Your Ultimate Inspirational Guide To Running

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Ladies, you are going to love my first recommendation.  Being a woman, it’s no surprise that I think a shopping spree is in order to get your running outfits organised.  And who doesn’t feel inspired and energised after an excellent day at the shops?

It’s finally sunny and the department stores are heaving with the madness of sales.  So hit the high streets and stock up on cotton or Dri-Fit  t-shirts, shorts, leggings or whatever makes you feel good and comfortable when you are out running.

Don’t forget to pop into your favourite sports store for a pair of well fitted shoes.  I love the Asics range, I always have.  BUT I am definitely not impressed with the enormous toe hole that keeps recurring above my left toe.  Perhaps a shoe re-fit is in order!  I usually find that if I keep getting fitted by the same pair, then I can purchase this for a significantly lower price at Lillywhites in London.

Now the only other single most important item that you will need (other than your motivated and inspired self of course) is energetic music to make your running experience truly unforgettable.  Running is about time for you.  This will quickly become your chance to de-stress, gather your thoughts, reflect about your day (if you run after work) or to plan ahead if you are an early riser.

For confidence and direction, always plan your route.  I love WalkJogRun for help with planning routes and calculating distance.  If you are a creature of habit, then you may end up choosing the same routes after work for that truly relaxing experience when you are out pounding the streets.  Mix your routine with hills and beautiful scenery for a change in the weekends to avoid boredom.

Preparing playlists that are dedicated to your favourite running tracks are essential for a smooth running experience.  No one wants to be interrupted by Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’ when you are deep in thought, enjoying the giddy sensation from the lovely endorphins that running can shower you with.  We do love Frank Sinatra but he is definitely not appropriate as running tracks.  Instead, choose plenty of upbeat music with great rhythm.  I do love remixed tracks for that extra speed in my stride.

I rarely listen to music when I am not exercising, so I really do look forward to exercising for this reason alone.  Always be prepared.  So remember, gear up, plan your route, organise your music and then out that door you go.

Last but not least, ensure that you eat a light snack an hour before such as a banana or a delicious large orange.  Ensure that your usual lunch or dinner meal is at least a few hours earlier to give you plenty of time for easy digestion. 

Finally, drink up!  Stay hydrated and smile knowing that you will sleep like a baby after your refreshing date with yourself out in the park or on a treadmill.  All you ever need for a brilliant run is you, a bit of fuel and good music.  It doesn’t matter if you run for 20 or 50 minutes, just get out there, enjoy and move your body!

Lovely readers and runners, do you have any tips to share? 

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Paleolithic Diet & CrossFit - A Bodybuilder's Winning Combo?

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I admit it – I was full of contempt when Joseph Hoang talked to me about the paleolithic diet experience.  You may also know this diet as the ‘caveman diet’.  I believe it’s taken the world by storm, but seriously; to me - it really is just another low carb and low energy diet..

Yet I’ve met Joe who swears by the diet.  Joe is 31 and is an IT consultant.  He is dedicated to his exercise regime of crossFit workouts and has successfully lost around 18kg since commencing the paleo diet.

How did you hear about the diet?

‘I hit a time in my life when I thought to myself, I need to do something about my body.  I want to look good.  My diet was unhealthy and I ate a lot of rubbish.  Takeaway meals such as Chinese, Lebanese or Indian used to be my usual dinners whilst cheesy crackers and chocolate biscuits were my staple snacks.' 

'I decided to exercise and I joined the gym.  I gave up smoking.  I got introduced to crossFit training and my coach in Australia at the time suggested that I give the paleo diet a go.'

 Your first impressions on the paleo diet

‘Being of Asian background I was worried about the restrictions such as rice, potato and milk.  I gradually took the approach by cutting out one food at a time.  I first cut out all refined sugars so out went the chocolate biscuits.’

‘By this stage I had reached 82kg and I thought it was all muscle.  I was gaining weight but I didn’t worry as I knew that muscle weighed heavier than fat.  I really thought it was all muscle.  Boy did I need a wake up call!’

  

'I commenced the diet in December 2010.  It took me 3 months to lose the weight.  I dropped down to 64kg which is a 22% body weight loss.  My waist used to be 35cm and I reduced this to 28cm.  I am a small guy so these measurements are better suited for me.’

Give me a quick example of what you used to eat like before your dramatic weight loss

Breakfast

‘Hangover food’ like bacon and eggs, a large bread roll with BBQ sauce and mushrooms

Snacks

A whole box of cheesy & salty crackers called ‘Shapes’.  I would then start on a packet of ‘Tim Tams’ (chocolate biscuits in Australia).

I would also drink three mochaccinos with whole milk and during the weekends I would drink a 1 litre bottle of fizzy drink per day.

