Hitting the Pavement Again

I am back running! I couldn't be more excited. I got the go ahead from my OB that I could resume my regular exercise routine. It had been 6 weeks since I had been able out for a run and let me tell you it was kind of an adjustment getting back out there. I headed out on a Saturday morning run ... my favorite time to run! I love it because it is normal peaceful outside and I can come home and make a nice warm breakfast. This past Saturday was kind of cold and I thought about not going out, but then I saw a lady run past my house with her dog ... I was like "if she is out there running, I can too!" So I laced up my shoes and headed out. It was glorious.

It was also hard to get back out there, literally I was sore afterwards. My abs have been through quite a bit - having a baby, being pulled apart to make room for said baby and then the whole trying to go back to the way they were after baby was born. So being out there and running ended up being quite the ab work out. My hamstring was quite tight as well. I didn't realize that those ~3 miles would feel so long, but I did it and I was proud of myself. 

The weather ended up being kind of nice this past week and headed out again for another run, but this time brought William with me in the BOB jogging stroller. It was fun to get to bring him along and he did great in the stroller. I absolutely loved the BOB stroller as well. It worked great and I could easily control it as I ran. It did end up making the run a little harder. I found that it turned into a work out for my upper and lower body. I am sure that William and I will log lots of miles on that stroller. 

Besides just sharing with you my experience at hitting the pavement again after having a baby, I wanted to encourage you get out there, set a goal for yourself and make it happen. What are obstacles that are standing in your way of accomplishing your goal? Is it something like time, lack of self confidence or putting your family's needs above your own? It is important to take a look at what obstacles are keeping you from your goal. Take those obstacles and come up with ways to move them. If the obstacle is time, then schedule time to work out and meet your goal. If it is self confidence, then find a gym or park where you can exercise and feel comfortable without a lot of people around. If it family obligations, then talk to your loved ones and schedule "you" time where you can focus on what you want to accomplishment. For me, I want to go to the gym 2-3 times per week and lift weights, use the elliptical and treadmill. If the weather is nice, I want to get outside and run on weekends and maybe one night a week. I also want to go through and do the 31 days of Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I love yoga and I want to be able to do that in the evenings after work and before bed.

Well good luck to you as you set your fitness goals and work on accomplishing them. I will keep you posted on how my return to running is going and how well I accomplishing my own goals. 

Running Through The Heat

I recently shared an article on RD Anna's Facebook page about training/exercising outside in the heat. And I thought this would be a great topic to focus on for a blog post. I have heard this so many times ... "It is too hot to be outside! Oh the humidity is terrible and I can't be outdoors." Yes, there is a time and place that some times it can be dangerous to be outside, but nine times out of the ten that is not the case. If you take a few steps to be prepared and smart about it, exercising outdoors in the heat can have great health benefits. 

1. Make sure the check the weather. There are times when the news stations/weather outlets will issue heat alerts for high humidity or extreme heat indexes. If this is case, then consider running inside or doing some other form of cross training that day. 
2. Stay in the shade. This seems like a no-brainer, but it can make a world of difference. Being in the shade can help to keep you cooler for longer versus running outside in the direct sun. On a hot day the asphalt can increase in temperature upwards of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
3. Leave early. When you anticipate hot weather that day, plan your run in the early morning. This should be before the sun rise to help ensure that you are aiming for the coolest part of the day.
4. Shorten your distance. Rearrange your route that you are running shorter loops and either passing a water fountain or a place where you could cool off. That way you are ensuring that you aren't getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere in a dangerous situation.
5. Change your goal. Think about running based on effort versus just strictly based on distance or time. Sometimes with the heat, you are expending tons more energy while running and you are are working harder. This means, it is ok to run less in terms of distance or time, because your body is working just as hard due to the increased temperature.
6. Hydrate! This is key. Before you even leave for your run, drink water. During your run plan to drink plenty of water and after your run, replenish your depleted water stores. On really hot days, using a product like Gaterade, Powerade, Skratch, etc can be a helpful tool to help replace electrolytes that you have lost sweating.
7. Changes in blood/sweat. Your body is working differently in the heat and your more blood to rushing to the surface of your skin to help cool you off. This means that there is less blood going to your muscles and vital organs. This can be dangerous if you aren't staying hydrated and maybe even slowing down your pace to let your body keep up with the cooling process. 
8. Heart is pumping harder. When you exercise in the heat, your heart is pumping even harder to get the blood circulating throughout your body and going to the surface of your skin. With this increased strain on your heart, this could lead to possible issues if you are not staying hydrated and aware of how you are feeling while exercising. The increased heat, increases the work load on the heart and makes your 8 minute per mile pace feel more like a 6 minute per mile pace. There is no shame in slowing down your pace, due to the heat, to help take some of that increased stress off your heart.

