Running on Sand vs. Running on Land

There are many reasons why I love escaping to Long Island during the summer- such as visiting my family, seeing old friends and eating wonderful food…but my favorite reason is the beach.

It’s true that you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Since I moved to the Raleigh, NC area almost a decade ago, it takes me around an hour and a half to drive to the nearest beach, located in Wilmington, NC. Meanwhile, when I was growing up on Long Island, Jones Beach was a 5 minute drive away.

It was good to be back.

A Gritty Argument

Throughout my personal experiences with running, training in the sand is not only a great workout; it also helps to build strength in your lower body as well as serve as a total body conditioning exercise. Why is this?

When you run in sand, you’re running on an uneven surface, which forces your body to work harder to stabilize itself. For a somewhat extreme visual, picture yourself running in quicksand. How much harder would you have to work to propel yourself out of a sinking position versus if you were running on a hard surface, like a paved road?

Some opponents of running in sand claim that doing so may increase your risk of injury due to surface instability, citing that not every runner has the wherewithal to constantly readjust themselves to the variable terrain (source). Other risks of running in the sand include developing plantar fasciitis or ankle sprains due to the lack of support and/or instability of the ground beneath you. Most injuries related to running on sand have to do with not being careful. As podiatrist Marie Bovarnick, D.P.M. stated in a 2004 Runner’s World article:

Running in the sand can strain your Achilles tendons or calves since they’re stretched farther than when running on a hard surface… And when barefoot, you can develop plantar fasciitis or ankle sprains because you don’t have the support of shoes. You may also suffer a puncture wound if you step on something (source).

To me, the benefits of sand training far outweigh any negative aspects. According to Bet Rifkin at Livestrong.com, when you run in sand (or grass), you increase the number of calories burned with each step (source). Additionally, Jeff Ray over at The Running Advisor, had the following to say about caloric burn in beach running:

In addition, you’ll also burn 1.6 times more calories per mile on each run. The reason is that running on sand consumes more energy. The impact force on sand is lower allowing for better running with less strain/pounding on the body (source).

Play it Safe; Start Out Slow

Running in sand is both mentally and physically challenging. You may be quick on your feet when it comes to hitting the pavement, but as soon as you swap pavement for sand, all bets are off. Suddenly, you feel like it’s taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to complete what should have been a simple 5-mile run.

Before you ditch the shoes and start running barefoot along the beach, consider going on a few trail runs at the park (with shoes on). For instance, whenever I go for runs at Umstead Park, I usually wear a pair of super lightweight trainers. This does one of two things: A) It allows me to get a better feel for the ground beneath my feet and B) Because there is less stability/support in the shoe, it forces my body to work just a little bit harder to stabilize itself.

For beginners who aren’t used to beach running, running on trails to start is a great way to build up foot strength- particularly in your ankles, which is where you’ll need it most when you start running on the beach. Once you make your way to the beach for your first run, keep your running shoes on, and start off by running closest to the water.The sand is harder in this area and will provide a little resistance without completely overwhelming you. Once you’ve gotten used to running in compact sand, you can try a few minutes of running in the softer, deeper sand. Alternate running in soft sand with running in the compact sand, and you’ll have a nice little workout. For newbies, 20 minutes is more than enough to start.

Once you’ve gotten a ‘ground feel’ for beach running, you can ditch the shoes and try 20 minutes of zig-zagging between soft sand and hard sand. For additional workout ideas, Runner’s World has some great suggestions at the end of this article. In the meantime, check out some of the pros and cons to running in sand below.

Benefits of Running on Sand:

  • Strengthens your ankles
  • Strengthens the arches of your feet
  • Torches calories
  • Softer surface provides better impact for joints

Dangers of Running on Sand:

  • (Barefoot) Stepping on things that might injure your foot (i.e. stingrays, jellyfish, shells, debris, etc.)
  • Straining your Achilles tendons and/or calves
  • Tendonitis
  • Developing Plantar Fasciitis
  • Ankle Sprains

Who does not love the sea? The beach is a place of healing and joy. The salt cleanses us and the sun embraces us in its warmth. The ocean heals the heart, mind, and soul. –Anon.

