​Running might be one of the most natural things we do as humans. As the title of Christopher McDougall’s book, of the famous Springsteen song implies, “baby, we were born to run!”
 
Chance are, if you’re reading this, your either already runner, or looking for the best way to start. Regardless of your background, or experience, the best place you can start is with your form! Why start with from, and not run/walk intervals, what shoes to buy, or how many miles to start with? Well, ask yourself this. If you’ve run before, have you ever had to miss a workout due to pain? Have you ever had to slow down, or drop out of a race because your legs couldn’t handle any more?

When it comes to diet, nutrition, fitness, and overall health, we all have different ideas of what we want. Some of us are looking to better fuel our athletic performances. Others hope to boost their energy, loose a few pounds, or simply incorporate more nutrient dense foods in their diet.
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Whether your a professional athlete, weekend warrior, or just thinking about stepping into fitness, making positive choices to meet your ultimate goals is not easy! I'm always looking for ways to improve my clients experiences, and recently I began pursuing my Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. It's an amazing program, that I've seen work for both athletes and non-athletes alike.

It's been a crazy year so far, and never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined we'd be here in quarantine! First and foremost, I hope you and your families are staying healthy and well! Ideally, you're still able to get out for some fresh air from time to time.

Walking or running (at an appropriate social distance from others) is still something we can all do. As the weather warms up, and we see more sunlight and warmer weather! Getting in that activity and fresh air can be a vital part in helping keep our immune systems boosted!

While stuck here with more indoor time than usual, I've also had a chance to sit back and reflect over the first quarter of the year. I've been working hard to help my clients achieve their health, fitness, and race goals. In the process, I realized I achieved some personal goals of my own.

Contributed by: Michael Nokes

​Making good habits is hard. Without an action plan, it is easy to skip the exercise for a day, eat fast food, and fall asleep in front of the TV. The best plans establish a routine with every step already thought out. Once it’s as simple as a reminder on your phone to put on your running shoes and stretch, the convenience of following the routine takes over.
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In this post, we share our tips for organizing healthy meal plans so they’re easy to implement into your schedule and painless to do. 

With only a few weeks left before the 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon, I have a lot of runners coming to me with aches and pains popping up. Maybe they didn't quite stay focused on their form during that last 20 miler, ramped up a little too fast, or didn't even know it was possible to run in a less impactful way.

Whatever the reason, it's probably safe to say that not nearly enough of us are taking the time to "pre-hab," of work on our "goats" after a run.

Check out these great exercises from my friend, Katherine Dryer, in her article "Stretching Your Hip Flexors for Greater Stability and Pain Prevention." They're not a silver bullet for ailing achey legs, but they're a good start!

Stretching Your Hip Flexors for Greater Stability and Pain Prevention
by Katherine Dryer

Fervent runners know how important it is to be fully stretched and prepped before hitting the pavement or cross-country ground, yet many fail to exercise the hip flexors fully. While it is easier to remember the hamstrings, calves and quads, we should also take the time to lengthen and loosen our hip flexors. In this post, we highlight the importance of this muscle group and suggest a few easy stretches.

When I'm working with new (or even experienced) clients on their form, one of the first things we focus on is posture. Recently, I've added a few quick posture lessons to my Instagram feed and YouTube Channel. Check them out if you're not familiar with posture.

Once I have my client's posture into a good place, we usually focus on leaning into gravity, and allowing the foot to fall below the body's center of mass. This allows the foot to strike the road with less force, landing under the body's center of gravity an sweeping back (vs. landing on the heel in front of the body).

This all sounds good, but how do you put it into practice? How do you keep your legs landing below the body's center, but keep from pushing off moving into your next stride?

Check out some of these thoughts from ChiLilving & ChiRunning co-founder Katherine Dreyer (originally posted on ChiRunning.com)

One Thing to Make Your Running So Much Easier

You can make running easier…after all, why push yourself down the road when you can be pulled…by gravity, that is.

