Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

A lot of the times when I am running, I am also training for my next race. So, if you feel that your activity is lacking something, perhaps, you should consider kicking it up a notch and add racing to your activity. Racing an be advantageous in many ways. You can make new friends, help with your fitness goals and more. You don’t have to be a runner, to take part in racing. Biking and kayaking are other ways to get involved in racing. Not sure what to do, just google it. By adding racing to your sport or activity, you make it more fun and worthwhile to do. It then becomes more of your life than just doing it for the sense of fitness. There is also Trail Running & Racing to add even more of a spice to racing. This adds more challenges to more than just running on the pavement. Now, you don’t have to jump right into marathons or huge races. Start small, like 5k’s for running or other small courses and then build yourself up. When I started racing, I only did 5k’s for a while until I got brave to advance to 10k’s.

If you’ve never raced before and in this case, for runners, after paying your entry free, you’ll get a FREE T-Shirt or other item as suggested by the event of your choice. Usually, those who placed by age group get an award for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place finishers. Some events even have door prizes. Some races have food and refreshments at the end of the race (usually water, fruit’s & bagels).

Racing adds competitiveness to your sport and makes it a fun and exciting workout to take part in. Who said fitness had to be boring? Oh, and by the way, how old is to old to race? I was in my mid 30’s when I was a newbie to running in races.

When it comes to being active, Winter is kind of like a weekend for some. Lots of people slow down this time of year. While the weather can really interfere with outdoor events and activities, if you can’t be out, stay in! There are ways to continue to staying active. Treadmills, and other machines plus weights and other accessories. I don’t get out and run as much, but, I still get out when I can and when I can’t I stay in for my workouts. This can be a good time of year to begin building up for the rest of the year. What a better way to beat the winter blues. You don’t have to be a runner to get active this time of year, indoors or out. For indoors, you can weight lift, exercise, use an Ab-Lounger, Treadmill, jump rope etc. There are many options. You can find other ideas on such sites like Runners World and Men’s Health / Women’s Fitness.

This time of year at least for me is the slowest.  I have went from no activity this time of year (Winter) to whatever I can fit in even if I have to use the Treadmill.  I prefer the road to the machine.  The neat thing about Winter is that this time of year can be the build up for the rest of the year.  As a runner, I am one who refuses to race during the cold months.  I just can’t see myself as a block of Ice with sneakers crossing the finish line.  This is probably my downfall, but, even I see more people get active as the warmer months get nearer.  Regardless if you are an avid runner or one just starting down that track, keep in mind the following:

1. Get plenty of rest
2. Stay properly hydrated
3. Don’t over do it with your mileage / build up
4. Wear appropriate apparel depending on the season.

Some run all year round regardless of the season, and that is ok, but, some basics should be considered as mentioned above. Another thing to consider is that unexpected and sometimes unseen patch of black ice on the road that you are running on. I at one time talked to someone who stopped running outside during the winter months due to falling and braking his nose. Remember, it’s not the fall that hurts, but that sudden stop!

If you are embarking on a running plan or program, now is the right time to get started because, by the time you finish the plan, it will start getting warmer. You can find such plans on just about any running related websites including Runner’s World.

Running gives a change of scenery

Aside from the physical benefits of running, there are others such as the scenery that you pass by while running. The same place takes on a different look each season. Runner’s see this all the time, but, do we take it for granted? Now, those that tend to gravitate to the couch, miss out on a lot. Is the couch a trap that holds one back? A safety zone to keep people from venturing out? I was there once, but no more.

For me, the neat thing about running was that it inspired somewhat of a competitive spirit in me. I started running in 5k and 10k races in 1997. The whole sport for me took on it’s own life. I run in races about 5 to 8 times a year and hopefully more someday. I just heard that a friend of mine is preparing to run in her first 5k race ever! Way to go Alexa!

What can the couch do for you that a pair of running shoes can’t? It can keep you comfortable, let you rest or sleep, and give you a false sense of security thus keeping you from those running shoes. There are awesome resources for new or beginning runners on the Internet. One that I recommend is called Newrunner.com and/or Runnersworld.com So, if you haven’t started running, or just beginning, these are good sources to check out. If you want more of a selection of websites, you can google it. Who knows, it may even help one off the couch.

Now, if racing isn’t in your immediate future, no problem, it doesn’t cost anything to get those feet on the road except for a pair of running shoes. I did hear of people running barefoot, but, just starting out, I wouldn’t recommend that just yet especially if it is in the middle of Winter. Stat out slow at first, and build yourself up. You don’t want to run 4 miles right away, otherwise, you may find yourself, demotivated on running. You can find training tips on running in Newrunner.com and Runnersworld.com to help you with your progress and other issues such as dehydration, types of apparel to wear and when.

If you don’t venture down the road of fitness, you are missing out on a world that will blow your mind! So what if you are lazy. We all have those days, the secret is not to let every day be lazy. Not only that, you have the rest of the day to be lazy after your workout. A little bit of pain and lots to gain. Fitness if not taken advantage of is like a door that was never opened. You never know what awaits on the other side. It doesn’t matter if you are a teenager or past the age of 70, fitness rocks!

