Run for Your Life

Running is an ideal symmetrical activity for keeping fit. However, it is common for people to blame running for injuries rather than accept that it may be how they run that is at fault. Is there more to running than just putting one foot in front of the other?

The answer appears to be yes! If it were as simple as this there would not be so many running-related injuries. Observe the many different styles, or interpretations, of running and it is obvious that we may not necessarily know how to put one foot in front of the other! What should be an ideal way to improve and maintain fitness is often the cause of many problems. A large percentage of runners, whether running for fun or as part of a training programme, do not seek coaching. We assume it is within our ability to run as we did when young. However we cannot suddenly change our body and attitude when going for a run. How we use ourselves during the day will have an impact on running and if we spend hours slumped at our desk or on the car, our style will reflect the asymmetric nature of a body that has lost the poise of youth.

Our approach to any type of training is susceptible to habit. If we keep doing the same things we will get the same result, yet this is exactly what most of us do. Try the following in place of your usual routine. If you feel you do not want to interrupt your schedule for fear of your performance suffering, you may well be a slave to habit. Leave your stopwatch at home to avoid giving any consideration to the time.

Following your warm up, try walking the first two hundred yards. Enjoy the ease of the movement and let your legs swing from the hip joints, note these are located at the front of your pelvis. Allow your arms to swing like pendulums from your shoulder joints. Be aware of the ground beneath your feet and think of 'walking tall' by using the upward thrust from the ground in response to your body weight. Before you start to run let the arms swing faster without losing form and allow the legs to match the speed.

The next stage is important. Before you move up to a running pace, see if you start to prepare for the effort by holding your breath, stiffening your neck or lifting the shoulders in anticipation of effort. Any unnecessary tension applied at this point is likely to be carried throughout the duration of the run. Try to make the transition from walking to running without additional effort. Allow the arms to bend at the elbow and keep them swinging in a linear motion. Think of the legs swinging from the hips and raise the legs with the knee leading the move.

Once the knee has been raised, the lower leg can be allowed to swing through. The common kicking action of most runners increases the workload on the quadriceps, and in my view totally unnecessary. Be conscious of the hip, knee and ankle joints working together in the movement. As with walking tall, think of running tall to utilise the force of gravity. This may sound a little strange initially but the ground is where the force comes from that moves us forward. Be wary of trying to hold yourself up to achieve an upright position. If you can remove unnecessary effort, your body will attain an effortless upright stance due to the absence of inappropriate muscular activity.

The stimulus to return to your normal way of running will be very strong, as this would be the most familiar. If the new way feels wrong you are on the right track - this will not be your comfortable habitual style. Resist the urge to get it right and continue the experiment for as long as possible, thinking up through the spine and letting the limbs move freely. Try changing the speed of the arm movement to regulate the pace. Remember to monitor whether you have stiffened the neck. A head pulled back by tightening the neck and trapezius puts more pressure on the back and ultimately affects the whole movement.

At some point along the route allow, the arms to stop swinging and drop in front of your hips, an action common with many runners. Observe what this does to your back. You will notice the back starts to twist and shoulders roll. The movement of the psoas muscle, in the lower back, requires a balancing action in the upper trunk to maintain form. This unnecessary twist reduces efficiency by throwing weight in the wrong direction. Return to swinging the arms and observe how the twisting action disappears.The most common response to the thought of stepping up the pace is to put more effort into the stride. If the legs are already being over worked due to a less than efficient technique, the centre of the brain (motor cortex) that initiates the action has to send more impulses adding to the traffic in the feedback loop. We have the sensation that we are running quicker because of the increased effort, but are we using our energy efficiently?

When you want to increase your speed try the following method. Initially, when you have decided to quicken the pace, observe what you normally do to achieve this. After a minute, slow down to a comfortable jogging pace and again think about raising the pace. This time do not think about running faster but instead just move your arms quicker. If we think of only moving the arms faster, requiring less energy, the legs will match the speed. Try the exercise and experience the difference. The first time you speed up you will use your usual habitual method, the second will feel different because it will be unfamiliar. Try experimenting with your running, always with the goal of giving an alternative approach a chance. If you are experiencing injuries or loss of form first check your style, get someone to watch or take a video. If its habitual actions that are the cause, you will be the last person to notice - because you are the habit!

