Resources - Newsletter

This will be a very special evening for running, with stories, and fun. You’ll come away inspired, with the glow of having helped a great organization. Everyone wins!

Featuring:
Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic Gold Medalist
The Nike Running Team that made running come alive in the 70’s, and afterward
Jeff Galloway - for promotion of running since the 72 Olympics

Special Guest: William H. Frist, United States Senator, Majority Leader of the US Senate

Benefit: the non profit American Running Association’s program to improve youth fitness. We all know that something is wrong when almost 30% of school age children are overweight or obese. The American Running Association is doing something about it and will raise funds through this event.

Special areas for Galloway folks. Celebration of Jeff’s 45 years of running

Silent Auction - with some really unique running items, memorabilia and services

For more information, visit www.oai-usa.com/running or contact Dave Watt (dave@american running.org) or Inne Kim (ikim@oai-usa.com)

“I hope you can join us. The ARA does more for promoting health and running than any I know of. It will be a fun and invigorating evening.”
Jeff Galloway

Starting Your Program

Your training program has already started. Your past exercise activity will be the basis upon which you’ll build your long-range program. Adults who were active as children have a head start. So don’t be surprised if a fellow sedentary office worker takes up running and improves faster than you. Start with what you’re presently doing, so long as it’s not already too much.

Most of the runners I have counseled have initially decreased their mileage by adding strategic rest. This has allowed them to increase the quality of work on the hard days – and has invariably led to better performance. But even if you’ve been sedentary for many years, don’t be discouraged; you can probably do things you never believed were possible, if you’ll have patience and gradually build toward your goals.

From Galloway’s Book on Running, 2nd ed. (Shelter Publications, 2002), p. 36

Set Aside 30 Minutes
The threshold to fitness is three 30-minute periods of endurance running (and walking) each week. Make an appointment with yourself. This is the time for you, a sacred half-hour. To take this time away from the rest of the world may seem difficult at first, but you can do it if you really want to. Once you habitually set this time aside, you’re almost certain to gain fitness and lose weight. Effort, in a sense is not as important as scheduling. If you get out there regularly, the results are practically guaranteed.

From Galloway’s Book on Running, 2nd ed. (Shelter Publications, 2002), p. 20

A Benign Addition
By regularly exercising 30-40 minutes several times a week for about six months, runners (or walkers) seem to develop an addiction to the relaxed feeling that comes during and especially at the end of the run. It is suspected that this is caused by the beta endorphin hormones which lock into your mid-brain area and produce a subtle tranquilizing effect. The body and mind begin to anticipate this after-exercise effect and miss it when you don’t exercise. The withdrawal symptoms vary: crankiness, tiredness, irritability, depression, etc. This natural reward will sustain you if you can just stick with your program for 3-6 months. It may not even take that long, but if it does, even a half-year isn’t a big investment for improved health and fitness the rest of your life.

From Galloway’s Book on Running, 2nd ed. (Shelter Publications, 2002), p. 20

Five Steps to Getting Started

Start by Walking. Everyone needs to feel comfortable and successful right from the start. Begin by walking for 30 minutes. Keep doing this until it feels okay.

Walk Briskly. When normal walking becomes easy, walk briskly for 30 minutes. Many people will never want or need to go beyond a brisk walk, provided they can gain the feeling that they want from their exercise, but most walkers reach a point at which the walking doesn’t provide the exhilaration they want and start to insert some segments of jogging.

Insert a Few “Jogs.” When you are comfortable walking briskly and want to step up the pace, jog for 30-60 seconds after walking for 5 minutes. Complete your 30 minutes doing these insertions. After doing this for 2-3 weeks, if there are no problems, reduce the walking to 4 minutes for 2-3 weeks. Then you may move to 3-1 for 2-4 weeks, followed by 2-1, and then 1-1. If you need more than 3 weeks before reducing the walking, take it.

Increase the Running as Desired. Increase the running segments as you feel stronger, always avoiding discomfort. You may eventually fill in the 30 minutes with slow running – or you may keep your walking breaks. Most runners find, even after years of running, that their walk break frequency will vary from day to day. Some days, I will walk for 30-60 seconds every mile or two, and other days I won’t’ need to walk more than every 9 minutes or so. When in doubt, walk more frequently -–especially at the beginning of the run.

