Flora Women’s Mini Marathon

Health and Wellbeing

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With only 8 weeks remaining before the annual Flora Women's Mini Marathon some of you may be worrying that it's too late because you haven't been very committed to training recently. All the New Year dedication may have waned slightly but the Mini Marathon is such a great event, biggest all women event in the world no less, that it would be a shame to miss out.

Fear not though because we have attached a free training programme for you that will get you in shape in plenty of time.

The great thing about running/ jogging is that it is almost unparalleled as a calorie burner while being extremely good for the heart and lungs as well. It can be a little hard on the body if you are new to it so here are some things to remember.

• Never run more than 2 - 3 times per week when you start out. Our bodies need time to adapt so leaving 2 days between running sessions is a good way to reduce injury risk. If you want to do more then try cross training. Try the gym or the pool one or 2 days instead of running.
•  Always use the right equipment, especially shoes. Different feet need different levels of support or cushioning so call in to us at IrishFit and we will tell you if the trainers you have are suitable for your specific foot type.
• Listen to your body. If you are tired then take an extra days rest. Rushing into things can leave you too tired and this will leave you more prone to injury.
• When you start training there is a huge temptation to eat less. That's a bad idea. In the short term you may lose weight on the scales but what you are actually losing is water as you need water in the body to break down food and less food = less water needed. Then when you go back to your regular eating habits the weight comes back on. Therefore stick to your regular diet to start but have more water. By all means eat a little healthier but don't reduce your intake. Trust me, given time you will lose more weight that way and it will stay off.

Now, for the training plan: It can be done either walking or jogging or a combination of both. It is designed for the more inexperienced readers so I have limited the jogging to just times per week at the most but you will have to do at least one more session per week either in the pool or at your local gym. If you need any help just call into us at IrishFit and we'll be glad to help.