Whether you’re into strength training to prepare for a marathon or an obstacle race, it’s essential to strengthen all the muscle groups in the body to increase efficiency. There’s a notion that if you’re a runner, strengthening your lower body part is what matters only. As running is considered a vigorous exercise, all the body parts—upper and lower—must receive balance strength training.

You don’t need to enrol in a fancy gym membership just to get fit. You’ll just have to ensure that you’re doing the right kind of workout routine that suits your physique to attain positive results. In this article, we’ll share some of the workout exercises suitable for runners and some tips on how you can maximize your workout routine at home.  

1. Ensure You’re Fit

To ensure that you’re physically fit to do a workout routine, you need to see a doctor. Runners are prone to arthritis or joint disease. That’s why it’s essential to get a clearance from your doctor to ensure that your condition will not worsen. According to fitness websites like westonfit.com, there are other cardio exercises that can be excellent alternatives to running when you have a bad knee or not so good muscle condition. You can do swimming, yoga, walking, leg raises, and treadmill.

2. Assess Your Fitness Level

Even though you’re a pro in doing fitness activities, it’s still important to assess the kind of routine that’s suitable for your fitness level. Don’t choose exercises that you can’t execute properly. If you don’t know how to execute push-ups properly, it’s not recommended to include it in your workout routine.

3. Important Exercises First

Exercises that demand tremendous strength and those that target every muscle of the body should go first. This is because you still have the strength to do these. When vigorous exercises are done toward the end of the workout session, you’re already tired and won’t be able to fully execute them.

4. Move In All Directions

An effective workout routine consists of movements that will enable your body to move in all directions so as to cater to all your muscle groups. As a runner, don’t focus on exercising your lower part of the body only. If you’re trying to achieve an athletic body, the more that you should be able to create a routine that will let you exercise each section of your body in just one session.

5. Stay balanced

Maintain a balance between the right and left side of the body as you execute your exercises. Whatever movements you’ve done on the right side should equally be done on the left side. You can do this by using the same count for both sides. Stay balanced by trying exercising using stationary bike such as Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a runner and you decide to workout, there are suitable workout routines that you can follow to maximize your strength training. Before starting your workout plan at home, assess your fitness level to ensure that you’re physically fit to do workouts. The choice of exercises to execute also matters to ensure that you’re gaining from the workout and not just wasting time and effort.

Running is a form of aerobic exercise that effectively burns calories, strengthens the muscles, improves bone density, and boosts heart health. It’s a great way to stay in shape, and it never fails to put anyone in a good mood. Consequently, it improves quality of life.

If you’re planning to include running in your exercise regimen, remember to start low and go slow. This means that you’ll have to walk before you can run—take the time to just warm up the muscles by brisk walking then gradually increase your speed according to your level of fitness.

Running is a high-impact exercise. If done without utmost precaution, it can cause more harm than good to a person’s overall health. Stretches and dynamic warm-up exercises help your muscles recover faster after training and keep you from sustaining running and walking injuries; these are essential in preparing your muscles and bones before you start running to make sure that you’ll be in your top performance.

Below is a list of the five best stretches to avoid running injuries:

1. Calf Raises

Calf raises not only stretch your calves, but also loosen your tibiotalar joints to prevent ankle sprains.

To do calf raises, begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, then lift your heels slowly and hold the stretch for a moment before returning to the floor. Repeat the process 10-15 times.

To turn this into a dynamic warm-up exercise, do jumping calf raises by jumping up about 1-2 inches high and land softly with the balls of your feet.

2. Squats

Squats activate all the muscle groups in your legs while also engaging your core muscles, giving you more stability when running.

To do the squats, begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, stick your butt out while squatting down until your thighs are parallel to the floor or as low as you can go, then hold the stretch for 1-3 seconds before you go back to your upright standing position. Repeat the process 10-15 times.

To turn this into a dynamic warm-up exercise, do jumping squats by jumping up with your arms raised above your head instead of just going back to the upright standing position.

3. Alternating Knee Raises

This type of stretching is packed with serious benefits. It stretches your back and hips to help prevent or reduce lower back pain while also working on your abdominals. It also promotes better posture and improves your balance, coordination, and agility.

To do the knee raises, begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, raise your knees as close to the chest as possible, then go back to your normal standing position. Repeat the process with your other leg and continue alternating for about 10 raises for each knee.

To turn this into a dynamic warm-up exercise, do knee raises while walking or do it faster as if you’re running in place.

4. Alternating Lunges

This type of stretching loosens up the quads and hip flexors in movements that simulate the motion of running which makes it one of the best pre-run stretches.

To do the alternating lunges, begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, then take a long step forward and bend the front knee as low as you can for, at least, five seconds, then go back to your normal standing position. Repeat the process with your other leg and continue alternating for about five lunges for each leg.

