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Show AggieLife Page 6 Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Doctors and enthusiasts give jogging tips BY HEATHER ZOLLINGER staff writer As swimsuit weather grows nearer, many people look at their winter weight gain and decide jogging is the way to shed a few pounds. Local experts have offered these six tips for beginning joggers to be healthy and successful in their fitness goals. Start slow and know your limits "Beginner runners tend to not know their limits as well, so often times they will get overuse injuries," said Spencer Heninger, a podiatrist at Alpine Orthopaedic Specialists. "Everything hurts when you're beginning running and so they have a hard time discerning if it's a normal pain that you feel with just exerting yourself or if it's a pain that is not normal and that they ought to have something done." New runners should not underestimate themselves either, however. Personal trainer Jake Saunders said runners should push themselves, and continue getting just below the point where their lives are not affected by soreness. "Start slow and always go further the next day," Saunders said. Set goals to motivate yourself Many people can have a difficult time exercising consistently once they are past the initial interest phase. There are a few different strategies to keeping on track. Setting a goal is one, according to professor Scott Ensign, a longtime runner. "Set a goal, what you want to accomplish in your running," Ensign said. "Be it a race or just to be able to run a mile in a certain pace or just to get a certain number of miles per week in, really be dedicated to meeting your goal. Don't allow yourself to turn off the alarm clock and sleep in if you are committed to it." Ensign follows a strict training plan to keep him going. He says having it all written down for each day keeps him on track since it is like having a contract with himself. Ensign suggested joggers write goals on sticky notes and place them on the mirror, in the car, or other other places they can be seen. This can help remind runners why they started and why they want to keep running, Saunders said. He said choosing an event to train for helps make the goals real. stretches are recommended," Saunders said. "For post-running, what is most important is static stretches." Nutrition is also important when fueling a workout, Saunders said. "If they begin their day with a run, they should have eaten something prior to that," Saunders said. "They should never go running on an empty stomach. They should try to eat again within thirty to sixty minutes after their workout." Saunders suggested joggers wait at least 30 minutes after eating before exercising. Stay hydrated "Drink water around the clock," Saunders said. "When you first wake up, what I recommend to my clients is that they begin the day by drinking two cups of water and throughout the day to keep hydrated." Saunders said it is important to drink at least eight cups of water a day, minimum. He said there is no maximum to how much water one should drink, but how much hydration is healthy depends on the person. "If they're still thirsty, they should keep drinking," Saunders said. Wear appropriate footwear Proper shoes are essential for comfortable jogging and preventing injuries, Heninger said. If the right shoes are not used, the foot does not get the right type of support, causing problems such as muscle injuries, joint issues and shin splints. "When you start, the best thing to do is get into a neutral shoe," Heninger said. "Not something that's minimalist, but also I don't think you should with something with a lot of what they call motion control. What you need to do is get a shoe that's called a neutral cushion shoe. That's a good place to start." Heninger warned against wearing shoes too thin. Runners often get comfortable in their shoes and don't think they need to replace them until they are completely worn through, which can cause a lot of problems, Heninger said. Exercise isn't easy, but it's worth it Jogging can help improve both physical and mental health, but it isn't easy, according to Ensign. "I think running is kind of painful and it's hard," Ensign said. "This idea that you're going to really get out there and you're going to be enjoying running so much that there's going to be this great pleasure — I think it's kind of a myth for a lot of people. It's hard work and you sweat and you're a little bit miserable, but the reward is worth it." Take care of yourself before and after you run According to Saunders, it is important to follow correct procedures both before and after running, including stretching. "For pre-running, dynamic – zollingerheather@gmaiLcom BEGINNING JOGGERS CAN EXPERIENCE dehydration and sustain injuries due to inappropriate or overused footwear. JESSICA FIFE photo illustrations Spring sunshine has positive and negative effects BY KRISTEN GERENCHER MarketWatch (MCT) SAN FRANCISCO — After enduring an especially brutal winter, Americans may be tempted to catch more than a little sunshine this summer. But the impulse is often clouded by two conflicting public-health issues. How do you strike a balance between protecting your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays without robbing yourself of the health benefits of vitamin D, which the sun aids the body in producing? Since vitamin D is available in food sources as well, a general rule to remember, dermatologists say, boils down to this: Wear sunscreen. Reapply it every few hours when you're in the sun. And seek shade during peak sun hours. "The sun has an effect on happiness and pleasure," acknowledges Dr. David Leffell, professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. But it has a dark side, he says. "We need to understand it and approach our sun-seeking behavior in moderation." It's easier to practice good sun hygiene" than you might think. Here are a few tips, including highlights of new sunscreen ratings by Consumer Reports. Think of sunscreen — whether you choose a lotion, spray or cream — as part of an overall strategy to avoid increasing your risk of premature wrinkles and skin cancer. The strategy also includes wearing widebrimmed hats and tight-knit clothing and saying no to baking yourself in the sun or a tanning salon. Choose sunscreen with a sun protection factor of no less than 30 and apply it before going out in the sun. It's more effective that way and keeps it from staining your clothes at the same " 0 v0 „R H time, says Jamie Hirsh, senior associate editor for Consumer Reports Health in Yonkers, N.Y. Make sure you use enough of it. Apply two to three tablespoons to cover all exposed skin. That's about equivalent to filling a shot glass. And put sunscreen on easily forgotten areas prone to sunburn such as your neck and the tops of your ears and feet, if you're wearing sandals. Reapply sunscreen every few hours. "Don't just put it on once and think you're good to go for the day," says Hirsh. "That's even true for the water-resistant ones. When you towel off (after JAJ swimming,) you're mechanically removing sunscreen." Dr. James Spencer, a member of the board of directors for the American Academy of Dermatology and a dermatologist in St. Petersburg, Fla., says this is where many well-intentioned people can fall down on the job. "The hard part is you have to reapply it every three or four hours. It's inconvenient." Choose brands that perform well in real-world tests of whether they meet their claims of water resistance and filtering out both kinds of radiation — the deeperpenetrating UVA type, responsible for tanning and aging the skin, and the UVB H :ALL _S 0 OS YO RR ▪ EPTIO\ DAV D B A WEDDIRGS \C 0 S RDC AT V\ 0 S -F-.) 10 \ S I DOOR OR OP DOOR S H IS WWW.USU1,DU/ALUMNI (435) 797-2055 111111•140111111111111111111M1 1MM1II1111111* type, which causes sunburn. For its July 2011 edition, Consumer Reports tested 22 sunscreen brands. The magazine recommends nine of them for staying on in water and being "excellent" at protecting skin from UVB radiation and "very good" at protecting from UVA radiation: Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 30 and Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 100, Coppertone Sport Ultra Sweatproof SPF 30, CVS Fast Cover Sport SPF 30, Walgreens Sport SPF 50 and Ocean Potion Kids Instant Dry Mist SPF 50. Three on the recommended list were also rated "best buys:" Up & Up Sport SPF 30, No-Ad with Aloe and Vitamin E SPF 45 and Equate Baby SPF 50. Don't let price be a deterrent to using sunscreen. About half of products recommended by Consumer Reports are store brands, not name brands, Hirsh says. One of its "best buys," the No-Ad product, sells for as little as 59 cents an ounce. Pregnant women may want to avoid sunscreens that contain the inactive ingredient retinyl palmitate out of an abundance of caution, Consumer Reports says, due to questions about possible health effects on the fetus. About a third of the 22 brands tested contain retinyl palmitate, Hirsh says. "Because there are great options that don't contain it, why not choose another one, especially if you're concerned?" Check your skin regularly for abnormal growths or suspicious moles. See a dermatologist if you have any concerns. |