right foot, then bring your left knee up hugging it to your chest for one second. Lower your left knee and take a step with your left foot. Then, bring your right knee up and hug it to your chest. Lower, and step forward. Repeat walking forward and lifting your knee.

 

 

Go FAST!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

SPRINT!

Add sprint intervals into your walking, jogging or running workout.

Find a 50-100 yard path that allows you to perform regular timed sprint repeats. After a sufficient warm up of 8-10 minutes, sprint your time trial for a base interval. Repeat the intervals as long as you can log a decreased time each one. All-out intervals challenge your cardiovascular system, and your muscles, all in one time-efficient workout. Perform your sprint workout once each week to allow recovery of your muscles. This workout is for intermediate/advanced exercise without injury concerns.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Racing? Here are your race prep basics.

Get Fit Quick Tip:

4 Racing Basics

There are a few racing basics important to keep in mind heading into your race day. Here are 4 to commit to memory:

 

Embrace your nerves. Many athletes experience pre-race nerves. Nerves mean the event is important to you and you want to do your best. Nerves happen with uncertainty or with the unknown. Accept your anxiety simply as part of the process. Instead of allowing nerves to paralyze you, enable them to empower you.

Master the art of letting-it-go. You’re distracted by someone along the race course? Let it go. Your pre-race ritual was interrupted? Let it go. Another athlete cut you off at the hydration station? Let it go. Focus on your race, your miles.

Stick to your race plan. Never try anything new on race day. Only do what you’ve practiced in training. Stick to your pre-race meal plan. Your clothing. Your hydration schedule. Your pace.

Visualize your finish daily. Every night before going to sleep, visualize in full detail finishing your race strong. During your race when miles become tough, play back the well rehearsed mental picture of your strong finish. You’ll be able to change your emotional/mental state mid-race and reset your resolve to keep moving forward.

 

Try Running!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Try Running!

Running is an effective total body workout. With one exercise you’ll strengthen your cardiovascular system, as well as your muscle endurance.

Here’s how to start:

Incorporate running or jogging into your day. If you’re out taking the dog for a walk, add in a few 10-30 second jogging intervals. Watching your child’s sports baseball? Do running intervals around a neighboring field.

Hit the trails. Running on dirt provides a unique experience. If you appreciate the quiet and prefer to not navigate around cars, take your jogging or running workout off the road. Start with running intervals according to terrain.

Head to the hills. Neighborhood hills with little traffic work well for a focused jogging or running workout. Begin by performing running intervals uphill and then walk down the hill.

Treadmills work. Love them or hate them, treadmills provide a workout opportunity regardless of weather, time of day or ability. Choose your speed, choose your duration and go.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

 

Fun in the Mud by Nicole Bryan

Racing your first Mud Run event? You won’t regret it! Regardless of your fitness or sport background, you will be challenged by this unique event style. Mud Runs have gained popularity in the past few years, because they are a fitness-filled total body workout of fun.

Here are a few tips to get you to the finish line happy and healthy:

Pace Yourself. The energy at the starting line of any event is super-charged! Mud Run race organizers usually plan to have a sustained run of a quarter or half-mile at the beginning for the purpose of spreading out participants upon arriving at the first obstacle. Remember to warm up, instead of sprinting to the first obstacle. Take your time, save your sprint for the end of the course. Your muscles will thank you.

Look for a Clear Path. There will be fellow athletes at each obstacle. In fact, some obstacles are really impacted and you may even have to wait. When approaching the obstacle survey others around you, see what approach they’re taking and then choose a different approach position. Usually the outside, corners or edges are least crowded as others simply follow the athlete in front of them to the middle of the obstacle. Look for other paths that volunteers are creating for athletes.

Focus on Efficiency. The more efficiently you can use your body, the better in obstacle course racing. For example, you see a wall as your next obstacle. If there aren’t other athletes in front of you, run and jump over in a single motion. This approach is more efficient than stopping completely and pulling your body over the obstacle and then having to regain running momentum again.

Think Outside of the Box. Sometimes rolling saves muscle energy over crawling. Explore how you can use your legs, instead of only your arms. Try how you can use your arms, instead of only your legs. Try using your total body to decrease cardio intensity.

Use Momentum. Keep moving forward. Running, walking, jogging, crawling, rolling, skipping, whatever it takes. Momentum from your run should carry you half way up the cargo net. Momentum from your downhill sprint should propel you over the wall. Momentum from your jogging can move you easier through the mud pit.

Have a sense of humor, have some common sense, have a smart approach to each obstacle, and most of all have fun in the mud!