So if you have made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS! This means that you have probably been working extremely hard for the last 12-16 weeks, and your marathon date has gone from months, to weeks, to a matter of days!

At the time of writing this, I am just 5 days away from my 6th marathon, and my 3rd of the year, and whilst I am no expert, I have picked up some handy hints & tips over the last couple of years, and especially over the last few months on how to stay sane on these final few days.

So whether this is your 1st marathon, or perhaps you have already done a lot but always struggle with these last few days, I hope you find some of these tips useful! And of course, if you have any of your own pearls of wisdom, pop them in the comments below!

Tapering.

Now this can depend on the individual, some people love the idea of winding down ahead of a big race whilst for others it feels them with dread! The idea of reducing miles and training can put people into a panic. Visions of losing fitness and all the progress you’ve made disappearing before your eyes is completely normal (so if this is you, don’t worry!) but it simply is not true. Tapering (alongside rest & recovery) is a key part to any marathon training plan, and should not be ignored. The idea of tapering is that you get to the start line feeling fresh, the last thing you want to do is get on that start line already feeling exhausted (save that for the finish line!)

A marathon taper tends to be anywhere between 2-3 weeks before the race, but the last week is especially crucial. Please remember that you will not gain anything from going out and smashing a really tough training session the week of a race, your body will not have time to adapt, and in fact it could have the exact opposite effect of what you were hoping to achieve.

Now, here is where some people do get a little bit confused. Tapering does not mean just stop completely, it just means that you reduce your mileage, intensity and level of activity. For me personally, I still keep active during my final taper week, I still run & go to the gym, but just make sure I take it a bit easier! Here is what I will be getting up to this week…

Monday – Easy Paced 6 Miles & Gym (Upper Body – I reduce the weights during taper week)

Tuesday – Track Session – 8 x 400m + WU & CD – This was a ‘feel good session’ not 100% all out, so the aim was to make sure I felt comfortable on every rep, which I did!

Wednesday – Easy Paced 5 Miles

Thursday – 1.5 mile warm up, 1 mile @ marathon pace, 1.5 mile cool down & Gym (Lower Body – again, I will reduce the weights/number of sets) 

Friday – Rest Day + Travelling to Switzerland

Saturday – 2/3 mile VERY EASY run/shakeout

Sunday – RACE DAY!

Maranoia.

Following on quite nicely from point number 1 – MARANOIA! Yes, it may be a made up word that people joke about, but it can be a real thing that can really affect people (and sometimes quite badly) ahead of an important race.

The reason why this follows on quite nicely, is that maranoia tends to kick in once you start tapering. As I touched on briefly above, people tend to panic that because they are reducing the number of runs/miles they are doing in the week, that somehow their body is miraculously going to forget how to run (no matter how long you have been running for – this is something I have been guilty of in the past!) But trust me, our bodies are pretty clever, and you will not lose aerobic fitness over this short period of time, especially if you are still keeping active.

Another common maranoia symptom is convincing yourself you have picked up a brand new injury or illness just days away from the race. Sneezed 3 times in a row? You have the flu! Legs aching slightly? Probably a stress fracture! I will admit, it is hard not to panic that something could go wrong and ruin the one thing you have been working towards for months on end. But worrying causes stress. And stress is the last thing you need on top of everything else. It can affect your sleep, your eating habits & your general wellbeing. Remember, as well as feeling physically fresh for the day of the race, it’s also important to look after your mental health too.

So my best piece of advice to try & deal with this, is try to keep busy and not let yourself have lots of time to think about the ifs & buts. Make plans to go and see friends, go out for lunch, go to the cinema, go for a walk, spend time with family – perhaps all the things you neglected when you were training!

Nutrition/Carb Loading.

Now, before you get too excited & have visions of being able to have mountains of pasta, unlimited amounts of bread and the local pizza delivery number on speed dial, carb loading does not mean just being able to eat whatever you want because you are running a marathon. I know, it sucks. And I am sorry.