To turn this into a dynamic warm-up exercise, do walking lunges or jumping alternate lunges.

5. Toe touches

This classic stretching exercise primarily targets your hamstrings and the muscles on your lower back as well as the joints. It’s ideally done as the last of your pre-run stretching exercises— when the muscles are already warm.

To do the toe touches, begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, then bend your upper body forward to try to touch your toes with your fingers and your knees just very slightly bent until you feel a tight stretch in the back of your thighs. Stand back up and pull your shoulders back and push your chest out. Repeat the steps about 10-15 times. To turn this into a dynamic warm-up exercise, jump up with your arms raised above your head instead of going back to the upright standing position.

Bottom Line

These pre-run stretching exercises will not only prevent running injuries, but will also get your blood flowing and your adrenaline pumping. These will help you become more flexible, increasing your athletic abilities and making you more capable of performing your workouts better to produce maximum results.

You can also include some push-ups with your stretches—not necessarily a pre-run warm-up, but it’ll help improve your balance and posture when running.

Running is a great workout routine, and the best thing about it is that you don’t need a gym membership or other people to do this exercise. Because of this, running is considered by many as the go-to workout routine. But if you’re new to running, you need to know a couple of mistakes that are mostly made by novice runners who’re enthusiastic about this new workout routine but don’t have the experience or technique to do it without harming themselves.

Knowing how to avoid these mistakes safeguards you from getting an injury and ruining your motivation to exercise altogether. And with these mistakes in mind, you’ll be able to optimize your running routine better to make sure you burn the excess calories and achieve your desired workout goals. Let’s take you through some of the running mistakes you should avoid.

1. Doing Too Much Too Soon

It’s human nature to want to test your limits. This will be the case right after you incorporate running into your daily routine because you’ll be excited about this newfound desire to maintain fitness. As a result, you’ll find yourself trying to increase the intensity, frequency, and distance covered when running too quickly, something many novice runners are guilty of doing. In addition to this, you don’t take time to rest, which is much needed for the body to recover from this intense workout.

If you want to prevent such issues, experts at https://www.eastidspine.com/ recommend you increase the mileage you’re covering by 10% at most. This is important because running is a high-impact exercise, and overstretching your body might lead to burnout, injury, or illness.

2. Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Investing in running shoes is often disregarded by most newbie runners, and this is a mistake you must never make. This is because running shoes play a vital role in providing you with form and comfort while running. Therefore, you should make having quality running shoes a priority. Ideally, it would be best if you went for running shoes made from reputable brands. If you’re confused about which brand to go for, seek guidance from a salesperson to identify which running shoes offer you the best performance.

With the right running shoes, you’ll less likely get any injuries when running as opposed to old shoes. It would be best if you also get a new pair of running shoes once you’ve used your current pair for a distance between 300–500 miles.

3. Overstriding

As a novice runner, it’s a common misconception to think that taking longer strides is an excellent way to optimize your running and increase your speed. However, this is one of the greatest mistakes you should look to avoid as it only increases your exposure to getting an injury. This usually happens because your heel lands first when overstriding, and your foot is too much in front of your body’s centre of gravity. Because of this, you’re more susceptible to injuries such as shin splints. Moreover, overstriding leads to breaking with every foot strike, meaning you waste too much energy when running.

The best thing to do would be to take short strides that are near the ground while doing a low, short arm swing. You should also aim to keep your steps quick and light while trying to land mid-sole using your foot directly below you with each step you make. Additionally, never lunge forward using your feet, more so when you’re running downhill.

4. Not Taking Time to Recover or Stretch

We’re all time-conscious, and after spending time running, which is time-consuming, you want to take a shower and start doing your daily tasks quickly. However, this is a rookie mistake you must avoid. When running, you should always set aside between 10–20 minutes for stretching and recovery both before and after your run.

Stretching and recovery once you’re done running helps remove the lactic acid that might have built up in your muscles due to the intense workout. This prevents your muscles from becoming strained and tight, thereby becoming more delicate and more prone to getting injured. And to avoid this, you must always set aside some time to do some light stretching and recovery, which will help your muscles gain more strength. Other than this, you’ll also become more motivated to stick to your running routine because you won’t frequently have to deal with annoying injuries.

5. Avoid Overeating Carbs

Your body needs energy when running, and carbs are undoubtedly an excellent source for providing you with this much-needed power. Despite that, it’s crucial to remember still that carbs contain high-calorie content. Therefore, you should aim to find a perfect balance of the amount of carbs you include in your diet, or else your running efforts will be in vain.

The only time you should consider eating vast amounts of carbs is when you’re planning to go for a long training run or marathon, which is about 20 miles. Other than this, you should completely steer clear of complex carbs as opposed to the common misconception among newbie runners that you should continuously be eating carbs while running.