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Don’t “Drink” the Air- A Look at Aerophagia and Running

Aerophagia, or swallowing air, typically occurs throughout the course of performing normal, everyday activities such as: eating, exercising, talking, etc. But recently, I was contemplating how something as simple as swallowing air might inhibit an athlete’s performance while running.

According to the Mayo Clinic, bloating, burping and passing gas are normal reactions to a) swallowing air or b) the breakdown of food via digestion. But can swallowing too much air while running have negative effects on an athlete’s performance?

While gastrointestinal (GI) distress is extremely common in runners, perhaps aerophagia plays a key role as well. In this article, I suggest that GI distress often occurs (though not always) immediately following a strenuous workout while aerophagia tends to affect runners more during their workouts.

*HYPOTHESIS: Swallowing air frequently throughout the course of a 30+ minute run DOES cause gastrointestinal distress, particularly if the following conditions are present:

  • Running at a “harder” pace
  • Running in humid and/or hot weather
  • Running while dehydrated
  • Running while tired

Of course, there may be more factors than what I have suggested above, but based on my own personal experience, I observed that I was swallowing more air during my runs when I was slightly fatigued and dehydrated. Concurrently, I also noticed that on days where I ran at a more challenging pace, the very act of swallowing air while running almost felt like it was taking effort away from my workout. But was I really wasting energy by swallowing more air, or was I simply being paranoid?

As it turns out, the very act of swallowing is a complex process. Swallowing, also known as deglutition, goes through several phases:

  1. Oral
  2. Pharyngeal
  3. Esophageal

Each of the above phases involves a variety of neuromuscular actions, some of which are voluntary (oral phase) and some of which our bodies perform automatically (pharyngeal and esophageal phases). Because of how complex the process is, some researchers claim that this may also be the reason why there are so many problems surrounding gastrointestinal distress. But what can be done to prevent excessive swallowing of air while running or performing in other intense cardiovascular activities? Do we simply tell ourselves not to swallow air?

Chances are that most people fail to realize or pay attention to something as small and seemingly insignificant as how much air they are swallowing while running, but perhaps those who suffer from unusually high bouts of GI distress both during and after exercise will find that this merits a closer look. It should be noted that by “swallowing air,” I am referring to the act of physically swallowing while running, which is not to be confused with breathing through the mouth.*

Perform Your Own Case Study

The next time you go for a run, try to tune in to how you are breathing. Most runners will run with their mouths slightly open; however you should attempt (when possible) to focus on taking air in through your nose, expelling air out through the mouth.

An Exercise

In the book, Indian Running, author, Peter Nabokov, describes a Native American running exercise that teaches runners how to strengthen their breathing. Taking in a mouthful of water (without swallowing), runners would sprint for set distances, holding the water in their mouths. In high school, we performed a similar exercise, which we referred to as “no breaths”. The idea was to hold your breath while you sprinted short distances in an effort to help build up your lung capacity. But it also helped to train us more to breathe through our noses when possible versus our mouths.

Conclusions

How often does a professional runner swallow air while running? If so, do they typically tend to be mouth-breathers; or do they breathe more through their noses? Does swallowing too frequently during cardiovascular exercise inhibit one’s overall performance; or are the effects nondescript?

While it may be difficult to answer these questions on a large scale, my experience has shown that swallowing too frequently while running DOES inhibit my performance, resulting in a slight decrease in pace immediately prior to and during the act itself. The triggers, for me, which seem to cause me to have to swallow more during runs seem to be:

  • Running while dehydrated
  • Running while tired

For others, there may be underlying medical issues such as asthma or acid reflux disease that lead to excessive swallowing while running, but there are some things we can do outside of exercise to help train ourselves to swallow less air. Author, Christy Callahan over at Livestrong.com provides some great tips below:

Prevention

  • Sip; don’t gulp beverages.
  • Take smaller bites while eating & chew food thoroughly with your mouth closed.
  • Don’t talk with your mouth full.
  • Avoid carbonated beverages.
  • Refrain from drinking through straws.
  • Avoid chewing gum.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • If and when possible, try to breathe through your nose as breathing through your mouth increases the amount of air you swallow into your stomach.

*The information presented in this article is based on my own personal experiences and should not be taken as medical advice.