Having a life of fitness is a great way of lessening health issues as you get older. Granted, there are no guarantees, but, why ask for it. Having an active fitness life is another way of save guarding your health. Think of it this way, your computer has or should have anti-virus software to protect it from viruses. Well, having an active fitness life is like having your own anti-virus software for your life. Now, fitness is only one third of the dish, and one must not forget weight management and nutrition. For all 3 work together and does the body good!

Whether or not you have been involved with a passion, such as running, swimming, biking etc, you don’t have to continue being bored or getting nowhere. I really like to run and it’s my main fitness focus. Yes, I do lift weights, jump rope and do a variety of exercises. But, when it comes right down to it, I’m a runner.
There are times that running takes center stage and I tend to forget the rest and then return to it as I can. I’ve been active since 1997 and even I get bored now and then. When I do, I try to find ways to change things up a bit.

What I do when I need to un-bored myself is I search the Internet for ideas especially when I run out of my own. With my being one who does 5k and 10k races, I’m always trying to find some new way to mix things up a bit.

Here are some things I do:

1. I find a new running route
2. Change my indoor workouts (weight lifting and other exercises)
3. Create new goals
4. For times when I’ve had enough, I SLOW down and just do it for the fun of it

Here are some good sources to get going……

1. For suggestions or tips on fitness for women, check out Womens Health Magazine
2. For suggestions or tips on fitness for men, check out Mens Health Magazine
3. For those into running, check out Runners World

Whether you are just starting out to loosing weight, or you’ve been making progress, over the course of your efforts, you are learning new things about how to get you from where you were, to where you want to be. This is not always an easy road to tread. It doesn’t matter how overweight or underweight you are. Cutting back, controlling your portions and taking vitamins / supplements are only part of the solution.

Unless you are trying to gain weight, you should consider some way to increase your activity. Even if you are working on gaining weight, exercise at some level is always good. By increasing your activity, whether it be running (my favorite), walking, riding bike, or even joining a gym, you’ll be increasing the effort to burn those calories. So, by making this choice, here is what you are doing:

1. Eating right (portion control and watching the types of food you are eating)
2. Taking supplements / vitamins
3. Exercise / increased activity

You’ve now started a brand new way of living, thus, enter a new lifestyle of fitness which will bring about a whole new you. After a while, you’ll begin to look back and say good bye to the old you that you once new. Now the list above, is only the beginning or a good starting point. You can pick and choose later what works best for you as you learn your way in this new lifestyle. Remember, it is a lifestyle and not a “diet”.

No pain no gain

Now, if you are trying to gain weight, there are products/supplements available to help you in this direction. While portion control would not be an issue where, you would still want to be aware of how much you are taking in, especially when you start gaining weight so as not to over shoot your goals.

A brief on Portion Control:
Why is Portion Control so important? Well, for one thing, without it, all your other efforts would be a waist of time. You would be just spinning your wheels which will get you nowhere.

Tower 12 12, requesting take off clearance on runway 2-niner, we are go for launch!

Just a funny and appropriate way to begin this post. While I do need more improvement from the
2 month break I had, I have made an interesting but real discovery about my running. I have always had a basic understanding of just how fast I could run. But, after the last two afterburner runs that I did, I have found that I am learning how to run even faster than before. At age 46, this is amazing for me. So, I have some investigating to do. I need to find out just how fast I can run and how far I can keep the speed going. I’m hoping there is something to this and I’m not imagining it. There is one common denominator that could be the answer. For the last year, I’ve been using Herbalife products faithfully. I’ve not been able to run like this until now. As I was into my afterburner run today, I saw or felt myself gaining speed in phases during the run. I didn’t even feel my legs tiring from the sprint. The only reason I stopped was because the end of the road was coming soon. I may be doing a race in September after all.

My wife and I have been battling this issue for years it seams. We both have had are “UP’s” and “Down’s” with this subject. This is a subject that can be very sensative with people and rightfully so! My wife and I gained weight this winter with the holiday food that tends to tempt us all. Sure, you can discipline yourself so you only eat a certain amount or certain kinds of food. But, after a while it gets hard. Everyone else is eating what they want and you find that you can’t. This makes it harder. For me, my running keeps me in check. I know that when January gets here, I have to “get with the program”.
My wife on the other hand does not have something like running to keep her in check and therefore has a harder time.

There is so much information out there that it can be hard to know what to do about weight loss. I started to see the benefits of using Herbalife products last summer (2007) when I began to use the shake mixes and supplements. With that experience, I chose to really start my weight loss challenge right away when the new year started. If you were reading my posts, you’ve been seeing my progress. My wife is also working on the challenge as well. She has been a little discouraged, but, not defeated. Like I said, this can be a hard issue. Everyone would like weight loss to be fast and furious, but it isn’t like that. It’s taken me 26 days to loose 6 pounds, without exercising. I will be starting to run again soon for the purpose of getting the training going again. With the training that I do, the weight loss will increase with increased activity. But, as you can see, it is not necessary to loose weight with excersing although it does help!

If there is anyone reading this post that is considering some sort of weight loss effort, remember that loosing weight is not done with a diet, it’s done with a lifestyle cfhange. Diets don’t work, changes in lifestyle does. I will use Herbalife products for the rest of my life because they work and they taste great! When you find what works, you stick with it.