! month blogging break

Hi,

Due to exams I'll not post till 20 Dec.

I'll be back on 31 Dec.

Till then take care & keep running :)

Ricky

A Diet for a Jogger

Note: This article may not precisely reflect my thoughts on jogging diet. It's a way to bring knowledge around from different fitness sources to one place.

There are 2 keys to healthy living: Exercise & Diet. I've  gone to few top resources to pick what's the best healthy diet & what's the diet that best supports jogging. Following is a list of what different fitness sources are talking about diet:

1. AARP.org

• Mediterranean diet is best for healthy aging & prevents chronic diseases. The article quotes: "The Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes and fish plus alcohol (often red wine) in moderation. It has more of the healthy fats from olive oil and other sources and fewer unhealthy fats from butter, cheese and red meat."

• Vitamin D naturally available from sun highly effective for strong bones, preventing heart disease & strong immune system. Many people take vitamin D supplements to get these benefits. But the article says it isn't needed by most of us.. It quotes: "The Institute of Medicine recommends that people over age 70 have 800 international units total of vitamin D a day, he adds. Because most elderly people get at least 400 IUs through diet and sunshine, Rosen recommends a supplement of 400 IUs for those over 70."

• Eating 1 better 3 apples or  pears a day helps loosing weight, increase exercise stamina & prevents heart disease. The article quotes: "Women who ate three apples or pears a day lost more weight than those who didn’t eat fruit. In fact, the non-fruit eaters barely lost any weight."

2. Mercola.com

• Vitamin pill may give a single benefit but exercise gives you synergistic benefit. The article quotes: "To 'mimic' all of these benefits you would literally need handfuls of different pills -- and even then they could never reproduce the synergistic benefits that exercise has on your body and mind"

• Maximize weight loss benefits of jogging by not eating prior to jog. If doing HIIT jog, eat something within 30 min. The article quotes: "That said, there’s actually plenty of research, and reason, that strongly supports skipping eating before exercise… especially if you’re interested in maximizing your fat-burning potential"

• 1/3 watermelon juice taken prior to jogging effective to relieve muscles soreness in 24 hrs & taking it after jogging reduces inflammation. The article quotes: "If you have a juicer, try juicing about one-third of a fresh watermelon and drinking its juice prior to your next workout. This contains a little over one gram of l-citrulline, an amino acid that seems to protect against muscle pain."

3. SFGate

• Joggers healthy diet consists of carbohydrates, lean protein & healthy fats. The article also gives importance of what time we take food. It quotes: "For your pre-workout snack, choose carbohydrates, lean protein, heart-healthy fats and fluids or a combination of those to give you that pep in your step."

4. About.com

• Mix food to get various nutrients. Also eat small amount of food you like; don't deny yourself. The article quotes: "Try to not get into the habit of eating the same foods day after day……..………..It's important that you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables too."

5. Azcentral.com

• If did HIIT or intense jog & don't feel to eat solid food, blending foods is the way to go. But if jog lasts less than 30 min, no need to worry about post-jog snack. The article quotes: "What you eat after your jog directly impacts your body’s ability to recover and perform well at your next outing."

6. Runningforbeginners.com

• If you've difficulty in controlling amount of food or what you eat, the article gives a method to deal with it like: maintain a diary of what you eat, weekly important food buying plan. It quotes: "Not calories, because that takes the enjoyment out of eating. Add up the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates you eat during the day. As a guide, you should be looking to eat 2 portions of protein a day (eggs, lean meat, lentils), 5 portions of carbohydrates (pasta, bread, cereal), 3 portions of dairy food (milk, yogurt, cheese) and at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables. (If you are looking to lose weight, keep portion sizes small – a handful of rice/pasta, two medium size potatoes, one egg)."

7. Livestrong.com

• Eating healthy food also depends upon the amount to time you have. Even if no time, it's possible to have a healthy snack. The article quotes: "Omelet with four egg whites, onion, spinach and some shredded Swiss cheese, an orange, a piece of rye toast, a glass of milk and a small glass of pomegranate juice if you have time to sit down for a full meal, recommends "Fitness" magazine. If you're on the go, grab two slices of whole-grain toast with peanut butter and a banana."

