6 Tips for Turning Resolutions Into Reality

Coach Jenny Hadfield 
For Active.com

It’s New Year’s resolution time again and a chance to make positive changes in your life. This year, use Coach Jenny’s Evolution-Resolution system and make good on those resolutions.

Start With a Specific and Realistic Goal

Goals that are too lofty don’t stick and can be overwhelming. Go with a realistic goal and aim low. For example, train to run and participate in a 5K in May. The race makes the goal specific. Plus, it is very realistic to train to run a 5K in four to five months. 

• Make it stick: Register for the race. It will keep you accountable to your resolution and keep you going.

Follow a Realistic Training Program

The number one way to reach a running goal is to follow a training program that matches your current level of fitness and build from there. You will progress faster and reach your goals more quickly and with less risk of injury and burn-out.

• Make it stick: Do a personal inventory of your activity. Match your current activity level to the first few weeks of the training program. Less is more in the first month of training.

Break it Down

Break your resolution into a few smaller, more digestible pieces (check points) throughout the year. For instance, start with a 10-week run-walk program on your journey to learning to run continuously. It is a smaller and more achievable goal and will lead to the next goal of running the race.

• Make it stick: Set one goal for spring (5K) and one more for the fall (losing 15 pounds). Connect the two with smaller mini-goals to get you to the first, then the second.

Let Your Goals Evolve

Change takes time. Getting active and losing weight are fantastic goals, but they take time. Put your mini-goals into your calendar and focus on one at a time. Be patient and persistent. There will be ups and downs; but if you stick with it and stay on target you will reach the next check point.

• Make it stick: Stay motivated by keeping a log or diary and look back every few weeks to see your progress. You may not notice change over a few days, but a few weeks makes a big difference. 

Reward Yourself

Treat yourself to a massage or special gift when you reach a mini-goal. It is a great way to stay motivated and celebrate reaching the next checkpoint.

• Make it stick: Put your major- and mini-goal somewhere you can see it daily.

Surround Yourself With Support

Join a group, program or club. Tell everyone you know about your goals. You’ll have a built-in motivational source, plenty of friends to chat with along the way and someone to get you going when you’re not inclined.

• Make it stick: Invite your support team to celebrate reaching your mini-goals. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in staying on track.

Tips on Choosing Running and Jogging Shoes

Running and jogging exert brute force on your feet, legs, hips and spine. Proper shoe selection is very vital to protecting these from injury or long-term problems.

Some general tips:

• Fit the shoe to your longest toe, which is often your second toe.
  
• Shoes should be comfortable when you first try them on. Don't buy shoes and plan to "break them in" by wearing them.
  
• Take the same socks you'll use for jogging. They should fit well, be made without seams, which could cause irritation to the foot. If you use extra-thick socks while running, select shoes with enough room. Socks should be made mostly out of synthetic materials which "wick" moisture away from the foot. This reduces the chance of developing blisters
  
• The shoe should grip your heel firmly.
  
• While the shoe is on your foot, you should be able to wiggle all your toes.
  
• You should have at least 1/4 inch of space beyond your longest toe.
  

Weight, foot structure, and running regimen are all deciding factors. Be mindful that all shoes have a different shape, and sizes and widths are not uniform from shoe to shoe.

Consider whether a special insert will be placed in your shoe, and whether your running style is flat-footed or on the balls of the feet.

Shoes should provide cushioning for shock absorption, and ought to be able to fully bend at the ball of the foot area.

Damage Control

Feeling sore and achy after your last run? When to press on and when to back off.By Liz PlosserFrom the December 2010 issue of Runner's World 

It can make you limp down the stairs or struggle to get out of your chair. But that doesn't mean muscle soreness is all bad. "Muscles go through physical stress when we exercise, and the discomfort that stress causes may be perfectly normal," says Allan Goldfarb, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. In fact, muscle soreness is often a good thing. "It's proof your body is adapting and growing fitter," Goldfarb says. "You're reprogramming your muscle structure and making weaker cells stronger."

This can make your job as a responsible runner who wants to avoid injury tricky. If you park yourself on the couch after feeling any inkling of tenderness, your training could come to a standstill. But if you push through the pain, you might hurt yourself. So how do you toe the line between a healthy dose of creakiness and pain that's a sign of trouble?

ON THE RUN
Sometimes the physical stress of exercise manifests itself as soreness while you're still running. That's because the action of running pushes your body's weight downward—and even the most cushy shoes can't alone handle the shock. "Some of the force goes back into your muscles," Goldfarb says. "That shock-absorption process releases chemicals that can activate pain receptors."

