Runners are the first to tell you that their feet take a beating and foot injuries are common. After all, it is your feet that carry you through those long runs. From blisters to blackened toenails and the list goes on, if you want your feet to take care of you, you have to take care of your feet.

Foot Injuries Are No Joke

Here are a few of the most common foot injuries:

1. Plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia tendon runs down the length of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the tendon that causes a sharp stabbing pain along the bottom of the foot. It’s an overuse injury that can sideline a runner for months. To prevent plantar fasciitis, find a good pair of shoes with an orthotic insert and replace your shoes every 500 miles.

2. Extensor tendonitis

The tendon that runs along the top of the foot can become inflamed causing a foot injury called extensor tendonitis. These tendons move along the top of the foot and are used to straighten and pull each toe up. When you wear improper shoes, have a tight Achilles, or excessively weak calf muscles–it can cause this form of tendonitis.

3. Blisters

Blisters are a painful injury caused by excessive friction when socks or shoes rub against the skin. While blisters are normally not dangerous, popping a blister with a dirty needle can cause a serious infection. Plus, blisters can cause runners intense pain.

4. Black toenails

Black toenails are usually caused by excessive trauma from the front of the shoe striking the same toe(s) over and over again. It’s most common for runners training for marathons and it usually ceases once runners cut back on training. Getting shoes that fit correctly can also help.

Steps to Keep Your Feet Healthy

Foot maintenance is the key to keeping your feet looking and feeling good. These steps can help:

1. Choose the right shoe.

Make sure you choose running shoes that fit properly and provide proper support. The best way to find perfectly fitting shoes is to go to a running store and get fitted. Take notes so you know for the future, because as noted above, running shoes need to be replaced every 500 miles. Most runners replace their shoes too late, which can cause injury.

2. Choose the right socks.

Socks that are too loose often cause blisters. That’s why it’s important to spend as much time ensuring your socks fit as you do your shoes. Experiment with what fit works best for you on shorter runs rather than the big marathon you’ve been training for all summer. Lightweight, breathable socks can also help wick away sweat, which can cause foot fungus.

3. Soak your tootsies.

Soak your feet regularly. Epsom salts are a good choice because they contain magnesium, which is good for reducing foot pain. To make a foot soak, add 1/2 cup of Epsom salts to a large bowl of warm water along with a few drops of lavender essential oil. Soak your feet for at least 15 minutes each day.

4. Lather up.

Treat your feet to a nice daily massage. Foot massage is doubly effective because it prevents dry skin on the feet from cracking and it relaxes the tendons that can become inflamed from overuse.

• With about a dime size portion of lotion in one hand, start by working the inner soles of each foot. Keep the fingers behind and the thumbs on the inner soles of the foot.
• Individually massage each toe, starting at the base of the toe and working out toward the toenail.
• Finally, work the top of the foot, massaging toward your toes along the veins of the foot.

5. Get professional help.

Getting a pedicure isn’t just a luxury reserved for those that want gorgeous tootsies, it’s also helpful for foot maintenance. A trained pedicurist can trim your toenails, remove painful callouses, moisturize your feet, and give you a fabulous foot massage. They’re also a great way to treat yourself after a long run. Make sure you get a pedicurist that’s trained in dealing with runner’s feet. Ask fellow runners or even your podiatrist for a good recommendation.

What are your secrets for keeping your tootsies in tip top shape? We want to know! Drop us a line via Twitter @EcoSalon.

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Image of sneakers via Shutterstock

The post Happy Feet! A Runner’s Guide for How to Avoid Foot Injuries appeared first on EcoSalon.

There’s a new running aid that’s helping runners perform better. It’s not a sports drink, gel, or powder — it’s weed.

Runners are beginning to use cannabis to prepare them for and get them through their runs. And before you start imagining a scenario where a group of runners are passing around a joint, let us stop you — runners who use weed to run aren’t partaking to get high for the race — they’re using the drug to indirectly help them perform better.

Amanda Feilding, director of The Beckley Foundation, a non-profit in the United Kingdom that examines consciousness and drug policy research, says that many runners are using weed to relax before (as in the night before) or after a race. “Athletes seem motivated to use cannabis due to its effects on anxiety, well-being, and its promotion of better sleep before a race, research finds,” reports R29.

