EAT HEALTHY. TRAIN SMART.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will see I post a lot in my stories of my newfound love of running and trail running.

I always said that if I was 20 years younger, I would start up trail running. Well I just threw that thought out the door together with very old running shoes!

Why I am enjoying the running and SLOWLY easing into it is because I was introduced to MAF running.

Dr. Phil Maffetone, Founder of the 180 formula and MAF test is an internationally recognized researcher, educator, clinician, and author in the field of nutrition, exercise and sports medicine, stress management, and biofeedback.

Dr. Phil Maffetone’s credo is that “everyone is an athlete.”

His system for achieving optimum human performance by tapping into the human body’s fat-burning system has helped millions of people achieve their goals in sports, business and life.

And guess what??? It is running at the ‘fat burning zone”. How cool is that!

The MAF method – The point is not to see how fast your body can move, it is to change the way your body gets energy. You want to burn more fat and less sugar.

“When you use more fat, you generate more energy and your carbohydrate supply lasts longer. When you teach your body to rely on fat, your combustion of carbs goes down, and so does your carb cravings. Think of your body as a furnace. Fill it with slow-burning logs and it will run smooth and strong for hours. But fill it with paper and it will burn hot and die out until it’s fed again.”

Excerpts taken from: Natural Born Heroes by Christopher McDougall

The genius of heart rate training is that it trains your body’s systems to tap into its fat stores for energy instead of primarily burning sugar.

Maximum Aerobic Function

MAF stands for Maximum Aerobic Function. The method focuses on improving the function of the aerobic system, the fat-burning engine responsible for fuelling all of the body’s needs.

A well-functioning aerobic system leads to:

• Burning more fat and a leaner body.
• Increased overall energy and brain function.
• Greater endurance, strength, speed and physical fitness.
• Injury and disease prevention.
• Many other improvements in all areas of life!

Find your MAF (maximum aerobic function) heart rate.

Give it a try and let me know if works for you.

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