Step It Up. If you wish, increase the time to 40 minutes three times a week. Work up to 60 minutes for at least one of these weekly sessions to increase the cardiovascular, psychological and fat-burning benefits.

Don’t underestimate the effect of rewards. Small regular rewards for specific accomplishments will often spark interest when motivation is down. Promise yourself something – a dinner out, a new pair of shoes, a good book – for finishing each of the five steps above, for when you finally put in your first hour-long session, etc. If you feel “down,” find yourself a positive experience or see someone who will bring you up. Look for something good in every run.

When you’re in shape, you begin to think differently about yourself and your life. It’s always hard to shake off the sedentary lifestyle, and the adjustment period – once you do – is difficult. But if you can make it through this period, an addiction often occurs which makes the activity self-sustaining. So have faith! Better times are coming. Be patient and enjoy yourself.

From Galloway’s Book on Running, 2nd ed. (Shelter Publications, 2002), pp. 20-22

Poll:

Would you be interested in a weekend retreat near Destin/Grayton Beach, FL?
(email carol.miller@JeffGalloway.com if you are interested)

Jeff’s Upcoming Free Clinics:

Baltimore – Friday, March 28 – 5:00 PM, Fleet Feet Sports at the Festival at Woodholme
DC/Bethesda – Saturday, March 29 –9:00 AM , Reagan Int’l Airport Holiday Inn (Crystal City)
Chicago – Tuesday, April 1 – 6:00-9:00 PM, Sears Tower Conference Center
Akron – Wednesday, April 2
Atlanta – Sunday, April 6, 8:30 a.m., Arthritis Foundation, 1330 W. Peachtree St.

If You’re Over 35

When you are past the age of 35, fatigue sets in more quickly but is usually masked by stress hormones. It’s easier to push yourself into over-training without seeing any warning signs. Then the worse the over-training, the longer the recovery: it takes twice as long for people over 35 to recover from fatigue as it does for those younger and between five and six times longer to recover from over-fatigue.

To reduce the chance of injury when you are over the age of 35, you should:

Add an extra day off (you will still need to run a minimum of three days per week).
Limit the long runs to a pace of 3 minutes per mile slower than you could run that day.
Add walk breaks to long runs, from the beginning.
In speed sessions walk for at least 2 to 3 minutes during the rest interval.
Monitor your resting heart rate carefully.

From Marathon You can Do it! (Shelter Publications, 2003), p.114

Fat As Fuel: Our “set point” determines how much fat we store
Humans are lazy. With a primary mission of survival, we are programmed to build up extra fat storage as an insurance policy. For millions of years, this propensity has allowed our ancestors to survive through periods of starvation and sickness. The mechanisms of fat storage support a well-established principle called “set point,” which determines how much we store. This powerful regulatory mechanism increases your appetite for weeks or months after periods of reduced calorie intake, illness, and even psychological deprivation, all of which deplete fat. Unfortunately, it does its job too well, leaving you fatter than you were before. Understanding how the set point works as your hedge against starvation is the most important step in learning how to adjust it downward, or at least manage it, for the rest of your life.

From Marathon You can Do it! (Shelter Publications, 2003) p.132-133

THE ATHLETE'S KITCHEN
Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, 03
Breakfast is for Champions

Without question, breakfast is the meal that makes champions. Unfortunately, many active people follow a lifestyle that eliminates breakfast or includes foods that are far from champion builders. I commonly counsel athletes who skip breakfast, grab only a light lunch, train on fumes, gorge at dinner and snack on “junk” until bedtime. They not only rob their bodies of the nutrients needed for health, but also lack energy for high quality workouts.

A satisfying breakfast tends to invest in better health than does a grab-anything-in-sight dinner. Sarah, a collegiate athlete, learned that fueling her body's engine at the start of her day helps her feel more energetic and also able to choose better quality lunch and dinner foods. That is, when she has granola, banana and juice in the morning, as well as a sandwich & yogurt for lunch, she stops devouring brownies after dinner.

Excuses to skip breakfast are abundant: "No time", "I'm not hungry in the morning" and "I don't like breakfast foods." Weight conscious athletes pipe up "My diet starts at breakfast." These excuses are just that, excuses; they sabotage your sports performance.

Here's a look at the benefits of eating breakfast. I hope to convince you that breakfast is the most important meal of your sports diet.

