Strength Training For Runners

Running is such a great form of exercise.  Not only does running offer many great physical benefits, but it has many great mental and emotional benefits as well.  Whether you’re a novice runner, a seasoned runner or even a competitive runner, there is no greater feeling than hitting the trail, treadmill and of course, crossing the finish line.  Running, however, because of its singular plane motion and repetition, can eventually start to take a toll on your body if you are not properly cross training.  Strength training is an often neglected form of cross training but one of the most crucial forms of exercises for runners.  Finding time to get runs and other forms of cardio in each week isn’t always easy, so runners often skip out on the weights, thinking they do not have enough time or it is not necessary.  But strength training, because of its many benefits, should be a part of every runner’s training regimen.  To understand the importance of strength training for runners, here are some key benefits to keep in mind:

1.    Increased Endurance: Strength training helps your body better deal with the stresses of running. Your muscles will be able to perform longer before getting fatigued, which will help you maintain proper running form, improving efficiency and endurance.

2.    Injury Prevention:  Many running injuries, especially knee and hip-related issues, are a result of muscle imbalances or weaknesses.  When muscles get tight, they become weak and are more susceptible to injury.  Strengthening your muscles, especially the muscles of the core and lower body, will help correct these imbalances leading to less aches and pains and more importantly, less injuries.

3.    Increased Speed:  Strength training is an excellent way to get faster.  Strength training will, of course, improve your overall strength, but also improve your body’s efficiency to use energy and oxygen.  By becoming more conditioned, you will be able to improve your overall pace..

4.    Weight Management: Strength training builds lean muscle mass and lean muscle mass boosts metabolism.  Our bodies adapt quickly to steady state cardiovascular training, causing us to plateau.  Including strength training along with cardio in your workout routine is essential for weight loss as well as weight management.

Below is a list of exercises that are very beneficial for runners.  These exercises offer a great foundation to any strength training program because they improve core and functional strength for total body conditioning.  Most of these exercises can be done with little to no equipment in the comfort of your own home.  Keep in mind as your body becomes stronger, you will need to progress these exercises to continually challenge yourself.  To see the benefits of strength training, you will need to do these and other strength exercises 2-3 times per week.  Alternating running days with strength training days is the best way to allow your muscles time to rebuild between strength training sessions while keeping up with your running schedule.  As a reminder, never begin an exercise program without first consulting your physician.  If you feel any pain during these or any other exercises, be sure to stop the exercise and talk to your doctor.

Plank

To perform a plank, begin in a prone position with your legs straight and your elbows tucked underneath your body.  Lift your body up to hover over the ground, evenly distributing your weight from your elbows to your toes.  Pull your belly button into your spine and keep your back flat.  Begin by holding 20-30 seconds for 2-3 sets and progress to longer holds as you become stronger.

Bird Dog

Start in an all-fours position with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.  Inhale and lift your right arm parallel to the floor and extend your left leg behind you, also parallel to the floor.  Pull your abs in to keep your back flat.  Exhale and lower arm and leg to start position, inhale and perform on opposite side.  Do 10 repetitions (5 per side alternating) for 2-3 sets.

Push Up

Begin on all-fours, then straighten your legs out coming on to your toes and place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.  Contract your abs to keep your back flat and slowly lower your chest down towards the floor, bending your elbows to 90 degrees.  Avoid modifying the push up by coming onto your knees because that will recruit less core muscles making it a less effective exercise.  If this movement is difficult to execute on the floor, incline your upper body by using a stair, low table or even a counter top or the wall.  Do 10 repetitions for 2-3 sets.

Bridge

Lying flat on your back, place your feet hip distance apart.  Lift your toes up so that just your heels are on the ground.  Press your low back firmly into the floor, contract your glutes and lift your hips up.  Hold at the top of the bridge for a 3 second count, lower glutes back down and repeat.  Engage your inner thigh muscles so that your legs can remain parallel to one another throughout the entire exercise.  Do 10 repetitions, 2-3 sets.