6. Not Using Metrics

It’s always advisable to know the intensity of your runs, and the best way to do this is by using metrics. This is something that you may overlook as a beginner to running but is something that you should prioritize. The reason for this is because it’s the only way you can know how you’re progressing and whether there’s room for improvement.

It’s a much better strategy than running at medium effort each time or running intensely for all your runs.

7. Running Even When Experiencing Pain

The human body is very delicate, and when it’s experiencing pain, it’s best first to examine the possible issue. This is more so an issue you’ll experience if you’re still new to running. And while you might assume this is the normal thing before you get accustomed to running, you shouldn’t run even when experiencing pain. Instead, you should take some time off running and focus on identifying and treating the cause of the pain.

If you ignore the pain you’re experiencing while running, you increasingly become prone to getting a severe injury. As a result, you might spend weeks or months on the sidelines, something that would have been avoidable if you took some time to rest and recover from the pain.

8. Using Too Many Stuff

Many aspects of today’s life are often very complicated, necessitating the need to use special tools and equipment. But this is the complete opposite of running, which is a straightforward workout since you don’t need a lot of gadgets to get started. This is a mistake many beginners make at first, and understandably so due to the excitement and desire to make sure they do things as they see other more experienced runners do.

You shouldn’t take a similar approach of investing in too many gadgets, with the most popular ones among novice runners being;

• Hydration pack
• Heart-rate monitor
• Music device
• Gel-belts
• GPS

Instead, you should simplify your running routine to avoid complicating things and making this simple workout appear complex, hence become demotivated.

9. Not Hydrating Yourself Adequately

Water is essential for the normal functioning of your body and continued health. Without it, then the productivity of your workout will undoubtedly suffer. If you wish to avoid this, it’s always mandatory to drink enough water to make sure you’re well-hydrated. This way, you don’t run the risk of dehydration when taking your runs, which makes you feel fatigued a lot faster.

It’s recommended that you drink between four to eight ounces of water to guarantee your workout’s effectiveness isn’t impacted. If you’re a slow runner, you should take between four to six ounces after every 20 minutes and six to eight ounces if you’re a fast runner.

With that said, you shouldn’t drink an excess of water when taking your runs. Instead, your goal should be drinking the right quantity of water to ensure you only achieve balance. Otherwise, you might end up feeling sluggish and heavy, thereby impacting the goals you had set for yourself.

10. Not Taking Rest Days

Because running is a high impact exercise, you must not run each day and should instead focus on giving your body time to recover from the intense workout. As a beginner, this is more so important because your bones and muscles are yet to adapt to this intense workout. It’s always best to do this because working out daily doesn’t mean you’ll achieve your workout goals faster. In fact, doing this can be counterintuitive because you become a lot more susceptible to injuries that might necessitate you to spend several weeks or months on the sidelines to recover.

Therefore, you need to include rest days in your workout routine. By doing this, you’ll sidestep getting an unwanted injury.

11. Wearing Too Many Clothes

The human body gets warmer after exercising. Because of this, you’re at risk of either wearing too little or too much, depending on the weather of where you live. As a result, you’re prone to experiencing cold-weather or heat-related sickness if you don’t pick the right clothes to wear during your run. And with the wrong clothes, you end up negatively affecting your performance.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, make sure to invest in the right type of fabric to wear during your runs. The best fabrics you should consider are;

• Silk
• Thermax
• CoolMax
• Thinsulate
• DryFIt

Any of these fabrics above is an excellent choice because it absorbs the sweat being produced by your body, thereby keeping you dry. You should avoid garments that are made from cotton because they don’t lose their wetness. This can significantly affect your well-being if you reside in an area with cold weather or make your runs very uncomfortable if you’re from a place with warmer weather.

During the winter months, you should steer clear of the temptation to wear too much clothing because your body becomes warmer once you start running. The best thing to do in this situation is to add between 15–20ºF to the prevailing temperatures to know how warm you should dress up before your run.

12. Trying to Compensate for the Missed Runs

If you’re starting out running, then you most likely have a training plan. However, there are days of the week when you’ll not be able to stick to your plan either due to an emergency, sickness, injury, or not feeling motivated. If this happens, then you’ll have no other option but to skip running for that day.

However, missing out on this run will, in most cases, have a devastating impact, and it will either make you feel like a failure hence become demotivated. When this happens, the common rookie mistake you’re inclined to make is rescheduling your missed run. To do this, you choose to either prolong your next run by double to compensate for the next run.

Although doing this might seem logical, it ends up being detrimental than of any benefit. This is because doing so exposes your body to a significant level of fatigue without giving it enough time to recover. As a result, this increases the chances of getting an injury and hinders you from taking runs in the future.

