Winter Cross Training
Winter has come, the temperatures are dropping, and the motivation to get out the door has started to dwindle down. If this is something you can relate to, then let's have a discussion about cross training!
Strength training helps prevents injuries and is a necessary part of any fitness plan
As fun as running is, there are many other aspects of fitness to apply to this sport. No one enjoys planning a winter training plan only to figure out that most of it must be completed on the dreadmill (treadmill) due to weather conditions. However, instead of feeling sad and down about not being able to run the entire plan outdoors, this is the perfect time to begin cross training, to prepare your body for those big race day plans in the spring!
Let’s work smarter and not harder! Running puts a lot of force and endurance on the body, and our body can only withstand these forces for so long without a cross training plan. If you have no idea how to get started into other aspects of fitness outside of running do not fret! We have all been there and have struggled with finding other areas of training. However, adding other training styles into your winter plan can help you achieve that glorious PR!
Other training styles can vary from indoor cycling, weight lifting, resistance training, HIIT workouts, pilates classes, and even at home workout programs off of YouTube! All these are great to begin trying out. I will, however, emphasize the importance of adding a little bit of strength training into your program. The beauty of strength training is, you can find a dumbbell just about anywhere and you can complete a strength workout from the comfort of your own home. All you need is about 30 minutes to 45 minutes about 2 to 3 times a week for a strength training program to show some results. Adding in strength training in an off-season, can help build your leg muscles to handle all those hills in races (that we don’t really like to train for), and helps strengthen the muscles to aid in injury prevention, which is a HUGE deal! If you are wanting to avoid injuries in the winter season and head into the spring with endurance, then strength training may be a great option!
Pilates is also a great low impact fitness program to try. Pilates can help strengthen your core, elongate your muscles, and provide a more relaxing feel. (personally, I like to use pilates as a recovery workout from strength training sessions).
To keep cardiovascular and oxygen endurance going instead of time on the dreadmill you can try cycling, rowing, or even the stair master (the stair master is perfect for trail training).
Trying something new and adding in new workouts to your plan seems scary and daunting, but you will benefit from cross training and it helps to break up the indoor workouts!
Healthy Through the Holidays
Originally posted December 15, 2022
Cookies. Cake. Chocolate. Egg nog. Pie. More cookies… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
While it may be the most wonderful time of the year, for most people it is also one of the hardest times of the year to stick to a healthy routine.
To help keep this season wonderful for you and your fitness, check out the following tips:
Enjoy yourself! (with moderation)
Let’s be honest. We runners often take ourselves too seriously. We’re the kind of people who get up at 5 am to run in the dark. The kind of people who think that it’s normal to want to run over 26 miles as fast as we can so that we can run another 26 miles as fast as we can around a whole bunch of other people running 26 miles as fast they can (in an unfamiliar city). We are what some might call… “intense.” While this intensity and focus is usually a wonderful thing it can, at times, keep us from being present with the joys of life around us. We can get so focused on getting that work out in that we miss watching the annual Christmas movie with the family. We can become so concerned with “eating healthy” that we pass on grandma’s famous pie and the cookies that the kids decorated (no one said you had to eat the whole pie or all of the cookies)! While we don’t need to become gluttons and couch potatoes over the holidays, remember that the point of being healthy is to enjoy life more not less.
Say “No” to A Cycle of Guilt
So you’re making the effort to enjoy yourself over the holidays? You skipped your workout to go see Christmas lights with the family, you ate (many!) cookies at the Cookie Run, and you even had a glass of (223 calories per cup!) egg nog! … and you feel awful about all of it. In fact, you feel so bad that you say, “At this point, who cares,” pour an even bigger glass of egg nog and sit on the couch watching the original Santa Clause movie imagining the whole time that you already look like the overweight version of Tim Allen. This, my friends, is unhealthy behavior (and not because you are drinking an extra glass of egg nog). Guilt is a destructive motivator. Guilt shouldn’t fuel your workouts. Guilt shouldn’t keep you on a healthy diet. Eventually, guilt will wreak havoc on your mental health and happiness and can even become a serious physical issue especially when it is focused around health and fitness (I know, I know, this was supposed to be a lighthearted blog but it is important to acknowledge these things). Instead of guilt, allow yourself to be human. Allow yourself to have off days, as well as bad days. Remember that there is always tomorrow, next week or next month to get back on course. When you de-catastrophize things, you break that guilt cycle that so often pushes us even farther into unhealthy habits and attitudes. So if you did pour yourself that extra glass of eggnog, enjoy it! You’ll get back to your regular routine soon.
