• 2x small Beetroots (100g)
• 50g of Grapes
• 1x Orange

Juice all ingredients and pour into a tumbler with ice

Makes 200ml

• 100g raspberries
• 1x small Fennel Bulb
• 1x small Pear
• 2.5cm cube of Fresh Root Ginger, roughly chopped.

Juice all the ingredients together

Makes 200ml

• 1x small Orange
• 1x Carrot
• ½ Sweet Potato
• 2.5cm cube of Fresh Root Ginger roughly chopped

Juice all of the ingredients and serve over ice

Makes 200ml

Last Sunday I went out with a personal training client of mine for a long run as part of their training for this year’s London Marathon.  It had been a good weeks training and we were looking to push for a personal best.  The previous Sunday they had to endure a serious stitch for a few minutes during the 8mile run, but apart from that they felt comfortable with the distance, on the next run I got my client to run at a faster pace for another 8mile run and again they felt fine.  The next day we went into the gym for a free-weights training session using kettlebells and Powerbags, doing functional training specific to endurance running.

So when I arrived at my clients home for another long run they were raring to go, full of energy and feeling positive, but 10minutes after starting the run I knew this wouldn’t be the run we were hoping for.  My client complained of their body becoming heavy and all their limbs hurt, after 20mins we stopped to do some light stretching and mobility exercises, we set off again at an average pace but again shortly after starting to run again my client needed to stop.  I decided to walk my client back home.

This was a bad day, my client was at a loss at why he felt the way he did as training had been going so well, my client was questioning inadequate glycogen levels, a tiring week at the office, but came up with nothing.  I explained, everyone has bad days, and showed them their training diary that we had been compiling from the start of our training sessions together and it showed a huge level of improvement, their body shape had changed and become toned, they had a lower resting heart rate and they felt stronger.

Because of physical changes or the fear of injury or becoming ill and unable to train, people in training become more aware of their body than they have ever been; they think about nutritional value before eating and always look for ways to enhance their training routine.

This includes what they wear running outside, especially in the winter, it is important to stay as warm and dry as possible.  The layer system is best rather than a big bulky think top, as multiple thin layers are able to trap air between them and create a natural insulation.

It is also a good idea to steer clear of the old fashion cotton t-shirts that tend to absorb sweat and cling on to it and instead go for the technical t-shirts on the market which are designed to wick away moisture such as sweat and keep the body temperate, I would recommend X-Bionic fennec T-Shirt, I’ve worn this shirt from the Arctic to the Desert and training in the UK through all seasons.  It works great as a base layer in the cold and as a single layer in the heat to wick away the sweat and keep you dry and comfortable.

Running a marathon is about endurance and because of that i get my clients to write down in their training logs how they feel before, during and after each training run.  I get them to write down how they feel, and get them to write down what they are going to do for the rest of the week, record the weather conditions during each run and the time and distance of each run.

This helps not only to show physical development but monitors mental fitness also.  The other tip I advocate is running one or two of your weekly runs off road, on trails, or grass fields, this stops the relentless pounding of the concrete streets, which to even a seasoned running can be  punishing on their body.

Stretching, you should stretch after every run and gym session, it should be an intergral part of your training and not something you do if you have time.  Finally, if possible go for a massage once a week.

Training Diary | March:

• Monday – easy Run (50mins)
• Tuesday – Hill Reps or speed play session (40mins)
• Wednesday – Rest day
• Thursday – Even paced run (1hr)
• Friday – Rest day
• Saturday – Long Run (between 2-3hrs)
• Sunday – Rest day

By Mike Buss.

Libby Clegg | 100m & 200m:

Libby suffers from Stargardt’s Disease, a deteriorating eye condition and only has slightly peripheral vision in her left eye.  Libby started her athletics career back when she was 11yrs old, training at a non-disability club in Cheshire, but when her family relocated to Scotland a year later she attended the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh and continued to train with a non-disability group.

Early on, Libby was offered support from British Blind Sport and through the Edinburgh Royal Blind School. Her first major success was at 16yrs old where she came second for silver medal place in the IPC Athletics World Championships in the 200m in 2006.

From there Libby went from strength to strength and at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics she ran two personal bests in both the 100m (12.51secs) and 200m (26.16secs) taking home the 100m silver medal.

David Weir | 800m & 5000m:

David is known as the world’s fastest wheelchair racer…  Born with spinal cord transaction which left him without the use of his legs.  Even though in a wheelchair he took up athletics at the tender age of 8yrs old and by 17yrs he had already taken part in his first Paralympics in Atlanta 1996.

In 2000 he won the wheelchair New York Marathon.  David then dropped out of the sport missing the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, returning in 2004 in Athens to win a silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m, 3 gold medals at the 2006 IPC World Championships and a double gold at the Beijing Paralympics in the 800m and 1500m.

David has also won the London Marathon Wheelchair race four times and holds the British record for all track distances up to 5000m as well as the road at 10km, half marathon and marathon.

Your body is composed entirely from molecules derived from food.  In a lifetime you will eat 100tons of food which is broken down by enzyme-rich secretions in the digestive tract produced at a rate of 10ltrs per day.  Macronutrients (Fat, Protein & Carbohydrate) and Micronutrients (Vitamins & Minerals) are absorbed through the digestive tract, whose health and integrity depends on what you eat.

Your nutritional intake determines, to a substantial extent, your capacity to adapt and maintain good health.  Biomechanical imbalances resulting from sub-optimum nutrition experienced over generations are recorded and expressed genetically as strengths and weaknesses of specific body processes.

Your genes express themselves in your environment (food, air, water, and so on).  If your environment is nourishing, you have a greater resistance to disease and are more likely to experience good health and vitality.