BUT, ensuring that you are fuelling your body correctly (which does include more carbs, wohoo!) is important, and this doesn’t just mean cramming lots in the day before, but instead making sure you are eating well leading up to the race, especially in that final week.

The three key macronutrients are Carbohydrates, Fat & Protein – a healthy and balanced diet should include all three of these things, and on the final few days before a marathon the key is to just adjust the amounts of these macronutrients, rather then increasing your calories dramatically (still with me?!) Unfortunately there is not a ‘one size fits all’ way to do this, as every single person is different & will potentially require a different macro nutrient split & a different number of calories. To give you an idea, this is my Calorie & Macronutrient split for marathon week. But please, please, PLEASE remember that this has been calculated specifically for me, and will not work for you! This is purely to give you an idea on how to adjust your own diet

Monday & Tuesday – Calories – 2600/ Protein – 29%/ Fats – 33%/ Carbohydrates – 38%

Wednesday & Thursday – Calories – 2500/ Protein – 19%/ Fats – 27%/ Carbohydrates – 54%

Friday & Saturday – Calories – 3300/ Protein – 22%/ Fats 17%/ Carbohydrates – 61%

If you follow me on Instagram, I am keeping a week long food diary via my stories to give you some meal ideas, but here are a couple of quick & easy snack ideas which are perfect for getting those carbs in!

• 1 x Cinnamon & Raisin Bagel with 1 x Banana
• 1 x Trek Bar
• 0% Greek Yogurt with Strawberries, Kiwi, Apricot, Grapes & 1 x Banana
• Fruit Juice

I would highly recommend ordering the following book from Renee McGregor – it is packed full of useful hints & recipes to ensure you are fuelling yourself correctly during training & ahead of races. Click here to get your copy of Fast Fuel: Food for Running Success.

I would also not recommend trying anything new on the days leading up to your marathon, you want to be sticking to foods that you know work for you and are tried and tested! I would also hold off on anything too creamy/spicy/cheesy on the final days – basically you don’t want anything that could risk an upset stomach!

Hydration.

Whether you run or not, good hydration is important. It has been proven that the human body can actually survive for longer without food than it can without water.. so if you then throw running 26.2 miles into the mix I think its obvious how important it is you keep yourself hydrated properly!

Now again, similarly to carb loading, this doesn’t just mean downing gallons and gallons of water on a daily basis. Firstly, it will probably mean you are running to the toilet every 20 minutes, but also by drinking too much you can basically wash out all of the good things (salts mainly) that your body relies on during a marathon.

One way to ensure that you are not only staying hydrated (but also not over doing it) is by adding Electrolytes to your water. There are many different brands & products available, but for the past few months I have been using Precision Hydration for all of my pre race hydration needs. I was lucky enough to meet the team back at the Solar Boost Training Camp in June, and got a personalised sweat test, along with a batch of products & my own tailored hydration plan. Again though, you do not need to over do this, simply add one electrolyte tablet to one of your bottles of water on the days leading up to a race should be sufficient. As a rough guide, you should be aiming for around 2-3 litres per day (but please remember, this can depend on activity levels/gender/body weight) and if you REALLY can’t get past the idea of drinking plain water, then add squash – it all does the same job really!

Sleep.

Now you don’t need me to tell you that marathon training is tiring, and that is no different during the tapering weeks. In fact, you will probably find that you feel MORE tired during this time (which again, is completely normal and it doesn’t mean you have become super lazy over night!) so sleep is something you really shouldn’t skimp on.

Sleep is where the magic happens, it’s where fitness adaptations are made and also when your muscles can repair and recover… and it is perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of training. But don’t take my word for it. Tom Goom aka ‘The Running Physio’ has put together a fantastic resource to explain the importance of sleep for runners, click here for loads of hints and tips to help you get into a good routine.

If you are anything like me, then pre race nerves may make it difficult to drift off to sleep, but don’t panic – if you have slept well the week leading up to your event, a night of slightly broken sleep will not be too detrimental. Here are a couple of hints & tips I find help me get to sleep a bit easier the night before a race –

• Drink a peppermint tea
• Listen to some relaxing music – I personally love piano music! Spotify has some great playlists! 
• Watch a film or read a book – distraction techniques! 