Sagittal Lunge (Front Lunge)

Begin in a standing position with your feet together.  Step your right foot out in front of you, reaching your arms forward.  Bend both knees to 90 degrees, lowing your back knee as close to if not all the way to the ground.  Be sure to keep your front knee above your ankle, driving your knee too far forward puts stress on the knee joint.  Step right foot back together with your left foot.  Perform 10 repetitions per leg, 2-3 sets.

Frontal Lunge (Side Lunge)

Begin in the standing position.  Step your right foot out wider than your hips, with feet parallel to one another, toes facing forward.  Bend just your right knee, driving your right hip down and back.  Reach your arms in front of you.  Again, be sure to keep your knee above your ankle.  Push off the right foot and bring the feet back together.  Perform 10 repetitions per leg, 2-3 sets.

Transverse Lunge

Begin with feet together.  Step your right foot out and back, making a perpendicular line with your heels.  Bend your right knee only, driving your right hip down and back.  Reach your hands in front of you, above your right thigh.  Rotate your right foot back forward bring your feet back together.  Perform 10 repetitions per leg, 2-3 sets.

Body Weight Row with TRX

Using a TRX or similar suspension system, grab a hold of the hand grip and align your body at an angle (the lower your body is to the floor, the more challenging the exercise becomes).  Begin with our arms straight in front of your chest and pull your body up towards the handles, bending your elbows close to your sides.  Keep your back flat, abs engaged and hold for 3 seconds, squeezing your shoulder blades together.  Release back to start position and repeat for 10 repetitions, 2-3 sets.

Roll Out with TRX

Begin in a standing position with your hands on the grips at in front of your body.  Contract your abs, extend your arms in front of you and lean your body forward, all while keeping your back flat.  Slowly draw your straight arms back towards your body, returning to your start position standing up tall.  Do 10 repetitions, 2-3 sets.

For information on how to take your runner to the next level through strength and conditioning, contact Coach Christina at 407-960-4705 or visit www.CWSCPerformance.com.  Be sure to like CWSC Performance on Facebook for upcoming events and promotions and follow Coach Christina on her Instagram page.

5 Super Easy Ways To Start Getting Fit Today!

Getting healthier and more fit does not have to be a full time job.  You do not have to become an expert in the field or spend hundreds of dollars on books, DVDs and equipment.  It does not have to be overwhelming or physically and mentally EXHAUSTING!  Becoming more fit can actually be quite simple and fun!  Take it from someone who has been in the fitness industry for almost 15 years and has lost a significant amount of weight myself, don't be so hard on yourself and don't make it all so difficult!  Here are a few simple tips to help get you going on your path the health and fitness that you can start doing today:

1. Keep It Simple
Pinterest, Instagram, Google, magazines, TV, the list goes on as towhere you can find all sorts of ideas, tips and tricks to help you shed weight and get in shape.  Often people will come to me totally confused with tons of questions from HIIT to macros, but are currently sedentary and eat fast food several times per week.  Don't overwhelm yourself with the plethora of information (and ahem, misinformation) out there.  You don't have to be an expert or know all the latest trends and terms of the industry to achieve success.  Just.Get.Moving.And.Eat.Smarter!  It's that simple.  Get moving and clean up your diet.  Don't necessarily go on a diet but see where you can make healthier swaps or eliminate those bad food choices.  As far as exercise is concerned, if you haven't been doing anything, even just going for a walk or bike, or joining a group fitness classes is better than nothing.  If you have been working out but not seeing results, just kick it up a notch.  As your goals become more specific, then so should your training programming, but for the time being, just get moving and eating better today!

2. Make It Fun
Fitness doesn't always have to be torture!  Finding activities that you enjoy not only make your fitness journey more fun, it also helps make you less likely to drop out.  There are hundreds of ways to incorporate fitness into your lifestyle today that doesn't have to intimidate or hurt you.  For example, if you like to walk or jog, consider joining a local running group for support and accountability.  If you enjoy dancing, join a Zumba or hip hop class.  And if you're into more challenging and athletic programming, that involves things like weights, ropes, kettlebells, etc., join group training classes like the ones we offer at our facility.  Once you become more involved in fitness, especially in a fun group setting, you will be surprised at what your capable of and how eager you become to try new and challenging things to achieve even bigger results!

