Advice – Fit, Fab and Fine

Dealing with Injury

Hi friends!

Over the last week I have been dealing with shin splints during and after my runs. Shin splints is the catch-all term for lower leg pain that occurs below the knee either on the front outside part of the leg (anterior shin splints) or the inside of the leg (medial shin splints). http://www.runnersworld.com/shin-splints

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This is the most common injury runners experience. I have been trying to figure out the reason why I am getting shin splints. As I did more research on the topic, I concluded that it is a mix of different reasons.

A lot of the time, shin splints happen to new runners who increase their mileage too fast, or seasoned runners who switch up their routine dramatically. In short, shin splints = too much, too soon.

More reasons for shin splints are, overpronation (a frequent cause of medial shin splints), inadequate stretching, worn shoes, or excessive stress placed on one leg or one hip from running on cambered roads or always running in the same direction on a track. I am guilty of all of these.

I am still a fairly new runner and I always push myself to do too much, too soon. So I decided to start over and do a mile and gradually increase my mileage, which I was not doing in the first place. I know, rookie mistake.

I am also going to take a second look at the shoes I wear. They need to be supportive enough for my feet. The are also different shoes for different types of terrain, so make sure you are wearing the right shoe for the way you run and where you run.

If you are experiencing this injury, here are a few tips to aiding your recovery.

Tips for recovery:

Ice your shins to reduce inflamation
Take Ibuprofen
In a sitting position, trace the alphabet on the floor with your toes. Do this with each leg.
Consider cross-training for a while to let your shin heal. Swim, run in the pool or ride a bike.
When you return to running, increase your mileage slowly, no more than 10 percent weekly.

For more information and useful tips about running check out http://www.runnersworld.com

Sugar Substitutes to Curve Your Cravings

Do you ever have those days where you have crazy sugar cravings? It seems like you have it under control, but the next thing you know, you could really go for that Twix bar or a taste of that soda? That was me a few days ago. I have done a pretty good job of kicking my cravings for sweets, however, it sometimes comes back to bit me. Sugar is not necessarily bad for you, it is the extremely processed sugars and high fructose corn syrup that are put in drinks and candies. Here are a few ways to curve you sweet tooth cravings with natural alternatives.

1. Raw Honey

This is honey from flowers that still contains healthful vitamins A, C, D, E and K, various B vitamins, calcium, potassium, magnesium and live enzymes that are removed when honey is heated, filtered and processed.

2. Maple Syrup

Maple syrup contains antioxidants, vitamins and phytonutrients not found in refined sugar.

3. Dark Chocolate

The percentages you see on a chocolate bar wrapper are indicative of how much cacao is in each bar out of 100% by weight. So, if you read 45% on the bar, it means the bar is 55% milk and sugar and only 45% cacao. But a 75% bar contains only 25% milk and sugar, making it a lower-sugar choice. A bar that reads 100% would be made entirely of cacao nibs and cacao butter without added refined sugar or milk solids.

4. Coconut Palm Sugar

Coconut palm sugar is lower on the glycemic index than both honey and maple syrup and is a great substitute for granulated sugar in baking recipes.

5. Dried Fruit

Dried fruits are made by evaporating the juices out of fresh fruit, leaving concentrated flavors and natural, unprocessed fruit sugars behind. However, with the natural sugars and burst of flavor, dried fruit is high in calories. A little goes a long way!

6. Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit has the added bonus of a higher water content so it’ll fill you up faster and the natural fiber will keep you full for longer than dried fruit. Eating ripe, fresh fruit is a wonderful, healthful way to sate your sugar cravings

For more information visit: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/6-sugar-alternatives-satisfy-sweet-tooth/

What is you drink of choice?

I hope you all read that and “water” was the first thing that came to your mind. No? Me neither. My drink of choice is coffee. All day everyday. However, water should be your first choice everyday. By the time you are craving water, you are already dehydrated. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. If we do not properly hydrate, that throws off the balance of our system. Here are 8 reasons why you should constantly drink water during the day.

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Be less cranky. Research says dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. Think clearer and be happier by drinking more water.
Perform better. Proper hydration contributes to increased athletic performance. Water composes 75% of our muscle tissue! Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalance.
Lose weight. Sometimes we think we are hungry, when actually we are thirsty. Our body just starts turning on all the alarms when we ignore it. For those of you trying to drop some pounds, staying hydrated can serve as an appetite suppressant and help with weight loss.
Have less joint pain. Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated. This is actually how glucosamine helps reduce joint pain, by aiding in cartilage’s absorption of water.
Flush out waste and bacteria. Our digestive system needs water to function properly. Waste is flushed out in the form of urine and sweat. If we don’t drink water, we don’t flush out waste and it collects in our body causing a myriad of problems. Also combined with fiber, water can cure constipation.
Prevent headaches. Sometimes headaches can be caused by dehydration, so drinking water can prevent or alleviate that nasty head pain. Next time your head hurts, try drinking water.
Make your skin glow. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Regular and plentiful water consumption can improve the color and texture of your skin by keeping it building new cells properly. Drinking water also helps the skin do it’s job of regulating the body’s temperature through sweating.²
Feed your body. Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body. Water serves at the body’s transportation system and when we are dehydrated things just can’t get around as well.

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For the full article and more information visit: https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/10-life-changing-reasons-to-drink-more-water

When You Feel Like Quitting…

Hi everyone!

The other day (actually, the last two weeks) were rainy and dreary. It really affected my mood and motivation. I had been working hard at eating clean and working out regularly, but I was feeling really down on myself because I was not seeing results from it. I didn’t want to do anything all day, and most of all not work out. All day I was trying to get myself in a different frame of mind. I kept telling myself that the main reason I started running was to be more healthy than I was before. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable in my body and when I finally got to that place, that is when I was able to get in the right frame of mind to commit to workouts and eating healthy. Because I wanted to be healthy. I figured the results would follow, and fast. However, I still do not feel that is the case.

I have had many health issues over the years, nothing too serious though. I do have hypo-hypothyroidism though. My thyroid is sluggish, I struggle with energy levels constantly, I gain weight easier than others my age, and it is much harder to lose weight than it is for others my age. I am on medication for the rest of my life to help my thyroid. In addition to having that, I also had to remind myself that everyone’s body is different. People gain and lose weight in different places. Where I may gain weight may not be where someone else gains most of their weight. There are a lot of different factors that go into weight loss.

Related image Image result for healthy food

To keep myself from getting upset, I decided to not weigh myself as much anymore. I would weigh myself daily and I would get down on myself. I know you should only weigh yourself maybe once a week, but it was addicting because the scale is right there in front of me. So instead of weighing myself, I decided to take my measurements every other week. I also try and pay more attention to how my clothes fit and I say to myself “Remember why you got started,” “Remember how you feel after a workout,” and “Remember how you feel when you eat healthy.”

Image result for exercise Wherever you are on your fitness journey, do not give up. It gets hard, especially when you do not see much of a change in your weight, but it is worth it. Since I changed my eating habits and added exercise into my life, it has become 10xs better. That is what you need to remember.

Keep going!

Brenna 🙂