Top Running Tips To Improve Your Workout

Running – it’s something that seems so simple until you start doing it regularly and then it becomes slightly more tricky. The hardest part about running is that you need a lot of motivation and determination to keep up the pace, which some people find difficult to keep up when they’re on their own, putting one foot in front of the other time and time again. So what do you do to stay focused? You use the knowledge and wisdom of people who’ve been there and done it. Here are some of the best bits of advice from runners past and present who have battled the hardest parts of their own running workouts to provide worthy advice.

Aim for the minimum, then improve on it

Running between 8 and 15 miles each week significantly increases your aerobic capacity, meaning it has a positive effect on many of the coronary risk factors and can maintain the basic level of fitness each week. On the weeks where you’re short of time or don’t feel up to a full workout, this should be your basic level of running capability.

Be a minuteman

The most common mistake that runners make is that they think in mile increments, such as one mile, two miles, etc. But if you’re beginning as a runner, you should be thinking in terms of minutes, not miles. This makes it easier to build up slowly and can improve your ability far more effectively.

Wear the right sort of shoes

Running shoes aren’t an area to skimp on if you’re planning on running regularly and far. A good pair of running shoes should last you around 400 to 500 miles, and is one of the most vital purchases you’ll make in your running career as they stave off injury, support your feet and ankles, and ensure that you’re comfortable the whole journey.

Think big every time

On the same topic as previously mentioned, you should buy all of your running shoes slightly longer and wider than your bigger foot. You should also avoid pointed shoes. This will give your feet space to move and avoid any unnecessary foot pain.

Take the ‘talk test’

This basic ‘talk test’ basically means running at a pace comfortable enough that you can talk to your training partner easily, but not so easily that could converse for a long time without any worry. You should be suitably out of breath, but not hitting your max every time.

Listen to your body around mealtimes

If you’re hungry, you should be eating. You need to give your body what it wants, and when you’re working out a lot,you’ll be in need of sustenance. So listen to your body when it’s telling you that you need more food.

In fact, listen in general…

When you’re running, you should listen to your body – this means if you’re feeling tired or the burn is creeping up on you, ignore it and keep moving. But if you’re in pain, stop immediately.

Create your own creed

Your method should be simple – run slowly, run daily, drink moderately, and don’t overdo it at mealtimes. These simple mantras will keep you on the right track, both in terms of health and in terms of your running method.

Relax on the road

When you’re running, let your jaw bone hang loose and don’t hunch your shoulders up to your ears. Shake out your hands and arms to ensure that you don’t tense up – you need to stay relaxed at all times.

Categories: basic level, body, exercise, listen, method, Running, running shoes, Shoes, talk test, time

Break-Up Bounce Back: Are You Ready for Sex Again?

Immediately after a break up, you’re not thinking about your sexual health. However, soon enough you start considering getting back on the horse, as it were, to satisfy your needs that a no longer, ahem, being met. As the saying goes; sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. But is this the best thing for your wellbeing in the long run? After all, a great night in the sack can bolster your mental health, amping up your confidence and reminding you there are other fish in the sea. However, sometimes this isn’t always the case, and having sex with someone new sets you back a few steps on your road to recovery. So how do you know if you’re ready to have sex with someone new?

 

1. You can listen to the radio without bursting into tears: Let’s be honest; you don’t even comprehend the sadness of EVERY SONG EVER WRITTEN until you’ve had your heart broken. If you’re going out clubbing to meet someone new or he takes you back to his and tries to set the mood with some sexy tunes, you’d better make sure you can listen happily without being reminded of the past.

 

2. You can drink without bursting into tears: If you only have your crap together when you’re stone cold sober, you’re not ready to get together with anyone just yet. Having a meltdown after one glass of wine does not scream “over it” to anyone, least of all the nice new fella you’re trying to sleep with.

 

3. You know your ex was not the be-all and end-all of satisfaction: The stakes are high when sleeping with someone else, because if it’s not firing in all cylinders you’re guaranteed to start longing for your ex’s magic touch. You need to be at least open to the possibility that someone else can make you feel good in a way that may be different but still hot – and potentially even better than your ex did. Disappointment can set your progress back so wait it out until you’re genuinely ready for something different. Likewise, if you’re too miserable to have sex with yourself (i.e. masturbate), you sure as hell are not in a position to have sex with someone else.

 

4. You’re not constantly reminded of your ex: Everyone has random little things that reminds them of an ex and sets them off. However, if everyone and everything is making you freak out and burst into tears, no sex for you. Until you limit your triggers, or start to look back with fondness rather than misery, you’re not ready to move forward.

 

5. You’re confidence isn’t shaken: It’s totally ok to be fragile after a break-up, but getting naked with someone new is a really vulnerable place to put yourself in, so you need to be ready to take that step. If your new partner can’t get it up, for whatever reason, will that make you feel ugly and desirable for weeks? Before you have sex, you need to be in a place where you feel hot no matter what someone else’s expression is when you take off your clothes.

 

6. You’re prepared: Do you know what doesn’t help the heartbreak situation? Herpes. If you’re coming out of a monogamous relationship, you need to take a look at your contraceptive methods. Go out and get condoms or dental dams or whatever you need to have safe sex. If the thought of it brings the crocodile tears, you’re not ready.

Categories: Break Up, feel, listen, nbsp, Protection, ready, Sex with someone new, tears

Listen, Respond, Think and Carry On: Dealing with Criticism

Criticism is a natural part of a workplace environment. After all, how will your corporate wellness improve if you don’t know what’s wrong with it in the first place? Still, hearing negative feedback can take its toll on your sense of wellbeing, so here are four tips to help get you through it.

 

1. Listen closely. Is the criticism you’re receiving constructive? Is there any merit in it? Let’s say your partner tells you he’d like a bit more space; that can be hard to hear initially, but could eventually improve your relationship wellness. Therefore, if your boss mentions something, your mindset should be geared towards learning and adapting, rather than jumping into defence mode.

 

2. Respond calmly. Whether the criticism is helpful or just plain rude, your response should always be respectful (it may help to take a deep breath first!). Thank the person if the feedback is useful and constructive, and if it isn’t, simply smile and – as my mother would say – kill ‘em with kindness. If it hurts when someone criticises you, it’s even worse when it’s not true, but this doesn’t mean you should let it make you a smaller person. Be better than that, and prove them wrong.

 

3. Be objective. When someone criticises your work or a behaviour trait, you can end up feeling criticised as a whole person. Just because you got a D on your maths GCSE, it didn’t take away anything from your A* in English Literature. Instead, it meant that you needed to focus more on that subject or accept the fact that algebra just wasn’t for you. So, when a colleague or your boss mentions something you could improve, try to remove yourself from the situation and zero in on what’s being critiqued.

 

4. Keep going. Criticism can knock you on your backside, but you still have to get back on that horse. At the end of the day, no one knows you better than you and if you really disagree with a criticism; don’t let it get to you. Remember, it’s just one person’s point of view, and it shouldn’t stop you from realising your strengths, or working towards your goals.

Categories: boss mentions, Calm Response, Criticism, improve, listen, nbsp, person