Often the most difficult mindfulness exercise for many is to eat with mindfulness or ‘when you’re eating just eat’. So no TV, no social media, no phone, no friends and family, no newspapers just you and your meal! Easier said than done, but there are a few tricks.

1. Prepare your favourite food.

2. Prepare a nice space/table with a napkin

3. Load up your folk and put it down while you chew the food – don’t continue to load up the next mouthful!

4. Chew your food! Digestion begins in the mouth. It’s called mastication and it’s where the food is broken down. We should chew our food 50 times! Try for 20 – even the counting of chews will help you become more mindful.

5. Notice, taste, savour. Attend to the smells and flavours, listen to the sound of eating and drinking (it’s normal to make some noise!)

6. Maybe contemplate how the food got to be on your plate. If someone else made it, appreciating their efforts. If the food is from a far off land appreciating the journey the food has gone on and how many people were involved in delivering the food to you. If it’s local produce thank the farmers and locals who helped produce it.

7. Enjoy your meal.

Mindful movement promotes body awareness through bringing 100 percent of our attention to our movements. In this practice be fully with your moment-to-moment experience of moving the body. In mindful movement we move slowly with ease and awareness taking into consideration how our body is feeling,
noticing and responding to the body’s needs. We move in ways that fully respect the body and are gentle with our own limits.

If you have any medical or orthopedic problems, please check with your doctor before attempting any movements.

Formal mindful movement includes:
• Yoga
• Tai chi
• Pilates
• Khi Cong

If you can’t attend a formal class you can still learn some simple movements that are flowing and graceful and not too fast. Each movement should be coordinated to be in harmony with our breath. This allows us to practice sensitivity and awareness to our body, our breathing, and the interconnectedness between our body, our breathing and our mind. Our bodies were made to move and they respond well to movement co-ordinated with the breath
– it can be really invigorating and relaxing at the same time.

Mindful movement practices are undoubtedly physically and mentally beneficial. However, overly strenuous physical activity can lead to injury. Check with a doctor before beginning any exercise regime. And be sure to listen to your own body and do only what feels comfortable to you.

Coffee shops are everywhere these days and most of us have a box or two of fancy herbal teas in the cupboard, but do you know how to enjoy that expensive cup of coffee or that exotic tea? With mindful awareness, we can appreciate and savour our hot beverages!

We can turn our daily experience of drinking a cup or tea into a mindful moment. My mindfulness teacher Vietnamese Master Thich Nhat Hanh says:
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”
We can make drinking our tea, coffee or other hot drink into a daily mindfulness ritual. The power is in doing it every day, creating a new ritual. ‘Drink your tea’ means that when we have a cup of tea we place all our attention on to drinking the tea. We don’t read a book or check Facebook or even talk to our friends and family – we just be with the experience of tea drinking.

Everything can be a meditation, not just sitting on a cushion, we call it informal mindfulness practice. Tea Meditation is commonly practiced in Japan by
Zen Monks. All over the world most of us reach for a morning cuppa. Why not turn this daily habit into a mindful moment? The practice can also be done
with ordinary builders tea, coffee, even hot lemon water if you’re super healthy!

1. Select your tea with awareness, gather the cup and tea pot.

2. Boil the kettle – as you wait for it to boil use it as opportunity to breath and smile. Don’t do anything else. Notice your breath and allow yourself a pause. And reflect. You are 70% water, the earth is 70% water. Water is a miracle so is the electricity causing it to boil. Appreciate the miracle and the convenience we have.

3. Pour the hot water into the tea pot (or mug). Notice the steam wafting up. Notice the aromas arising out of your cup. Breathe easy.

4. While waiting for tea to cool– maybe only two minutes, take the time to notice your senses awakening… what can you smell? Maybe you are holding the cup in your hands, what can you feel? Has the colour of the water changed? Breathe and just observe. Appreciate the fact that this tea was made possible by someone
thousands of miles away who picked the leaves for your drinking pleasure.

5. Now is the time to drink your tea. Raise the cup to your mouth and take a sip. Sip slowly. Hold the tea in your mouth for moment savouring the taste and refreshing elements. Is it earthy or grassy or floral? How does the tea feel in your mouth?