The best thing to do should you miss your runs is to shrug off any feeling of guilt that might be haunting you. And once you’ve accepted that missing a couple of runs is sometimes inevitable, you’ll be able to deal with the temptation to make up for the missed runs.

13. Starting Your Running Sessions Too Hastily

A common mistake made by most rookies is quickly starting their running sessions. By doing this, you’ll no doubt feel great at first, but your energy levels will drop drastically the more you continue with your run. You should avoid this, and instead, your focus should be on saving your body’s energy. By doing this, you’ll manage to run longer since you’re running at a constant speed. You’ll also be able to run for a longer distance as opposed to if you started sprinting. 

Key Takeaway

Running is no doubt one of the simplest workouts you can try out to achieve your fitness goals. Therefore, it’s normal to assume that this workout can be done without first thinking of how it needs to be done correctly. However, this is far from the truth since there are many mistakes you’re prone to making, thereby putting you at risk of injury and reducing the effectiveness of this workout. If you’re a novice runner, this shouldn’t be an issue ever again after reading the mistakes you need to know about when taking your runs.

Running can do wonders for your mind and body. When done regularly, running helps you improve memory and focus and boost your mood. Running can also build strong bones, strengthen your joints, and improve your cardiovascular fitness. 

You can enjoy countless health benefits whenever you run, but it’s important to properly prepare for this activity. Running for long periods of time when you’re unprepared can only lead to injuries that can set you back from staying healthy and attaining your fitness goals. 

Here are four tips that you can follow for you to prepare for your next running sessions:

1. Take Pre-Workout Supplements

Running is very beneficial, but some people don’t have the energy to survive running for hours. This is especially true for people who are still new to running and doesn’t seem to find joy in the activity. 

If you usually lose interest after a few minutes of trying it out, consider taking pre-workout supplements 30 minutes before your scheduled run. Pre-workout supplements can increase your energy as these products often contain caffeine. This means that waking up early in the morning will no longer make you feel groggy and prevent you from running. With the right pre-workout supplements, you’ll be energized and ready to run for hours!

Aside from this, pre-workout supplements can also enhance your focus, improve your endurance and, enhance muscle growth. How pre-workout supplements affect your body will surely make it easier for you to perform at your best when running. 

2. Invest In The Right Clothing And Shoes

The comfort you’ll feel as you’re running can influence your interest to continue. Regardless if you’re looking forward to running for a few hours, if your feet are hurting as you’re wearing a pair that causes blisters, you’ll likely choose to rest and stop running.

One tip to follow as part of your preparation for your next running sessions is to invest in the right clothing and shoes. Ideally, you should buy light and breathable clothing, so you can freely move when you run. Moreover, you should also invest in high-quality running shoes to prevent your feet from feeling numb and having blisters.

3. Hydrate Through The Day

Proper hydration is important because it prevents infections, keeps organs functioning properly, and regulates body temperature. But, do you know that the amount of water you drink and when you’ll drink it can also affect your performance when you run?

As part of your preparation for your next running session, drink one glass of water every hour before you’re set to run. If you’re planning to run in the evening, you should start your day by drinking a glass of water, and continue doing so until you start to run. Your last drink should be two hours before your run as drinking too much right before a running session can make you feel uncomfortable and lead to swelling.

Drinking enough water is essential before you run as it can help you stay hydrated and energized, as well as ensure that all of your joints are lubricated. Proper hydration can also lessen your risk of cramps and injuries once you start to run. 

4. Consume Simple Meals

The foods you eat can affect your health. This is just one of the reasons why eating well-balanced meals every single day is important to improve or maintain your health. However, as you’re preparing to run, it’s best if you consume simple meals rather than overindulging. You’ll be exhausting your body when your run, and consuming heavy meals can prevent you from running at your best. 

Eating meals that contain excessive amounts of protein or fat hours before you run can cause tiredness and cramping. This happens because your body will be spending too much energy on digesting your food instead of running. Eating foods that are high in fiber, such as potatoes and wholewheat pasta, can also trigger gastrointestinal distress as these are harder to digest. 

If you want to prepare for your next running sessions, consume simple meals two to three hours before. Consuming light meals, like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a bagel topped with jam or honey, is enough to provide fuel to your body so you can run properly.

Preparation Is Key

Regardless of how healthy and enjoyable running is, you should never abruptly incorporate this activity into your daily routine. Keep in mind that your body needs time to adjust to this activity. If you’re planning to run every single day to improve or maintain your health, follow the tips from this article first. These will ensure that your next (or first) running session will be memorable! 

The thing about exercise routines is that unless they are tough, they cannot really produce results. This holds true irrespective of whether your goal is to shed fat, gain muscle or do both simultaneously. This is precisely why we see so many people spending years in the gym, without getting the results they wanted to see from those expensive sessions.