Breakfast for Dieters
If you want to lose weight, you should start your diet at dinner, not at breakfast! For example, do not eat a meager bowl of Special K for your "diet breakfast." You'll get too hungry later in the day and crave sweets. A bigger breakfast (cereal+toast+peanut butter) can prevent afternoon or evening cookie-binges. An adequate (500-700 calorie) breakfast provides enough energy for you to enjoy your exercise, as opposed to drag yourself through an afternoon workout that feels like punishment.
If you are trying to lose weight, you should target at least 500 to 700 calories for breakfast; this should leave you feeling adequately fed. To prove the benefits of eating such a big breakfast, try this experiment:

1) Using food labels to calculate calories, boost your standard breakfast to at least 500 calories. For example, add to your english muffin (150 calories): 1 tablespoon peanut butter (100 cal.), 8 oz. orange juice (100 cal.) and a yogurt (150 cal). Total: 500 calories.
2) Observe what happens to your day's food intake when you eat a full breakfast vs. a skimpy "diet breakfast." The 500+ calorie breakfast allows you to successfully eat less at night and create the calorie deficit needed to lose weight.

Remember: your job as a dieter is to fuel by day and lose weight by night. Successful dieters lose weight while they are sleeping; they wake up ready for another nice breakfast that fuels them for another high energy day.

Breakfast for the Morning Exerciser
If you exercise first thing in the morning, you may not want a big pre-exercise breakfast; too much food can feel heavy and uncomfortable. However, you can likely tolerate half a breakfast, such as half a bagel, a slice of toast, or a banana before your workout. Just 100 to 300 calories can put a little carbohydrate into your system, boost your blood sugar so that you are running on fuel, not fumes, and enhance your performance. You'll likely discover this small pre-exercise meal adds endurance and enthusiasm to your workout. In a research study, athletes who ate breakfast were able to exercise for 137 minutes as compared to only 109 minutes when they skipped this pre-exercise fuel.

After his morning workout, Jim, a banker, felt rushed and was more concerned about getting to work on time than eating breakfast. Using the excuse "No time," he overlooked the importance of refueling his muscles. I reminded him: Muscles are most receptive to replacing depleted glycogen stores within the first two hours after the workout, regardless of whether or not the athlete feels hungry. I encouraged Jim to be responsible! Just as he chose to make time for exercise, he could also choose to make time for breakfast.

One simple post-exercise breakfast is fluids. Liquid breakfasts take minimal time to prepare and very little time to drink, yet they can supply the calories, water, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals you need--all in a travel mug. (You can always get coffee at the office.) Because Jim felt thirsty after his morning workout, he found he could easily drink 16 ounces of juice or lowfat milk. Sometimes, he'd make a refreshing fruit smoothie with milk, banana and berries.

Later on mid-morning, when his appetite returned, Jim enjoyed the rest of his breakfast: (instant) oatmeal, multi-grain bagel with peanut butter, yogurt with granola, a banana--or any other carbohydrate-rich foods that conveniently fit into his schedule. This nutritious “second breakfast” refueled his muscles, abated hunger & curbed his lunchtime cookie cravings.

Breakfast for the noon-time, afternoon and evening exerciser
A hearty breakfast is important for people who exercise later in the day. It not only tames hunger but also provides the fuel needed for hard workouts. Research has shown that athletes who ate breakfast, then four hours later enjoyed an energy bar 5 minutes before a noontime workout were able to exercise 20% harder at the end of the hour-long exercise test compared to when they ate no breakfast and no pre-exercise snack. (They worked 10% harder with only the snack.) Breakfast works! Breakfast + a pre-exercise snack works even better!

What's for breakfast?
From my perspective as a sports nutritionist, one of the simplest breakfasts of champions is a wholesome cereal with lowfat milk, banana and orange juice. This provides not only carbohydrates to fuel the muscles, but also protein (from the milk) to build strong muscles, and numerous other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, iron (if you choose enriched breakfast cereals) and fiber (if you choose bran cereals). Equally important is the fact that cereal is quick and easy, requires no cooking, no preparation, no refrigeration. You can keep cereal at the office, bring milk to work and eat breakfast at the office. Breakfast is a good investment in a productive morning.