6. Enjoy drinking your tea. You may notice that taking this time to enjoy just one activity enriches all the other activities in your day. That’s not because the activities have changed. But you have. This little ritual can set you up for the day or you can do it at night-time with Ovaltine or hot cocoa or even a bedtime tea like camomile.

Enjoy!

 

Tip 1 – Nutrition

If you think of your body as an engine it makes logical sense to make sure that you are putting top quality fuel into the engine. For exercise the fuel you need to pay attention to is the food and liquid that you consume. Make sure you’re getting 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats in your diet, as well as some good, nutritious food to keep you strong. Make sure you eat well in the days leading up to the Half Marathon and work out your nutrition plan for the morning of the event, for during the event and of course post event to replace the energy you have expended

Tip 2 – Hydration

It is very important to keep yourself hydrated before, during and after your Half Marathon. Drinking little and often during the event is the best advice. Water is the safest and easiest drink to take but if you are drinking other drinks only consume those that you are used to. Do not try new products for the first time during the event in case they cause you problems and discomfort .Avoid fizzy drinks totally.

Tip 3 – Your running shoes and socks

Having a good pair of running shoes which you have already worn in during training is important for your Half Marathon. Running in shoes which aren’t broken in can cause injury and pain. Wearing a comfortable tight fitting pair of socks is also advisable.

Running in comfortable clothing that doesn’t rub or chaff on your skin as well as being suitable for the weather conditions on the day of the event is important and once again it is worth seeking professional advice when buying any clothing.

Tip 4 – Start Slowly

Hopefully you are feeling enthusiastic and excited about the Half Marathon but it is important to begin cautiously, no matter what your current level of fitness.  Don’t set off too fast and find you are struggling by the time you get to half way.

Tip 5 – Set yourself a pace

It is advisable to decide upon a pace that you will run per kilometre or mile in your Half Marathon . Work out a comfortable pace that you can use to get you to half way and if you are feeling good at that stage you can increase the pace slightly for the second half of the run. Running in this fashion, which is known as running a negative split, will help you to avoid “hitting the wall” and having a negative physical and psychological experience from your Half Marathon.

Tip 6 – Warming Up, Cooling Down and Stretching

It is essential to include a warm up, cool down and stretch before and after the event. This will only add about 10 minutes to your preparation / recovery but is invaluable in preparing your body for the event and for aiding recovery.

Tip 7 – Taper properly

It is important to taper – ie reduce your training load – in the 10 days or week leading up to your Half Marathon. Rather than having long runs in your legs once you get to the start line try to be well prepared but feeling fresh and ready for the run.

Tip 8 – Plan your day

It is important to plan your travel and parking plans for the Half Marathon. One sure way to undo all of your training and effort is to arrive at the start line in a flustered state of panic. Check to confirm the best place to park which allows you easy access to the start line and an easy exit postrace or if travelling by public transport the most convenient bus stop or station.

Tip 9 – Car Keys, Mobile Phones and Bin Bags

How many people have you seen at the start of races asking the organisers where they can leave their car keys and/or their mobile phones only to be told that the organisers , understandably , won’t accept or take responsibility for them?  Pre plan to work out where you are going to leave them or who you are going to leave them with and how you will get them back after the event.

You are most likely going to have some time standing around waiting for the event to start once you have warmed up. In order to keep warm and dry bring old clothes which you are happy to leave behind once you have started your run or bring a large bin bag and simply make some holes for your arms and head. This will keep you warm and dry.

Tip 10 – The Week before the Half Marathon

Whatever training you have completed by the time the week of the event is what you have got to work with. Suddenly putting in extra training / different training in the last few days before the event won’t be of any benefit and in fact may be detrimental to you performance . Trust yourself and follow the advice re pace, nutrition and hydration and relax and enjoy the experience.

 

 

Being excited and nervous all at the same time are normal feelings for anyone going into either a new situation or into something that you want to do well at. So I’m not put off by these feelings that I have, and would probably be more worried if I didn’t have them before a running event. 