Cherries – Strawberries – Red Grapes – Red Apples – Beetroot – Red Bell Peppers – Tomatoes – Radishes

Orange | Good for Improving Eyesight

Mangoes – Peaches – Oranges – Nectarines – Butternut Squash – Carrots – Yams (Sweet Potatoes)

Yellow & White | Good for Healthy Skin

Yellow Apples – Onions – Corn (Sweet Corn) – White Potatoes – Bananas – Yellow Bell Peppers – Peaches – Lemons – Pineapples

Purple | Good for Memory Function

Purple Asparagus – Brambles – Purple Endive – Blackberries – Purple Grapes – Eggplant (Aubergine) – Blueberries – Plums

Green | Good for Strong Bones & Teeth

Cabbages – Honeydew Mellon – Broccoli – Kiwi – Zucchini (Courgettes)

What exactly is meant by healthy eating?  Put simply, most experts, including the World Health Organisation agree that we all should be eating 5portions of fruit and vegetable every day to help maintain good health.  Some health experts are even stating that due to general pollution in the air, we should be eating as much as 7 portions per day.

This applies just as much if not more to our children…

There are so many reasons why we should eat fruit and vegetables, but most importantly they are full of nutrients that are vital to good health.

Many fruit and vegetable contain vitamins A & C, potassium, folic acid and magnesium, in adition these foods are rich in anti-oxidents that helps against premature aging, good for the heart, circulation and helps protect cells from damage.

Studies have shown adults that ate plenty of fruit and vegetables during childhood had a lower incidence of cancer than adults who didn’t. 

Nothing in the western culture really teaches us to be healthy.  Many parents don’t promote a healthy lifestyle or even know what a healthy lifestyle really is, we are not taught to be healthy at school or the media such as TV and on most street corners you will find a McDonalds or some other take-a-way.

Government campaigns may advise against smoking and drinking, but there is little or real guidance and few results.  In the UK alone we consume more than 26billion alcoholic drinks and 83billion cigarettes.

As for the health clubs in towns and cities around the UK, statistics over the years have shown high membership dropout rates inside of the first 6months with many inside of the first 2months of joining.  We have gyms and health clubs within 10mins walk of most people in towns and cities, with more and more opening up yet the obesity rates keep getting higher.  We now have an obesity rate of 1 in 4 and in schools of which I personally taught in secondary education for 3yrs saw 1 in 3 students in most of my classes suffering from being overweight.

In the western world you have a 50% chance of heart disease which also accounts for a ¼ of the deaths in the UK before the age of 65yrs and 1 in 4 men have a heart attack before they retire from work.  It is well accepted that high blood pressure is the leading warning of serious cardiovascular problems.

GPs receiving overweight patients using conventional medicine offer pills and tell them to loose weight with just a diet sheet to lower high blood pressure, but pay little attention to many dietary factors also known to achieve these goals and even with better results.  Just 1000mg of Vitamin C can significantly lower blood pressure, yet rarely recommended.  As little as 500mg of Vitamin E reduces the risk of Heart Attack and in those with cardiovascular disease by 75% according to research done by the Cambridge University Medical School.

IMAPMYRUN

FREE/£1.49

I’ve been using this app for about two months now and one of my favourite running apps by far, offering a GPS device with everything you need to log your runs, workouts and your daily food intake.

iMapMyRun+ is also HRM compatible with Fisica dongle, and comes complete with full social networking functions which you can link in and show off your runs on facebook and invite your friends to join you on iMapMyRun.

Log onto MapMyRun online and plot routes, pit yourself up against other runners favourite routes and monitor your fitness progresses.

The nutrition diary helps you log your daily intake logging the calories automatically for you and works out how many calories you need to eat and keep a log of your weight loss.

mikebuss star rating: 5/5

WDC – Alarm (Water Coolers Direct)

FREE

I come across so many people that when asked if they think they drink enough water, the answer is no…  So when I came across this app on the iphone I thought Id give it a go and see if it could help me and a few volunteers drink the correct amount of water each day.

First you put in your weight and the app calculates how much water you need to drink each day, then you go into the monitor section and press start…  Everytime you drink a glass of water (small bottle size amount) you open the app and touch the screen to show youve finished another glass and if you forget to have a drink, well the app will remind you by pinging an alarm to remind you to drink.

After using it for a couple of weeks and getting feedback from my volunteers trailing the app, the feedback was a big thumb’s up!

mikebuss star rating: 5/5

Vitamins

FREE

A great app for anyone needing to work out where to get all the vitamins and minerals to keep the body healthy…  Just click on any of the vitamins and minerals on the simple A-Z list and a page will open up showing the functions and the source of the vitamins and minerals.

mikebuss star rating: 5/5

Fast Food

Free

Ever wondered what you are really eating when you go for the fast food option? Well, now you can with the Fast Food App.  Just click on any of the fast food logos such as Pizza Hut and then click on the food you want to eat and then it will give you all the nutritional facts such as, calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, sugar and protein etc.

A good way to work out what meals on offer at each of the fast food restaurants are the healthiest options…  One issue I did have with the app is that it is American and so many of the choices listed in under each restaurant aren’t available in the UK and the app doesn’t seem to be up to date with what is on offer in many of the restraints.

mikebuss star rating: 4/5

My Instructor by British Military Fitness

£2.99

BMF is the largest provider of military fitness classes in the UK and this is their launch into the fitness app market.  A pretty good app, giving good instruction for the exercises shown but I would say the exercises on offer are limited.

You can log your workouts, and fitness test as well as your personal details such as height and weight.  Setting up your workout you can set the programme to Low, Medium or High Intensity as well as focusing on Muscular, Cardio Workouts or Both.

mikebuss star rating: 3/5