 

Get Organised.

‘He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice….’ – go on, admit it, you started singing right??

Yep, thats right, if it’s good enough for Father Christmas, its good enough for us! I am not going to lie & say I am the worlds most organised person, but I like to pretend I am, and one thing I like doing to organise myself is make lists! Whether it’s my food shopping, a list of blog ideas, or just random things that pop into my head, the Notes section on my phone is full of them, and it is exactly the same when I am getting ready for a marathon!

Chances are, that if you are running a marathon, you will be travelling for it, whether its somewhere else in the UK or perhaps you are lucky enough to be going further afield, you still want to make sure you have everything, because whether you are 50 or 500 miles away from home, it would be pretty annoying to wake up on race day and realise you have forgotten your trainers!

Again, if you are like me, I also get pretty overwhelmed if I have to do loads and loads at once, so I like to break it down. This week ahead of my marathon, I am lucky enough to be on half term, which allows me to spread things out over the week and not panic pack/buy everything I need in one go! I started off with just creating my list, literally writing down everything I thought I would need, including things I knew I needed to buy… and that, well is pretty much as far as I have got so far! Here is an example of how I have broken down my list & the things I have included (some of it may seem obvious, but it really helps me having it all written out clearly!)

Race Day

Pre race – Trackies, Hoodie, Spare Trainers & Socks (incase its wet)

Race –  Trainers, Compression Socks, Caffeine Bullets, 4 x SiS Gels, Sports Bra, Shorts, Long Sleeve Top, Running Gloves, Buff, Running Vest, Heart Rate Monitor, Sports Armband, lightweight jacket. – and then you obviously need to do a flat lay picture and post it to Instagram to make sure you definitely have everything 😉 

Post Race – Oofos flip flops, compression leggings, buff

Misc – Power packs, headphone charger, Garmin charger, iPhone charger, travel adaptor (important if you are going abroad!) small backpack, pain killers, resistance band, PASSPORT!

General – I wont bore you with this, but things like making sure you have your toiletries, enough underwear, socks, general clothes etc.

It is always worth keeping an eye on the weather forecast too, for example over the last few days the weather forecast in Switzerland has changed dramatically, which has resulted in me having to rethink what I am going to wear for the race, and also meant I had to go and buy an emergency jacket because it is going to be a lot colder than I expected! 

Race Logistics.

As mentioned above, if you are running a marathon, it is usually something you have to travel for, it might be somewhere you have never been before, and in some cases, travelling somewhere where English is not the first language, which can make things even trickier!

I recently went to Berlin for the first time to take part in the Berlin Marathon, and I will be completely honest and say that if it wasn’t for Charlie (@whatcharlierannext) I probably wouldn’t have made it out of the airport, let alone the start line to the race! She was an absolute star and had EVERYTHING sorted – from what trains we had to get, how to get to the hotel & how we were going to get to the start on Sunday. I honestly would have been lost without her!

So this tip is something I need to definitely get better at myself! Here is a list of things I would make sure you know before setting off on your trip

• Familiarise yourself with the journey to the start line from wherever you are staying – if you can do a ‘test run’ so you can relax about the journey logistics & how long it takes.
• Have a Plan B to get to the start line – just in case!!
• If you are driving, make sure you know if/when roads are closing & possible diversions.
• Make sure you read through the race day information provided & know what time bag drop closes, what time you need to be in your start area etc
• If you have friends & family coming to support, arrange where you are going to meet them at the end of the race.
• Or, just go and do a marathon with Charlie and she can look after you! Loveeeeeeee you xx

 

RELAX

Okay, so this might have been a bit of information over load (sorry about that, I get carried away) but really it all just comes down to this… RELAX! 

You have done the months of hard work, and in these last few days there really isn’t anything you can do that will dramatically change the outcome of what happens on race day. So to summarise, here are the key things to remember.