Running coach legend Percy Cerutty, who coached Olympic Gold medalist Herb Elliot, stated:

"The head rests loosely on the shoulders, that is, is not held rigid. It should be capable of movement as the needs of the athlete demand. In my techniques I often test this rigidity of an athlete. Many are quite incapable of turning their heads freely on their neck and shoulders. Any rigidity here spreads right through the whole musculature. Keep the head and neck free and the rest of the moving parts will tend to be free."

Less is more!

Roy Palmer is a Teacher of The Alexander Technique and author of The Performance Paradox: Train Smarter to enhance performance and reduce injury. More information can be found at http://www.artofperformance.co.uk

He works with sports people of all abilities to recognise and overcome performance-limiting habits.

A Cardio Snobs Workout

As I peruse the pages of various holiday issues of my favorite fitness/womens magazines I notice many articles about the benefits of practicing yoga at this stressful time of year. At the risk of sounding like a cardio snob, if I have 30 minutes a day (if I'm lucky) and i have to get into a special outfit in about a month and a half. I am not spending that 30 minutes taking cleansing breaths and stretching.

Don't get me wrong, if you exercise regulary year round you can absolutely benefit from a yoga class 1 maybe 2 times a week. However, if you are now just starting a routine in hopes of fitting into a size 8, then mama get ready to sweat. Here is the routine I recommend.

Pick 3 (or at least 2) cardio activities to save you from burnout (see list below).

Perform 1 of these activities at least 30 minutes (45 or 60 minutes if your schedule allows) 4 times a week. This should include a 3-5 min warmup and 3-5 min cool down (you can stretch while you wait in the deli line).

Perform strength training moves using free weights, stability ball or nautilus machines for 30 minutes (preferably 45 or 60 mins) 2 times a week. This should include 3-5 min warm up and 3-5 mins stretching. Make sure to concentrate on whatever body part will be exposed (arms, back, calves, legs, shoulders...you get the point).

Do remember, after this routine kicks you into gear and gets you into your holiday outfit... CONTINUE!!! You can add wonderful activities like yoga, kick boxing, pilates, meditation and the benefits will be: a strong body, a beautiful posture, tons of energy and a radiant glow. But for now you just need to get into that halter dress!

Cardio options:

running

walking

treadmill work

elliptical trainer

spinning

aerobics and/or kick boxing

bike riding

roller blading

stair climber

About The Author

Valerie is mother of 2 and co-founder of http://www.million-dollar-mama.com a website devoted to helping mothers rediscover their favorite hobbies like travel, fitness and girls night out.

val@million-dollar-mama.com

Walking for Your Health

Walking is the easiest way of exercise because it is accessible at anyplace, anywhere and anytime. Several studies show that walking can:

* reduce high cholesterol and improve blood lipid profile

* reduce body fat

* enhance mental well being

* increase bone density, hence helping to prevent osteoporosis

* reduce the risk of cancer of the colon

* reduce the risk of non insulin dependant diabetes

* help to control body weight

* help osteoarthritis

* help flexibility and co-ordination hence reducing the risk of falls

Although walking can reduce body fat for weight loss purpose, it is actually not an effective option of exercise, because it doesn't burn lots of calories and only bring small increase in metabolism. In fact, you will have to walk for hours everyday if you want to burn fat! High intensity cardiovascular or aerobic exercise 2-3 times a week will be much more effective in burning off the excess body fat or losing weight.

Walking is more effective if maintaining or controlling your body weight. Walking at a faster pace can help improving cardiovascular function and fitness level, while walking at a slower pace can help building up endurance because of longer exercise time. In this case, speed and distance does matter. The faster and the further a person walks, the more calories he will use.