8. Runnersworld.com

• A good way of eating variety of food is to eat different colour vegetables & fruits. Include food which are seeds as they contain much of the nutrients needed to grow a whole new plant. The article quotes: "Seeds--including whole grains, many beans, and even tree nuts--contain the crucial mix of nutrients necessary to grow a new plant, which means they are packed with health-boosting compounds. In addition to traditional nutrients like protein and essential fats, seeds contain bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and ferulic acid, which act as antioxidants."

9. Shape.com

• Eating small meals every 3-4 hrs will keep need of before & after jog snack away. Avoid foods with empty calories which give temporary energy peak. The article quotes: "Eat small meals every three to four hours to keep energy up and going. Eat adequately during the day, and you don’t have to fuel before, during, and after every training session."

Ricky

Jogging in City

We all know the benefits of jogging to life longevity, cardiovascular health, prevention of diseases like diabetes, blood pressure & others. City offers many advantages & disadvantages that we've to take into account while jogging. Things to consider in a city while jogging are:

Deal with Traffic Smartly

In a city, vehicles are the primary source of transportation which makes travelling comfortable. This has added to no.of vehicles on the road. While the city roads are of very good quality, consider how to deal with traffic. The best way to deal with traffic is to not deal with it. Prefer to jog early in the morning anywhere between 5 AM to 7 AM. It has 2 advantages: roads are free & air is freshest with cool atmosphere.

If you're worried about the pollution in city, it's ok to jog. Jog for your health because benefits of jogging far outweigh hazards of vehicle pollution. Today vehicles are made with keeping PSI (Pollution Standard Index) in mind.

If you work late hours, jogging early is difficult. Considering this you might go for a jog between 8 AM to 10 AM or at evening. There are 2 ways to make best use of the conditions:

1. Brisk Walk  +  Jogging

You'll need to be proactive. Before going to jog during peak hours, decide that during peak hour you'll jog when the road is free & do brisk walk aggressively when road congested to clear all the obstacles coming in the way & make your way always. Keep your brisk walk & jogging speed little bit same so that you are in some sort of rhythm.  If you don't do this it's easy to get frustrated by obstacles.

2. Jog Opposite Direction in Peak Hour

During peak hours vehicles move from suburban to city area in morning & vice versa at evening. While jogging, run on opposite road i.e. road for city to suburban during morning & suburban to city at evening. That way you've to face little less traffic which is good.

If jogging with a partner, run one-behind-another instead of side-by-side.

Buy a good quality latest jogging shoes as these shoes have inbuilt reflectors on them.

Get More out of Jogging in Parks & Stadiums

Cities along with having good roads also have other recreation centers like parks & stadium. If you don't jog too fast or do brisk walk, parks are a perfect place. Parks are open for a good amount of time which makes you choose when you want to jog. Parks are abundant in greenery, contain  fresh air which has proved to stimulate mental health.

While you're jogging in park, many people are also walking there & you'll find yourself frequently getting stopped, which makes me frustrate for a short time. To deal with it, understand that they are not as speedy as you or they are doing a different activity than you. They do not have the intention of stopping you. Just keep moving on.

Park surfaces are uneven. Watch out for uneven area & slow down the pace a little to avoid making uneven impact on your knees & ankles.

Jogging in stadium can be done little faster & it's synthetic track is also softer on your body if you're just starting out.

Cities have best quality gyms which gives a  option for jogging on a treadmill if you're constrained inside for some reason. It can be intensified like jogging outside by adding inclines and doing intervals i.e. jogging fast then slowing & repeating this for many cycles.

There are many advantages to jogging by living in a city which many of us enjoy like:

1. You can find jogging apparels easily & in many varieties
2. Gyms, parks are located nearby. Almost every area has atleast 1 gym & a park.
3. Training for a marathon is easier as you will easily find marathon groups & instructors.
4. City people are generally more aware of fitness than countryside folks. So get out to jog in a city & you'll easily find a jogging partner.

Ricky