• REST IS BEST – YOU WILL NOT LOSE ANY FITNESS BY SCALING BACK FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS
• EAT A HEALTHY BALANCED DIET (WITH MAYBE A FEW EXTRA CARBS)
• SLEEP – EARLY NIGHTS, LIE INS, NAPS!
• DRINK WATER
• DON’T FORGET TO PACK YOUR TRAINERS!

Good luck to anyone & everyone that has an upcoming marathon. It’s one hell of an achievement and you should be very proud you’ve got to this point! Just remember, the training is the tough part.. the race itself is the sprint finish!

Jordan xxx

 

I asked you guys what you wanted to see more of on my blog, and a lot of you have asked for hints & tips on how to get started with running! So, here are my Top 10 Tips of what I think is the best way to kick start your running journey!

I hope that you find these useful, and please feel free to comment below if you have any questions, and finally GOOD LUCK❤️

1) Parkrun.

Personally, I am a very goal orientated person. Whether it’s running related, or other areas of my life, if I set myself a tangible goal I am a million times more likely to stay motivated and work towards it.

For most new runners, the first goal they usually set themselves is to be able to complete a 5k. In fact this was my first running related goal a few years ago. Now I get it, the thought of running 5k (3.1 miles) non stop when you have never ran before can be daunting, but by setting yourself small, mini goals along the way, it makes it seem so much more manageable and achievable.

Most of us are very lucky here in the U.K to have a Parkrun on our doorstep (if you haven’t heard of Parkrun before, it’s a free, weekly, timed 5k run every Saturday morning that is ran completely by volunteers – it’s incredible!) and I personally believe that for a new runner, this is the perfect opportunity to not only immerse yourself in the amazing running community, but to be able to build up to running a 5k.

Parkrun is for absolutely anyone, from super speedy elite athletes to the complete beginner and whether you want to run, jog or walk, everyone is welcome and encouraged to take part.

Here is a session idea to get you started on your Parkrun/Running Journey.

Walk/Warm Up – 10 minutes. Try to steadily increase the pace to a ‘power walk’ towards the end of the 10 minutes.

Jogging – 30 seconds. Do not worry about pace, anything faster then your quick walking pace is fine!

Walk – 90 seconds. Use this as recovery and try to get your HR/breathing back to a normal rhythm

Repeat x 10

Walk/Cool Down – 10 minutes (or until completed) Try to keep a good walking pace and slow down steadily to get your HR back down.

As the weeks progress, you can then increase your running time, reduce the recovery time or increase the number of intervals.

2) Trainers.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers being dragged along to a well known shoe shop on a Saturday afternoon and getting measured and fitted properly for shoes when they were little… every kids worst nightmare right?! But our parents wanted to make sure that the shoes we were getting fitted us properly, were supportive, comfortable and weren’t going to wreck our feet as we grew up! So my advice for running trainers would be to take the same approach as you would when you were buying school shoes as a child. Get fitted, try on lots and speak to a professional.

There are SO many different trainers out there, it almost seems impossible to know where to start! But something I would really recommend is going to a running specialist shop and getting a Gait Analysis done. In simple terms, a gait analysis can give insight into how you run, whether you are a neutral runner, over pronate, a forefoot runner, whether you need support, cushioning etc etc (don’t panic about this, the shop assistant will be able to talk you through everything!) and depending on this, can determine what trainers would suit you best!

For me personally, I know that I do not need an over supportive shoe, so shoes with a lot of cushioning don’t work for me. I much prefer a lightweight, minimalist trainer. So just remember, even if everyone is raving about the bestest, newest most supportive shoe from ‘Brand XYZ’ make sure you know what works for you!

3) Running Buddy.

I am pretty sure that at some point in your life you would have had to rely on a friend, or family member to get you through something tough – whether it’s a break up, a bad day at work, finding out someone ate your leftovers you’ve been looking forward to all day… but basically, we all need support from time to time! And running is no different!

Starting your running journey with a friend will make the experience a whole lot more enjoyable & motivating. Whether it’s arranging to go for a coffee & cake after Parkrun together, or even just having someone to run with on the dark winter nights could make a huge difference.

