mr hlth

March 2, 2013March 2, 2013

So how often should you run?

I love to run and have loved it for a number of years. For those that enjoy it as much as I do (some might use the word obsessed) going on a run more than once in the same day is not out of the question. I’ve been know to get “my” run in early in the day and then go for a “social” run with friends later in the day. Obsession? Maybe – but I really do enjoy running – not just the physical benefits I get from running; i just enjoy getting out, feeling my body move and respond, the endorphins (the so-called runner’s high – will be covered in an upcoming post) and the invigoration from feeling my muscles in use and the beat of my heart and air exchange from deep breathing. So am I recommending that you run multiple times in a day? No – you can, but even that is based on the same principles that answer our question of how often you should run.

So here are a few things to consider to arrive at the answer of how often you should run:

-Your fitness goals
-Your physical condition
-Your current fitness level
-Your workout intensity (HIIT, pace runs, etc.)
-Your other exercise activities
-Your current level of stress
-Your current sleep quality (or lack thereof)
-Any current precluding physical conditions or illness

Over the next few posts we’ll take a look at each one of these and unravel the answer to this question.
If you have to know right now – the most important principle is to listen to your body – it gives you feedback all the time; sometimes we either listen poorly or ignore the messages it’s sending.

Questions or comments – use the reply form below – I’d love to hear from you!

February 27, 2013February 28, 2013

Why I don’t always do HIIT

As described in some previous posts, HIIT is a great way to give an added kick to your workout, burn more calories, get a more intense workout in a shorter time – basically you’re getting more bang for the buck for the effort you put into your running.

So – why not do HIIT for every workout if it’s such a great thing? I am asked this question from time to time. More workout and more results in less time? In this post I’ll tell you why I DON’T do HIIT for every workout or run that I do. Here are four of the top reasons:

HIIT is intense! It doesn’t just pack a bigger calorie burn into a shorter time, it more intensely works your muscles, joints, tendons, heart and lungs. For this reason, unless you are an elite athlete you probably shouldn’t be doing this every day or for every workout – at least not at the most intense level every day. If you do decide to make HIIT your regular workout, use sense regarding the duration of your workout and listen to the feedback your body gives you. If your body is signaling to you that you need to back off on the length or intensity of your HIIT workout, or that you need to skip a day – DO IT!
I enjoy the extra calorie burn and workout that comes form HIIT and packing a big workout into a small time, but I also enjoy the time I spend running. While there are times when all I have time for is HIIT, I really do look forward to being able to spend the 25, 35, or 45 minutes running some of my favorite courses. It’s nice to have that time unwinding, ,and thinking through the events of the day or challenges I might be working on, or to just let my mind relax while I hit the trail.
I enjoy running in a race occasionally, and while HIIT will help you get better times in a shorter race like a 5k, I find that I also like to have my body very familiar with what it’s like to run continually for a longer distance – especially the distance of an upcoming race. For me there’s a comfort in being totally familiar with distance and duration of a race – even better yet if I can do some of the training on the actual course of the race.
I like running with friends too. Spending 45 minutes with a someone on a Saturday morning running along a river or on a horse trail is not a bad way to spend some time! I also enjoy the running the trails with someone a little better than I am so that I will push myself a little harder than I might if I were alone.

Use the reply form below to share questions, comments or your experience with running or HIIT. I’d love to hear from you.

February 24, 2013February 24, 2013

How to get more out of your running workouts with HIIT

So you’ve read the previous post on how to get the most of out your running in even a shorter amount of time and want to try it yourself. You won’t just burn more calories with HIIT – you’ll also increase end up aiding your cardiovascular system and increasing your normal running pace.I recommend that you take it easy when adding this in to your workout/running routine; if you are new to running or just beginning to get into shape don’t overdue it! While High Intensity Interval Training can give you the same workout (or even more of a workout!) in a shorter amount of time – it IS more intense. You’ll find a lot of references to HIIT on the internet, but her is how I suggest that you do it.

