Why is Running Addictive? The Runner's High

Running is with out a doubt, addictive. Many individuals rely on running to maintain a normal mood state. Anytime running is taken away due to injury, schedule conflicts, etc, it can cause withdrawals. When running is completed, these individuals can feel a sense of euphoria and contentment. Running can be like any other addictive behavior in that is causes dependency, withdrawal, and tolerance.

Since running has mood regulating properties, it is known to be addictive. Of course running has a lot more positive than negative effects when it comes to addiction because of it's numerous beneficial effects on overall health, but it can still cause dependence and psychological issues such as nervousness, depression, and anger.

What actually causes running to be addictive? One explanation is the "Runner's High" you get from a great run. Running has addictive properties because of the substantial levels of endogenous opiates, opium like compounds that can be synthesized and released by nerve cells with in the brain. This typically occurs during intense or prolonged running workouts. This can be psychologically satisfying  because it stimulates reward pathways in the brain giving you a sense of "Runner's High".

The release of catecholamine's (adrenaline and noradrenaline) can also be triggered through running resulting in a stimulating and pleasantly arousing effect on the nervous system and various physiological functions.

Dopaminergic brain areas (parts of the brain that produce dopamine, a chemical that helps regulate mood) can also be stimulated through an intense running workout. This can have a significantly positive impact on emotional state.

An individual's endorphin response can vary depending on the type of workout they are doing. Some individuals get a greater response from shorter, intense workouts and others may produce a greater response from longer duration running workouts. Some research has shown that a runner's best event is the one that produces the most endorphin release and is practiced the most.

Makes sense though right? Who doesn't want to feel good? Running is seen as a positive addictive when it comes to producing great health benefits and also developing rewarding and productive social and professional life benefits. It can also prevent issues such as unhappiness and depression. As long as you enjoy the positive benefits of running and don't let the negative aspects of running consume your life, keep on running!

If running currently isn't a favorite activity of yours, it is time to try it out! Better yet, with New Years just a couple days away, sign up for a race for 2014! Throw on your running shoes and start training! Become apart of a positive addiction that can run you in the right direction.

Please feel free to post your comments or email me with questions!!



Happy Runner's High Running :)

Sleep! Are You Getting To Bed On Time?

Sleep is extremely important for your body's overall function. You absolutely need it. Many of us don't not get enough sleep at night, go to bed late, wake up early, depend on caffeine to make it through our days, and so forth, but what if you just went bed on time? I am going to explain further why sleep is so important.

- The Sleep/Wake Cycle -

Cortisol is released in response to the exposure of light. This activates the body and prepares it for work, movement, and whatever is necessary for survival. Cortisol naturally releases at 6am to wake you up and prepare you for the day ahead! It peaks from 6am-9am. Through out the day cortisol will slowly drop off and allow the production of melatonin. This also increases the levels of growth and repair hormones. If we follow our natural sleep/wake cycles we will get optimal sleep being in bed by 10pm!

We have a natural sleep/wake cycle. Depending on when you go to bed and when you wake up, you natural sleep cycle can be very much affected. So when is the best time to be sleeping?

Your body's physical repair happens between 10pm and 2am in the morning. Your body's psychogenic repair happens from 2am-6am in the morning.

 

What happens when you disrupt your natural sleep/wake cycle?

 

It is typically due to excess of cortisol released through out the day. Anytime that cortisol is released, it inhibits your body to produce melatonin, growth hormones, and important immune factors. Different factors that can release cortisol include: fluorescent lights, TV, computer screens, caffeine, nutrition, etc. Lets say you decide to go to bed at midnight, you are losing 50% of your physical repair cycle of sleep.

 

If you are someone that watches TV at night, is still doing work on their computer, has poor nutrition, drinks coffee through out the day (other types of caffeine), a combinations of these things and so forth, you are probably depriving yourself of a normal sleep/wake cycle, and exhausting your body's adrenal glands. Chronic exposure to cortisol releasing activities, the adrenal glands will be overworked and can cause a depressed immune system, illness, and chronic fatigue.

