Winter Running Tips: Fitness Fridays

January is happening… where did the time go?!

At this point many of you have probably made New Year’s resolutions that are focused on achieving a fitter, healthier, and happier you. Awesome.

You’re probably also simultaneously trembling in the face of holiday spending aftershock. Less awesome. 

As a former year-round gym member, I can assure you that January is absolutely the worst month at the gym. The machines and workout spaces tend to crowd, tensions rise as both new and old members passive aggressively wait a little too long for equipment, and a mean streak of seasonal illnesses makes the close quarters all the more dangerous for everybody’s workout regimen.

Why not save yourself the money, and the dashed resolutions, and take up a form of free fitness? If you’re even kind of with me on this one, why not try running? After all, it’s totally free and you can easily burn 400-600 calories per hour.

Here are some tips to help you out if you’re new to the winter running game:

1.  Check The Weather Before You Go

The Weather Network is my laptop homepage. I love the site because it’s super easy to check hourly or weekly forecasts, which is essential if you’re outdoorsy. The former is great for when you’re planning a run on a free day: it enables you to figure out if there’s any chance of snow or rain during your run so that you can reschedule or dress accordingly. The latter is perfect for planning a week of exercise or activity: this way you can schedule at home workouts (like yoga, Pilates or HIT) for stormy days in advance, preventing less than ideal conditions from steamrolling your fitness motivation.

2. Plan Your Route

Many local trails are not maintained throughout the winter and make for better skiing or snowshoeing than running. Due to this as well as the sparsity daylight hours, I strongly recommend sticking to sidewalks during winter runs.

Sidewalks around universities are often cleared first and well maintained during the winter because these institutions tend to employ private snow clearing companies. Side streets and dead ends tend to get the short end of the stick and should be avoided or used with caution unless you’re certain that they have been adequately cleared and salted or sanded.

The website MapMyRun provides many pre-calculated running routes in Halifax and in other areas. GoogleMaps also provides accurate distance information and can be used to build a custom route in your own neighborhood. Simply break your run down into sections, plotting start and end points according to the route you plan to take, and add the distances to form a cumulative overview of your run.

3. Dress For Success

Let’s get one thing straight:

You don’t have to spend a fortune on name brand clothing in order to maximize your workout.

The clothing that you wear should fit comfortably and allow you to move freely.The aesthetic element of your run is way less important. Honestly, if you’re really putting your heart into it you’re going to be making a weird workout face anyway.

The main thing to remember is to wear plenty of light layers and good shoes.

Make sure that you coat your shoes with a weatherproofing agent to prevent them from being destroyed by the salt or sand that is laid down to combat icy sidewalks. Consider investing in an over-the-shoe grip product like Yaktrax ($30) to prevent slipping. Given the ice-pocalypse in Halifax a few years ago you should probably consider picking these up anyway: they’re almost half the cost of a monthly gym membership, which is way less than the cost of a missed day at work due to an ice related injury.

If you’re new to dressing for outdoor running check out Dress My Run, a neat-o burrito website that tells you what you should wear for a run based on the weather in your area. Don’t bother buying the Amazon clothing that’s linked to the website, just improvise with your own clothing.

Until you get used to dressing for winter runs, choose to run in multiple shorter loops near to your house instead of running in one large loop so that you can pop inside and add or remove a few layers as needed.

4. Hydrate Like It’s Summer

Since you don’t sweat as much in cold temperatures, remembering to hydrate sufficiently can sometimes be difficult for new winter runners. Drink water, a sports drink, or milk, after your workout to ensure that you do not get dehydrated.

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Take A Snow Day

It is not safe to run in extreme weather conditions. If you force yourself to go out into an intense blizzard or ignore warnings about dangerously low temperatures you run the risk of injury, or even death. Always use practical sense when deciding whether or not to cancel your run for the day. If you do have to cancel don’t sweat it, you can still sweat with an great home workout such as HIT (High Intensity Training) or Zumba.

 

Happy trails! 

A Vegan’s Guide to Cheap Complete Proteins (Gluten-Free Options Included)

 

I have to be honest with you: I’m not a vegan… I’m not even a vegetarian.

I fall into this weird little subset of people who toe the line of vegetarianism known as ‘pescetarians.’ This word means that I consume seafood, eggs and dairy products. I don’t eat animals that live on land or in the air. As I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts, my eating habits are utilitarian- several foods (including meat) make me sick, so I don’t eat them (sorry, not sorry).Although I’m not a vegan I am a huge fan of vegan dishes.

Contrary to popular belief, vegan foods can be extremely inexpensive, super easy to make and totally delicious.