The bottom line
Breakfast works wonders for improving the quality of your diet. That is, eating breakfast results in less "junk food" later in the day. Breakfast also enhances weight control, sports performance, daily energy levels and future health. Breakfast is indeed the meal of champions. Make it a habit--no excuses!

Sample grab-and-go sports breakfasts
* Bran muffin plus a vanilla yogurt
* Two slices of last night's left-over thick-crust pizza
* Peanutbutter-banana-honey sandwich
* Pita with 1 to 2 slices of lowfat cheese plus a large apple
* Baggie of lowfat granola with a handful of raisins
(preceded by 8 oz. lowfat milk before you dash out the door)
* Cinnamon raisin bagel (one large or two small) plus a can of vegetable juice

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, nutritionist at SportsMedicine Associates (617-739-2003) in Brookline MA, is author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook and her Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions ($20), available in our Merchandise section.

From Runner’s World April 2003 – Research Breakthrough (p. 19)

Exercise = School Achievement: An extensive California study finds a direct connection between students’ fitness and academic performance

We’ve suspected it all along, but now a large-scale study of California fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders has shown that the most physically fit kids perform better academically.

The study: In the spring of 2001, the California Department of Education gave a standardized reading and mathematics test, as well as a “Fitnessgram” to 353,000 fifth-graders, 322,000 seventh-graders, and 279,000 ninth-graders. The Fitnessgram, developed by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, assesses six major areas of physical fitness, including aerobic fitness, body fat, strength, and flexibility.

The results: In all three grades, achievement scores increased with increasing levels of fitness as measured by the Fitnessgram. The relationship was stronger in mathematics than in reading.

Comment: “This statewide study provides compelling evidence that the physical well-being of students has a direct impract on their ability to achieve academically,” says Delaine Eastin, California’s state superintendent of public information.

Jeff Galloway’s Tahoe Retreat - July 11-18 and July 18-20, 2003

Lake Tahoe is perhaps the perfect summer running area. Join Jeff and his guests for a refreshing, invigorating stay in beautiful Squaw Valley at the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Everyone stays at the comfortable and beautiful Squaw Valley Lodge, with hot tubs, swimming, tennis, health club, etc.

The friendly 2003 presenters include Joe Henderson (Runner's World), Bob Anderson (Stretching), Dr. Gary Moran (Physiology and Strength Training), Sister Marion Irvine (the humorous and inspirational nun who qualified for the Olympic trials at age 54), and Dr. David Hannaford (podiatrist).

July 11-18 $1099 each dbl & $1549 single
July 18-20 $399 each dbl & $499 single

For more info, go to our Tahoe Retreats page or email carol.miller@jeffgalloway.com.

Jeff Galloway's Running School 2003

It’s not too late to register!
How to enjoy running more while staying injury free. . . for life

May 24 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Orange County, CA, Chapman University

May 25 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl Cottage

June 14 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Dallas, Cooper Aerobics Institute

Chicago & NYC – TBA

Individual running form analysis, with suggestions
Summary of “The Runner’s Heart” info
Motivation—goal setting
Training programs for specific goals
Motivation, Fat-burning, Injury Prevention
More!

For more info, go to our Running Schools page or contact carol.miller@jeffgalloway.com

Jeff’s Picks

March 12 – American Running Association Gala in DC http://www.americanrunning.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=39%20
March 15 - Tom King Half Marathon in Nashville http://www.nashvillestriders.com/index.html
March 22 – The Home Depot LA Philharmonic Run in LA http://www.w2promotions.com/startlaphil.asp
March 22 – Borden Uptown Run in Dallas http://www.uptownrun.org/

April 6 – Spirit of St. Louis Marathon http://www.stlouismarathon.com/news.asp
April 21 – Boston Marathon http://www.bostonmarathon.org/
April 27 – Big Sur Marathon in Carmel http://www.bsim.org/

May 4 – Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati http://www.flyingpigmarathon.com/
May 18 – Bay to Breakers http://www.baytobreakers.com/
May 24 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Orange County, CA, Chapman University
May 25 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl Cottage

June 14 – Jeff Galloway’s Running School in Dallas, Cooper Aerobics Institute
July 11-18 – Jeff Galloway’s Running Retreat at Lake Tahoe
July 18-20 – Jeff Galloway’s Weekend Running Retreat at Lake Tahoe