By Laura Conley

The Surf City Half Marathon was a big lesson for me!  I learned to listen to my body and give it more than enough rest!!!  I had been sick the week prior to the race with the stomach flu and after drinking lots of Vitalyte to replace electrolytes and fluid lost I thought I was better. I knew that my digestive system was still not quite right, but I thought I could push through and be ok. Long story short - boy was I WRONG!!!  I started out the race very conservatively and then picked up the pace as the miles flew by.  Around mile 6-7 though, my stomach decided that enough was enough!  I started cramping and having to make frequent bathroom visits.  I think the running really churned things up in my gut all over again.  I was so disappointed that I couldn’t keep running strong, but I never quit.  I just kept jogging/walking/bathroom visiting until I reached the finish line.  By some miracle I finished in about 1:30ish!  Still, I will always remember that race because it was a reminder that I am human and I should listen to the my body when it needs to rest.  I can’t wait to come back next year nice and healthy to race a new Personal Record!!! :)

Vita Girl here, and today I am going to state my case for why you should start running.

1. It’s easy! Before you scoff, just think about it: running doesn’t require much more than a pair of running shoes—and maybe a muscle cramp relief drink. While it may be hard to master yoga poses or get into the groove in Zumba class, everyone knows how to run!

2. Running may not require learning a new skill or purchasing any new equipment, but it is hard. Running burns tons of calories while giving your heart a workout.

3. Running gets a bad rap for being hard on your joints, but running helps reduce body weight, which is a risk factor for osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis). In addition to weight loss, running strengthens the ligaments around your joints and also boosts your cartilage by increasing oxygen flow and flushing out toxins.

4. I don’t know about you, but I always feel less stressed after I run. Running has been proven to help combat depression. Try it and feel your stress melt away.

5. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of many kinds of cancer, and runners also increase protection against stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Running has been shown to raise good cholesterol, lower blood pressure and boost immunity.

6. A surprising study conducted by a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine looked at 538 runners and 423 healthy non-runners from 1984-2005. The subjects (all over the age of 50) were asked to measure simple tasks, like opening a milk carton, each year. The disability levels were significantly lower in the group of runners—and the researchers concluded that regular exercise could reduce disability and the risk of death by lowering inflammation, improving response to vaccination, improving thinking, learning and memory functions and increasing cardio fitness and bone mass. Need I say more?

By Captain Vitalyte

I’ve often heard that starting your day with a workout is the way to go…and I get that. It kick starts your metabolism, burns more because you have yet to eat much and, it starts your day off on the right track. But what really is the right time of day to work out… or is there one? Some people are just not morning people and even those who are, I would imagine, still have a rough time getting up on occasion. Further, I can get up for a light jog or a yoga class in the early morning hours, but a butt kicking bootcamp or a gnarly set of sprints? I just don’t think my body is ready for that before the sun’s up. That said here are some pros and cons of early am workouts you might find interesting.

Mornings
Pros:
• The majority of people who exercise consistently do so early in the day. It is easier to form the exercise habit through morning exercise.
• Fewer distractions and schedule interruptions.
• Can make time for exercise by getting up a bit earlier.
• Raises your heart rate and metabolism to burn more calories earlier in the day.
• Gives a feeling of physical energy for hours.
• Improves your mental acuity for hours.
• Cooler temperatures in summer.
• Air pollution is lowest in the morning.
• The body adjusts to your exercise time, so if you are training for a morning sports event, train in the morning.

Cons:
• Body temperature is at its lowest 1-3 hours before awakening, making morning a time of naturally lower energy and blood flow.
• Cold, stiff muscles may be more prone to injury - be sure to warm up well before doing a higher intensity workout, and do gentle stretching.
• If you do not enjoy morning exercise, you won’t easily form a habit by choosing a morning workout time.
• Because body temperature and hormones are higher in late afternoon, you probably get the same or better calorie-burning effects later in the day.

Noon
Pros:
• Can make a habit to walk and exercise at lunch time and break time.
• Can use a walking and exercise partner at work, school, or in your neighborhood.
• Body temperature and hormone levels are higher than first thing in the morning.
• Can help regulate the amount of food you feel like eating for lunch, can help you avoid break-time snacking.
• Improves blood flow to the brain so you are sharper in the afternoon.
• Stress relief from work, school, or home stresses.

Cons:
• Time limits may not allow you to get in a full workout - any amount is good, but best if you can walk for 30-60 minutes or more at a stretch
• Distractions and other commitments make keep you from walking and exercising at the appointed times.
• Research shows that lung function is worst at noon.