3. Track Your Progress
One of the biggest keys to success is measuring and tracking.  Being aware and mindful of your nutrition and activity as well as tracking what progress you have made thus far is vital to achieving your goals.  We suggest to our clients a FREE and simple to use app called MyFitnessPal.  You can download the app right to your phone and track what your daily caloric intake as well as your caloric expenditure through exercise.  Remember, what gets measured gets done.  So make S.M.A.R.T. goals to stick to and track your progress daily in order to achieve success.

4. Share with Friends and Family
So you may not be where you want to be, but you are working hard to get there.  Be proud!  Share your journey with your friends and family.  Get your own personal cheering section.  Nothing great can be done alone, it takes support from the ones we love to help push and motivate us.  There are several ways you can get your inner circle involved in your journey.  Recruit a friend or family member to join your training and nutrition with you.  Join a group of like minded individuals on the same journey.  Post and share your progress and actives to social media.  However you choose to share with friends and family your decision to take control of your health and fitness you will be sure to receive nothing but positive feedback and support.  And also, believe it or not, you could serve as inspiration and motivation to others to do the same!

5. Stick With It
It won't always be easy.  You will plateau.  You will get discouraged at times.  You will get burnt out and or bored with your programming eventually.  STICK WITH IT!  Find new ways to keep you motivated and challenged.  When it becomes daunting, keep reminding yourself why you got started, what it means to you to achieve your goals and reflect on how much progress you have made so far.  The decision get healthier and fitter is a life long commitment.  Hang in there, continue to follow the above principles, seek professional help with your goals, take pride in what you've done and enjoy the journey.  Nothing worth having comes easy and the harder you work for it, the sweeter the victory.



For more information, inspiration and motivation, follow Coach Christina on Instagram.  Also, to stay up to date on promotions and happenings at CWSC Performance, like us on Facebook or give us a call at 407-960-4705.

Meal Prepping 101

Meal prepping is not just for serious or elite fitness professionals.  People use meal prepping for a number of reasons ranging from weight loss, weight or muscle gain, budgeting and time purposes.  Planning and preparing your meals for the week to come is the ideal way to stay on top of your nutrition, never having to worry about what you're going to eat, which often leads to poor food choices.  It can be a little overwhelming at first, but once you get into a routine, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.  Here is some basic tips to help you get started with food prepping.

First, let me discuss the key benefits to food prepping so you'll be convinced it's a great idea:

1. Keep You on Track:  Meal prepping will take the guess work out of what you will eat for each meal.  When you're busy at work and you have to rush in a quick bite to eat, it's easy just to grab something fast and inexpensive.  Unfortunately this typically means fast food, something unhealthy from the cafeteria or out of the vending machine.  Always having healthy meals and snacks ready for you will help keep you on track with your nutrition goals.

2. Save Time:  Food prep day will be a little time consuming, especially in the beginning when you're getting in to the swing of things.  But it will surely make up for it during the week.  Rather than having to scramble to get meals together each morning, afternoon and even evening, you will have everything you need ready to go in your refrigerator.

3. Save Money:  Buying and preparing everything you need for the week in one day will help cut down or even out, those weekday trips to the grocery store.  It will also keep you from going out to lunch or buying snacks during work.  All those trips eventually add up so having food ready for you will certainly help save you some money each week.

4. It's Fun:  The task may seem daunting at first, having to spend a couple of your weekend hours making food.  But believe it or not, it will actually become quite fun.  It will give you the opportunity to learn about proper nutrition, try new recipes and even get your family involved!  Put some comfy clothes on, turn on some music and make a party out of it!  Feel free to even dance around your kitchen while cooking!

So now you're convinced you are going to start weekly food prepping, here are a few items you will want to make sure you have ready:

1. Tupperware Containers:  Have some large enough for whole meals, as well and medium and small sized containers for smaller meals and snacks.  Be sure to use BPA-free containers that can be put in the microwave and dishwasher.  Be sure to have enough to fit a week's worth of meals.