Dinner

A large meal based on meat, rice, bread, potato and veggies.  Often take-aways.

‘At my fattest I was working full-time so I really didn’t have time for exercise.  I was also a smoker so I didn’t have the energy or even the lungs to run!  I was only able to run 200 metres without stopping.  Enough was enough so I quit smoking in 2009.'

What changes did you make first?

‘I joined crossFit, started exercising and cut out the biscuits.  As a result, I lost around 5kg but it was a struggle to lose more.  I had a huge appetite after exercise and really struggled to shift the weight.  I hovered around the high 70s for about a year.  By this stage I was running and swimming.  I even completed two marathons that year but still struggled to shed the extra body fat.  During this time, a friend at work recommended that I cut out carbs from my evening meal.  I tried it and this helped me lose a little bit more body fat.’

‘I then cut out some of my high fat snacks and replaced it with berries, apples, cherry tomatoes and nuts.  For lunch, instead of large sandwiches I chose large chicken salads.  For dinner, I ate roast chicken with steamed vegetables.  Once a week I’d treat myself to my favourite foods such as noodles or absolutely anything I wanted.’

What happened when you transitioned onto the caveman diet?

‘I cut out all of my high fat snacks and ate only fruit or nuts.  I also got inspiration from John Stone Fitness who took photos of his weight loss every day for an entire year.  My photos above are my weekly progress over 3 months.

Was there anything that you could eat on the paleo diet?

‘I did my own version of the diet.  This is how I ate.'

Breakfast

Coffee and 2 x hard boiled eggs

Snacks

Almonds and macadamia nuts.  If I felt naughty I ate cashew nuts, but always plain, never roasted.  I ate these in unlimited quantities, but you get so sick of eating them.  After about 20 nuts you can’t face eating another.  It kept me full until lunch.

Lunch

I ate the same lunch every day!  A small can of flavoured chicken or tuna.  Or fresh roasted chicken with lettuce, tomato and tabbouleh which was based on tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley prepared with olive oil.

‘I never felt hungry as I always snacked on berries and nuts.’

Dinner

Roast or grilled meat with vegetables such as broccoli or bok choy to name a few.  Potato and sweet corn were not allowed on the diet but I did eat avocado as this was highly recommended.

Dessert

Cup of tea with berries

‘This was the hardest three months of my life but the feeling I had afterwards was amazing.  My stomach felt tight like I had abs all the time.  I felt surreal.  I was eating such an unhealthy diet previously that I didn’t know what being healthy felt like.  This felt amazing!’ 

What was the hardest about the diet?

‘The first two weeks was the hardest as I had a huge energy crash.  I was highly irritable and was sleeping at my desk by 3pm.  My shirt would be untucked and my tie swung behind me the wrong way around.  I also had to cut out yoghurt and milk which I really loved.'

Did you take any multi-vitamins or any other supplements?

‘I took a multivitamin tablet a day.  The diet said that you didn’t need calcium from dairy alone, greens were sufficient.  I don’t recall the diet recommending a calcium supplement and I am not sure if the multivitamin tablet contained calcium.  The diet did not recommend additional supplements but I felt that I needed a vitamin tablet.’

How are you maintaining your weight loss?

‘I maintained the diet but re-introduced carbs.  I eat carbs only in the form of sweet potatoes as it's a low GI food.  I was not keen on pasta and rice as I always noticed that I felt sleepy after eating these.  If I was out with friends and I ate rice, particularly Jasmine rice, then I would be the first to be asleep at the dinner table!  I still have a cheat meal once a week where I still choose to eat rice, pasta and other favourite foods.'

What’s your diet like now?

Breakfast

1 x sweet potato with tuna, chicken or hard boiled egg

Lunch

Avocado and chicken salad with salad greens, tomatoes and another sweet potato

‘I continue to snack on fruit and nuts all day.’

                                                                                         

Dinner

Similar to lunch

‘I eat dinner quite late as I train after work for almost three hours.  Sometimes I feel a little faint during training and hence why I introduced carbs back into my breakfast and lunch.' 

Your last words before we bid you farewell?

‘It was the best thing I did.  At first it was one of the hardest 2 weeks during the crash, but then it all came together.  The satisfaction of securing tight abs made it totally worthwhile!   I’ve made it to the top 30 for crossFit and I have also made it on TV last week.  If you'd like to watch the clip where I am exercising then check out this video on 'The Box UK' on Ramp Training

  

The purple impression

Thank you so much Joe for sharing your inspiring story with us today.  The positive changes for Joe are that he stopped smoking and he is exercising successfully at a competitive level considering that he never exercised previously.  He is also eating fruit and vegetables which are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.  


I have recommended that Joe introduces carbs pre-exercise in the form of smoothies, fruit and yoghurt or in another format that is easy to digest and is acceptable for him.  This could help improve performance and avoid the ‘dives in energy’ that he has experienced previously.   


