Redefining Fitness: Why Active Women Should Eat More and Lift Weights

Reflecting on Fitness Culture

Richard Simmons' recent death has made me reflect on fitness culture. In the late 1980s and 90s, Simmons provided an excellent resource to women. He made fitness and moving your body fun and accessible (and silly in the most unironic way)! Just load that VCR tape, and you could be 'Sweating to the Oldies' in your living room. Along with Jane Fonda and Suzanne Somers, Simmons shaped my memories as the earliest fitness influencers.

Women everywhere donned their bodysuits and leg warmers to sweat because that was the goal! Sweat, burn as many calories as possible, and lose weight (or maintain that slim figure). My mother's generation was the prime market for it, and I'm sure many Gen-X kids did those workouts with their moms and grandmas, discovering the fun in fitness. Not me, though. "Sweat? That sounds terrible." – 15-year-old Lea in 1989.

The Era of SlimFast and the “Eat Less, Move More” Mantra

In the Era of SlimFast, Nutrisystem, Lean Cuisine, and Crystal Light, the message heard by millions of women was clear: eat less and move more to lose weight. Kate Moss modeled that skinny is better. I was not immune to this message.

Health-conscious women of that era and the generations that followed tried to do everything right according to the current culture. We ate like birds and tried to burn as many calories as possible. However, while well-intentioned, this message did a disservice to women. While we measured our worth by the number on the scale, the muscle was wasting away with every decade.

The Misconception About Muscle Building

Many overlooked (or didn't know) that women can get fitter and healthier by lifting weights and eating enough to fuel and thrive in their bodies (enough to build muscle). This seems counterintuitive to the decades-long brainwashing we've been exposed to.

There wasn't a lot of muscle-building marketing aimed at women at that time or even in the decades to follow. Women were afraid to gain any muscle, fearing they would look like men. It's why the word 'toned' gained popularity. Women could get lean and toned, even though the only way to tone a muscle is to grow it. Muscle either shrinks (atrophy) or grows (hypertrophy); there is no tone—it is marketing. I don't mind the word, though. Call it what you want, but building muscle is what gives that firm, toned look you are after.

The Importance of Muscle Preservation

As you age (I am talking to you, women over 40), you may be concerned about how your stomach or arms look in the mirror, but it’s time also to start thinking about what your body will be able to do in the future.

• Squat so you can get up and down from a chair (or the toilet!)

• Deadlift so you pick up kids or grandkids (or those Amazon packages from your front porch)

• Overhead press so you get items up and down from the top shelf

• Lunge so you can go up and down stairs

• Do heavy carries so you can carry the dog food home from the grocery store

It’s not just for vanity; strength training is training for life.

Unless we do something about it, we lose 3-5% of our muscle mass every decade from age 30. If you are not actively working at gaining or preserving muscle mass, you are likely losing it. And while losing muscle might decrease the number on the scale, it is the worst outcome for your health and metabolism. Your body composition changes if you stay about the same weight but lose muscle. Fat goes up, muscle goes down. It's one of the reasons why you might start noticing more fat when you haven't changed your diet or exercise routine.

Muscle loss means a loss or lowering of strength, independence, balance, resilience, and metabolism. In our aim to get slim as a generation, we may have sacrificed the most significant contributor to our overall health and longevity—muscle.

If you lose muscle every decade, how long until you lose your independence? Until you need help getting up and down from the toilet? Until a fall becomes a severe health risk? You eventually lose your independence when you don't have adequate muscle mass to move your body. If you start now, you can delay this as long as possible.

Strategies to Prevent Muscle Loss

Progressive Strength Building

Progressive strength building of all the major muscle groups at least two times a week is a great start. Progressive is the key here. As your body strengthens, you must continue challenging your muscles to grow.

It may be an unpopular opinion, but if you attend a fitness class or boot camp that uses the same weights each week, which is heavy on cardio and leaves you breathless, you are probably not progressively strength-building. Just because you are using weights does not mean you are strength training; this is another form of cardio. I am not anti-cardio. I am a running coach and a dedicated runner. Cardio is excellent for your health and can aid in weight loss but does not build the muscle you need, and when not combined with strength training and adequate nutrition, it can contribute to muscle loss. Cardio fitness is necessary, but more is required to maintain and grow your muscle mass.

The Necessity of Eating Enough

If you are in a constant calorie deficit (forever eating fewer calories than you burn was the overarching goal of the '90s, '00s, and beyond), you are likely not giving your body the fuel it needs to build muscle. You will likely experience one of several outcomes: you will not build (or maintain) muscle, you won’t improve your fitness or strength, or you may get injured or sick because your body won't have the calories it needs to recover.

While a calorie deficit can drive fat loss, it shouldn’t last for years and must include all the essential nutrients your body requires. In other words, if you’ve taken the all-or-nothing approach with a restrictive diet since 2010 and are not seeing the results you want, it may be time to consider a different strategy. I say this with empathy and kindness because it is precisely the mistake I made for nearly a decade: eating too little, then going off the diet, but overeating and still undernourishing. I wasn’t giving my body what it needed to thrive.

The Importance of Protein Intake

If muscle building is a priority, getting enough calories to grow muscle is part of the equation, including enough protein to support the muscle-building process. The general recommendation is 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound (or goal body weight if overweight). At the very least, if you are an adult woman who weighs over 120 pounds, especially if you are active, 100 grams of protein a day is a good starting point. Have you tracked? Many women assume they are getting enough because they eat chicken, eggs, a protein shake, and nut butter (technically a fat source), but once they track, they realize they are drastically under their protein goal.