Also, I don’t know about you, but when I have made plans with someone I don’t like letting them down. So perhaps if you are the same, one way to guarantee you get yourself out the door is if you promise that you will run together. So even if you’re tired, or had a bad day at work you’ve still got that motivation to get out there!

And finally, you can celebrate not only your own, but your friends achievement too. Which is a pretty great feeling!

4) Social Media.

Now, hear me out. I know that at times, social media gets a lot of negative press, BUT it can also be a hugely positive tool for a lot of things, including running!

For me, I personally love Instagram (99.9% of the time) and love scrolling through daily and seeing people’s posts – whether it’s a PB, smashing out a training session, a cheeky #transformationtuesday or anything running related it can really help to motivate and inspire me to get out there & run or workout!

When I first started running and following other runners on Instagram, I was in awe of a lot of people (and still am!) and the incredible things they were achieving, and at the time I never believed that I would be able to do what they were doing, but.. now I am! I am no longer looking at marathon runners thinking ‘how do they do that’ but instead thinking ‘yes! I can do that too’!

So yes, if used correctly social media can be a fantastic way to keep yourself motivated and inspire you – it’s also a great way to meet like minded people! I would now class some of my closest friends as people I have met through the online running community, which is crazy seeing as when we’re younger we are always told to never talk to strangers on the internet 😂

N.B. Just remember though, do not compare yourself to anyone. Every runner has been/is on their own journey, and what may look easy to some may be down to years and years of training! Also, remember that people don’t always post the bad stuff! So use it to help motivate you, but always take things with a pinch of salt!

5) Track Your Progress.

I don’t know about you, but unless I write something down there is about a 100% chance I am going to forget it! I find keeping track of my runs very useful, and especially for beginners it can be really good (and motivating!) to be able to look back and see your progress & how far you’ve come!

Now days it couldn’t be easier to track your runs, and don’t worry, you don’t need to splash out on a running watch straight away, there are many different apps that you can download straight to your phone! My personal preference is Strava, and this would be the one I would recommend to anyone (and it’s completely free!)

If you are looking to treat yourself (or maybe fancy asking Father Christmas for something!) then I would recommend at some point investing in a GPS watch. Again, there are hundreds on the market which vary in price & what they can do, but you don’t need to spend a fortune!

I am a big fan of Garmin, and until I recently upgraded I wore the Forerunner 230 for over two years. It did everything I needed and was a great, easy to use watch, I would definitely recommend, plus it comes it some really nice colours (obviously this is important!)

6) Listen To Your Body.

This one is a biggie. Failing to do so could put a stop to your running journey, and potentially put you off from ever trying it again! If you’re anything like me, when you start something new that you enjoy, you will want to throw yourself in 100% and just keep going! This is what happens a lot of time with new runners once they have got through the initial ‘everything hurts and I’m dying’ phase. And I get it, it’s exciting! But there is no rush to do everything at once!

Getting your body to adapt to running takes time. I remember the first time I ran a half marathon, I couldn’t walk properly for the next 3 days, now days, I’m able to go out the day after a race and do a light recovery run. And although I don’t always get it spot on, I know my body well enough by now to know when to dial it back and take an extra rest day.

So when you are starting, please don’t feel like you have to be out there running every single day, or increasing your mileage too quickly. Running does put your body through stress, there is no getting away from it, and if you do too much too quickly you could be at risk of your body just saying NOPE and then you won’t have a choice but to take a break.

For a beginner, I would say there is no need to run more than 3 x times a week to begin with, and giving yourself at least a days rest in between each run.

7) Recovery.

Following on quite nicely from number 6, this is another really important factor that a lot of new runners might not consider. Rest and recovery is a key part of training, I know this might sound strange, but sometimes doing nothing is the best way to progress!

Our bodies are pretty amazing things, and whilst we are resting (this includes sleep!) it’s busy working away at repairing the muscles we have temporarily damaged during exercise, pretty clever right!