Cannabis also helps runners because it increases impulsive responses. This can allow runners to take more risks on their run without harming their decision making skills. Other studies have revealed that weed can “increase oxygenation of tissues, improve vision and concentration, help athletes forget previous traumatic experiences related to the activity (like falls or injuries), reduce muscle spasms, and aid in pain relief.” Since smoking isn’t the ideal method for runners to get a dose (they’ve got to protect their pristine lungs), many are using edibles, vaporizers, or oral medicine to get the same results.

While all the above sounds pretty amazing, it should be noted that the research in this field is very limited. And weed affects everyone different, so a person needs to do their research (and possibly consult a physician) before they toke and run. Also of note on the con side of running with weed: it’s banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. So, professional runners: We don’t suggest using this method to encourage a chill run just yet.

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The post Cannabis Helps Professional Runners Perform Better appeared first on EcoSalon.

High intensity workouts may make for a more effective workout, but should not replace running altogether.

Steady outdoor running has long been my go-to exercise of choice. It’s straightforward, therapeutic, mindless cardio that helps me maintain my weight and keep my energy levels high and my body lean and healthy. Or so I thought. When it comes to steady-state cardio, such as running, there are convincing arguments as to why you should reduce how often or how long you hit the ground, well, running.

Before I go into why steady-state cardio – running in particular – has been proven to not to burn as much fat or improve health to the extent popularly believed, I want to focus on why running may no longer be right for you.

Running can be like a drug to some people. The “runner’s high” is a real thing, but if you begin to run too much and start to wear down your adrenals, becoming sore and tired, then running will no longer be the joy it once was. Instead, it will drain your energy and become an exercise that you loathe. I’m not talking about the lazy kind of loathing that is solved with mere self-will – I’m talking about the dread that results from a genuinely tired, exhausted body that starts to affect your happiness. If you get to this place, somewhere I’ve surely been, then it’s time to take a break and reevaluate why you run and if it’s worth it.

As you’ll learn, running is not the best workout, so if your reasons are for weight loss or building muscle, then you are misguided – there’s a better way! Also, if you ever begin to dread running, it doesn’t mean you have to quit it cold turkey, or at all. Instead, try reducing your running distance and frequency and complement it with other exercises. Not only will you enjoy working out again but will also see more impressive results in your body.

Running should complement your life, not own it. Now, emotional attachments to running aside, here’s the proof as to why you are better off with less of it.

Running Is Not the Cure All

Steady-state cardio, like running, is not the panacea to all your health and physical woes. Mentally, it is a gratifying feeling to have finished a few-mile run, but the satisfaction may stop in the brain. Steady-state cardio does not burn fat and improve health as well or as definitively as you imagined. In fact, there are more effective ways to work out.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been emerging as a popular exercise over the past few years, touted as the more effective replacement of traditional steady cardio, such as long-distance running. This form of high intensity workouts involves intense cardiovascular movement for 20-40 (or so) seconds followed by a period of rest. This intermittent intensity repeats several times. The result is a shorter, more varied workout that challenges the heart and different muscle groups. When compared to low to moderate intensity exercises, a HIIT program has proven to burn fat more efficiently. With regular aerobic exercise often having a negligible affect on body fat, HIIT has shown to increase both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, raise VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process), lower insulin resistance and reduce abdominal body fat more so than any other type of exercise.

Beyond a low baseline level, steady-state running won’t help you build optimal power, strength and muscle. And, contrary to popular belief, running won’t help you burn an increased amount of fat. Once you begin a running routine for the first time, you will most certainly see results, but the results wane in significance over time. In a 2009 study conducted by researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, exercisers engaged in steady-state cardio five times a week for 12 weeks and lost only 7 pounds on average —nearly half of them lost less than 2 pounds. Steady-state cardio is repetitive and can be as groundbreaking to some people as it is boring to others.