Make exercise a family affair
Maybe you don’t have time to go on your regular runs throughout the holiday season. The kids are off from school or you’re traveling home to see family? Even though that treasured run may be the “you time” you’re craving, you can still get some exercise in by involving family and friends. All you have to do is find an activity with a little more… activity. Ask everyone to go on a walk after dinner! Play Dance Dance Revolution (do people still play that?) with your kids! Go on a bundled-up bike ride! Play Twister with the family! Go on a hike! There are lots of things you can do to add a bit of movement into your day that still add quality time with the crew. Sure, it’s not your run, but it’s still exercise with the bonus of also being quality time with those you love.
Think Big Picture
Because the holidays are rife with interruptions to our treasured routines it can become really easy to hyper-focus on things that are outside of our control. Travel can make getting a workout in nearly impossible which can lead to serious frustration or impossible standards. But thankfully health is more than our specific workouts or specific weeks or months of our lives. If your flight got delayed and you’re going to miss your run, go for a walk around the airport to get more steps in. Focus more on being active than that specific activity. Yes, Christmas dinner isn’t the healthiest meal you’ll ever eat, but you can make sure that there are fresh vegetables like a high-quality salad included so that you and your family are still getting important vitamins and minerals. Are you tired from all of the holiday prep? Lucky for you sleep and rest are vital parts of health! Take a nap, go to bed early, or sleep in (if you can… sorry parents of small children). Health is for the long haul and thinking about it in broader terms will help you maintain an appropriate mindset and empower you to make healthier decisions in the midst of what can be chaos.
Introducing the Team Terra Ambassador Program
At Terra Running Company we believe that being healthy and active is for everyone, no matter a person's shape, size, age, experience level, speed, or background. We also know that running -- despite being one of the simplest and most accessible forms of activity -- can feel especially intimidating at first. Because of this we are starting the Team Terra Ambassador Program!
As a local running store, we have the privilege of meeting a lot of amazing people who love running, walking and fitness (some even more than we do)! Everyone has their own story of how they found their way through the Terra Running Company doors or to the starting line of a Terra timed race. For some it was a desire to improve their health, others were looking to fuel their next ultra marathon, and still others were simply needing good shoes to help them through their day. No matter how someone finds us, we are always inspired and excited to learn more about each person’s journey. Through the Team Terra Ambassador Program we want to give back to our customers and show off the stories of the Terra community so that everyone has the chance to be inspired!
So what exactly is it?
The Team Terra Ambassador Program is a year long (free!) membership for 10 athletes that we feel can represent the Terra community well. Terra Ambassadors receive 50% off of one pair of shoes, 20% off of all Terra owned races, 15% off apparel, a free nutrition item each month (excluding Nuun), as well as an exclusive Team Terra tee and a Terra sticker. Ambassadors will also be highlighted on terrarunning.com and our social media. In exchange we will ask our ambassadors to attend Terra events periodically, as well as share and post about Terra Running throughout the year (see the application for specifics).
What it’s not…
We know that a lot of specialty run stores have racing teams, but we wanted to imagine something different that was welcoming for everyone no matter their speed or experience. You can be fast, slow, or even exclusively a walker to join our team! We just want you to be a customer who is excited that Terra Running Company exists here in Southeast Tennessee and isn’t afraid to share your experiences to help cheer on others as they work toward their own fitness goals. And don’t think that you have to have some crazy story of how running has changed your life to be a part of the team — the whole point is to show that being active is for everyone (though if you do have an amazing story we would also love to have you)! If you are interested at all, please apply!