What people do is that they get settled into a routine in which they are comfortable enough to continue for months, if not years. That is not how weight loss or muscle gain works unfortunately, as settling into an easy routine defeats the very principle on which exercise regimens are supposed to work.

If your body does not find it difficult to complete the current workout sessions, it will have no reason to grow stronger, fitter and leaner. Therefore, it is essential to keep up with a tough workout regimen, since that is the only possible way to reach your fitness goals. As to how you can maximize your time and efforts in the gym though, we have some tried and tested tips for you to go through next.

1. Spend Less Time in the Gym

Telling someone to spend less time at the gym may seem like something that goes against everything we just discussed, but that’s only because most of us do not know how it works. If your routine is both tough and progressive in design, and you are following it properly, you should not need to spend more than 45 – 75 minutes per workout. This includes rest periods between sets as well, but try to limit each break to no more than 30-60 seconds. When you concentrate entirely on intensifying your workouts and stay away from distractions until you are done, each session allows you to get more out of your time and energy.

2. Sleep Well

It does not matter what your fitness goals are, but if you are not getting at least 7 hours of rejuvenating sleep at night, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with a tough exercise routine. If you have back pain and it keeps you up at night sometimes, get a good hybrid mattress with support for the lower back. People have seen overnight changes in their sleep quality by shifting to a balanced, supportive mattress. Other than changing the mattress, you should also try a few common sleeping hacks to see if you cannot improve the quality of your sleep. Try to maintain a regular bedtime and avoid drinking coffee or taking any other form of caffeinated drink or caffeine supplements after lunch.

3. Eat Smart

Eating smart refers to following a few basic rules while creating a meal plan. These rules can be summarized as follows, but you may need the help of a professional dietician to create the necessary dietary plans. These rules include:

• Getting a decent understanding about the nutritional content of what you usually eat on a daily basis (meat, eggs, milk, bread, etc.)
• Setting daily nutrient and caloric targets which would meet the needs of the specific day’s workout plan
• Timing your carb intakes to provide maximum energy during intense workouts
• Learning to cook some basic dishes out of basic ingredients

The main idea behind it all is to ensure that your body is properly fed and ready to take on the upcoming tough workout session, while avoiding any chances of overeating at the same time.

These hacks will make each of your toughest workout sessions feel more satisfying and less tiring than before, without sacrificing on the essential physical challenge they bring. These will also help you to prevent overstressing, injuries and other setbacks, which in turn will aid in reaching personal fitness goals much faster than usual.

Running on a treadmill can be much more comfortable for some people than running outside. Not only is running on a treadmill usually softer on your joints, this lessening the pressure on your body, but you are able to keep track of how fast you are running, how long you have run for, as well as the number of calories you have burnt off. This makes it easier for those hoping to lose weight or run for a certain amount of time to achieve their goals. Plus, there’s the benefit of being able to run and exercise inside and away from any harsh weather.

However, much like any other form of exercise, you will need to train properly and regularly if you wish to optimize your running abilities and run for longer. Whether you are a seasoned treadmill runner looking to improve their form and times, or are a complete newbie to the treadmill running scene, here are some great tips to help you improve.

1. Remember to Warm up

Never forget the importance of warming up before you engage in any type of exercise. While it is tempting to jump on a treadmill and start running, you are likely to injure yourself and make your workout much more difficult. Remember that a warm up is there to help prepare your body for the pressure you are about to put on it. A good warm up will raise your heart rate and prepare your muscles by raising their temperature and sending oxygen to them.

The best treadmill warm up is to start with a fast five-minute walk, or a slow, light jog. After a few minutes have passed, you can increase the treadmill’s speed and incline, increasing the pressure on your body.

2. Invest in a Good Quality Treadmill

You will want to ensure that the treadmill you purchase can cater to your needs. There are many treadmills out there; some offer the most basic functions and then others have extras that can help keep you stay on track of your athletic prowess.

With so many treadmills on the market, how can you ensure you are buying the right treadmill for you? Well, you should always check reviews first. There are many guides and resources out there that can offer unbiased and accurate reviews of treadmills so that you can make a more informed decision on which treadmill is best for you. They can also help you decide on a treadmill that is within your decided budget and explain the added features such as inline and calorie counting functions.

Many treadmills will typically have the following functions:

• Pre-set workouts/interval training
• Speed display
• A calorie burn calculator
• A heart-rate calculator
• A distance tracker

3. Don’t Neglect the Incline Option

When working out on a treadmill, many people will forget to make use of the incline function. While running on flat ground can be a great workout experience, adding an incline can make your workout much more challenging and help improve your running skills and cardio. Adding an incline can be essential for those wanting to become better runners.

