The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
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FIT TIPS Outside Running Guide By Kurtis Breed It's warming back up outside, making the idea of running not on the treadmill extra appealing. Here are some basics to get the most out of your running time while preventing boredom and injury. Don't just pull out your old running shoes from the back of the closet. The generally accepted consensus is runners require a new pair of running shoes every 300 to 500 miles. Runners who log 25 miles per week should replace their shoes every three to four months. Go to a specialty store to get your foot and stride evaluated for the best sneaker match. OLD SOLES Make sure to stay hydrated by front-loading your water and drinking before you head out for your run. Bring water with you, plan water stops, or drop sealed containers before you run, and pick them up on the way back (Don't litter). If you're drinking when you're thirsty, it's too late! WATER POWER Plan a regular time to run, preferably in the morning. On hot almost-summer days, while the morning can be humid, it is the coolest part of the day. The evening will still be hot because of the heat the ground accumulates during the day. ON SCHEDULE Wear breathable, synthetic fabrics that "wick" away sweat from the body. Also opt for fabrics that have a UPF rating (Ultraviolet Protection Fabric). Although it's tempting, don't go topless. Running without a shirt may leave you at risk of being overexposed to the sun. If you're looking to keep the sun out of your eyes, grab a visor, not a hat. A visor will provide protection from the sun without trapping heat. DRESS SMART Kurtis Breed is a fitness instructor and per- sonal trainer at the Oneonta Family YMCA. Fit Tips includes training advice from fitness experts at the Oneonta Family YMCA, as well as columns relating to fitness by others. Spin/Yoga: Sweat It Out, Stretch It Out It seems as though we are always strug- gling for balance in our lives. Work or play? Spend or save? Eat that doughnut or save those calories? The same is true for our fitness regimens. Everyone from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to your physician wants you to mix cardiovas- cular workouts with strength training, stretching and balance drills. How do you fit it all in? In truth, many of us fall short. We work too long, spend too much, and I need not elaborate on doughnut consumption. When we exercise, we tend to find that workout we love — running, cycling, Zumba, martial arts — and do it more than anything else. As anyone who has tried to lose weight will attest, our bodies adapt when we challenge them in only one way. They become efficient and limit our progress. Gyms and experts have recognized this Instructor Gabriella Boston leads the spin portion of her class at the Re- sults Gym in Washington, D.C. [and] you're getting the whole mind- body thing together." The class I took was at 8:30 a.m. on a problem and are working to offer options that incorporate more than one type of exercise per session. CrossFit may be the best known of these efforts; it mixes high- intensity cardio with strength training. But you can also find bike and barre hybrids, and workouts that combine spinning with jumping off the bike every few minutes to lift weights. of a certain age, like me, are classes that pair cardiovascular work with yoga, such as the Revolution/Yoga class at the Results Gym in D.C., which follows 45 minutes of high-intensity spinning with 45 minutes of elementary yoga. "I was teaching them separately, and I realized that I liked to do them together," Gabriella Boston said. "This is a really, really good fit. It's a full-body workout ... A saner alternative, especially for men Sunday, a time when my mind and body agree they'd rather be drinking coffee and reading the paper. But there I was, trying to keep up, as Boston, wearing a microphone, repeatedly took about 30 of us to the edge of myocardial infarction and back. We kept time with the heavy, percussive beat of a soundtrack as we stood to ride hills and sprinted as fast as our legs would turn. Hearts still pounding, shirts soaked, most of us adjourned to the yoga studio next door, rolled out mats and within a minute or two began a series of yoga poses designed to slowly cool us down as we gently relaxed and stretched the muscles we had just taxed. The slow, controlled yoga stretches were the ideal balm for the strain of spin class. "In cycling you tighten, and in yoga The Washington Post you stretch," 67-year-old Jackie Eiting said after the yoga class. She took up spinning after the pounding of running had taken its toll on her knees. Then she realized that, like most of us, she usually shortchanged herself on post-workout stretching. That "motivated me to do a full class instead of just doing stretches," she said. Flexibility and balance are not my strengths. I like to trudge forward on foot, mile after mile. I like the solitude, the rhythm. This is when my mind and body come together. I know I should do other forms of exercise, and from time to time I feel guilty enough that I'll lift weights for a few months and do some plyometrics. But inevitably I grow bored. Workouts like Boston's class will help you do better. Article by Lenny Bernstein of The Wash- ington Post. 6 O-Town Scene May 10, 2012