Get Fit Quick Tip:

Walk/Run Intervals!

Want to start running, but don’t know where or how to begin? Walk/run intervals make the transition manageable. A common mistake is doing too much too soon. Here’s how to progress gradually reducing risk of injury and burnout:

Once you have a regular walking program 3 days a week, begin with 10 second intervals in the middle of your workout. Warm up for 8-10 minutes, perform a series of 10 second jogging or running intervals followed by 30 second or more walking intervals. Conclude your workout with a 5-10 minute cool down. Gradually, add seconds and then minutes to your jogging/running intervals and decrease your walking intervals.

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Want to start running?

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?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Standing Inner Thigh and Hamstring Stretch

Do this stretch for runners after your next workout. Begin standing and pull your right foot up in front of your belly button. Move your right knee to the side of your body. Hold your lower leg and ankle with both hands, keeping  your lower leg parallel to the floor. Keep your torso straight and shoulders back. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release. Repeat pulling your left foot up in front of your body. Using both hands hold your left calf and ankle, letting your knee fall to the side. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise. This stretch is for those without injury concerns.

Stretch for Runners

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Kneeling Hip Stretch

Do this kneeling hip and quad stretch to decrease front thigh tightness. Kneel on your right knee. Tilt your pelvis back and under. Let your hips fall slightly forward. Hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat the stretch kneeling on your left knee. Hold for 10 seconds, then release.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Do this stretch…

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Start a Running Program!

So you’re interested in running to help your fitness? A common mistake of many beginning runners is doing too much too soon. Here’s how to get started effectively and safely:

Start with walk/jog intervals. Perform a walking warm up for 10 minutes, then start with 3-5, 10-30 second jogging intervals followed by 1-2 minute walking recovery intervals, complete your workout with a 10 minute walking cool down.

Wear running shoes. Go to your local sporting goods store and ask about running-specific shoes. Proper footwear is essential with high-impact fitness.

Listen to your body. When beginning a running program, listen to your body and level of soreness. Muscle aches are okay when starting new exercise, consistent pain is not.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Interested in Running?

Mid-Foot Stretch!

After your next run, do this stretch to ease sore feet and tired legs. Here’s how:

Place the ball of your foot on a object about 4 inches off the floor such as a curb, foam roller or small step. Keeping your heel on the ground and ankle straight, slowly transfer your weight onto the ball of your foot. You should feel a slight stretch along the bottom of your foot. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

After-Running Stretch

YES, your fitness should be FUN!

Laugh, run, play, act silly. Why? Because it’s FUN and having fun is motivating! If you’re not enjoying your workout (at least most of the time), change it!

Put the FUN back in your workouts: Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern)!

Simply log onto your Twitter account and follow @HealthyWayMag to participate. Questions for discussion will be posted as Question 1, “Q1″, Question 2, “Q2″ and so on. Contribute your answer and experience via answers to Question 1 noted as “A1″, answer to Question 2 as “A2″ and so on.

Interact with others, chat, exchange ideas, training tips and have fun!

Monday August 17, 2015 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat Sponsored by Swagtastic Virtual Race:

A virtual race is an organized event held online. The benefits? Participants can join in from all over the country, and you race on your own time and schedule. Join Swagtastic Virtual Race and run or walk to benefit Medals4Mettle, and you’ll receive a swag bag filled with over 20 health, fitness and endurance products! Choose from 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon and complete your miles between October 9, 2015 and October 12, 2015. Self-track your time and your miles. Virtual races are a great way to connect with fellow fitness enthusiasts, put a goal to your workouts and support a non-profit group all at the same time. Join in the fun on Twitter, @SwagtasticRace. Registration is OPEN!

Are you having FUN?

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

Does workout recovery matter?

Accept your need for recovery as part of your exercise program. Better yet, program it in. Keep your schedule on the calendar just as you do when in your heavy or building training period, just write “off” or “30 minute jog.”

Here are a few ways how to decrease the stress of accepting and respecting your recovery period as an essential part of your training program:

Cross Train. Choose an entirely different mode of exercise all together. Change the angle at which you’re working your muscles. If you routinely do high-impact, try non-impact exercise. If you regularly partake in exercise over 90 minutes, set a recovery limit of fifty-percent of your average weekly workouts. If you’ve been wanting to try a different workout, now is the time to do it when the new workout won’t interfere with your race program.

Rest. That’s right, rest! Do less, do nothing, do whatever whenever the mood strikes you. Resting not only applies to your body, but to your mind as well. This includes psychological and emotional rest. When we are racing or focused on completing a major fitness goal, our mind works just as hard. Get caught up on movies, sort through paperwork, play puzzles with your kids. Sit. Rest. Relax. Many are afraid of rest for fear that they’ll lose all their fitness efforts over night. Rest assured, you won’t. In reality, the contrary is true, you’ll come back to your sport and fitness with more enthusiasm than before. Let yourself miss your activity!

Tend to the details. During your recovery period is a great time to tend to those tiny details that during your heavy training were tolerable, but just barely. For example, that nagging foot discomfort you’ve been tolerating (go see your doctor), or your slightly-off hydration plan (research other alternatives), or those biking shoes that just getting worn out (try out new equipment.) This is like your rainy-day activity list. Tiny details that you just never have time for during your training. Get them sorted out now, so when your recovery period is complete, you’re ready to go.

Catch up. Catch up with other areas of your life that may have been neglected during your heavy training period. Re-introduce yourself to your spouse, to your children, to your boss, to your friends. Go ahead and make that time active if you’d like, but activity is not the priority. Get caught up on your desk work, yard work, and the kid’s homework, anything other than variables that have to do with your race or goal.

Bask in your accomplishment. You’ve worked hard to reach your goal, why not allow time to enjoy it before darting off to begin your next training period. Read articles on your sport, send fellow athletes your race pictures, share your race report in a blog post, chat with other participants, and plot out your next race or fitness goal undertaking; have some fun with your accomplishment! There are ways to stay connected with your sport, your training buddies and current events, without the physical demands required by logging the miles in race prep. So go ahead, hone your verbal, written and artistic skills for a change. Brag a little. You’ll inspire fellow athletes, and yourself.

Does Workout Recovery Matter? By Nicole Bryan

It doesn’t have to be. Choose goals that are reasonable and attainable so that you don’t end up frustrated or injured. A long-term goal, like a BQ (Boston Marathon Qualifying) time, may take several years to achieve. Try breaking it up into smaller goals that you can celebrate every 3-6 months.

6-Month Running Goal

Run a faster 5K. The most-popular race distance in the United States is the 5K. It’s short enough to build your base mileage quickly and with a dash of speed work, you’ll be ready to grab a new PR in 6 months or less.

12-Month Running Goal

Run your first marathon. A full calendar year allows you to safely increase your mileage without risk of overuse injury. With careful planning, you can be ready for your first full marathon in 2015. Forget the clock. Finish your first 26.2 with a big smile on your face.

Long-Term Running Goal

Write your bucket list. Anything goes because this is where you’ll discover your motivation and passion for the sport of running. Your goals are entirely your own. Your Twitter buddy may be excited about conquering the famed Leadville 100, and you may want to keep your streak alive at the local St. Paddy’s 5 Miler.

We all have different reasons for running, the most important thing is to enjoy the miles.

Jason Saltmarsh is an RRCA Adult Distance Running Coach and competitive masters runner. He enjoys racing at distances ranging from 5K to the marathon. Jason’s goal is to share with others the benefits and joys of running, fitness and healthy living. For more information, please visit saltmarshrunning.com

Do you have a running goal? by Jason Saltmarsh