Author: Maria Runs

Common gym mistakes

Hey peeps,

After the London Marathon the other weekend I am sure some people are getting inspired to start a new exercise regime. I have a little guest post for you, all about common gym mistakes (and if you read to the end you will see some of the mistakes I have seen too- one of them still amuses me today).

Common Gym Mistakes

A common gym mistake made by new gym-goers and regular fitness fanatics is underestimating the amount of fuel to consume both before, during and after a workout.
If you have never been to a gym before, take a large bottle of water, approximately 1 litre. I always keep a spare bottle in my car or gym locker in case of emergencies. The most important thing to remember is that you need to replace the fluid that you are sweating out as it is your body’s way of cleansing. Make sure that you also drink plenty of water or energy drinks after your workout as well, to restock your fluids on your body’s cool down. LA Fitness have water on tap at all of their gyms so there’s no excuse!

Food is just as important as water. Lots of people who go to the gym with the purpose of losing weight go on an empty stomach with the notion that this will help them lose weight faster. This is completely wrong as your body cannot burn off the energy unless it has fuel and will tire much quicker. Proteins and good carbohydrates such as brown rice, brown bread and cereal bars are a great source of fuel to keep your body going. However, try not to eat too close to a workout, I find a banana is a fantastic source of energy without compromising feeling sea-sick or risking stomach cramps and stitches halfway through your time at the gym.

It is also important to refuel after the gym, and remember that your body continues to burn the fat well after your workout. It doesn’t mean that you should go home via the chip shop (or Starbucks!), but again stick to carbohydrates, healthy fats and proteins to keep your metabolism going.

Without fuel your body cannot function and it is easy to forget this when many of us are seeking to lose weight and see food as the enemy. Just make sure you choose the right food and drink to aide your exercise and see improvements whatever your aim.

So, what was the mistake I noticed?

Years ago I used to belong to the gym, and used to go about 3 times a week after work. The gym was only small, with a couple of bikes, maybe 6 treadmills, plus a few other machines, and weights machines. Anyway, there was a lady who was only wearing a swimming costume while on the exercise bike. To this day I can’t quite believe that she did that! But I would say wearing cotton is a massive mistake (especially light grey!). If you are going to get sweaty, cotton gets damp and then does not dry, so it goes soggy and rubs (and the light colours show up the sweat a lot). So I would say get a cheap sweat-wicking top as it will leave you feeling much cooler and with less chafing.

I also think fuelling is a massive issue, and something that can take a while to get right. I find that bananas are not good for me to have before I exercise, whereas a post race banana is something I really look forward to.

I have also learnt over time that I don’t always need something to eat before I workout. I used to be a bit paranoid about feeling hungry during a workout (I had a couple of dizzy spells at one point and started to equate feeling hungry with feeling faint), so I would always have a small snack like a cereal bar before going to the gym. Since taking up running I have learnt that I can run in the morning for up to an hour before breakfast, and if I am running further I can manage with a small snack, head out and eat breakfast when I get home (and on these runs I run much faster too- no stomach issues to slow me down). But this is individual to everyone so I think you have to work out what suits you.

I also think that fitness classes are sometimes underrated, and I wish I had tried the classes out sooner. I really enjoy them for something different, and find them really motivating (this is a lot to do with the instructors)- but then if you try one and don’t like it you have only lost an hour.

Finally I would say that you should make the most of the induction time with the instructors. When I look back I was so nervous about going, and really just wanted to get on and do it myself, so I didn’t ever have a program set up for me, but I can see how beneficial it would have been, as I just spent my time plodding on the cardio machines and then guessing at random weights for all the weights machines.

Are you a member of a gym? What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a member?

Black bean and avocado tacos

These are delicious.

You should make them.

That is all.

On Sunday I was flicking through the Waitrose magazine and came across this recipe for tacos. I showed it to Andy who agreed it looked delicious, and  so we had that for dinner on Sunday. (It is a free magazine so I think it is OK to put it on here??)

Ingredients:

One red onion

Small tin of sweetcorn

Coriander (we had none so used fresh basil)

Tin of black beans

1 avocado

Cumin (we had none so left that- a little chilli might be nice if you like spicy things)

Lime juice

Olive oil

Wensleydale cheese

2 Tortilla wraps

Method:

Chop the onion and cook in the olive oil, then add the cumin (if you have it). Then add the drained black beans and sweetcorn, and heat through.

Meanwhile warm the tortillas in the oven for a few minutes.

Take the bean mixture off the heat and stir in the lime juice, coriander, chopped avocado and some of the cheese.

Remove the tortillas from the oven, put the bean mixture on top, and sprinkle with a little more cheese and the coriander (basil). Serve with a salad (we had it with salad), or some salsa.

I also think it would be lovely on those mini soft taco circles that you get in America- will have to see if I can find them here. OK, so it looks a bit dark here, but it was so delicious. We added the cheese because it was in the recipe (and cheese + sweetcorn + beans always go well together) but I think that could easily be left out to make it a vegan dinner. As you can see my avocado obsession is continuing, but it is good to find something that we can both enjoy.

