Feeling Balanced :)

Had such a good active day today! I headed to the Runners club for my second track session, i was a little apprehensive about running in the wind today but my runs saw me have a tail wind which although would have made my times faster than my capabilities without wind made me feel like i was flying! So my session was:

300m - 53.6sec

250m - 43.9sec

2x200m - 33.3sec, 33sec

6x150m - 23.8sec, 24sec, 23.9sec, 24.5sec, 24.3sec, 23.5sec

Around this time last year i was running them a second faster around the 23 flat mark and was running 4.50min 1500m runs. Hopefully in about 4 weeks i can be down to these times again, that would be ideal. I have found my record of my training last summer and my times which i will see if i can post up here to use as a guide for now, i'm so glad i monitored it!

This evening i took myself to the gym and did half a pump class, i felt strong tonight! and then a body balance class which felt amazing! my flexibility has really increased over the past year event though i haven't been keeping up balance classes but i do stretch before and after every exercise session. I loved the tai chi part releasing all your energy into movements and the meditation at the end is wonderful to clear your mind and focus on your body. I'll say it again i love balance classes :)

I made a really good salad for lunch today i will be making again! It had spinach leaves, avocado, olives, carrot and tinned salmon which i have recently got into (full of omega 3's and taste good too!) and this was mixed with pepita's and a sprinkle of chilli dukkah Yum! I love flavours and the dukkah is a great simple way to add flavour whilst adding some good fats from the crushed nuts it contains.

One thing i have learnt today which makes total sense is that with exercise we should increase our intake of vitamin C and E. Especially with long sessions and aerobic exercise where we are needing high demands of oxygen, the increase in oxygen causes free radical damage to our cells which increases the soreness, stiffness and fatigue of our working muscles and body. Vitamin C and E are the antioxidants which fight these free radicals and are a great help when exercise demands increase the free radicals to a point where the bodies mechanism of rigging the free radicals is overloaded. Red and blue fruits such as berries are an excellent source of antioxidants and especially contain flavonoids. Tea is another great source of flavonoids (one big tick as i drink green tea whilst writing this... i love green tea!) along with betacarotene in vegetables. Vitamin C is also vital for a healthy and strong immune system! High levels of training and regular exercise can suppress immune function so increase your vitamin C to help prevent this, there is also support that yoga and tai chi can support immune function (another tick for today :)).

I had recently been to the doctors for a high level of fatigue to a point where it impeded on my exercise and even when i didn't exercise i was left needing naps in the afternoon which i don't usually do. Being a menstruating female and one who is highly active there are no surprises here where i have a low level of iron - 21 where 30-130 in normal. SO now i am taking 'Ferograd C' high dose iron supplements, they originally gave me stomach upsets but after persisting with them for a few weeks i am now discomfort free! I went away and missed taking them for a few days and was amazed at how quickly i felt so tired again! Exercise sure depletes already minimal stores very quickly. One thing i was surprised about was a low level of vitamin D i also had, once again below the lower threshold of acceptable. Vitamin D is important at maintaining calcium levels and maintaining bone strength. A lack of vitamin D can also increase muscle fatigue and reducing power. We mainly get vitamin D produced from our skin when exposed to UV sunlight or from the diet such as from fish (salmon and tuna especially) and eggs. Vitamin D deficiency is increasing in our current generations due to the effectiveness of sun care campaigns such as 'slip, slop, slap' and the fear of cancers. We should definitely be sun smart when out in the sun but we still need around 10-20 minutes of free sunlight a day depending on the season and time of day to make sure we get adequate production of vitamin D in our bodies which is a greater contributor to our vitamin D than our diet. University and studying indoors does not help with low vitamin D but by exercising more outside and getting more summer sun (in moderation) i have no doubt my levels of vitamin D will be up again soon, i will keep eating my salmon and tuna all the same for there multiple benefits!