The shape of things

I don't know about you, but ever since November 1 I've been dreaming of fried turkey. Mmm. And dressing. And sweet potatoes. And gravy.

You get the point. Thanksgiving is coming up soon (a little less than two weeks) and I've got a great idea for you. In order to enjoy your thanksgiving meal and not completely derail your healthy-eating-living lifestyle, sign up for your local turkey trot.

A turkey trot is typically held the morning of Thanksgiving. Most trots are a 5K (which is 3.1 miles) and seem pretty family-friendly. Visit active.com to see if your area is having a turkey trot. Can't find it there? See if your local running club or running shoe store has information about a trot.

Now I know you may think it's a little last minute - and perhaps it is - but if you're fairly new to running, I'd still suggest signing up for a trot. It's a perfect time to do it and if not now, when? Right? There are training programs (like couch to 5k) but most of the plans last 6-9 weeks. Which is obviously too long for this race.

But, if you've been doing some running (even if it's run/walking), a 3 mile course is a great place to get a taste of what races are all about. You don't have to run the whole thing. In fact, you could do your run/walk workouts on the course. The only thing is, chances are you'll push yourself a bit harder than you do on your workouts. And you may completely surprise yourself!

Take a family member or friend along with you. It's a great way to start the Thanksgiving day and it will make you feel a lot less guilty when you dig into that pumpkin pie!

I know. I know. All I've been posting about lately is running! I'm sorry. But I just couldn't keep this great tip from you guys.

Self.com enlisted 2-time Olympic Gold medalist Gail Devers to watch some tape of 5 or so girls running and comment on their stride, posture and give them tips on how to improve their speed.

I watched the video and listened to all the tips yesterday and when I got on the treadmill after work I picked one close to the mirrors so I could critique my form.

If you're new to running or an "old pro" this video will help you out. Maybe you aren't comfortable yet running and you are self concious about the way you run - or maybe you've been running a long time and are getting frustrated becasue you cannot increase your speed.

Here are a few of Gail's tips that helped me out:

1. When you run you want to be leaning just a little bit forward. Most of the women in the video were either too upright or were leaning back, this slows you down and adds drag.

2. You want to land on the balls of your feet when you run, but you don't want to have pointed toes (she calls it the dancer run). Your feet should be flexed when running and should hit the ground toe to heel - not flat footed and not heel first.

3. Your stride should feel like you're riding a bicycle. Your feet should come up quite a bit behind you. I tried this yesterday and was impressed at how much better it felt to move my feet in a circular motion.

Watch the video and go to the gym to critique your form (do like I did and find a spot near a mirror). Some basics you want to remember is to keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days. Apparently my busy weeks at work and slow health news weeks coincide. Which, is a good thing I suppose.

I read this article today on Runners World and it was so inspirational that I really wanted to share it with all of you. This woman talks about how she runs but she's not "training" for a race or a marathon - and how this confuses people. So she often gets asked "When's your next fall marathon"

She then shares this great story about what running (just for the sake of running) means to her:

"We are supposed to deal with our own stuff, tidy up our own lives and our own hearts.  We are supposed to work at our fitness in all capacities (spiritual, mental, emotional, physical), and not simply because it is an end in itself, but because we are in a constant state of being made ready.  If we are fit, in every sense of that word, then when someone we love needs us, we can make a difference for them.  In this manner and for this reason, we work hard to be stronger, fitter, faster, more agile.  Fitness has a purpose far beyond vanity, beyond even good health, when a person is trained to think of it in these terms."

Read the rest of it, it's worth it. It will change your attitude about working out and being physically fit. 

1. Eat one serving of whole grains a day and slash your risk for high blood pressure. The more whole grains you eat, the less risk you have. Read more about it.

My tip: When you're buying "whole-grain" products (like bread) make sure the first ingredient is WHOLE grains. Not "enriched whole grain"

2. We love our bottled water for its convenience and for the quality - but what is it doing to our environment? Read about how bottled water is now considered an "environmental villian"

My tip: Buy a Nalgene bottle (or some other water container) and use it instead of bottled water. If you want fresh filtered water get a Brita filter instead of buying Dasani.  

3. Training for a 10K or 5K? Make sure you add a lot of easy-runs to your training schedule. This recent study found that the runners who did mostly "easy runs" improved their times in a 10k significantly more than those who did "hard tempo runs." Read more.