4. Let Go of the Handrail

Just because a treadmill has a handrail, it does not mean you should be holding onto it or using it whenever you are running or walking. The handrail is there to keep you safe while getting on and off the treadmill, and outside of those two functions, should be ignored. Holding onto a handrail can make your posture worse when running, leading to back, shoulder and neck pain.

Learning to use your treadmill to the best of your ability and ensuring that you are making the most out of this piece of equipment can greatly improve your athletic prowess. Next time you head to the treadmill, make sure to keep these tips in mind.

Whether you are an experienced marathon runner, or perhaps it’s your first time, expect race days to be stressful. From getting up at the early hours of the morning making sure you have a large healthy breakfast, to drink enough liquids so that you remain hydrated during the marathon. It’s all these little details that must go right to help you reach your full potential. 

Luckily enough, due to advanced technology, there are plenty of gadgets and applications available to help you prepare for your marathon. You’ll still need to train just as hard, but, with the help of high-speed internet through cox internet plans, or similar, lots of these devices and software will prove to be very beneficial.  

Here is a list of devices and software that you should find useful when preparing for or running a marathon. 

Smart Scale with Athlete Mode

A smart scale is a high tech weighing scale that not only measures a person’s weight but different areas of the body. Most smart scales can measure the following:

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Fat Mass
• Daily Hydration
• Muscle Mass

The scales work by sending electro signals through your feet which sends its readings to your smartphone. These records will be stored on your smartphone so you can keep track of your progress. Smart scales allow multiple users to record their measurements, so it is a great device for all the family.

Some of the smart scales available have an “Athlete Mode” feature. This allows the user to monitor more specific metrics. This is a great feature for someone preparing for a marathon because once the “Athlete Mode” is enabled, the scales will understand that you are exercising frequently and it will consider this when posting your records.

Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator

This is a simple method and free method that allows you to estimate your total daily energy expenditure. It will explain to you the number of calories you need to take in to help you maintain your weight, gain weight, or to lose weight.

All you need is to put the following into this calculator to get your result. 

• Your current age
• Your Gender
• Height 
• Weight 
• How often you exercise on a weekly basis

The calculator will give you the result in a flash. If you want to lose weight for a marathon, this is a great tool to help you understand how many calories you need to eat to help you lose weight.

Calorie Counting Software

Now that you know how much food you can eat on a daily basis, you can now download a calorie counting app to help you keep track. There are plenty of calorie counting applications available for smart devices. For each meal or drink you consume you need to put the total amount of calories into the app. Your records will be saved after each entry. If you are unsure of how many calories there are in the food or drink you are consuming, a quick Google search will provide you with the details. 

Many people cannot understand why they can’t gain, maintain or put on weight. A calorie counter can really help you understand your body. 

Understand that it is not as straightforward as just eating more or less food to help you lose or gain weight. For example, if you are underweight and you need to eat 3,500 calories per day to gain 1kg per week. You can’t eat 2 meals per day that add up to 3,500 calories per day. The meals need to be spread out throughout the day rather than binge eating. The number of hours you sleep each night and how much exercise you do in a week are other factors that will affect your weight, but luckily there are applications and devices to help you with that too. 

Smartwatches

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Casio digital watch was the coolest thing around. Well, a lot has changed since then! Smartwatches have gradually improved over the last few years. Tech giants claim that wearables are going to be just as popular, and probably replace the smartphone in the future. 

In the early days of smartwatches, it seemed more like a gimmick than a quality product. But now, with all the major technology companies all battling for a piece of the action, smartwatches are a great product. The first smartwatches needed to be charged every 24 hours which many users found frustrating, but now, there are smartwatches on the market that last for two weeks without charging. 

They are a great accessory for people training or running a marathon. Some of the features include:

• Tracks your heart rate
• Records your sleeping pattern: a good sleeping pattern is vital for anyone who is training for a marathon. You need to have a quilty night’s sleep to allow your body to recover. This will reduce the chance of sustaining an injury.
• Stopwatch
• Timer

There are smartwatches available that are designed specifically to keep track of your physical activity. One of the most well known wearable computers is called the FitBit. Smartwatches come in all different sizes and colors and prices tend to vary. Purchasing a smartwatch which is the same brand as your smartphone will have benefits.

Water Drinking Apps

It is very dangerous not drinking enough water, especially if you are training for a marathon. Most of us know the importance of consuming water, but it is very easy to forget it. 

These apps are often very advanced. Some will take records from your phone that will tell the application what the weather is like in your area, what the humidity is for that day to help the app advise you on how much water you need to drink. Some apps will work with your smartwatch so it knows what time you wake up in the morning, what time you go to bed, and what time you exercise. If you forget to consume water the app will notify you to remind you to do so. 