Meanwhile, if you run on the treadmill or always on the same outdoor trek at a steady pace, you are essentially utilizing the same muscles day after day. Engaging in a variety of high intensity workouts manages to target all muscle groups and help you rediscover muscles you never knew existed.

However, this is not to say that HIIT is better than running. With all this buzz surrounding HIIT, it’s hard to see where its blind spots are. HIIT may be a more effective and efficient exercise, but it is also quite challenging and can lead to injury. In the long run, it also may be difficult to maintain regularly. Furthermore, HIIT depends on a strong aerobic system to work properly. Steady-state cardio is an aerobic activity that strengthens the foundation upon which an effective HIIT workout depends. If you don’t engage in any steady-state cardio, a HIIT workout will burn you out quicker, regardless of how fast and strong you are. Aerobic fitness builds endurance and is a necessary component to any workout regimen.

So, in the end, steady-state running is not where you should focus all your attention – don’t let the amount of time you run or the amount you sweat be the judge. HIIT is proven to burn more fat and reap greater health results in a shorter amount of time. However, HIIT should not be the prime focus either, as it is supported by steady-state cardio, like running. Pair the two together, and you’ll have the recipe for a kick-ass body with less fat and more muscle.

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The post Are High Intensity Workouts Better Than Running? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Types of running shoes have gone from skinny to fat. Barefoot runners, your time in the sun seems to have passed. The newest types of running shoes are called “maximal cushioning” and according to The Washington Post, “The shoes look like modern, colorful versions of your grandmother’s orthopedic footwear.”

Hoka One One is the leader of the fat-soled running gear trend but other brands including New Balance, Brooks, Vasque, and Altra have also come out with their own versions. The shoes first started to be manufactured in 2010 but they’ve recently become popular amongst marathoners and the like.

“Runners get hurt just as much as they ever did, and take just as much time off to recover… One could make the argument that [in the past 30 years] we really haven’t moved the ball down the road at all,” Jim Van Dine, the company’s president said to The Washington Post.

Barefoot running shoes caught some slack last year when some of their claims were called into question. In fact, the trendsetting barefoot running shoe, Vibram had to pay $3.75 million in refunds to customers for making claims that they couldn’t back up.

According to the Boston Globe, “Vibram says it didn’t do anything wrong, but that it settled to nip the suit in the bud rather than watch it drag on and grow more expensive. Take that as you may; at the end of the day, Vibram is paying up and stripping mention of those health benefits from its advertising, at least for now.”

But either way, barefoot running shoes seemed to have deflated a bit, replaced by soles so big it would seem difficult to lift your foot. But they do look comfortable.

Jon Teipen, Brooks senior product line manager, said to The Washington Post, “the reality is that most people weren’t going to try to run barefoot… The majority of the market still likes cushion, still likes support, still likes a more substantial shoe. But the industry wasn’t talking to them.”

What types of running shoes work best for you?

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Image: Martin Criminale

The post Which Types of Running Shoes are Right for You? Barefoot Runners or More Sole the Better? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Charity-inspired running events perfectly combine raising awareness with raising the bar on your health.

Running isn’t just a side gig – for most, it’s a lifestyle. It’s even more fun when you’re doing it for a cause you’re passionate about. Not only are you constantly motivated to raise awareness, the events make you that much more determined to build (and stick to) an exercise routine.

Ready to bring out your personal best? Here are 10 running events for charity you can participate in:

1. American Diabetes Association: Step Out
Visit Website
Step Out takes place in 125 cities nationwide, and includes more than 120,000 walkers who’ve been impacted by diabetes in some way. The money goes to the ADA’s research, education and advocacy efforts.

2. Girls on the Run
Visit Website
Girls on the Run is an international non-profit organization that provides health education and wellness programs to girls ages 8 to 12. It’s a 10-week program where they train for a run/walk event while building healthy habits and self-esteem.

3. Joints in Motion
Visit Website
Arthritis is the number-one cause of disability in the U.S., and Joints in Motion helps victims through a run/walk event as part of the Arthritis Foundation. Participants train for a marathon in groups, but they also have a “Virtual Joints in Motion” option if you live too far away.