2. Recipes/Menus:  Make a menu of what meals you would like for the week.  Consider trying a new recipe each week so you do not get bored with your meals.  Pinterest is one of my favorite resources for new and healthy recipes.

3. Measuring Cups/Spoons:  Portion control is essential for proper nutrition and weight management.  In order to keep portions in check, you will want to make sure you have measuring cups and spoons.

4. Food Scale:  Another great way to stay on target with portion size, especially with foods like meat, is a food scale.  This is optional, but certainly helpful.

5. The Food:  Each week, once you have planned your menu, make a list of everything you will need to purchase.  Compile a grocery and be sure to buy everything at once so that you will be prepared.  There are several items you can buy in bulk to save money and time.

Now you're ready to get started food prepping, here are some things to consider:

1. Chose the Day:  Pick a day when you have a good solid hour or two to devote to cooking and storing food.  I typically do my food prepping Sunday afternoon while my sons nap, then finish up the rest of my prepping on Monday during nap time.  It can be time consuming but systematizing your cooking will certainly help.

2. Plan Your Attack:  This is where a system comes into play.  Obviously some things will require more prep than others.  You can plan out your prepping so that you can get several things done at one time.  For example, you can get your meat baking in the oven, while steaming your veggies and boiling rice on the stove top, all while measuring out snacks.  Multitasking will help cut down on the time.


2. Keep It Simple:  Especially in the beginning, you will want to make sure to not overwhelm yourself with tons of new foods and recipes.  Stick to the basics, lean meat, grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.  Consider one new recipe each week and rotate your meals so you do not get too bored with your food.

3. Trial and Error:  This experience will continually be trial and error, especially initially.  You will learn what works best for you, what recipes you like and don't like and how to go about getting it all together.  Keep an open mind and keep trying new things.  Before you know it, you will have the whole process down to a science and be a food prepping pro!

4.  Don't Give Up Too Soon:  Do not get discouraged if struggle in the beginning.  Like I said, it will be time consuming at first.  If you're not trying new recipes, you will get bored.  On the flip side, you may get tired of new recipes not working out.  Hang in there, you'll get the hang of it and it will most certainly pay off if you keep with it.

5. Don't Stop On Holidays:  Do not let travel, company and holidays sabotage your healthy eating.  When your schedule is out of sorts, it may be difficult to find the time to keep up with your food prepping but do the best you can to try and keep on track.  It's actually even more so important during these hectic times to make sure you have a nutritional plan to help from overeating, poor food choices and to ward off those extra pounds that often creep up.  If you do find yourself off track, don't beat yourself up, get right back to up when you return to your routine.




If you have additional questions regarding food prepping, nutrition and fitness, feel free to contact Coach Christina directly.  Be sure to follow Christina on Instagram and CWSC Performance on Facebook for more nutrition and fitness tips, as well as motivational quotes!

6 Tips for a Healthy Holiday

The holiday season is officially upon us!  It's that time of year where we get to spend quality time with friends and family, exchanging gifts and making memories.  It is such a wonderful and joyful time of year, but can also be very stressful and difficult to keep up with a healthy, active lifestyle.  With multiple holiday parties, cookies and candy every where we turn, a change in routine and the stress of the holidays, it's not too uncommon for many people to gain a few holiday pounds.  We want to be able to enjoy the festivities and time with our loved ones, but still be able to fit into our clothes after the New Year!  So here are a few helpful tips to keep you on track this holiday season!

1. Plan Ahead
Meal planning/prepping is one of the best ways to stay on top of your nutrition, not just during the holidays but throughout the entire year.  Planning ahead and even preparing what you are going to eat each week will ensure you always have fresh, healthy food available, keeping you from making poor decision like going to a drive through or snacking on bad foods.  This time of year gets very hectic.  Our schedules change because of the holidays and traveling or visitors can make this a bit of a challenge, but all the more important to plan.  Take a look at your social calendar for upcoming parties and events and take those days into consideration when it comes to meal planning.  Be sure to plan out and prepare as much of your meals and snacks as possible and that they consist of a variety of whole, natural, healthy foods.  If you're putting great fuel into your body the majority of the time, you will find yourself continuing to make healthy food choices, for the most part, even at those temptation-filled holiday parties!

