This Health & Wellness News Could Really Help Your Training

Hot Diggity
Need a little inspiration to get out the door? Make your next run a date with your canine. Recent studies show that your dog is more motivating than a family member or friend when your goal is to get out the door. Who could turn down that cute face? (If you don’t have your own pup, consider volunteering at a shelter.)

Stomach Love
Abdominal exercises are about way more than getting a “bikini body”—whatever the heck that means. A study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that when runners performed core work four times weekly for six weeks, they shaved one full minute off their 5K time. V-up to speed up!

Watch Your Water Weight
According to The New England Journal of Medicine, 13 percent of 488 Boston Marathon finishers studied had hyponatremia, a dangerous (and in severe cases fatal) condition that occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is abnormally low. “The strongest single predictor of hyponatremia was considerable weight gain during the race, which correlated with excessive fluid intake,” the study stated. Athletes should drink only as much fluid as they lose in sweat. You can test your body’s sweat rate, but thirst is generally a good guide. Replacing lost electrolytes—e.g., salt—should also be part of your fueling plan.

Powder Power
How is it that an easy day at the beach—even if you’re just going for a run and a quick dip—can leave you looking like you washed your hair in a bucket of sand? Those tiny pieces of shell and rock can be difficult to rinse out. If you find yourself in such a predicament, try this trick before you shampoo: Let hair dry completely and then dust your scalp with baby powder. Shake your hair out and lightly comb before washing as usual. The talcum absorbs moisture and can help the sand unstick from strands.