4. Komen Race for the Cure Series
Visit Website
This is the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world. It’s one of the top running events to raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, and they host more than 100 races per year.

5. The Reeve Foundation
Visit Website
Named after the late Christopher and Dana Reeve, this charity helps victims of paralysis. They currently have event listings right up until November 2014.

6. Relay for Life
Visit Website
This is the American Cancer Society’s overnight event to raise money for research and programs. There are over 4,800 running events nationwide that raise money for the fight against cancer. Teams of eight to 15 people pitch tents, with the goal of having one person on the track at all times.

7. Run for Autism
Visit Website
This run is for the Organization for Autism Research, and helps them raise $1 million annually – which goes toward autism research and awareness.

8. Team Hope for the Warriors
Visit Website
Compete in marathons as well as triathlons and biking comps to support war veterans and their families.

9. Team in Training
Visit Website
Each participant of Team in Training competes in honor of someone fighting blood cancer. Over 390,000 people have competed in marathons and other endurance events. The proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

10. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Visit Website
This one’s for the hubbies: It’s an international men’s march to stop violence against women.

Do you participate in running events for charity?

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The post 10 Worthy Running Events for Charity Every Runner Should Know About appeared first on EcoSalon.

Video“We always question ourselves… we always feel like we have to be rational about things instead of just actually doing them for pure enjoyment.”

Although most of us will never run across a canyon in record time, the words of South African ultrarunner Ryan Sandes as he attempts to run the 5 day, 84km, Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail in the fastest time possible, remind anyone of the importance of doing something simply for passion and joy.

Whatever it is that we do, there is beauty in challenge.

The Beauty of the Irrational from The African Attachment on Vimeo.

The post Video: The Beauty of the Irrational appeared first on EcoSalon.

7 ways to be planet and body friendly while in London for the Olympics.

London is this summer’s hottest destination – maybe not for the heat, but indeed for the buzz! Whether you’re heading to the UK for Olympic festivities or are passing through any time of the year, it’ll do your body and social consciousness a favor to get going with the following seven suggestions.

Run Like a Royal

What’s free and a fantastic way to stay in shape? Outdoor jogging. MapMyRun.com is the ultimate resource for not only getting in a good workout but also seeing a city from a completely different perspective. The site provides you with visual tracks that other runners have trod before. You can also create your own route, tailoring it according to your distance and terrain requirements. Check out the nearly 9,000 routes already mapped out in London.

Hydrate Organically

Need a morning fix that will keep your energy levels high for the rest of the day? Sip on a refreshing and hydrating organic vegetable and fruit juice from Planet Organic. The market has a juice and smoothie bar with plenty of vegan, vegetarian and organic options to satisfy a breakfast, lunch or dinner appetite. There are locations in Devonshire Square, Muswell Hill, Islington, Torrington Place, and Westbourne Grove, so there is always one at a reasonable distance. Each location offers food, natural beauty, and health and well-being products.

Eat Kindly

London is emerging as an epicenter to the raw and vegan food movement in Europe, but before these venues were established, hailing strong were the numerous farmers markets spread throughout the city. Berwick Street Market is one of the city’s oldest. It has been running in Soho since as far back as 1778. It is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-6pm. Marylebone Farmers Market is also a fantastic market that has a something for everyone. Going beyond produce and general goods, the market has stalls offering prepared food from a variety of cuisines. Both the Berwick and Marylebone markets have organic options. Find a full directory of markets in London, check out official London Farmers Market page.

If sit-down dining is more your style, support local restaurants with your patronage and enjoy the city’s take on food fit for a health nut. Some of the standouts include:

• Saf (63 Kensington High St, London W8 5SE)
• VitaOrganic (74 Wardour Street  London, Greater London W1F 0TE)
• InSpiral Lounge (Camden High Street, London NW1 8QS)
• Bonnington Café (11 Vauxhall Grove, London Borough of Lambeth, London SW8 1TD)
• 42Raw (6 Burlington Gardens, City of Westminster, London W1S)
• Wild Food Café (1st floor  14 Neil’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP)
• Vx (73 Caledonian Road, London N1 9BT)
• Green Note (106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN)
• Ms. Cupcake (408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LF)
• Greenz (5 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, London SE27 9BW)

While the Olympics may be enough of a party, if you are looking to entertain or partake in a clean-eating cleanse while traveling, contact Raw Fairies, a no-cook food delivery service whose menu can be tailored to your needs. Meals include juices, salads, entrees and desserts! Rainforest Creations, too, is a healthy catering alternative that offers modern cuisine with an organic flair.

