To Hill And Back
Want better form? More speed? Better endurance?
You may not know it, but every treadmill comes factory equipped with a "faster results" button. Push it and you'll burn more fat, build stronger legs, and boost your fitness level to an all-time high—without adding a second to your treadmill workout. There's just one problem: This magical interface is labeled "incline" on the control panel. And that means hardly anyone touches it.
It's easy to understand why: Running on an incline is harder, even though your pace is slower than on a flat surface. But that extra effort is the driving force of a more efficient workout. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that uphill running activates 9 percent more muscle each stride compared with exercising at the same relative intensity on level ground.
And if you're not dialing up the incline, you're practically running downhill: English scientists determined that a 1 percent treadmill elevation is needed just to replicate the energy requirements of running on an outdoor track.
Of course, that hill up the road can accomplish the same thing. Feel free to attack it—just follow our advice. Hills deliver an exhilarating workout and great results for racers, from a PR in your weekend 5-K to Meb Keflezighi's silver medal in the Athens Olympic Marathon, which came after he added extra hill work to his training.
Either way, moving your workout to higher ground yields greater dividends from the same time investment. Because you can control the degree of incline, treadmills provide an added benefit beyond protection from the elements. "Exercising on a machine allows you to structure hill work that is very specific to your goals and level of fitness," says Rick Morris, author of Treadmill Training for Runners.
Ramp up your treadmill workout and tap the full potential of your treadmill with our guide to indoor hill training—it's as easy as pushing a button.
The welcome sight of the beer tent at the end of many endurance events just got a scientific credibility boost.
A new study reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (44[1], 18-26) shows that the consumption of nonalcoholic wheat beer (NAB) for 3 weeks before and 2 weeks after marathon competition reduces the post-race incidence of both inflammation and upper-respiratory-tract infection (URTI). Beer possesses the same type of antioxidant properties founds in red wine, according to prior research.
The Study: 277 marathoners were assigned to drink 1-1.5 liters of either NAB or a placebo per day for the 3 weeks preceding and 2 weeks post-competition Post-race researchers recorded subjects' muscle inflammation and signs of URTI.
The Results: Those who drank NAB had 20%-32% less muscle inflammation and an incidence of URTI 3.25 times lower than their placebo counterparts. Again, polyphenols were the winning antioxidant ingredient.
So, you have taken my advice, you have adopted a long-term lifestyle approach to healthy living. One that focuses on making changes to your daily life that you can maintain for a lifetime. Everything has been going great until a situation arises and you allow yourself to indulge in something that you have previously been able to avoid or eliminate.
Uh oh. I am guessing that this is that moment in the past when you have fallen off the wagon, leading to a downward spiral back to an unhealthy lifestyle. I say that you need to adopt the right mindset before you eat that brownie, or those brownies. Let's rewind and look at the situation step-by-step.
Step 1 - You see the brownies and they are inviting you to dig in. A couple quick questions:
How bad is that urge you are having?
If this is a crazy jonesing, then have as many as you feel you need to satisfy that urge. Sounds bad, I know, but if you don't take care of that craving, you are inviting that downward spiral.
Can you get out of the situation immediately?
Taking yourself out of the situation might be all it takes. If not, get away and go get a treat somewhere else. Taking away that option may allow you to have something less bad for you, and also allow you to control the amount better. After you get your treat, take yourself out of that new situation.
Step 2 - You have given in to the craving and had a few brownies
Worst thing you can do #1 - Get overcome with regret and enter the guilt spiral. Accept that that was not the best choice, or that you had more than you should have, and move on. How about going for a long walk, or a hike, or even a bike ride. You could burn those extra calories off in no time and maybe take the edge off that guilt. Just remember that you are in this for a lifetime and a few stumbles along the way is expected.
Worst thing you can do #2 - Somehow convince yourself that those were good for you. This is denial and although it will keep you from feeling guilty, it will probably lead to more brownies on a regular basis. Sadly, if it tasted too good, it was probably not too good for you.
Making an overall lifestyle change is not going to be easy. You are going to make mistakes, you are going to have lapses in your exercise regimen. Things come up that throw you curves. The most important thing to do is find ways to minimize these new hurdles, don't get down on yourself, and don't give up.
Be Proactive
If you know an upcoming change in your schedule is going to cut into your exercise time, be proactive and consider changes to your caloric intake, or find other activities that allow more flexibility. Make sure this is not an excuse to get out of exercising. If it is, then you really haven't made that lifelong change yet.
If you know you are going to be in a situation where you will be tempted to overeat, or eat things you have been avoiding, bring something that is a successful replacement or go burn off the calories ahead of time. I know this is inconvenient, but how inconvenient is living an unhealthy lifestyle. How inconvenient is it to struggle on that long hike. It's all about choices and if you make the right choices and the right changes in small incremental steps, it doesn't have to be that difficult.