2. Indulge Without Over-Indulging
As stated above, there is going to be temptation everywhere and it would be unrealistic to assume you will not at least try a bite here and there of those delicious treats that come around only once a year.  Depriving yourself isn't the answer because it could actually set you up for failure.  There's only so many times you can say no to something you enjoy so much before it becomes all you can think about, and before you know it you've gorged on a whole pound of fudge!  Also, starving yourself so you can pig out later actually negatively effects your metabolism.  The best thing to do is allow yourself these holiday inspired dishes and desserts every so often over the next few weeks.  Be sure to plan these indulgences accordingly with your meals for the day.  So for example, if you happen to stuff yourself silly at a work luncheon, enjoy a lighter, healthier afternoon snack and dinner to help even it out.  Pay attention to serving sizes and make sure to practice portion control, and of course do your best to plan ahead, and this should allow you to enjoy your holiday favorites without going off the deep end.
 
3. Avoid Too Much Alcohol
Holiday cocktails, delicious wines and seasonal inspired beers are great to enjoy this time of year...in moderation.  These festive beverages can pack quite a caloric punch per drink, which really adds up after a night of holiday partying.  Another concern with abundant alcohol consumption is lowered inhibitions when it comes to food choices.  Free flowing beer, wine and cocktails makes everything look and taste so good.  Your best defense when it comes to avoiding too much alcohol is be sure to drink equal (if not double) amounts of water for every ounce of alcohol you consume.  This will help keep you hydrated, slow down your alcohol intake and also help ward off those pesky hangovers!

4. Join a Gym NOW
There is no need to wait until after the holidays to begin your fitness regimen.  Many facilities, like mine CWSC Performance, are running a variety of specials and deals to get people started right now!  Getting a jump start at the gym will help in several ways.  You will be able to work off some of that holiday stress, you will begin to appreciate your hard work at the gym and will be more conscience of your holiday eating, and last but not least, you will get a jump start on your training before the influx New Year's resolution gym goes.  If you're going to be traveling a lot this holiday season and joining a gym is out of the question, be sure to carve out time each day for exercise.  Even if it's just a short, brisk walk or squats and planks in the living room, something is better than nothing.  Once you're back home and settled, get with a fitness professional to get going on your fitness routine going!  You still have plenty of time to start looking and feeling better BEFORE 2015!

5. Set Some Goals
The best way to keep yourself on track and accountable during the holidays, and all throughout the year, is to set realistic goals.  Even though life may be turned upside down for the next several weeks, you can still set some expectations for yourself and do your absolute best to hold yourself to them.  You don't have to strive for perfection or even any significant changes this December, but setting some healthy, attainable goals for yourself will put you on the right path.  Some examples of goals for this time of year can include, maintain NOT gain weight, walk/run no less than 20 minutes per day, limit yourself to 1-2 drinks per holiday gathering, etc.  These small goals aren't too much to ask, but can make a big difference in your health, energy levels and waistline this holiday season.   This is also a great time to begin planning your goals for 2015 and how you intend to accomplish them.  For more information on goal setting, visit my past blog on S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

6. Have Fun!
You want to do your best to stay healthy and committed to your goals this holiday season, but you also want to be able to enjoy yourself.  There are a million and one things to do, people to see, parties to go to and present to buy, so the holidays can be stressful enough.  Constantly worrying about your food, weight and finding time for exercise can make it even more exhausting.  So be sure to let your hair down and live a little.  All the tips above are great suggestions to help enjoy your holidays in moderation, so don't get too caught up on being tremendously strict on yourself.  Do the best you can with your fitness and nutrition, but most importantly, enjoy this special time with your friends and family!

For more information on Coach Christina and her company's training and nutritional services, visit CWSC Performance on Faceboook or at www.CWSCPerformance.com.  

Have a wonderful and healthy holiday season everyone!