Strike a Pose

Find your inner Zen in the chaos of London and head to one of the most comprehensive studios in the city – Tri Yoga – for a £20, 2-week access to all of its yoga and pilates classes. Operating since 2000, the studio currently offers a list of bodywork therapies, including massage, acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, and psychotherapy. Find Tri Yoga in Primrose Hill, Chelsea Soho, and Covent Garden.

With locations in Notting Hill since 1993 and Islington since 2001, The Life Centre is a fixture in London’s yoga scene and draws a loyal clientele. It also cuts visitors a break, offering unlimited yoga at an introductory price of £20 for 20 consecutive days.

If you have special needs or are traveling with children, check out the Special Yoga Centre. The studio supports children and those with physical limitations, gladly offering 20% concessions to those who qualify as well as community payment classes.

Park Yourself

Grab a blanket, a friend, and a few sandwiches and spend the day looking up at the sky rather than at a blur of traffic. London is full of green space and spending an afternoon at the park is a cheap and fuss-free way to escape the city without ever leaving it. With so many parks to choose from, Time Out London has jumped the gun and organized a directory. Check out the list of parks here, which are categorized under “local parks,” “public gardens,or “hidden oases of green,” and never bore of nature. Challenge accepted.

Reduce Your Footprint

Ditch the taxi, car, bus, metro, or any engine-run mode of transportation and opt for a cleaner way to explore the city. The London Bicycle Tour Company provides daily Central London and West End bike tours, each for £18.95. Flat Tire Bike Tours is also a popular service that offers Royal London and River Thames bike and walking tours. Get a workout and an education all at once!

Shop Friendly

Do London in style, eco-friendly style that is. The city boasts a selection of boutiques and shops with fair-trade, conscious clothing and accessories.

Equa is a small Islington boutique that sells organic, fair-trade clothing from approximately 20 different designers. For children and infants, Green Baby houses organic and fairly-trade baby and mother goods, from clothing to beauty to nursery items. The Family Tree sells lamps, shades, hooks, tables, and jewelry, all of which are made ethically and locally. The store also carries People Tree, a fair-trade clothing store in operation since 2001.

Looking for the perfect shoes to go with that fair-trade blouse? Terra Plana is a shoe company that uses recyclable products. It compensates for its CO2 emissions through donations and uses vegetable leather, leather without chromium, and its self-created “E-Leather,” which is a mix of leather and textile fibers. Terra Plana has a store in Covent Garden, Brushfield Street and Westfield.

For more brands with an eco-friendly backstory, check out the annual Eco Design Fair’s directory of designers. Each listed designer incorporates the following elements in its creations: recycled/recyclable, organically grown, fair-traded, non-toxic, low energy-consuming in production/use, and cruelty-free.

Web portals dedicated to bringing eco-friendly products to the UK are My Eco Store and Ethical Superstore. Both are stocked with just about any household appliance and clothing item. Browse through their inventories and enjoy the vast selection.

Image: Australia Photos, Abigail Sylvester, nakedsky

The post 7 Ways to Love the Planet and Yourself While In London appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnCan I have a side of fries with that run?

“Can we get burgers and beer?”

These are words that rarely come out of my mouth. Burgers and beer are a far stretch from kale smoothies and quinoa after all.

But burgers – real burgers – are good. Especially when you’ve worked for them. So after a half-marathon this weekend, my friend Megan and I deemed IPAs and burgers on the outdoor patio at the local brewery a must.

I didn’t opt for the lamb, artichoke and chevre version (there was one), or even the pub specialty, I went for the simplest burger on the menu: beef, lettuce, onions and tomato. No cheese. Just a straight up hamburger. No sea salt, or artisan blue cheese or fried egg or even cured bacon. Just a burger. Remember those?

