I worked in an all female health club for 11 years. As part of my job, I met with new members to talk over their goals (which 99% of were fat loss) and I cannot tell you how many women would come in and say,
“I want to lose 10-15 pounds, so I started running 3+ miles a few times per week”.
I have to admit, when I first got into the fitness industry, I thought running was the key to body change as well. I used to run a LOT. And I would get increasingly more frustrated when I would be running 25+ miles per week, yet not lose a single pound on the scale, and not mention, I didn’t look any different.
Now, before I go on, this particular post is for women who WANT to change the way their body LOOKS. I know that not all women want to see aesthetic changes and they exercise for a whole host of other reasons, which is great! But what I’m going to discuss is this:
I’ll tell you right now, for the majority of us – pounding the pavement day after day is not the most efficient way to lose fat, get more toned or look leaner.
In addition, it can be TERRIBLE for your hormonal health, it can increase the risk of developing overuse injuries and I know for myself, it made me SO hungry that any calories burned through running were negated by trying to satisfy my hunger and cravings.
Print out any running plan and ALLLLL you do is run and, or cross-train. Which, I guess makes sense. I mean, you DO have to run if you want to get faster or complete a race. But, if you want to change the shape of your body at the same time, you can do so by running *smarter*. Which doesn’t necessarily mean running more or longer distances.
The MAJOR component missing in most of these beginner “Couch to 5K” programs is strength training and intensity. And *intensity*, NOT duration, is what will change your body.
I haven’t ran more than twice per week in YEARS, yet I’ve placed in my age group and PR’d (ran my fastest time) on more than one occasion, I did however, strength train regularly. So I absolutely know this to be true.
The first race was following my kettlebell certification. I literally just showed up to this race. I hadn’t run AT ALL. My kids were doing the fun run and I jumped into the 5k. My only training was short, intense, strength training and I ran faster than I ever had, including the ones I had trained exclusively for by running.
Michael and Drew cheering me on!
Below were the results of a very hilly 5K I did last September where I placed 3rd in my age group (and vowed never to run another 5K again lol!). I was actually 5 weeks pregnant (didn’t know it at the time) and did do a little running leading up to this, but again, just two times per week on average.
Again, the majority of my workouts were short, heavy strength training workouts – usually done at home. If you follow me on Facebook, I’m pretty consistent with documenting my workouts, as well as my distain for running 🙂 So even if you just scroll back through my feed, you’d know this to be the case.
And because we’re talking about running for body change, this is a picture of me 3 days after that last race. This was after a summer of strength training, and probably 6Â weeks of running a couple times per week so that I didn’t die (or injure myself) on the hilly course.
Compared to when I used to run 5+ miles, 5+ days per week and not strength train consistently – I am a LOT leaner. I went searching for pictures of me during that time and surprisingly, couldn’t find a one.
My point in showing you this is that I was still able to race at a pretty decent pace without really knowing how to prepare to actually run a fast 5K. I know how to train to get stronger, but to become a faster and stronger runner? I’ll leave that up to the running coach I’m about to introduce you to!
I know that there are a ton of people out there who love to run, or who want to run but, also want to change your body while doing so, OR (like me) and want to be able to jump into some 5K’s over the summer and run them well (and drink beer after!) – and this is where my friend Shira comes in.
Shira is a certified running coach who, like me, used to run a LOT in hopes of getting leaner.
She’s run marathons as well as hundreds of road races and has a MUCH better handle on actually *how* to train to get faster – AS WELL AS training to LOOK good doing it!
Shira gained 20 POUNDS training for her first marathon. 20 POUNDS. While training to run a MARATHON. And I can’t tell you how many other women tell me the same. exact. thing. happened to them!
I’m excited to get back into running just to be able to follow this program (and to drink beer post race, if I’m being completely honest ;)). Typically I just go out and RUN, and I think that is why I don’t necessarily enjoy it – I don’t really know what I’m doing lol! Shira does…and she lays it ALL out in her new program.
Running Beyond Baby, is on sale until tomorrow. And because I got a sneak peek, and know how seriously amazing it is, I decided to throw in a few bonuses for anyone who purchases her program through THIS LINK.
*Full disclosure, I am an affiliate of this program. Meaning, I get a small percentage of the cost for anyone who buys through this link. As a way to thank you for supporting me by purchasing through this link, I’m adding some bonuses that aren’t included in her program – which I’ll detail below…..plus there is a contest among the affiliates and top 3 get a prize…and I LOVE prizes 🙂 *
Running is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to training for a fast 5K and getting the body changes you desire, and Shira has that completely covered with running programs for beginners, intermediate as well as advanced runners.
She also has some really amazing bonuses that come with the program that will help you better understand how to balance your hormones, get back into running after having a baby as well as really great strength training and yoga circuits to help you to run faster, stronger, decrease the risk of injury and get that “fit and toned” look.
But there is NO coaching or contact with Shira, or any of the other professionals who’ve contributed content…which is where I come in 🙂Â
For anyone who purchases Running Beyond Baby through THIS LINK, you will be added to a closed Facebook page. On that page (which will open on June 7th) we will go into more detail about how to eat for fat loss, how to know if your hormones are or are not balanced, how to tweak your diet (we’ll literally look at what you eat and give you suggestions), plus we’ll do 1 LIVE per month where you can ask us any and all questions pertaining to fat loss, hormonal healthy, body change, etc….You’ll have access to me and my team to answer any and all questions throughout the length of the program (12 weeks!).
Again, click this link, and we will be in touch by June 7th to add you to the closed FB page!
I would never back a program I didn’t fully believe in. In fact, this is the first program I’ve ever promoted – THAT is how excited I am to offer it to you!
I’m not a running coach, and I know a LOT of you want to, or like to, run. It’s easy. You don’t need a gym. You can throw your kids in the stroller and head out the door – it’s perfect (when done correctly). I’m all about providing you with the best options, and this my friends, is a great one!Â
Again, the majority of my workouts were short, heavy strength training workouts – usually done at home. If you follow me on Facebook, I’m pretty consistent with documenting my workouts, as well as my distain for running 🙂 So even if you just scroll back through my feed, you’d know this to be the case.