It’s Friday, so I am linking up with Courtney at Eat, Pray, Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for their weekly linkup. Each week they pick a theme and bloggers join in and link up. This year instead of specific themes, they are letting us be creative with broad themes for each week of the month. This is the second “free” week. Basically… anything goes! I have a treat for you. I have a guest post from Dan Lyne of Middle Age Marathoner. Dan has been running for 36 years! He contacted me about doing a guest post and I wanted to know his secrets for staying healthy and running “forever.” He also shared actionable tips and tricks!
Here’s Dan with “Five Ways to Stay Healthy and Run Forever”:
“I’ve been running regularly for over 36 years. I continue to run races and exercise because I don’t want to take a step backwards with my health. Regardless of your age, I don’t think it’s ever appropriate to take your health for granted. I use the following strategies to maintain my healthy lifestyle so I can keep running.
1. Regular doctor and dentist visits – This is important for all ages. Both men and women should speak with their doctor before making any big changes to diet or exercise routines. As with taking on any new sporting activity, it is always advisable to get the okay from your doctor. This is especially true if you have been inactive for a while and are contemplating starting an exercise routine or training for a race. Also, an annual visit to the dentist, coupled with daily care of your teeth, helps prevent tooth loss.
2. Eat Healthy – Eat regular and consistent meals. Make sure you eat at least 3 meals daily. Make sure to include dairy or a non-dairy substitute, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats in your every day eating and at each meal. Foods like soda, candy and sweet coffee drinks topped with whipped cream have excess sugars and what I call “empty” calories with few nutrients. Even if you’re an active athlete, limit your intake of these foods to no more than a few times per week (1).
TRY THIS STRATEGY – If you’re trying to lose weight, pick one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. Note the cravings in some kind of log during the week. When you get to your special day, you’ll take a look at your log and probably realize that it doesn’t make sense to have all of these treats. Go ahead and pick 1 – 2 and you’ll likely satisfy your “sweet tooth.” [EF: Love this tip! I am going to try it.]
3. Get Plenty of Sleep – One of my goals this year is to get 30 – 60 minutes more sleep per night. For the last 10+ years, I have been a 6 hour a night sleeper (often less). Studies have shown that people who do not get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night are more at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Getting adequate sleep also has short term benefits for improved memory, focus, mood and a healthy immune system (2). [EF: I am with Dan here, too! This one is hard.]
4. Make Exercise a Habit – For optimal health benefits, adults should complete at least 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of moderate-intensity (walking, biking, etc) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (running, swimming, conditioning exercises). (3) Start your exercise plan with your goal. Maybe you want to complete a 5k. Start by running slow around a track for 20 minutes without walking. Gradually build your stamina and strength with regular physical activity, like cardio. Running has many health promoting effects including: improved mood, weight maintenance, improvement in high blood pressure or diabetes (4)
5. Stay motivated to keep in shape – Sign up for a race, mix up your workouts or run with friends. Other options include running a different route or try a different workout like hills, trail running or a track workout. I strongly recommend cross training as a way to build strength and give your legs a break from all the pounding. Try biking, swimming, elliptical, stair master or a rowing machine to diversify your workouts. Regular weight lifting and plyometric exercises to strengthen your core, legs and back can help you avoid injuries. I tell runners that I coach that they can “control some pain with strength.” Strong muscles make your joints more stable. When some of the load of running is shifted from your joints to your muscles, you’ll notice that pain eases and injury progression actually slows.
Bonus Tip – Take a Day off – Even during my marathon training program, I strongly recommend rest days. Your body needs a break from the constant pounding. As you get older your body doesn’t recover as quickly as it did when you were in your twenties. Take a rest day every 7-10 days or more frequently if you have any recurring aches and pains. It can be a total day away from exercise or an easy cross training day.
TRY THIS STRATEGY – Instead of buying bigger clothes when you gain weight, struggle and stay in tight clothing in order to motivate you to lose weight. I think it’s tougher to get larger when you are uncomfortable, so this helps to strive to remain the same size. If you’re losing weight, don’t hesitate to reward yourself with smaller clothes when the time is right. [EF: Along the same lines, when I work at home, I always wear fitted pants/jeans so that I am less likely to overeat. It works!]”
About Dan: Dan Lyne is a long distance runner from Washington with over 36 years of running experience. He specializes in coaching runners to achieve their goals through his website, middleagemarathoner.com. You can also follow Dan on Facebook and Twitter. He also wrote a marathon training plan e-book called Crushing 26.2!
Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on the author’s experience and thorough personal studies. The information provided is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that has been prescribed by your doctor or physical therapist. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. There is no guarantee that you will experience the same results & benefits as presented and you accept the risk that the results can differ by individual.
References:
- Castle, J. – 6 healthy ways to manage weight for sports, EatRight.Org, Sept. 2015
- http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
- http://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter4.aspx
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389