Moving on…

A Complete (Whole) Protein is a protein source that has an adequate proportion of all nine essential amino acids.

 

If you’re a human being and you’re reading this, you need to eat complete proteins in order to stay healthy, happy and alive.

Most meat eaters don’t need to worry about complete proteins as animal proteins are almost always complete in nature. Fish and seafood are also typically complete proteins, meaning pescetarian options are usually not a cause for protein related concern. Finally, eggs and dairy products are generally considered complete proteins, making it easier for vegetarians to meet their protein requirements.

Sorry vegans: nuts, grains, vegetables and legumes do not constitute complete proteins on their own.

They can be combined, however, to form Complementary Proteins, or two separate proteins that combine to form a complete amino acid profile.

One final thing before we get down to the basics- it’s actually really easy to make vegan meals work with a gluten-free diet. As an individual who has been put through the wringer by dietary restrictions, I totally understand how mind-numbingly frustrating it can be to try to balance  a budget and a whole list of food related prohibitions simultaneous. Don’t worry- I’m here for you!

 

Stand Alone Complete Proteins

Buckwheat

Okay, so this is by far the most expensive option on the list but I figured I’d put it on here anyway. You can pick buckwheat up at most health stores and big box grocery stores. I usually buy it at Bulk Barn or Walmart. While $4-6 per bag may seem like a lot, it’s still cheaper to buy buckwheat and make your own recipes than it is to eat out, especially if you’re trying to do so with two serious restrictions.

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour, making them a convenient base for vegan meals. They’re quite affordable and widely available at most grocery outlets (about $2-$3 per package). Most varieties of soba noodles are vegan, though you should read the package to make sure that they don’t contain trace amounts of milk or egg from cross contamination.

Gluten-free friends fear not! Although buckwheat contains the word ‘wheat’ in its title this super food is more closely related to rhubarb and is totally g-free. It is possible to get 100% buckwheat flour soba noodles, but these will normally be more expensive. Most soba noodles are cut with wheat flour because it makes for cheaper manufacturing. If you’re having a tough time finding g-free soba, follow this recipe and make your own. 

 

Soy

Cheap vegan soy options include tofu, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and soy beans (also sometimes found as bean curd in Chinese dishes or in the form of miso).

My favourite and the mot versatile of these options is likely TVP. It’s amazingly cheap at Bulk Barn (like $2 for a big bag), and it absorbs the flavor of whatever you put it in.

Once upon a time, a long time ago I actually though tofu was boring. In reality I just didn’t know what to do with it. At under $3 for 4 servings, it’s worth your time to check out this list of awesome tofu recipes and commit to super cheap complete protein.

For gluten-free options check packages and buy accordingly. Soy proteins are naturally g-free but if you’re buying pre-packaged options the sauces or flavorings added may contain wheat.

Complementary Complete Protein Combinations

Rice and Beans

Rice and beans are a killer combination. They come together to form an amazingly cheap, incredibly delicious complete protein (often costing $1 or less per serving). To make this dish even cheaper buy dry beans and soak them overnight.

Both rice and beans are naturally gluten-free, so as long as you make sure you’re choosing products that aren’t cross-contaminated and you’re preparing the sauces and seasonings yourself you shouldn’t have a problem.

Here’s a short list of easy recipes that take advantage of how versatile rice and bean dishes can be.

 

Peanut butter and Toast

This is one of the easiest complete proteins to make. You can try making a peanut butter and banana sandwich for a sweet and nutty vegan option or you can throw together peanut butter and basil for a more savory (and surprisingly fantastic) combination.

Don’t worry gluten-free readers, I haven’t forgotten about you. Try making yourself a pb sandwich on this cheap homemade gluten-free bread– unlike the g-free bread in grocery stores, this option is cheap, fluffy and delicious.

 

 Hummus and Pita Bread

If you’ve been buying prepackaged hummus you’ve been getting ripped off. Hummus costs about $2 to make and can be ready in 5 minutes or less. Don’t believe me? Try this recipe for yourself.

Try cutting your g-free bread into strips and toasting them to dip in this awesome hummus, or whip up a batch of reasonably priced g-free pita bread and then head down to chow town.

 

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

Pair this simple vegan black bean patty with a whole grain bun for a healthy complete vegan protein.

Substitute all purpose flour for gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio in the recipe, and use gluten-free bread or pita for a bun or crumble the patty over a bed of rice for a g-free alternative.

 

Remember: if you’re in a pinch, making a complete vegan protein is basically as easy as combining a legume (black beans, lentils, chic peas) with a whole grain (corn, rice or oats)- feel free to experiment with combinations and seasonings. Let me know your favourite vegan protein options in the comments section below.