My teachers used to tell me before exams if the work isn’t already done there’s no point in trying to do it now! That is a little bit true, if you haven’t done much training in preparation for your running event, trying to fit in too much training in now will do more harm than good, but if you have been preparing, then the work has been done and now a few gentle training sessions will set you up nicely. If you race is on a Saturday, my last training session is done on the Thursday evening and this is a little session about 50% of what I would normally do, I will then do a light warm up on Friday and then relax before the race.

Clothing

Make sure that your clothing is comfortable and light, it’s best not to wear brand new items if you are going to be sweating a lot as you want to avoid chafing, speaking from experience! I like to have the clothes I’m going to run in ready and set out well before the race so that I’m not panicking and getting stressed out beforehand. This also means having a few spare items packed as well. I like to change my socks just before the start of a race so my feet feel fresh and light, and then have a clean top to change into when I have finished, it’s nice to put on something that’s not all sweaty but also stops you getting a chill even on warm days as your body starts to cool down.

Food and Drink

A light healthy breakfast a couple of hours before should be sufficient and be well digested for the start of the event and also keeping yourself hydrated.

Pre-Event

There is nothing worse than being late for a race, as you use up a lot of nervous energy even before the start of the event! I like to be there with enough time to find where the toilets are, even if I don’t need to go you can bet your house that I will need them before the race starts! So plan to get there early in order to get warmed up properly!

You will have heard the saying the loneliness of the long distance runner and that can be true, some people love the isolation of running alone but most people enjoy company. After a long day either at home or at work and if the weather isn’t very nice the last thing you feel like doing is putting on your trainers and heading out the door! But if you have arranged to meet someone you are more likely to lace up those trainers and go, as you don’t want to let running buddy down. There are loads of positives that coming from having a training partner, both physical and emotional.

The Physical Benefits

Studies show that people run 5-10% quicker when they are doing a workout with a partner than when they are doing it on their own! The same applies for the distance people can run. It increases if the person is doing a run with someone that is fitter than them. Training with a partner also helps you gauge how hard you are working, no one is able to go as hard as they can for as long as they can every day and not expect to plateau or get injured. Having a training partner helps with this and can be done by using the simple conversational test to gauge how hard you are working during a run. If you are able to have a conversation then that would indicate that you are working at an easy pace, if the conversation is reduced to a sentence then you are working a bit harder and finally if that is reduced further to a one word answer or a grunt then you are working very hard! You should have all three types of exercise in your training program.

The Emotional Benefits

Running is a great time for us to have family time together, when I had Sarah I wanted to be able to run with her so I bought a running pram. Sunday afternoons Ian and I can run together with Sarah in the pram. It can be a time when we catch up or simply just spend time together doing something we both love. This has a real positive influence on us as individuals and as a family. Equally I find it is good to train with a friend so I can have a chat or just let off some stream! Running together also gives you a sense of being part of a team, having support when things get tough and also someone to share the good times with. There is a sense of togetherness when you complete a common goal.

Have you ever put the wrong fuel into your car? After driving off you probably didn’t get too far down the road before you knew that something was wrong and you had broken down. Just like cars, it is important that we fuel our bodies with the correct fuel, if we don’t this affects our body’s ability to perform and over time we will start to have issues. There are 3 areas that I would like to highlight with regard to nutrition; fluid intake, balanced healthy diet and then post exercise recovery.

Fluid intake

Fluid intake is very important, the human body is made up of approximately 60% water, part of the body’s cooling system is to sweat so it doesn’t overheat, as you exercise you will heat up and as a result the body will start to cool itself down by sweating, and now coming into the warmer weather you will sweat a bit more during periods of exercise. It only takes a small drop in the body’s fluid levels for it to affect optimal performance. The daily recommended water intake for adults is 2-3 litres. This can seem a lot but this also includes tea, coffee and you also get fluid from the food you eat. If you are going to be doing exercise you should try and drink extra water throughout the day, drinking small amounts of water at a time helps the body to absorb it better than drinking large amounts all at one go. It should also mean you not having to go to the toilet as often when you start exercising, very important if you are exercising outside! If you have been staying hydrated during the day this should mean that you only require a small amount of fluid during exercise.