“This is the best thing I have ever eaten,” I said matter of factly.

Now before everyone freaks out about me eating a burger (Gasp! But there’s gluten!) and fries (Gasp! They’re not even made from sweet potatoes!), let me explain, and keep in mind that when all is said and done, I did come home to some vegan chocolate mousse. Was a regular burger really the best thing I had ever eaten? Certainly not. Are burgers even my favorite food? Far from it. But in that moment it was, because post-half marathon, much like post any kind of physical activity, food, even water, tastes better.

In these situations, we appreciate what we’re eating because our body needs it. Not because something caught our eye on the menu, but because we are giving our body sustenance. How often do we feel this way on a regular day basis? Rarely, and it’s not because we’re not having daily hardcore workouts, it’s simply because we are not eating in balance with what our body needs, and in turn, we lose an appreciation for what’s on the plate in front of us.

We live in a world of convenience, and our eating habits have followed suite. We’re hungry, or we know that we should eat, so we grab the nearest thing we can find, or we stop in at a restaurant and order what sounds good. In half an hour or less we’ve eaten and continue on with our day. Thirty minutes after that and we can’t even remember what we just ate. Not because the meal itself wasn’t memorable, but because we were too busy to pay attention. Not really needing everything we were consuming, we didn’t take the time to appreciate it. Soon we’re complicating dishes, because we’re bored with the original version, unsatisfied with its simplicity.

But good food, both in terms of taste and in terms of health, is often simple food. Ask anyone that trains on a consistent basis, and their diets are rarely complicated affairs. They’re made up of all the things we know we should be eating: whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, a kale smoothie here and there. If you eat regular, well portioned meals, you’ll feel the same way: satisfied with less.

Time, stress and a lack of a quality food tradition keep us from doing so. We eat dinner on the go, we don’t take time to sit down with friends and break bread, and we focus more on the individual characteristics of food that we think we need – more protein! more antioxidants! – than taking a holistic approach and eating food for food’s sake.

If we take time to think about what we’re consuming – where it came from, what it is, who prepared it – an ordinary dish quickly turns extraordinary. But when we stop thinking about what we eat, we’re rarely satisfied with simplicity. Instead we need fancy combinations, infusions and condiments that distract us from what we’re really eating.

A simple salad? Not good enough. Where’s the ranch dressing?

Vegetable stir fry? Doesn’t anyone have any teriyaki sauce to add to this?

Basic omelette? Can’t that have a little ham and goat cheese in it? And where are my scallions?

We can’t even assess what is good food and what isn’t because our bodies don’t really even need all that we’re giving them. Overdosing is convenient. We don’t think about what we’re consuming because we don’t have to.

“Seriously is this not the best hamburger you have ever eaten?”

“Yes. It’s why we run Brones.”

Megan was right. Eating happens to be one of the reasons that I and several of my friends run, in fact it’s a regular topic of discussion. Not because it means that we can eat anything (although that is a nice feeling), but because we have a better appreciation for food that we don’t get when we eat just because we have to.

There’s nothing better than a meal after you’ve worked your body. That’s natural, it’s what humans have done for centuries. But most of us don’t do jobs anymore that require physical labor. Instead we live in urban areas, frazzled and neurotic, and after three hours of staring at a computer screen and feeling low on energy, we reward ourselves with a big lunch, probably consuming much more than our body actually needs.

What’s the solution? Reminding ourselves of what good food really is and how much of it we actually need.

Much like eating outdoors helps us to appreciate the simplicity of food so does physical exertion. Some of the best meals I have ever had were after long hikes or runs, with friends around a table sharing the mutual feeling of accomplishment along with a much needed refuel.

We don’t have to commit to intense workouts before each meal, but we can eat in better balance with what our bodies need. Give our body the sustenance that it requires, not because the food is convenient, but because we’re conscious about what we’re taking in.

And plan more workouts that include a good celebratory meal with friends afterwards. Be sure to get the IPA.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

The post Foodie Underground: The Beauty of a Post Workout Meal appeared first on EcoSalon.

The best of EcoSalon’s stories this week.

