Fitness & Wellness

Whether you’re worried about losing a cup size or whether you’ll gain maximum speed during a race because of large breasts, there are a lot of running vs breast size debates going on today. Many of the articles you find online come from women who haven’t begun to run, but are concerned that their feminine curves will disappear and they’ll go from a womanly C cup to a training bra. Others want to enter competitive running, but find that large breasts make casual running a bit more difficult. I have input that might help you with both concerns.

Where did your breasts go?

Running helps you shed fat by burning extra calories. It builds muscle tissue that also boosts your metabolism to burn extra calories. If you’re overweight, all parts of your body lose fat. Since the breasts are composed of fat and epithelial tissue and fatty tissue, losing weight means losing some of the fatty tissue, ultimately making your breasts smaller.

Don’t let that scare you.

Yes, I did just say your breasts will be smaller, but it’s all relative. You’ll also lose fat underneath the breasts, around your waist and hips, so you’ll still have the same proportions. A narrow measure around the rib cage makes breasts look larger. You’ll also maintain all the epithelial tissue that helps give you the curvy appearance. While your breasts may be smaller, the rest of your body will shrink too! They may even look larger in comparison to the now thinner, sleeker body.

Let’s tackle the problem of runners with large breasts.

Large breasts can make running more difficult. Not only do they bounce when you run, which can be extremely painful, they also change your postures. If you wear a D-cup you could have 15 to 23 pounds pulling you forward and creating an awkward hunched running position. That makes you ripe for injury while also making it more difficult to have an efficient stride. No matter what type of bra you buy, the straps take the pressure. They can press on your nerves and still not take the bounce out of your breasts or help your posture. Doing back exercises for the upper and lower back can help with your posture.

• The more bounce you experience when running, the more your breasts lose their elasticity and bounce even more!
• Keeping bounce to a minimum for large breasted runners is extremely important for a comfortable run. Finding a good bra that can minimize bounce and have your breasts move in unison with the body is as important as finding the right shoes.
• Look for bras that provide support and comfort. Thin straps can gouge and cause pain and sweat wicking materials can reduce chafing.
• No matter what your breast size, running is actually good for the breasts when wearing the right clothing. Any aerobic exercise when done four hours or more a week can help prevent breast cancer.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

Nutrition tips for runners can be broad enough to include all types of runners from the casual runner to the marathon runner. That’s because good nutrition is universal. However, some nutritional information or specific food or eating suggestions are just for the marathon runner to help him or her overcome the fatigue that can occur near the end of the race, when the glycogen stored in the muscles become depleted. Good training that includes pacing helps, but you also need good nutrition to have your body in peak condition.

Body fat slows you down.

You wouldn’t normally think of a marathon runner as having excess body fat, but statistics show that even one extra pound of body fat can cause the runner to add a minute to their times. That means distance runner need to shed the dead weight and be in the low range of acceptable body fat. Eating healthy meals and carefully monitoring your diet will help achieve the distance and time you desire.

Sports drinks may impede your body’s adaptation to muscle glycogen depletion.

Sports drinks have a place in marathon training, just not at every session. Long tough runs lasting longer than two hours require the benefits of the drink, but shorter, less strenuous ones may not. In fact, one recommendation is to drink them only every other workout if the training session is more than an hour but less than two hours and not necessary at all for vigorous runs under an hour or easy runs up to 90 minutes. Having a sports drink available all the time doesn’t allow your body to adapt and become more effective at burning fat. Muscle glycogen depletion is necessary for that to happen.

Add fat loading before a race in addition to carbo loading.

A high fat, low carbohydrate diet isn’t good for training, but high fat before the pre-race carbo loading can be beneficial. Two weeks before a race, start a diet that provides 65 percent of the calories from fat for ten days, then switch to a high carbohydrate diet for the remaining three days before the race. This short-term high fat diet can help your body improve the fat burning ability and the carbo loading improves the muscle glycogen reserves. This type of diet was tested by Vicki Lambert on the endurance of long distance cyclists and found it improved their performance dramatically compared to a traditional diet followed by carbo loading. Make sure the fat you choose is healthy fat from avocados, salmon, nuts, cheese and eggs for example.

• Try beet juice instead of water when you train. You might find it’s an excellent drink to keep you hydrated and improve your performance. Studies show that drinking a half liter a few hours before the marathon helps.
• Stay hydrated but don’t force yourself to drink a specific amount. Drinking as you become thirsty is the best method.
• Try switching out foods to seek healthier choices. Consider kefir instead of yogurt for a probiotic choice or matcha instead of green tea. Teff is a great gluten free alternative.
• Steer clear of sugars, alcohol and avoid making any dietary changes the day of the race. That’s not the time to experiment with new ideas.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

One of the most often asked questions is whether drinking water can cause cramps when running. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. First, you have to consider the type of cramps, legs or stomach and next consider all the circumstances surrounding the cramps. You need to be well hydrated, particularly if you’re running on a hot day. Dehydration is the runner’s enemy. You don’t have to be a runner, or any type of athlete for that to be true.

When you drink water makes a difference.

You need to hydrate well before you start running. While some places recommend you don’t drink the water right before running, but do it two hours before, it’s a myth. It won’t cause side stitches if you’re warm-up properly. In fact, not drinking adequate amounts of water is far more dangerous and can lead to dehydration or heat stroke. You also need to drink fluids while running and after running.

Don’t guzzle.

One of the biggest causes of stomach cramps for runners is gulping large amounts of water while they run. Sipping frequently is the best choice. Because you’ll be running in a variety of different temperatures, speeds and humidity levels, obeying your thirst is important. The faster you run, the more fluid you need. The amount varies between six to eight ounces every twenty minutes and four to six ounces every 20 minutes. Mouth dryness and thirst should alert you to sip water. Drinking too much at once will cause stomach cramps.

