Getting Fit

Discussing the myths of health and performance: Great North Run training

IN a series of fortnightly articles, we have been discussing the myths and contentious issues that exist in the health and fitness world. I have consequently been asked an excellent question, my favourite so far. “How do I complete the Great North Run?” Quite a daunting task if you’ve never experienced 13.1 miles on foot. There are thousands of us currently preparing for the run and all have a training routine of some sort.

We all have different motivations. Whatever is driving you to take part, and no matter what stage you are at in your training, I will share with you some fundamentals that all levels of athletes need to pay full attention to.

l Reaching your potential: A big mistake often made when preparing for the run and, in fact, many sports is to simply look at what the activity entails and then train this exclusively. Yes, you will need to be gradually building up the road miles as part of your training, but this alone will inevitably lead to reduced performance levels, injury and your system breaking down. There are certain key factors that should be the base of your conditioning.

l What you eat, how you move and when you sleep: Consideration of these three factors will ensure you are in your best condition to train and not just complete the run, but beat that personal best.

It seems obvious, but I have found it alarming how many of us who are looking for enhanced health and performance actually drastically negate these areas. Sometimes it seems that we don’t fully appreciate how important it is that we eat the right foods at the right time of the day, recover correctly and sleep at the right times. Often it is a simple case of priorities.

l Eat, move and be healthy: A fantastic book that I recommend to establish a holistic approach, not just to the run, but your pursuits and life in general, is Eat, Move and be Healthy by Paul Chek. As a Chek exercise coach I urge you to embrace these factors to prevent breaking your body down and to build a strong system that gives rise to sustained energy levels, a rock-solid immune system and boosted performance levels. Your conditioning programme will also be enhanced by the support of the trainers at BodyGuards Personal Fitness Gym, who embrace this approach (contact below).

l More myths? In two weeks’ time we will look at this approach in more depth with regards to the run.

In the meantime, what topics, trends, exercises, and advice do you want some clarity on?