Saturday, February 4, 2012

Runners World Specials






Its safe to say that this winter has been a total bust. As a teacher, I long for waking up to see on the news that 2 inches of snow has cancelled school for the day. This year, there was none of that. With February here, its clear that this winter isn't happening. With that being said, lets bring on Spring and more importantly Summer! With the winter doldrums in full swing, I look forward to my monthly issue of Runner's World for some entertainment. Its always packed with good tips, reads and secrets of the elite runners that boast its pages. 


This month, or rather March's issue is rather fulfilling. I love reading about runners who make a difference and one of my favorite men is featured in this issue: Fauja Singh. You may remember him from an earlier post I did on my blog. Fauja Singh blog post from the past  If not, here's a light refresher. Fauja is a 100 year old man from India who has been given the title of world's oldest marathoner! He's adorable, competitive and from India, so clearly hes a top pick in my book. 






Also in this issue, is a topic that many readers can relate to, weight and nutrition. I am personally always on the look out for new recipes and tips for snacks to increase performance so naturally, this peaked my interest. Without boring you with too many details, I will highlight some of the more interesting aspects of the article. In my opinion many runners struggle to eat the right balance of food. If you eat too much, you feel to heavy to run, if you eat too little you feel to weak. You get the idea. I've always thought that if I lost a few pounds, I would be in turn lighter and thus faster. Turns out, I was right to an extent. If you are overweight, it adds more pressure to joints which can lead to injury. If you are slightly over weight, you might not be running at max performance, because those extra cookies from the holidays, do in fact, slow you down. The same is said for those who are underweight. If you don't weigh enough, you aren't running at peak performance because your bones are undernourished and your stamina cant reach its full potential. Your body breaks down muscle for fuel and leaves you feeling weak and feeling less than par. 


Continuing on the article delves into what it calls the Danger Zone of food. Some interesting and important revelations were stated. 1. energy bars don't count as a meal, you need real nutrition from real food. 2. You should never avoid carbs, fat, meat, protein or anything! The key to a balanced and nutritious diet is to eat and drink in balance. If not, you compromise your organs and immune system. This can also make you more prone to injury. 3. Timing your meals isn't a good thing. You shouldn't restrict yourself. If you are hungry you need to eat. 4. Don't go AWOL when you get invited to a dinner. If you are trying to constantly control your menu and giving up social situations to do so, you may have an unhealthy relationship with food. 


If you are bored this winter like me, or maybe you want to start hitting the gym or training for a 5k get out there and buy Runners World, this issue is worth your time :) 

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