Slim People in Progress

Too many points to count!

Yesterday after an 8.5 mile run (my legs are so tired today!), my running mates and I had a belated birthday celebration. We all love waffles and Bonnie made me a waffle cake. It was a sight to behold.

3 layers of waffles with vanilla pudding and cinnamon in between. Topped with whipped cream, walnuts and a cherry on top. Who knows how many points, but it was delicious.  Sounded weird, but it was good.

Vitamin D3 - 5 Reasons You may need More

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.

Reason two - The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for Vitamin D was set too low.  Recent research has shown that Vitamin D is not nearly as toxic as it was thought to be when the RDI was established. Above 40,000 IU per day (international units - 40IU= 1microgram, a micro gram is 1/1,000,000th of a gram) of Vitamin D may be toxic. Though you could probably consume 10,000IU per day, 1000 IU should be sufficient to meet all your needs. (Ask your health care provider.)

Run Like a Girl was Tough

Yesterday, a couple of my running mates and I participated in the Run Like a Girl 8K Trail run in Pasadena behind the Rose Bowl. The race started at 8:00 a.m. and I think it must have been 90 degrees at that point. Running in the heat is really hard. And when you add hills to that, yikes!

I was well hydrated but I still had to do a lot of walking.  Especially when I saw the hill...it's hard to see in the picture but there is a line of little specks in the distance and that's 1000 women going up a hill.  Here we are, going down the hill...

My time wasn't very good - 1:11:38 - for 5.4 miles. That's a pace of 13:28 and my usual pace is about 11:58. So you can see the sun and hills slowed me down.

There were a couple of casualties on the run. Saw a couple of women pass out from the heat. Fortunately the paramedics were close by.

Here are a couple of more post-race pictures of my running buds Jan and Stephanie. Note my cell phone is not the best camera.

Nike 100 Mile Run Club

Just have to shout out one of my latest milestones...I logged over 100 running miles in the course of about 3 months and earned my Nike 100 Mile Run Club t-shirt.  Yeah! It's not  the most flattering picture (I'm hot and no makeup) but I wanted to prove I got the shirt!

It took me 3 months because I only run 3-5 miles a couple of times per week. But, I did it.  Of course I haven't stopped running.  Did 3 miles at a Nike run last night, but it was hot!  Doing a 5 mile trail run in Pasadena on Sunday: Run Like a Girl. A portion of the proceeds from the registration fee goes to benefit the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation.

Weight Loss and Heart Health

It’s no surprise that obesity is one of the key risk factors when it comes to heart disease. Maintaining a healthy weight goes a long way toward reducing your risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. And as I know you already know, making healthy changes to your diet, exercise routine and overall lifestyle are critical to prevention.

All we have to do is look at Tim Russert, media powerhouse, to see how even someone with access to the highest quality healthcare can be at risk. But the real question is, what will inspire you or people you love to really take your weight and heart health seriously? I believe one of the most important factors is desire. You have to WANT to be heart healthy for compelling reasons – to be able to play with your grandchildren, travel to places you’ve always dreamed or fulfill a lifelong dream. You have to tune into how your weight and heart health are connected and why it’s important for you to take such great care of your heart.

One thing I’m passionate about is helping women take exquisite care of their hearts and health. Although heart disease is the number one killer of men and women, women often aren’t aware they’re at risk or don’t understand that their heart attack symptoms can differ from men.  Prevention is all about education and action. That’s why I created the Take Your Health To Heart Challenge to inspire 1 million women to get into action and increase their knowledge. It’s fun and simple and doesn’t cost a thing. I encourage you to sign up today .

What’s your strategy to balance weight loss and heart health? Share your thoughts, I’d love to know what you’re up to.