You can minimize midrun soreness by making sure you are in good shoes that aren't too worn (replace them every 400 to 500 miles) and choosing softer running surfaces when possible. And consider doing the next day's easy run on the treadmill, which has more give to help your recovery. When soreness escalates beyond slight discomfort, back off the pace (take walk breaks) and distance (take a shortcut or stop running and walk the remaining miles). Follow up with at least one rest or cross-training day—don't try to make up for the missed mileage.

AFTERSHOCK
You may feel fine during and right after a workout, only to discover you're quite sore a day or two later. "The gradually increasing discomfort that peaks 24 to 48 hours after activity and disappears five to seven days later is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)," says Carol Torgan, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist in Bethesda, Maryland. DOMS usually occurs when the leg muscles have performed an eccentric contraction (which increases tension on a muscle as it lengthens). Speedwork, races, long runs, or any type of workout you're not used to are other causes. "Intense or new activities put a lot of stress on muscle cells," Goldfarb says. "Some of those cells are strong from your regular workouts, but when you work your body in a new way, you hit some cells that are weaker. The weaker ones develop microtears." This damage causes achiness. The good news is that once your muscles repair themselves and grow stronger, they are more resistant to damage for up to eight weeks.

While it's okay to do an easy run while you're dealing with DOMS, hold off on doing another intense workout for a few days. And expect to feel a little stiff during the first mile or so. It's important at this point to recognize the difference between a Wow, I really pushed myself and a worrisome Oww, I really hurt. "If the soreness lasts longer than a week, it develops into pain, or there is any sign of swelling or redness, see a doctor," Torgan says.

That said, running or racing your best does not necessarily mean hobbling for the ice pack afterward. "If you are perfectly trained for a race, you may not be sore afterward because you didn't stress your muscles in a new way to lead to damage," Torgan says. "If you think of times that you were really sore after a race, typically there's an element that you didn't properly train for, such as not enough hill work. Or you raced significantly faster than your training pace."

AGE LIMIT
As our muscles become conditioned to certain activities, they are less likely to become sore. "Muscles that are stressed will rebuild and adapt and cause less discomfort over time," Torgan says. "Think of it as a survival mechanism." There is, unfortunately, an exception to this rule. As we age, we become more prone to pain. There are two reasons, according to Goldfarb. First, we lose muscle cells—typically because of inactivity, but also just because, shoot, that's part of the aging process. That means there are fewer cells to recruit during a workout. The ones that are engaged will work overtime to get you to the finish line, but they'll also suffer the repercussions: tears and inflammation. Aging also slows down the body's muscle-repair mechanisms. "The protective processes in muscles are down-regulated and our connective tissue doesn't work as well," Goldfarb says.

That's why even the most talented masters runners take extra rest days and spend more time cross-training than they did in their younger years. You can still work hard and perform well as you age—so long as you prioritize recovery.



What a Relief

Achy, sore, tender muscles? Six ways to ease the hurt

ICE BATH Sitting in a cold tub for 10 to 20 minutes after a hard run helps flush out waste products and reduce swelling and tissue breakdown, Allan Goldfarb, Ph.D., says. You can also apply an ice pack to individual sore spots.

HEAT THERAPY "When muscle temperature is increased, blood flow increases, bringing nutrient-rich blood to the damaged muscle," Goldfarb says. Wait 24 hours after a run to apply heat.

ACTIVE RECOVERY Twenty to 30 minutes of low-impact exercise increases blood flow to muscles to reduce trauma and re-establish the body's pH level, Goldfarb says. Cross-training the day after an intense workout can help you recover from a race, speed session, or long run, Carol Torgan, Ph.D., says.

MASSAGE Researchers in Australia found that sports massage may help reduce muscle soreness by as much as 30 percent. "Massage may increase blood flow to the damaged muscles and enhance recovery," says lead study author Ken Nosaka, Ph.D.

GENTLE STRETCHING "Stretching loosens muscles while lengthening them, and this allows them to relax and get back full range of motion," Goldfarb says. Hold gentle stretches for about 30 seconds at a time, postrun.

NSAIDS Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), and naproxen sodium (Aleve) alleviate muscle soreness by preventing the body from making prostaglandins, substances that control pain and inflammation. "The problem is that NSAIDs slow the repair process by disrupting the re-synthesis of proteins, so use them sparingly," Goldfarb says.