Running is an excellent exercise to help you lose weight. When running, you are using the major muscle groups. This in turn helps you to burn more calories. The rule of thumb is, for every mile a person runs they burn roughly 100 calories. So a 10 mile run is burning about 1000 calories. Below, I have some suggestions for you lose and maintain your running weight.

1. Eat breakfast everyday when losing weight. Even if it’s a piece of toast with some jelly. It’s important to get your body the right nutrients to get your day started properly.

2. Try to eat every 3 to 4 hours. I normally eat four to five times a day. It curbs your appetite so you don’t feel the urge to eat to much at supper. I try to have a piece of fruit or a bagel with me while I am at work.

3. Eat a balanced diet. With our busy lifestyles this can be tough, but with some planning it makes it easier.

4. Stay away from fast-food restaurants. Most of these foods contain loads of calories and fat. If you are forced to eat at one of these places don’t super size the meal.

5. Drink water or low fat milk at most meals. I stay away from pops and fruit juices because they can be loaded with calories. Water helps with recovery, so it’s important to drink water often. I normally carry a water bottle with me all-day to keep myself hydrated.

6. Don’t be fooled by sports drinks, energy and granola bars. They contain many calories and it’s real easy to load up on these items after a run.

7. Exercise daily. If you run every other day it’s a good idea on the off days you go out and walk or ride a bike. Keep your body active and let the body burn those calories on a daily basis.

8. If you are trying to lose weight have a goal and make sure you gradually lose the weight. Most people want things now and find it difficult to be patient. It takes time for the body to lose weight. If you want to lose 10 pounds have a goal of three to four months to lose it.

9. Have a training partner you can talk to when it gets tough. At some point it will get difficult. If you have somebody that you can talk to during these times it helps immensely.

10. Imagine yourself wearing those new pair of jeans. Go out and buy them and have them someplace where you can see them if you have a weak moment.

To learn more you can go to diet and nutrition for runners or go to my forum and ask a question and I will address it personally.

If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John
TheRunnersGuide

A question that comes up often is what to eat before running a race. It’s important to eat the right foods at the correct time before you run. Most races are in the morning so you need to make sure you get the right nutrients in your body. After sleeping for eight hours your glycogen stores and blood sugar levels are low. If you go into a race without eating properly, your performance will be hampered. So, on the day of the race you need to top off the glycogen stores and bring your sugar levels up.

I normally eat about three hours before a race. This gives the body plenty of time to digest the food and to bring up those levels of glycogen and sugar. You want to choose slow-release foods that contain carbohydrates and a little bit of protein. Such as toast, cereal with low-fat milk, and fruit. Eat enough to take that hunger edge away, and don’t overdue it. Make sure you take in 300 to 500 calories for your prerace meal. If your body can’t handle solid foods try a sport drink or sports meal replacement meal. Stick with foods that you’re familiar with and never experiment with new foods the day of the race. Once you find what works best for you stick with it. Remember that you prepared for weeks for a race why not go the extra mile and eat right. To learn more you can go to diet and nutrition for runners.

If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them or go to my forum and I will address them personally. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John
TheRunnersGuide

My friends who don’t run ask me if I get hungry during my 20 mile run. I tell them sometimes I do. When I do get hungry on my long run, I suck down something called GU Energy Gel. It’s a small package that has a jelly substance that contains carbohydrates. It helps put off fatigue that usually slows you down during the marathon. It also delivers the complex carbohydrates to muscles as energy.

I try to take in a packet every 3 to 4 miles. I also try to have some water with them so they go down easier. I strongly recommend that if you plan to use the GU packets in the marathon you practice using them on your long runs. You want to make sure your body can handle it because each person is different. You can buy GU Energy Gel online or your favorite running store for about a dollar a packet.

If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about E-mail them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John
TheRunnersGuide

Since I started running people have had me try different vitamins and legal supplements. There are many vitamins for runners on the market that advertise faster recovery. Most of the time they are expensive or you have to join a group to sell them to get them at a lower price. In the end I have always felt let down because they never provided the results I was looking for. Usually, my urine was neon green, which means that my body was spitting out what it had too much of. I stopped spending my money on those supplements and decided to eat better.

I know we Americans do not eat right. If you want to have a healthy body you have to listen to what your mom always preached. Eat your fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Besides eating right, I do take a Flintstones multivitamin daily. I take them because of nostalgic reasons and they are cheap. If you have a favorite vitamin go ahead and comment. To learn more you can go to diet and nutrition.

If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John
TheRunnersGuide