When it comes to competitive athletics every molecule of extra strength and energy counts. However, some very ordinary and in some cases surprising items have surfaced in recent studies as super foods for those involved in high energy output activities.

For example, who would have thought drinking chocolate milk would in fact help you lose body fat? Well, a 2011 study of men and women at the University of Texas who participated in a four and a half week training program confirmed it. The program included an hour of hard cycling five days a week and immediately after the ride, and again one hour later, the participants drank chocolate milk or a carbohydrate beverage. Those who drank chocolate milk were found to have gained more lean muscle and lost more body fat than those on the carb drink substitute.

Less surprising, although perhaps somewhat suspect given the location, is news from a recent study of runners at Munich University who drank one to one and a half liters of non-alcoholic beer (NAB) every day for three weeks before then running a marathon. After the marathon they continued drinking the NAB for another two weeks. Results comparing the NAB drinkers with a control group of non-drinking runners found the NAB drinkers had higher levels of T-cells, indicating a strong immune system and far fewer respiratory infections.

Another immune system booster is the blueberry. Participants in a US study were given a cup of blueberries every day for six weeks and then ran for two and a half hours. Another group of runners had no blueberries. Results showed the blueberry group had higher levels of immune cells, less inflammation and oxidative damage both before and after the run compared to the no berry group. The anthocyanidins in blueberries are thought to be responsible.

When taking up an exercise such as jogging, more serious running or just about any physical activity that pushes your body beyond its comfort zone, you’ll need an appropriate pre and post exercise warm up and wind-down routine if you want to avoid injuries. It’s all part of the process of getting fitter faster while listening to your body’s needs and respecting its capacity.

A common area for problems when running is the foot and ankle region which is where most of the impact occurs. Keeping your calf muscles flexible can help you avoid tendonitis and plantar fasciitis by softening the shock as your foot hits the ground. One popular injury preventive training method which focuses on flexibility and strength is the Wharton Performance Model. Stretching before and after your run can not only improve your performance, but also prevent the most running injuries.

Here’s the calf muscle warm up routine:

To stretch the outer calf, sit on the ground with both legs straight in front. Loop a rope or cloth band around the ball of each foot in turn and flex the foot back towards your ankle – toes towards your knee.

To flex the inner calf muscles sit with one leg straight in front and the other bent up with knee towards your chest. Grab the ball of the foot of the bent leg, keeping the heel on the ground and pull the foot towards your body.

To stretch your Achilles tendon, which attaches your heel to your calf, sit with one leg out straight and bring the other up to your chest with the heel of that foot against your buttocks. Grabbing the ball of that foot pull it up towards your body. Feel the stretch up the back of that leg from the Achilles’ to the calf.

There are many other stretches runners should incorporate into their pre and post workout routines and remember also that muscle cramps can also be caused by dietary deficiencies, such as insufficient minerals and electrolytes.

Seeds – the edible kind – have long been known for their health benefits due to their high concentrations of essential nutrients, but are often overlooked in many diets. So here’s a selection of some of the best and most common seeds to add zest to your cuisine and energy to your workout.

Sesame seeds are common in Asian cuisine, especially in Japan where they’re traditionally roasted then ground with a mortar and pestle with added sea salt to make a tasty condiment called gomashio. Just a quarter cup of the seeds contains 28% of daily calcium needs, 24% of iron, 35% of copper and 20% of magnesium. Lightly toasted they can be added to baked fish, chicken or eggplant, or as gomashio scattered over a salad, cooked veggies or a bowl of brown rice.

Pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium, 40% of RDV, which protects muscles during heavy training. Toasted they can be added to salads or eaten raw are good for eliminating intestinal worms.

Chia seeds are less common but high in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce cholesterol. Soaked in water for 15-30 minutes, they can be added to a sport drink or thrown into a shake.

Sunflower seeds are high in copper and selenium, which help protect muscles, and provide 80% of daily requirements of vitamin E, a heart-friendly antioxidant. Eat them raw, but shelled, or blended into a spread or scattered over a salad.

Flax seed is highest in omega-3, one ounce providing more than 100% of daily requirements and ten times more lignans, which cut the risk of heart disease, than other seeds or vegetables. The whole seeds are edible but aren’t soluble, so better grind them first or find the milled seed. Good sprinkled on oatmeal.

Sacha inchi seeds, otherwise known as ‘Inca peanuts,’ which in fact is what they taste like, provide essential fats, zinc, copper and iron as well as protein and are high in the amino acid tryptophan, which cuts appetite and calms the nerves. Good as a snack when mixed with other dried fruits and nuts.

