WHAT SHOULD I EAT BEFORE A 10K RUN?

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

Before I made the commitment to train and run my first marathon, the longest distance I had ever run was 7km. I’m certainly not a distance runner, but I knew that with the right amount of time and dedication I could certainly accomplish this stretch goal of mine. For the average business professional a 10K run is their stretch goal. It’s both a physical challenge and a test of mental discipline – but a goal which is certainly within reach.

With the 18th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon this weekend, I can’t help but reflect on all the questions that I’ve received from clients over the years about how to prepare for 10K races. And specifically, what they should eat the day before the race.

When I’m asked the question “what should I eat before a 10K run?” I often throw a few questions back at the person to make sure they really understand what they are asking. “What time of the day is your run?” “What do you currently eat before your shorter runs?” “At what point in your training runs do you begin to struggle with energy levels?” “Do you eat or drink anything during your run?” etc. etc.

The reason I ask these questions is because each person’s body, metabolism, and digestive system is unique. Each person converts energy from food at a different rate. Each person’s hydration levels are different. Having a clear understanding of your body will help you determine how to perform at your peak on race day.

The question you really should be asking yourself is “what should I eat and drink before and during all of my long training runs?” If you can try to answer this question each time you do a training run, then you will know exactly what is best for you to eat before a 10K run.

Consider these 3 factors and perhaps you can answer your question for yourself:

1) Time to Digest: How long does it take for you to properly digest a meal? If you try to answer this question on a normal working day with minimal physical activity, you may have trouble answering that question. But the moment you start jogging after eating a meal you will immediately know the answer. If you’re not fully digested when you begin your run, you may feel a bit bloated, you may feel some liquid jumping around in your stomach, you may burp a few times during the early part of your run, you may get mild stomach pains, etc. etc. You will know! The trick to eating well is starting your run just after you’ve digested your food (for me it’s between 60-90 minutes depending on the type of food I eat) and not too long after that, otherwise you may get hungry during a relatively longer run.

2) Type of Carbohydrates: The glycemic index is a measure of the rate at which sugar is converted into energy in your body. A common piece of advice that I often hear is to load up on carbohydrates such as pasta, rice or bread the night before. But each person converts energy from each of these foods at different rates. For me, eating pasta doesn’t give me enough energy. No matter how much pasta I eat the day or two days before a long run, I start to get hungry and lethargic after running for about 90 minutes. This is probably because my body metabolizes the sugars from pasta very quickly. After many months of training runs and trying different types of pre-run foods each week, I found that the only thing that would give me enough slow-burning energy for a long run was to eat rice and eggs several hours before my run begins. Figuring out which food is best for you requires some trial and error. Listen closely to your body, take notes, and make slight adjustments each time.

3) Hydration: On a daily basis, many people are dehydrated and just don’t realize it. Dehydration can result in headaches, poor digestion, hypertension, joint aches and more. We then drink alcohol and caffeine which dehydrates us further. When we run, we perspire and lose vital nutrients that are needed to sustain a long distance run. If we start a run in a state of dehydration, then we significantly increase the likelihood of cramping, muscle fatigue and low energy. Even if we replenish some liquids during the run, we still won’t be able to do so at a fast enough rate. The best way to address this is to fully hydrate your body a day or two before your long run. You may find yourself urinating quite a lot during these pre-run days, but it will ensure that your body will be fully hydrated for your run.

For a detailed and somewhat humorous account of my path to completing my first marathon, take a look at the Run for your Life blog series on SuperFitSuperFood.com.

WHY AM I BURNING OUT AND HOW CAN I AVOID IT?

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

Why am I burning out and how can I avoid it? To answer this question ALMA Wellness reached out to our friend Penni Mannas Diefendorf, the Founder & Director of truthredux.com, an online community and repository of ideas and strategies to live life at your highest potential. In the article, Penni defines burnout, discusses adrenal fatigue, and suggests 3 ways to avoid burnout. Over to you Penni…

We are creatures of flesh, blood, bone, sinew and chemicals. Though we generally tend to forget that last, as it is not immediately noticeable. What we have previously dismissed as “burn out” from overworking, might be adrenal fatigue – a consequence of sustained levels of cortisol in the blood stream, leading to an inability to shut off stress. Much like a diabetic loses the ability to balance out their blood sugar levels. Fortunately, an increasing focus is being given to the function of the adrenal gland whose main purpose is to release hormones in response to stress.

Symptoms of Burn Out

Do these symptoms sound familiar? If so, you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue.

Feeling tired for no reason.
Having trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour
Feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
Difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
Craving salty and sweet snacks.
Feeling more awake, alert and energetic after 6pm than you do all day.
General weakness
Dizziness when you stand up
What Triggers Adrenal Fatigue?

In short, it is our current way of life. The human body was never built to be in “fight or flight” mode 24/7. So chronic stress, prolonged bouts of lack of sleep and little or no relief from life’s challenges contribute to an adrenal gland that is on full alert all the time.

Why Is It Critical to Avoid Adrenal Fatigue?

If you consider that the hormones produced by the adrenal gland are critical to all metabolic functions, you will begin to appreciate the accuracy in the prediction “stress kills”. It is a physiological surety.

