Let's roll out!

Wouldn't be great to get a massage whenever you wanted in the comfort of you own home?

Here is the thing... You can, and all you need is yourself and a foam roller.

Also, does foam rolling benefit your body? Let's take a look.

What does foam rolling do for runners? A quick answer is, a lot.

1. Provides benefits of a deep tissue massage.
What does a deep tissue massage do for us? It helps us break down adhesions (places where the muscles stick together), so that our muscles can smoothly glide over one another as they are supposed to. This also relieves tightness in muscles and can help them to relax so that next time a hard workout comes around, or a nice long run, you will be ready to go.

2. Increases recovery of muscles, and boosts performance.
When you foam roll, the amount of blood flow increases to the areas in which you roll. Blood flow is great for bringing oxygen into the muscles and to help break down and flush out scar tissue over time. When the body is recovered, its ability to perform increases.

3. Can increase flexibility.
When you foam roll, your muscles get less tight because of the smoothing out and lengthening of your muscle. Thus, over time this will lead to more flexible muscles.

4. Prevents Injuries.
All of the above are reasons for injury prevention. Being able to break down scar tissue, break down adhesions, to increase flexibility, and to increase blood flow to the muscles all help in the injury prevention process. These help keep the body recovering as it should and aiding where the body needs it.

If you want help getting started on what muscles to foam roll, check out Foam Rolling for Runners!

In addition, for another place to start, and to learn more about the behind the scenes of foam rolling, take a look at, What Is a Foam Roller!

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out"

Robert Collier

Every day is a new day to succeed.

Until next time,

Michael Duncan

Fluid Running

Should I be drinking more than just water?

The question is what should I be drinking?

Lets start off with the good ol' classic, water. Then we will check out a few others!

WATER
There is not a huge secret that water is essential to human life and we can only live so many days without water. So besides needing it to sustain our lives, drinking our normal amount of water daily helps the body stay regular. Water flushes out the toxins of out body, meaning less cramps, and a quicker recovery, yes! Those are just two examples, and if you want eight more, check out the Benefits of Drinking Water. Further, here is a good link to find out, How much water do we need?

SPORTS DRINKS
The best parts about sports drinks, such as Gatorade, are that they normally have high carbohydrates and high electrolytes. Those are very beneficial for runners because carbohydrates give us energy that our body stores as glucose and are our main source of energy during physical activity. Electrolytes are good for runners because they help in muscle contraction which basically means physical activity, and without adequate electrolytes your body is more likely to cramp which is never good!

TEA
So what kind of tea are we talking about here. I will tough on green tea and ginger tea. green tea has a high amount of antioxidants called catechins. Antioxidants are fairly essential for the daily grind because they reduce inflammation of muscles which helps us stay healthy. Also most green teas have caffeine which can help increase performance. Ginger tea has two brilliant aspects to it that are being an anti inflammatory and  being able to boost immune system. The anti inflammatory is called gingerols, which basically means faster muscle recovery. The immune system is boosted by its ability to ease throat pain, kill cold viruses, and helps eliminate congestion. For more on ginger check out its full list of Health Benefits. 



For a couple more ideas on drinks, check out the Best Beverages for Runners.

"Ninety-eight percent of success is in the head and the heart"

Cathy Ferguson, Olympic Swimmer

Strive for the best.

Until next time,

Michael Duncan

Movin' and Groovin'

Does music improve performance?  Many runners love to hit the miles while listening to their favorite music. But, does this help us to run faster? Also, what are the best running songs?

According to Dr. Costas Karageorghis's article,  he believes yes and no.

The four reasons he gives for music increasing athletic performance are:

1. Music can distract an athlete from fatigue.
2. Music can act as a mood catalyst.
3. Music can synchronize an athletes rhythm and movement.
4. Music can act as a trigger for learning certain motions and aid with muscle memory.

If anyone has ever run a long run without music, and then ran a long run with music, there is definitely a difference. Just imagine if you are running and starting to struggle when, your favorite song comes on. Instantly it becomes a distraction, and I am willing to bet that you would start running quicker. Effects of music internally could be an intense drive to run faster, or because you feel so great at this moment that you feel you could go all day. In addition, running with music could make you feel that you are in your own personal music video featuring you and your stride. I have felt new power in me whenever I run with music, and need some inspiration to have fun and keep going!

The one reason Dr. Costas believes that music may not be the cause of increased athletic performance is because:

1. If we are told music helps us run faster, then it will. If we are told music hurts our performance, it will. This knowledge that we perceive something to help or hurt us usually has that effect because our brains can change the way our bodies react. In short, it's a PLACEBO.

In short, try it out and see if you believe it helps you!

WHAT ARE THE BEST RUNNING SONGS?
According to runners world, they asked and chose 28 songs to evaluate and put them head to head. The top three were:

1. Lose yourself by Eminem 
2. Thunderstruck by AC/ DC
3. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor 

Check out Runners World Article to see the 28 top running songs!

"We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it."

Deena Kastor

Post to all you later!

Michael Duncan