Also it was ready in about 10/15 mins, so would be perfect for a speedy midweek meal too.

What are your favourite speedy meals?

Do you try out new recipes that often? I tend to find ones I like and stick to them, but when we try something new I generally really enjoy them (although then you have to choose which regular gets pushed out of the way for the new one!).

5 miles + waffles

= a pretty good Sunday indeed!

I am so excited by all the comments on my Parkrun post- I really think it is great- for beginners or the super speedy runners too. I hope some of you decide to give it a go- and think about it, if you don’t like it you can stop half way and not take a chip at the end- and it is less time than going to a new fitness class or something.

This morning I woke up early and headed out for a 5 mile run. I have a 10k in a couple of weeks and I really want an official sub 60 min time (I think the closest I have got is 61 mins, and I have managed it on a training run but there is something official about the chip timing) so I am trying to make my weekend runs that sort of distance so I can go a bit faster. I ran up to the local lake, around in a loop, and when I got to 2.5 miles I turned around and re-traced my steps. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, but once I got going I was fine in my vest. There were rabbits to be seen, herons on the lake, and quite a few people out jogging and walking.

I kept up a pretty good pace, around 10 min miles (I was trying to take a photo of the time but it was not that clear, and also trying to multi-task as I keep the nuun tabs with the camera)- just over 5 miles done in 50.29. I know I need to go a bit faster as of course a 10k is 6.2 miles, but I ran hard yesterday so I think with some rest beforehand I should manage it (and of course there was stopping to cross roads).

Like my new socks? I love the Hilly twinskin socks, and when I bought myself a couple of new pairs before Easter I was most excited to see they now have left and right foot shaping. What I really wanted to do after that run was lay on the sofa, but I had to get showered and changed (and dry my hair- takes sooooooo long) as we were meeting friends for brunch at The Waffle House. I had a lovely breakfast one with dried fruits in the waffle, topped with bananas and cinnamon sugar. Delicious.

We have spent the rest of the day pottering around and are going to head out to the cinema later.

Last night I made a chickpea stew- I love meals like this as they cook away while I can get on with other things. First I chopped and roasted a red onion,  an orange pepper, some butternut squash, half an aubergine and a courgette- I added a little olive oil and some paprika. I think I roasted them for about 35 mins. Then I put them in a pan with a tin of tomatoes, half a tin of water (swish it around to get all the tomato juice), a drained tin of chickpeas, a little lazy chilli and a tablespoon of ground almonds. I just left it cooking for ages. Then I served it with some avocado- delicious.  Also I have 2 more portions of it for the freezer now- you can’t beat meals like that!

Happy Sunday everyone 🙂

Persuading you to Parkrun!

Hey! Now I may have only been to Parkrun twice, but I love it! And I hope that other people might share my enthusiasm.

I love the fact that Parkruns are free- compared to a lot of timed runs/ races which can be really expensive (they are not officially races, just timed runs), and they have a great community feel. To join all you have to do it go to the Parkrun website, register, and print out your personal barcode. Then you turn up at whichever one you want to go to (they mostly seem to be 9am on a Saturday), making sure you bring your barcode with you (you need it after you have finished so if someone comes to watch they can hold it for you, but it is only small so fits in a pocket). This morning I picked up my brother, and parked up at about ten to 9. We walked up to the start line (along with nearly 200 other runners!) and the person starting the race went through the route, congratulated people who had anniversaries (it was hard to hear as I was near the back)- we all gave them a round of applause anyway. The bells on the local church began to chime for 9 o’clock, and then we were off!

I didn’t think I would be as fast as last time, as my Dad was a pretty great pacer, plus I have missed 2 weeks due to going on holiday so don’t think I am quite back to normal. But after the first half a mile I glanced down and noticed the pace began with an 8. What??? The weather was perfect- cool and overcast. I had opted for capris and a vest, although a lot of people had jumpers or jackets. A little later the sun came out and it suddenly got very warm. I glanced down again and saw I was still going at 8 something minute miles. A little later (running into the wind, which was not that strong) I noticed a 9 which was what I expected more- I knew I was slowing. After 2 miles my brother caught up with me, and I told him I was slowing down whereas he told me he was speeding up! I told him I would see him at the finish line, and off he went. The St Albans route goes along a path, around a small lake 3 times, and then back along the path again. It is pretty flat, but when you leave the lake there is a short but quite steep section to get back up to the path, and I found that tough. My brother told me he tries to speed up on the final lap of the lake and then take the hill a little slower. Anyway, at that point I saw my watch was on 24 mins, and the first time I ran it, my time was 27.12. I could see the finish but I was not sure how far it was. I decided to go flat out to try and get as close to my last time as possible. My brother was just ahead of me and I went past him, and then I heard someone thundering past me- I thought it was him but it was a girl who got there a split second ahead of me! When you reach the finish you go through a little “chute”, someone has a timer, and someone else hands you a little plastic chip with a barcode on it. It is a very clever system. My brother was seconds behind me, and I think the first thing I said was “I feel sick”- I really did, although as I wait until after for breakfast I told myself I would not be. I had pushed myself hard though. Anyway, after a minute I was fine. Then we joined the queue, and this is when you need your paper barcode. You hand that and the little plastic chip to some other volunteers, and they scan them. By then it was raining a little, and I was getting cold, so we headed back to the car (I had left my jumper in there), but there were lots of people cheering in the runners- it is all very encouraging.