And yet, we push our bodies to the limit, believing that somehow our physiology will compensate – and it does, to a remarkable degree. Until it completely breaks down, perhaps beyond the point of no return.

It is best to realise what you are doing to yourself and your life and make a few significant changes. It is also very worthwhile to take this quiz to figure out where you are on the adrenal exhaustion scale https://www.adrenalfatigue.org/take-the-adrenal-fatigue-quiz

3 Ways to Avoid Burn Out

1. Limit Your Daily To-Do List

For real! We over schedule and over task-list ourselves thinking that by doing that we would somehow add hours to the day. But our brains and bodies do not work like that. For all of the reasons above, it is best to make plans for your day, your week, your month and your life, such that the important things get taken care of in the time that you have, and the rest fits in when and if possible.

If you can limit your to-do list to three or four main objectives for each day, your life and work will progress by leaps and bounds and be contained in a reasonable manner. A system I have found uniquely helpful for this is the 60-60-30 method which you can learn about in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVj2cliMzjg

An additional bonus would be to cut out unrewarding tasks and duties altogether. Thoughts and actions that do not inspire joy are best left by the wayside, creating space for activities and pursuits that are more nourishing.

2. Balance Your Life With Fun

There is much spoken about work-life balance, but from a physical point of view, the need to shut down the adrenal gland for significant portions of time is becoming clearer as our bodies give way to more, and more deadly, diseases as the years go by – rising in tandem with the stressors we are under.

The mind and spirit need frequent and refreshing breaks, just as much as our physical body does. So rediscover the fun facet of yourself – whether it is in sports, a good book, a stroll, just because. Allow yourself time-outs in your day to enjoy what you are working so hard for. To sit in the sun, to lunch in the park. It is not so difficult to fit these into each day once you make up your mind to do so.

3. Contemplate Your Death

If it is difficult to make the first two things happen, then sit down and contemplate your own mortality. It might seem a strange suggestion for stress relief, but it the single most impactful way to put life into perspective. We all will die – no ifs, buts and shoulds.

So think about all the things that would make life delicious and enjoyable. Think about it from the perspective of never being able to do them again. Which ones inspire deep regret? Then incorporate those as regular activities.

Why wait for an unalterable circumstance to occur before you bemoan all the things you did not do when you had the health, the wherewithal and the opportunity to. Life is more fleeting than we allow ourselves to believe. Live it now!

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Guest author Penni Mannas Diefendorf is the Founder & Director of truthredux.com, an online community and repository of ideas and strategies to live life at your highest potential. She is author of the “Core of Steel” series, the first two books of which are: UNCONFORM: Only the conscious thrive and Going home: A roadmap to fulfillment and abundance by finding your truth available on amazon.com

FIND THE ROOT CAUSE AND FIX IT

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

On a recent flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai, I was flipping through a newspaper and noticed this headline: “Beijing recruits scientists to wipe out pollution.” The article went on to taut all the great scientific research that China is doing to clear air pollution and the fact that “scientists had yet to find truly effective measures to reduce smog.” While some may have read this article with relief or optimism, I was a bit bothered and disgusted.

This is a perfect example of addressing symptoms and not dealing with the root cause of the problem. Now, I’m not a pollution scientist, but I think I have a solution – stop the factories and automobiles from spewing out pollutants in the first place.

Blog – Cause not Symptoms 2

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is prevalent. Doctors do it when they blindly write prescriptions after asking the patient only a few basic questions. Teachers do it when they help students with rote memorization techniques to score well on standardized exams, as opposed to helping students gain a deep understanding of the content.

When it comes to our personal health we’re all guilty, including myself. Too often we want the quick fix. We come up with a solution that ‘temporarily’ fixes a symptom of a problem we’re facing and we think we’ve solved it. Yet the problem returns. We drink coffee to stay awake, when really we simply need to sleep more the night before. We take pills to stop headaches, when we should just drink more water since the root cause of many common headaches is dehydration. As an Executive Health Coach, I hear many such examples on a regular basis.

So what am I suggesting?

I’m suggesting that if you have a nagging recurring issue with your health (mental, physical or emotional), take time to properly assess the situation. Dig deep to find the root cause of the problem even if it uncovers more pain. Because once you address the root cause – all of the symptoms will go away. Yes all of them!

How do you do that? Three suggestions:

1) Ask Yourself Questions: Assess your situation frequently by asking yourself what you may have done this morning, last night, or last week to have caused the problem? And what are you doing on a regular basis to add fuel to the flame to create the recurring problem?

2) Answer Your Questions Without Bias or Judgment: Only when you are true to yourself will you uncover the deepest problems

3) Take Action: Once you’ve figured out the problem you’ve completed the most difficult task. Now don’t just stand there complaining, do something about it.

WHY ANNUAL HEALTH CHECKS ARE INSUFFICIENT

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

Annual physical exams and employer-sponsored health risk assessments are excellent tools for assessing your physical and mental wellbeing. However, these checkups tend to be administered annually, or bi-annually at best, and administered only by medical professionals.

