WHY IS MUSCLE MASS IMPORTANT FOR RUNNERS?

I've been in the running field since for 25 years. This is one sport that has been a contributing factor in my life. I’ve experience a lot of set back and achievements. The most disturbing thing are injuries and not achieving my goals after training hard.  But what has been the worrying factor since I started coaching is the mistake made buy runners.  They make the same mistake year after year not changing anything and still complain about the same things.

We are blessed to be in the century we are living in. This is information age. Science of training in sport have evolved so much yet a lot of runners still train like its the 60s.(Old school outdated methods-pounding the road and countless kilometers on the legs)

Majority of the runners believes in order for one to improve in running you will need to spend hours and hours pounding the street, and you need to weigh your lightest. This leads to these types of runners to experience the same setbacks.

To enjoy your running or achieve the goals you set one need a sound program, with the right balance of quality session, endurance and weight or resistance training.

On the top of my list is the right base one will build by doing Weight training or resistance training. This help to increase your muscle mass. Which help to support you joints, cartilage and bones.

WHY IS MUSCLE MASS IMPORTANT FOR RUNNERS?

Increase muscle mass can benefit runners in 3 ways...

Higher peak output - in running shorter high intensity burst are needed to power over the hills. Successful execution breaks away and win sprint. For recreational runners helps improve running economy and break their Personal Record (PR). If you have a high peak power you will be successful in these situations.

Lower relative muscular effort – every continual sport movement eg (Spinning the crank on the bike on a constant speed) requires a given amount of force from yours muscle. By increasing the muscle strength this same force becomes a lower percentage of maximal effort. This prolongs your endurance and running economy. This effect is the largest in individual who are the weakest.

Reduce running injury risk – Strong muscles are more capable of withstanding –producing force that inevitable in running. It is a proven fact that increases muscle mass reduce the risk of injury.

So wouldn't it be wise to start adding weight or resistance training in your training plan. Stay tune on the ART OF RUNNING BLOG. I will be giving free exercise tips and teaching the correct technique to execute them. 

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20 Minnte Express Workout

20 Minute Express Workout

Hi Friends I know I’ve not been keeping contact with you. But all is back to normal. The Magnificent One in on top of things now. Ill be sharing my workout and what we do at ART OF RUNNING. Follow and share my blog to get exciting workouts. To follow is my short story.

Magnificent One: I like to get through my workouts in 30 minutes (45 minutes max). I also like to get my heart rate up during the workout and challenge my intensity levels. Here is a great workout I just completed yesterday and the reason why I choose this workout…

After I had flu for a week build my immune system naturally (which I m proud to say 

Thank you Kuding Tea)

It took me around 5 day to feel the relief of flu. Had to take extra precaution to make share my heart rate returns to normal before I can resume my workout. Leading by example I use one of my quick express program 

Duration 20 min - 5 min Dynamic exercises and15 min circuit. Tell you this baby does the trick.

I tried Body weight squats (2 sets of 50) and push ups with my hands on a chair and finished with light tubing rows. This helped me loosen up and get my heart rate up. It was more of a feel good workout but gave me confidence I was “OK”.

Today I felt good and wanted to really go at it, but only use Body weight and some Kettlebell work.  Here is what I did.

I first complete a warm up of foam rolling and dynamics exercises.

Here was my workout:

1. Push ups- for Push Ups had my feet on a 6 inch box to train more core.
2. TRX pull ups
3. Kettelbell split squat- I used one kettelbell held at front squat position and over the front leg
4. Reverse Crunches- lying on my back lifting my legs to 90degrees and lifting my let up   and my back slightly leaving the mat.

I performed these four exercises in circuit format. I only allowed 15 seconds between exercises and then 60 seconds between circuits. Trying to keep great form

1. Push ups- 3 sets of 20 reps.
2. TRX- 3 sets of 20, 20, and 17 on the last set.
3. Kettlebell split squat- 3 sets of 12 on each leg- my back fatigued around 12 reps.
4. Reverse Crunches- 3 sets of 15 reps

I kept my tempo around 2 eccentric to 1 concentric. On occasion I would go This workout really gave me a good cardio workout and strength endurance. The best part is that I felt great. I look forward to picking up the intensity in the next week.

So Stay tune ill be sharing my weekly workouts.

Please share and ask your friends to follow my blog and Facebook ART OF RUNNING fan page. 

I will also be running monthly competition. 