The other thing that I love is the email (although mine doesn’t seem to come through, which does not matter as you also get sent your links which you can click on to see the results, in fact I think you can just look for them for any Parkrun if you know people running them/ just feel nosy!)- it lists all the people who took part, their time, their pb, age grading, overall position and gender position. I could go on for hours about that! Today there were 197 people running (crazy!)- the first person finished in 17.34, and the last finisher was 40.16. There were children, serious club runners, older people; a huge mixture really. I was the 130th person to finish, and the 26th girl out of 71. Not bad really!

Also I love it that they are all over the place. Next weekend we are going to Dorset for the weekend, and I was quite tempted by the idea of going to Poole Parkrun, although we are staying in a different hotel on the Friday night so I am not sure if it will be practical. But my Dad did the Wimbledon one when he was working there for the tennis and I am sure a lot of people go to different ones. I think you would have to look on a map at the route just to check you know it, but there are marshals (volunteers- they do ask you do help out at a couple of runs per year if you can) on the routes too.

So, if you are tempted I say go for it! I probably won’t go every week as I do prefer to do my long run on Saturday morning, and it is too far for me to run there and combine it with a long run. But I think once a month or so will be good. I think I got really into the plodding along on longer runs, and I think a short sharp run is good for me too.

I looked on my Garmin when I got home and my miles were 8.46, 8.54, 8.56 (slowing all the way!) and then 8.08 for the last little bit- I did try to sprint! Not bad, but I looked back at my last one and I sped up each mile for that one- I think that is the better way to go.

After that I dropped my brother off and headed home for shower and breakfast.

Yummy! Mango coconut water, some mango, pineapple and melon, and a bowl of muesli and puffins (we bought them on holiday- we tried them in the summer and both loved them!). Delicious (and I have just found they are on i-herb too, I might be tempted…).

I have a lot of work to do this weekend, so I did some of that (partly why the Parkrun is so good is because I was home and out the shower by 10am so had a lot of the morning left), did some cleaning, had some lunch and then popped out to the shops for a break.

I needed a few bits in Boots, and saw the Naked hair conditioner (I think I have seen this on a couple of blogs) so decided to give it a go. Debenhams were having a sale so I picked up a bargain top (£6!) and that summery peachy/ pink cardi.I treated myself to an ice chai latte (in my cup- saved 25p!!) and then got myself and my Mum some flowers in Waitrose. Also, the free paper this weekend has a voucher for the posh Twinings tea- I have had my eye on the Gingersnap peach tea for ages, so I am going to use the voucher for that- I love a good freebie!

Then I popped to see my Mum, and then came home for more cleaning, and more work. I am making a chickpea stew for dinner, which can cook while I do my work (ahem, this is a little brain break for me!).

I feel like it has been a productive and enjoyable Saturday 🙂

Would you be tempted to go to a Parkrun? Or if you go already what do you love about it? Did you have a good Saturday?

Bringing up the rear

Hey everyone, I hope you are all making the most of the glorious spring sunshine before we are back to overnight frosts!

I treated myself this week to an order of the new Trek flapjacks.

When I saw they were doing a flavour with coconut I could not wait to try one, and I was not disappointed. The bars have big flakes of coconuts in them, so the flavour really comes through. Delicious! The ingredients list is not as natural as a nakd bar (the chocolate coating has some sugar in it etc) but it probably compares to a Clif bar in the end, and I love those too. I had half at break time and half in the afternoon to keep me going. They have some other flavours but I imagine that the coconut is the best one! (Also if you want a 10% off code then leave a comment and I will email you).

Last night I went to the Sweatshop run. My brother has come along for the last few weeks, which has been great as we don’t see each other that much normally. We run at a pretty similar speed, and that has turned out even better as all the slower people seem to not come any more. I had worked my way to the middle of the pack (sometimes even keeping the group leaders in sight) but now I am right back to the back of the pack again. I don’t really mind because in the end you just measure against yourself, but I was finding it tough (the first mile was done in something like 8.48, so very fast for me) and those doubts starting creeping in. Not for long though. It was so hot though- I wore my Sweatshop t-shirt but I think it is time for vests now really- a few people asked me if I was OK as I had such a red face by the time we got back! Nope, that is just the colour I go in the heat!

I am off to pump tonight and am going to use the lesson I learnt last week and go slightly lighter on some of the weights as I massively struggled last week (I know it should be tough, but I had to stop a few times which shows the weights were too much).

I am hoping to go to Parkrun on Saturday morning, so I don’t want really achy legs for that.

Do you ever get that back of the pack feeling?