Newsletter 09/12/21

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View this email in your browser Welcome to this week's newsletter!  We are slowly (ready rapidly) getting closer to the end of 2021 and approaching a new year, and with that, we need to appreciate the huge achievements we have had this year. Our community has supported one another through some busy months, and it has been amazing to see the community grow all over the world. We love to see everyone coming together to focus on the magic of movements and working towards the feeling of success each run. Read on to here this week's tips and get to know our community member, Alex, a little better! Festivities and health  Our trainer Sally is dropping some knowledge on the important of balance in the holiday season, and enjoying fitness and fun at the same time. 1. If you’re heading out for some festive drinks, water is your best friend. Balance every glass of booze with a glass of water and it’s likely your hangover will be massively reduced.  2. If you wake up feeling rough, be sensible. Movement will clear the head but hitting treadmill sprints probably isn’t the one and you may end up injured. Walk, strength train if you feel up to it, or jog perhaps, but keep it relatively low-impact. 3. To strengthen your immune system, strengthen your muscles! Increased muscle mass is linked to a healthy immune system, especially as we get older. Don’t neglect those weights as the days get shorter. 4. On the note of daylight - you might not feel as motivated to train as you do in the summer; it can be tempting to hibernate. Have a training buddy who can give you a kick up the butt when you need (or ask one of your FVR coaches to ). Of course, take your rest days from training sessions! But unless you are ill, some kind of movement is always a good thing and as most of you know, it does lift your mood. It doesn’t have to be a max out effort every single time. Just a gentle walk and some fresh air each day. 5. Make the first step. Most of the battle is actually getting your kit on and yourself out of the door. Once you are laced up and plugged in, the rest will take care of itself .   Community Corner - Meet Alex! We are so excited to chat with Alex this week and learn a little bit more about her!  *How did you first get involved with FVR?   Right from the very start! I love Tee’s runs at Barry’s, so as soon as I heard she was launching FVR, I immediately signed up and loved it. FVR was particularly awesome during the lockdown – yes you can run on your own, but have to motivate yourself, and go at the same pace throughout. FVR allowed me to get much more out of my training, and also I looked forward to each session. I also made many virtual friends through the What’s App group and it was fantastic to meet them in person once restrictions eased.   What’s your most memorable running/training memory so far?   My most memorable running memory was completing the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon. I suffered an injury a few weeks before the event and, just five days before, couldn’t even run half a mile. But I’d raised $8,000 for the American Cancer Society so was determined to finish, even if I had to walk. I got an injection two days before, and managed to complete it in 3:15 which I’d have been delighted with even if I were fully fit. I lived in Philadelphia at the time, and saw many of my friends at various cheer stations which kept me going. I collapsed at the finishing line and the police had to take me back to the American Cancer Society tent. Later that evening I had a dance competition and managed to pick my tired legs up again and win (with a salsa/bachata medley. The next year I became Head Coach of the American Cancer Society and loved helping others achieve their running dreams as well as raise money to fight cancer.   What’s your favourite FVR run? Or workout?   Any live workout – it’s great to see Tee and the rest of the crew in person.   What’s your fitness goal for the rest of this tear/next year?   I have no fitness goals anymore. When I started running it was initially to complete a half-marathon, then a marathon, then to get my half-marathon time down, then to do complete crazier and crazier obstacle races, then to do a half-ironman. Those goals were great at the time as motivation. But now I just run and work out because I love doing so! I love the fitness benefits and the endorphin rush, but more importantly I love the people I meet. Fitness communities are full of positive people wanting to better themselves and encourage others to do so. While I’ve played lots of sports, running is special because you’re rooting for each other, not competing against them. In a race, technically you’re against other people because you get your finishing position at the end. But you’re not because no-one cares about their finishing position – you have your own goal and others have theirs, and you want your friends to achieve their goals just as much as you want to achieve yours. And there’s no better example of such community spirit than FVR.   What do you do when you’re not running or at the gym?   My wife Gaia (also a FVR member) and I were blessed to have a baby boy, Caspar, on 1 December. I love spending time with him.   A fun fact we might not know about you?*   I used to play in rock bands in both Philadelphia and London.   Nutrition tip of the week   This week's recipe is from our very own Hannah Ward - thanks for the tip Hannah! This is a recipe for a homemade Isotonic drink which is great to include as part of your pre/intra/post run routine, especially for our endurance runners, to help supplement salt balance and hydration.  Recipe: 1 part water (250ml) 1 part fresh apple juice (250ml) Pinch of Himalayan salt  Try it out and let us know how you find it benefits your training! Podcast of the Week This podcast episode by Huberman Lab is a great informational dose all about science and the tools for muscle growth. It goes into detail describing how our brain and nervous system control muscle tissue and how to leverage that for muscle maintenance, growth (hypertrophy), and recovery. Also explained is how neurons control muscle contractions and limb movements, muscle metabolism, and muscle fiber recruitment. Huberman also goes into detail about protocols for increasing muscle growth and for neuro-muscular recovery as well as the effects of deliberate cold, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-histamines on training progress. Many more interesting snippets of information including science-supported protocols using certain weight load ranges, total sets per week, training intensity, frequency, and in-between set activities if one's goal is to increase muscle growth, strength, or endurance. This is a great podcast to highlight the importance of exercise and weight training to enhance cognitive function and neuro-muscular function as well.  Click here to listen Another great podcast series recommended by our Community member Linnea is Jenni Faulconer's RudPod podcast which is a motivational tool to help get you through the longer endurance runs, or just some inspiration to add to your weekly running education.  Click here to listen Tee https://www.forcevelocitygroup.com Previous Previous Newsletter 16/12/21 Next Next Newsletter 01/12/21 Force Velocity Group ForceVelocityGroup@Gmail.Com Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy