Turkey Trot Training Nutrition

Between now and November Annie Deremeik, our Fit N Fun Nutritionist, will be guest posting for us! Annie is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist.

Last week, when I walked my oldest daughter (her first day of Kindergarten) and the neighborhood kids to school I realized how quickly time passes. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were gearing up for having a great summer of pool days, trips to the beach and watermelon parties.   With the new school year kicking off and summer now in the rear view mirror, I realized the holiday season is just around the corner. If this fall semester passes as quickly as the summer did, we better get planning to be our best for the Turkey Trot!

Training for a run, whether it be a marathon, a 5K or a 1-miler, takes more than just making sure you can put one foot in front of the other. Nutrition and healthy eating have a place in any successful training plan.

We’ll start out with a few guidelines to ensure that you can run your best, and maybe lose a little weight while you're at it.

   

    Eat Real Food- The bulk of your diet should come from real, whole foods such as vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, nuts, low fat dairy and fruits. You get more nutrients eating whole real foods compared to convenience/highly-processed foods.  Remember, the less processing a plant/food receives the more nutritious it will be.  Do your best to focus on eating at home where you can control what is added to the food and how it is prepared, enabling you to provide your body with the most nutritional value from meals.

  

    Choose Superb Carbs- If you want to run super, be sure to make superb choices when choosing the right carbohydrates for your body.   Carbohydrates fuel workouts and nourish tired muscles, so they should be an important part of your diet. Be sure to make most of your carbs come from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

  

    Have a Drink- OFTEN!  Drink fluids that hydrate your body.  Fluids are an essential part of any runners training plan. Staying hydrated will boost your performance.  Leap over options like fruit juice, soft drinks, and alcohol.  Remember, sports drinks are good for when you have exercised at moderate/heavy level (heart beating fast and sweating) for over 1 hour.  If you just went for a hard run but only for 30 min- water is the best option.

   

 

  Write it down!  Keep a log of everything you eat for a few days.  This will help you to identify areas for improvement in your diet. You’ll be surprised at what you notice once you start writing things down.

    Everything in Moderation!  Allow yourself a treat, whatever that might be for you…desserts, cocktails or a salty craving.  Just keep it in check.  Watch your portions and how often you allow yourself a treat. 

These tips might seem overwhelming at first, especially if you have room to improve on your eating habits so take it slowly.  Make small changes every week.  If you completely revamp your diet in 1 day, it will be harder to maintain than if you make gradual changes.  We want to make eating habits that will stand the test of time.   

From now until the Turkey Trot you’ll be hearing from me about how you can make sure you are eating for optimal training and for the race day.  Many of the topics we will cover will also be provide a good foundation for an overall healthy diet. 

If you’re a parent, make sure to include your kids when making dietary changes. Studies show that healthy eating habits established during the younger years lead to more healthy adults.   I know that for me personally, instilling healthy eating habits and the knowledge to be able to make healthy choices is something I take seriously. Role modeling is the easiest way to teach and reinforce a healthy lifestyle. 

Real food picture source: http://kymperfetto.com/2011/12/20/eat-real-food-to-drop-real-weight/

Food journal picture source: http://www.askthetrainer.com/accountability-when-it-comes-to-eating-healthy/

Recipe: Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

This week we have another simple recipe that should please many around your dinner table. Hopefully this is the type of recipe that you can make one a weeknight, but if not, give it a try this weekend!

Coming directly to you from AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salty and pepper. Place in lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika and parsley. Mix well and pour half over chicken. Brush to cover chicken.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining half of the honey mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
5. Let cool for ten minutes.
6. Serve with your favorite seasonal sides! For fruits and vegetables in season in Central Maryland you can find a list here.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

You will most likely be logging quite a few miles the next few months and you want to make sure you have the right equipment. Beside a water bottle, the most important piece of running equipment is your shoes! Running or walking in an ill fitting pair of shoes can cause a plethora of musculoskeletal issues, which can easily be avoided. Here are some simple tips on how to choose a great pair of running shoes, which will hopefully improve your training!

First, where will you do the most of your training? On the road/treadmill or trails? Road running shoes are designed for the repetitive strides of road running, where your feet will be hitting hard and, for the most part, even surfaces. Trail running shoes are designed for varying and unstable terrain. They are heavier than road running shoes, due to their thicker sole, which protects your feet from underfoot dangers like sticks and rocks, while also providing stability.

What kind of feet do you have? First start with the length of your foot. Do not be afraid to ask someone at the shoe shop to measure your feet. Then, check the width of your foot. If you are a male with a more narrow foot and cannot find a shoe in the "Men's" aisle, try a pair of "Women's" shoes, the same goes for women with wider feet, try the "Men's" aisle. Most shoe manufacturers design their women's lines with a B width and men's lines with a D-width and not all feet are created equal. Next is your arch! Think about what type of footprint you leave in the sand. Is your footprint narrow and curved? You have a high arch. Does your foot leave an almost straight print? If so, you are flat footed. A great way to check is with wet footprints on concrete. Here are examples of what you are looking for:

Supporting your arch correctly will stabilize your feet which keeps your ankles, knees and hips in alignment. Not only will this improve your stride helps prevent pain in your joints. Most running stores have arch types of each shoe displayed, but if not, do not be shy to ask.

Shop at night. Trying on shoes at night, especially running shoes, is necessary. Your feet swell during the day, as they do during a run, so shopping with larger feet will prevent you from purchasing shoes that are too small.

Bring your accessories. We are not talking your sweatband here, but your orthotics or insoles. These can greatly change the fit of your shoes.

Wiggle those toes! Can you move your toes from side to side and up and down? You should be able to.

Bring your old shoes. An expert shoe fitter will be able to learn things about your stride based on the wear pattern of your current pair.

As you can see, there is a lot more to buying a running shoe than the color and logo. We suggest you take your time, visit a running store, and keep these tips in mind.

Good luck and we hope to see you out on the trail, on the treadmill or pounding pavement in a great fitting pair of shoes.

We will be sharing lace tying techniques in a couple weeks, so be sure to check back!

If you would like to learn more about the materials used to make running shoes and how they can impact your performance you can find more information here.

Shoe photo from: http://www.sevacall.com/blog/2013/04/s/gyms-fitness/choosing-the-best-running-shoe/

Arch photo from: http://www.calvinshub.com/2010/02/finding-the-right-running-shoes-for-your-feet/

Imagine

Today's post comes to us from Lauren Manekin Beille, Annual Campaign Director of Development, here at the Y of Central Maryland. This is a true story, which Lauren recently shared with the organization.

Imagine.

You are 52 years old.

You are a single parent.

You have two teenage kids.

From New York, you have moved to Maryland thinking there would be more jobs available here after graduating with a MBA.

There aren’t…

You are a cashier today making $9.40/hour…living in your car … in your car … with two teenagers.

You wake up…need to find a shower…drop the kids off at school…go to work…pick them up from school…you need help…you need to find food…you need a bathroom…and now you need to find a place to park to sleep tonight.

Tomorrow will be the same.

The Brookings Institution, a Washinton think tank, is reporting that today suburban poor now outnumber urban poor. More people living in poverty in Baltimore’s suburbs than in the city itself. Between 2000-2011 the city poverty level grew by 4% while in the suburbs it grew by 58%.

Poverty in this state has spread because people are moving, losing jobs, and/or taking low-income positions which are forcing them to make heart wrenching decisions about their lives and that of their families.

What’s the solution? Places like the Y! The Brookings researchers have suggests “groups rethink how – and where—they fund and provide services…What we need to look for are organizations that can do more than one thing in more than one place and once.”

The story of this family is one of tens of thousands of examples of families that the Y is raising funds to serve every day of the year. The Y IS the organization that DOES more than one thing, across the ENTIRE state for all Marylanders, all at once!

Thank you for helping us, it’s REALLY important.

Picture from http://llenrock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Baltimore-City-aerial-view.jpg

Turkey Sightings: September

Spot Trotter around Central Maryland at these locations this September. Keep in mind, you never know where he might be found flapping his wings, so always keep an eye out.

Do not forget about our contest! Be sure to share your turkey encounters. Post your pics on Facebook, tweet us @YofCentralMD #yturkeytrot, and share your pics on instagram, #yturkeytrot!

Druid Hill Farmers' Market: Wednesday, September 4 from 4:30-5:30pm

Bel Air First Fridays: Friday, September 6 from 6-7pm

Catonsville Arts Festival: Sunday, September 8 from 11am-2pm

Weinberg Family Center Y: Monday, September 9 from 10-11am

Druid Hill Farmers' Market: Wednesday, September 11 from 4:30-5:30pm

Bel Air Festival for the Arts: Sunday, September 15 from 12-3pm

Ward Family Center Y: Tuesday, September 17 from 10:30-11:30am

Metric Running Festival: Saturday, September 21 from 7-8:15am

Family Movie Night at Catonsville Family Center Y: Saturday, September 21 from 5-6:30pm

Druid Hill Farmers' Market: Wednesday, September 25 from 4:30-5:30pm

Family Movie Night at Dancel Family Center Y: Friday, September 27 from 6-7pm

Westminster Fall Fest: Saturday, September 28 from 2-4pm