Long Slow Distance Running Is the Old Person's Way to Fitness

The reason adults run in the name of fitness is because of what they hear as they get older. I look at children; if you told a child to go run do you think they would jog or sprint? Well, having four kids my kids never jogged anywhere. When I was young we ran hard than walked to get where we had to go. Jogging is the old person way to fitness.

The reason we slow down as we age is because we train to become slow. We lose fast twitch muscle fibers by training slowly for years that is the reason when you reach your forties, fifties and beyond you worry about injury and you tend to move slower.

So what do you expect to happen over years of slow training? Your body will adapt to slow training. There is no law that says you have to train slowly when you get to a certain age. Just because you see someone jogging down the road doesn't mean everyone needs to do it.

If you spotted someone on the side of the road doing pushups you would think the person was insane. Just because society say's one think doesn't make it right.

If you don't know by now looking at society and haven't realized how people will just follow the masses and these people never seem to stand out they are just like everyone else.

If you are one of the many who follow the masses and want to be mediocre than that is okay, but being mediocre sucks!

You will hear many arguments about whether or not running is the key to ultimate physical fitness. Most people have no idea what real physical fitness is.

As a matter of fact most runners are rail thin and look like a number two pencil in running clothing a stick figure running in the name of fitness. Many people will tell you to do what works for you, well if being thin and bony is your thing keep on doing it. Look at marathon runners or tri-athletes they are all thin.

More and more studies are being done and the research is stating that this type of training is reversing the health and fitness benefits of running long distance.

Sprinters are muscular, strong and explosive and look younger while distance runners seem to look more aged.

Distance running is an easier type of training; it is much easier than explosive training, which is why it is the exercise of choice. Bottom line is if you train slow like an old person, you will get exactly that a slow and weak body.

Try it for yourself. Go for a two to three mile run one day. Then a couple of day's later try some sprints. Sprint one minute walk 30 seconds repeat this for 10 minutes. It should be no problem for a distance runner to do 10 one minute sprints. But you will find out different.

Johnny Grube B.C.S. is the holder of 10 bodyweight world records in physical fitness is an expert on the subject of Building Physical and Mental Toughness through bodyweight training. He has 30 years of training experience and is the author of "Ultimate Physical Fitness In 5 Minutes and of many other training manuals "The Wildman Training Program" and "How to Build Explosive Pushup Power" http://www.wildmantraining.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Johnny_Grube

Read More

Best Running Watch – Which Type Should You Get?

I love running watches. What is the best running watch for you to use? My favorite is a GPS running watch, but there are many others to choose from. Let’s talk about the two most popular types: GPS style and Pedometer style.

Running is more fun when you have a method of tracking your progress. It can be frustrating to plan runs when your only way of knowing how far you ran is by driving the route with your car and using the odometer to calculate the overall distance. I used to do this all the time.

At first it wasn’t a huge deal since I run through rural neighborhoods. It would be a little more difficult if you use running paths and the distances are not clearly marked, if they are even marked at all.

Another drawback with the “drive the route” method of measuring distance is that you have to drive every individual route. Every time you deviate from a measured route, you lose accuracy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to run the same route every day. Changing your scenery often is a very good thing to do in order to avoid boredom which is a common problem among runners.

The “drive the route” method also removes any real time tracking of your run. Measuring your pace is crucial if you plan to run any races such as a marathon or a half-marathon.

If you are on a budget, there are many pedometer style watches out there. The pedometer style watch counts the number of times your feet hit the ground. It is able to do this by using a sensor that attaches to your shoes. The length of each stride is estimated by you (manual entry) or it is estimated by your body type.

The pedometer style watch is a good entry level method to use which will give you a good estimate of not only your distance but also your pace. Keep in mind that the feedback you get will be off by a measurable amount. This is not a big deal to many recreational runners.

If you want to take your running to another level (a much more fun level in my opinion), then you should consider a GPS style watch. They can be purchased for as little as $100 (or a little more, but not much), and are well worth it in my opinion. You can track your progress in real time. This includes: pace, heart rate, distance, total time, and much more depending on the model you choose.

Documenting your running progress is a good idea if you want to not only improve, but increase your enjoyment of the sport. Start small, or big if you prefer, and pick up a running watch. If you love running, you won’t regret it. For more information about GPS running watches, check out my website.

Article Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/running/best-running-watch-which-type-should-you-get

Read More

Does Running Burn Belly Fat?