Healthy Diet

Having a healthy balanced diet is also very important. When we go on an air plane we have confidence that the air plane has been filled with jet fuel so the engines will run as efficiently as possible producing enough power to get the plane in the air, the same applies to the body, if you want it to perform well it needs to be filled with the right fuel! The body needs to be fuelled with fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, taken in proportionate quantities for the demands that are put on it. The majority of people don’t need to make drastic changes, a lot of the time this can be done by simply replacing the unhealthy snack with a healthy one with these changes being easier to maintain over a longer period of time. The body stores the food you eat and then turns that into energy that is used to power the muscles, healthy foods are a more efficient fuel supply for the body enabling it to produce energy when needed. During normal exercise the body doesn’t need food to be taken unless it is doing continuous exercise longer than 90 minutes.

Post Exercise Recovery

Once you have finished exercise that is when the preparation for your next workout begins. What you eat and drink post exercise will determine how well you recover from that workout. As mentioned previously you sweat during exercise, so you need to replace the fluid and salts that have been used during exercise, if your workout has lasted longer than 60 minutes you probably need a sports drink rather than plain water. These beverages are designed to keep you well hydrated, but they also provide electrolytes to replace those lost in your sweat. Care should be taken in selecting the right one as some of these are quite high in calories. Exercise puts stress on your muscles, joints, and bones, and your body “uses up” nutrients during workouts so post exercise foods are all about putting back what you’ve lost, and providing the raw materials needed for repair and healing. It is important that protein is part of your post workout meal, protein is vital to the human body and is essentially what you are made up of, as well as the other food sources as this will help with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Primary sources of protein are meat, fish, dairy and eggs. We hope that you have enjoyed this blog and given you a few ideas on nutrition for your training.

Humans are really adaptable, so once we have been doing anything for a period of time we very easily adapt to that and are bodies’ feel that this is the norm. This applies to exercise or lack of exercise.

As we get older and spend more and more time sitting we become stiffer, especially around the waist, bum, lower back and upper hamstrings (back of the legs) areas of are bodies. As car manufactures recommend that when you start up your car first thing in the morning that you don’t immediately try and drive it at 100mph we have to let the oil circulate around the engine, the same applies to are bodies we can’t expect to go from doing nothing to full on exercises without first preparingfor what your about to do.

What is a warm up? A warm up is to prepare the body for the exercise that it is going to undertake. A warm up for a run should involve 3-4 minutes of light exercise to raise the heart rate (to get the blood flowing around the muscles) this can be anything from a quick walk to a light run and depending on how fast you intend to perform your run at. You then need too dynamically stretch the muscles you are going to use. Dynamic stretches are movement stretches, a good way to do this is to start at the top of the body and work your way down, each exercise should be performed 5-10 times, example of these stretches are:- Straight arm swings, rotating both arms together backwards and then forwards. Rotating the hips as if using a hula hoop, keeping feet approximately shoulder width apart performing in both directions. Rotating the upper body round to make as big a circles as possible –keeping your legs straight stretching up and then rotating in circles to try and touch the ground, both directions. Leg swings against a wall (using the wall for balance) swing one leg forward and back trying to keep the top half of your body as still as possible, and engage your core. (example below)

Now you are ready to start your training! Whatever your level of fitness is its important that you try and keep progressing your exercise, as mentioned before the body is very adaptable so we need to continue to challenge ourselves otherwise the saying “The height of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results”.

You can use the FIT principles to help your training:

F – Frequency (how often you exercise)

I – Intensity (distance, speed)

T – Time (time exercising, time of repetitions)

So whether you are able to run or just starting out and able to run / walk, keep a note of what you do so that you can increase the time you are running and reduce the time your walking, also increase the time or speed that you are running each time so that you can progress this leading up to the Run Together 5K.

What is a Cool Down?

A cool down is to lower the heart rate and to restore the body back to its resting state. Once you have finished your training you need do some restorative stretching, known as static stretches – focusing on the calf, hamstring, quad muscles (examples below) you should hold these stretches for approximately 30-40sec each. This will help with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) that you get after exercise.