So the key to remember to know your limits. As a runner, you know your body and what you are capable of. You are familiar with feelings that your body has when running and you can identify if it is unsafe for you to keep running. Be smart about your outdoor running the heat, but don't use that increased temperature as just an excuse either. 

FitBloggin Conference

I am super excited to be able to attend the 2016 FitBloggin Conference in Indianapolis this summer. I didn't know much about this event until I was contacted by an acquaintance at the American Heart Association of Indianapolis. He reached out to me and told me about the event and thought that I might like to attend. He was right! I think it looked like a great event and something I love to be able to go to!

I had to share with you some of the topics at the conference that I am excited to attend: 

• How to Influence Your Community to Achieve Fitness & Health — Hear from a panel of successful writers, bloggers, social media users, and fitness professionals about the central tenet of why FitBloggin’ exists – how to influence your community to achieve their fitness and health goals. Moderated by Roni Noone, founder of FitBloggin’. 
• Be a Consistent Blogger…Forever (Blogging & Social Media Track) — Ten fool-proof tips and tricks to be the consistent blogger you have always wanted to be. Posting more often is the key to growth, so learn how to never lose your “blogging mojo.” SPEAKER: Schnelle Acevedo 
• Super Simple SEO (Blogging & Social Media Track) — Session will cover the basics of how the Google algorithm works, why blogs are gaining more search traffic than ever, and actionable steps to gain traffic for your posts through search. SPEAKER: Jessica Woodbury
• Fitness for the Minority Population — Explore how the culture of minority populations affects their beliefs and practices on healthy living, diet, and exercise. We’ll also discuss how to communicate with minority communities. MODERATOR: Shera Strange 

I have a passion for fitness & health and being able to communicate with people via social media about health and wellness. Being able to attend this conference is such a fun opportunity for me. I was able to apply for a scholarship to attend and I was picked! I really didn't think that would happen, but thankfully I was able to get most of the registration fee covered and I am super excited to attend the conference and soak up as much information about fitness blogging as possible. 

If you have a blog and enjoy fitness, you should mark July 21-24th on your calendar and set side some time to attend the FitBloggin Conference in downtown Indianapolis! Of course I will be blogging about the event and taking lots of pictures so you will have to stay tuned! 

Monday Motivation

I am not sure how your Monday has been, but I wanted to share with you some Monday Motivation to help keep you on track with your health goals.

via GIPHY

We are going to jump right in. So have you been hitting your physical activity goals? Back up, wait a minute. Do you have a fitness goal? Everyone should. Whatever your goal is for yourself .... walk 20 minutes per day, strength train 3 days a week, run outside at least 3 days a week .... whatever that goal is for yourself, you should be moving toward it. 

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Now that we have established, you should never skip a Monday work out here is why ... you are setting your week up for success. On Monday, you have the opportunity to set the tone for your week. 