So, what to do now? Depends on your goals, if you want to lose weight and love walking, you can combine them together in your exercise schedule, 2-3 times a week for high intensity cardio or aerobic exercise and 2-3 times a week walking with your family, and make sure be free one or two days. If you want to reduce risk of diseases or maintaining body weight / health, walking 2-3 times a week will help.

For more information about beauty, health and fitness, please visit http://beauty-health-fitness.blogspot.com and for beauty, health and fitness selected stuff, please visit http://beauty-health-fitness-estore.blogspot.com

How To Start a Running Program

Running or jogging is one of the best ways there is to lose weight fast. It burns tons of calories and gets your body burning fat. Running strengthens the heart, lungs and can be done just about anywhere at anytime.

The problem is most people don't know where to begin and usually do it wrong.

In this article I am going to show you an effective way to start a running or jogging program without killing yourself.

The first mistake people make when they begin a running or jogging program is that they run too fast. This will leave you out of breath and spent in about 5 or 10 minutes. When this happens people generally think to themselves that anyone who runs is crazy or likes punishing themselves.

This simply is not true. Once I found out how to run properly, I was able to run a few miles with ease and comfort.

I had been running for about a month and was up to two miles. But at the end of these two miles, I felt as if I was going to keel over and die. My legs hurt. My lungs hurt. Everything felt wrong.

I thought I would just keep running these two miles until it became easier, but it never did. It got harder, if anything.

Then I heard about a guy named Stu Mittleman. This guy had run from San Diego to New York in 56 days. Basically Stu ran two marathons a day for 56 days. So I bought his book called Slow Burn and it completely changed any negative feelings I had about running.

The first thing I did was bought a heart rate monitor. This cost around 100 dollars and was the best purchase I have ever made. It allowed me to monitor my heart rate and stay at a comfortable running level, even while running up hills.

What I did, was started running at 50 to 70% of my maximum heart rate. At first, I felt like I was going too slow and not getting a good workout. But within a week, I was able to run 4 miles without any problems. The best thing was that after the four miles, I felt incredible. Instead of feeling like I was going to die before, I actually felt better.

To find your targeted heart rate zone, do the following:

Subtract your age from 220. Then multiply this by .50 and .70 and that will give you your targeted zone.

Example: Age 28

220-28 = 192

192 x .50 = 96

192 x .70 = 134

By this example, if you are 28, then you should be running in the heart rate zone of 96 to 134. To make it easier to remember, just round it up to 100-135.

If you are running in this zone, you will probably be very comfortable and be able to run a good distance.

You see, the problem people usually face is that they start off running too fast. You just need to slow down. It isn't necessarily how hard you run, but that you are moving as much as possible, as often as possible.

Once you begin to add mileage, you will get in better shape and be running faster anyways. You just won't be working any harder. Your body will adapt, and you will begin to move more efficiently, without more effort.

This program worked perfect for me, and has turned me into a runner for life. I hope it does the same for you.

About The Author

This article was written by Jason Barger. Jason has been helping people lose weight with his breakthrough book, Primal Weight Loss. To learn more about his philosophy and programs you can visit http://www.primalhealth.com

info@primalhealth.com

Aerobic Cross Training for Weight Loss

Do you sometimes get bored with your aerobic exercise? Do You sometimesfeel like you're not getting the resultsyou should from your aerobic exercise?If so, then aerobic cross-training isfor you.

Aerobic cross-training refers to usingtwo to three different types of aerobicexercise during an exercise session. Forexample, if you plan to exercise for 60minutes, you might start with 20 minutesof walking or jogging, followed by 20minutes of biking, and finish with 20minutes of rowing.

Now, please don't get the impression thatyou have to be in great shape to do thisor that it has to be 60 minutes long.You can start with something as simpleas a ten minute walk followed by tenminutes with an exercise video. This iscross-training too. You can graduallybuild up from there.

Here are some of the exercises you canuse in your cross-training program;walking, jogging, biking, rowing, stairclimbing, swimming, exercise videos, etc.Any combination of aerobic exerciseswill do. You simply go from one to thenext with very little time betweenthem.

