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.

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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! 

Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management Certificate Program

I had the opportunity to attend the Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management Certificate Program in Indianapolis last week. It had been a goal of mine for the last couple of years to attend that program when it was closer to where I live. They offer the 3 day program twice a year and they rotate the sights all over the country. This spring it was in Indianapolis! I just had to go, because it would have been cheaper and less travel compared to going to another state for this training. 

Now you might be wondering what this training is about. It is focused on combating the obesity epidemic in youth and the goal is for RDs to be able to learn more about this issue and be better equipped to work with patients to help them become healthier. To complete the certificate program you have to complete required readings, complete a pre-test (score minimum of 80%), attend the 2 1/2 day program and then complete a post-test (scoring a minimum of 80%). At the end of all this you get to claim this certified training on your resume and gain useful knowledge in this specialty area. 

So even if you aren't an RD, I did learn some interesting information that you might find interesting. 

• Children ages 2-19 - 32% of them are obese and 21% of children ages 6-10 years are living in food insecure homes.
• It is projected that by the year 2072 - 80% of everyone in the United States will be obese (BMI >30kg/m2). 
• 60% of children 10-14 years old have a TV in their bedroom. Research has shown that kids gain 1 extra pound per year when they have a TV in their bedroom compared with children who didn't have a TV in their bedroom. 
• Children are often the main target for intense and aggressive food marketing and advertising efforts. Often this is NOT for healthy, food options.

I know some of those statistics are depressing, but I think it helps to realize how big of a problem this is for children and this isn't a problem that goes away in adulthood. This weight gain trend often continues as the child gets older and continues to be a problem throughout the child's entire life. 

There are lots of things that we (as a community) can do to help our youth be healthier now and for the future. 

• Make an effort with your children to limit screen time, get outside a move more and purchase healthy food for your home. 
• Try to eat out less and make being healthy an entire family commitment. 
• Support health/wellness initiatives in the local school systems. 
• As a parent or caregiver, demonstrate healthy behaviors for your children. 

I wanted to share this video from the FNV Campaign (Food and Veggies) that is a partnership from the Healthier America and Let's Move Campaigns to help encourage healthier food marketing to Americans. I just wanted to leave you on that note and encourage you to make healthy choices for yourself and your children. 

Fueling Up For Your Next Half Marathon

I have had the pleasure over the last several years, to do a presentation at Tri-N-Run, in Lafayette, IN. This is a fantastic triathlon store just off from Purdue's campus. I have really appreciated being able to partner with Tri-N-Run and do nutrition presentations for them over the years. I enjoy being able to travel back up the Purdue and talk about something that I love, sports nutrition. If you live up near Lafayette and need any running shoes or triathlon gear, go check out their store! 

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to talk about fueling for your next half marathon. As many of you may know the Indianapolis Mini Marathon is coming up in May. It is a HUGE deal in Indianapolis. In fact is the largest half marathon in the United States of America and the 7th largest running event in America. So if you have signed up to participate in this amazing race, you might be wondering about what you should eat to prepare for this event. Your nutrition, during training, the night be before, during the race and afterwards has a huge impact in your performance. 

Obviously there is a lot of talk about when it comes to fueling for your race. If you want more in depth information, feel free to contact me and I would be happy to meet with you personally. I am going to share a few commonly asked questions that I get from people when they are thinking about fueling for an endurance event.

What should I eat during the race?

• This is a common question and to answer it appropriately you need to go all the way back to metabolism. I know, stick with me. Your body utilizes the carbohydrates that you eat, changes it into glycogen, which is then stored in your muscles and liver. The goal during an endurance activity is to keep your body fueled enough to not dip into your liver and all your muscle storage of glycogen. If you use all the muscle glycogen you will dip into fat stores and you will start to feel like you have "hit a wall." Using a gel or another carbohydrate containing product will keep your body using that form of carbohydrate for energy and more gradually using your stored glycogen. 
• There are lots of different types of gels and chews, the key is to find one that you enjoy and you can tolerate well. You want to practice with these products, because you might find that you tolerate certain ones better than other. I do well with a product called Huma Gels. This gel is made from chia seeds and doesn't contain maltodextrin (a common carbohydrate that can cause GI distress). I love the flavors and the texture (it is like applesauce). 
• It is recommend that you consume these gels or chews every 45 minutes during your endurance activity. So that equates to 1 gel every 45 minutes you are running your race. Practice with this while training and see if you can tolerate that schedule. 

Do I need to carbo load prior to the race?