In our last workshop some people found it difficult to let go and let gravity do its job. Whether it’s a mindset that says you need to work hard, or legs that want to be tree stumps and not loose like noodles, the hardest part of ChiRunning® is learning to relax and let go.

When Donna felt her legs go truly limp she was amazed and very pleased. She’d never felt her legs relax so much! And then movement became easy.

Here are some tips to get your legs to relax. Practice these with beginner’s mind – the kid-like energy of, “heck, what might happen if I try this”:

1. Shake ‘em out: before you run or walk, first thing in the morning, as often as you can stand in a one-legged posture stance and shake the other leg from the hip down. Really let it go. It should flop around and your ankle and foot should be totally limp and relaxed. Memorize that feeling.
2. While in the one-legged posture stance, see how you can use good posture rather than leg muscles to hold you upright. Remember to engage your core!
3. The goofy run or walk: practice being totally limp and loose while running or walking and then simple add in good posture by lifting at the crown of your head. Feel your core engage. Let everything else remain limp and relaxed.
4. Allow a slight forward fall and let your legs lightly touch the ground before they sweep out behind you. 
5. Always keep your knees bent. If you straighten you leg completely, it is more likely you are engaging unnecessary muscles.

It may seem impossible that your legs should be used so little while running. However, if you want to run for a long time (either a long distance or until you grow quite old), you will be able to do so, without injury, if you use your legs appropriately. They are not there to lug your body around by pushing against the road. They are there to connect your torso to the ground. They are there to allow you to cooperate with gravity. They are there to let you run free.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to head down to Asheville, NC to work with ChiRunning Founder Danny Dreyer. Along with a few other instructors, I was assisting assisting at a workshop. It's always great to see how different groups adapt to the ChiRunning and ChiWalking form. There's always a different "a-ha" moment for everyone.

When we wrapped up, I asked Danny to do a short video clip for my Instagram feed. I wanted to get his number one tip for new runners. His answer was using a metronome.

There are many reasons to use a metronome. When I started focusing on running form, it was a big help in getting my cadence to a more consistent place.

Check out Danny's article on the subject at ChiRunning.com. If you have any questions on how to use a metronome, don't hesitate to give me a shout!

The Quickest Way to Improve Your Running with a Metronome
by Danny Dreyer

Your body thrives on rhythm… your heart beat, your breath rate, your love for dancing, are all based on rhythms in your body or that you've established in your life. The more rhythms you establish, the better your body likes it.
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When you're body has a rhythm to follow it doesn't work as hard. It knows what to do and when to do it. If you go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, your body experiences a rhythm... "now I get to rest, now it's time to get up."

With the weather finally starting to get cooler throughout the days, it's safe to say fall has moved in. This can be a great time of year to focus on improving your running, fitness, or just overall health. With the cooler temperatures, it's easier to get out and run for longer periods of time. With spring races still over 25 weeks away, the added stress of upcoming events also fades from front of mind.

With this cooler season also comes the holidays. With the holidays comes lots of delicious comfort foods. The pumpkins, squashes, ciders, sweets, and spices are just as much part of this season as are our family and friends. And, if you have a soul, there's no doubt you're looking forward to indulging in a sugary cornucopia of carb overload!

I don't blame you... that stuff's awesome! BUT - what if you could minimize the damage and still hit the sweet, spicy spot you're looking for? It is possible! And, while I'm not saying to skip the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas, I am saying scale back during the week. Make the smart choices as often as possible so that it's okay to dive into the pie when you're really celebrating.

Here are 3 of my most recent favorite fall creations. Warning, these are MY creating, and I'm not a chef! But, I think they're delicious, simple, and don't make you feel like you're missing out!

3, Three Ingredient Fall Inspired Recipes

• Holly Pumpkin Pie Cannoli
• Spicy Bone Broth Sip
• Pumpkin Protein Crunch