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Getting motivated to start a new training program

The hardest part of beginning a new exercise regimen is in finding the effort and motivation to commit to something new. So what are the best ways to make a change and start leading a healthier lifestyle?Once you have identified your reason for wanting to exercise you can now start to set goals. It has been shown that by having a goal to work towards your motivation stays higher. If your main goal is to lose body fat then set a goal to lose a kilo  at a time. Or instead of counting kil...

Proper breathing technique and why it's important

Proper breathing technique is something that is very important for health.The benefit list is long.But most people in our modern society don’t breath properly i.e. diaphragmatic breathing for a number of reasons.The benefitsProper breathing helps with:- relieving anxiety, stress and tension- can stop panic attacks.Helps our psychological state and helps us to control our emotions and change our emotions.Helps detoxify the body.Helps to optimally oxygenate the body and all its organs which help...

So you have a big scary goal. What now?

So you have a big scary goal?  Great.Now What?You've set yourself a big humongous  challenge Be it sporting, academic or in business.  Something bigger than you have ever achieved before. Everyone in your family thinks you have lost the plot.  The label "crazy" is referenced in conversations with friends.  The curious blank looks, that assumption that you may be going through some mid life crisis are all reactions you may experience from others. You t...

The Need for Speed

Speed work isn't for everyone and you need a good  base fitness before beginning but if you are now ready to get to get going here is some advice. Once you have decided how much emphasis you want to place on speed, here are some of the advantages you can expect to see if you incorporate it into your regime: 1. Improved running efficiency 2.  Injury prevention 3.   Better fat metabolism 4.    Faster finishing times (at least in shorter races) 5.    Cardiova...

The more you endure, the more you can endure in training

Training is most definitely affected by your mental aptitude for the effort, how much you get used to enduring the suffering and for how long and how intense in other words it is not just about the physical body. The more you do it the more “normal” it seems, even if unpleasant and this is not just down to the fact your body is stronger but also to the fact your mind has realised you aren’t going to stop this activity or habit so it decides it had better get on with it.  That is ...

Should I work out or work in today?

Last week Lisa and I introduced our new wellness check form on Facebook. Taking a truly holistic approach to your training and life will help you achieve you health and fitness and running goals.Before you start your training check in with yourself and rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 against the  seven RHC Pillars of Health and Fitness (below)1 = Feeling poor and off your game10 = Feeling great and ready to playIf your numbers are on the low side don’t be scared to adapt your sessio...

A message for struggling and frustrated runners

Do you sometimes feel like you are getting nowhere? Not seeing improvement. Are embarrassed about your speed or lack thereof. Do you sometimes feel with your running you train as hard or harder than everyone else but don't see the expected results.Since I was a young girl I struggled with asthma and as a result of that among other genetic factors, a small motor (lungs and cardio system), I could train harder than anyone, longer than anyone with more dedication and even with all the knowledge I h...

Ever wondered what flower essences do and how they help?

Flower essences are safe gentle remedies which effectively manage emotional ups and downs.  I will make a blend of around 6 essences which suit you and you alone.  Flower essences are usually taken in orally.Flower essences are designed to help you help you understand and transform negative thoughts and feelings as opposed to suppress them. So to sum up I will make you your very own personalised rescue remedy (yes rescue remedy is a flower essence blend).Picture This - You and your fri...

The journey to the Badwater Ultramarathon 217km - Gregor Gucwa

4 years ago Neil and I through Running Hot Coaching starting working with a Norwegian Runner Gregor Gucwa. He was just a beginner, overweight, a smoker in his 40's wanting to make a change in his life but he had a dream.A massive dream to one day run the "Badwater Ultramarathon" one of the toughest and definitely the hottest 217km ultramarathon on earth.He worked hard, he had setbacks, he sometimes wouldn't listen to us but step by step he found his way and together we worked on this mission to ...

Anti-Aging Science with Nobel Prize Winning Scientist Dr Bill Andrews

Want to know how to live longer? Be healthier for longer? What is coming in the near future then listen up Dr Bill  Andrews, Ph.D. is an American molecular biologist and gerontologist whose career has centered on searching for a cure for human aging.  Andrews is the founder and president of the biotechnology company Sierra Sciences. Aging is a complex and difficult topic that has been the centre of attention of many scientists for centuries. That's also what Bill Andrews, Ph.D. has mad...

HOW TO PACK YOUR BAGS FOR AN ULTRAMARATHON

So just how do you pack your gear for races? For multi-day stage races, it depends on what and where I am going. My favourite brand is The North Face and I use their backpacks. This fits me perfectly and does up nicely over the chest with a velcro section so no matter your size it sits snugly. It’s also great for women as it protects the breast and stop unwanted movement there. I also love that it has a pockets around the wide waist belt so you can always reach your snacks and electr...

THE POWER OF ROLE MODELLING FOR OUR KIDS

Our kids may not do everything we tell them to but when it comes to showing them how its done and what is important they do take note of our actions and follow what we do. Actions speak so much louder than words ever will. I have the privilege of having an awesome business partner Neil Wagstaff who has been my long time coach as well.  He saved my career when I was broken and burnt out and helped me to my career best performances and we have had an incredible journey together building our c...

VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES - THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

Visualisation is a tool I have used extensively throughout my career, long before I learnt the hard and fast scientific proof behind the theory. I instinctively understood and harnessed its power, and you can too.This is about imagining yourself in a particular situation, race or other challenge in life, and experiencing yourself successfully completing it. The whole point is to actually feel the feelings and initiate the actual physical responses in your body by doing so. When you do this regul...