Are you looking for an exercise that is linked to all sorts of health benefits? Though some may not like cardio exercise, but this one beats stair-stepper, rowing, cross-country ski, and stationary bike when it comes to calories burned per hour. With running, you can burn up to 1,000 calories in 1 hour. It is the top cardio exercise that makes your belly also work hard. Not convinced? Try to run and put one hand on your stomach. You’ll feel that it will exert effort. In fact, if it’s your first time running after a long time, your abdominal muscles will ache the next day – a good indication that it worked hard.

Running does not only make you look younger, it deals with emotional issues and prevents diseases. No wonder marathon is one of the most popular competitions that is done oftentimes in places around the globe. And this is one of the most fun, peaceful, and friendship-building sports that you can participate even without mastering any skill. You can ask one runner after another, for a reason why they run, and receive different answers each time.

Below are reasons why people run, and maybe you’ll find one reason here to start running:

Running is easy

You just need a good pair of shoes and an outfit that allows sweat to evaporate easily, and then you’re ready to hit the road. You don’t need to master anything or buy new equipment; you just go out and run. You’ve probably done that before and found a nice spot where you can be one with nature and enjoy fresh air.

For an injury-proof running, perform 5-10-minute warming up and stretching exercises before you run. This is vital also to gradually prepare your body to adjust to the physical activity ahead of you. And after running, you can cool down by applying a 5-10-minute light aerobics and cool-down stretching.

Running for health reasons

Studies have shown that running may prevent any illness to occur in the future. It is proven to

• ensure efficient flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body
• strengthen the heart and lungs
• build stamina
• increase bone density
• relieve stress

Adult runners were usually found to be happier, more energetic, and more creative.

Running for weight loss

Running builds muscles and is a very good weight loss exercise. In fact, top weight loss programs include sprinting in their list of exercises that can give rapid weight loss. When your body starts to build muscles, your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is stimulated, and you’ll start to melt down fats consistently even at rest. If you add up healthy diet to this, you’ll definitely look and feel different. Running is a proven exercise that can improve complexion, maintaining younger looks.

Caution: Running belongs to high impact exercises, so if you are overweight, you may consult first your physician before engaging in running activities.

Running for a cause

Some people would sign up for a race in order to raise funds for their favorite charity, at the same time enjoying the health benefits of running. Generally, runners would form a fund raising team, and this can be very motivating, and could build strong friendship bonds among team members.

Article Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/weight-loss/does-running-burn-belly-fat

Read More

Is Running The Best Way To Lose Belly Fat For You

One big reason 80% of us have given up on running is because people begin doing it at too high a speed, which result in the inability to continue long enough to complete the desired amount of total exercise, often this reason cause people to dislike running. There are also cases where participants with orthopedic limitations (whose joints cannot handle the stress of running) avoiding it all together.

Running have many health benefits to an individual; regular running has been found to lower heart diseases by 50%, helps in weight loss by burning more calories and reducing lung and liver cancer by inducing antioxidant activity and Phase II enzymes in the body.

The act of running which is an intense activity will burn more calories, reducing the amount stored as fat and eventually body fat decreases. However, people who do it as their sole exercise forget that running does not boost the metabolism much. Metabolism is the rate of when your body burn calories all day and night (even when you sleep). The higher your metabolism is, the faster your body burn off calories and the easier for you to lose body fat and keep it off.

The truth is, when you are running, your muscle cells first burn sugars or carbohydrates stored as a reserve fuel called glycogen, then after 15 minutes your cells turn to burn fat as their primary power source. And to trim stubborn belly fat, which is usually the last to go, you will need more than that. Keep on reading.

This means that running is a good way to lose total weight, build and tone muscles and improve overall health but it isn’t the best way to burn belly fat; (1) it does not increase metabolism as much and (2) it burn sugars or carbohydrates in the body first before eventually burning fat and (3) it does not get rid of excess body fat; to lose belly fat you need to get rid of body fat first. That is why health experts recommend that instead of running alone, you should combine cardio exercises with some strength training and a healthy diet plan.

Summary

Running decreases belly fat but, as most people realise, is not the best approach to do it. The best way to lose belly fat is combining exercise, body strength training and eating a healthy and fat burning diet. Don’t put all your energy into running. It may disappoint you later.

Article Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/weight-loss/is-running-the-best-way-to-lose-belly-fat-for-you

Read More