Welcome to your quick-fire, end of week update with a few bite-sized bullet points covering what we’re learning about and loving in three areas: fitness, nutrition and mindset. One bullet from each trainer, a little nugget of health and fitness gold.
FITNESS: Vee has running wisdom
With Sydney’s running season in full swing, Vee is preparing herself for the upcoming run of fun runs. (See what we did there?) Whether you’re training for the Sydney Half Marathon in May, City2Surf in August or the Sydney Running Festival in September, here are some essential training methods you should incorporate into your weekly running.
- Tempo Run – a challenging yet manageable run. Tempo runs should feel comfortably hard, so start easy and build speed until you’re running at a pretty challenging pace for the major portion of your run, then gradually ease off the speed until you’ve finished running. Tempo running will significantly improve your metabolic fitness by training your body to use oxygen more efficiently and more easily break through your lactic threshold.
- Easy Run – running at a speed that’s slower than your Tempo run or race pace. It’s all about running easily at a pace allowing you to comfortably hold a conversation. Easy runs should be your most enjoyable runs where you take in the scenery, while your body continues to adjust to greater running volume, your heart gets stronger and your body is learning to be more effective at delivering oxygen to your muscles.
- Intervals – a series of high intensity sprints with speeds much greater than your normal training (i.e. you’re typically running at 70-90% of your top pace), followed immediately by rest intervals. Interval training is critical for developing leg speed and power, shortening recovery time and increasing VO2 Max.
- Hills – the ideal way to build up your leg, glute and core strength. Maintain a fast pace on the uphill portion (pedal to the metal!) and relax on the downhill portion, providing you recovery time.
AGOGA’s Outdoor running classes cover Intervals and Hills, so come along at 6am Tuesday morning for a satisfying dose of running… plus it’s the perfect time to ask Vee for specific running advice 😉
NUTRITION: Libby has caffeine (research) on the mind.
When the weather gets colder, coffee becomes THAT much more attractive; dark mornings, warm cups and (legal) uppers go together like honey and bees. But is it really healthy for you? Well, yes it can be. And no, sometimes it isn’t.
Some of the good things caffeine can do for you are; reduce your risk of depression, improve cognition and memory, boost athletic performance, improve insulin sensitivity and even pack a decent antioxidant punch. Some of the bad stuff it can land you with are; acid reflux, anxiety and sleep disturbance, iron deficiency, reduced female fertility, moodiness, dehydration and dry skin, as well as scoring yourself a bit of a dependency (who, us?).
This week Lib has been researching just how much coffee is healthy and how much will push you over the edge into stressy-pants, no sleeping territory. The bottom line? Different people deal with caffeine very, erm, differently.
Genetically, there are both fast and slow caffeine metabolisers. For the fast guys, caffeine is cleared from the body within 8-12 hours max. For the slow guys, it’s more like 12-24 hours. And within those fast/slow categories, there are people with gene variations that affect how much caffeine influences their health regardless of the speed at which their liver can deal with the substance.
So, the bottom line? Everyone’s different and you’re kinda on your own here, but there are a few things you can experiment with to find out whether you should be drinking coffee every day… or saving it for every now and again.
Try being very aware of how caffeine affects your body, from your mood to your digestion, heart rate and feelings of anxiousness… or not. Notice how you feel in the hours after your morning brew and keep that in mind. Consider how dependent you are on the black stuff and whether that’s something you really want. And keep in mind that if you’re a slow metaboliser, drinking multiple cups within a 24-hour period is likely to build up and make you feel pretty shitty in the end. But if you feel good? Healthy? Calm? Better? By all means, keep sipping, because there are definitely benefits for some people!
Just remember, no matter how you’re genetically set up, coffee first thing when you wake up (particularly if you’re a pre-dawn riser) is probably not a great thing to do to your body – that’s when cortisol (the stress hormone) is naturally rising, and you don’t want to add too much fuel to the fire, or have your body get lazy and switch off its own cortisol production because it starts to rely on caffeine to do the job. So wait until you’ve been up & at ‘em for an hour or two before you make your order.
And Lib’s favourite time to sip on a cheeky espresso? Well, she’s done the genetic test and is a slow metaboliser, so it’s about half an hour before she hits the gym, when she can burn all that energy off quick-smart. Maybe not every day… but while she’s getting used to the Autumn weather, we’ll cut her some slack 😉
MINDSET: Nic starts the day on the right foot.
Start your morning routine with these two quotes/mantras. Read, recite, meditate and enjoy.
Every day, think as you wake up,
today I am fortunate to be alive,
I have a precious human life,
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself,
to expand my heart out to others,
to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others,
I am not going to get angry or think badly about others.
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
– His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favourite day,” said Pooh.
– A. A. Milne
Thanks for reading Agogians! Have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you in the studio.