Aerobic cross-training is beneficial toyou in several ways:

1. It provides variety which eliminatesthe monotony often associated with doingthe same exercise for a long period oftime.

2. If your exercise sessions are less monotonous and more enjoyable, youare much more likely to exercise moreoften and for longer periods of time.

3. You are less prone to over-useinjuries that sometimes occur fromdoing the same exercise movements overand over again.

4. You tone more muscles because you areusing more muscles. For example, walkingtones mostly the lower body muscles androwing tones upper body muscles also. Evenexercises like walking and biking thatboth tone lower body muscles, tone themat different angles and each tones somesmall muscles that the other doesn't.

5. Aerobic conditioning is very specificto the muscles being worked. For example,you can walk ten miles a day and still besomewhat breathless after climbing stairsbecause you haven't trained the musclesfor that specific movement. Aerobiccross-training allows you to developmore comprehensive aerobic training.

6. Aerobic cross-training is effectivefor weight loss because your are toningand training the fat-burning systemsof more of your muscles. It turns moreof your muscles into 24-hour fat-burningmachines! You are also more likely toexercise on a regular basis and for longerperiods of time. this also promotesweight loss and fitness.

Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry,offers free weight loss and fitness success stories and targeted, highly affective weight loss programsfor women, men, type 2 diabetics, and people withslow metabolisms and hypothyroidism. http://www.Landry.com

Maximum Cardio

Depending on your goals and body type, different amounts of cardio may be required. A lean "hard-gainer" trying to add mass may benefit from only one or two cardiovascular sessions per week. On the other hand, someone like myself who is extremely prone to storing fat and sensitive to carbohydrates may require 3 or more sessions in order to maintain peak physique. Since you can only get better at a particular exercise by performing it, those interested in running marathons or participating in endurance events such as a triathlon must increase their frequency of cardio in order to prepare for the event.

MAXIM 1: Your body type and goal for training will dictate the type, frequency, and length of your cardio

When your goal for cardio is general health, you have a few decisions to make about what type of cardio you will perform. Many people enjoy taking long, slow runs. Enjoying cardio is important, so if you find an enjoyable method of cardio, there is no reason why you should discard it. The same decision should influence your choice for timing. Many people claim that you must perform cardio first thing in the morning and/or on an empty stomach to see maximal benefit. I disagree. If you have trouble waking up or putting a full effort into morning cardio, and will get a much more vigorous workout in the evening, then why not do it then? Perform cardio when you feel the best, when you are ready and know you will stick with it and give it 100%.

MAXIM 2: Find cardio that you enjoy, and do it when you feel you have the most energy

There are many styles of cardio. There is some debate about what cardio is best for you. People preach about training in the "zone" of a particular heart rate for maximum fat burning benefit. While it is true that your body will utilize more fat for energy during this period, this is not the entire picture. Moderate cardio means your body will recover quickly - your heart rate will return to normal within a short period. Intense cardio, which elevates your heart rate beyond the "zone", may not burn as much fat during the exercise, but your body will take longer to recover. Your body must process waste and your heart rate will remain elevated for hours after the bout of exercise. You will burn more calories throughout the day, and therefore you will receive a superior benefit.

To better understand this, let's consider a situation where you burn 200 calories during exercise. You have a choice: you might burn those calories walking at a brisk pace and reading a book, and it will take you 1 hour. Or, you might burn those calories performing short sprints followed by periods of moderate jogging, and you will burn those calories in 20 minutes. While the "hour" cardio kept you in the "zone" for fat burning, guess what? The 20-minute cardio elevated your heart rate and took you into an anaerobic zone where your body accumulated an "oxygen debt" - a need for oxygen and fat burning to help flush waste from your system and recover from the intense exercise. So during a 24-hour window, you will burn MORE than the 200 calories, and therefore be closer to your fat loss goal.

While there is no hard, scientific evidence to support this next maxim, I truly believe in it. I have witnessed this not only in my own transformation, but also with countless others as well.

