For the last two years, I have started almost every day with a smoothie. This was a departure from a lifetime of cereal. With one smoothie, I pack in almost a days worth of fruit, vegetables, and super foods. They are easy to make, digest, delicious, nutritious, and portable. I make a large one for myself to drink at breakfast and take another one to work to sip on during the morning.
My typical smoothie includes:
1 large banana
1-2 cups frozen berries
1-2 cups frozen greens (spinach or kale)
1 ginger root (about the size of the tip of your thumb)
1 tbsp tumeric
2-3 tablespoons of chia and/or flax seeds
1 lemon or lime
2-3 table spoons of tart cherry juice
I fill to almost the top of the blender with water, and blend until smooth. Any blender will do, but I probably couldn't live without my Vitamix!
How do you fuel your day and workouts? Share your favorite smoothie recipe or other pre or post run fuel on my blog or the NOASM Facebook page for a chance to win a free entry to the sold out Harvest Moon Hustle!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
It Started With a 10K
Once again I am proud to sponsor the Harvest Moon Hustle 10K, one of the best races on the local running calendar. The race is fun and festive. It reminds me of my first 10K twenty years ago.
I was inspired to start running by Ken Hawley, my friend Jason's dad. He started running when it was still called "jogging." It's funny, you never hear that anymore! Anyway, he knew that I had started running to get in shape and he suggested that I try running a road race. I lived in Alliance, NE at the time, and there were few options. Ken had run the Bolder Boulder 10K in Colorado many times and raved about it. At the time, it was probably the second largest road race in the country, with ~50,000 runners. I was regularly running 4-6 miles, so I was in decent shape, but I had never considered running a race. I now considered myself a runner, or jogger, if you will, but a racer? Surely not.
I considered it a great challenge and signed up for the Memorial Day race (by US Mail!). I trained through the spring as best as I knew how. As the race approached, I was really nervous and excited. What would I eat before? What if I had to go to the bathroom? Do I stretch before? What if I couldn't finish? What would the other real runners think of me?
As I stood at the start and looked around, I saw very fit, obviously experienced racers, but also saw plenty of people just like me, maybe not first timers, but people just there to test themselves and take in the experience.
The Bolder Boulder starts in waves of thousands of runners. When it was time for my wave to start, I went out, not knowing if I was running too fast or too slow. I just...ran. The Bolder Boulder is a real spectacle. I saw people running the whole thing backwards. I saw a group that was leap frogging the whole race. And there were too many crazy costumes to count.
The race ends inside Folsom Field. As I neared the finish, I was overcome by emotion. I was going to finish my first 10K! Just two years before, I was 65 lbs heavier and could not run a mile. Now, with a little inspiration and a lot of hard work, I was not just a runner. I was a racer.
http://www.harvestmoonhustle.com
I was inspired to start running by Ken Hawley, my friend Jason's dad. He started running when it was still called "jogging." It's funny, you never hear that anymore! Anyway, he knew that I had started running to get in shape and he suggested that I try running a road race. I lived in Alliance, NE at the time, and there were few options. Ken had run the Bolder Boulder 10K in Colorado many times and raved about it. At the time, it was probably the second largest road race in the country, with ~50,000 runners. I was regularly running 4-6 miles, so I was in decent shape, but I had never considered running a race. I now considered myself a runner, or jogger, if you will, but a racer? Surely not.
I considered it a great challenge and signed up for the Memorial Day race (by US Mail!). I trained through the spring as best as I knew how. As the race approached, I was really nervous and excited. What would I eat before? What if I had to go to the bathroom? Do I stretch before? What if I couldn't finish? What would the other real runners think of me?
As I stood at the start and looked around, I saw very fit, obviously experienced racers, but also saw plenty of people just like me, maybe not first timers, but people just there to test themselves and take in the experience.
The Bolder Boulder starts in waves of thousands of runners. When it was time for my wave to start, I went out, not knowing if I was running too fast or too slow. I just...ran. The Bolder Boulder is a real spectacle. I saw people running the whole thing backwards. I saw a group that was leap frogging the whole race. And there were too many crazy costumes to count.
The race ends inside Folsom Field. As I neared the finish, I was overcome by emotion. I was going to finish my first 10K! Just two years before, I was 65 lbs heavier and could not run a mile. Now, with a little inspiration and a lot of hard work, I was not just a runner. I was a racer.
http://www.harvestmoonhustle.com
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Hard to Take Your Own Medicine
I often have to tell injured athletes that they will miss an important game, meet, or tournament. Part of playing sports, I tell them, is dealing with setbacks and adversity. Fortunately for me, I have had very few of these setbacks to deal with during my running career. I have been amazingly injury free. This weekend, however, I sprained my MCL and badly bruised my medial femoral condyle in, of all things, a paddle board accident. It should heal fully in a few weeks, but I am registered for the Sandhills Marathon in Valentine, NE this Saturday. I can't roll over in bed without searing pain in my knee. It is hard to imagine that it will feel that much better by Saturday. My training has been going really well, too. I put in 59.5 miles last week, peaking for the marathon this weekend. The race was supposed to be a long training run for my 50 mile trail race in September. Unless my knee feels a lot better soon, I will miss my first race due to injury in 20 years. I guess I will understand that much better how my patients feel and deal with disappointment.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Dr. Swanson's Lifestyle Rx
Dr. Swanson’s Lifestyle Rx
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." -Thomas Edison
I firmly believe that lifestyle is a cause of many of our medical ailments, including foot and ankle pain. Try these simple, inexpensive, low-risk lifestyle solutions.
