Let's Get Running

Struggling to maintain productivity while working from home? Shut down the laptop, lace up the trainers and get out there. Here's why you should never shelve a run if time is tight. #Productivity #runatlunch #GlobalRunningDay buff.ly/3fKCRzy

Beneficial foods for the gut: Fermented foods: • Kefir • Kombucha • Sauerkraut & kimchi Prebiotics (all of which increase butyrate-producing bacteria, which improves gut health): • Beta-glucans (found in oats & mushrooms) • Pectins (found in fruits like berries and citrus—especially peels) • Gums (another type of fermentable fiber found in seeds, like pumpkin seeds) • Inulin (high in onions, garlic, and artichokes) • Resistant starch (found in beans, green bananas, and cooled potatoes; boosts butyrate)

Endurance athletes, please stop using NSAIDs. NSAID use is 30-80% depending on the race, especially #ultramarathon, despite warnings from scientists and medical experts on the risks. Mechanism of Action Through their anti-inflammatory effects, NSAIDs blunt prostaglandin production in the kidneys, in turn causing vasoconstriction and decreased blood flow. This increases kidney strain considerably. Kidney Strain When Racing This at a time when the renal system is already under strain from endurance exercise: In exertional rhabdomyolysis, damaged muscles leak myoglobin into the blood. It's filtered by the kidneys but can, in large quantities, obstruct the renal tubules, causing injury. Dehydration reduces blood volume, renal blood flow, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Electrolyte imbalances can impair the kidneys' ability to concentrate urine and maintain acid-base balance. Downstream Effects And not just the kidneys. The cardio-renal axis refers to the bidirectional relationship between the heart and kidneys. Dysfunction in one organ can lead to dysfunction in the other due to their shared regulatory pathways. So, kidney injury increases the risk of cardiopulmonary complications. NSAID use during racing considerably increases the risk of acute and maybe chronic renal and cardiopulmonary injury. Stop using NSAIDs. #endurance #sportsmedicne Links: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC44… pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24650338/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35534373/

Nice to see Harry Hill is trending. Any excuse to post this classic.

Exercise stands as the most powerful tool we have to improve insulin sensitivity Yet, it’s not the only factor—sleep is also crucial Sleep disruptions, even in the short term, can severely impair glucose management Reducing sleep to 4–6 hours per night for just one week can cause up to a 50% drop in glucose disposal efficiency

Higher dietary fiber intake reduces risk of sleep disorders 💤 This study analysed the dietary fiber intakes and sleep disorders of over 14,000 participants from the National Health & Nutrition Survey (2009 - 2014) 🔍 Results showed a significant inverse relationship between higher dietary fiber intake (DFI) and risk of sleep disorders ✅ 👉 Fiber intakes of > 16 g/day appear to exhibit a protective effect against sleep disorders 👈 Fiber intake also appeared to be most impactful on… 💁‍♀️ females vs males 🙋‍♀️ postmenopausal women 📈 those with higher BMI 🛋️ those with lower activity levels This is associative research, however some mechanisms by which fiber may support sleep are… 🔥 Reducing inflammation 🦠 Gut microbiota manipulation 🩸 Blood glucose control

Hot Take: If you want to run faster for longer it's crucial you train your hip flexors. (The muscles that pick your legs up) Here is a 3 step protocol to get stronger and more mobile hip flexors:

More research suggesting being fast vs slow twitch should affect how you train. How do you tell which you are? - muscle biopsy - proton MR scan - jump test: >20" (men) or 14" (women) suggests fast-twitch - reps at 80% 1RM: >10 = fast, <9 = slow - race! outsideonline.com/health/trainin…

Could creatine improve your sleep on training days? A new study found that women who supplemented with 5 grams of creatine per day experienced close to an hour more sleep per night on days that they exercised. More sleep did not translate into greater gains—the group taking creatine improved their muscle performance just as much as another group who trained and took a placebo during a 6-week resistance training program. However, these findings suggest that creatine may become a “sleep supplement” under certain conditions, particularly those involving a significant cognitive or physiological stress, for example, intensive exercise training. Indeed, the placebo group slept almost 40 minutes less on days that they worked out compared to the days that they didn’t—exercise disrupted their sleep. But creatine appeared to mitigate sleep disruption during training, at least in women, which could allow for more consistent training to occur over time, yielding better results, especially over a time frame longer than 6 weeks. This does not mean you should only supplement with creatine on training days—it should be taken daily to really observe the greatest effects. This is yet another study that points to the brain- and sleep-related benefits of creatine supplementation. Study referenced - PMID: 39203908

#Ethiopian warm-up drills. Mount Entoto . @NNRunningTeam

Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve.

How do you feel about people who do this?

Nothing to see here @atptour Tennis is fast becoming a joke in regards to doping.

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After 40, you lose ~0.5-1% of your muscle mass each year... but your muscle *power* drops by 2-4%! That's a problem for healthy aging as well as sports. The trigger may be loss of fast-twitch fibers, which suggest plyos and heavy weights should help. outsideonline.com/health/trainin…

If a kid has never been in an environment where they have had the opportunity to run, jump, leap, hop, roll climb, crawl, race, chase, and be rough and tumble i would say prey are most likely unprepared for participation in youth sports. #LTAD

this made my day

Paul and @RealBobMortimer say it’s time to march for clean rivers ! Join me on Sunday November 3rd in London – all the info and ways to get involved at marchforcleanwater.org #GoneFishing

Bookmark to practice any time you need to self regulate. The vagus nerve is a bundle of nerves that goes from the brain stem to every major organ. It regulates our autonomic nervous system. We can access vagus nerve stimulation through our ears. Using your finger pull down with medium pressure. Then do some gentle circular motions. Repeat on both sides. Notice how calm your entire body feels afterwards. How your thoughts are less racing. If you get the urge to yawn, or cry, or release your jaw— do it. This is your nervous system releasing sympathetic energy. And yes, this is why q-tips feel so good.

The power of pomegranate for athletes💥 Pomegranate is natural source of polyphenols and could therefore offer numerous health & performance benefits 🧐 This new meta-analysis compiled data from 23 studies (507 participants) to investigate these effects 🔍 Data shows that pomegranate consumption (usually as juice) can… 🫀 Improve cardiovascular health 📈 Enhance antioxidant status 🩸 Improve blood pressure 🔋 Accelerate muscle recovery 💪 Reduce muscle soreness 🫁 Increase endurance capacity The most common dose to get these benefits is 250ml per day for > 7-days🥤 Incorporation of pomegranate into an athletes diet during intense training periods or competition could be a valuable food-first strategy ✅

In 2022, Norway increased their wealth tax to 1.1%. In response, some high profile billionaires moved out of the country. According to a viral claim, this resulted in a net loss of revenue. Is this true? No. Over the next two years, wealth tax revenue soared to all time highs.