Slim People in Progress

American Diabetes Alert Day

Via Sugar Shock Blog, I learned that Tuesday, March 25 is  the 20th Annual American Diabetes Alert Day. When it comes to diabetes, it's vital to get exercise and maintain a healthy weight. A friend of mine with diabetes recently re-joined Weight Watchers.  She also walks several times a week.  And, now within just a few weeks, her doctor has taken her OFF her diabetes medication. That's amazing and it's so exciting for me to see her results. Even a little bit can make a big difference.

This is from the Weight Watchers research info:

A different kind of point system

      I shop at a local Harris Teeter. I used to shop at a lower priced market until we had a hurricane here and my food store closed and did not reopen for over a week.

The Harris Teeter store here gave away perishables, brought in ice and water daily and gave them away. They brought customers into the store, escorted them through the darkened isles by an employee who hand calculated the order and took their money.

I became a loyal fan then and have remained one since. I don't think they are perfect but the company was a friend when everyone in my neighborhood was without power, water and basic necessities for a week.

Why am I blogging about this? 

Running still a struggle

Getting back into running shape after a few months of being a walker while letting my calf heal, is proving to be more arduous than I expected. I'm getting out about 3 times per week, but I can't seem to muster much more than 3 miles and that's with some walking thrown in.

I have learned that to get my best workouts I have to either be talking to one of my running mates or listening to a podcast -- usually catching up on business teleseminars I don't have time for during the week. When I run alone, which is often since I haven't caught up with my mates yet, I give up a little bit more readily and slow to a walk more often.

On Wednesday nights I meet a friend for a Nike Run Club run.  She's definitely faster and has better endurance but she hangs back a bit so I can stay with her. We always have stuff to talk about and that helps me keep up with her. Of course there's always dinner at Loteria to look forward to after the run -- the best papas con rajas tacos in Los Angeles!

I did get a really cool gadget -- a Garmin Forerunner 301.

The 301 unit continuously monitors heart rate, speed, distance, pace, and calories burned. A heart rate zone chart, included with the manual, helps you target specific heart rate zones for optimal training. The unit's built-in alerts help you maintain those heart rate zones.

For a semi-geek like me, this is so cool. I know my pace at all times and I know exact distance run. Now I have detailed maps and stats for my runs and I'm keeping notes about weather, how I felt, what shoes I wore, and who I ran with.

So I guess I need my friends and my gadgets to motivate me!

America's Worst Foods

Men's Health Magazine has a list of the 20 worst foods to order in a restaurant in America. KNBC4 Los Angeles has created a slide show of the foods along with the calorie counts.  If this doesn't stop you from eating these foods, I don't know what will. Thankfully, none are on my list of "must-have" foods!

Check out the 20 Worst Foods in America.

5 Reasons You may need more Vitamin D3

Reason number one - you need adequate sunshine on enough of your skin to produce Vitamin D. If you live in a northern latitude, work long hours, avoid sun to avoid skin cancer risk, or have pigmented skin you probably need to supplement.