Guilt-free Indulging on Thanksgiving

A holiday centered on the appreciation for the pioneers who first landed on American soil, has seen the cornucopia grow to be much more than turkey and potatoes. When you’re giving thanks this November with your family’s favorite recipes, it’s hard to use self-restraint when it comes to the less wholesome choices.

Instead of cropping out the sweets and carbohydrates altogether, on the nation’s most agreed upon “cheat day”, try to split portions into half sizes. I’d recommend teaming up with your grandmother on this—she’s known for taking smaller portions, anyhow.

To continue this theme of treating yourself, Ace Fitness compiled a list of foods you don’t have to avoid on this holiday. Amongst this list of eight edible items worthy of second helpings, my favorites include turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing with turkey broth, and the sweet potatoes.

If 2013 should have a slogan, it would be “Learn from Your Mistakes” (we’re lookin’ at you Miley Cyrus and Obamacare). So learn from Thanksgivings of your past and don’t cut any foods out this year. Make room for small portions of every dish, and re-visit the leaner choices. 

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Adopting a Natural Running Form

Along with the classic runner’s sweet tooth, one of the hardest things to correct is your running form. I found this video featuring two nationally renowned runners, Sandi Nypaver and Sage Canady, in which the natural forms of running are demonstrated.

For runners who are partial to the short, quick runs, being on your toes might be a habit of yours. For the longer distance runners, a bad habit to break might be the relaxed form of sitting too low in your stride. Watch as Nypaver and Canady identify some of the most common erros in running, and edit them accordingly.

The tips within the video are great for any level of runner. Take some of this advice and take time to consciously edit yourself on your next run. 

Happy trails.

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Running free of frostbite: 3 tips for running in the winter

With Halloween nearly knocking on our doorstep, the looming winter weather is not so far away. Getting motivated to run in colder temperatures is the first feat. Next, you want to ensure that you will be warm and dry from the start of time on your stopwatch, ‘til the end. Below, you’ll find some tips to avoid icy workouts.

1. Getting Dressed: According to an article from Runner’s World, ’10 Tips for Running in the Cold’, there’s a rule of thumb for dressing for colder runs. Mark Grandonico, the president for the Maine Track Club, says to dress as if it’s 20 degrees warmer outside. With technical fabrics, that wick moisture, you’ll allow for enough body warmth to accumulate within your run without overheating.
2. Deep Breaths: On a vigorous run, taking deep breaths from your stomach can make your throat dry and cold. An easy way to avoid this is to run with a mesh or cloth cowl neck warmer covering your mouth. This will filter warmer air into your mouth while breathing. If you dislike running with a cowl, try altering your breathing pattern so you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. This can also aid in avoiding side aches.
3. Before Leaving: Don’t start the time on your watch if you haven’t performed some sort of warm-up. “The cold doesn’t feel so cold if you’re warm,” says Lauren Salmon on Runner’s World. Not warming up is an easy way to let the chilly winter air stifle your performance during a run. Get a head start and prepare your muscles and cardio for the low temperatures outside.

Now go out and run atop the loud, fallen leaves, or the melting snow-covered pavement this winter. Run happy and run warm. 

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Don’t stay still during your warm-up

No matter if you prefer distance or sprints, every runner will face injury or extreme fatigue at some point in the road. Some runners stand by the claim that stretching after a run is much more rewarding than before. This is becoming a more popular belief after research has surfaced on more active warm-ups being the most beneficial to serious runners.

While stretching after your workout might be much more relieving for your legs, there is a great amount of warm-up taking place in your most valued muscles when you take pre-emptive action. While stagnant stretching may be a habit, more active warm-ups before your workout, like high-knees, jogging, and fast skips.

According to Bill Roberts, Sports Doctor at Runner’s World, stretching can be a waste of time before your race. You should choose actions that will lightly raise your heart rate and mimic the motions you will make during your run. As mentioned in his article, Roberts says that flexibility and stretching is important, but is too much of a motionless warm-up to prepare you for your run ahead.

Check out Bill Robert’s article here. 

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Three fresh Pre-race Dinners

The number one rule the night before a race is to consume carbs, carbs, carbs. But there is no rule that says you must always get these carbs from pasta. Check out these recipes and take a break from plates upon plates of noodles in your next pre-race dinner.

1. Cheese-free Pizza: a great meal to consume a fair amount of carbohydrates in the dough, and choose some natural toppings such as olives, spinach, tomato sauce for vitamins, or meats for some added protein
2. Waffles, fruit & yogurt, and eggs: Try a classic breakfast for your last supper before race day. This meal will satisfy all the needed food groups and add in some potassium from the fruit, and calcium from the yogurt.
3. Chicken and rice: Grilled, slow-cooked, or marinated, chicken serves as a good base of protein to compliment your preferred grain of rice which is low in fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Check out more tip for innovative pre-race dinners at Triathlete.competitor.com

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