Week 8 Food Glorious Food

Last week we talked about drinking and the importance of staying hydrated. This week we will delve into the complex world of food. The subject of eating, dieting, and nutrition is, at best, controversial, and opinions about it are very diverse. However, here are some things to consider.
 

Food as Fuel

High-carbohydrate, low-fat meals are the best fuel. Many different foods contain carbohydrate. The richest sources of carbohydrate are bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes, but other foods also contain useful amounts, such as: fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, yoghurt and milk.
 
Carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, and if you get tired during your sport or activity, this might be because your glycogen stores are running low.
 
The more you exercise, the more carbohydrate you need. The actual amount you need depends upon the type of exercise you’re doing, the intensity, duration and frequency of the exercise, and your fitness level.
 
The bigger the glycogen stores in your muscles, the longer you can perform. After exercise, your muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal, so it’s important to eat foods containing carbohydrate soon after you’ve finished exercising.
 
Concentrate on eating slow burning carbohydrates such as fruits, cereal, and whole grains to keep your energy supply balanced.
 
During long walks it is very important to keep your energy stores up. On your long training walks experiment with foods that you can carry along that will keep you feeling strong. Many find some of the high-energy sports nutrition bars are effective while others prefer fruit.

What to eat

Eating a healthy balanced diet will provide you with all the nutrients you need to continue taking part in the Walkabout program and to help you to perform to your highest level.
If you have any tips regarding food that you carry on your walks please feel free to share them on our Blog.
Adapted from:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/foodforsport/sportnexercise/

WEEK 7 Tips: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

This week’s tips are on how to stay hydrated. We all know how important it is, but do we all do it and understand why we should?
 
By the time you feel thirsty, you are well on your way to dehydration. Thirst is a poor indicator of your body’s need for fluid. Dehydration will affect your performance. Drinking plenty of water before, during, and after the training session is a crucial part of your preparation and will also help you recover after your walk and keep up your energy level.
 
It is important for people exercising to replace fluids that are lost through sweating to avoid dehydration. There is a multitude of sports drink choices out there, so how do you know what is right for you.
 
Importance of Water

While exercising, particularly in the heat, heavy sweating may occur, therefore resulting in the loss of both body fluids and electrolytes. The amount of fluid lost depends not only on the environmental temperature but on the humidity as well. Although there are some electrolytes lost in sweat, particularly sodium and chloride, there is a much greater proportion of water lost. Therefore replacing the water is far more important than the replacement of electrolytes.
 
Fluid Temperature

The temperature of the fluid should be cool, not warm, as this enables more rapid movement of the fluid out of the stomach. If a race or training activity in the heat is going to last for an extended period, try and find some way of replacing the fluid as you exercise (every 15-20 minutes). If that is not possible, you must aim to be well-hydrated prior to exercise (a couple of glasses of water 15-20 minutes prior to exercise), and to replace the fluid as soon as possible after exercise.
 
Need a Tonic?

Reading the labels of many sports drinks you will come across the terms hypotonic, isotonic or hypertonic. Each of these has their benefits and you should understand the difference between these.
 
Hypotonic
Hypo means less. A hypotonic drink is more dilute than your body fluids (i.e. there are fewer particles such as sugars and electrolytes), which means that the drink can be absorbed faster than plain water itself.
 
Isotonic
Isotonic means that the fluid is at the same concentration, (i.e. the same number of particles per volume) as your body fluids – it is therefore absorbed as fast as or faster than water. Such fluids provide an ideal compromise between rehydration and refueling.

Hypertonic
Hyper means greater than. Hypertonic drinks (for example cola, lemonade or fruit juice) are more concentrated than body fluids, and will be absorbed more slowly than plain water. Hypertonic drinks slow down the rate at which the stomach empties and therefore reduce the speed of fluid replacement. These are better post-exercise drinks that offer a higher dose of energy with the fluid.

So when you are on your next walk just remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Adapted from:
http://www.topendsports.com/nutrition/hydration-fluids.htm
http://www.walkingconnection.com/Walking_Tips.html <http://www.walkingconnection.com/Walking_Tips.html> 
 
 

WEEK 2 – STRETCHING

This week we are going to look at stretching and help you to improve your flexibility. 

Important rules for stretching: 

1) Never stretch cold muscles. The best time to stretch is after your walk. If you have problem areas they can be stretched prior to your walk, but only do this after you have warmed up. 

2) Do not bounce. Go into a stretch slowly and hold gently. Stretch to the point of feeling a gentle pull, but never to the point of pain 

3) Hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds. If you have problems with a particular area stretch that area twice. (hold for 30-40 seconds, release, then stretch again.) 

