Run News for December 26, 2024

Author

The Rundown
December 26th, 2024

Eggs become a “healthy” food under the new FDA guidelines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared eggs “healthy” under its updated definition, which focuses on foods that help Americans meet their nutritional needs and promotes overall well-being. With its updated definition, the FDA hopes to continue to build consumer trust by ensuring that food labels and claims are accurate and not misleading.

For years, eggs were a symbol of dietary caution, primarily due to concerns over cholesterol. In 1984, a TIME magazine cover questioned the health implications of eggs, which fueled misconceptions that lingered for decades.

Modern research shows that the cholesterol in eggs does not adversely affect blood cholesterol levels, leading health organizations (including the American Heart Association) to now embrace eggs as part of a heart-healthy diet for most individuals.

*SPONSORED*

Tired of asking “What’s for dinner?” Here’s the answer.

It’s Tovala—the chef-crafted meal delivery service that’s changing the game for dinner (and lunch and breakfast). Each meal is delivered fresh and takes only 1 minute to prep so you can spend less time cooking and more time living.

3 tips to stop overstriding

Overstriding when running is like hitting the brakes. It reduces shock absorption and leads to energy loss, which makes running harder on the body.

Here are 3 ways to improve your run form and stop wasting energy.

  1. Build glute and hamstring strength: Overstriding often results from weak hamstrings and glutes, so strengthening the glutes and hamstrings reduces the likeliness of overstriding.

  2. The forward lean: Leaning backward counteracts forward motion and increases energy demand. A slight forward lean shifts your center of gravity forward, which encourages your foot to more naturally land beneath you and reduces the strain on your glutes and hamstrings.

  3. Practice skipping drills: Activation drills like B-skips and dribbles are excellent for improving running form. These exercises train you to snap back your leg to land your foot beneath your body, focusing on engaging hamstrings and glutes. B-skips, in particular, emphasize power, as your glutes are fast-twitch muscles essential for explosive movements.

Prevent shin splints

Pain in the shin—commonly known as shin splints—affects about 13-20% of runners. It is considered an overuse injury, meaning that it often affects new runners or runners who have increased their mileage. Here are several ways to prevent shin splints.

  1. Stretch your calves and hamstrings. Tight leg muscles can put you at risk for shin splints.

  2. Avoid sudden increases in physical activity. Gradually increase activities such as running, jumping, and walking. This includes spreading out days between activities and cross-training.

  3. Exercise on softer surfaces when possible. Exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete and sidewalks, increases the force that your bones and muscles absorb causing muscle fatigue, and ultimately, shin splints. Exercising on softer surfaces will reduce the shock on your muscles, bones, tendons, and joints. Examples of softer surfaces include grass, dirt, sand, synthetic tracks and artificial turf fields.

  4. Strengthen your foot and the arch of your foot. Lack of physical activity creates weakness in the muscles of the foot, lower leg, thigh, and trunk, which lead to shin splints. Strengthening your foot helps the arch to work more effectively, preventing shin splints.

  5. Strengthen your hip muscles. Strengthening your hip muscles helps absorb more of the shock and pressure on the leg during exercise.

  6. Buy new athletic shoes. Ill-fitting shoes can contribute to shin splints.

  7. Stay at a healthy body weight. Increased body weight, being overweight, or obesity can lead to a higher risk of shin splints.

  8. Analyze your running and jumping technique. Incorrect running and landing techniques can cause shin splints.

The best time to walk according to science

Going on a walk elevates our mood, helps us sleep, and boosts our immunity. When we walk can impact how it benefits us. Here are the pros to working at different times during the day.

Pros of morning walks

  • Ensures we have time to do it

  • Sunlight early in the day helps regulate our circadian rhythm

  • Improves blood pressure and insulin resistance

  • Fasted exercise helps burn more fat as fuel

Pros of afternoon walks

  • We tend to have more energy and better nutrition in the afternoon

  • An afternoon walk can aid digestion, which leads to better blood sugar stabilization

Pros of evening walks

  • Aids digestion, leading to better blood sugar regulation

  • Could prevent further snacking at night time

When is the best time to walk?

Walking at any time has tons of benefits for your health, so don’t let the time of day deter you from doing it. The fundamental thought is that we should choose a time that we can be consistent with so that we build a habit and schedule around the exercise. Sticking to the same time every day has its own benefits on regulating your circadian rhythm whether it’s morning, afternoon, or night.

*SPONSORED*

AI run training plans for optimal performance

Runner finishing a race

Access customized training plans that leverage your personal data to provide you with adaptive training plans.

Be the first to know when it goes live by joining the waitlist.

Your Daily Dose Of Usain⚡️

Usain singing

A Christmas themed run

@lexilwatts

this is your sign to go on a christmas run😘 #runtok #christmasrun #runner #runvlog #christmas

Words To Run By 🏃‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️

The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.

Eliud Kipchoge