For executives and busy professionals who experience stress on a daily basis, a new paradigm is required. I suggest that we look at health assessments from a completely different perspective. We must gain control of our own wellbeing and not wait for a medical professional to identify areas in which we are lacking.

How do we do this?

We do this by engaging in a frequent self-assessment practice.

Your body talks to you all the time. The problem is, most people don’t even realize that their body is sending messages. Even if we recognize some of the messages, most of us don’t know how to assess them. And even fewer of us have the extensive health vocabulary necessary to select the best response.

For example, the rumbling in your stomach – does that mean that you’re hungry? Well, that’s what we were taught to think ever since we were children. However, that’s not the only way to assess that message. In many cases, the hungry feeling is your body’s way of telling you that you’re dehydrated. Respond first by drinking a glass of water and seeing if the hungry feeling disappears.

Many people drink coffee, even several cups per day, to give them boosts of energy. But a lack of energy may mean that you should include frequent afternoon stretch breaks to improve oxygen flow to your brain and body. It may mean a change is needed to your evening rituals to enable deep sleep.

And, of course, there are food cravings – one of the most commonly discussed messages our body sends to us. A craving is your body’s way of telling you that it lacks some kind of nutrient. Sweet cravings. Salty cravings. Crunchy cravings. Cold and creamy cravings. A craving may mean that your blood sugar is low, your body lacks minerals, or you need some emotional support.

Here are 5 metrics that you can monitor daily. You can also complete the FCO Assessment for more ideas on how to start a daily self-assessment practice.

5 Daily Health Metrics:

1) Are you dehydrated?

2) Do you get enough deep sleep?

3) Do your energy levels fluctuate drastically?

4) Are you thinking clearly?

5) How well are you managing stress?

Do not wait for your employer to sponsor your medical exam. Do not wait for your doctor to give you shocking news. Ask yourself these simple questions and if you feel the need to address your situation, then take action!

The above post contains excerpts from Edwin’s book: “Fit for the Corner Office: An Executive Health Guidebook to Achieve Peak Performance at Work and in Life.”

INSPIRATION FROM EVA IN ECONOMY

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

On my flight back to Hong Kong, I sat next to a 40-something year old woman who was dressed in business attire and somewhat flustered as I assume she rushed to get to the plane on time. I didn’t think anything of it.

After one movie and a meal was complete, she removed her bag from the overhead compartment and took out a book and a pen. When she put them on her tray table, I quickly glanced over and couldn’t help but smile because I had recently recommended the same book to a friend of mine. It was a book called, “What Color is Your Parachute?” – one of the best selling books for job hunters and career changers.

What is most interesting about this book is not the tips for finding a job, but rather the deep probing questions and written exercises that help the reader think carefully about what is most important to them. These exercises are a personal audit and are meant to help the reader to figure out the characteristics of a job or career that is best suited to them.

As an executive health coach, I often tell my customers to engage in a similar personal audit – something I call a self-assessment. Too often when trying to improve our health we jump into an activity immediately because it’s what we ‘assume’ is best. For example, signing up for a fitness club membership, following the latest fad diet, or taking a weekend retreat to Thailand. Unfortunately, many of these activities fail to address our long term needs.

If you take even just a few minutes to do a proper personal audit, then it will be relatively very simple to determine the activity that will address your need. In a recent blog post called “Why Annual Health Checks Are Insufficient,” I discuss the importance of daily self assessments as way to mitigate long term health concerns and the FCO Assessment as a tool to help you do so.

HOTEL ROOM EXERCISES FOR THE BUSY EXECUTIVE

November 17, 2017 by awellnes

Introduction

During my 15 year career in the tech industry, I traveled hundreds of thousands of miles across multiple continents. When I was at home, I was always fortunate to have proper fitness facilities nearby and I made sure to exercise often. However, I traveled 50% of the time and needed a set of simple but effective exercises that would keep me energized throughout my business trip and help me battle jetlag.

As a result, I created a comprehensive set of bodyweight exercise routines that kept me fit while on the road for many years. These routines became the basis for what I now call the ALMA Bodyweight Circuit – a series of exercise routines (of varying levels) that can be performed anytime, anywhere, with only your own bodyweight.

ALMA wellness‘ health coaching clients will learn all of these circuits, but for our online readers, here is the ALMA Bodyweight Circuit – Level 1. The initial goal is to complete this circuit three times in one training session. Once you can complete this circuit five times in one session, then I recommend moving onto Level 2.

ALMA Bodyweight Circuit – Level 1

Jumping Jacks (30 repetitions) – great exercise to get blood flowing to all parts of the body

Press Ups (10 repetitions) – the most complete exercise to train your chest, shoulders, arms, and core muscles. Also see this article for more variations.

Sit Ups (10 repetitions) – one of many exercises to train your abdominal muscles

Squats (10 repetitions) – great exercise for your glutes and thighs

Tricep Dips (10 repetitions) – primarily trains your triceps and a little bit of your shoulders

Plank (hold position for 10 seconds) – one of the best exercises to train your core muscles. Improving your plank will help you improve your press up.

Repeat this exercise circuit for a total of 3-5 circuits