I always recommend that you warm your body up first rather than jumping right into HIIT. Depending upon the length of your run or workout, the length/duration of this warmup can vary. What works best for me is to either tack HIIT onto the end of an easier or shorter run (e.g. when I’m helping someone get started and running orpacing along with them) or use it as my workout/run on days when I don’t have time to do one of my “favorite” runs. For me, that warmup involves a pace run* for 1/2 to 1 mile just to get my body, legs, heart and lungs warmed up and ready for the “intense stuff”. *More about pace runs in an upcoming post – a simple definition of a pace run is that it is the natural pace you fall into when running for a moderate distance or moderate amount of time.

After getting warmed up, you will move into the HIIT portion of your workout. I recommend that you follow this general pattern for the next 1-2 miles (remember – take it easy and don’t overdo it when you first start HIIT** ):

30 seconds running at 90-95% of your maximum ability followed by
30-60 seconds of jogging (easy pace – try to not just walk if possible)
-At the start of your HIIT workout, keep these recovery portions shorter
-As your HIIT workout progresses this recovery or slower portion will get longer since your body will need more time to be ready for the next High Intensity phase

I recommend 5 to 10 cycles as describe above (depending on your fitness level) followed by a 2 minute jog to allow your heart, lungs and muscles to cool down. This method will not only burn more calories than a pace run but will also benefit your cardiovascular system and also will increase your normal running pace and increase your speed in shorter (~5K) races.

By the way – HIIT isn’t just for running – it can benefit your other workouts too.

Questions, comments or want to say something about your experience with HIIT? Use the reply form below – I’d love to hear from you.

** I recommend that you follow the guidelines set forth by the Mayo Clinic regarding talking to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine, especially if you haven’t exercised for some time, if you have health concerns, if you have an existing medical condition, or if you have any symptoms suggestive of heart, lung or other serious disease. Please don’t take this lightly – our bodies have many complex inter-related systems and you only get one in this life – so make sure you take good care of it!

February 23, 2013February 24, 2013

Burn more calories running in a shorter amount of time?

Previous posts have looked at some of the benefits of running and whether there is a time of day to get maximum benefit out of running, and whether or not morning is the very best time of day to run.

In this post I’ll briefly look at how to give your metabolism an extra boost and burn more calories with a shorter workout.

The key to burning more calories or gaining extra benefit from your exercise is intensity.
This applies to whether you are running, lifting weights, doing weight or resistance training – any kind of workout that you do. The type of running workout I’m referring to is called HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training.
With HIIT you will burn more calories, your metabolism gets an extra (fat burning) boost, and you will boost other systems in your body as well (production of certain hormones). The great news is that you can get these benefits without going to the same extremes mentioned in the previous post on boosted metabolism. Some of you may find that doing a warmup and then HIIT is all you need to do to reach your fitness goals (if you plan to run races or with friends, I’d recommend training for those distances in addition to doing HIIT.

So how do you do HIIT? It’s not just a matter of running “all out” or burning yourself out at max speed and then walking for a while. While there is a great degree of variation on what people mean by HIIT and how to actually do it I believe there is an optimal approach for the typical person seeking to live a healthy lifestyle. In my next post I’ll give you my instructions on how to do HIIT the mrhlth way, some variations you can try depending on your schedule and goals, and benefits you can expect to gain from it.

February 21, 2013February 23, 2013

How can you burn the most calories from running?

For many people, the main reason they got into running in the first place was not just for fitness’ sake or because the like to run. If you ask them, you’ll often hear that losing weight or burning calories was what got them started at running (myself included).

As time goes by though – if you stick with it and run consistently – you reason for running shifts to other motivations and it becomes something you do for more than just weight loss. However in the back of their mind, many runners still think about calorie burn for a number of reasons.

As a result, you’ll hear people talk about how running in the morning is best for calorie burn. I am often asked that in question for – something like: “Isn’t the morning when you will the biggest benefit from running; i.e. your metabolism will slowly ramp down after your run throughout the morning and you’ll burn calories for a longer period of time?”
If you read the previous posts on knowing the best time of day to run (part1 and part2), you know the answer to that is: no.

