By Brian Lange
Most people who have lost weight (and kept it off) adopted these five habits. It’ll be your loss if you adopt them, too. The good news is that as a runner you have a head start joining this group. So let’s get you losers going, follow these 5 steps and keep the weight off forever.
Keep up the carbs
As a runner you need carbs to fuel your workouts. The key is selecting the right carbs. Foods rich in fiber, like grains, beans, beans, fruit and vegetables.
Fiber helps you to feel fuller and research shows that a diet that includes 34 or more grams daily actually drops the number of kilojoules your body takes up from food. Over a year this could relate to a 6kg weight loss.
Take Notes
Like you would log kilometers and times, so should you keep a food diary. Take note of precise portions and kilojoules counts. The bonus for runners is that, combined with a running log, a food diary can help determine the connection between eating and energy. For example, how a late-afternoon snack of trail mix might affect your performance on an after-work run.
Be a morning person
Make sure you sit down and have breakfast. Eat a bowl of fiber dense cereal with fruit if possible. Eating in the morning is extremely important for runners who work out in the morning.
It helps restock drained glycogen stores and replaces vitamins, minerals and protein needed for good health.
Weigh in
Routinely stepping on the scale and checking your weight is another way to stay on the losing side. Don’t become obsessive, weigh yourself once a week and to make sure you are being accurate always on the same day and the same time.
Don’t fret if you don’t lose weight every time you jump on the scale, it’s not natural. These things take time but stick to the plan and it will happen.
Keep moving
You know that as a runner burning kilojoules tips the scale in your favor. The weird fact is research shows that people who exercise daily weigh less than sedentary folks (no kidding) but they eat more.
Decide when you are going to run and stick to the plan. On the days that you are not running, try and get some cross training in or any other exercise that will burn a few kilojoules.
Even cleaning the garage out or taking the dog for a walk counts, just keep moving. Follow these 5 simple but effective guidelines and you will be able to be the ultimate loser.
My wife and I have been running for approximately the last ten years. We have run races over all distances and have completed probably one of the toughest ultra marathons in the world, the Comrades Marathon. To date we have probably run in the region of 10 000 kilometres. Some time ago we decided to start a website on running to share our the tips and good advice that we have picked up along the way. http://brilliant-running-tips.com is exactly just that. On our site you will find everything you need to know about running and a whole lot more.
Subscribe to my site http://brilliant-running-tips.com/brilliantrunningtips.html and get the latest top tips and advice delivered directly to your mail box. And please don’t worry I hate spam as much as you do.