My tip: If you're training for a race make sure you keep those easy runs in your training. It may seem better to run fast all the time, but this study shows that those long, steady easy runs are just as valuable.

4. Smoothie Joints are FINALLY starting to cut calories. A recent trend in the smoothie-industry is creating fruitful concoctions with less calories. Not sure if you're aware of this but those smoothies typically have a lot of sugar in them meaning a lot of calories. Based on consumer demand, the top smoothies chains (Jamba Juice, Smoothie King, Freshens) are creating smoothies for those of us who don't want to replace two meals with the creamy drinks. Read more here.  

My tip: Always, always, always check the nutrition info before ordering a smoothie. You could be shocked at what these "seemingly healthy" drinks contain. (For example a Banana Berry Jamba Juice smoothie has 450 calories, 1 g fat, 106 g carbs, Smoothie king's Banana Boat has 520 calories, 14 g fat and 93 g carbs) If these are one of your favorites order one and ask to put it in two cups - share with a friend or put the other in the freezer for later. 

Ever since I started running I've encountered quite a few pretentious runners who believe firmly that running on a treadmill is not "running." I find this ABSURD! Some of these snotty runners will even say that people hold on to the rails of a treadmill while running so this makes it the same as walking ---- wha?!

This makes me so mad. It goes hand in hand with my earlier post about these ad campaigns that try to separate runners from joggers making it falsely seem like there's a fierce battle between those who run 8+ minute miles and those who run 12 minute miles. Once again, absurd!

Creating this battle is ridiculous and fruitless and effectively turns people away from the sport of running. Running's been so good to my body and well-being that I would hate for anyone to shy away from it because pretentious people tell them that their "treadmill workouts don't count" or that "you're just a jogger therefore you can't call yourself a runner."

I was happily amused today when I read a few articles about heat stroke. Being that it is August and the hottest part of the summer (and apparently one of the hottest in a while for the nation) people are being cautioned about working out too hard and too much in the heat. WebMd has a whole article about the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and who is at risk. And just this morning Fitsugar posted about heat and humidity.

She included this great chart on how to tell whether or not the heat/humidity will put you at risk of heat stroke.

Check out the chart and be vigilant. If it's too hot outside, don't shy away from the gym and the treadmill. Pay no attention to those who say a treadmill workout doesn't count. If your heart rate is up and you're breaking a sweat you're working your body and your heart. Happy running.

Ever wonder why some of the strongest people in your spin class (you know, the ones who never slack off and are always up for another hill) rarely seem to be thinnest and youngest person in the class?

Or perhaps some of your friends (or parent's friends for that matter) talk incessantly about cycling and century rides on the weekend (100 mile rides) yet they have pudges all over and are by most people's definition slightly overweight?

Well that, my friends, is what we call the "bicycling paradox." What makes for a competitive runner (rail thin and young), is not always ideal for a good cyclist. You may be thinking well look at Lance or other professionals, but we're talking about mere mortals today.

The New York Times had an article today about this paradox. In cycling it's your weight-to-strength ratio that really matters. Sure those rail thin ones can race up the hill the fastest, but the bigger ones will go faster downhill (due to center-of-gravity) and they will also ride on flat surfaces faster. 

This is true. I used to know a few cyclists and the skinny ones always did great on hilly courses, but when it came to flat courses the bigger ones could sprint faster. (Skinny = climber, Bigger = sprinter)

And with cycling age isn't as big of a factor as running. Bicycling is a lot less grueling on the body than running, so it doesn't take its toll as hard and as soon.  

Take away - if you're a runner, cycling is a great cross training activity that will help you body last longer than competitive running. If you're a cyclist, don't fret if you're not the skinniest and youngest, you can still kick some serious skinny-butt out there. And if you're neither a runner or a cyclist, make this the week (or month) that you start trying these sports out.

So I love buying new workout clothes. It pumps me up to actually wear them when I workout - which in turn makes me workout more. It's also a great way to reward yourself (for finishing a race, or working out 5 times a week, etc.) much better than some kind of food reward (which is a very bad habit, if you're in that now).

I decided I'd share a few of my favorite workout items here. You'll see that the majority of the items are tennis related, that's because I love tennis fashion and I love playing tennis. I also added a few running/standard workout items. Let me know what you think, and if you have some favorites, share them in the comments. (Be sure to add a link to buy!) :)