Run! It's free! It reduces stress!
We are all experiencing the economic crunch, and with the holidays coming, it's increasingly important to alleviate stress as it arises. Walking, running, or any sort of exercise will surely help you do so. Studies have shown that by exercising, you distract yourself from stress by producing a relaxation response within your body. According to Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, this also helps to prevent depression by elevating your mood.
Perhaps running/walking with a partner will also help reduce stress by allowing for a built-in venting session. From personal experience, Adam found that before his wedding, running with his soon-to-be wife helped to alleviate the stress of his upcoming wedding and of her studying for the bar exam. His return on his investment in himself was a better perspective of everything and a daily reconnection with his fiancée.
It's also a great time to remember that running/walking is almost free- you simply need shoes and a few pieces of clothing. No gym membership fees or transportation costs to keep you from exercising.
Cold Weather Kit
For those of you who are experiencing winter's arrival, we have put together a cold weather kit to keep you motivated and comfortable. Our first helpful tip is to keep a weather journal. Record the temperature, wind chill and the clothes you wear. When you return from your run, journal how comfortable you were (Was I too hot? Did I feel too much wind?). Adam has found that doing so eliminates one mental obstacle of exercising in the cold- deciding what to wear to keep warm enough to want to walk/run outside. Other things he has learned so far:
- High-necked shirts help to protect your chin when wind chill is a factor
- Layering thin wicking materials, such as polypro, as opposed to cotton shirts is always a better option in cold weather to ensure that heat stays next to the body while allowing extra heat and perspiration to escape.
- MooseTrax, rubber and metal attachments for your shoes, help with traction in snow and ice.
- As always, wear reflective materials and flashing LED devices to make sure you are seen in the dark.
- On cold days, pick routes that have shelter in case you need to seek refuge from the weather.
- Hats and gloves are essential. Do not leave too much skin exposed.
Olympian runner and Runner's World columnist Jeff Galloway has more cold weather tips when the temperature drops below 50 F:
- Peel off each layer before you start sweating. Accumulation of sweat may freeze and cause problems.
- Use Vaseline or other cold weather protection in extreme cold (wind chill below 10 F) to protect hard to protect skin, such as eyelids.
- Because feet generate their own wind chill effect as you run, be sure to wear socks that insulate your feet. Remember that "most running shoes are designed to let heat out and cold into your feet, which can cause frostbite on days colder than 32 degrees F.
For those of you fortunate enough not to have to experience such cold, here are more tips on dressing for the season.
Deals from WalkJogRun
Of course running isn't completely free, so if you don't have your cold weather kit, you'll need to add some things to your wardrobe in order to continue to exercise through the winter. To help you stay within budget and to help you remain on track with your routine, we have compiled discounts on running shoes, clothing and related accessories on our deals page.
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Instructions: Enter code: 29OFF9 (29% off 9 Select Products)
Shop Now!
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The Under Armour Outlet Store has a selection of men's long-sleeve performance tops that are great for fall and winter workouts. The HeatGear Loose Long-Sleeve Top is marked down from $29.99 to $19.99, the ColdGear Long-Sleeve Mock is reduced from $49.99 to $34.99 and the Escape 1/4 Zip Jacket
(pictured) is lowered from $69.99 to $49.99. All of these items are made from tech fabrics that will keep you dry and warm while training outdoors. Shipping is free on any order via code FALLUA1 and sales tax is charged in most states.
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Instructions: Enter code: FALLUA1 (Free Shipping w/ Any Order)
Shop Now!
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Gaiam has a great selection of fitness media on clearance for just $6.99. Use code CCAB to take 15% off and the kits are just $5.94. The Fitness Grab Bag (pictured), valued at $90, is a mix of Gaiam products. Items included vary, but one customer's review says she received a pedometer, yoga DVD, two cds and a reflexology DVD. The Pilates BodyBand Kit, originally $15, contains three resistant bands and an audio cd and the Stretch Workout Kit
, reduced from $13, contains a 25-minute instructional stretching DVD with a 40-inch strap to help you get deeper into poses. Any of these kits are a great way to stay fit during the colder months and holiday season when you may have less time to make it to the gym. Shipping is $5.99 and there's no sales tax (except CA, CO, OH).
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More Site Updates
We're still plugging along making updates/fixes to the site and, as you may have noticed, we're trying out a new ad placement. As with anything new, we're seeing some good and some bad - we'll see how it goes. There was a problem that we've since fixed: when you would start to create a route the new ad was covering the distance/speed box at the bottom of the map which made it pretty useless. This is no longer happening.
We've also changed the order of the buttons when you're creating a route to be a little more logical and have added the "Out and Back" feature to the list which previously only existed in the map bubble (betcha' didn't even know it was there). With the addition of the "Out and Back"  function we also added a new start/finish pin which has them side-by-side; previously they would overlap, which was less than helpful.
Lastly, Adam tweaked the searching so that if you search for an exact address, the resulting map will be zoomed-in much closer, and a red pin will be placed on the map in that location to give you better context and accuracy.
Advertising available
As always we're looking for advertising partners for the site and the email we send out (yep, just like this one). This email now goes out to just over 21,000 walkers, joggers and runners approximately once per month. If you would be interested in buying ad space in this email please let us know.
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