Physical Health — Page 21

It can be difficult to determine a good marathon training schedule and then stick to it. There are too many temptations to eat an entire chocolate cake in one sitting (I know.)

Since I am now the voice of experience, I can give you some tips on what you SHOULDN’T do so that you’ll successfully stick with your schedule. Once you’ve decided on your marathon training schedule, you should keep a few things in mind.

- Running very quickly for three minutes does not substitute jogging for thirty minutes. You will actually need to do the jogging that you’ve outlined on your schedule.

- If you have planned to run every weekend for three months, and can’t find the motivation, try what I did. My husband drove the car about three feet in front of me dangling a snickers bar out the window.

- When you break in your jogging shoes for the marathon, that means putting them on and running with them. Please put away the meat mallet now.

- A bottle of Jack Daniels is not a ‘running partner’. Choose a human as your running partner.

- When I say ‘stick with your marathon training schedule,’ I don’t mean taping the paper to your butt.

- While you’re jogging those three miles back home, resist the temptation to hitchhike.

- It is neither advisable, nor sanitary to take a small nap in the ditch off the side of the road.

Here’s another trick for finding the motivation you need to stick with your running training schedule: Imagine the faces of your competitors when you finish first place. Visualize them crying, howling, and roaring as you use false modesty although all the while you’re thinking, “No autographs please, just gaze upon the champion!” Good Luck with your marathon!

Want to learn more about the Ultimate Marathon Training Schedule? Visit Runners Knee, a blog for runners like us with running tips and so much more.

– Candace Right

It’s hard to believe that fast weight loss is anything but a sham. We know what you’re thinking; you’ve seen infomercials where people have lost hundreds of pounds in six weeks without changing their diets or exercising. Those people are lying to you. Either that or their diets are unhealthy because our bodies aren’t meant to change that face. If you want to lose weight and keep it off you have to take in less calories than you burn while maintaining healthy eating habits. Here’s how.

The first step you need to take in order to know how to go about trying to lose weight is finding out how many calories you burn on a day to day basis. Do a web search for a calorie calculator in order to find this number. It should ask you about your sex, how tall you are, and your current weight as well as how active you are. This is information you will need to get the base number of what you expend. Even your job can come into play when it comes to calories.

Knowing how much you burn in by calories is unbelievably important. Based on that number you can now find out if you are taking in more than you are burning. For a week or so take note of all the calories you eat. Write them down and average them out. Are you eating more than you are burning? That’s how fat is made.

It’s not safe to simply cut large amounts of calories out of your diet and call it a day. Without a certain amount your body won’t be able to function and you will probably get sick. At the very least you’ll be very sleepy. It’s better to incorporate daily exercise.

Burning fat with exercise is different than, say, building muscle or cardiovascular endurance. With cardio your goal is to strengthen your heart. That means that while you’re working out you have to be engaging your heart and keeping it pumping. With muscle work outs you’re strengthening a particular set of muscles at a time. These kinds of work outs require precision. Burning fat is much easier. Everything you do burns calories so as long as you’re moving and doing it quickly you’re good.

When seeking fat burning, don’t shy away from the masterpiece that is the salad! Salads are a great way to get you full while packing it full of healthy foods. Stay away from creamy dressings and you can put just about anything (within reason!) on top of a salad and do yourself a huge favor. Don’t like lettuce (remember there’s more than one kind of lettuce)? Try spinach instead. If you don’t like spinach either, try cabbage. There are so many different ways to make a salad!

Empty calories are the bane of the healthy diet. If you think that simply watching what you eat is going to be enough here you better think again! Take a look at the nutritional facts on that bottle. Sodas and pops are empty calories. They provide you with nothing by calories and sugars. Get rid of that major problem causer! Instead switch out your sugary juices and sodas with water. Water is the miracle elixir of diets. It keeps you hydrated and improves your digestive health. Green tea is also good.

There is really no such thing as viable quick weight loss tips. At least not in the way these “amazing products” want you to believe. It’s all about give, take, and letting your body run like the well oiled machine that it is. The body is good at fat burning, so let it do its thing.

– Ben Pate

Making a Marathon Training Schedule You Can Stick To

Rapid Weight Reduction – How To Plan Your War On Fat