Just remember to refrigerate seeds and keep them in air-tight containers if you aren’t using them immediately to avoid them going rancid. Raw seeds that you can toast yourself are best as high commercial roasting temperatures destroy the nutrients.

• Runner’s knee accounts for about 40% of all running injuries.  It typically strikes on longer runs, while descending hills or stairs, or after prolonged sitting.  Almost everyone is at risk.  The first solution is to slow down.  Take extra rest days and reduce your mileage, running only as far as you can without pain.  Running uphill or simulating hills on a treadmill strengthens your glutes, hips and thighs and prevents knees from rolling inwards.  Cycling is also good for strengthening your quads and swimming is knee-friendly.  If you have knee pain on waking which doesn’t ease up, stop running.

• Ironically, aching or tight hamstrings are more common the more flexible you are.  Overly stretched muscles make your hams more vulnerable and sitting for long periods can also be a risk factor.  The first step for rehab is to back off.  Daily ice packing can help as can wearing compression tights, cycling, swimming and aqua running.  Seeing a chiropractor or physio might also be a good idea if the pain and tightness persists.

• Tightness of the achillies tendon can occur if you’ve significantly increased your training or have tight, weak calve muscles.  Catch it early and it can heal in a few days; if you keep running, recovery could take six months.  The cure includes ice packs five times daily and calve strengthening with daily heel drop exercises on a step.  Avoid wearing flip-flops and high-heeled shoes.  Compression socks can also help.

• Shin splints, are common with novice runners or after extended running layoffs.  Basically, the pain is caused by tears in the muscle surrounding the shin.  It’s a sign of doing too much too soon.  Rest, ice and Ibuprofen will ease the pain, as can an ankle brace or taping.  Cross training such as football or tennis which strengthens your muscles with lateral movements can help, as does wearing sport shoes appropriate to your foot shape.

• Iliotibal band syndrome is not the result of listening to too many bad teenage rock groups.  It refers to the flexing and extension of the iliotibal muscle band extending from your hip to your knee.  Pain in this area is an indicator.  Weak hip abductors and gluteal muscles won’t help this often stubborn injury.  Rest and reduced mileage, avoiding hiking and cycling can help too, as does swimming and an elliptical trainer, plus massage and ice.

• The most common foot issue for runners is plantar fasciitis – tears and inflammation of tendons and ligaments between heels and toes which comprises the area absorbing most force when running.  If you have high or very low arches you’re more vulnerable.  Tight hip flexors, weak core muscles and lower back pain are also associated as they affect your stride.  Just running on through it is no cure.  Pool running and swimming help, as does cycling, both of which reduce pressure on your feet.  Rolling your foot over a bottle of frozen water for five minutes and sitting with one leg crossed over the other – yoga practitioners should be good at this – is also recommended.  However, core muscle strength is critical to avoid spinal stress being transferred to the foot.  Pilates exercises could be useful in that case.

• Last, but by no means least, are stress fractures.   In fact, stress fractures are one of the most serious running injuries around and can take longer to heal than most other injuries – up to 16 weeks depending on location and severity.  They mostly occur in the shin, feet or heel bones.  X-rays are usually required and the only known cure is to avoid all impact exercises until it is healed.  Swimming and aqua running are good options until you can walk or gently jog without pain.  The only positive aspect here is that weight bearing exercise is protective in that it strengthens bones and supporting musculature, so, theoretically the longer you’ve been running the less risk of injury.

What you cook your food in, namely which type of cooking oil you use, is as important for your health as the actual food you’re cooking – maybe even more so in terms of maintaining a healthy heart. These days there are a variety of healthier cooking options to what your grandmother or mother may have used and including a variety of different oils, in moderation, in your diet can help absorb fat soluble vitamins and reduce heart disease. They also add some exciting flavours to your food.

Rapeseed oil, aka Canola in Canada or sometimes simply labelled a generic vegetable oil, has the least saturated fat and lightest taste of all. A tablespoon provides 14% of recommended daily vitamin E which helps reduce free radical damage.
Rich in mono-unsaturated fats, avocado oil helps lower cholesterol levels as well as lessening UV cellular damage. It has a high smoke point and is thus good for stir frying.

Flax or linseed oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids which can alleviate joint pains. However, it’s best used cold mixed in salads and should be stored in a fridge as it’s heat sensitive and turns rancid quickly.