MAXIM 3: The less time it takes to burn the same amount of calories, the more calories you will expend later that day

This maxim may seem confusing, but it's very simple. It means that if you are going to burn 200 calories, when you burn that 200 calories in 20 minutes instead of 1 hour, your metabolism will increase throughout the day and you'll end up burning MORE than 200 hours when that day is done. This is why high intensity interval cardio, like that recommended in David Greenwalt's book, The Leanness Lifestyle or the "20-Minute Aerobic Solution?" which is recommended by Bill Phillips in Body-for-LIFE? is so effective - it burns the most amount of fat in the shortest period of time

Just because high intensity cardio may burn more calories doesn't make it superior to moderate cardio except with respect to calories burned. There is some evidence that you may improve your cardiovascular health more quickly with high intensity cardio, but this is no reason to discard your long runs. If you have a busy schedule and wish you fit 3 short, 20-minute sessions, then intensity is the way to go. If, however, you truly enjoy your long bike ride or jog on the weekends, then go ahead and do it - you will still be improving your health and burning calories, and if it is something that you enjoy, you will stick with it! Remember, too, that if you are training for a marathon, all of the 20-minute high intensity cardio in the world will not prepare you fully to run 20+ miles. You must perform the moderate, long duration cardio to prepare your body for the event.

This leads us to another maxim. Your heart rate can provide you a lot of information about your training. Over time, your resting heart rate should decrease. Mine went from the high 60's to a current value of 48 due to my cardiovascular conditioning. When you train with weights, you can use a heart rate monitor to see what your target heart rate is (weight training will take it to the anaerobic levels, or about the maximum heart rate you would want to train at) - this will provide much better feedback than a generic formula. By tracking your heart rate, you can monitor your effort. If you train today at 160bpm then have a lousy day and don't feel like you're receiving any benefit, use your heart rate as a guide. As long as you are pushing hard enough to hit that 160bmp mark again, you know you are getting at least the same intensity from your training as the time before.

MAXIM 4: Use your heart rate as a tool for feedback about your progress, not as a "RULE" for fat loss (i.e. the "zone", etc)

Many people are very intrigued by the readouts on machines when they perform cardio. Unfortunately, those numbers are based on generic equations that fit the "general population" rather than you as an individual. For example, calories burned are based on your weight. A 200-pound person at 8% body fat will have the same formula applied as a 200-pound person at 30% body fat. However, the more that you train and the leaner you are, the less calories you will burn during the same activity. In this example, the 8% person will actually burn fewer calories than the 30% person, due to their level of health and amount of lean mass. There are also issues with metabolism, activity throughout the day, nutrition, and many other factors that are not taken into account.

Does this mean that the readouts are worthless? Not at all. In fact, they are very useful. When I did my morning run this morning, the readout said that I burned 610 calories in 30 minutes. While I may not have truly expended that amount of energy, it is a great reference for me. Why? Because the next time that I perform cardio on that machine, I'm going to push myself harder and try to burn 650 calories. Again, I may not actually be burning 650 calories, but you can be certain that if the readout gives me that number, I will be working harder next week than I did today. So it is a great tool to gauge your own progress. It is also a great tool to mix up your style of training. If I do a high intensity workout and burn "400" calories, then I know if I come back and perform moderate training, I can shoot for "400" calories and expend about the same amount of energy during the activity.

MAXIM 5: Do not take the readouts on cardio machines literally - use them as a scale to gauge your own progress

It is interesting to learn the various ways that different styles of cardio expend energy. A slow, moderate run may take 45 minutes to burn 400 calories. However, the same amount of calories might be expended in a 15 minute, high intensity run. This is due to the fact that your heart rate becomes extremely elevated, and your muscles begin performing extreme work in order to help you accelerate through the intense periods. On the same token, a "slow" jog on a steep incline may burn the same amount of calories. In this situation, your body is fighting against gravity, so again you are still performing "high intensity" effort despite the slower pace.

As a final ingredient, consider variety. I can guarantee that if you always use the treadmill, your body will become so efficient at using the treadmill that you will begin to burn fewer calories doing the same workout. On the other hand, if you perform treadmill work one session, stair climber work another session, then go for a jog, you will continue to see the benefit of increased calorie expenditure. If your training permits, try to build in as much variety as possible. This will keep the fat melting off and continuously improve your cardiovascular condition.

