Do you need a nap? Take one!

There is nothing wrong with stepping out of work, your classroom or even your daily life to recharge and press the reset button. It has been proven that with a nap, or as I like to call it, a little Nap-Nap-a-Roo, you not only crank up your productivity, but it is also great for your brain and your heart. I am not a Doctor or a Sciencetist, but those two organs are pretty important and if I can get them working the best way I can...then nappies are for me! Don't feel bad and I am not going to lie to you, during my training for Chicago Marathon I have on occasion stepped out of my office and taken a 20-30 minute nap-nap-a-roo in my car during my lunch break. So, in other words try to get a nap in a couple days a week and your overall health, productivity and drive will improve...try it for a couple of weeks and if you don't notice a difference you can email me and/or call me and let me have it!

There are rules of course...as there are rules for everything else in life!

1. The first thing you should know is, feeling sleepy in the afternoon is normal. It doesn’t mean you had a big lunch, or that you’re depressed, or you’re not getting enough exercise. That’s just how animals’ cycles work – every 24 hours, we have two periods of intense sleepiness. One is typically in the wee hours of the night, from about 2am to 4am, and the other is around 10 hours later, between 1pm and 3pm. If you’re a night owl and wake up later in the morning, that afternoon sleepiness may come later; if you’re an early bird, it may come earlier. But it happens to everyone; we’re physiologically hardwired to nap.

2. Naps provide different benefits depending on how long they are. A short nap of even 20 minutes will enhance alertness and concentration, mood and coordination. A nap of 90 minutes will get you into slow wave and REM sleep, which enhances creativity. If you sleep deeply and uninterruptedly the whole time, you’ll go through a full 90-minute sleep cycle, and recoup sleep you might not have gotten the night before (we’ve all heard it a million times, but most of us don’t get enough sleep at night).

3. Try not to sleep longer than 45 minutes but less than 90 minutes; then you’ll wake up in the middle of a slow-wave cycle, and be groggy. I used to hate taking naps during the day for just this reason – I would always wake up in a fog. My problem was I hadn’t yet perfected the art of the 20-minute catnap.

4. Find a nice dark place where you can lie down. It takes about 50% longer to fall asleep sitting up (this is why red eye flights usually live up to their name), and be armed with a blanket; you don’t want to be chilly. You also don’t want to be too warm, which can lead to oversleeping. (There was a kind of urban legend circulating when I was a kid: don’t fall asleep in the sun, or you’ll never wake up. Not true – but you might wake up three hours later with a ripe sunburn.)

5. White noise can help you fall asleep, especially during the day when construction crews, garbage trucks, barking dogs and other noisy awake-world things can conspire to destroy your nap. Keep a fan on, or turn on a nearby faucet for a pleasing rushing-river sound. (Just kidding about that last one.)

6. Don’t nap too close to bedtime, or you might not be able to fall asleep later. Remember, your inbuilt sleepy window is sometime in the early to mid-afternoon – try to nap then.

7. Quit that silly job where they don’t let you take naps during the day.

Let me know how it goes at cawood@racemates.com

Until then...happy running and I will see you out there!

Go Get'em!

Celebrate National Running Day in style

TEN WAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL RUNNING DAY

If you can’t think of a reason to run, then wonder into a Game Reserve and get chased by a wild animal.  WARNING: Hippos are responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other animal, including Lions, Crocodiles and snakes.

1.  Sign Up for a Race
   Nothing gets you motivated like a deadline. Some favorite races: Skirt Chasers, in which women get a 3-minute head start before the men are let loose; New York’s Fun Run and Happy Hour, which features post-race drink specials; and the Zooma Half Marathon & 10K series, which includes post-race shopping, massages and wine. Check out active.com for races near you.
   
   
2.  Hit the Bars
   Pre-run: Grab an energy bar (we’ve picked the tastiest) so you have the fuel to run your best.
   Post-run: Toss back a beer. Research conducted at Granada University in Spain shows that a pint of beer, post-workout, rehydrates the body better than water. The carbs replace lost calories and researchers believe the sugars and salts may help the body absorb fluids more quickly.
   
   
3. Get Your Perfect Training Plan (Free!)
   The right training plan helps you feel ready at the start and lets you finish strong. Go the distance — happily — with our 12-week, 5K training plan for beginners.
   
   
4.  Ease Your Knees
   Runners have a decreased risk of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, according to a National Examination Survey. Running increases oxygen flow and flushes out toxins resulting in healthier cartilage and stronger ligaments around the knee. Already have knee pain? Find out how to nix it with these three moves.
   
   
5. Get New Shoes
   Over time (as little as 6 months) running shoes lose traction and their cushioning breaks down, making you more prone to aches. Which to choose? Check out our top picks (narrowed down from 44 shoes tested by 275 women). Still some life in your old pair? Donate them to soles4souls.org, which provides shoes, free of charge, to those in need.
   
   
6. Live Longer and Better
   Beyond helping you manage your weight, running has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health – all of which helps you live longer and better. Running is also a weight-bearing exercise, which can help prevent disabling osteoporosis.
   
   
7. Think About Potato Chips
   Good form makes you more efficient, which means you can go longer and stronger without using up more energy. Aim to maintain an even stride, with your feet under your body as you run, and keep your shoulders loose. Our favorite form tip: Nix the tension in your arms and hands by pretending you’re holding a potato chip in each hand.
   
   
8. Join the 6-Legged Race
   When you run with your four-legged friend, he gets just as many health benefits as you do. What’s more, running with your dog is a great way for you to bond and an easy way to stay safe on the road.
   
   
9. Lose Track of Time
   If you’re a data fanatic, try leaving the watch at home. “Training without a watch lets you run with a greater sense of comfort,” says Frank Webbe, Ph.D., a sports psychologist who works with runners at the Florida Institute of Technology. “It helps your performance because you’re paying attention to your body rather than to the watch itself.”
10. Eat Dessert!
    The average woman can burn 345 calories in just 30 minutes of running. That means you can have a 16-oz. milkshake, a 2-inch brownie with 2 tablespoons of real whipped cream, a 1/2-cup of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, or (sorry, that’s “or,” not “and”!) 3 Godiva truffles, guilt-free. Find out how many calories you can torch with our Calorie Burn Tool.

For all your fitness tips and information please visit www.shape.com

Enjoy your National Running Day today and hit the roads, trails or track! I will be hitting the track for a monster workout!!

Go Get’em Racemates!!!