There are so many stretches it is impossible to cover them all. Be sure to stretch all the major muscle groups, and put extra focus on any areas you have trouble with. Below are a few recommended stretches: 

Calf Stretch — Stand on your toes on a step or curb. Hold on to something for balance. Remove your left foot and slowly allow the right heel to move down. Hold this position. Be sure to keep you body upright and straight. Release and repeat on the other side. 

Another calf stretch — Take a big step forward with your left foot, keeping you right heel on the ground. Hold the position and repeat on the other side. Be sure to keep your body upright and your abs tight, do not arch your back. 

Shin Stretch — Standing up, hold on to a stationary object. Stand with your weight on one leg and straighten it. Place your other foot on the ground, with toes pointed and your toenails toward the floor. With the tops of your toes touching the ground, roll your foot and leg forward, from the ankle. Release and repeat on the other side. 

Hamstring and Lower Back — Slowly bend forward from your waist with your knees slightly bent. Reach for the floor and hold. Only bend as far as comfortable. 

Outer thigh and buttocks and spine — While lying on your back bring your right knee up. Place your left hand on your thigh and gently pull it over to your left side. Do not pull at the knee. Your shoulders, left leg and back should remain flat. Pull gently. Then repeat on the left side. 

Lower back — While lying on your back, bring both knees up towards the chest with the hands. Round the lower back and relax into the stretch. Don’t do this stretch on a hard surface…it will bruise the spine! 

Quadriceps Stretch — Standing up, hold on to a stationary object. Bend your right knee, bringing your foot toward your buttocks. Keeping your left knee slightly bent, grasp your right ankle with the opposite hand. Slowly pull your leg up and back, bringing your foot at high as comfortable. Repeat with other leg. (To protect your knee… think of pulling the quads back rather than pulling the foot toward your buttocks.) 

Shoulder Stretch — Standing upright, cross left arm over chest. Place your right hand on your upper arm and pull arm in tight to chest. Be sure to keep shoulders down and do not pull at the elbow. Hold, and then repeat stretch with other arm. 

Neck Relaxer — Turn and look over your right shoulder and hold. Repeat on the left side. Don’t hyper-extend the neck, or tilt it backwards. 

Next, gently drop the head so that the ear goes towards the right shoulder and hold. Return to upright position. Repeat forward and on the left side. Keep the spine in an upright position and don’t hyper-extend the neck, jerk, or tilt the head backwards. 

We hope that these help to get you started. If you know of other types that you find useful please feel free to post them onto the blog on the walkabout website. Next week we will talk about motivation, and tricks and tips to keep you going. 

WALKABOUT – WEEK ONE

THE BASICS

Life is like the car pool lane. The only way to get to your destination quickly is to take some people with you. Peter Ward

Make every walk a complete workout by including these elements, and following the correct sequence. Neglecting to do so could make walking more difficult, and increase the risk of injury.

1) Warm up
2) Flexibility exercises
3) Walk
4) Cool down
5) Stretch

1) Warm up – Warming up is  exercising at a lower intensity, it keeps muscles supple; increases the range of motion of the joints; enhances flexibility; improves coordination; increases body temperature, heart rate and blood flow to the muscles and helps to prevent injuries. For many of your walks it will only be necessary to warm up about five minutes.

2) Flexibility exercises – These exercises are part of your warm up and should be done after you have warmed up. The faster you plan to walk the more time you will need to dedicate to flexibility exercises. There are many different exercises in this group. Here are a few to try:

Toe points — Stand on one leg and lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and hold for a few seconds. Next flex your foot pointing your toes up. Do this five or ten times on each foot.

Ankle Circles — While standing on one leg lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate  your ankle. Do about ten circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.

The Twist — Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms straight out, parallel to ground. Keep your lower body stationary while swinging your arms from side to side. Do this several times to loosen up your waist, back, and shoulders.

Arm Circles — Hold your arms straight out to your side parallel to the ground. Make small circles going backward, gradually getting larger and larger. Rest for a second and do the same thing in the forward direction.

3) Walk - Now that you have warmed up you should be ready to complete your walk at your normal walking pace. For the first few weeks do not push too hard. Your breathing should be elevated, but you should not be gasping for air. A rule of thumb that works for most people is… If you can not talk you are walking  too fast, if you can carry a tune you are walking too slow.

4) Cool down – At the end of your walk you need to walk at a slower pace to cool down. The harder you have worked out the longer you should cool down. In the beginning your walks are very short and you only need to cool down a couple of minutes. As your walking time and intensity extends so should your cool down period.

5) Stretch – This is such a neglected area for many people. Start off right and take the time to stretch AFTER every workout. In the beginning stretches should take at least 5 minutes. As you increase distance and pace you will probably need to stretch longer.

Hopefully this will get you started. Next week we will give you some tips and suggestions for stretching.
Adapted from www.the walkingsite.com

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