Running

ADVANTAGES:

- Can be done just about anywhere.

- Only essential equipment is loose clothing and a good pair of shoes (see end of article)

- Stresses the bones of the lower body, stimulating them to retain minerals.

- Stimulates the cardiovascular and muscular systems.

- Employs the large leg muscle groups, stimulating calorie consumption.


DISADVANTAGES:

- Can cause injuries to ankles, knees, hips, and lower back.

- Can overstress the front region of the lower leg, causing connective tissue irritation (shin-splints).

- Doesn't exercise the upper body much.

- Weather-dependent (for all but the most committed!).

- Not suited to (warning, scientific term approaching) 'big boned' people.


OBTAINING RUNNING SHOES

Budget to pay between £60 and £80 for a decent pair of running shoes.

The majority of training shoes are not suitable for running in. In fact, the majority of training shoes are not suitable for walking in.

Buy your running shoes from a shop where 'proper' runners go to buy their shoes. An easy way to find out if the people at the shop know their stuff is to ask them to check if you pronate or supinate. Someone who knows about running will oblige. If they burst out laughing, go somewhere else!

A pronated foot rolls inwards at the ankle, the midfoot bulges inwards and the longitudinal arch flattens. Those who over-pronate generally have flexible joints, so need running shoes that give a high level of support - a firmer anti-pronation post on the inside of the midsole; a firm or dual density midsole; and a a firm heel counter.

A supinated foot rolls outwards at the ankle and has a high arch. They tend to be more rigid and are poor at absorbing shock, so they will need running shoes with a lot of cushioning. Cushioned shoes tend to be poor at motion control.

Shop in the later part of the afternoon - that's when your feet are largest, and feet swell when running.

Modern running shoes should feel comfortable from the moment you try them on, they don't need 'breaking in', so if they feel uncomfortable, try another brand/style.

Wear the same kind of socks you plan to wear when running. The shoes will provide the padding, so don't assume you need to wear thick sports socks.

Running shoes last about 1000km before their padding/support breaks down. Keep a note of your progress, and replace your shoes regularly, your joints will thank you for it.


ONE LAST THING:
If you are planning on running regularly, my advice would be to invest in a heart rate monitor. More about this on the next blog.
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Calorie bible

Want to know the nutritional content of just about anything? This book will help.

It contains information on a wide range of foods, both fresh and processed, including calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Available from Amazon.co.uk for £6.49
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Eggs

Eggs are a nutrient-rich, affordable contributor to a healthy diet. Not only do eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available but they also contain a large percentage of the vitamins and minerals required by humans (vitamin C being the most notable exception).

Egg protein is of such high quality that it is used as the standard by which other proteins are compared. Eggs have a biological value of 93.7%. Milk = 84.5%, Fish = 76%, Beef = 74.3%.

White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. There is no difference in taste or nutrition between white and brown eggs.

The stringy piece of material in the egg is not an embryo but a protein called chalazae which acts as a shock absorber for the yolk, helping to prevent it bursting.

Eggs are placed in their cartons large end up to keep the air cell in place and the yolk centered.

Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator.

If refrigerated, eggs can be safely stored for 4-5 weeks beyond the sell-by date.
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Setting goals

"The person who aims at nothing, usually reaches their goal"

Most of us start our lives with the majority of things being planned for us. Our parents provide for us, cook our meals, and choose our holidays. As we move through the educational system, we begin to make choices over what we are going to specialise in. And eventually we seek gainful employment.

However, the majority of people 'drift' through their lives. There is nothing wrong with this, except that a lot of people go around with a deep dissatisfaction that their lives seem to have little structure or purpose. And Clever People Who Research This Kind Of Stuff (CPWRTKOS) tell us that people whose lives have structure and purpose are generally 'happy' people.

Why not spend some time setting some (reasonable) goals for yourself?

Oh, and 'being happy' or 'getting rich' are not goals, they are fantasies. A goal is a specific, measurable thing.

Give quantities, numbers, dates, and times to your aims. Make sure that each of your goals is measurable.

Committing your goals to writing is important. It helps focus your thoughts, and gives you the ability to check back on your progress in the future.

Remember, you only get results from the physical actions you take, not for the great ideas you have. In order to get any kind of tangible results, you must act on an idea. You must build it, implement it, make it real.

The route to your goals will rarely be a straight line. When ships cross oceans, they are (technically) off course most of the time, but their navigation systems continually track their progress and compensate accordingly.

Goal setting works the same way. It gives you motivation and direction for what you need to do each day. As you begin moving towards your goals, you'll gain new knowledge along the way. You may even modify your goals. That's all good. You're making decisions. You're adapting. You're learning. You're learning how to learn.
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Feeling drowsy?

It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, if I've been sat in the same place for more than an hour, I become lethargic and sleepy. This is all the more pronounced mid-afternoon. From anecdotal evidence, it seems to be a common experience.

Stimulants like caffeine and sugar give you a temporary energy boost, but the subsequent 'crash' leaves you feeling sick and even more sluggish.

The only solution I've found is to move about a bit. This can involve a spot of washing up, a walk around the block, or, my personal favourite, a few rounds of bowling or tennis on the Nintendo Wii (what do you mean you haven't got a Nintendo Wii?).

10 minutes of mild exercise will usually get your circulation going enough to allow you to return to your sedentary chores refreshed and energised.

If you're still feeling tired then a timed nap can do wonders (yes, I know, I know, tricky in a working situation). Set your alarm clock/ phone/ watch to wake you up in 10-15 minutes (any longer than this and you'll enter deep sleep, which makes it much more difficult to wake up).

Be prepared to feel rubbish when the alarm does go off, but get up anyway and within 10 minutes you should be feeling a lot better.