The Metabolism Myth

Understanding Metabolic Adaptation

Another downfall of extremely low-calorie intake is that your metabolism adapts to the intake and slows. Women often come to me for coaching and tell me about their slow or broken metabolism. Your metabolism is doing precisely what it is supposed to do; it is not broken. You give your body fewer calories, and it slows to adapt so that you can live on fewer calories. It is keeping you alive. Tell it thank you!

How to Reverse Diet for Metabolic Health

The good thing about metabolism is that it is adaptable, meaning you can help speed it up by eating more. If you slowly increase the calories you eat, your body learns to use them. It helps with muscle building and gives you more energy to go about your day. Calories are literally energy. You might even lose weight. Why? Because when you eat more, you have more energy, move more, and build more muscle (which burns more calories at rest than fat), and as a bonus, you feel better overall!

Of course, it’s not just about adding random calories. What you eat to support your health is essential. Consuming a lot of junk or highly processed foods can lead to overfeeding and undernutrition. When adding calories, they should come from primarily protein, healthy fats, whole food carbohydrates, fiber, fruits, and vegetables.

It’s essential to remember that extended low-calorie diets stress the body, leading to higher cortisol levels, which can prompt water retention. Thus, you could lose fat but not see it on the scale.

If you are on an extremely low-calorie diet, slowly adding 50 to 100 calories daily (often called a reverse diet) can help speed up your metabolism over time. It’s not a quick fix. It takes time and patience, but after a period of maintenance calories, you can get the fat loss rolling again with a deficit if you are experiencing a plateau.

Low Energy Availability in Athletes

Another downfall of low-calorie intake for athletes is Low Energy Availability (LEA). LEA happens when athletes don't eat enough to support training and their basic biological needs. The over-exercising and under-nourishing diet culture of the 1990s bred this behavior.

Your body protects you, so you don't die (Thank you, metabolism), but you are not thriving. Your performance decreases, you have less energy, decreased metabolic function, immune function, and bone health, and you are unable to maintain a regular menstrual cycle (assuming you are pre-menopausal and not on hormonal birth control). You feel like you must eat less and less to avoid gaining weight.

You can get by on low energy availability for a while, but it doesn't last. It always catches up to you.

Age and Muscle Building

What worked for you in your 20s, 30s, or even your 40s may stop working as you age. It is not usually because your metabolism automatically slows as you age; it is because you move less, lose muscle, and do not consume the nutrients your body needs. Your actions have led to a slower metabolism, not your age directly. This is good news because you have more control than you may have assumed. I am not suggesting that there are no age-related declines or that hormones don’t impact us as we age; of course, it is the natural life cycle. However, too often, I hear women blaming their slow metabolisms on age when they haven’t yet addressed their lifestyle.

If all your lifestyle factors are in place, you get adequate sleep, manage stress consistently, do regular strength and cardio exercise, have your nutrition dialed in, get proper rest and recovery, and you are still not seeing results, it may be worthwhile to have your hormones checked and talk to your doctor about the next steps.

It’s Not Too Late

It's not doom and gloom, and it's NOT too late. You can turn it around. I wish I had started lifting weights in my teens and 20s, but those weren't my choices, and we can't go back—only forward. I didn't start lifting weights until my mid-thirties and didn't get serious about lifting heavy weights until my forties. As a result, I am fitter and stronger at almost fifty than I ever was at twenty or thirty. You live and learn.

I have an 82-year-old client who is a lifelong athlete but only started lifting weights consistently over a year ago when we started working together. Guess what? He is getting stronger all the time and developing phenomenal balance. It is not too late for him, and it's not too late for you (but don't wait; the earlier you start, the better!).

TAKE ACTION:

To have a lean and muscular body, and probably more importantly, to age well, get serious about a progressive weightlifting routine that strengthens every muscle group at least two times a week to start. Eat enough calories to support your goals and prioritize getting enough protein. Add quality sleep and healthy stress management; you will have a recipe for strength and health as you age. Need help?

Did you like this post? Do you know someone who might benefit? It helps me when you share with your friends and followers.

Questions? I’d love to help.

Coach Lea

I am a personal trainer, running coach, and master health coach dedicated to helping you get strong, body and mind!

@fortworth_trainer

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Is Stress Killing Your Fitness Results? (What To Do About It!)

We all face many stressors in our lives, don't we? Whether it's the demands of work, the challenges of parenting, the complexities of relationships, the pressures of finances, the worries about health, or the constant barrage of news (in an election year, no less!), stress is a constant presence.

Have you considered how this stress may affect your health and fitness results?

GOOD STRESS AND BAD STRESS

But let's back up. What is stress? There is good stress, stress that makes us better and builds strength (mentally & physically) and resilience. Then there is the bad stress, the underlying stress that is always there, that beats us down, exhausts us, and makes us weaker and more vulnerable to sickness and injury.

If you've ever worked long hours to prepare for a presentation or project or hit the books to study for a challenging exam, you likely have reaped the benefits of good stress. That stress pushed you to work hard and challenge your limits to achieve your goal, and once completed, your stress levels returned to relative normal.

If we didn't have stress, life would be boring (in a bad way). We wouldn't challenge ourselves, we wouldn't get stronger, and we wouldn't overcome the obstacles that improve our lives. Stress, workouts, achievement of goals, and pursuing purpose and passion are part of life. We don't want to imagine a life where we don't have stress; we want to manage that stress (to the best of our abilities) so that we have ups and downs, not neglecting the recovery or downtime needed for a balanced and healthy life.

