subject: Increasing Your Distance And Stamina When Running [print this page] Avid runners or even those wishing to improve their cardiovascular health and endurance should constantly be trying to push themselves to get more out of their daily workout.
One of the most basic and essential ways to feeling more energized when working out is by eating a healthy diet. Fatty and sugary foods are sure to drag you down and make you feel sluggish.
A food group that you, as a runner, should be focused on is grains, or complex carbohydrates. Eating whole grain breads and pastas, as opposed to carbohydrates from white flour, will give you more energy and vitality during your workout.
Whole grains are high in fiber and antioxidants. This means that slow the absorption of sugars, which helps you to feel active for longer.
You should also be ingesting a great deal of fruits and vegetables. These are low in fat and calories and high in fiber.
They are full of vitamins which help your system to digest your food better and absorb nutrients at a healthier pace. Sugars, like those found in carbonated drinks and snacks, alter your blood sugar, giving you a quick burst of energy that is then followed by a drop in blood sugar.
Another way you can strengthen your body and enable it to run faster and longer is by weight training. Muscles that are strong are not only able to propel you further and harder in sports and aerobic exercise, but they increase your resting heart rate and burn more fat within your system.
There are two types of strength training: lifting heavier weights for a lower amount of reps, and lifting lower weight for a greater amount of reps. Both of these will increase muscle mass and make you stronger.
However, since running tends to utilize more muscle endurance than strength, it is best for you to utilize a lower weight with a high amount of repetitions when strength training. This can be done when using dumbbells for arm and leg exercises.
If trying to increase muscle mass and endurance in your legs, use five to twenty pound dumbbells, depending on your gender and ability. Use these weights when doing squat and lunge exercises.
You should be performing some kind of strength training at least three times a week. It does not need to be heavy duty or meant to create a lot of muscle mass.
Focus more on creating lean muscle that can endure being used for long periods of time. You can also try different types of exercise to supplement your usual cardio routine.
For instance, attend a yoga class once a week for muscle strength and flexibility. Increasing your body's flexibility will make your range of motion broader and will better prevent you from injuring your body while exercising.
You could also visit a boxing gym to increase your aerobic stamina. Kickboxing and martial arts not only improve your muscle power, but are really great forms of cardiovascular exercise.
These workouts will make you sweat and burn fat. They will also up your ability to perform aerobic activity for greater spans of time.
When trying to increase your running distance and your body's stamina, one of the most important things to remember is to not let yourself get lazy. Each workout makes your body stronger, and if you go periods without exercising your heart and muscles, you will lose progress.
When the cold of winter or heat of summer threatens to make your daily exercise routine disappear, make use of indoor fitness equipment. Whether you are at the gym or at home, you can get a cardiovascular workout on a treadmill, elliptical machine, or bike, no matter how ominous the weather looks outside.
Fitness equipment also makes it very easy for you to track your progress, as far as the distances you are able to run, the speed, and how long you exercise. When using equipment, try to increase the time or distance you run weekly.
By utilizing the different settings and inclines on treadmills or elliptical machines, you can also strengthen your leg muscles and give them the ability to work hard on any type of terrain. The key to amplifying your aerobic output is to constantly keep progressing and pushing yourself.
