Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are preparing for a Turkey Trot. In the U.S., Thanksgiving is just over four weeks away, and if you are running on that morning, you need to make sure to start preparing now. What should you be doing with your exercise to make sure your body is ready to trot the morning of?
1) Don’t Be A Weekend Warrior
Exercise Tip Number One If You Are Preparing For A Turkey Trot: Don’t be a weekend warrior. That means don’t show up unprepared to the day of your Turkey Trot. Make sure you are preparing your body by doing some shorter practice runs throughout the week (not just on the weekends).
Action Step: Don’t leave all of your working out to the weekends. Help your body prepare for the race by getting at least one if not two runs in during the week.
Related: Holiday Weekends – Things You Need To Know To Get Your Workouts In
2) Start Doing Resistance Training 2x/Week
Exercise Tip Number Two If You Are Preparing For A Turkey Trot: Start incorporating resistance training into your workout schedule on a regular basis. We recommend that this is done a minimum of twice per week. Resistance training will help to make sure that your muscles are strong and your joints are protected while you are doing your run. It will also help to reduce your risk of injury while you are training for your race.
Action Step: Look at your calendar and write down when you can get in at least two resistance training sessions in each of the weeks leading up to your run. Looking for some guidance on what to do in the gym? Enroll in our Virtual Membership Program here!
Related: On a time budget? Exercise with these three tips.
3) Don’t Ignore Injuries
Exercise Tip Number Three If You Are Preparing For A Turkey Trot: Don’t ignore injuries. One of the biggest things we see when people run a Turkey Trot is they show up to a race unprepared in addition to injuring themselves during their training process. Often times, these injuries get ignored during this lead-up period, which can make things much worse when it actually comes time to race. The last thing we want to see you do is injure yourself while preparing for your Turkey Trot, so make sure to get ahead of any aches or pains you might be feeling now before they get worse!
Action Step: Our favorite way to make sure our clients’ bodies stay tuned up and feeling well is through Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®). You can find a certified MAT® practitioner in your area here. You can also download our free eBook on MAT® here!