Although there is an old saying that we should consume approximately 8 glasses of water each day, experts don’t recommend this. You don’t want to overdo it as drinking too much water is also dangerous. If you are having issues with your water intake, speaking to a trained professional is advised before you download an app. 

Conclusion

Due to the ongoing pandemic, marathons all around the world have been cancelled to help reduce the spread of the virus. With experts advising us to stay clear of large crowds, it’s hard to see marathons going ahead in 2021. 

The good news is that it is 2021, and we have the choice of lots of technology. People are using their devices to take part in digital marathons. One of these Marathons is the Tel Aviv Marathon in Israel. Participants can download the free app which was designed to let people join the marathon without physically being in Tel Aviv. Participants can choose between a half marathon, 10KM, or 5KM. You can do the marathon in your local area or even on a treadmill. It’s not the same as the actual marathon but it is the next best thing! You can easily find these apps on Google Apps or the AppleStore. As history teaches us, pandemics don’t last forever, so why not spend your free time preparing for a marathon so you will be ready when the time comes?

Running is one of the most popular activities on the planet. There are many reasons why people love running. Not only is it great fun, but it’s also good for our health too. And that’s not all, research has shown that running can help us to feel happier, calmer and it can also make us more resistant to stress too. So, what’s not to like?

Although there are lots of positives to running there are also a couple of negatives too. One of the most common things we hear runners complaining about is the pain they feel if they’ve not stretched properly before or after a run. Stretching properly before a run can help you to have a more enjoyable running experience and it can also reduce your chances of suffering from a muscle injury.

But how do you stretch properly? Whether you started running to burn off some of the extra calories you ate over the winter months or you simply run to alleviate stress, it’s important to know how to stretch properly before and after a run. So, to help you out, we’ve created a list of some of the most common stretching mistakes runners should avoid. Keep reading below to find out more:

1. You Bounce

You may have seen videos online of people bouncing at the end of their stretching routine. However, this isn’t advisable. According to doctors and rehabilitation specialists, bouncing can cause your tendons, muscles, and ligaments to tear. Instead of doing this, you should consider gradually elongating and holding your stretches for ten to fifteen seconds before releasing them. This should be repeated several times to ensure you’ve stretched properly.

2. You’re Doing the Wrong Type of Stretching

When most of us hear the words “warm-up stretch” we picture static stretches like sit and reach stretches or toe touches. However, for runners, movement-based stretches are a better way to start your workout. In fact, research has shown that dynamic stretching enhances muscle activation. Dynamic stretches include things like leg swings, trunk rotations, lunges, and jumping rope.

Although dynamic stretching is advisable before a run, during the cool-down period after your run, you should focus on static stretching instead. This will help your muscles to relax and will help to release tension. Knowing what stretches to do, and when to do them will help you to have a more positive running experience.

3. You’re Focusing on the Wrong Muscles

When it comes to stretching our muscles before and after a run there are lots of things we need to think about. Not only should we think about the type of stretching we are doing e.g., dynamic, or static, but we also need to think about which muscles we’re stretching.

There’s no point in spending all your time focusing on stretching your upper body muscles when it’s your lower body muscles such as your quadriceps that will be doing most of the work. Although it’s important to make sure your upper body is stretched before a run, it’s a good idea to spend most of your time focusing on the muscles in the lower half of your body.  If you want to know how to stretch your quadriceps before and after a run, then check out MoveWell.

4. You Forget to Warm Up First

This is one of the most common stretching mistakes that runners make. Most people are under the impression that stretching is a warmup. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, runners need to warm up before they start stretching their muscles. This is because stretching cold muscles can cause them to tear.

For most people, a short ten-minute warm-up is enough to protect their muscles from damage. However, if you’re short on time, then a heating pad or a hot shower can be used as a substitute. While these options may not work as well as a real-life warm up, they can help to prevent muscle damage from occurring.

5. You’re Stretching Injured Muscles

Under no circumstances should you stretch injured muscles. Most muscle strains occur when muscles are stretched beyond their limits. Stretching these muscles even more will only further aggravate the injury. Instead, use the POLICE principle (protect, optimal loading, ice, compression, and elevation) if you want the muscle to heal more quickly.

No matter whether you’ve only just started your running journey or you’re a seasoned runner, we all get things wrong, and often repeat the same mistakes time and time again. However, we can learn from the mistakes we make. If you want to have an enjoyable running experience and you don’t want to end up in pain after every run, then make sure you avoid the stretching mistakes listed above.

Plantar fasciitis (jogger’s heel) involves growth disorder of the supportive connective tissue at the arch of your foot. Currently, it’s one of the most common heel pain reasons. In 2019, Drexel University College of Medicine researchers figured out that 1 in 10 people has experienced this disorder at least once in their lifetime. Such a spread of the issue gave birth to multiple misconceptions. Let’s resolve them all with willpowerpeak.com experts.

