Keep your head in line with your body means that ears should be level with the midline of your shoulders. When you are standing erect your head should be straight and not jutted forward, so when you do sit ups the same applies: ears should be in line with midline of shoulders, imagine you have a piece of fruit under the chin and you are trying to hold it in place.’
When exercising abs imagine you are moving the bottom of your ribcage towards the pelvic bones and all the time keep pulling those stomach muscles in as if you are about to zip up your trousers!
Paula Radclffe Training Tips!
Saw a good article in Grazia magazine! Here Paula tells us all her running tips! Here
they are:
>> Lip balm at all times -keeping your mouth open while you run causes cracked
lips.
>> For achy muscles, have an icy bath after a run then follow up with a warm
shower - this helps your muscles ping back into shape.
>> Running makes you sweat which depletes your natural mineral reserves, so it is
OK to add a little extra salt to your food.
>> If you find yourself getting very tired from running, with other symptoms
including discoloured nails or dark circles under your eyes, you might need an iron
supplement.
>> Listen to upbeat music!
>> If you find yourself flagging mid-run, pump your arms a bit harder. They work
like a crank for your engine and will help keep your speed up.
>> Get a Nike+ training system - a chip placed in your trainers that connects to your
MP3 player to tell you your distance, time, speed and calories burned. Visit
www.nikeplus.com.
>> When Paula gets tired she counts to 100 three times. This equals one mile and
focuses her mind away from the hard work.
>> Keep a diary of your run times and distances. Log on to the runner's page at
www.nikeplus.com and keep your record on the 'MY runs' box.
>>Run with a friend. You'll spur each other on and talking builds up your lungs and
breathing.
>> According to Paula, most runners ignore their stomach muscles - but they're vital
and take the strain of your lower body. Do sit-ups and posture training between runs.
[taken from Grazia Magazine, 2nd February 2009)
Well there you go!! See you in the 2012 Olympics!
Karen Morison
Does exercise first thing in the morning burn more body fat?
If fat loss is your main goal, exercising on an empty stomach - such as first thing in the morning- may encourage your body to burn slightly more fat for fuel. According to University of Connecticut researchers, insulin levels are at their lowest and glycogen levels are at their highest after an overnight fast. This increases the amount of fat that leaves your fat cells and travels to your muscles where the fat is burned. On the downside, you may fatigue sooner or drop your exercise intensity and therefore end up burning fewer calories - and less body fat! On the other hand, if performance is your main goal, exercise in a fasted state will almost certainly reduce your endurance. And if strength and muscle mass are important goals, you will be better off exercising after a light meal. After an overnight fast, when muscle glycogen and blood glucose levels are low your muscles will burn more protein for fuel. So you could end up losing hard-earned muscle!
