Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 So it's a beautiful Saturday morning, nine o'clock, time for the park run.
00:05 Over 400,000 people enjoy this ritual in over 1,200 venues in the UK and nearly 2,000 around the world.
00:14 The park run is inclusive for everyone. You can be young and old, previously fit or not.
00:19 It's a great way to improve your health, your mental outlook, your mood for the rest of the day.
00:26 Now it's meant to be fun and it's a good way to improve your health or to shed a few pounds.
00:32 And it's not meant to be that competitive, but there is a competitive edge.
00:36 People want to beat their friends or relatives or get higher in their age categories.
00:42 But the biggest rival you've got is yourself. How to beat your own personal best.
00:48 When it comes to your personal best, there's no quick fixes or shortcuts.
00:54 It takes perseverance, consistency and above all, patience.
00:58 You need to focus on the elements of that particular exercise which you can do in your training.
01:04 So you need strength to power up the hills.
01:07 You need stamina for your heart and lungs to be able to make it through the 5k.
01:11 And you need to practice stretching and running techniques which can really open up your stride.
01:17 So on the day you can eat through the time.
01:19 [Music]
01:25 Hills strides are an excellent way to prepare for the path run.
01:29 They encourage muscle power, heart and lung stamina.
01:33 Use the walk back down between strides to get your breath back and recover.
01:38 However, to improve speed, run downhill extending the stride as much as possible, provided it stays comfortable.
01:47 [Music]
01:51 So dynamic stretches are brilliant to warm up before the exercise.
01:56 Basically, again, you're standing on one leg and the other leg is going to start moving like a pendulum forward and back.
02:03 And you're going to gradually increase your range of movement.
02:07 So eventually the leg is moving quite a wide range, going into flexion at the front, extension at the back.
02:16 And you can take it as wide as it feels good.
02:19 Trunk is fairly static, you're breathing, moving forward and back.
02:23 You can then change it around, go to the front.
02:27 Same exercise, but now your leg is moving across and out.
02:32 So you're moving between abduction, adduction.
02:36 Again, make sure the pelvis is still.
02:38 You can keep a hand on this side of the hip as the leg is moving like a pendulum.
02:46 Mobilizing the hip joint.
02:48 If you don't have a reformer that you can use, you can carry out a similar exercise.
02:54 Just using a towel under one leg, bending both legs and you're going to glide one leg behind you and back out.
03:03 So you're going to notice your weight bearing on this leg.
03:06 Just keep an eye on your hips and pelvis, making sure one doesn't sink any lower than the other.
03:13 And you're gliding your leg in and out.
03:17 In and out.
03:21 When you start exercising more intensely, you need to put more emphasis on a healthy diet.
03:32 So think about oily fats, which are good slow release energy sources.
03:37 Protein, not just from meat, but from oily fish.
03:43 Seeds such as quinoa, particularly chia seeds.
03:46 Nuts are packed full of protein, but they're also very rich in minerals, which you're going to need more of when you're training.
03:52 The article explains the reason why gut health is particularly important when you're training more intensely.
03:59 So think of prebiotic foods such as mushrooms or artichokes, beans, as well as probiotic foods, including kefir and kimchi.
04:10 Those of you who've read my articles previously will know that I'm very keen on substances called phytochemicals.
04:17 These give food its colour, its taste and aroma and have enormous health benefits.
04:22 Particularly look out for things like turmeric, broccoli, tomatoes, tea, pomegranate or even olives.
04:30 Obviously, the emphasis should be on whole healthy foods.
04:33 But in the busy world we live in, a supplement can be a good way to boost intake of certain foods, such as minerals, phytochemical rich foods or even prebiotics and probiotics.
04:45 And they can support an active training programme.
04:48 from.
04:48 (chimes)
04:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]