If you're still feeling drowsy, you might be ill. Or genetically bone-idle.
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Is exercise good for you?

Look up 'exercise' on Google, and you will soon find that the popular wisdom is an overwhelming 'YES'.

Benefits touted include:

1. Strengthening cardiovascular and respiratory functions

2. Strengthening muscles and bones

3. Weight management

4. Preventing diabetes

5. Managing mood swings

7. Managing pain and stress

8. Reducing the incidence of some types of cancer

7. Better sleep

What is not said often enough is that millions of people live long and healthy lives without doing a second of 'organised exercise'. And that people who faithfully maintain strict exercise regimes are not spared the myriad of maladies that are humanity's lot.

I do believe that regular exercise is important and beneficial. However, like food, there are good and bad kinds of exercise, too much is every bit as damaging as too little, and each person will need to find a particular 'exercise diet' to suit their aims, physique and life-situation.

In subsequent blogs I'll be taking a look at a variety of exercise options, and providing my 'half-baked, biased and flawed opinion' on their pros and cons.
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Play to your strengths

Most western schooling systems are (in theory!) geared towards exposing young people to a wide range of mental and physical disciplines, including reading, writing, 'rithmetic, religion and recreation. Rumour has it that common-sense never made it onto the curriculum, simply because it can't be twisted into beginning with an 'R'.

As we move through the educational system, we are encouraged to identify our weaknesses and our strengths; to ameliorate the former, and strengthen the latter. The problem is, a lot of people continue through their adult lives concentrating on what they can't do, rather than strengthening what they can.

Life is finite. It's not being 'anal' or 'driven' to move toward putting some focus in our lives. It is common sense.

You could do worse than take a few minutes to write down the things that you find easy to do, things that you tend to get lost in, losing all sense of time while you are involved in them, things that bring you a great sense of happiness and fulfilment. Then cross out the ones that involve eating, drinking and sex, and see what you are left with.

Most of us know what these things are without even writing a list. And yet, a lot of people spend a lot of their lives doing things that they aren't good at, and don't enjoy. Some of those things are unavoidable. Others are things we have drifted into, and now feel that we can't get out of them without upsetting or disappointing people.

I was once involved in a Church survey where we gave out anonymous questionnaires to all the volunteer leaders. The questions included ones that asked whether they were happy in the work they were doing, and whether there was other Church work they felt their skills would be better suited to.

The responses were surprising. There were a lot of people who weren't happy, and felt that there were other things they'd be better suited to. And a quick mixing and matching of the skill-sets showed that if they were shuffled around, the Church work could continue with everyone doing stuff they were good at, and DID want to do.

The even more surprising thing was that when the whole group was confronted with this, and the suggestion was made that people should come forward and work on ways of re-distributing the leadership roles, nobody did. People were happier being comfortably miserable, than making a fresh start with something they knew they'd be better at.

I'm have a deep suspicion that this is not a unique scenario.
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Common Sense Maxims #1

20 years ago I was reading an interview with Amy Grant. In it she related a conversation she had with the veteran preacher/author Chuck Swindoll.

At the end of their time together, Amy asked him if he had any life-advice for her, and braced herself for a challenging anecdote laced with deep spiritual truths.

To her surprise, Chuck's advice consisted of just two words:

"Turn up".

20 years later, I still consider it to be one of the most profound pieces of advice I have ever read.
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Get up!

Author/playwright Jean Kerr is quoted as saying:

"The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible."

The web is full of advice on why this is the case, including:

- lack of sleep

- too much light/noise in the room

- going to bed too early/too late

- wrong mattress

- wrong room temperature

- too much alcohol

- too much food

- irregular sleep patterns

All of these factors probably play a part. But from the anecdotal evidence of many people, I don't know of anyone who bounds out of bed in the morning, raring to face another day!

The two main reasons for this are:

1. Our metabolism has slowed to a crawl, and we have been without food for as much as half a day. When we wake up, our body is on a 'go-slow'.

2. Bed is a 'safe place'. While we are in bed, we don't have to face up to the responsibilities of the day.

I have learned not to trust my feelings when I first wake up. I often feel a bit 'under the weather'. The tasks ahead of me often seem much more dificult than they are. I never feel like getting up and going to the gym. I always feel like 'just a few more minutes sleep' would be a good idea.

So, I tell the little red cartoon devil on my shoulder that I know he is a liar, that I've tried his tactics, and they really don't work. Then I haul myself out of my rack, make myself a coffee, eat a protein bar, brush my teeth, pull on my sweatshirt and baggies, and drive to the gym.

On weekends/days off/holidays, I get up, make myself some breakfast, and do some light manual tasks like tidying the kitchen, putting clothes in the washing machine or going for a brisk walk.

After about an hour (assuming you really aren't unwell), your body will have 'defrosted', and you're as ready as you'll ever be to face a new day.
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The carrots principle

I hate the taste of carrots. My mum also dislikes them but, convinced that my eyesight depended on it (yes, she did ask me "Have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses?") she diligently applied herself to including them in my evening meals. Mum put carrots behind things, under things, wrapped in things, even mashing them into potatoes (which meant I hated the taste of the potatoes as well!).

With all attempts at escaping this torture finally exhausted (reasoning, begging, moaning, feigning death, moving the carrots onto my brother's plate...) I resigned myself to my miserable fate, and began working on coping strategies. The one that worked best for me was eating the carrots first, getting the foul deed over and done with, so I could enjoy the rest of my meal.

Why am I telling you this? Because when you have a variety of tasks to perform with similar priority levels, do the ones you want to do least, first. You'll get more done, and you'll finish the day in a better frame of mind.
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