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Whatever your favorite form of exercise is ... do that! I got myself to the gym today. I was so proud of myself. I hadn't been in about 3 weeks due to being busy, gone on Spring Break, taking a class, evening activities, but today I told myself I had to go. It was gross and cold outside, so I got dressed in my work out gear, headed to the gym and lifted weights for 40 minutes. It was great, because I felt how much strength I had lost over those previous 3 weeks. I normally do 15 repetitions and 3 sets of each exercise - I was dying. That was good motivation to plan another day this week to spend some more time lifting weights to help build strength for my half marathon in May.

Get started today! There is still time to fit in some form of physical activity. I sat ALL day at work charting on babies and making phone calls. My afternoon has entailed as much movement as possible - walking the dog for 30 minutes, doing 40 minutes of lifting at the gym, standing in the kitchen to cook for 30 minutes and doing 30 minutes of yoga. Find ways to move more and meet those fitness goals that you have set for yourself! 

Burning off those calories

Thanksgiving was last week and it is time to think about what you are doing for physical activity to help you burn off some of those extra calories. Hopefully you had a delicious and some-what healthy Thanksgiving feast. We had lots of vegetables at our gathering and they were delicious. My mother prepared some roasted squash, peppers and onions and I made a salad. It was a great first course of our dinner. Now if your Thanksgiving was filled with lots of carbohydrates and not enough movement then let's take a look at what you can do to help be active this time before Christmas. 

If you are still eating some Thanksgiving leftovers, then take note of those exercise recommendations for the various Thanksgiving staples we all have consumed.*

*Suggestions from Daily Burn website. 

• Apple Pie (1 slice) = ~400 calories and to burn that off you would need to run 3.5 miles or for about 35 minutes. 
• Pumpkin Pie (1 slice) = ~300 calories and to burn that off you would need to do yoga for 60 minutes. 
• Buttered Roll (1) = ~200 calories and to burn that off you would need to play flag football for 20 minutes outside. 
• Sweet Potato Casserole (1/2 cup) = ~200 calories and to burn that off you would need to take a spin class for 18 minutes. 
• Turkey Breast (6oz) = ~200 calories and to burn that off you would need to ice skate for 50 minutes. 
• Stuffing (1/2 cup) = ~200 calories and to burn that off you would need to run the stairs for 10 minutes. 
• Red wine (60z) = 150 calories and to burn that off you would need to walk for 35 minutes. 

Keep these exercise suggestions in mind as we head into the December and the Christmas season. Staying active, despite the holiday craziness is important. As I was writing this blog post, I stumbled across this great article from Runner's World about staying active during the holidays. CLICK HERE for a link. 

Fitting back into the pants ...

I wanted to share some encouragement for you if you reached into your closet and found that some of the pants you have aren't fitting quite right. That exact thing happened to me back in August. I went to put on a pair of olive green dress pants to wear to work and they were SO tight. Oh  my goodness, they would button and snap, but they looked like spandex and like I was trying really hard to fit into them. That is when you know you put on a few pounds and those are no longer acceptable to wear those particular pants in public. 

That was the moment that pushed me into counting my calories. I love those green dress pants and I have worn them a lot last year. I wanted to be able to wear them again. I dusted off My Fitness Pal app and decided I was going to make this commitment. 

I want to share this with you, even though it is personal, because I want to show you that it is possible to make some small changes in your life and see positive outcomes. I hope that you are encouraged to try a food tracker app and work to be more active. There are lots of options out there these days and I encourage you to find something that works for you!  It can be that simple, own what you put in your mouth and work towards your goals, whatever they are. 

Well I am happy to report that today I am wearing those olive green pants and they fit perfectly! I have been counting calories and exercising for the past 2 months and I have been able to lose 7 pounds. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it has been just enough to get me back into my favorite pants. 

Please note the 130lbs line from July through the beginning of August - I didn't use My Fitness Pal for a long time until ~August 14th. 

I also wanted to show you the calories and physical activity that I have been doing. My calorie goals have been 1500 calories per day. At first that was rough, because I was definitely eating way more than that and I spent a couple of days kind of hungry. I chose more fruits/vegetables, because they are filling and fewer calories. There were even a couple of days that I missed and a few days where I totally rocked out ~3000 calories in one day. I owned each of those days and tried to make better choices the next day.

I know the idea of tracking your activity and what you put in your mouth can be challenging, but I would you encourage to try it. Take it one day at a time and next thing you know you will find your a couple of weeks into a healthier lifestyle and making healthier choices. 

Hopefully, sharing my green pants story with you will help motivate you to find what goal you want to set. Make it a measurable goal (like getting back into clothes that don't fit) and set off on your own adventure towards attaining that goal. Good luck and have fun being active!

First Marathon

This past weekend marked the first marathon that I have ever run. This was a huge accomplishment for me because I had only dreamed of running a marathon and never thought was some I would actually do. Well on April 18th I made that far fetched dream a reality. It was a great day for a race. There were no clouds and lots of sunshine. The only issue was it started to get a little warm (mid 70s) which was a challenge because I had spent the whole winter training in frigid temperatures. I ran very consistently and honestly felt good. It got harder at the 22 mile mark and the course was a little more boring at that point, but thankfully I was able to power through for that last 4 miles. I am so blessed to have the ability to run and have this opportunity to compete. I finished in 3 hours and 46 minutes, which was great consider this was my first marathon ever. 

Since I am a dietitian I wanted to share with you some about my nutrition plan. I am firm believer in having a nutrition plan for your race (anything longer than 1 hour, you need to refuel). What you put in your body is very important. I have done race day nutrition presentations for local stores and I love talking about different endurance activity nutrition products (shameless plug, if you want me to come talk about nutrition and exercise send me an email via the CONTACT ME link). There are a ton of different products out there and the main take away message here is to find what works best for you. So here is what I use and why I have chosen these products. 

Energy Gel: Huma Gels 

These Huma energy gels are made from chia seeds. The best part of the product is the fact that it doesn't contain malto-dextrin (which is a type of carbohydrate that can cause some people GI distress). The texture is nice as well. Unlike a gel, it is more the texture of applesauce, slightly chunky due to the chia seeds.The flavors are all fantastic. If you have had issues tolerating a gel product then I would encourage you to try Huma and I am sure that you will be hooked! 

Electrolyte Replacement: Salt Stick 

I like using Salt Sticks, because I normally don't drink a carbohydrate/electrolyte solution when I run. For some reason I have had issues tolerating some like a Gatorade product. I do better with plain water and then I take the Salt Sticks to help make sure I am replacing the electrolytes that I have lost from exercising. I typically take 1 every 45-60 minutes when doing endurance activity. It works well and I have found it helpful when doing endurance activity. 

Beverage: Water

As mentioned above, I normally drink water. I carry water with me when I run to help make sure that I am staying hydrated. I didn't use to do this, but I have learned that I feel better if I take water with me when I am out for > 60 minutes. I use the Nathan hand held water bottle. I love it. It holds 18oz and during my marathon I used two. I carried one with me for 12 miles and then I picked up a new one (filled with cold water) and carried that through the end. I did end up using the water stations starting at about mile 20 because I was starting to run low on the water I was carrying with me. 

I received no compensation for my views on any of these products. This was my personal experience. These are recommendations, but results will vary from person to person. If you have specific nutrition related questions, please feel free to reach out to me via the CONTACT ME link above.

Welcome!

This is my new blog home. I was very excited to actually create a professional website and blog. I have spent the last 5 years writing on my Life Through Green Eyes Blog and then separately posting on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Here recently, Chas (my amazing husband) came up with the idea to have my own centralized webpage where I can have a more professional media presence. I thought it was a great idea and so what you are seeing if hopefully the start to something amazing. We were able to purchase the domain name www.RDAnna.com and hoping to build off of that. It is a work in progress so bare that in mind as we get started with this new website and blog platform. 

Hopefully this will be a great place to post information about new nutrition research, recipes for you to try, tips about being healthy and can be a platform to share my media work with my friends and family.