DIET:
I am not simply talking about weight loss, although that is important, too. If you are over your ideal body mass index (BMI), weight loss can be very beneficial. With certain activities, your foot & ankle is subject to many times your body weight. Thus, even a minor change in your weight can profoundly affect the stresses placed on your foot and ankle. Regardless of your weight, my research has convinced me that a whole foods, plant based diet is the way to achieve optimum health and may help cure many bodily aches and pains, without the need for drugs or surgery. There are many stories of amazing transformations that have occurred when patients adopt a whole-foods, plant based diet. The best advice I ever heard is from author Michael Pollan, who wrote, “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
EXERCISE:
It has been said that, “sitting is the new smoking.” While this may be a slight exaggeration, too many of us live sedentary lives and do not get enough exercise. To improve your health, I recommend at least 30 minutes of low impact aerobic activity daily. If that is too much, start with 5 minutes. This can be something as simple as going for a walk, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or working in your garden. Other activities might include swimming or biking. For most people, some sort of strength or resistance training is helpful, too. If you have a heart condition, please check with your primary care doctor or cardiologist before beginning an exercise program!
MEDITATION:
We are learning a lot about the negative effects of stress on the body. Meditation is one of the best ways to prevent or manage stress. Modern neuroscience is just now catching up with this centuries old tradition. There are many scientifically proven benefits to meditation, and I can personally vouch for it’s effectiveness. I recommend starting with a simple breathing meditation. Start with just 5 minutes a day and stick with it! If possible, work up to 10-20 minutes daily.
RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS:
Books: The Omnivores Dilemma
I am not simply talking about weight loss, although that is important, too. If you are over your ideal body mass index (BMI), weight loss can be very beneficial. With certain activities, your foot & ankle is subject to many times your body weight. Thus, even a minor change in your weight can profoundly affect the stresses placed on your foot and ankle. Regardless of your weight, my research has convinced me that a whole foods, plant based diet is the way to achieve optimum health and may help cure many bodily aches and pains, without the need for drugs or surgery. There are many stories of amazing transformations that have occurred when patients adopt a whole-foods, plant based diet. The best advice I ever heard is from author Michael Pollan, who wrote, “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
EXERCISE:
It has been said that, “sitting is the new smoking.” While this may be a slight exaggeration, too many of us live sedentary lives and do not get enough exercise. To improve your health, I recommend at least 30 minutes of low impact aerobic activity daily. If that is too much, start with 5 minutes. This can be something as simple as going for a walk, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or working in your garden. Other activities might include swimming or biking. For most people, some sort of strength or resistance training is helpful, too. If you have a heart condition, please check with your primary care doctor or cardiologist before beginning an exercise program!
MEDITATION:
We are learning a lot about the negative effects of stress on the body. Meditation is one of the best ways to prevent or manage stress. Modern neuroscience is just now catching up with this centuries old tradition. There are many scientifically proven benefits to meditation, and I can personally vouch for it’s effectiveness. I recommend starting with a simple breathing meditation. Start with just 5 minutes a day and stick with it! If possible, work up to 10-20 minutes daily.
RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS:
Books: The Omnivores Dilemma
In Defense of Food
The China Study
Engine 2 Diet
How Not to Die
Websites: nutritionfacts.org
Websites: nutritionfacts.org
how-to-meditate.org
mindbodygreen.com
Documentary: Forks Over Knives
Podcast: The Rich Roll Podcast
Podcast: The Rich Roll Podcast
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Things I've Noticed on Trail Runs
I've spent most of the spring getting ready for a Trail Ultra-Marathon this fall. Along the way I've discovered some great trails around Lincoln that I never knew existed. I can't believe it took me 7 years to run in Wilderness Park! I've also sought out local and regional trail races in order to specifically train for the challenge I'll face in the fall. Two weeks ago, I ran the Ni-Bthaska-Ke Trail 12 K at Platte River State Park and today I ran a trail 1/2 marathon outside Lawrence, KS as part of the "Free State Trail Runs." The Ni-Bthaska-Ke run was the hardest race I've ever run and the one today wasn't much easier. Along the way, I've noticed a few things about trail running, which is distinctly different from road running.
The chance of breaking a bone trail running is pretty good.
There is a little more B.O. on a trail run.
People talk about new bands that remind them of the Grateful Dead.
The aid stations are awesome.
There is nearly always good beer and music I recognize at the finish.
Most runners have tattoos.
Nobody runs in lululemon.
Finish times mean very little.
Listening to music is frowned upon if not frankly against the rules.
Nobody talks about Boston.
Trail running is a lot more fun.
I'll have more on my trail running adventures in the coming weeks and months!
The chance of breaking a bone trail running is pretty good.
There is a little more B.O. on a trail run.
People talk about new bands that remind them of the Grateful Dead.
The aid stations are awesome.
There is nearly always good beer and music I recognize at the finish.
Most runners have tattoos.
Nobody runs in lululemon.
Finish times mean very little.
Listening to music is frowned upon if not frankly against the rules.
Nobody talks about Boston.
Trail running is a lot more fun.
I'll have more on my trail running adventures in the coming weeks and months!
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