PERFORMANCE
Little Black Dress
Advice on how to get into yours for Christmas from Marsha El-Hage, Ironman and Team GB Athlete and Jos Swingler, a runner and Head Nutritionist at RGActive Nutrition
he average person puts on weight because they consume more energy than they burn. The trick is to shift the balance by exercising smartly and eating better quality food. Every athlete wants to get faster, fitter, stronger and the way they do this is by constantly measuring their performance. So, in trying to shed some pounds and lean up you need to get equally focussed.
T
Go slower: Your body is more efficient burning fat when you
go slower. Aim to run slower but for longer periods of time - it doesn’t matter if people overtake you because it’s not a race. How slow is slow? Aim for a perceived effort of 6 out of 10 for up to 60-90 minutes. Do not work harder than this or you will not burn fat…
..and you will end up with a ‘carb belly’ which does not look good in a LBD!
Frequency: If you’re a regular runner and really set on losing
weight you can aim for a maximum of 4-6 exercise sessions a week - if you’re less experienced or less fit, aim for a number of sessions that you’re comfortable with. The golden rule is that no two sessions should be the same - the key being to keep it interesting by mixing up what you do.
Diarise it: The best way of ensuring you stick to your
programme is to make sure it’s in your diary for the month ahead. Other commitments can be planned around your training and your pursuit of a leaner body becomes priority. You are less likely to put off a scheduled appointment.
Partner up! Training is more fun with like-minded people around
to support, sympathise and motivate when necessary. Find a training partner, group, club to train with once or twice a
38 n
www.runningfreemag.co.uk
week. You could even use this session to try something completely different.
makes adopting dietary strategies Be prepared: Being organised
for fitting into that LBD a whole lot easier. Make sure you have access to healthy snacks at home, at work, in your training bag and in the car. Keeping unprocessed, whole food based snacks such as vegetable sticks, fruit and un-salted nuts and seeds close to hand, will help prevent the last minute panic buying of sugary treats. Snacking is important but keep your snacks healthy and restrict their size; no more than what you can fit in the palm of your hand.
High protein breakfasts are associated with effective weight loss and eating breakfast is essential for keeping the metabolism ticking over. Don’t skip breakfast; try having 150g of plain bio yoghurt with 50g of muesli for breakfast.
Eat breakfast every day with a source of protein:
It’s all too easy to eat large Avoid the “White and Fluffys”:
amounts of white breads, white rice, white pasta, and sugars. These foods are very energy dense and do little for satiety. Instead of basing your meals around these high carbohydrate sources, pile your plate high with any vegetables that are red, yellow, orange, purple or green. They are generally low in calories and high in fibre.
Think Satiety: The longer you feel satiated; the less likely you
are to overeat. Foods that contain protein and fibre have been shown to keep you feeling fuller for longer. High fibre vegetables such as beans and legumes combined with chicken, mackerel or salmon make for a great combination to ward off hunger pangs.
Enjoy the journey: While weight loss might be the ultimate goal,
don’t forget to enjoy the process of getting there. By eating better and exercising smarter you’ll feel better in yourself as well.
RGActive is a specialist coaching company that helps athletes of all abilities to improve their performance in the three sports that make up triathlon - swimming, cycling and running. Check out
www.rgactive.com
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