• This is a common train of thought ... you need lots of carbohydrates the night before to fuel your race the next day. That is now an "old school" philosophy and not still recommended. What you eat 2-3 days prior to the race has a bigger impact on your body than what you eat the next before. If you want to eat pasta then do that 2-3 days prior to the race, not necessarily the night before. 
• Make sure you stick with familiar foods 3 days prior to the race. Don't be adventurous and try new things. Stick with foods that you know you digest well and that you can handle prior to your race. 
• Some people find that they have to limit the amount of fiber they had prior to the race. I personally do better with a large salad with protein the night before the race. I do normally eat a fair amount of fiber and I can tolerate that prior to a race. (It is about to get graphic .... you have been warned. If you don't want to read about bowel movements, skip to the next bullet point). It helps to facilitate GI movement and a a nice bowel movement the morning of the race. 
• Make sure that you eat something the morning of the race as well. Whatever you tolerate best. I prefer cereal, milk and a banana. Some people like bagels with an energy drink. I know that I have to avoid anything with too much fat - like breakfast meats and eggs. 

My most recent race, back in February in Zionsville, IN - The Groundhog 7 Miler

Hopefully these have been some helpful recommendations as you gear up for your half marathon race. If you are racing in the Indianapolis Mini Marathon ... good luck and enjoy the training. You will do awesome! Remember to practice with your nutrition and find something that works well for you! 

The Power of Yoga

I love yoga. I have been doing yoga since I worked at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport in Indianapolis back in 2010. That was my first real exposure to a yoga class and I liked it. It was quite challenging and I am not flexible, but I loved the way that I felt afterwards. I felt like the "kinks" were all working out in my body. I know that sounds kind of silly, but it was true. Now that I have learned more about yoga I am convinced that it is helpful in restoring balance, flexibility and decreasing stress levels. As we all are aging our bodies are breaking down and we are becoming less flexible. Older people tend to be prone to falling or having back pain. All of this is due to not taking care of your body. Yoga helps to restore that physical balance and flexibility which can be very helpful. There was an article that was published on the NIH (National Institutes of Health) website about Americans who practice yoga report a better well being. 80% of people doing yoga reported lower stress levels. 2/3 of these yoga participants also were more motivated to exercise.

If you are new to yoga or never tried it before then I encourage you join a class or get on YouTube and try some poses out. I absolutely love the channel Yoga with Adriene. She has great videos and this Yoga Beginners Video is great if you are just starting out. 

If you have been wondering about trying to work more yoga into your life I would encourage you to do a series of yoga classes or YouTube videos. Doing a little bit each day is a great way to increase your flexibility, decrease your stress and create a healthy habit. I highly recommend Yoga Camp with Adriene. 

Take the time this week and pull out your mat and do some yoga. Start slow and just work out the kinks and reduce that stress. You can even do yoga with your loved ones or your animals. Einstein is a huge fan of yoga and loves stretching out after a long day. Enjoy! 

Joining a Gym and Strength Training

Strength training time as arrived! Raise your hand if you are excited .... ok I wasn't really either. Going to the gym and actually lifting weights is something that I kind of dislike. It is not my favorite thing to do, but it is so important. I am getting ready for another marathon in the fall. That means that I need to start strength training now! 

I joined a gym across the street from the hospital where I work so that I could stop by on my way to/from work. That way I would be more likely to actually go to the gym + it was really cheap. Win and win! 

So why is it important to strength train before an endurance event? Excellent question ... one that I asked myself. Lots of times we think of strength training as putting on lots of muscle, but the main goal is to build some muscle and strengthen the muscle you do have. This strengthen muscles allows it to work more efficiently when you doing endurance activities. For example, strengthening your hip flexors will help to make sure that extra stress isn't placed on your quads/hamstrings which could cause knee pain with continued endurance activity. Getting your body stronger in general will help to prevent injuries. That was my main purpose in hitting the gym ... avoid future injuries. 

So now that I had a place to lift weights I had to actually decide what I wanted to do. I really enjoy classes, but this gym doesn't have classes so I have to lift on my own. Thankfully they have machines that I can use to work the upper body, chest, and legs. The big thing that I have been focusing on is getting a total body workout for 45 minutes on the various machines. That way I work arms and legs and hips too. This should help to prevent future injuries from running, which is the main goal! 

Now you might be wondering what in the world would you for exercises at the gym for ~40 minutes? I found myself in that exact same predicament. I started with a goal. I wanted to get a total body work out in the time that I had available (~45 minutes).  I started with the machines at the gym and developed a routine. I alternate how I begin my time at the gym - between legs and arms first.  I started with 2 sets of each exercise and completed 12 repetitions. The goal was start to build a base strength, because I knew that it would be helpful for endurance activity. Now I have worked up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions each. 

• Bicep curls 
• Tricep extensions 
• Deltoid pull downs 
• Sled press 
• Hamstring curls 
• Quadricep extensions
• Hip adductor and abductor exercises 

I recommend that if you have been thinking about getting out that and joining a gym. You should do it! I normally dislike gym establishments, but I have been impressed with the results that I have started to see. I have gotten stronger and I think this training will help my marathon training starting this summer. If you head out to join a gym, make sure that you pick a place that meets your criteria, will help you accomplish your goals and is on our normal route of travel. You are much more likely to actually go to the gym if you are already driving past it each day. Happy lifting! 