Sesame oil has a strong flavour so a little goes a long way. It’s high in antioxidants which can reduce blood pressure and sugar levels.

Finally there’s probably the most versatile and popular oil for all seasons and preparations. Virgin olive oil is minimally processed and retains its high levels of the antioxidant oleocanthal which also has anti-inflammatory effects similar to the drug Ibuprofen.

Heart rate is a useful measure of physical exertion and can help monitor your performance and avoid some common training errors, such as going too fast on what should be long slow runs.

First of all you need to work out your maximum heart rate by using a heart rate monitor. The way to do this is by testing yourself over increasingly intense trial runs: an easy run for 15 minutes, a harder run for 5 minutes, then as hard as possible for one minute. The highest number recorded on the monitor is your maximum heart rate and can be used to calculate your three basic training zones, starting with low intensity runs of 60-70% of your maximum capacity to encourage fat burning and strengthening of your cardiovascular system and learning to maintain your strength and enthusiasm over the distance. Those new to running should spend 90% of their training time in this zone, advanced runners 60-70%. This is followed by moderate intensity runs at marathon pace for 10-25% of your training followed by higher intensity runs for just a few miles or 5-10% of training time.

Most runners look at their heart rate data after their high intensity runs and eventually you should be running faster at the same heart rate. However, the monitor should be used as a guide rather than a rule and other factors should also be taken into account, such as dehydration, heat, altitude and even time of day, all of which can influence heart rate by up to 20%.

When buying a heart rate monitor consider getting one with an alarm to alert you if you stray out of your heart rate comfort zone.  A lap counter can also help as can a data downloading function and GPS to help analyze your training.

Getting sufficient rest and recuperation is as important as any workout. Overtraining won’t make you any stronger or aid your performance, so learn to keep a proper balance between the two by watching for the following markers.

A loss of body mass/weight of just 2% indicates a lack of sufficient hydration which affects both physical and mental performance. Another indicator of dehydration is the colour of your urine. Dark yellow means you need to drink more water. Drinking more fluids both before and after a workout is recommended.

It’s a good idea to check your resting heart rate each morning to see what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is a sign of stress and your heart trying to move more oxygen to muscles and the brain. Physical and psychological stress registers the same. Both require extra recovery.

Sleep could be the answer. Consistently good sleep boosts growth hormones which build muscle fibers. Poor quality sleep decreases mental and muscle reaction time.

You need to be honest about your general energy level. If it’s low, something’s wrong. Pushing through fatigue isn’t always the answer.  Your mood is another indicator of your physical state. A physically stressed body produces cortisol which can cause irritability and anxiety.

If you’re sick your body needs extra energy to supply your immune system, which means less energy for physical workouts. This applies to women’s menstrual cycles too. Pain also falls into the same category.

Overworked muscles or an injury require more energy and time to repair.

Overall workout performance, although subjective, is a measure of workout quality. Comparing your performance on a daily basis should give you a sense of your need for recovery.

Has you oxygen level decreased? To measure this you’ll need a portable pulse oximeter. The higher the oxygen level the better. However, this is a relatively new area of recovery science and there’s a need for further research. Nevertheless, there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for increased recovery.

Many different types of injury can occur while running. Although a certain amount of stiffness plus sore and tightened muscles is normal when training, it shouldn’t last for days and days on end.

As in the case of any kind of sports injury, correct diagnosis is fundamental to successful recovery. Check whether the problem is caused by inappropriate or poor quality running shoes, poor nutrition or insufficient pre-run preparation. Also keep in mind that even when your injury has healed it will take time and patience to get back to normal.

Hamstring tendonitis is a common problem for runners. One solution recommended by professionals is doing hamstring curls, an exercise which allows you to isolate the injured muscles selectively. However, for this you will need access to a hamstring curl machine and care is needed to avoid knee damage while performing the exercise. If in doubt, reduce the weights and focus on the motion.

Acupuncture is known to reduce pain by stimulating blood flow to muscles and connective tissue as well as activating the body’s natural pain killers. This results in increased energy, better sleep and a healthier appetite, all of which makes you a better runner.

Pilates exercises are good for long-term strengthening and core muscle development right down to your joints and extremities. Imbalanced back muscles are often a cause of injury while training. Pilates exercises can re-balance those muscles by stretching and strengthening the spine and joints.

Finally, listen to your body. If you have some discomfort back off for a while. When recovering from an injury be cautious and focus on a slow increase in mileage and intensity of your run.