The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.  -Proverb

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Working on Working Out

Butter me up because I’ve been on a roll for the past week and a half now! I may be somewhat of a wimp lately because of my refusal to run outside due to the cold weather, but what I lack in “outside toughness”, I have certainly been making up for inside of the gym.

I have been following a workout regimen in which I complete four concentrated exercises which focus on a specific body part. With each machine or exercise that I do, I complete three sets of 15 repetitions at a weight which provides enough resistance for it to be a challenge. After I’ve completed all of this, then I usually go on to complete at least 30 minutes of cardio (unless I’ve already done it earlier in the day). So, that being said, a typical day will look something like:

Workout ‘A’

[Chest & Triceps]

  • Chest Exercise 1- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • Chest Exercise 2- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • Chest Exercise 3- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • Chest Exercise 4- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • Triceps Exercise 1- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • Triceps Exercise 2- 3 sets, 15 reps each
  • 30 minutes of Cardio (Bike, Step machine, or Treadmill]

“Form is Everything”

Trust me, this is a GOOD workout if done correctly. Among other things that I have learned from speaking to a personal trainer, form is everything. When it was up to me to do my own workout with the weights, I realized that I had no ideawhat the heck I was doing. I actually had a couple of guys approach me in the gym and instruct me on how to correct my form. Since my boyfriend is a personal trainer, we have since begun going to the gym together and working out, and it has really helped A LOT. It turns out that when you correct your form on various machines, it actually makes things much more difficult! I was surprised to find myself breaking a sweat after lifting some weight.

Lifting Weights Doesn’t Necessarily Make You “Big”

Among other things, I have also come to realize that simply lifting weights doesn’t make you big. It depends on a number of factors such as how your body is genetically built, how often you lift weights as well as how much weight you lift each time. For instance, if you do shorter repetitions of heavier weight, it will have a different effect on your body than if you do increased repetitions at a lower weight. Additionally, it is typically recommended that if you’re going to do any work with weights, you should do it prior to doing any cardio. Because your body is already fatigued and in a catabolic state, when you go to do cardio, you’re ready to burn fat much easier. If you do cardio prior to working with weights, you’re just making your body more tired; therefore, you won’t be able to get the maximum out of your workout. Remember, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn!

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. -Plato

Emotionally Starved Eating

Oh, how I love love love sugar.

Whether it’s biting into that first piece of moist chocolate cake or nibbling on a crispy slice of pizza, we LOVE food. And unlike other animals, humans are the only ones who form an emotional connection to what they are eating.

The college kid who goes away to school for the first time and makes meatloaf because it reminds him of his mom’s cooking…

The jogger who downs an entire plate of fettuccine alfredo because she feels as though she has ‘earned it’…

The rainy day that makes us want to cuddle up with a cup of hot cocoa…

All of it feeds into the emotional relationship(s) we have with food. And while some of us are less attached than others to food; more often than not, this emotional back-and-forth with eating sometimes results in a cycle of depression, binge eating and eventually eating disorders.

When we eat in response to how we feel (i.e. happy, sad, depressed), we are more likely to eat the wrong kinds of food. Additionally, there is a higher probability that we’ll also be less apt to enjoy whatever it is we’re eating because we’re so preoccupied by what’s actually eating away at us inside. Therefore, in order to break the pattern of emotionally charged eating, we must first be able to identify the causes behind why we eat what we eat.

Identifying the connection between food versus your feelings

In a study conducted by Blissett, Haycraft and Farrow, twenty-five 3 to 5 year-olds along with their mothers were studied while they ate a meal to satiety in order to determine whether there was a correlation between a child’s emotional eating and parental feeding practices.

In the study, the children were assigned to a control or negative mood condition while their consumption of snack foods in the absence of hunger was measured. Results of the study demonstrated that in the group where the moms used food to regulate emotions, the children consumed more cookies even after they had already eaten a full meal. Conversely, this pattern was reversed for the children of those moms who did not use food for emotional regulation. Therefore, it was deduced that from an early age, a child can (and often does) learn to associate food with emotional behavior. [source]

Midlife stressors

You’ve had an absolutely awful day at work. Your boss reprimanded you, and a meeting with a client didn’t go quite as well as planned. What would make you feel better?