Boost your Self-Esteem by Running

Running is a great self-esteem booster, especially if you are a beginning runner. Running will allow you to test and expand your limits like never before. With each kilometer you reach you will find yourself more confident and able to take on the world.

Starting out slow reaps big rewards

Even if you can’t run to the mailbox without huffing and puffing, you can run to boost self-esteem. The first time you run to the mailbox, down the street, around the block or whatever distance it is, you will feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment. The first time you go out, you will probably do a lot more walking than you will running. However, if you keep at it, you will soon find yourself running more and more until one day your run the entire route without stopping.

The important thing to remember is to start out slow and not overdo it in the beginning. Your body does need to adjust to your new activity levels, especially if you previously lead a sedentary lifestyle. Overdoing it and causing overuse injuries can be a big discouragement, especially after seeing the progress that you made. Most people won’t want to increase their weekly mileage by more than 10%. However, do what works best for you, some people can handle a larger mileage increase and others need to increase the mileage much more slowly.

Running is 90% mental

Despite how your muscles may feel, 90% of running is purely the mental capacity to be able to do it. Building up this side of your brain by telling yourself you can do it, you can finish the race, you can run for 30 minutes non-stop, or whatever your goal is will invariably be a surefire way to build up your self-esteem. What happens is that while running, in order to finish, you will have to come up with some good things to say to yourself, often referred to as positive self talk. This self talk not only gets you through your current run, but will start seeping into the rest of your life and you’ll find yourself using it at work, while doing dishes and burdensome tasks will no longer feel so bad.

Goal setting

With running, you can set goals large and small. For the beginning runner, a good goal might be to complete a local 5k. You with undoubtedly enjoy the sense of accomplishment – not to mention the bragging rights at the office.

Remember to set realistic goals for running and you’ll build up your self-esteem – and miles – much faster.
Keep running and enjoy the benefits. 

10 Reasons to Eat Raw Foods

Prehistoric man learned thousands of years ago that it was a good idea 

to eat meat that was cooked, rather than raw. Since then, the human race has gone crazy, applying that same cooking idea to all foods. 

You can have too much of a good thing! Except for a salad, most people eat very little raw food. But in recent years, the focus on healthy eating and lessening the chances of contracting diseases like diabetes, heart disease and strokes has thrown the focus on raw foods. 

What we're talking about here is eating fruit, vegetables and nuts that taste good just as Nature intended them: in their raw state. That is quite a change for most people, so in order to make that change you need to know exactly why you should do it. You need to know why your raw food diet is good for you. 

1. Foods have a higher nutritional value when they are raw. Cooking food destroys vitamins, protein and fat. It even breaks down the enzymes which are naturally in the foods and would help you digest them. 

2. You will fuller more quickly in eating raw foods because they contain more water and more fiber and so fill you up more successfully. Your hunger will be satisfied so you can eat less on the raw food diet and that is one reason why people find the raw food diet helps them to lose weight. 

3. Raw food is more flavorsome than cooked food is. That means that you have less of a need to add flavorings like salt and spice, all of which flavorings can irritate your stomach and other parts of the digestive system and be too stimulating for internal organs like the liver, which valiantly struggles to detoxify the body pf these seasonings which it sees as toxic. 

4. The raw food diet is so low maintenance! People who hate spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals will love the simplicity of the raw food diet. You can even involve your children in preparing raw food; that way, they are more likely to eat it! That gives you a break and builds the child's self-esteem. 

5. You won't burn your fingers, mouths, tongues or lips with raw food! Also, you won't burn your house down in a kitchen fire because you won't be cooking much!

6. There is less cleaning up after making a raw food meal. You can put any leftovers right on the compost heap and give back to nature, and you won't have any greasy dishes with baked on food to deal with. 

7. A raw food diet is great for your overall health and has even been shown to have a positive effect on serious chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. This is because with the raw food diet one doesn't have the problems caused by free radicals which are created in the cooking process. Fewer free radicals means less risk of cancer.

8. A raw food diet is rich in nutrients and so it gives you great natural protection against common illnesses like colds and flu and even less common illnesses such as measles. Raw food helps to keep your body fit and working well. You are also less likely to suffer from digestive disorders like gas, heartburn, constipation and indigestion. 

9. The raw food diet is environmentally friendly. It encourages organic farming and we would use fewer energy resources because we wouldn't be cooking the food or transporting it as far as we do now. Emissions of carbon dioxide would be reduced and there would have to be new orchards planted to keep up with the demand for fresh fruit. This would release more oxygen into the air and we'd help to minimize the Greenhouse Effect. 