After work
Pros:
• For most people, body temperature and hormone levels peak at 6 pm. Exercising 3 hours before or after the peak will give your your best workout for both endurance and building muscle.
• Research shows lung function is best at 4-5 pm.
• Muscles are warm and flexible.
• Perceived exertion is lowest - how hard you feel yourself to be working at exercise. So you may be able to work out harder or faster by doing so in the afternoon.
• Can help regulate the amount of food you feel like eating for dinner.
• Stress relief after a day at work, school, or home.

Cons:
• Distractions and other commitments make keep you from walking and exercising at the appointed times.

Evening
Pros:
• For most people, body temperature and hormone levels peak at 6 pm. Exercising 3 hours before or after the peak will give your your best workout for both endurance and building muscle.
• Muscles are warm and flexible.
• Perceived exertion is low - how hard you feel yourself to be working at exercise. So you may be able to work out harder or faster.
• Can help regulate the amount of food you feel like eating for dinner.
• Stress relief after a day at work, school, or home.

Cons:
• Distractions and other commitments make keep you from walking and exercising at the appointed times.
• Need to allow one to three hours to wind down after walking or exercise to be able to fall asleep.

As you can tell…there are perks and downfalls to them all so I guess the long and the short of it is find out what works for you and stick to it. Here’s to working it out.

In curls, sprints and downward facing dogs in the morning, noon and night

Captain Vitalyte

By Milena Glusac

Decision is made! My first official race back to competitive running will be the Hollywood Half Marathon on April the 7th. Yep at 6am I will tow the line with thousands of other runners to run with the stars in the city of cinematic legend. I am so excited! I have waited seven years to be able to make my return to racing and with the help of Vitalyte, the official drink sponsor of the race, I have been able to train and get my body healthy. The next nine months is going to be fun, hectic and be filled with many busy days as I juggle training, working and coaching.

You can follow my progress up to the race and even join me in my training for this inaugural event. I will be posting my workouts and give training tips so feel free to message me with any questions.

Training thus far is going great and I know this time around my racing is going to be much more enjoyable because now running is just a beautiful piece in a wonderful life-it’s not the entire picture.

In about an hour I will head out for my run. Simple, average maybe even boring statement…until you know the backstory. See it’s been five months since I have been able to run and prior to that it’s been a decade of illness, personal strife and clawing myself back into the light. Between the several years of spending most of my days bedridden due to a genetic disease, financial hardship due to my health condition, a failed business and the demise of my family unit, life was challenging to say the least. Ironically, it was my belief that one day I would get healthy and be able to return to competitive athletics that kept me from wallowing in a well of depression and self-pity that I could have easily fallen victim to. I had once been one of the top-ranked distance runners in the world and I was determined to step back on the podium again!

So here I am and yep my BFF has been the eliptical trainer at World Gym in Pacific Beach, CA. We’ve had our ups and downs just as any relationship does. You know how it goes, “I’m so dedicated to you I will be here faithfully,” and of course the explanations “Well it was a holiday weekend so I had to take a little time away,” and who can leave out the “A little time apart will do us some good.” But all in all I spent an average of four days a week with my cross-training partner. Just 30 minutes a time to maintain my fitness (ummm….really my sanity because honestly who the hell can stand looking at those little flashing lights 27:12, 27:11, 27:10 for more than a half hour at a time before cocktail hour can’t come fast enough and you are using all your strength to prevent yourself from bludgeoning the guy next to you who insists on blurting out loud every word to Lady GaGa’s Born This Way!)

Yes I am VERY happy to be back on the roads!

I was, to say the least, a little sore the day after my first run. Yep walking down stairs was amusing but I thought things would be a little more trying than they were. I attribute my mini-victory to two things…

1) I used the five months to gather myself in all aspects of my life-emotional, physical, mental, financial…yep I cleaned house and over-hauled. Anything that wasn’t serving my higher good went out the window and I made room for the good things that were already in my life but were being suffocated by the lack of space.

2) Vitalyte-I faithfully used my electrolytes replacement drink, Tri-Phase endurance before my workouts and during and when it came time to hit the ground running again I had maintained my fitness and my body had a chance to recover. Honestly, those first few days back would’ve been a nightmare of epic proportion if it hadn’t been for Tri-Phase…I wasn’t crying or up pacing in the night due to lactic acid overload and muscle fatigue.

So as I get ready to head out down Harbor Drive for a little 40 minute run I think about how far I have come, in just a week and a half I am up to a 5.5 mile run. Hmmm, maybe there is something to this recovery thing after all. My mind, body and emotional self are less attached to what I can do physically and my priority lies on my entire self. It’s a lifestyle.

Follow my journey back to competitive running and join me in creating a healthy lifestyle. It’s what Vitalyte is all about, it’s what I’m all about and it’s about what’s best for you.