But unfortunately we cannot let our bodies do all the work, and there are a few key things we can do to help aid recovery, including;

• Stretching
• Foam Rolling
• Massages
• Epsom Salt Baths

Now, I could pretend that I am the perfect advocate for this and that I stretch and roll after every run, but the truth is, I don’t. And it’s something I need to get better at. But I cannot stress at the beginning how important it is. When you first start running, your body isn’t going to have a clue what’s going on, so the chances are once you start running, your legs are going to hurt a little! All of the things listed above can help to ease the pain and help your muscles recover quicker (although sometimes you can’t get away from the DOMs no matter how much stretching you do!)

8) Strength Training.

I know what you’re thinking… ‘I thought this was a blog about running?!’ Don’t panic! It is, and I’m not saying you need to be in the gym 5x a week pounding the weights, but adding 1 or 2 strength sessions a week can really benefit any runner, no matter what level.

Strength training does exactly what it says on the tin, it makes you stronger! And guess what, the stronger you are there is less risk of injury, you will feel fitter and personally I find hitting the gym a great way to relieve stress!

If you have been following me on Instagram, you will know I’m a big fan of the gym, and it’s one of the things I believe has been key to my progress over the last year. I have said it many times, but there is so much more to running, than running!

I have previously done two strength training posts for both an Upper & Lower body workout, which will hopefully help you if you’re a bit stuck with what to do in the gym!

9) Take Your Time.

Okay so I am just going to come out and say it… YOU DO NOT NEED TO RUN A MARATHON TO BE A RUNNER!

This might sound like I am contradicting my earlier point about social media, but if there is one thing that is negative about it, is that people (especially newer runners) can get caught up with the idea that they HAVE to run a marathon to be considered a ‘proper runner’ – which is nonsense!

There is nothing wrong with having goals and aspirations, but feeling like you have to commit to something as big as a marathon so early on can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. When I started running, the thought of a marathon never even crossed my mind, in fact it wasn’t until I was two years into my running journey I considered it, and by this point I was already comfortably at half marathon distance and this felt like the next challenge.

Too often I sadly see runners rushing to get to marathon level, which unfortunately can sometimes end in long term injuries or perhaps even having to stop running for good.

So my advice? Take your time! And enjoy the victories along the way! There will ALWAYS be marathons, and in fact there seems to be more and more happening all the time, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity! But training for and ultimately running a marathon, is not only a huge commitment, but can put your body under a lot of stress, and if you try and cram it all in too quickly, not only will it take all the fun out of it, but you could also really hurt yourself.

10) Enjoy it!

It really is as simple as that! Running (especially at the beginning) should not be something that causes you stress or makes you unhappy. Run because you enjoy it and how it makes you feel. Enter races because your friends are going and you’ve already planned an epic post race treat. Treat yourself to that new pair of trainers or watch because you deserve it. And just remember, progress is never linear! So enjoy the journey, embrace the highs & the lows and look forward to a new quality of life (sorry for the cheese, but it’s true!)

Jordan xxx

A little while ago, I was contacted by VITLHealth and they asked if I was interested in receiving one of their DNA Health Kits. Over the last year I have taken my health a lot more seriously,  and have become really interested in knowing how my body works (and making sure it is working as best it can!) so I was happy to accept and I offered to share my results with you all.

Before you can be sent a kit, you need to set up an account on their website. It was really easy to do, but do set aside some time to answer some general health & wellbeing questions (this is important for later on!) Like most things now, there was also an option of downloading an app for your phone, which again makes it really accessible and user friendly! Once you have set up your profile, your DNA kit is then sent to you! I am a sucker for cute packaging & presentation so I absolutely loved the box (before I had even opened it!) The instructions were very clear & simple to understand, and they even provided a paid postage bag for you to send your sample back in.

And now all I had  to do was wait for the results! They do advise that results can take approx 3-4 weeks to process once they were received. Personally, I did not see this as an issue as the results weren’t something I was depending on, it was just something I was interested in knowing! But soon enough I got the notification that my results were ready (and there were certainly a lot of them!) so when I finally got the chance, I sat down with a coffee and went through them…

So, I mentioned that when you sign up you need to answer a few Health & Wellbeing questions, this is because alongside your DNA results they are then able to paint a greater picture of your overall health.. so make sure you are honest in your questionnaire (especially because DNA doesn’t lie!)