STRESS AND RECOVERY

Exercise is an example of good stress. You stress your body when lifting heavy weights or pushing your heart rate up during a run or a fitness class. Then, when you allow recovery from that stress with rest or low-intensity movement, sleep, and proper nutrition, your body gets more resilient, stronger, faster, or fitter. Recovery is essential, allowing your body to adapt and grow stronger.

I'll say it again louder for those in the back: Fitness only improves when you recover from workouts. So, like a twelve-year-old with an eyeshadow palette or your Uncle Jim beer-drinking at the backyard barbecue, sometimes, with exercise, especially if your life stress is high, less is more.

Constantly elevated stress becomes a problem when there is no recovery or downtime. We don't train in a bubble, meaning the stresses in your life (if not appropriately managed) can affect your recovery from workouts. If you don't recover from workouts, you will not improve and will open yourself up to a lower immune system, injury, or burnout.

IT’S ALL CONNECTED

If work and life stress are high, pushing yourself hard in the gym six days a week or training for a marathon may not be the best idea because those other life stresses could inhibit your recovery. It's about more than taking one recovery day a week with lower-intensity exercise. Your training, sleep quality and quantity, nutrition, and life stresses are all connected.

Some stresses are out of our control. A newborn baby in the house, caring for young children, or aging parents are the stresses that make life worth living. It can be challenging, but our hearts' love carries us through. We can't do anything about these; we likely wouldn't change a thing, even if we could.

FITNESS: DIAL IT UP OR DOWN

You can't control less desirables either, such as a difficult co-worker at the office, traffic, or politics; the list goes on and on. This is why I like to think of health and fitness on a dial rather than an on/off switch for myself and when I help my clients manage their workout schedules.

Instead of starting and stopping your fitness routine and being mindful of nutrition and healthy habits, what if you turned the dial up and down? You can’t control other people or some of life’s circumstances, but you can choose your actions appropriately.

When life stresses are lower, turn that health and fitness knob way up, pushing your limits and reaching for new goals. However, when life stress is high, turn the knob down (not off), back off the length or intensity of workouts, and allow yourself more grace and understanding for dealing with the other parts of your life, knowing that the situation is temporary, while you prioritize recovery. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise. Movement is good for stress, but monitor the frequency, length, and intensity of your sessions to ensure proper recovery.

The disaster happens when you have high life stress and pile on a lot of physical stress (like high-intensity exercise or extreme dieting) and mental stress (like macro counting or obsession with numbers). You expect your body to do more while having fewer resources to recover from it all. Stress depletes those resources. I said it once before, but it bears repeating now: If you don't recover, you don't improve. Period.

CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLE

Lack of quality sleep, poor nutrition, extended calorie restriction, obsession with the scale, isolation from the community, and extended exposure to negative social or news media are all examples of stressors that can inhibit exercise recovery and dampen results.

Focus on what you can (likely) control. Sleep improves our recovery and resilience to stress. Can you get more or better quality sleep, even a slight improvement? Proper and adequate nutrition allows us to heal and recover from workouts and stress. Can we improve our protein, colorful vegetable, or fiber intake? Or limit alcohol or highly processed foods? Can we spend more time with loved ones to recharge?

PERCEIVED STRESS

One aspect of stress that is relatively within our control is how we perceive, process, and react to daily stressors. The gossipper at work, the jerk in traffic who took the bike line to cut in front of a long line of cars, the (literal) spilled milk on an already busy morning. Annoying? Yes. But these are the types of events that can zap our energy and stress our nervous system…if we let them. What can we let go? Can we take a deep breath, laugh, and realize in the big scheme of life, these things don’t matter? ‘Relax and Release’ is my mantra in response to those inconvenient and annoying stressors. I’m not perfect, of course, but I try to stay mindful and not let the unimportant steal my joy and energy for things that do matter.

TAKE FIVE

You are not likely to change your whole life with a five-minute practice, but five minutes daily can help reduce stress and potentially improve recovery. Considering this on a continuum rather than all or nothing is important. Putting aside all the things you can't control, what can you do in five minutes daily to help reduce stress? Such as a mindfulness app, meditation, prayer, reading, knitting, drawing, coloring, stretching, journaling, Restorative Yoga, listening to music, walking, deep breathing, singing, or whatever else calms and relaxes you. Can you commit to only five minutes per day?

MAKE A PLAN

Once you decide what you will do, make a plan for when. Before bed? First thing in the morning? Right after you brush your teeth to habit stack? Perhaps whenever you feel stressed, you can tuck away and do your five-minute action.

CONSIDER OBSTACLES

Do you need to set an alarm or a reminder on your calendar? How can you schedule it so that it becomes a daily habit?

What might get in your way? How can you plan around it?

So, stress is not all bad. We need stress to grow and strengthen our bodies and minds. If we can accept the stresses we can't change as temporary, do our best to maximize what we can control, and take the time to recover and recharge purposely, we can get the best results from our exercise and live more balanced and healthy lives.

How To Manage Stress in Healthy Ways

• Do your best to control the controllable and let go of the small stressors

• Make time for activities that bring you joy

• Give yourself the same grace and understanding you give children or loved ones.

• Plan ahead as much as possible, but try to be mentally flexible with how things go.

• Take scheduled downtime on a regular basis.

• Consider a five-minute action daily, such as walks, meditation, breathwork, some of the ideas listed above, or something personal and relaxing for you.

• Be mindful of what makes you feel better and what makes you feel worse. Aim to do more or less accordingly, as is feasible.