10. The raw food diet will enable you to save money. You will not only save money on food bills but also on energy bills, and also stoves, pots, pans and medical bills!The raw food diet is a great way to save your body, save your money and save the planet. 
One should try these meals and see you fitness level shout up.
More info on the recipes and training plan visits : www.artofrunning.co.za 
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Better Your Memory by Eating Right

Leading a healthy lifestyle can cause so many benefits and that include helping you better your memory. This is a very important aspect because if you will not take certain steps in order to nurture it, you may end up with the disorders that are associated with this function of your brain. Your memory is your brain's ability to encode information, retain and store them and recall vital data whenever needed. 


Steps to Improve Memory

There are many things that you can do to help your brain perform at its best. This can be achieved by avoiding unhealthy vices like drinking too much alcoholic beverages, smoking and turning to prohibited drugs. You must learn how to control your vices if you can't stop immediately. Exercising also helps in giving your brain good supply of oxygen. This will enhance its performance and will make you remember things easier. It is also a must to get enough rest and good amount of sleep. The way you think will be gravely affected if you are tired, especially when you only got some hours of sleep that may leave you feeling weak and you also cannot think straight. 

There are exercises that you can do to help your brain improve. You can resort to various card games that promote such benefit. You should also be active in learning new things all the time even if you are already. This must not stop you to learn by reading and training. You must also engage in different physical activities that will help regulate the blood circulation on your brain. You must also learn how to control your emotions, especially the stress that you feel as a result of thinking too much about your problems. Depression causes a major impact on one's memory as well as emotional instability.


Eating Right

You must eat right for your brain to function well. It will not help if you will be distracted by your hunger for your thoughts to come out fluently. By eating right, it means that you have to eat the kinds of foods that are healthy in proportions that will help you stay fit and vigorous. If you are into some type of diet, just be sure that you follow the recommended intake of the food that you are allowed to eat. Here are some foods that can help you achieve the goal of attaining better memory. 

1. Sunflower seeds. Nuts contain healthy fats that you can incorporate on your diet. These seeds contain abundant source of Vitamin E, an antioxidant that help out in improving your memory as you grow older. Other rich sources of Vitamin E include hazelnut, spinach, kiwi, broccoli, wheat germ oil, mango and dry almond. 

2. Salmon. This contains Omega-3 fatty acids that are important in developing your brain and helping it to function better. Such acids can also be found in walnut, soybean, shrimp, scallop, tofu, winter squash, flaxseed and walnut. 

3. Blueberries. These are rich in phytochemical elements that can affect one's memory in a very good way. These are also good for your overall health. 

4. Lean beef. This is rich in iron that will help you boost and help better your memory if taken in moderate proportions. But make sure that you do not eat much of this because you may encounter weight problems if you do so.

Make eating right the the must.

10 Most Common Workout Mistakes!

Although regular exercise is good for body and soul, diving head first into an advanced exercise program is not encouraged. It can even be dangerous if you dont avoid some common mistakes.


If you're a beginner, your body isnt prepared for the types of strains exercise can place on it. As a result, engaging in an exercise program with little foresight and planning can lead to burnout, frustration and injury.
If you want to maximize your workout, it's going to take a combination of motivation and the correct information. So let's review the 10 most common mistakes that can be easily avoided. 


1. Skipping the warm-up. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands placed on them during exercise. Before hitting the gym or jumping into your regular cardio workout, you should take a few minutes to gently walk, cycle or whatever you choose to prepare the body for heavier activity. Breaking a light sweat will get your blood pumping, warm up muscles and ligaments, greatly reduce your risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of your workout.


2. Skipping the cool-down. Due to time constraints, many people head straight to the showers after their last repetition or as soon as the timer on the treadmill dings. Instead, take a few minutes to lower your heart rate close to its resting rate. This will reduce your risk of injury and give you a few minutes to incorporate some relaxation into your routine.


3. Not stretching. Flexible muscles are far less likely to be pulled than tight ones. Stretch before a heavy workout or after your workout as a warm-down. Never stretch a muscle without warming up first to reduce your risk of injury even further. Regular stretching greatly increases your flexibility.


4. Lifting too much too fast. Placing demands your muscles are not prepared to handle is the best way to injure yourself. Gradual, progressive resistance is a far more effective and safe way to increase muscle strength. You should select a weight that allows you to do 1015 repetitions. If you cant do 10 reps, the weight is too heavy. If you can easily do 15, then increase the weight by five percent.


