Should You Run Every Day?

        I have this secret insecurity about running around other people.  As my last name suggests, I am not a runner, nor do I have a lot of endurance when it comes to running.  So when I go to the gym and all of these girls are running at 7 mph for 30 minutes to an hour, I get pretty self-conscious.  However, I hear girls complaining about how they are always running but not losing any weight.  This makes them run even more.  Well, if you are one of those girls, I'm here to tell you that “running until you don't jiggle” might not be the way to get the results you want.  Once again, I'm no expert, these are just some things I've learned and changed about my workout routine.  So grab a snack, sit back, and get comfortable.  Hopefully I won’t ramble too much…

Change up your routine

Our bodies are very adaptive to the exercises we do. So just like you would do a variety of leg exercises and not just squats, maybe a little change in your cardio routine could be beneficial to you. Instead of jogging for an hour, jog/walk for 4 minutes, sprint for 1.  Do this until your workout is complete.

Space out your workouts

Running is a high impact cardio workout on the body. Think about it: you're constantly pounding on your leg muscles and bones, not to mention your entire spine as well. While running is important and is a great way to stimulate muscles all over your body, doing something that is so high impact every day for long periods of time is not giving your muscles enough time to heal.  After a high impact/high intensity workout, it can take your body at LEAST 3 days to heal.  But you don’t want to wait for more than 6 days before you repeat your cardio workout, or do another type of cardiovascular exercise.  

        What I like to do (take it or leave it), is to work my legs on Mondays and Fridays, arms/back Tuesdays and Thursdays, and cardio Wednesdays and Saturdays.  That is, if I get in every workout that I plan.  You might be wondering how I manage to keep up my amazing 6 pack (lol right).  I work out my abs every day that I think about it.  According to the strength and conditioning coach at Troy University, you can work out your abs and calves every day if you wanted to.  These muscles are really thick and can heal quickly. 

Slow it down!

There is a difference between cardio and fat burning exercises. While cardio workouts CAN burn fat, they will not maximize the potential fat burn. You can actually alter a few things from your normal cardio workout to make it a fat burning workout. During a steady run, your heart rate will be around the 180 bpm range. At this point, your body is in “cardio mode”. Your body is gaining the ability to take in more oxygen and is improving your lung, heart, and blood vessel functions. However, when your heart rate stays between 120-140 bpm, your body is in “fat burn mode”. The best way I've found to keep my heart rate in this range is to walk on the treadmill at about 3-3.5 mph (enough to keep you breathing slightly heavy) with a 4+ incline. Something that helps me know that I've reached the fat burning point of my workout is when my stomach sweat is cold. Gross, I know. If you get to this point, don’t quit!

Let me know if any of these tips have helped you, or if you have any of your own.  Also, if you have any suggestions or ideas of things I could write about, feel free to comment below or let me know on any of my social medias.

3 Exercises You May Be Doing Wrong

        For many exercises, quality is more important than quantity.  Using the correct form when working out is important for injury prevention and muscle conditioning.  The lunge, crunch, and plank are three exercises that are commonly performed incorrectly.

LUNGE

Lunges are a great way to strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  One of the most common mistakes while performing a lunge is actually lunging too far forward (pictured) where the knee is lined up with or in front of the toe.  This puts unwanted stress on the knee, rather than the leg and butt muscles. 

When doing a lunge, not only should you remember to keep your lower leg at a right angle with your foot, but you should also keep your head and chest upright, with your shoulders back.  Keeping good posture will help ensure that the right muscles get worked out and reduce muscle strain.  When bringing yourself back UP from a lunge, remember to use your front leg to bring your weight up.  The lunging leg is the one your are working at the time.

CRUNCH

I see this mistake so often.  When performing a basic crunch or situp, it is common to keep your hands behind your head.  After a few crunches, your core becomes tired and you want to find ways to make your 100 reps easier or faster.  Pulling on your head like I've demonstrated above is putting stress on your neck rather than your abs.  In a way, your arms are doing all of the work for you, while crunches are supposed to work your core.

Instead of pulling on your neck, simply rest your head in your hands and focus on squeezing your core to pull your body up.  To perform a simple crunch, only go up far enough to lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor, lower yourself (not all the way back to the floor), and repeat.  Keep your elbows out, look up, and keep your chin off of your chest.  Imagine that you have a grapefruit fit under your chin while you're crunching.  Also imagine that you have a string attached to your breast bone and someone straight above you is pulling on that string to lift you up.

If you find it too difficult to keep your elbows out to your side, and you frequently catch yourself pulling your head rather than using your core, try crossing your arms over your chest while keeping good form with your head as well.
*Try to keep your feet on the floor as best as you can while crunching.  If your core isn't strong enough yet, find a partner who can hold your feet down or something to fit your feet under so you aren't relying on your feet to pull your body up*

PLANK

The plank is a great move to throw in your workout because it doesn't just work your abs.  Your entire body is working hard to hold this difficult position.  Remember to keep your butt down and your back as flat as possible and keep your forearm and upper arm at a right angle to ensure that your shoulders are getting a good workout as well.  This move is HARD, but so good for you.  Keep breathing during your hold and try to keep your core as stable as possible.

While this is technically a plank because I'm still holding my body off the floor, I'm putting the majority of my weight on my elbows and toes because I am leaning forward so far.  Try not to let your back cave in, but let it be like a flat shelf from your shoulders to your butt.

Keep your weight evenly distributed between your elbows and toes and keep your arms lined up with your shoulders.