• Stay connected with loved ones, family, friends, pets, and the community.

As of this post, July 2024, I have two spots open for free coaching sessions. The offer expires soon—last chance to sign up for free limited-time coaching with no strings attached.

Did you like this post? Do you know someone who might benefit? It helps me when you share with your friends and followers.

Questions? I’d love to help.

Coach Lea

I am a personal trainer, running coach, and master health coach dedicated to helping you get strong, body and mind!

@fortworth_trainer

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Win from Within: Mental Tips for Better Running Performance

Ever felt like your mind is giving up before your body does? You're not alone. While physical training is crucial, mental exercise can be the key to unlocking your full potential. Just as you can build your muscles or VO2Max, you can also develop a strong mindset. Neglecting to train your mind alongside your body could leave performance potential untapped. By recognizing the empowerment from this dual training, you can feel more in control and capable of achieving your goals.

mental training for runners

Developing Your Athletic Identity

It all begins with identity. How do you perceive yourself? I often work with clients who hesitate to call themselves athletes. These same clients participate in half marathons, maintain a consistent gym routine, and have a fitness coach (me!). The athlete label isn't reserved for the elites or those with a specific body type or performance outcome; if you engage in athletic activities, you, too, are an athlete. Embrace this identity, and you might notice subtle shifts in your behavior. When you view yourself as an athlete, you are likelier to act like one.

Exercise: Write it down: I am an athlete. Think it, say it, believe it.

Why It Matters: It's rarely about the time on the race clock or the weight on the bar; it's about how those things will make you feel. How do you want to feel? Strong? Confident? Capable? Proud of yourself?

Start with how you want to feel and craft a vision statement. A vision statement isn't only about specific goals but combines the outcomes you want to achieve with how you will feel and how it will affect your life. It's a powerful tool that can guide your actions and decisions, keeping you focused on your ultimate vision.

Vision Statement Example: "I am happy, healthy, and living pain-free. I prioritize my health and well-being. I am a strong and confident athlete. I ran a half-marathon PR and am proud of myself for my work in achieving this goal. I have strong and visible muscles that allow me to move through life easily. I have the energy and capacity to care for myself while helping others."

Take Action: Write your vision statement in the present tense and keep it close. Are your actions aligned with your ultimate vision?

Recognizing and Improving Self-Talk

How you talk to yourself matters. Do you have an inner self-critic? Of course, you do. Welcome to being human. Learning to recognize, challenge, and quiet that voice is a mindset skill that will benefit any athlete. Improving your self-talk can be a powerful source of motivation and inspiration, fueling your athletic performance.

Exercise: Write about yourself as an athlete and include how or why you started, what activities you enjoy, your training, struggles, successes, and setbacks. Be honest and unfiltered.

Then, review what you wrote and underline any objective facts (e.g., "I played sports in school"). Then, circle judgments and feelings (e.g., "I am slow" or "I am not a natural athlete"). Recognize self-limiting beliefs to begin changing them.

Reframe: Instead of "I am slow," try "I am a consistent and dedicated athlete with room for improvement."

Take Action: Spend a week noticing your self-talk. Is it helpful or discouraging? Kind or critical? Each time you catch an unhelpful thought, reframe it to strengthen your mental resilience.

Developing a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is a game-changer. It's about believing in your ability to learn and improve, even in the face of challenges. This mindset opens up possibilities, making you feel hopeful about your athletic journey.

As an athlete, if you haven't read Carol Dweck's book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, I highly recommend it. It explains in detail how developing a growth mindset can help you achieve more in all areas of your life.

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset Examples:

• Fixed Mindset: "I am not a fast runner."

• Growth Mindset: "With consistent practice and effort, I can improve my running speed over time."

Take Action:: Identify one fixed mindset belief and reframe it with a growth mindset approach.

Overcoming Race Day Anxiety and Fear

I know what you may be thinking: This is all great, but what can I do about that anxiety, fear, and worry I feel at the start line of a big race or in the middle when I start to doubt my ability to finish strong?

First, remember that fear and anxiety are not signs of weakness; they are signs that we care deeply about the outcome. Having these thoughts and worries is natural, but developing emotional regulation skills can help you feel calmer when the pressure is high.

Strategies:

• Recognize and Release: Notice stress and take deep breaths to recenter. Just noticing the emotions and putting some space between feeling and reacting can be calming. I like to repeat to myself, "Relax & Release!" You can acknowledge and address emotions to prevent them from interfering with your performance.

• Reframe Anxiety as Excitement: Use nervous energy to focus and perform.

• Embrace Discomfort: Understand that hard work means progress. Practice gratitude to shift your mindset during challenging moments.

When it feels hard, that is usually good because:

• You are doing enough work to elicit change. If it were easy, it wouldn't improve your fitness level. No one gets better by keeping it easy all the time.

• It is an opportunity to practice perseverance. Every time you do hard things, you reinforce that you are capable of doing hard things. You're teaching your brain you can do this and will survive to live another day. Every time you don't give up, you become more like a person who doesn't give up.

• If it is hard, that often means that there is room for improvement. Room for improvement is good as it shows you the potential you can become.

This shift in perspective can build resilience and help you feel strong and capable.

FOCUS ON GRATITUDE

Another strategy that can help when things feel hard is to switch to thinking about gratitude. Start naming everything you are grateful for, from your beating heart and capable legs to your relationships (name names!), the roof over your head, your goofy pet, or bubble baths. When I struggle, I start naming what I am grateful for until my brain can't come up with another thing. Milk it: hot showers, sleeping in, owning a dishwasher, puppy dreams, fabric softener, automatic timers on the coffee machine, my favorite song, or porta-potties (I’m serious!). Keep going. What else?

