How Cross Country and Track Students Should prep in the off season.

Since Rosemont’s Track season came to an end, runners need to stay physically active and fit for the next cross-country season in the fall. Without practices, meets, or races how do these runners stay fit to run for the next season? Runners can stay fit during the off-season by doing exercises such as weight training, plyometric jumps, medicine ball throws, and running. It is recommended to run twice a week for 20 minutes at a comfortable pace. Some recommended places to run that are in La Crescenta are Deukmejian Park, Descanso Trail, Crescenta Valley Park, and the Crescenta Valley High School track. Plyometric jumps are exercises using muscle throughout the legs and hips. Doing exercises such as skipping, jumping rope, lunges, and jump squats are good for strengthening your leg and hip muscles which are the main muscles you use for running. Medicine ball throws are good for strengthening your muscles in general which is also good for running. Running is the most important exercise because it vastly improves your health and fitness and increases your stamina. Which is especially good for cross-country runners because they run very long distances. Weight training and conditioning are also very important to runners because they build endurance and muscle which is great, especially for long-distance cross-country runners. Not only do these runners need to stay healthy by exercising, they also need to maintain a healthy diet. The main diet runners should eat contains lean protein, healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables. Runners should eat more whole wheat carbohydrates such as whole grain breads and cereals. They should also eat lean proteins because they are low in fat and good for runners. Some lean proteins that are very good for runners are fish, poultry, beans, and lentils. They should also eat low-fat dairy products as well such as low-fat Greek yogurt and cheese. The reason why runners need to have a low-fat diet is because with too much fat in their body, it can cause GI problems. GI problems are gastrointestinal problems which include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, indigestion, and even colon cancer. There are also good fats to eat such as avocados. Avocados are packed with tons of healthy fats that are great for runners. Healthy fats from avocados and nuts are good for runners because they reduce inflammation, reduce muscle soreness, keep blood pressure in check, and they increase oxygen uptake. It is also important for runners to eat fruits and vegetables for minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. It is important for runners to stay physically fit and healthy for the cross country and track off-season.