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Butcher's Dog! Regular outdoor fitness
tips from the canine on creatine. Cold wet nose and glossy
coat guaranteed.
Work and Train!
If you've been taking it easy over winter - and hey,.
it's not everyone's cup of hot soup - the rapid approach of
spring, might just leave you wondering where all that
hard-won fitness went.
Now's the time to get some weekday training in so you can
explode onto the hills come the spring. Trouble is that a
lot of us have other commitments - family, work, a social
life, but don't let that stop you, here are some tips to fit
some useful training into your work day...
Something You Enjoy
We've said it before, but the easiest way of getting fit,
is to find something you actually enjoy doing - cycling,
running, squash, nordic walking (?) - and stick with it. If
you get pleasure from the activity, you're more likely to
keep doing it. If you want confirmation, check out the rows
of miserabe faces at your local gym - most of them won't be
there in a couple of months time.
Use The Company Facilities
If you employer offers an on-site gym or health club
membership then take advantage of it. Use your lunch hour
productively and fit in a steady 40 minutes on the
treadmill, stepper, rower or exercise bike a few times a
week.
If your office has shower facilities, then why not run in
your lunch hour, then grab a sarnie afterwards to top up
glycogen levels and re-fuel.
Either option is a great way of productively using time
you'd otherwise most likely simply waste and, will make you
take a lunch break too - good news if you tend to work
through it.
Can the Car
The easiest way of integrating exercise into your working
day is to bike, walk or run into work. If you live too far
away to do the whole trip, consider parking a few miles away
then doing the rest under your own power or getting off the
train a few stations early. If you do this, make sure you
eat some carbohydrate-rich food as soon as you get in, or
the drop in sugar levels may make you dozy for the rest of
the day...
If there's no shower at work don't give up. Take your
running kit in with you then run all or part of the way
home. If you commute by train, you can gradually up the
distance you run by getting off at different stops.
Rope In Other People
Get your colleagues out there too. It's much easier to
motivate yourself to go out for a run or to the gym if
there's a bunch of you encouraging each other.
Eat To Compete
It's easy to eat junk at work, but there's no need. Cut
out the crisps, burgers, chocolate and biccies and
concentrate on the healthy stuff. If you're planning to
train after work, it's what's fuelling you. Don't eat a load
of fatty stuff at lunch time, as the slow digestion process
will inhibit the processing of other food and do you little
good later. Snack on fruit through the day and keep drinking
water, it's easy to get dehydrated, particularly if you work
in an air-conditioned environment. Avoid too much coffee,
tea and diet cola, they all contain caffeine, which is a
diuretic. Bad thing. Keep a large glass of water nearby or
even a cycling-type water bottle and drink regularly.
After Work
If you're planning to train post work, think ahead. Get
your kit ready the night before so it's laid out ready to
go, then change as soon as you get home and head straight
out. That way you won't settle down in front of the telly
and sink into the comfy sofa of lethargy - you can do that
later. Have a high carbo snack around one to two hours
before you go out to keep energy levels topped up and make
sure you're drinking regularly so you don't start off
dehydrated.
What Sort Of Training?
If you're training for general mountain walking and
scrambling, you should be looking at general medium tempo
stuff. Running is great as it's weight bearing, like
walking, but keep the intensity down. You don't need to go
screaming the motor into the red zone of panting, burning
pain. A good starting pace is one where you can chat easily
with a friend. Start with 15 minutes or so, walking if you
have to, then build up gradually to 40 minutes plus. You can
do longer sessions at the weekend, or better still, get out
onto the hills. Which is what it's all about after all.
Yours barkingly
Woof!
The Butcher's Dog
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