Answer: your favorite ice cream and maybe some Chinese takeout perhaps?

Before you find yourself in your next showdown with a refrigerator or with a takeout menu, you need to become more aware of your eating habits. Learn to recognize when you are truly hungry versus when you are bored, frustrated, anxious or depressed. Learn to look at food for its nutritional value first. Doing this is easier said than done though- as we would have already learned to associate emotional needs with food well before we’ve reached adulthood. That said, the following are some questions that you should ponder before you polish off whatever it is you’re staring at.

From the moment a parent first offers a biscuit or sweet to comfort and quiet a child, food becomes a way of nourishing the soul as well as the body. From the earliest age food is used to celebrate, calm, relieve boredom or depression and to comfort in times of sadness and emotional distress. [source]

Ask before you eat…

  • Am I thirsty? It is a fact that most of us do not drink enough water. Immediately following a workout, the first thing you should do before anything else is down a glass or two of water first. Introduce this idea before meals as well. You will find that you’ll not only eat less, but more often than not, you won’t feel as famished.
  • Am I bored? One of the top reasons that we eat poorly is because we have nothing better to do. Put the average American in close proximity to a fully stocked refrigerator and you’re bound to witness more than one unnecessary trip. This can be especially problematic for the growing number of people who work from home.
  • Am I tired? Sometimes, people tend to consume things like caffeinated beverages because they think that doing so will give them that extra ‘kick’ to help keep them awake. In fact, the number of eating problems that stem from sleep deprivation is superfluous. The later we stay up at night, the more likely the tendency to snack…especially on things that are unhealthy, etc.
  • Am I eating to be polite? When most of us meet up with friends or family, there is almost always food involved. However, how often are you going out to eat and consuming something just because you don’t want to appear rude?
  • Am I rushed? Most of us lead busy lifestyles that leave plenty of time for work, family, friends and extracurricular activities- but little room for planning healthy eating. The result? You’re starving; you’re rushed and you haven’t prepared anything…which leads you to start sniffing around for the nearest fast food restaurant
  • Am I surrounded by the right food? Most of what we eat and drink when we are in the comfort of our own homes is the result of whether or not we’ve decided to surround ourselves with healthy food choices. You cannot control what others purchase and put in their refrigerators, but you can control what you put in yours. If you find yourself snacking on a dozen chocolate chip cookies late at night, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself!

The science behind food and happiness

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the science of happiness has revealed evidence which suggests that food can actually make you happy. Conversely, a lack of certain kinds of foods (or ingredients contained within certain foods) can actually make you sad. The link? A fatty acid named docosahexaenoic acid or DHA. [source]

Found in the brain, DHA is the most abundant fat and is essential towards building up your brain’s structure. Past studies conducted by the NIH have uncovered a link between DHA deficiency and the increase of depression. So, what’s the skinny on all of this? It seems as though food most certainly does have an effect on our moods. And while we should strive to eat from mainly nutrient-dense food sources, the occasional binge on ice cream shouldn’t make us feel bad-quite the opposite in fact- it should make us feel good….as long as we don’t overdo it.

Rein in your emotions; Rein in your eating behavior

The following are some great tips to help you get a jumpstart on changing your emotional connection with food. Keep in mind that change doesn’t happen overnight, but is instead learned over time [source].

  • Keep a food journal, and write down your thoughts, feelings and emotions associated with your food choices.
  • When the urge to binge eat on something not-so-good-for-you hits, phone a friend, go for a jog, or divert your attention to a more healthful activity.
  • Chew your food SLOWLY, savoring each bite. Doing so will also serve your digestive system better!
  • Invest in smaller silverware by opting for smaller plates, forks, spoons, etc. this way you can still eat a full plate of food without feeling so horrible afterwards.
  • Buy a pedometer and/or record your physical activities each day, striving for at least 10,000 steps daily.
  • Don’t deprive yourself of the food you truly love. Just don’t overdo it. If you want to celebrate an occasion with a piece of cake, take a few small bites first and then ask yourself whether it is worth it to continue finishing off the whole pie. Think with your head, not your stomach!

Appetite, a universal wolf. – William Shakespeare

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