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NATIONAL RUNNING DAY IS JUNE 3RD… TODAY!

IN HONOR OF NATIONAL RUNNING DAY, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER SOME TIPS TO HELP MAKE RUNNING (OR WALKING) STICK WITH YOU! WHETHER YOU ARE NEW TO RUNNING OR A WEEKEND WARRIOR, THESE IDEAS SHOULD SPARK YOU TO KEEP RUNNING IN YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE. SO GRAB A FRIEND, GET OUT THERE, AND GET MOVING!

1. SIGN UP FOR A RACE!

Even if you have never been to a race let alone participated in one, committing yourself to a goal like this is great motivation to stick to a routine. Many races, especially 5Ks are intended for both running and walking. The financial commitment alone should help get you to the starting line. If you have a date on the calendar, it will allow you to plan your training. And if it’s your first time, try picking a local race; practicing on the course can also be a bonus!

2. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS!

Keeping track of your activity either by using an app or keeping an activity journal will help you see your progress and remind you of what you have accomplished. It’s a great way to know if you’re doing too much or if you need a nudge to get moving! Recording other factors such as: time, weather, food, and sleep can help keep you on track.

3. RUN WITH A FRIEND!

Make your run a social event- especially today! Celebrate National Running Day by bringing a friend with you. Finding a running group or enlist friends and family members to join you. Maybe you can motivate them to train for a race with you- having a companion holds you accountable for completing your goals.

4. START OFF SLOW!

Remember the phrase “slow and steady wins the race”? Allow yourself to run at a comfortable pace and build your endurance. If you’re running with a friend, try going at a conversational pace. If this is your first race, training may seem daunting. Try and go a little further or a little longer each time you run- this will help build your endurance.

5. CHANGE IT UP!

If you’re running on the treadmill, go outside! If you’re already outside, but running the same route, try making a left turn instead of a right. Another incentive may be a new pair of running shoes. Head to your local running shop to find the right pair and be sure to break them in before heading out the door.

6. BE PREPARED!

Sometimes life can get in the way of exercising, but planning your run the same way you plan meetings or lunch dates will ensure you get up and go! Take the time to put them in your calendar, but be realistic. Allow for time to get dressed or shower; if you’re not a morning person, schedule a run after work; and lay out your clothes and shoes ahead of time.

In today’s world of vending machines and fast food, we often just look at the calories on the labels to monitor what we are consuming. However, other details on labels are just as significant to our health.

The Recommended Daily Intake is 40 grams of added sugar a day. The average American consumes 180 pounds of sugar a year. This places an extraordinary demand on our bodily systems. Our bodies try to compensate by releasing excess insulin in response to high doses of sugar. This can lead to metabolic diseases, most specifically Type II diabetes.

Twenty million Americans suffer with Type 2 diabetes which can lead to heart attacks, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, blindness, and many more. The following display includes commonly consumed beverages and the quantity of sugar they contain.

Image credit to Live Well Omaha, Partners for a Healthy City

I want to lose the fat around my midsection; can we target it with abdominal exercises?

It is not possible to spot reduce the fat deposits on our body with exercise. Our bodies have a set number of fat cells that only changes during three stages of our life- development, puberty, and pregnancy. If we are not experiencing one of those events, we have control over changing the size of the cells, not the number, through diet and exercise. To lose a pound of fat, one must expend 3,500 more calories than they take in which is equivalent to running 3.5 miles! This is why nutrition is just as important as exercise in the journey to weight loss success.

Here at Peak, we often get asked questions that we believe many others must be curious about. If you have any questions, always feel free to ask or leave a note in one of our mailboxes… you may find the answer right here!

My heart rate increases when I lift weights, why isn’t this considered aerobic exercise?

During aerobic activities, the body’s demand for oxygen increases resulting in an increase in our heart rate in an attempt to meet the requirement. This increases the blood circulation throughout the body and results in more blood being returned to the heart. This extra “load” causes adaptations in our cardiovascular system that is beneficial for our overall health.

During resistance activities, there is an increase in our sympathetic activity which causes our heart rate to increase and our blood vessels to constrict as a result. This decreases the blood circulation throughout the body and some becomes trapped in our extremities. Therefore, in resistance training, our heart rate increases as a result of the circulating catecholamines our body releases due to the intensity of the exercise. The increase in heart rate does not load the heart with a larger return of blood to the heart, thus lacks the ability for cardiovascular adaptations.

I am losing weight very slowly but my friend loss 5 pounds last weekend, what’s going on?

The weight did not go on overnight, so neither will it come off. The first step is to look at what period of time you put on the weight and understand it will take that plus some to lose. Fat loss is a slow and gradual process that allows our body to adapt as we progress to ensure that we maintain our ability to function at an optimal level. For your friend to lose 5 pounds over the weekend, he would have had to expend 17,500 more calories than he consumed. Instead, your friend properly deprived themselves of key nutrients like carbohydrates and fats resulting in water loss. When your body does not have enough nutrients to function, it uses the body’s carbohydrate store which releases water in the process showing a decrease on the scale. However, once we are properly nourished again, we replenish those stores and the scale creeps right back up to where it started.

Here at Peak, we often get asked questions that we believe many others must be curious about. If you have any questions, always feel free to ask or leave a note in one of our mailboxes… you may find the answer right here!