1. There’s No Place for Sports

In most cases, this statement is true. You shouldn’t do running, jumping, or any other high-impact exercises. On the other hand, low-impact exercise, such as walking and cycling in special sports shoes for plantar fasciitis, will help you deal with the issue much easier. Soft movement for a limited amount of time will only help your feet relax and prevent the development of the disorder.

2.   This Is a Hereditary Issue

You probably know that there are quite a lot of health conditions that can be passed from an individual to later generations with genes. For example, such foot conditions as bunion formation can have a genetic predisposition. Plantar fasciitis, on the contrary, doesn’t have any scientifically approved predispositions. It means that you don’t have to worry about the disorder if your mom or dad have it.

3.   It Occurs Only to 60+ Year-Olds

The truth is that people in their 50s and 60s are more exposed to plantar fasciitis due to the overall higher propensity to chronic health conditions. However, plantar fasciitis can occur in any other age group as well.

4.   It’s Caused by a Torn ‘Foot Muscle’

Human feen have many muscles responsible for balance, support, and movement, but plantar fascia is not one of the muscles. It’s a strong fibrous band that is located at the arch of the foot to support it. The thick broad band connects the heel bone (calcaneus) with the toe and plays an important role in bearing the body weight and helping you move without problems.

In fact, the band runs over the sole muscles of the foot. Stretching and tearing the plantar fascia may lead to irritation or inflammation under your heel, which can be a cause of distinctive pain. If you ignore the discomfort for too long, the irritation will become a chronic issue that will require a more complex treatment course or surgery.

5.   Heel Spurs Cause the Condition

This is one of the most common misconceptions about plantar fasciitis, and we understand the logic behind it. The fact is that a substantial number of patients also suffer from the so-called heel spur. Around 10% of the average Americans are exposed to this medical condition. The ‘spur’ is a bony ‘spike’ that starts growing from under the heel bone surface. It’s usually much easier to find as a simple x-ray of your feet shows the outgrowth if it’s really there.

Despite the fact that plantar fasciitis and the heel spur go ‘hand-in-hand’ so often, there’s no direct connection between these conditions. It’s also quite normal for people with heel spurs not to feel any pain at all. In case you have a plantar fasciitis diagnosis and a heel spur at the same time, your doctor may decide that there’s no need to remove the spur if it doesn’t cause extra discomfort. In such a case, you will have a small operation instead of a large open-type surgery.

6.   It Occurs Only if You Have ‘Flat Feet’

Common medical statistics say that from 10% to 20% of the world’s population have pes planus (flat feet). If you remember the statistics given above, you can easily assume that there’s a 50% probability that every patient with plantar fasciitis also has fallen arches. ‘Flat feet’ is caused by the arch collapse and makes the entire sole of your feet to touch the ground when you stand.

This common condition is also a cause of higher tension on the plantar fascia band. While this is absolutely true, individuals who don’t have flat feet, have equal chances to suffer from jogger’s heel. As you see, there’s no need to go into these numbers. Just go to the doctor as soon as possible if you notice repetitive heel pain.

7.   There’s No Cure

The treatment to jogger’s heel has been already developed as it’s the most common heel pain reason. However, you cannot heal without proper screening at a hospital. This is an obligatory requirement as the chances to confuse heel pain for one reason with another are quite high.

Medics understands that every patient may have unique symptoms, reasons, and the complexity of the problem. That’s why it’s so important to exclude other common heel pain reasons. They include nerve irritation, arthritis, stress fracture of the heel bone, and Achilles tendonitis. Only by having an objective anamnesis, your doctor can develop an effective approach to healing the condition. Answering the question ‘is there a cure?’, yes, there are ways to treat the condition, but they may be different, depending on the severity of your case.

8.   Plantar Fasciitis Surgery Is Complex

Many people worry that plantar fasciitis treatment is possible only through a complex ‘open’ operation. Actually, this operation used to require surgeons to release the plantar fascia and remove bone spurs if they were detected. Fortunately, the procedure has progressed a lot since then, and there’s no need to do such a difficult operation in all cases.

Based on the understanding that heel spurs don’t cause this issue, surgeons have found a way to conduct the entire operation via two small incisions in the sole. As a result, you will recover much faster, and the scars will hardly be noticeable. Moreover, you can bear weights almost immediately after the operation, so don’t worry about falling out of your daily routines.

Myths Busted!

Now you know all the truth about plantar fasciitis. There’s no need to panic if you notice the symptoms and, of course, no place for self-treatment. See your therapist, and you will receive the right amount of treatment with minimal pain. And don’t forget to take a walk every day to exercise your feet without abusing them.