MYOFASCIAL RELEASE EXERCISES FOR THOSE WHO WORKOUT HARD

As runners its important that we don't neglect our mobility work. When we run our muscles shorten and get tight, knotty and sore. If you want to speed recovery, avoid injury and improve performance don't neglect this part of your training programRoll it! Self myofascial release techniques will help reduce muscle tension, relieve muscle soreness and improve circulation. In this video we get into the glutes and posterior hip area as part of our injury prevention series. Enjoy! TRY our Running Club...

TO CHOKE OR NOT TO CHOKE THAT IS THE QUESTION

Have you ever frozen under pressure? Want to find some tools to help you achieve your potential and to perform your best? How not to choke under pressure. It’s so easy to do when you are under pressure and most of us can recall a time when it has happened to us but choking or freezing under pressure can be very detrimental to your safety, your career or sporting ambitions not to mention your self confidence so it is worth considering ways to mitigate it or stopping it all together.  Here ...

QUICK TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR RUNNING

In this post I wanted to give you some quick wins and things to focus on when developing your running technique.  Often the focus in training programmes is on endurance rather than efficiency but taking time somewhere in your training year to lower your mileage and focus on technique is important. If you are running short distances you can get away with a lot but if you are doing long distances over half marathon you need to have good running technique to avoid injury, increase efficiency. ...

YOUR TOP PERFORMANCE STATE

"Failing is not a crime, but lack of effort is" from a road sign on the side of the road seen while running "The High" 222km over the highest passes in the world in the Indian Himalayas. The High performance pyramid This management theory by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz says that any successful approach to sustained high performance must bring together four elements: the body, the emotions, the mind, and the spirit – and consider the person as a whole. In this article, I use ideas based on thei...

MOTIVATION AND MENTAL TACTICS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

Five tactics that can help you achieve your goal, overcome the barriers in your mind and to take charge of your life1. Determination beats talent every time. Your abilities don’t have to limit you. A love for deserts and adventure got me started running ultra marathons, not the fact I was a talented runner. Athletically speaking, I am not the right genetic makeup to be a talented runner. I am not the right body shape, I have asthma, I have a small lung capacity, I broke two vertebrae, and have...

PODCAST WITH CHARLIE ENGLE - 7000KM ULTRAMARATHON ACROSS THE SAHARA

Charlie Engles is definitely one of my all time great heroes. His life has not been without it's dramas and failures but he is undoubtedly one of the strongest human beings of our times in mind and body.  He is one of the most accomplished ultramarathon runners in the world and author of the riveting memoir Running Man. Engle has a track record of winning or placing in many of the toughest endurance foot races across the globe. He has raced in jungles, summited high ranging mountains and vo...

TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Mindset expert and ultra marathon athlete Lisa Tamati talks about her secrets to being able to tackle the biggest and scariest of projects and not giving in. It's all about using accountability on different levels to keep yourself focused on the end goal. Building a framework that helps you keep the discipline going to get where you want to be. Check out the mental toughness, resilience and leadership course by Lisa at: https://courses.lisatamati.co.... If you want to take your running to the ne...

PODCAST WITH DR BILL ANDREWS NOBEL WINNING ANTI AGING SCIENTIST

Dr Bill  Andrews, Ph.D. is an American molecular biologist and gerontologist whose career has centered on searching for a cure for human aging.  Andrews is the founder and president of the biotechnology company Sierra Sciences. Aging is a complex and difficult topic that has been the centre of attention of many scientists for centuries. That's also what Bill Andrews, Ph.D. has made his challenge to solve. Aging isn't an accident. We age because our telomeres get shorter and our cells a...

HOW TO RECOVER FROM A MARATHON/ULTRAMARATHON

Marathons and ultramarathons require a hell of a lot of discipline just to stand at the start line in good shape and ready for the challenge. It is not something that should be done lightly and requires a longer training cycle than a shorter say 5k to 21km race. But recovering from such an event also requires just as much serious attention. Running a marathon or and ultra does cause a lot of physical and even mental trauma or damage, it't not jus about being a bit sore.Here are some of the thing...

My favourite quick win running tips to get more out of your training and racing

1. Endless long slow junk miles, done day in day out without any variation in speed or terrain, intensity or distance, will perhaps get you there but it won't help you do it efficiently, it also won't help you improve your times and it definitely won't lead to optimal health and performance. Swap some of the mileage for mobility and strength and conditioning workouts - some high intensity others really easy. Vary it always. No one ever won a race by winning on strava etc. Just collecting miles i...

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS WEBINAR- EXPLAINING THE SCIENCE AND PROGRESSIONS

Runners often neglect the obvious, that they need a strong musculoskeletal system and a strong nervous system in order to withstand the rigours of the miles they are running.When you understand run specific strength training and what types of training to do when in the cycle of your periodised training programme you can get huge gains in your speed, form, posture, coordination and technique.If you want to run faster, longer and be stronger without burnout and injuries then check out and TRY our ...

RUNNERS INJURY PREVENTION SERIES: RELAX THOSE SHOULDERS

We often see runners with tight elevated shoulders. this impacts our running performance and enjoyment. Good shoulder posture is very important for good running. In this video we look show you how to use the roller and ball to relax those shoulders. Roll it! Self myofascial release techniques will help reduce muscle tension, relieve muscles soreness and improve circulation. You should be targeting muscles that are overactive and short. If you want to run faster, longer and be stronger without bu...