So how can you burn the most calories from running? And how do you get the longest post-run calorie burn?
The answer to the first question is this: be a regular and consistent runner and you will consistently burn calories. Time of day really doesn’t matter that much – you should find and run during what you find to be the best time for you.

About that post-run calorie burn. No matter when you run, you will burn extra calories afterwards as your metabolism ramps down – it’s just that this typically doesn’t last very long no matter what time of day you run for most people. For the average person doing the average workout there less than half an hour boost which results in some extra calorie burn, but not all that much. You will burn more calories and bring greater benefit to your metabolism by doing regular workouts – by running consistently and regularly.

There is one important exception to note however. If your workouts are very intensive you will get an extended calorie burn that can last 10 hours or more. This is vigorous, intense, extended exercise at the higher end of your ability. In controlled studies, this is running or working out to the extent that drove many of the study participants to the point of nausea -(and this was for a 45 minute duration!) – not the kind of running that most people will do, will want to do, or should do on every run. One North Carolina study documented a boosted metabolism for over 14 hours – but again, this came from a super-intense workout that you can’t repeat every day.

Is there a way to still get this benefit – even in a shorter workout? Yes, and in upcoming posts I’ll cover both how to give your metabolism an extra boost and burn more calories with a shorter workout, and how often you should run.

If you have any questions or comments, use the reply form below – I’d love to hear from you.

February 19, 2013

Still need more reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners?

I’ve posted in the past regarding artificial sweeteners and their detrimental effects on your health.

It’s such a tempting idea – something for nothing – all the sweetness of sugar and none of the calories or problems that come from eating lots of sugar, drinking sugary drinks, and eating sweets, etc.

It sounds too good to be true! And it is.

Research continues to show that there is a cascade of bad effects that happen when you take in artificial sweeteners.

You won’t necessarily drop over from drinking one diet soda – but if they’re bad for you why drink even one?
Consider this: most rationale people wouldn’t eat a slice of cake or a brownie baked from a mix that only had a few – maybe even only 1 or two mouse droppings – because even in that small amount, we know it is not good for you. So why include diet soda or products with artificial sweeteners in your diet at all.

A recent article published by the CBC references several researchers and several new studies that once again link artificial sweeteners to both obesity and type 2 diabetes. I think it is best to avoid soda of all types – either sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened. What is especially troubling in the CBS article is a French study that is referenced. The beverage habits of more than 66000 women were followed for more than 14 years. All soda or pop drinkers had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes – but the diet soda drinkers had an even higher risk than regular soda drinkers.

Why risk it at all – there are plenty of other healthy options to explore, including just plain water.

Take one small step today toward a healthier lifestyle by dumping artificial sweeteners from your diet – you’ll be glad you did.

Questions or comments – use the reply form below. I’d love to hear from you.

February 18, 2013February 18, 2013

Want to know the best time of day to run ? Part 2

If you want to find your best time of day for running, I recommend that you try different times of day – and try them more than once. This will give you an opportunity to feel how your body responds at different times of day. By trying a certain time of day more than once you will make sure you didn’t rule out a time just because you tried it on an off day.

After hearing this, the question most people ask is a variation on: “But isn’t there a time of day when I will get the most benefit out of the effort I put into running – when I will burn more fat, get maximum cardiovascular benefit, strengthen my muscles the most, etc.”. To answer it simply – no.

Your maximum benefit comes from doing exercise consistently – and you are more likely to do that if you feel good. Put another way – you are least likely to be consistent about running if you try to do it at the time of day where it feels the worst, you “feel” the least benefit, and it fits the worst in your schedule.

Coming up we’ll look at the question of how to get maximum metabolic benefit from your running in order to address the question:
Isn’t the morning when you will the biggest benefit from running; i.e. your metabolism will slowly ramp down after your run throughout the morning and you’ll burn calories for a longer period of time?

Questions or comments? Use the reply form below – I’d love to hear from you.

February 16, 2013February 16, 2013

Want to know the best time of day to run?

So, do you want to know the best time of day to run?

If you are like most people, you want to get the maximum benefit from any exercise or fitness activity. I know that as a runner, I never stop looking or ways to get the maximum benefit from the effort I put in to my runs. For many people, this is the same motivation behind the question of when is the best time of day to run?

As mentioned in a previous post, I personally prefer later in the day. I know many runners who prefer to be up at the crack of dawn (or even earlier!). Some people find it invigorating to start their day this way – while others just want to get their run out of the way as early as possible. I prefer to save it for later as a stress reliever and a way to leave all the “stuff of the day” out on the trail.

Whether you end up being a morning runner or not, most people find that after experimenting and varying the time of day they will find a time that naturally resonates with their own personal makeup. There are night people that feel like they are “just getting started” late in the evening and morning people who wake up bouncy, and others that don’t want anyone around until they have had a chance to thoroughly wake up – and it is the same way with running. In my next post – so how do you find your best time of day?

February 9, 2013February 9, 2013

When I run

In this post I’ll tell you my favorite time of day for running, and why and how that changes.

Talk to any number of runners and you’ll find a variety of opinions and reasons why their favorite time to run is the “best” time.
Many runners prefer to get their run it at the first light of day (or even before the sun comes up), but I’m not one of them.

Morning is NOT my favorite time of day – though there are times when I do that:

When I am meeting friends for a morning run (watch for an upcoming post on running with friends)
When I am traveling (watch for more on running and travel in another post)
When I plan on running in a race (since most have a morning/early day start
When morning is the ONLY time I will be able to get a run in during that day

My favorite time of day, and the time when I usually run is late afternoon/early evening – and I’ll tell you why that is the best for me.

If it’s a workday, my biggest plus for running after work is pure stress relief
My body is wide awake, muscles have been in use and are generally warmed up from the day’s activities
It helps me both keep my appetite under control and therefore eat more sensible portions at dinner time
By this point in the day, I’m motivated to go use my muscles, push myself, and fee my body perform
It give me an energy, metabolism, and emotional boost later in the day when I need it

You may find that right after work or late in the day is best for you too. The only way to know is to try it and see if that works for you and if your schedule allows it. It took me many years of back and forth to find my best time. In my next post I’ll talk about finding your best time to run.

Questions, comments, or something to say about running – leave a comment below.

February 6, 2013February 23, 2013

Is morning the best time of day to run?

Is there a “best” time of day to run, or a time when you can get the most benefit out of your running from a fitness standpoint?

I am asked this question frequently; people want to make sure that they are going to get the maximum gain from the effort that they put into exercise, and I get it! They want to get the most fitness benefit from the amount of effort that they are putting in to their exercise.

Is there a best time of day? The answer to this that may surprise you, but makes a lot of sense (and has some good science behind it as well). Before getting to that though, lets take a look at what is typically listed as the “best” time of day. I’ll also tell you what is my best time of day, and the reasons for that.

Many people have heard that morning (first thing!) is the best time to exercise, and ask about that.

There are a few reasons why morning is a good choice:

You will get a metabolic boost early in the day
By doing it first, there’s not much less opportunity to let the busy-ness of the day crowd it out of your schedule
If you run before eating anything, you are starting out from a fasting state, so you are more likely to get some fat burning effect from your running
Your running will likely curb your hunger somewhat and may help you with portion control at breakfast

There are also a few reasons why running first thing in the morning may not be the best:

Mornings are already rushed for most people, you may be tempted to skip your run if you’re short on time
Some people have motivation problems just getting up in the morning – adding running just gives them another poor excuse to hit the snooze, and then they never end up “getting to it later” in the day
Your body has been inactive all night, so you are not as limber and stretched as you are later in the day
Since you are in the process of waking up, you not run as hard or push your workout like you would later in the day

Overall, the morning is a good time to run. Although it will not work out well for some people, and it is not what I would call “THE BEST” time to run, the morning does provide a couple of advantages and unique benefits. For some people it is the best time to run – and they should make that their set or scheduled time to run.

In an upcoming post I’ll tell you my favorite time of day for running, and what factors affect and can change that. If you have questions about running or anything related to a healthy lifestyle, I’d love to hear from you. Use the form below for any feedback.