Complaining and being grateful simultaneously is impossible, so focusing on gratitude can help you overcome a tough spot. I wrote on the whiteboard in my gym, "I am grateful for every opportunity to move and strengthen my body." I glance up at it when attempting something challenging or if I am having one of those days when I "don't feel like it" to remind myself it's a privilege to be able to do this at all. (Yes, trainers have those days too.)

Find a Support Network

You don't have to do it alone. As much as we are individuals, we all have the same human brain. Building a solid support network of like-minded individuals can provide you with encouragement, motivation, and accountability. Whether joining a training group, a running club, seeking a coach, or connecting with fellow athletes online, surrounding yourself with a supportive community can fuel your personal and athletic growth.

A coach can help you challenge and counteract your inner critic, enhance your mental resilience, find your bright spots & strengths, help you see your potential, craft a plan to improve, and provide accountability.

Take Action: Join a running group, find a coach, or connect with fellow athletes online to fuel your personal and athletic growth.

Conclusion: Practice Makes PROGRESS

You get out of it what you put in. Practice makes progress. Incorporate these mental training techniques into your routine to build a strong mind. Practice some of the skills outlined in this post. What can you do daily to build a habit of a strong mind? Where do you need to improve the most? How can you incorporate some of these practices into your training? Next time, before you begin a challenging workout or event, prepare in advance how you will respond if things get hard.

Questions? I’d love to help.

Did you like this post? Do you know someone who might benefit? It helps me when you share with your friends and followers.

Coach Lea

I am a personal trainer, running coach, and master health coach dedicated to helping runners get strong, body and mind!

@Fortworth_trainer

Click to subscribe.

Explore more blog posts here…

Running: Why You Are Not Getting Faster

As runners, we often get stuck in a rut. We've been running for years (or decades!) but see only slight improvement beyond the newbie gains we enjoyed initially. 

What gives? You put in the work and run the miles, race the races, and even do some speed work here and there, but you seem to have plateaued indefinitely. You aren't getting faster. Running may feel easier than initially and more enjoyable, but you haven't seen tangible improvements in a long time. Many runners ask, “Why am I not getting faster?”

The answer lies in training and understanding the difference between exercising and training. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXERCISING AND TRAINING

First, what is exercise? Exercise is moving your body for health, enjoyment, or social/community interaction. It can be a jog, walk, cardio class, lifting weights, bike riding, pickleball, dancing, or any other intentional physical activity. Exercise is excellent for physical and mental health. It benefits us and has many positive health outcomes (preaching to the choir here: you should definitely exercise!), but exercising is not the same as training.

What is training? Training is practice—deliberate practice towards a specific goal. Running 10-20 miles a week for several years (or decades) without short-term goals for individual workouts and long-term outcomes is exercise, not training. 

Striving outside of your comfort zone to reach a stretch goal that is just beyond your capabilities is training. Identifying weaknesses and working to improve is training. Reviewing trends in your results and applying feedback and new knowledge with outcome-based decision-making is training. 

Training is hard; exercise can feel challenging, but it only qualifies as training (or deliberate practice) if it is actively working towards building a new skill that leads to a specific overarching goal.

My point is not that exercising is terrible; training is good. They both have their place. There is nothing wrong with exercising and moving to feel good and be healthy. But many people make the mistake of exercising, thinking they are training, and then wondering why they aren't seeing improvements. If you aren't analyzing and just doing, you are exercising. 

Pursue Mastery of Skills:

Running is a skill. Sure, anyone can strap on shoes and start running (and I encourage that—start!). However, to run faster, specific skills may need improvement. The skills outlined here are not an exhaustive list, but some things that come immediately to mind that, when improved, can affect your running performance. 

10 Skills to DEVELOP TO Improve Running Performance

1. Pacing (be able to feel, control, and increase/decrease speed)

2. Running form (body position for efficient running)

3. Technique (foot strike, cadence, stride length)

4. Heart-rate training (training to run faster at a lower heart rate)

5. Breathing for efficiency 

6. Nutrition for performance and recovery

7. Mindset for performance, resilience, and self-talk

8. Strength training for running performance and injury prevention (programming, technique, form, applying progressive overload)

9. Effective warmups, cooldowns, and stretching to enhance mobility and injury prevention

10. Recovery, sleep, and stress management for performance and recovery (understanding and applying the principles of rest and recovery on performance improvements)

As you can see, getting faster is about more than speed work or pacing. Many factors affect performance outcomes. You could have other underdeveloped skills holding you back from your potential. Most runners dabble in some of these skills for a short time but quickly move on when they get bored or frustrated.

WORK TO IMPROVE ONE NARROW ASPECT OF TRAINING

It is inefficient to work on everything at once. How could you? Many runners make the mistake of vaguely trying to improve everything at once with no real focus or intention, or they quickly move from one skill to another when things get hard. 

The best strategy is to focus on one or two narrow aspects of training to enhance and stretch outside of what feels physically or mentally comfortable. Deliberate practice should feel messy, uncomfortable, and slightly strained. Embrace this idea: Does it feel uncomfortable? Good. That feeling is how you know you are on the right track. And then you don't give up when it gets hard, you fail, or you feel frustrated. 

When the challenge equals the skill level, it feels easy; we feel good (which is great), but we don't grow or improve from this place. This place is called exercising.

If the challenge slightly exceeds the current skill, and we don't give up, this is where the magic happens.