Healthy Through the Holidays
Cookies. Cake. Chocolate. Egg nog. Pie. More cookies… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
While it may be the most wonderful time of the year, for most people it is also one of the hardest times of the year to stick to a healthy routine.
To help keep this season wonderful for you and your fitness, check out the following tips:
Enjoy yourself! (with moderation)
Let’s be honest. We runners often take ourselves too seriously. We’re the kind of people who get up at 5 am to run in the dark. The kind of people who think that it’s normal to want to run over 26 miles as fast as we can so that we can run another 26 miles as fast as we can around a whole bunch of other people running 26 miles as fast they can (in an unfamiliar city). We are what some might call… “intense.” While this intensity and focus is usually a wonderful thing it can, at times, keep us from being present with the joys of life around us. We can get so focused on getting that work out in that we miss watching the annual Christmas movie with the family. We can become so concerned with “eating healthy” that we pass on grandma’s famous pie and the cookies that the kids decorated (no one said you had to eat the whole pie or all of the cookies)! While we don’t need to become gluttons and couch potatoes over the holidays, remember that the point of being healthy is to enjoy life more not less.
Say “No” to A Cycle of Guilt
So you’re making the effort to enjoy yourself over the holidays? You skipped your workout to go see Christmas lights with the family, you ate (many!) cookies at the Cookie Run, and you even had a glass of (223 calories per cup!) egg nog! … and you feel awful about all of it. In fact, you feel so bad that you say, “At this point, who cares,” pour an even bigger glass of egg nog and sit on the couch watching the original Santa Clause movie imagining the whole time that you already look like the overweight version of Tim Allen. This, my friends, is unhealthy behavior (and not because you are drinking an extra glass of egg nog). Guilt is a destructive motivator. Guilt shouldn’t fuel your workouts. Guilt shouldn’t keep you on a healthy diet. Eventually, guilt will wreak havoc on your mental health and happiness and can even become a serious physical issue especially when it is focused around health and fitness (I know, I know, this was supposed to be a lighthearted blog but it is important to acknowledge these things). Instead of guilt, allow yourself to be human. Allow yourself to have off days, as well as bad days. Remember that there is always tomorrow, next week or next month to get back on course. When you de-catastrophize things, you break that guilt cycle that so often pushes us even farther into unhealthy habits and attitudes. So if you did pour yourself that extra glass of eggnog, enjoy it! You’ll get back to your regular routine soon.
Make exercise a family affair
Maybe you don’t have time to go on your regular runs throughout the holiday season. The kids are off from school or you’re traveling home to see family? Even though that treasured run may be the “you time” you’re craving, you can still get some exercise in by involving family and friends. All you have to do is find an activity with a little more… activity. Ask everyone to go on a walk after dinner! Play Dance Dance Revolution (do people still play that?) with your kids! Go on a bundled-up bike ride! Play Twister with the family! Go on a hike! There are lots of things you can do to add a bit of movement into your day that still add quality time with the crew. Sure, it’s not your run, but it’s still exercise with the bonus of also being quality time with those you love.
Think Big Picture
Because the holidays are rife with interruptions to our treasured routines it can become really easy to hyper-focus on things that are outside of our control. Travel can make getting a workout in nearly impossible which can lead to serious frustration or impossible standards. But thankfully health is more than our specific workouts or specific weeks or months of our lives. If your flight got delayed and you’re going to miss your run, go for a walk around the airport to get more steps in. Focus more on being active than that specific activity. Yes, Christmas dinner isn’t the healthiest meal you’ll ever eat, but you can make sure that there are fresh vegetables like a high-quality salad included so that you and your family are still getting important vitamins and minerals. Are you tired from all of the holiday prep? Lucky for you sleep and rest are vital parts of health! Take a nap, go to bed early, or sleep in (if you can… sorry parents of small children). Health is for the long haul and thinking about it in broader terms will help you maintain an appropriate mindset and empower you to make healthier decisions in the midst of what can be chaos.