5. Using too light a resistance. If you are doing over 15 reps or have not increased your resistance in over two weeks, it is time to progress. If you want to improve, you have to keep your muscles stimulated. If you continue to do the same weights with high reps, you will maintain your current physique and not advance.


6. Being a Weekend Warrior. The mistake of the person who tries to fit a week's worth of exercise into a Saturday afternoon! For weight loss, it's more effective to sustain a moderate workout for longer periods of time than to exercise intensely for only a few minutes. For others, the expectation that a workout must be intense to be effective can lead to burnout or injury while others abandon their training altogether.


7. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink. Only camels can go without water! For the rest of us it's a necessity! Dont wait until you feel thirsty because you are already dehydrated at that point. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your workout.


8. Using bad form. It's much more effective to choose a lower level, speed or weight and perform the exercise properly than it is to go too fast or too heavy and use poor form and momentum. Lower the intensity to the point at which you can maintain good posture. An example of poor form would be leaning on the Stairmaster handrails or swinging the dumbbells during a bicep curl.


9. Resting too much. While it's true you don't want to overdo it, taking too much time in between exercises can decrease the training benefits and set you up for injury. Allow for about 30 seconds between toning exercises -- which is usually just enough time to move to the next station and set up. You should exercise intensely enough to work up a light sweat, get your heart beating and feel a sense of satisfaction for having completed your workout.


10. More is better. It's not necessary to spend over an hour doing cardiovascular exercise. Studies show that the risk of injury outweighs the benefits after 60 minutes. Sessions of around 45 minutes most days of the week are recommended for weight loss.


Remember, exercise is only one link to a complete program of well-being. Mental, spiritual and psychological "workouts" are just as important. Your body will repay you! The only thing left is to just do it... safely.
For more info ART OF RUNNING SYSTEM has the answer's 

Exercise and Stress Relief: Using Exercise as a Stress Management Tool

Exercise and Stress: You can strengthen your body and find inner peace with exercise.

As our society becomes more health-conscious, there has been an increased focus on the importance of exercise. Many people exercise to control weight and get in better physical condition to become more healthy or physically attractive, but exercise and stress management are also closely linked. Exercise can be an extremely effective stress reliever for several reasons:

Outlet For Frustrations:

When life’s annoyances or frustrating situations build up, you can feel stressed or experience low-grade anger. More high-energy forms of exercise like boxing, martialarts or running can also provide an effective release of these negative emotions, turning these otherwise potentially unhealthy emotions into motivation for increased health and well-being.

Exercise and Stress Hormones:

Exercise can decrease ‘stress hormones' like cortisol, and increase endorphins, your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost. (This is the chemistry behind a ‘runner’s high’.)

Distraction:

Physical activity itself can take your mind off of your problems and either redirect it on the activity at hand or get you into a zen-like state. Exercise usually involves a change of scenery as well, either taking you to a gym, a dojo, a boxing ring, a park, a scenic mountain, a biking trail or a neighbourhood sidewalk, all of which can be pleasant, low-stress places.

Looking’ Good:

I have to include this possibly superficial, but significant, benefit of exercise: it helps you lose weight, tone your body, and maintain a healthy glow and a smile. You may feel a subtle but significant boost as your clothes look more flattering on, and you project an aura of increased confidence and strength. Call me shallow, but this does impact many people, and can relieve stress for those who are concerned with their appearance and worry that they don’t look as healthy as they could.

Social Support:

The benefits of social support are well-documented and manifold. Because exercise and physical activity can often involve others, you can enjoy a double dose of stress-relief with the combined benefits of exercise and fun with friends. Whether you’re in a class with others, working out in the gym with a buddy, playing softball in a league or taking a walk or hike with a friend, having others work out with you can make you feel good as well as help motivate you to push harder to get a better workout without it feeling so much like ‘work’.

Increased Health:

While stress can cause illness, illness can also cause stress, with the physical pain, missed activities, feelings of isolation and other costs that come with it. So improving your overall health and longevity with exercise can also save you a great deal of stress in the short run (by strengthening your immunity to colds, the flu and other minor illnesses) and the long run (by helping you stay healthier longer, and enjoy life more because of it).

Resilience To Stress:

That's right, research suggests that physical activity may be linked to lower physiological reactivity toward stress. Simply put, those who get more exercise may become less affected by the stress they face. So, in addition to all the other benefits, exercise may supply some immunity toward future stress as well as a way to cope with current stress. If that's not a great reason to get more active, I don't know what is!