STEPS FOR DELIBERATE PRACTICE

1. DETERMINE WHERE YOU LACK THE NECESSARY SKILLS

No matter where you start, skill development is critical to achieving your running goals. We all have varying degrees of natural talent, which can take us far, but you must employ deliberate practice to continue improving. If you have been running for many years and not seeing the desired improvement, the first step is determining where you lack the necessary skills and choosing a place to begin.

I know what you might be thinking. That's a lot of different skills. Now I'm overwhelmed. I always assumed that if I wanted to get faster, I needed to do more speed work. How do I know where to start? 

As I mentioned, simultaneously dabbling in all the skills will produce less dramatic results than honing in one skill and working on it for a long time. The time will pass anyway. If you have been running for years with slight improvement, imagine what progress you can make with deliberate skill development over the next few years. 

WHAT SOUNDS FUN OR INTERESTING?

One way to choose where to start is to consider what sounds exciting or fun. It will get physically or mentally hard, so if you start with a challenge you think you might enjoy, you'll likely stick to it. Hill sprints or track intervals could be a great place to start if they sound weirdly fun (even if scary fun). What interests you? 

WHAT IS THE LOW-HANGING FRUIT?

Another way to choose is to look for the low-hanging fruit. What sounds like the easiest skill to learn or change at first? After all, small wins and building confidence can snowball into more significant accomplishments. For example, if you already have experience with weights and are comfortable in the gym, fine-tuning your training for running-specific strength training could be an effective way to start. I saw my most significant improvements in running performance when I started lifting heavy weights. It can be a game-changer for some runners.

WHAT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT?

You can also choose a skill that will have the most significant impact, even if it is the hardest or will take the longest. Remember, stretching beyond what feels comfortable is vital. Identify a weakness and work to improve it. For example, runners often struggle with heart-rate training because it is a long and slow process to train your heart to run faster at a lower heart rate, but it can be rewarding and performance-enhancing over time. 

2. SET A SMART GOAL

Set short-term goals specific to the skill you want to develop using the SMART goal format: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Ineffective: I will eat better to improve my running.

Effective: I will track my nutrition in an app and aim for 120 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbs to support my training five days per week for the next four weeks. I will journal before and after my workouts and make weekly adjustments based on how these nutrition changes affect how I feel and perform. (For example, actual nutrition goals may vary according to individual needs.)

3. ANALYZE RESULTS

Look at your training as an experiment and enter into problem-solving mode:

• Log and track results over time.

• Seek feedback (what can you improve instead of seeking cheer and praise).

• Adjust strategy with outcome-based decision-making by applying new knowledge to training.

You can do this independently with a training journal (I highly suggest journalling outside your Garmin) or with a coach. I may be biased, but working with a coach on your goals and skill development can fast-track the process. 

HELPFUL TIPS FOR DELIBERATE PRACTICE

1. The point is failing (and then learning). If you always achieve the goal you set for yourself, then you are not reaching enough.

2. Try to approach practice without self-judgment. You are not a failure, stupid, incapable, weak, or slow (or whatever else your unhelpful brain comes up with) because you didn’t hit a goal. You are doing work that most people won’t do.

3. Deliberate practice does not mean beating yourself into the ground. It is not a hard effort for hard effort’s sake. See skill #10 (applying the principles of recovery).

You can improve almost anything with an applied effort at the far edge of your current skills. Often, the difficulty is in the mental work as much as the physical practice, which makes the deliberate practice so strenuous (and why so many runners skip over it). 

Run because you love it; then, you can take that love to new levels when you practice and apply new skills for continuous improvement. Does it mean you will make the next Olympic team or qualify for Boston within six months? Probably not, but you can improve beyond what you ever thought possible with focused training and dogged determination. 

The payoff is not just in the results but in the person you become in the process.

Need help? 

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The Ultimate Guide To Fat Loss For Runners

Like many, I turned to running when faced with the need or desire to lose weight. I'm grateful for running, as it was the launching pad for my fitness journey and transformation. But as a runner, a coach, and a personal trainer, I've noticed several common misconceptions about fat loss and running that could impede your progress. 

One of the most common questions for many of us is, why am I running so much but still not seeing the weight loss results I desire?

Running burns many calories, so why aren't the pounds falling off?

THE PROBLEM WITH RUNNING FOR FAT LOSS

Let's start with adaptation. The first time you laced up your new shoes and ran around the block, you were huffing and puffing when you reached the first corner. Your heart rate shot up, your lungs burned, and your legs were tired. You ran inefficiently, and your body had to work very hard. But over time, it got better. You could run a mile or five with much less effort than that first time around the block. Improved efficiency is excellent for the joy of running, race results, and general fitness performance, but it makes fat loss a bit harder. Essentially, the harder your body works and the more inefficient (harder) the exercise is, the more calories you burn. 

So you may have noticed when you started a running routine, you may have experienced fat loss, but after four to six weeks, your results seemed to fade. 

If you run the exact 15-30 miles per week, at the same pace, week after week, month after month, year after year, your body will adapt and become very efficient and burn fewer calories for the same workouts.

One way to combat this is to run more volume (miles) or increase intensity (i.e.run faster, sprints, or hills). If your body works harder than it is accustomed to, it will burn more calories. Excellent! Except that your body will also adapt to this new stimulus, which is good! It's why you can train to run a marathon or improve your 5K time. The beautiful thing is when you incrementally give your body more stress (workouts), it adapts and gets stronger or faster as long it is paired with proper recovery. It's good news for performance but not great for continued fat loss because if you keep piling on the miles or intensity after a certain amount, you won't have the time in your day or the ability to recover from hours of prolonged or intense workouts.