Let’s start with the bad news. For those who believe running makes you healthier there are some rather depressing recent statistics. Last year Ryan Shay, aged 28, running in the US Men’s Olympic Trials in Central Park was the first world class marathon runner to die of a heart attack while competing. One day later Mathew Hardy, 50, died of a heart attack just after finishing the New York City Marathon. A month earlier Chad Schieber, 35, died in the Chicago Marathon although he’d previously been diagnosed with a heart defect. Then of course, back in 1984, there was the case of Jim Fixx, who is largely accredited with popularizing running with his 1977 book ‘The Complete Book of Running’, who died of a heart attack aged 54 while running near his home in Vermont.
Enough to make you hang up your running shoes? Then what about Bhai Fauja Singh? Nicknamed the ‘turbaned tornado’, born in the Punjab in 1911 and now living in East London, he’s 100 years old, a life-long vegetarian who avoids alcohol, fried foods and smoking and weighs only 52 kg and is not only running in international marathons, but consistently winning them in his age group. And he didn’t even start serious competitive running until in his 80s! Kind of contradictory, no?

The good news is that according to medical researchers and statisticians running and other vigorous exercise does in fact lower mortality risks. Their conclusion is if you are informed and run intelligently you should be able to keep going for a long time. However, they also are aware that in general heart disease and attacks increase with age. Exercise is recommended but isn’t a cure.
Lifestyle also has an impact and research done back in the 1950s proved that those involved in manual labour had heart attack rates significantly lower than those with desk jobs and even just walking a few miles a week made a difference. At the other extreme, in more recent research, those running more than 50 miles a week were twice as likely to have heart protective levels of HDL – good cholesterol – and 50% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who ran less than 10 miles a week.
So why are relatively young marathon runners dying of heart attacks? According to American heart specialist Paul Thompson MD, a marathon runner himself and in his 60s who has focused on exercise and heart disease, runners in their early 30s who die from heart attacks usually have structural heart defects, as was proved to be the case with Ryan Shey’s death. Whereas, when an over 35 exerciser dies on the run the cause is nearly always artery disease – cholesterol deposits that rupture and provoke a heart attack. So, this doesn’t mean that running caused the deaths, he says. Artery disease was the culprit and running merely the trigger. His advice: ‘Exercise is not a saviour. The risks are low but the benefits are real. If you want to live a long, vigorous life, you should do an hour of moderate exercise a day.’

A family requested autopsy after the death of Jim Fixx showed significant blockage in three coronary arteries. Before beginning to run he smoked and weighed well over 200 pounds. His father died at 41 after a first heart attack at 37. Jim Fixx had also had a number of warning signs. Family history is another risk factor and the warning signals aren’t always what you might expect. It could be a pain in either arm or even a feeling like indigestion or just general discomfort according to Paul Thompson. Heart disease is complex and unpredictable. Thompson’s advice: eat mostly vegetarian, consume more fish or fish oil supplement, take a daily baby aspirin (81mg) and perhaps consider a low dose statin to lower cholesterol.

As Jim Fixx said: ‘I don’t know if running adds years to your life, but it definitely adds life to your years.’ Or go ask Bhai Fauja Singh.

Marathons are everywhere and seemingly open to anyone of any age or level of physical fitness. No doubt, they’re a lot of fun as well as a measure of stamina and overall fitness. Just make sure you’ve done your preparation and have an abundance of stamina and fitness before you start running long distances.

Ten kilometres (6.2 miles) is considered a good distance to safely start with providing you’ve done your preparation training. This means you need to be comfortably running at least three times a week for up to 30 minutes each session. You should run on alternated days with perhaps a longer run on the weekend. An additional 20 minute easy run could also be added to your schedule.
Increase your distances gradually in the lead-up to a race with rest days in between. Every other weekend increase your distances by about 1-2 miles, continuing to add mileage until you’re reasonably comfortable running 6-7 miles two weeks before race day.
Your pace should be at least three minutes a mile slower than your last 5 kilometers, or where it’s comfortable to talk while running. Think of including a 30-60 second walking break every one to three minutes. On alternate weekends keep your long run to just 30 minutes. Doing too much can lead to fatigue, so there’s no need to exercise on non-running days. They’re for recuperation, or just take a walk instead.

One week before your big event do two 30 minute runs then rest on the two days before the race. However, if you just can’t sit still limit yourself to a slow, short run of no longer than 15 minutes.