Words for the Wise Wednesday

I'm at a loss for words really. It's one of those days I'd could whine about my dissatisfaction with work life, or blab about how my rest day went, or how the chili verde turned out, but really who cares?

I found a few things that might spike your fancy instead. I don't know about you, but I subscribe to a few running related newsletters that often give me great pointers or just reminders of things I already know. It never hurts to be reminded! It's like when your mom used to nag you about picking up your room, although a bit less irritating. ;)

First up, How Strength Training Helps Your Run! I've been neglecting the gym lately because I've chosen to focus more on boot camp and running, but I know I need to make the time to get in at least two strength training workouts in per week. And, my running will be better for it!

A few things good points from this article: "Runners often overlook strength training for the upper body, yet this conditioning can yield major gains in respiratory efficiency, core stability, and running economy...Most runners will benefit from two resistance train sessions per week, using dumbbells in a variety of ways...Similarly, while back exercises are certainly running-appropriate, remember to achieve muscle balance by training the muscles of the chest and shoulders, which provide opposite antagonistic actions to the muscles of the upper back."

Next up, The Best Natural Fuel For Runners! This is a great article because it gives you the time frame of when to eat (hours before, right before, during and after a run), what best to eat, and most importantly, why it's a great choice!

A few good points from this: "In fact, eating the right edibles is like flipping a switch that tells your body to run harder, faster and longer." For those of us who don't think much about what we're putting in our bodies pre or post run, it might be high time to start thinking!

"A 2009 Journal of Nutrition study reported that women with higher intakes of nutrient-packed whole grains have lower amounts of total body and abdominal fat." Congrats to all of us oatmeal, whole grain bread, pasta, rice, cereal eating women!

And, a few good articles about yoga. Are you incorporating yoga into your week? If not, are you making sure to stretch well after a run? I know I'm bad at stretching, but if I decide to follow a run with a little yoga, it's the perfect combination for what my body needs.

Is Yoga a Health-Enhancing Exercise? New Study Offers Resounding "Yes!" and Strike a Pose: Pair yoga with running to get stronger, sharper and less injury-prone.

And finally, 20% off J.Crew's final sale items! This is about the time of year I start dreaming of taking some Mexican vacation and coincidentally, begin browsing J.Crew for the latest bikinis, tanks and flip flops. It's been far too long since I've taken a real spring break vacation! Are you traveling somewhere sunny this spring?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ah, Love the J Crew thrown in at the bottom! ;) ha, GOOD STUFF.

after a few bikram yoga sessions - I'm definitely thinking it needs to be a more regular thing. the only problem is that it's $20 per session here (and 90* in that rm!), so for budget reasons - I need to figure out some poses that I can do on my own ;)

Stregnth training - right with ya. Need to do it...but, usually don't..... :) gah.
Simply "T" said…
Hi Lauren! It's your blogger valentine exchange, T, here. I just wanted to pop in and say thank you for the awesome Valentine's day package. I'm super excited to try the chocolate and the coffee, and I love the movie "Love Actually," but I've never listened to the soundtrack, so I am looking forward to that as well.

I really like your blog - I'm a former runner (I say former because it's been 2-3 years since I've been able to do any competitive running due to a series of injuries :-/ but I still do some recreational running when my knee allows it) so I love reading about running.

On the topic of running - I got that Oregon Duck's decal with your note - did you go there? One of my very good friends is an alumni, and my cousin, Galen Rupp, ran for the Ducks and was in the Olympics last year.

Anyway, stop by my blog to say hi any time!

T
All great advice! I know that I need to do more strength training than I currently do. I try to go to a weight class once a week but would benefit from adding in another day. plus it would switch things up a bit for me, which would be could since I am a bit of a creature of habit!
Mandy said…
A Mexican vacation sounds fabulous right about now. My town has had over 30 inches of snow since the begining of Feb. with more on the way next week. Sometimes I feel like Spring is so far away.

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