One way to add more movement for fat loss without too much extra stress on your body is to take walks or move around more to increase your daily step count. If you get considerably less than 10K steps daily, working up to 8K to 10K a day can be beneficial. 

Even as a runner, a running coach, and an advocate for running for health and longevity, I still believe running is not the best tool for continuous fat loss. It works until it doesn't. More is not always better, and it more often leads to injury or burnout. Don't get me wrong. Running is fantastic for weight maintenance, mental health, and heart health. I love to run. Keep doing it.

So, if running, as many people have led to believe, is not the best tool for continued fat loss, then what is? 

CALORIE DEFICIT FOR RUNNERS WANTING FAT LOSS

Enter calorie deficit. A calorie deficit means taking in fewer calories than you burn. It is the primary driver of weight loss. Many people interpret this to mean moving more and eating less. But we already discussed how moving more (and more and more) only works for so long. If you are sitting on the couch (sedentary) and eating fast food, by all means, move more and eat less. But if you are a runner and already very active, this may not be the best advice either. 

The issue for endurance runners and a calorie deficit is that asking your body to do more and then feeding it less can be problematic. Your body needs calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients to fuel and recover from exercise. If you deprive your body of what it needs to perform and heal, it will break down, and you may end up either burnt out or injured. 

I do not recommend a calorie deficit if you are training for an endurance race. Having fat loss and race performance goals simultaneously can be counterproductive. Which is more important? Do you want to lose fat or run a race? If you choose one at a time, i.e., train for a race and set a fat loss goal between race training cycles, you will get better overall results for both goals. 

You will need calories to fuel and recover properly when training for a race. Depending on the distance of your race, you may even need intra-workout calories. Reducing calories is not ideal during endurance race training. Setting fat loss goals aside until after your race is usually best.

Some people even find they gain weight during marathon training. Read here for more on why that can happen.

If you are running to maintain fitness between race cycles, it can be a good time for a slight calorie deficit to increase fat loss. However, it's important not to cut calories too drastically or lose weight too fast to avoid muscle loss and increase the chance of rebound weight.

FAT LOSS AND YOUR METABOLISM

We discussed how your body adapts to exercise; the same applies to your metabolism. Metabolism is the chemical reactions in the body that convert food into energy. Simply put, when you give your body less food, it adapts (called metabolic adaptation) to function on less food. In the same way, you can't just add more and more miles to burn more calories; you can't eat less and less to lose more fat. Your body will try to keep you alive by using those fewer calories for your brain, organs, and other essential processes. Your body sheds weight such as fat (yay) but also muscle (not yay) and reduces other non-essentials due to nutrient deficiencies, so you feel low energy while on a low-calorie diet for an extended time. Your hair starts falling out, your nails get brittle, your feet are cold, and you do not recover well (or get injured) from workouts. In some cases, you may lose your period. These symptoms can result from low energy availability, not giving your body the nutrients to look, feel, and perform its best. 

Eating fewer calories smartly and sustainably is necessary for fat loss, but consuming fewer and fewer calories is not always better, especially for athletes who have already reduced calories or have been operating on low calories for a long time. 

So, if runners with fat loss goals struggle to lose fat by running more and eating fewer calories effectively, how can they do it?

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS FOR FAT LOSS

Start by building muscle. Woah, woah. Wouldn't building muscle make me big and bulky, the opposite of my desired result? I want to be smaller and faster. All the extra weight will slow me down and be counterproductive to my goals. This common misconception holds many runners back from reaching their fat loss goals. 

Lifting weights and performing resistance training exercises will not make most women big and bulky or add significant weight. I wish I had large and bulky muscles, and I have been working for a long time toward that goal, but the results are slow. It is hard to build large muscles, especially for women who run endurance. 

Building strength and muscle can help improve your metabolism, increase the amount of calories you can eat without gaining fat, help you lose fat while preserving muscle, improve your running performance, and prevent injuries.

The best strategy for fat loss for runners is a strength training program and adherence to nutrition. Running can be part of the plan, although it is not the primary driver of continued fat loss. 

But doesn't running build muscles in my legs? They should be really strong from all these miles. Yes, and then no. 

When you first start running, you will develop muscle and strength in your legs and glutes as you work previously unused muscles. But over time, as is the theme of this article, your muscles adapt. As you run longer miles, up hills, or sprint, you can build muscle, but without additional stimulus to continue the growth (aka resistance training), your body adapts, and you do not gain new strength or muscle from the same workouts, and can lose muscle over time. The workouts need to be progressive: a little more (more weight, more reps, more sets, less rest, slower reps, or new exercises) to continue seeing positive changes. So, yes, you can build some muscle and strength when you start running, but over time, you need to provide additional resistance to continue progressing.

Strength training should be a full-body progressive program that covers all the movement patterns: squat, hinge, push, and pull at least twice a week. The weight should feel heavy enough to feel challenging towards the end of a 6-12 rep range. Then, runners can also benefit from single-leg (SL deadlifts, lunges, or SL bridges) exercises and multi-planar (multidirectional, like side lunges and lift and chop) exercises for performance and injury-prevention benefits. It doesn't have to be complicated or take too much time. It needs to be consistent and progressive. Need help? This is my expertise.

Strength training will help you preserve (and even build) muscle, so when you lose weight, your body loses fat and keeps your metabolism revving up with muscle. 

Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space in the body. If you build muscle and lose fat simultaneously (the holy grail), the scale might stay the same (or even increase), but you may wear a smaller pant size. 

Losing weight without muscle training results in a smaller body size, less muscle mass, slower metabolism, more frailty, and greater susceptibility to injury and weight regain. Losing weight by preserving or building muscle results in a new athletic shape that is more flexible with the calories you consume (i.e., you can eat more without gaining weight).

Muscle is metabolically expensive. That means the body burns more calories while sitting around, watching TV, and sleeping when you have more muscle. Those calories are not as easily stored as fat when you eat because they are needed to preserve and build muscle. You can eat more and maintain or even lose fat. 

NUTRITION FOR FAT LOSS

Of course, nutrition matters for fat loss. We want our nutrition to work for us, to fuel our bodies and recover effectively, and to allow us to enjoy life, celebrations, and meals with friends and family. 

One of the best ways to improve nutrition for fat loss is to limit processed foods as much as is reasonable in your lifestyle. Eating whole foods from nature helps naturally limit calories because processed foods are easier to overeat. I don't mean to go extreme here; look to eat mostly meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. It doesn't mean you must make everything from scratch or grow and hunt all your own food. Aim to make the most reasonable, least processed option available when it makes sense. Aim for a small and sustainable calorie deficit when not training intensely.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTEIN FOR FAT LOSS

We discussed how vital resistance training is to fat loss, and protein is a crucial contributor to muscle building and fat loss. Protein needs vary from individual to individual, but if you are an adult woman who weighs over 100 pounds, is a runner, and lifts weights, you would likely need at least 100 grams of protein per day. Your needs may increase from there depending on your current body weight, goals, and activity level. But I suggest tracking your protein intake for a few days to a week to get an average. Are you effortlessly passing the 100-gram mark, or do you fall short? You may be surprised when you track. Review nutrition labels and serving sizes, and measure and weigh for the most accurate tracking. 

Protein has added benefits for fat loss. It is more satiating, so you feel fuller between meals. If you track and find you are only getting 50-70 grams per day (which is common for people who were previously unaware), then you can slowly start adding more protein into your day over time to get closer to your goal. Don't feel the need to double your protein grams overnight. Add 10-20 grams extra at a time, over time, to allow your body to adjust. 

A few high-protein options are meat and poultry, fish, tofu, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, edamame, and protein powder (if whole foods are inconvenient or unavailable). Download my free high-protein meal ideas PDF. While some foods like peanut butter and cheese contain protein, which can add to your daily totals, these are not high-protein foods. I categorize them as fats in the diet. 

DOES EATING FAT MAKE YOU FAT?

Eating fats does not make you fat, as previously believed in popular culture. Include healthy fats in proper portions as part of a fat loss plan. Healthy fats are necessary to absorb nutrients and keep your hormones balanced. Fats have more calories per gram (nine) than carbohydrates and protein (four each), and they are usually delicious, so they are easier to overconsume. A mistake many people make is overeating healthy foods like nuts and avocados, not realizing their portion sizes or high-calorie content. The overconsumption of calories beyond your body's needs leads to fat gain, not one particular food or macronutrient. 

Aim for proper portions of healthy fats like avocados, unflavored nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. A thumb-size of fats is a good measure of an appropriate portion. 

BUT SURELY CARBOHYDRATES ARE OFF-LIMITS FOR FAT LOSS, RIGHT? (WRONG!)

Fat may have been the villain in the 90s, but today, the world thinks that carbohydrates and sugar lead to fat gain. As mentioned above, fat gain does not happen from consuming a single food or macronutrient. It is caused by the overconsumption of calories, as a whole, in relation to your body's needs. 

As a runner, it is essential to understand that carbohydrates are protein-sparing. That means the body uses glycogen (energy stored from eating carbohydrates) instead of breaking down muscle for energy. Once you understand how vital muscle is for healthy metabolism and fat loss, you know why eating smart carbohydrates in proper portions is essential for a runner's fat loss goals. If you have concerns about eating carbohydrates, try to time them directly around your workouts, before and after, to use them for performance and recovery. 

IMPROVE SLEEP AND STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR FAT LOSS

I can't close out this lesson without mentioning rest and recovery in fat loss. If you feel like you have been doing everything right but still are not seeing the desired results, look at your sleep and stress levels. If left unchecked, poor sleep and high stress can inhibit fat loss due to their impact on hormones.

Sometimes, we expect immediate results, but fat loss, the right way, takes time. Slow it down, train hard, fuel appropriately, and expect results, no matter when they may come. Most importantly, enjoy the process! We can't force outcomes, but the results come more naturally when we fall in love with the journey.

FAT LOSS FOR RUNNERS RECAP

1. Running is excellent for health and weight maintenance, but there are better long-term strategies for fat loss.

2. Increasing your daily step count can be an effective way to get more movement without adding a lot of additional stress to your body.

3. The key is a small calorie deficit, but to balance your unique energy needs as a runner so you do not eat too little and sabotage your results and performance. 

4. A combination of nutrition adherence, progressive resistance training, and running or walking will yield the best fat-loss results.

5. Protein is essential to retain and build muscle as you lose weight. 

6. Fat doesn't make you fat, but pay attention to portion sizes to avoid overeating.

7. Smart carbohydrates don't make you fat and can help preserve muscle, give you energy, and help with recovery. 

8. Aim to eat whole, unprocessed natural foods as much as feasible in your lifestyle.

9. Prioritize sleep and stress management when in a fat-loss phase.

10. Train hard, expect results, but enjoy the process.

Lea

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