Salsa and Soul Blog

Exercise does not have to be strenuous. Walking is a great way to get the heart rate slightly elevated, help tone the body, and burn calories. Try taking brisk walks 4 or 5 days a week.

Drink plenty of water for optimal health. Did you know you can loose or maintain weight by drinking water? Try drinking a glass first thing every morning and before eating each meal. The benefits range from detoxing your body, to better skin, to weight loss.

Believe it or not, skipping breakfast can contribute to weight-gain. An hour or two after waking up you should “break” your “fast”, with a nutritional, low fat, low sugar, preferrably high fiber, breakfast.

Consider portions when eating; i.e. 1/2 bagel 3″ in diameter is 1 (1 oz) serving according to the Pyramid servings from the Dietary Guidelines. A bagel you may choose or be served today may be 4-1/2″ in diameter (4 oz) and approximately 4 pyramid serving sizes.

Use strategy instead of depending on willpower to help you achieve and obtain a healthy weight. One such strategy is avoiding situations where you are tempted, like stocking your pantry with fruits and vegetables instead of junk foods. Another is to allow yourself to have a small portion of non-nutritional items one or two times a week.

All carbohydrates are chains of sugar that are converted to glucose when they are digested. Glycemic Index measures how quickly blood sugar levels are raised after ingesting a particular carbohydrate. Peanuts, milk, apples, for example, have lower glycemic index value than instant rice, baked potato, and carrots.

I am pretty sore, but I feel good!

1:00am. 2:00am. 3:00am. Cannot sleep well. On starting line at 6am. Feel good. Mile 19; don’t feel so good. Stitches (cramp) on right side of abdominals. Breathing through it, keeping pace. Mile 22. Hit the wall! Have to slow down. Disappointed realizing I cannot continue pace. I will not finish in 4:30. Know I will complete race. In last mile picking up pace again. Overwhelming feeling as finish line is in view. Finished unofficial 4:40! AWESOME, I did it!!

Major sinus headache! Teach morning classes, then back to bed for me. I am confident with God’s help, I will be ready to go tomorrow.

I ran 3 miles Tuesday. I may run 2 miles today. That will be about it. I am taking a trip to the convention center today to pick up the remainder of my race packet and check out the booths. I will talk to Monika, another fitness instructor, who ran her first marathon last week in St. Augustine. I was even hyped for HER run, (GO MONIKA!!!), so I am really trying to stay calm as Sunday approaches.