Change. We need it to stay sane. The world needs it to stay habitable. Where can it be found? Here are 5 suggestions from the last week at EcoSalon.

In inspiring stories.

In a pair of running shoes.

In a sunlit headstand.

In an app that will make you want to see the world.

And in a timeless natural metaphor for change.

What are you changing today?

The post The Friday 5: Change Something Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’ll have better sex and you can eat as much as you want. 

Living a conscious lifestyle also means living an active lifestyle, and today we’re celebrating National Running Day.

Running often gets a bad name, so if you’re already thinking to yourself, “but I just hate running,” keep reading. There’s no reason to hate a sport that lets you get outside, move your body, meet new people and travel to cool places. Embrace the fact that your body is capable of some pretty amazing things and put it to use. Now.

If there was ever a time to lace up your shoes, grab a friend and hit the trail, it’s today. Need a little inspiration? Here are 14 reasons running is even more amazing than you thought it was, and if you get all the way through them, you’ll see that we’re even giving you a chance to win some new running gear. Lace up.

1. You can rave about how you’re living a low impact lifestyle

No gym membership needed, just yourself, your running clothes and your shoes. It doesn’t get much greener than that.

2. You can feel good about being a foodie

When you’re running regularly, you need to refuel, which means you get to indulge in the most delicious of high protein, high energy dishes. Start the day with a kale, ginger smoothie and baked egg in avocado, pop a few almond, fig energy bites post workout and end the day with a bowl of vegan alfredo. Yes, please.

3. You will save money on therapy and life coaches

Best debrief time? In the middle of a run. Some of the best life analysis comes along when you’re in the middle of breathing fresh air with a clear head.

4. You can get away from your computer and go outside

Instead of sticking to the gym, why not take the time to get outside and enjoy the spring weather and fresh air? Find a trail and get on it.

5. It’s a cheap way to socialize

Skip that post-work session of cocktails and catch up over intervals.

6. You can start citing inspirational quotes

Keep a few on hand so when someone is complaining about how mediocre they have been feeling late you can retort with health-related quotes like:

• To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. -Buddha
• The greatest wealth is health. -Virgil
• Health and cheerfulness naturally beget each other. -Joseph Addison

7. You can listen to music that’s so bad it’s good

No one is going to judge your mixtape of 80s aerobic music and dubstep remixes when you’re working out, so make a fun playlist or try one of ours.

8. You will be less stressed than your friends

In a study at the University of Georgia Department of Exercise, researchers showed that an hour of exercise was three times more effective at reducing anxiety than resting. So stop counting to ten and put on your running shoes, because you’re about to be on the path to full-on, blissed out zen.

9. There’s this thing called “Runner’s High”

It feels good, is scientifically proven and is perfectly legal.

10. You can start making excuses for travel

Catch the running bug and you’ll find yourself researching running events around the country. And with running series like Color Run and travel companies like Running Away, which specializes in trips for runners, you’ll soon have a packed running calendar that just might take you all the way around the world.

11. You’ll look better online

Muddy shoe photos on Instagram? So hot right now.

12. You can change the world

Or at least support and organization that is changing the world. There are plenty of charity running events out there, find one and go.

13. You’ll have better sex

There is plenty of scientific research to back this up, but who needs it? You know perfectly well that when you’re feeling good about yourself and your body, the rest comes naturally.

14. Running tights feel simply amazing

You can finally stop feeling guilty about wearing those workout clothes in public, because this time around, you actually did just finish up a run. If you have never felt the super power of running tights, it’s time to start. And wasn’t it about time you looked good in spandex? We say yes.

In celebration of National Running Day, we’re giving away a running outfit from Moving Comfort, complete with two of their sleekest sustainable items: a pair of Momentum Shorts made with 86% recycled polyester and the Juno Bra, whose cups are made with SCafe, a fabric that uses recycled coffee grounds to move moisture.

To enter to win, tell us your favorite reason to run! Comments must be posted by June 12, 2012 11pm PST to be entered.

Image: informatique

The post 14 Reasons Running is Going to Be Your New Favorite Sport appeared first on EcoSalon.