During the course of an average mile run, your foot will strike the ground 1,000 times. The force of impact on each foot is about three to four times your weight. So of course runners complain of bad backs and knees, tight hamstrings, and sore feet.

This pain is not from running alone, but from the imbalances caused by running. If you bring your body into balance through the practice of yoga, you can run long and hard for years to come. Yoga and running lie on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, but they are not mutually exclusive. They actually make a good marriage of strength and flexibility.

Striking a Balance
Those who only run are most likely structurally balanced people who can handle the physical stresses of the workout with minimal discomfort. Yet, many runners don't survive the imbalances that running introduces. Often, they suffer from chronic pain and are sidelined by injury.

A typical runner experiences too much pounding, tightening, and shortening of the muscles and not enough restorative, elongating, and loosening work. Without opposing movements, the body will compensate to avoid injury by working around the instability. Compensation puts stress on muscles, joints, and the entire skeletal system.

If you're off balance, every step you take forces the muscles to work harder in compensation. Tight muscles get tighter and weak muscles get weaker. A tight muscle is brittle, hard, and inflexible. Because muscles act as the body's natural shock absorbers, ideally they should be soft, malleable, and supple, with some give. Brittle muscles, on the other hand, cause the joints to rub and grind, making them vulnerable to tears.

Sport specific training causes muscle rigidity. This causes a structurally out of shape and excessively tight body.

The internal focus of Yoga centers your attention on your own body's movements rather than on an external outcome. Runners can use yoga to balance strength, increase range of motion, and train the body and mind. Yoga poses move your body through gravitational dimensions while teaching you how to coordinate your breath with each movement. The result is that your body, mind, and breath are integrated in all actions. Through consistent and systematic yoga practice, you can engage, strengthen, and place demands on all of your intrinsic muscle groups, which support and stabilize the skeletal system. This can offset the effects of the runner's one-dimensional workouts.

Original article-Yoga Journal

So many people buy new sneakers for their work out and then a week later find that the shoe isn’t performing right, or their feet or knees hurt. Here are a few tips to think about when you are looking for the perfect sneakers from the personal trainers at Answer is Fitness.
 
First, be sure you are looking for the right sneakers for the right activity. If you are looking for cross training shoes, inspect the treads. Unlike the waffle-pattern on running shoes, many cross trainers have a spot like a bull's-eye under the ball of the foot. This helps with pivoting and they grip the floor better for side-to-side motion. Running shoes work fine on cardio machines, but if most of your gym time is spent in classes, buy the cross-trainers.

For walking shoes, look for a rounded heel. The heel is usually more beveled than  running shoes which helps with the heel-to-toe push-off of walking. However, if you’re a combo walker and jogger, you should get running-specific sneakers.

Now, if you are looking for running shoes, check out the color of the foam on the side. Generally, the more gray-tinted foam there is near the arch, the more motion support the sneaker gives you. However, if you have high arches and need extra cushioning, pick gray-free ones.

Trail runners, should avoid white sneakers because those made for trail running mostly come in gray or dark colors and have knobbier treads than those for on-road running.

Also keep in mind that in walking or running shoes, your toes should be a thumb's width away from the tip of the sneaker. However, cross-trainers should fit more snugly, with your toes as close to the tip as possible without feeling scrunched.

Yoga for runners can be a wonderful option to improve running performance.

Yoga for runners improves balance, flexibility, coordination, concentration and endurance at the same time removing physical and mental stresses. Runners can immensely benefit from yoga practice since running associated with yoga make a good marriage of strength and flexibility.

Come to this class on Thursday 17 March at 7:00pm to 8:30pm at Answer is Fitness to learn some poses that will help you to run better.

$15.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members. Handout will be given.

Fore more information, call 888-270-3640 or email us at info@answerisfitness.com. You can Sign Up at the Front Desk.