My Apologies

It has been really exciting around here but my health and happiness blog has suffered. I have great visions for this blog but right now I can not donate very much time to it. So for right now I am open to answer any questions that you have about health, fitness, over all wellness....ANYTHING.

I apologize for being so consumed with other things. I am looking forward to answering any of your questions. Thank you.

10k for Katie

First of all....can you run for 30 minutes without stopping? If you can't that should be your first goal. Once you have accomplished that you need to start putting in miles. Make sure you are aware of your time frame. For example, I have 12 weeks left until my marathon.

Second, each day you run, whether it is on a treadmill or running outside, log your distance in miles. At the end of each week tally up your total mileage. Start out at a lower goal like 5-10 miles that week and improve your miles each week. About 2 weeks before your race you should feel confident that you can run a 10k without stopping. You will be able to accomplish this by picking out one day a week during your training to do a longer run. Maybe for you it is only three miles to start out but if you keep doing it, you will in good shape to run a 10k.

I am really excited for you. A 10k is 6.21 miles and if you have about 4 weeks you should do just fine. When and where are you doing it?

And make sure to give yourself at least one rest day a week and drink lots of water. Good Luck and I hope to hear how it goes.

Answer to Mel's question...2000 cal and servings

Melanie- You are correct. The recommended serving size is based on a 2000 calorie diet, but that does not mean that the serving size loses its value in calories. For example, say a serving size of pretzels are 10 at 100 calories. Even though it is comparing it to a 2000 calorie diet, each pretzel is still 10 calories. If you are really stressing that it might be too many then cut back from the recommended amount. Like I mentioned before it is all about moderation and if you eat the 2000 calorie recommended amount, you will be fine. At the end of the day just make sure that you are not over your personal caloric intake.

Remember you should always make sure your are exerting as much as you are inserting. And be sure that you have a good balance. If you are really active you might need more than 2000 calories a day. And if you don't exercise as much you might want to be conscious of how many calories you put into your body perhaps 1600-1800 calories. Just don't forget to fuel the machine(body).

Sneaky Calories

Have you ever paid attention to how much you eat of something? My friend Christina always says, “You can eat whatever you want as long as it is in moderation.” She is on the right track. Calories have their way of sneaking into your diet. Although it is ultimately our fault, you can’t help but miscount the portions and moderations. For example, the amount of salad dressing you put on your salad. Do you really measure it? Or bread served at an Italian restaurant, do you only limit yourself one? Two? Three? And the big one, Chips and Salsa! Do you notice the sneaky calories you’ve consumed before the big bean burro enchilada style?

My advice: Don’t deny yourself the good stuff, be conscious of how much you eat. Salad dressing??? Have it served in a side dish and dip your salad into the dressing. Bread??? Eat it slow and watch the butter, same with the chips and salsa.

Try to be aware of the amount of "Fun" foods that you put into your body.