Dehydration, rather than drinking too much water could be the culprit of those leg cramps.

You’re running hard and worry about cramping up because of too much water when you run, so you wait until you can’t take it any longer and take a few sips of water. Suddenly you feel leg cramps. The water must be the culprit, right? That’s not true. You may have waited too long to hydrate and are suffering the consequences, over worked your muscles or lack calcium or other minerals. Lack of water, not drinking water causes cramps.

• If you’re working out over 90 minutes, a sports drink with electrolytes helps.
• Be prepared for a run by having water easily accessible. You can carry it in your hand if necessary, but there are inexpensive fluid carriers too.
• If you’re drinking a sports drink, keep the carbohydrate percentage lower than 10 percent. Any higher and it can promote stomach cramps.
• Make sure you consider your environment. If your weather is hot, it just makes more sense that you’ll need to hydrate more frequently than you would in cold weather.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

You can be faster, but you need to focus first on your overall fitness level and how efficiently you use your muscles. While most runners don’t look like body builder, they’re muscle machines too. In fact, of the over 600 muscles in the body, a runner will use almost all of them. So, overall fitness is important, particularly if you want to do your best in a race or become a top contender. Working out with a personal trainer not only improves your overall fitness, it can help you run faster and more efficiently, while training all your muscles to work together.

Teach your body to achieve the maximum oxygen uptake.

VO2max or maximum oxygen uptake is that amount of oxygen your body can use in one minute. The more oxygen you can intake, the faster you can run. However, that’s only part of the picture. How fast you’re running when you hit your maximum is important. Running or doing interval training at your maximum potential increases that maximum, just as lifting a weight that’s at your maximum limit increases that limit and your strength.

Doing drills can help you run more efficiently.

Drills, such as hops, Russian kicks and skips can do so much to help your muscles work together efficiently. It’s more than just running, it’s training the communication from the brain to the legs and back to the brain. Drills also strengthen and train more than the muscles, they aid the joints in building strength to improve your speed. They also help you become more coordinated and agile. Many of the drills used to improve a runner’s speed are also great warm-ups to use before a race.

Proper form can save energy.

Everything counts when it comes to endurance and speed, especially your form. If your hands are swinging across your body, you’re wasting valuable energy you could be using to win the race. A huge benefit of having a coach or trainer is that you have an observer who can spot many of the wasted movements and help you improve your form.

Don’t forget to warm up to the max before training hard or racing. Roll out before a race, just like you would after one to maximize your warm-up.

Check your footwear frequently and don’t skimp when it comes to shoes. Having adequate foot support is important, particularly if you’re running on concrete. Most sneakers will give you 300 to 500 miles of use.

Alternate your pace to build endurance and speed. Fartleks, alternating between jogs and sprints, help you boost both endurance and speed.

Work on core muscles for overall fitness and strength.

• Start slowly and pick up the pace the more your body becomes acclimated to the hot weather. Going at top speed on the first super hot day will only get you in trouble.
• Know when your body is signaling you to quit. Sometimes, you have to work through the misery, but not if it’s super hot and you’re risking your health. Know when to call it a day or train less vigorously.
• Don’t coffee up before you run. Caffeinated drinks act like diuretics and increase your urine output. That can lead to dehydration quickly.
• Know the signs of heat illness. If you’re cramping, have a headache, feel dizzy or disoriented you need to get out of the heat immediately. Know all the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

If you’ve never heard about visualization coaching for sports, and in this case, I mean running, its building a mental image of the race for practice. It’s not a magical cure all, but good healthy practice to face some of the pitfalls of the race. Your body works with your mind when you’re moving it by running or exercising. However, you mind can be a powerful tool to help you maximize your winning potential. Visualizing a race for a few minutes a day can help you get through the pitfalls and make it to the finish line faster than other competitors.

Visualization won’t make you a great athlete, but it can bring out your greatness.

If you don’t train at all, but simply visualize racing, you may make some stride, but nothing that’s race worthy. However, if you train physically with dedication and persistence, visualizing the course and the win can help you get the edge. You don’t have to be a world class athlete to use it to your advantage, either. It can help you run further and faster no matter what your level of expertise.

Great champions have often talked about the mysterious mental factor that helped them reach their goal.

Muhammad Ali said, “”Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.” Mark Plaatjes, gold medal winning runner practiced visualization until he knew every inch of the course and mental overcame every possible pitfall and scenario. During the actual race, he raced with confidence because of his mental preparation, taking the gold medal. Bruce Lee, world famous Martial Arts expert, provided this thought provoking quote, “As you think, so shall you become.” It’s true of any sport. Visualizing everything from possible problems to winning the race can help you prepare.

It’s just as important to be mentally prepared as it is to be physically prepared.

The mental side of any athletic competition plays an important role. If you’re not mentally tough, you won’t have the extra push to get through the pain and exhaustion of the final leg of the race. Learning how to extend your limits and run through exhaustion can come with practicing mentally. Visualizing yourself running the distance and making it past the finish line can help you mentally prepare.

• You need to visualize both the good and the bad in order to get your best results. Visualizing the potential pitfalls and ways to overcome them will help you just as much as seeing yourself victorious.
• Visualization can help you boost your confidence to provide a edge for winning.
• Be specific in your visualizations. Experience the wind or sun, see what you’re wearing, even notice how many people are in the race. The more specific you can be, the better the experience.
• Visualization can help you stay focused during the race. You’ll already have experienced many of the pitfalls by visualizing, so you’ll know exactly what to do.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior