Run Hills    

Hill running is a great way to build strength in your “running” muscles. A hill offers a form of resistance training that builds up the muscles in your quads, calves, hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors. Add hills of varying distances (short and long) at least once a week or once every two weeks and you will notice improved strength endurance.

   Hill Workout

Find a 5-6 mile run that includes at least 3 hills. A good hill is one that takes at least one minute to run up. Get creative and choose a course of both short and steep intermixed with longer less steep hills. If you don’t live in an area with hills, you have to rely on a treadmill to do this. Fortunately, I live in Seattle and its nearly impossible to run one mile in any direction and not come across a hill.

Strength Train

Another great way to improve running speed and form. I’m a big fan of bodyweight workouts not only for runners, but for anyone regardless of their fitness goals. A stronger body/core helps strengthen running form and endurance. Plus, a stronger body (especially an upper body) will help you get to the finish line when your muscles start to fatigue. Its also a sure way to avoid running injuries.

Full Body workout: Do each exercise for 30-sec. 3 rounds total. Advanced should do each exercise for 1-minute, 3 rounds.

Pushups

Plank

Wall sit

Tricep Dips

Walking lunges

Speed Training (Track Workouts)

Both short and long distance runners benefit from speed workouts. Incorporating speed workouts guarantee your muscles will develop an increased tolerance to lactic acid which allows you to maintain a faster pace for longer. My favorite track workouts (well, not really my favorite. I hate these workouts, but love the results I get from them) are running 400m repeats at the track. If you are just starting out, do 3 sets of 400m repeats. Run these repeats at your 5k race pace and be sure to jog easy a lap in between. Work your way up to 5-6 repeats if you are training for a 10k or less. Work up to 10 repeats if you are training for a half or full marathon.

There ya go, some ideas to help you become a faster runner. All of the workouts listed above are included and detailed in all my training plans. Please leave a comment here if you have any questions or want to share your latest kick a** speed workout!

2) Name 3 things you are grateful for and come up with things that money can’t buy.  I”m grateful for the place where I live.  I have a view of the Puget Sound and everyday I’m so grateful for that beautiful view.  I’m also grateful for my career (I love my job) and for the physical ability to do things like run, bike, swim, kayak, walk, etc… Of course, I’m grateful for a lot of more things, but those 3 popped in my head

3) Develop a saying for yourself (I learned this one from Damyhealth.com)  Its very helpful to find a quote or a motivating statement that you can say to yourself when you start your day or when you are feeling weak.  It can be as simple as “I can do this” or the famous Nike slogan “just do it”.  Personally, I have a few slogans but one of my favorites is “if not now, when?”

Motivation is something that needs to be continually fed. You need to find what works for you and you need to take that two minutes per day and reinforce it.  I find the 3 things I listed above to be VERY motivating and help to keep me on track. 

Take a few moments to check-in with yourself today and please share if you have anything that works well for you to stay motivated that we need to hear about.

Happy Tuesday!

The first 3 days I challenge you to eat No Processed Sugars.  Fruit is ok.  Its the added and processed sugars that are not.  Basically, you should be eating all fresh foods that do not require a label.  Some food ideas include:

Fruit

Veggies

Lean Meats : turkey, chicken, grass fed beef, pork

Fish

Nuts

Hummus

Quinoa and other whole grain/wild rice

–WARNING: you might feel so much better and experience extra energy and no headaches

Ok, May is here…LETS DO THIS!  Be sure to check my facebook wall as I will be posting daily support, tips, motivation, recipes, etc.

My facebook fan page is : Fitness Revolution with Jill

I thought I’d share some resources for those of you who were asking for more information.

First, let me tell you that I’m not promoting you must eat this way.  I’m also not going to tell you to go vegetarian and cut out red meat even though that’s what I’ve done and I feel great!  The point is…It took months of work for me to solve my issues of not feeling well due to a low thyroid and low iron issue.  Many people eat meat and feel fine.  Remember, I had the food allergy test and found red meat was a food I’m highly allergic to. This way of eating works for ME, it may or may not work for you.  But, I will encourage you to give it a try.  Not necessarily for weight loss (you probably will lose weight) but because you just might feel a ton better and have more energy, better skin, better concentration, less headaches, less bloating…just to name a few. 

What I’ve said above also goes for finding the right fitness and diet plan.  As we know, there are a ton of programs out there.  As my friend Craig Ballantyne says “What matters most is that you match your method with your personality and schedule.  Almost all diet and fitness plans work.  It doesn’t matter..when done consistently, you’ll succeed.”

Again, its up to YOU to find the method that works best.  Keep on trying, experimenting, and monitoring your results….just like I did. 

Here are some resources:

Gluten Free Society:  http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/

Gluten Free Diet : Whats allowed, whats not allowed http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/MY01140

Books:

Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A Revolutionary Breakthrough In Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism.  Datis Kharrazian

 Wheat Belly by William Davis , MD

You are what you eat, Dr. Gilliam McKeith

All you have to do for the contest is comment about your favorite spring training tips in the comments section of the blog – http://runningshoes.com/news/contest-win-new-balance-gear-for-spring-training/

A winner will be picked every Wednesday in April. The winner will receive a pretty amazing prize package … a New Balance technical shirt, shorts and their choice of New Balance running shoes.

 Go Check it out and leave your comment!

“Team Michael Moyles is the culmination of ten years of fighting cancer, running marathons, and raising money, now combined with the support of friends and family. Team Michael Moyles, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, represent everything I’ve been through and fought for over the past decade. Run on, run strong, live STRONG!” –michael moyles

I decided to join this team to use my endurance ability to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research. This past weekend was an amazing experience and reminded me about my priorities in life. When you see young kids fighting cancer and unable to live life like a normal kid, it makes you think long and hard about your own life, that’s for sure!

“Not Today” ….these were the two words Mike Moyles used to get him up and out everyday while battling cancer. Mike trains and runs races, including marathons, and ran a marathon just weeks after brain surgery. Everyone was amazed (including his doctors) on his ability and strength to do such a thing while recovering from treatment. He said he would wake up and find himself with thousands of excuses why not to run…too tired, too wet outside, too dark, too windy, too….whatever….we all come up with excuses. But, he would tell himself “Not Today” meaning today would not be the day cancer wins. And, if he didn’t get out the door and run, then that’s a win for cancer. But, if he did get up and out then he was showing cancer who is BOSS!

Wow…can you believe it? That’s some unbelievable strength, determination, and fortitude. The next time you have an excuse, try to remember the mantra “not today” or worse yet, think about all those fighting cancer who would give anything to have the opportunity to get out and run!

Lastly, here is a statistic that should give you even more reason to get out and exercise.

In 2012 for the first time ever the #1 cause of cancer death is…… lack of physical activity! In the past, tobacco was the #1 killer and now look what has taken over. So, forget about wanting a certain number to show on the scale or a certain size jeans you’d like to be in and rather tell yourself you are doing this to be healthy and prevent disease and cancer from reaching you.

You can find the stats and information on this website: www.cancer.org

Food also plays a big role in cancer. Cut the sugar and saturated fat and introduce lots of fresh fruits and veggies in your diet.

Lastly, I hope this post makes you think about your top priorities in life. Try to write down your top 3-4 priorities and be sure to include fitness as one of the top 3.

Here are some photos from the weekend.

Apply today for the 2012 ING Run For Something Better Grant to receive up to $2,500 for your school to start a new running program OR expand your existing one!  NASPE and ING want to help ALL of the students in your school build and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle and this program is the way to do it! Last year, 50 schools just like yours received this grant and are now running for something better! RUNNING is one of the simplest, most effective, and enjoyable forms of physical activity. Yet you do not have to be a runner to implement this program.  NASPE and ING can help!

Program Vision

The ING RFSB school-based running program is designed to be flexible. It can be conducted in physical education class, during recess, before school, after school, or any combination of these. It can be facilitated by a physical education teacher, coach, classroom teacher, or school administrator. The program can be as short as eight (8) weeks or as long as you want it to be. The program’s culminating event can be any distance – such as 1 mile or a 5K (3.1 mile) event – held during school, after school, or on a weekend day (and include families and community members). It’s meant to be personalized to meet the needs of the school – it’s yours to run with – go for it!

 Visit NASPE’s ING Grant Page to learn more about the program and gain access to many quality resources that will help get your students moving in school such as lesson plans, physical activity logs, and much more!

The deadline to apply is 11:59 EST, May 15, 2012. Complete yours by April 15, 2012 and you’ll receive a special ING Run For Something Better gift.

Over the past few months I’ve been through many doctor appointments trying to figure out why I’ve had this feeling of fatigue, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and generally “not feeling like myself” experience.

My running and triathlons have been sidelined for almost close to a year as I try to fix what wrong with me. The problem is that I’m the last to ever believe something might be wrong and the last thing I want to do is visit a doctor. But, I was not getting better so to the doctor I went.  Actually, to 3 doctors I went.

About a month ago I blogged about my experience with doctors. I was told nothing was wrong, my test results are normal, and perhaps I need to get my mental health checked. However, I know my body and I knew something wrong was definitely going on.  I wasn’t just being a mental case

I started reading and researching on the internet and came up with all sorts of things that might be wrong with me. I had it narrowed down that it must by my thyroid and low iron causing my symptoms.

I wasn’t getting anywhere with my doctors visits so I decided to see a naturopath. Based on my symptoms she ordered a bunch of tests to check my hormones, thyroid levels, thyroid antibodies, iron, and a full metabolic panel which included testing for food allergies.

The results came back and my thyroid levels were normal. Antibodies were normal. Iron was a little low but not too bad. My hormones were normal except CORTISOL hormone was 150% over what it should be and I found out I have food intolerance to the following foods:

Almonds and cashews ( I eat both of these on a daily basis)

Milk

Eggs

Red meat

Pineapple

Wheat

Dairy (all cows milk and the protein casein)

 Ok, so I found out I’m allergic to those foods and my cortisol was high, but I still wasn’t convinced that was causing my symptoms. Really, can food make you feel that awful? I know junk food can, but I was eating nuts, grass fed beef, eggs, and low fat dairy. THAT food can’t make me feel bad or can it?

Based on my results I cut out all the food that showed I’m allergic to. WOW!  Honestly, in 3-4 days I already felt better. No headaches. No more night sweats. No more puffy face and swollen hands/feet. Slowly, I was convinced what I was eating in fact was making me feel awful.

To help with my cortisol I cut out coffee and am taking a natural herb called Ashwagandha.

In my own research I’ve been amazed to find out that food does and can negatively effect the immune system. A lot of the symptoms I was having pointed to a thyroid issue, but my tests were coming back normal. However, food allergy and low iron will attack the thyroid and cause the same symptoms as if your thyroid was underactive. Also, low iron can make the thyroid malfunction, but your test results will come back normal.

So, this is where a naturopath is the ideal solution to helping fix your symptoms. I have nothing against Western doctors, but I will say they are not as well educated or experienced in how food/environment can negatively effect our immune system, so they would never consider looking at food as to why someone might feel bad. What they will do is prescribe medicine to make you feel better BUT what you really need to do is fix what is going on. Prescription drug can make you feel better but its only putting a bandaid on the problem.

I am sharing this experience in hopes that you will consider your diet or a naturopath if you are having issues of not feeling well. A book I highly recommend to explain exactly what I’m talking about here is called : “why do I still have thyroid symptoms when my lab tests are normal” by Datis Kharrazian.

Additionally, if you are active its important to supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals. I’m a big fan of getting the daily requirements from food, but active people and especially long distance runners/triathletes need more. Ladies please take a iron supplement daily. Trader Joes and supermarkets have daily multi-vitamins for men and women and should be taken daily. Other supplements to consider taking daily include: vitamin C, fish oil or flax, and Vitamin D.

If you have any questions or would like to share your own experience with food and illness, please leave a comment and share with us.

 Here is a snapshot of my daily intake of supplements

Another great article on sugar : Is Sugar Poison

“the American Heart Association recommends up to 100 calories (25 grams) per day of added sugar for women, and 150 calories (about 38 grams) for men. That’s much less than you might think: 100 calories of added sugar is found in 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream (56 calories) plus one cup of low fat chocolate milk (45 calories). One can of regular soda contains 126 calories from added sugars.”

That really is NOT much sugar and very EASY to surpass those numbers…

my challenge for you is to track 3 days worth and find out how much sugar is in your daily diet.  You might be very suprised by how many foods have sugar that you think wouldn’t.  My general rule of thumb, if the package says 12g of sugar or more per serving…put it back.  Of course, I let myself off the hook every once in awhile.

My 2nd challenge after you figure out how much sugar you are eating, is to eat 25g or less of sugar per day for 3 days in a row.  I promise you will feel much, much better.  If you are currently under 25g, that’s awesome…keep it up! (this does not include fruit….you can eat fruit and not count those sugar grams)

Let me know how you do!

When I started counting sugar grams I was amazed by how many foods I ate had added sugar.  Most of my sugar was coming in the morning from my yogurt, oatmeal, and toast.  I’ve switched to making my protein shake (0g of sugar) with a handful of strawberries and I can tell a big difference…it doesn’t set off my insulin.

Perhaps you might find a change or two that will help you keep your sugar intake down. If you have any other strategies that work please share with us.

Be Well,

Jill

- Jackson Kiddard, author & polymath.