Here are some of my results which I personally found interesting and are things I have questioned in the past before too.

Caffeine Metabolism – Likely To Be Slow 

I love coffee. Every morning starts with a black coffee, and I usually have around 3 or 4 LARGE cups a day. I have also started to use caffeine in races which so far seems to have worked quite well? BUT, I don’t feel like I get a buzz of coffee anymore, it is simply a habit, and something I enjoy drinking. I have been thinking about cutting down caffeine (even cutting it out completely!) before a race, but I haven’t yet been able to make that commitment! I would be interested to see if it does make a difference though, so, watch this space!

Alcohol Sensitivity – Likely to be high

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really need an app to tell me this. I wouldn’t say I have an issue at all with alcohol, I can quite easily go weeks without a drink, but when I do drink, I drink a lot. Lately I have noticed this having a really negative effect on my mental health, as well as my physical health. I always feel AWFUL the next day, and as I have got older the hangovers seem to last for days, rather than hours. I am not surprised by this result to be honest, but it has given me the confirmation that perhaps I need to cut down. I had already considered this ahead of the London Marathon next year, in fact my plan is to give up alcohol completely for the 16 week block! And I am looking forward to seeing the difference in both my mental & physical well being!

Digestion & IBS – Likely to have issues

Now, this is interesting. I won’t go into the gory details, but for quite a while now, I have had slight stomach issues, it doesn’t seem to be bought on by anything in particular but lets just say it doesn’t always work down there like it is supposed to….! At the beginning of the year I cut out cows milk from my daily coffee as I was convinced that was a trigger, and for a while, my stomach did calm down, but the issues seem to be coming back again. I have been reluctant to give up dairy completely (I just love cheese too damn much!) but it may be something I seriously need to consider. I will be speaking to my nutrition coach about this and hopefully between us we can work out what is making my stomach a little iffy!

Fat & Muscle Composition – Likely to gain muscle 

I will be honest, I was a little sceptical about these results. I do understand that genetics can play a part in body composition, but really it comes down to a good diet & the right training, something that I have learnt a lot more about over the last 12 months. I will be honest and say that when my diet is 100% I do seem to be able to lean out fairly quickly, and my coach himself has called me a ‘carb monster’ on many occasions, so perhaps there is some truth behind this! And if that is the case… THANK YOU GENES FOR ALLOWING ME TO EAT ALL THE CARBS! I would be interested to know peoples thoughts on this, so pop them in the comments below!

Vitamin B6 – Likely to be low

Hmmmmm, once again I am not completely shocked by this. In fact, most of my vitamins and minerals results were on the low side. I will openly admit I am RUBBISH at taking supplements, in fact, I don’t take any at all! I have tried in the past and perhaps stick to it for a day or two, then the bottles just end up gathering dust in the cupboards!

One thing I have learnt recently, is that even if you feel okay on the outside, it doesn’t always mean your body is okay on the inside. Being low on essential vitamins & minerals can be a disaster waiting to happen, and add being a long distance runner into the mix it could be even more disastrous!

I am not going to promise that I will religiously start taking supplements every day, because pretty much all essential vitamins can be found in food so it may just be a case of looking at my diet and ensuring I have foods that are high in the things I am lacking.

These are just a few of the results I received from the test (I won’t go through every single one, because you could be reading this for hours!) but hopefully you get the idea of the sort of things you can find out!

If you are interested in your health & making sure your body is getting everything it needs, then you may find the test really beneficial! Although if you have any serious health concerns I would always recommend speaking to your doctor or a registered dietician first!

VITLHealth have also provided me with my very own discount code so you can get your own DNAKit for just £79.99 (Usually £199.99) – simply click here to head straight to the product page!

Jordan xxx

I have not been paid to write this blog post, but the DNA test was gifted to me originally #ad