MAXIM 6: Variety is key - whenever possible, vary not only your style of training (i.e. moderate, high intensity, etc) but also the terrain or equipment that you train on

I often have clients complain that they don't have access to the right equipment to perform much variety with cardio. If you simply purchase an inexpensive jump rope, you can easily train two different exercises: jogging, and jump roping. Now consider different styles of training: moderate (low intensity), high intensity interval training, and just high intensity training (where you try to elevate your heart rate and maintain that throughout the duration of the exercise). This alone provides 6 different possibilities for a cardio session, which is more than enough variety to change things throughout your training cycles.

Cardiovascular exercise is an important component of general health. While certain people may require different amounts and types of cardio, everyone should engage in at least a little cardiovascular activity each week. There are many methods for training which all have their advantages. You should learn what works for you and what you truly enjoy so that you will continue to perform cardio and reap benefits of good health.

Don't let someone fool you into thinking cardio isn't necessary. Even if you are in top shape, a little cardiovascular exercise can still benefit your general health. The key is to change the style and frequency of cardio to suite your lifestyle and fitness goals. Consider various styles of training, different terrains, and new types of equipment to train on. As always, learn your body and don't use any one else's rules to dictate your training. Keep a good journal, and find out what works for you. Peak cardio is a sure way to move closer to your peak, natural physique.

You deserve to hear this topic covered in amazing detail as part of the 5-CD audio program, Lose Fat, Not Faith - pick up your copy online at Natural Physiques today!

Jeremy Likness, the CEO of Natural Physiques (a division of Golden Summit Inc) is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Performance Nutrition. He has coached clients around the world to lose fat, gain muscle, and live healthy after losing over 65 pounds of fat himself. He is the author of the internationally-selling e-Book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith" that has been sold in over a dozen countries. Visit Jeremy at http://www.naturalphysiques.com and join him on his weekly coaching call at http://www.become-your-best.com.

How To Jump Rope For Health and Fitness

Rope skipping is an excellent cardiovascular exerciseaccording to the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports MedicineCouncil. It is far less hard on the muscles and bones thanjogging.

While running or jogging, each foot absorbs up to 5 timesthe body weight from the force of the impact as the foothits the ground. This force of hitting the ground can causedamage to the feet, ankles, hips and knees. But in ropeskipping, the shock of hitting the ground is absorbed byboth feet allowing the calf muscles to control and absorbthe impact.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine,skipping rope is among the activities it recommends foraerobic conditioning. In order to improve heart and lunghealth, it must be performed 3 to 5 times per week for 12 to20 minutes an hour, and at an intensity that will get theheart rate into training range.

To find your training range subtract your age from 220.Multiply that figure by .9 to get the high range. Multiplyby .6 to get low range. With this formula a person 25 yearsold must keep their aerobic heart pulse between 117 and 176to be gaining benefit. Aerobic benefits do not diminish ordecline with training as in other aerobic activities.

From an energy standpoint, jumping rope at about 130revolutions per minute is similar to running at 6 miles perhour or cycling 12 miles per hour. Just 10 minutes of ropeskipping is equivalent to a one-mile run.

When choosing a rope, hold the rope and stand with your feeton the middle. If the length is correct, the handles shouldjust reach your armpits. Handles should be thick andcomfortable.

Look for a cushioned surface to jump on. A largerectangular carpet remnant is ideal. Hard surfaces likeconcrete should be avoided.

Choose well-cushioned athletic footwear just as you wouldfor walking or running.

Start slow by gradually increasing session time over 2 to 3weeks to let your leg muscles get accustomed to the extraexercise.

Many adults give up rope jumping because they areuncoordinated and miss too many steps. But this improveswith time and practice.

More information on jump ropes may be found at:

http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/fitnessequipment.htm

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Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and theenvironment.Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.Website: http://www.apluswriting.net