As he trains for up to 2-3 hours per each exercise session, he may benefit from a sports drink during training to replace electrolytes and provide additional energy.

The diet over a short period of time has clearly been helpful in reaching Joe's weight loss goals.  Joe was insightful and was able to recognise when he needed to increase his energy intake through carbohydrates to meet the high demands of his exercise routine.  


I still feel that Joe can reach peak performance if he increased his intake of carbohydrates pre and post training.  


What do you think?  

Beer, Butter & Chocolate: The Unexpected Threesome For A Six Pack?

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As promised, an article for Andrew on ‘how to get a six pack on a beer, butter and chocolate diet’.  Isolated case of fearless eating you say?  You may be right, but before you think entirely impossible, apply the principles of moderation and almost anything can be possible.

Right now, my assumption is that Andrew is regularly sweating it out on a treadmill and completing high volumes of planks, plank walks, toe touches, modified side planks, full extensions, v-ups, suitcases and your old fashioned crunches.

Let’s face it; women aren’t the only ones watching their figures these days.  I blame celebrities again (naturally), but with the high publicising of Barbie figures, it’s not surprising that all are feeling the pressure to look good.  If you are serious about ‘feeling good in your skin’, in addition to exercising regularly, a fitness regime that incorporates a healthy, balanced diet can be the winning combo to a lean and beautiful body.

A Scraping Of Butter

The bad news is - if you must have butter, be warned that this is full of saturated fats.  Eat this liberally and expect your doctor to grimace over your high total cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease.  Team this with regular takeaways, deep fried foods, baking and other high fat products and you are well on your way to an early grave. 

If your heart is ready to acquiesce, then choose margarine.  Based on vegetable oils, this is the safe option.  Rich in poly and mono unsaturated fats, they work hard to combat the damaging effects of saturated fats.  

But before you rush ahead to slap on the margarine, remember that how much fat you eat is equally important, regardless of type.  

If your weight is in the healthy range, chances are that you are already eating ample fats.  A switch from butter to vegetable oils may be all that is necessary to change the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats.

Breakfast – don’t skip it

Butter addicts, don’t fear.  Reduce your takeaways, cakes, biscuits and deep fried foods and trade it for a scraping of butter.  Then have it with breakfast.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  A recent article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March this year, indicated that men who skipped breakfast were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  

A study by Antonogeorgos et al, in Paediatric Obesity, also showed that children who ate breakfast daily were more likely to prevent overweight and obesity.  It should really come as no surprise that eating breakfast will decrease the temptation to over-indulge in high fat & sugary foods later.

If you plan to use your quota of butter for a fry up, then think again.  An interesting article published in ‘Nutrition Research and Practice’, in February 2012, compared Korean and Western diets.  Those who chose ‘potatoes, fruit and nuts’ at breakfast, showed lower risks of high blood pressure and blood glucose levels, when compared with adults who chose ‘eggs, breads and processed meat.’ 

These are just some of the latest findings from around the world.  As it turns out; you can be slimmer and healthier simply by eating breakfast.  Team your breakfast with smart food choices and you’ll also help protect your heart and risk of diabetes.  What’s more, if the thin scraping of butter on your toast encourages you to eat breakfast, then this could be the saviour from a monster munch attack later in the day.

Breakfast suggestions 

• cereal with reduced fat milk 
• high fibre bread with a scraping of butter (or margarine) or other spreads.  
• another delicious breakfast selection is fruit salad with yoghurt. 

Lunching?

Base the rest of your meals around carbohydrates, protein, fruit and vegetables.  Sandwiches packed with salads or soups and pasta salads bursting with coloured vegetables will help you meet your target of five fruit and vegetables a day.  Choose no bigger than a palm sized portion of meat, chicken or fish per day.  Don’t forget that lentils, beans and chick peas are a great alternative source of protein.

Combat Chocolate Cravings

After your gym work-out, why not treat yourself to a glass of low fat chocolate milk?  What a clever way of replacing muscle glycogen stores after exercise.  If you don’t do this, you run the risk of post work-out dives in blood sugar levels (and thus the danger of raging chocolate cravings). 

In addition to restoring the much needed carbohydrates, you’ll find that you’ve just satisfied your sweet tooth and potentially prevented a major pig out.  Have this drink immediately after a work-out (ideally within 30 minutes) for maximal absorption and replacement of glycogen stores.  Eat your evening meal as soon as you can.

What About Beer?

How could I forget!  After your hard work of healthy eating and commitment to exercise, I think you’ve earned yourself a can of beer this weekend! 

If you decide to give the can a miss, I found Delia's braised steak and mushroom recipe online which could also be prepared with beer.  Just go easy on the butter!

Enjoy!


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