Setting New Year's Goals

This is the time of year when everyone makes resolutions. You hear the phrase "New Year, New You!" That is true it is a new year and if you want to make a change, now is as good a time as any, but the big question is ... will your change stick?! For most  people that answer is no! 

Instead of thinking about New Year's Resolutions ... I like the idea of New Year's Goals. What do you want to accomplish this year. Often I take a look at the calendar and I try to decide what type of races I want to participate in for the year. I look at when they are scheduled in the upcoming year and think through what training for those races might look like. I map out a plan of how I see myself accomplishing those races and then I sign up for them. Those same steps that I think through for races, can be applied to any goal that you might have. 

1. Determine the goal you want to achieve. 
2. Develop a time line or a game plan. 
3. Start looking at what changes you will have to make to reach that goal. 
4. What will your "training" schedule look like. 
5. Think about what obstacles might get in the way of your meeting that goal. 
6. Sign up or commit to that goal! 

Last year I completed my first marathon. It was tough, but I did great and I absolutely want to run another. I knew that I couldn't train for more than one in a year, because it took so much time and I kind of got burned out. I have decided that in 2016 - I want to run another marathon. I have decided that I want to run in the Mill Race Marathon in Columbus, IN. So what does look like? Well it starts with picking a race, determining a training schedule, building a strong strength training base and then logging lots of miles. I will keep you posted about my training plan. Set up will be sign up for the race and then plan how to do some strength training prior to the race training, which will start in May. I am looking forward to setting out to run another marathon in 2016! 

What goals do you have this year and how do you plan setting out to accomplish them?

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!

Featured as the RD of the Day on Today's Dietitian

So I totally have to geek out on you for a minute. I did a news story with WISH TV, which aired this last week. It was about Sports Nutrition and Children. If you happened to miss it, well head over to my media page and check it out. 

Well Today's Dietitian decided to choose me at the RD of the Day on their Twitter page. I know it doesn't seem like the coolest thing to you ever, but it totally made my day.  This popped into my email and I felt honored that someone had noticed my work and decided to share it with their 8,000 followers. 

It is so neat that because of social media we can connect and share what we are doing all over the world. I think that is a huge win for nutrition education we can provide people with tips for wellness via these social platforms. I just love being part of that! 

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.

Marathon Training

I am on week #16 of my marathon training schedule and on Saturday (April 18th) I will be running my first marathon ever. I posted back at the beginning of March about how I was water jogging. If you missed out - check of that blog post HERE. I made an effort each week to get to the pool twice a week and water jog for 60 minutes. It has been a fantastic experience. I have been so thankful for that opportunity and I think it has helped with my recovery after long runs. 

I never thought that I would be getting ready a marathon. I have run 7 half marathons over the past 5 years. I started with a half marathon in Illinois after working at NIFS (National Institute for Fitness and Sport) and was inspired by my boss who was an iron man competitor. I thought I could run 13 miles. Up until that point I had never really run over 8 miles. After that first half I started to get hooked. Then in 2014 I decided that I wanted to try to do a marathon. My goal was to run a marathon in November of 2014, but that didn't happen. I was kind of disappointed, but decided I should do 26.2 miles before I turn 27 years old (at the end of April). So on Saturday I will complete my first marathon - 26.2 miles while 26 years old. I never imagined that 5 years ago when I ran my first half marathon I would be running a marathon in the future. 

August 2010 - Very first Half Marathon in Illinois with my sister Ivana. 

It has been an amazing learning experience in discipline. I trained the entire time outside. I don't belong to a gym and I had to run outside. In the rain, snow and ice. There were a lot of firsts for me - first time running in sub-zero weather, first time running over 13.1 miles and first time running for more than 2 hours. 

If you have ever wanted to run and thought about a marathon. You should do it! It is challenging and there were days I didn't eagerly anticipate my cold run outside, but it was worth it every single time. 

Looking forward to Saturday and rocking out 26.2 miles! 

Water Jogging

Some of you may know this, but I love to run. In fact I have been training for a marathon for the past 9 weeks. My first marathon every and I am super exciting and yes slightly terrified. Well after my 16 mile run last weekend I started to experience some knee pain. I knew right away what was going on .... runner's knee. This is an inflammatory condition of the muscles surrounding the patella that is due to weak quadriceps muscles/hip muscles, poor running form, bad shoes or over use. Well I knew that if I didn't change up my routine then this pain was going to persist and get worse. I did end up running 5 miles on Monday, but I ended up walking some, because I didn't want to push too hard. From Tuesday through Thursday I took time off. I spent Wednesday evening doing hip strengthening exercises for an hour. Then Friday morning I went water jogging. I found a community swim time at the Zionsville High school and headed over there to run in their deep end of the pool for 60 minutes. It was quite the work out and I think I am going to work water jogging into my routine. 

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If you aren't familiar with water jogging then here are some good articles: 

Latest Research from Runners Connect

Pool Running is Great Recovery 

Off the Deep End