 

- Disrupted Sleep/Wake Cycle - 

 

 





 

 



How do you optimize your sleep/wake cycle?

 

1. Get to bed by 10pm

2. Minimize your exposure to bright lights 2 hours before bed

3. Sleep in a room that is completely dark

4. Avoid the consumption of stimulants after lunch (caffeine, sugar, nicotine)

5. Good nutrition - eat right

6. Drink plenty of water - dehydration stresses your body

7. Exercise! Just not right before bed!

8. If possible, keep electrical devices away from the bed (TV's, lights, clocks, etc)

9. 7-8 hours of sleep each night

10. Repeat.

 

Are you getting to bed on time? If not, it is time to take steps into reducing your daily stress and naturalizing your sleep/wake cycle! Your body will thank you for it.

 

Please feel free to comment or ask any questions!!!

 

Happy Sleep for Running :)

 

 



Maple Pecan Protein Bars - Yum!

Today I made a batch of Maple Pecan Protein Bars and they are so good! I definitely recommend that you try them! I was searching and searching for a good recipe and I thought I would try this one out!

Here is how you make them!



Here are the ingredients...

1 Cup - Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Cup - Oatmeal
1/2 Cup - Almond Butter
1/2 Cup - Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup - Chopped Pecans
1-2 Cap Fulls of Vanilla Flavoring
1 Cup - Coconut Shredded (topping)



**Mix all of the ingredients together! First mix together the dry ingredients (vanilla protein powder, oatmeal, pecans) then one by one mix in the wet ingredients (almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla flavoring)**



**Once all of the ingredients are mixed together, smash the ingredients in containers to store and have later (like in the picture) OR put in a 8 X 8 pan. Then put some of the remaining raw pecan pieces on top.**

 

**Lastly put shredded coconut on top of the bars and place in the fridge!

**Once they are refrigerated for 20 minutes or more, take out of the fridge**



 AND ENJOY!!






**Please feel free to share your protein bar or other recipes!**

Happy Nutritious Running! :)

A Running Workout To Try On The Treadmill - Beat The Boredom

The winter time can be a rough time of year in Minnesota for outdoor runners. Some might continue on there outdoor runs and beat the cold, but many of us decide to use the treadmill for more workouts during the winter time. Treadmill workouts can be SO boring! How can you make indoor running that much more enjoyable?? Here is one of my favorite workouts on the treadmill, and keeps me from getting bored especially on my longer mileage days.

Here is my typical workout but of course adapt it to your training zones & current paces...

2 mile warm up - 7.5mph-9.9mph
Start - 9.1mph 0.5% incline for 2 minutes - 9.1mph 1% incline 2 minutes
9.2mph 0.5% incline for 2 minutes - 9.2mph 1% incline 2 minutes
9.3mph 0.5% incline for 2 minutes - 9.3mph 1% incline 2 minutes
etc... etc...
End - 10mph 0.5% incline 2 minutes - 10mph 1% incline 2 minutes
2 mile Cool Down

Total run - 10-11 miles

For someone else doing this workout, if those are not your current paces, start at the low end of your zone 1 (or an easy run pace) and build up to the top of your zone 2 (or a slightly harder pace, but a pace that you can still hold until the end of the workout) by changing the pace and incline every 2 minutes. Also you can go higher on your inclines - 1%, 2% etc. For me it's a nice mental break every 2 minutes because it slightly changes the workout. Also start with your typical warm up and end with a nice and easy cool down.

TRY IT! I think you will like a change of pace on the treadmill especially if you are not a treadmill runner!

Feel free to comment or post any of your treadmill running ideas!!!

Happy Indoor Running :)

Maximal Running Speed - How Important is it to Running Performance?

Maximal running speed  is the highest speed that can be sustained for a full out 50-meter sprint! It is a significant predictor of endurance performance. Many runners are unaware of the close relationship between maximal speed and endurance success. Anywhere from a 10K to marathon, maximal running speed will increase running times and success.

How significant can maximal running speed be when competing in an aerobic (use of oxygen) event like a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, and ultra marathon? Maximal running speed from an energy system standpoint, is basically performing at an anaerobic speed (without the use of oxygen - how fast can your body breakdown glucose into lactate without oxygen involvement?).

Looking at traditional anaerobic-aerobic training, it is difficult to understand what is really happening in the body during running performance. Successful running involves much more than the presence of aerobic and anaerobic enzymes in the muscle. What if we just inject a bunch of anaerobic enzymes into the runners leg? That would improve performance right?

Unfortunately, the nervous system's role as director of speed development is independent of energy producing systems in the muscle fibers.

Maximal speed improves as the nervous system learns to...
1. Coordinate the muscles in ways that promote a faster stride rates
2. Shorter contact times with the ground per step
3. Quicker generation of substantial propulsive forces

**These factors are extremely important for competitive endurance running**

 

 

To develop the ability to run faster while increasing the capacity to sustain higher speeds over extended periods of time is a key goal for endurance runners.

 

-How can you improve maximal speed?

-By increasing stride rate & stride length

 

 

-3 Ways To Increase Stride Rate -

1. Emphasize high speed running - run at maximal speed - 50-300 meter sprints

2. Carry Out Explosive Drills - require feet on and off the ground as fast of possible - as specific to running gait as possible

3. Emphasize Agility & Coordination Training - reduces the requirement to stabilize the leg & body when the foot makes contact with the ground

 

-3 Ways To Increase Stride Length-

1. Carry Out Running Specific Strengthening Movements - these movements should mimic running mechanics with increased resistance

2. Hill Training - the most specific form of strength training for running

3. Develop Agility & Coordination - optimal amount of the leg-muscle force can be used for propulsion

 

The endurance runner that has an optimized maximal running speed has a huge benefit over other competitive runners who have lacked this type of training! Train smarter & harder while increasing your maximal speed running performance!

 

Feel free to post comments or email me!

 

Happy Maximal Speed Running :)

The Top 5 Reason Why You Should Eat Plenty of Protein!

Reason #1: Increased Thermic Effect of Feeding.

While all macronutrients require metabolic processing for digestion, absorption, and storage or oxidation, the thermic effect of protein is significantly higher than that of carbohydrates and fat. In fact, protein requires 25-30% of the energy it provides just for digestion, absorption, and assimilation while carbs only require 6-8% and fat requires 2-3%. That means that eating protein is actually thermogenic and can lead to a higher metabolic rate. This means greater fat loss and less fat gain.

Reason #2: Increased Glucagon.

Protein consumption increases plasma concentrations of the hormone glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for antagonizing the effects of insulin in adipose tissue, leading to greater fat mobilization. In addition, glucagon also decreases the amounts and activities of the enzymes responsible for making and storing fat in adipose and liver cells. Again, this leads to greater fat loss and less fat gain.

Reason #3: Increased IGF-1.

Protein and amino-acid supplementation has been shown to increase the IGF-1 response to both exercise and feeding. Since IGF-1 is an anabolic hormone that's related to muscle growth, another advantage associated with consuming more protein is more muscle growth when overfeeding and/or muscle sparing when dieting.

Reason #4: Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk.

Several studies have shown that increasing the percentage of protein in the diet (from 11% to 23%) while decreasing the percentage of carbohydrate (from 63% to 48%) lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations while it increases in HDL cholesterol concentrations.

Reason #5: Improved Weight Loss Profile.

Research has shown that reducing the carbohydrate ratio from 3.5 - 1 to 1.4 - 1 increases body fat loss, spares muscle mass, reduces triglyceride concentrations, improves satiety, and improves blood glucose management.

 

 

If you do not have enough protein in your current nutrition, here are 5 reason why you should start. I recommend 1 gram of protein per lean body tissue and up to 1 gram per body weight for individuals. For individuals trying to lose weight, I recommend 1 gram of protein for there ideal body weight.

 

For example, if there current body weight is 200lbs and there ideal body weight is 175lbs, I recommend 175 grams of protein per day.

No matter what your health, fitness, and performance goals are, eating plenty of protein has benefits for every individual. Start replacing your carbohydrates with protein! You'll be happy you did!

Feel free to post comments or email me!

Happy Nutrition for Running :)