energy

EIB awareness: Zero Regrets & No Excuses.

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It was the second day of January 2013 and I was laying on the couch, very ill w/ strep throat, watching “The Doctors” on TV.  Not really the start to 2013 that I was hoping for!  The show said, “Each day this week we will give you a tip on how to keep that New Year’s Resolution.”  I decided to DVR all the shows that week because I like to pass on tips to my clients and I like to learn all I can on how to help people stay motivated towards goals.

A couple of weeks later, in the LATE evening (when it’s finally peaceful in the house, kids sleeping, and all I can hear is my dog breathing as he sleeps beside me), I started watching the first show.  At the end, they announce that Apolo Ohno would be on the show Friday to reveal his diagnosis.  *GASP*  I am a HUGE Apolo fan and have been since he hit the scene for his first Olympics in 2002.  I respect everything he stands for:  he partakes in an exciting /drama filled sport & gives 100%, does NOT back down to competition, is the most decorated winter Olympian, is the face of speed skating, is a published author, promotes healthy eating & exercise, his father raised him & Apolo’s story is a good one of triumph over what could have been a kid turned ‘bad.’  Oh….and have you seen those quads and teeth?  *Dreamy*

Ok…. back to my blog…sorry, I got sidetracked.  🙂  I quickly skipped to Friday’s show where Apolo revealed he has a diagnosis of EIB.

What is EIB?    EIB is a temporary narrowing of the airways during or after exercise that can make it difficult to breathe. It can be triggered by breathing in air that is cooler and drier than the air in your lungs. EIB can affect people who have a range of fitness levels, from casual participants to elite athletes.

Symptoms of EIB may include:

•Shortness of breath

•Chest tightness

•Trouble getting a deep breath

•Wheezing or noisy breathing

•Coughing

•Decreased exercise endurance

While the symptoms are similar, EIB is different from asthma. EIB symptoms are set off only by exercise or aerobic activity like jogging or playing sports.

EIB is common—in fact, an estimated 30 million people in the United States have it. EIB is especially common in people who have asthma—80-90% of patients with asthma also have EIB—but you don’t have to have asthma to have EIB.

I thought….. I HAVE EIB!!  At the end of the segment, they announced a competition involving dinner with Apolo as the prize. So, right then, I went to my computer and completed the 3 essay questions at about 1am.  I submitted the essays and have now made it through hundreds of entries to the top 10 in the country!!!

As a fitness coach, I hear this all the time – “I get too short of breath when I exercise, so I don’t do it.”  AAAAhhhhh!!!  That’s an EXCUSE, because #1…you can train your body to breath easier with better strength and endurance and #2 …. you may have EIB and a simple rescue inhaler would help!

My son and I are of the 80-90% of people who are asthmatic and have EIB.   However, this does NOT give us an excuse not to exercise!  He is soon to be 9yrs. old and very active with Baseball, Soccer, Dodgeball, and now has started running 5K’s this spring with me.  I am very active with Running (completed first marathon in 2011, Volleyball, and working out in general).  I want to promote that EIB is no reason to be lazy!!!!  As someone who coaches individuals towards weight loss and better health, I would LOVE to be a spokesperson for EIB awareness!

Because I have been chosen as a finalist, I really want a platform to stand on in regards to teaching others about EIB.  Please help me become the WINNER of the competition and be that spokesperson.  As the winner, I also get flown to LA and have dinner with Apolo Ohno.  The prize is over $10,000!!!  Yes, here comes the plug >>>Please go to this site and vote for me …..Lisa: the ‘Fitness Focused Mom’ and help me win!!  http://www.eiballstars.com/finalist-bio.aspx?id=58

EIB allstars cover page for facebook

 

I also hope that this blog spreads like wildfire.  EIB is an important and easily treatable diagnosis.  If you feel you have EIB, I strongly urge you to see your doctor and get properly diagnosed.

Voting is UNLIMITED until May 10.  So, vote as many times as you can!  Thank you!!  

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…like PB & Jelly.

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PB Jelly
I was ill last week and had a hard time keeping much food down.  When I did get hungry, I found myself making a PB & Jelly sandwich.  It tasted wonderful and made me start to think about what a perfect combo it is.

When you think of a PB & Jelly sandwich, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  For me, it’s the memory of being a kid and swimming at my Aunt or Grandma’s pond on a hot summer day.  After a couple of hours of swimming, we would come home and eat PB & Jelly sandwiches.  To this day, after swimming, I crave one of those gooey sandwiches on super soft bread.

PB & Jelly is a perfect combo.  The nutty, pasty goodness of creamy PB with the sweet, cold fruit spread on soft bread.  It’s a childhood staple (before all the PB allergies emerged).  It’s so good, that it’s even used in language as a reference to 2 things perfectly fitting together ‘…like PB & Jelly.’ 

This is exactly how Nutrition & Exercise fit together also.  They blend perfectly with one another to create a strong, healthy body inside and out.  Think about it….not only are they both very important in a weight loss program, but in life in general.

Proper food choices are essential for our health – fighting against illness, disease, fatigue, emotions, weight gain, etc.  We need food to survive!  The food choices we make each day are a continuing choice.  Exercise is a 1x/day choice.  Therefore,  food choice makes up a lot of our daily decision-making.

If you only focus on your food choices, you will lose weight.  There’s no doubt about it.  Typically, if you lose significant weight, you will notice loose skin and find yourself wanting to be more active now that you actually can without all that weight!  This is where exercise comes into play.  It tones musculature and cont. to push the body through plateaus.

Exercise aids in prevention of injury, illness, mood swings, joint pain, and fatigue too!  It also helps with weight loss and changing the body composition from flabby to firm and sexy.  A nice little bicep/triceps combo is sexy….and shows the effort that a person has put into their own body…which leads to pride.

But, neither of these is as effective alone as they are together.  Nutrition and Exercise work so incredibly well together!

If you exercise often, but fill your body with junk, then your body is going to perform poorly, muscle soreness will hang on longer than typical (longer recovery post exercise), weight loss/toning will not be as rapid as it could be, and you won’t reap the benefits of exercise.  And, let’s be real…..if you are putting forth the effort of exercise, you want to see the results!!!  Nutrition fuels your workouts.

Often, my workout quality is related to what I have eaten recently.  Fill your body with junk, and it’s going to perform like junk.  Pre and post exercise nutrition is a whole other topic, but to be discussed another time.

So, just as PB & Jelly are perfectly matched for one another, the same can be said for Nutrition and Exercise.  They are each other’s perfect mate and complement one another creating a yummy goodness…..whether it’s a childhood memory, a tasteful treat, pride, or eye candy!

(Notice I never used the word, ’diet.’ I really dislike that word.  It has negative connotations associated with it and to me, ‘diet’ is temporary, but proper ‘nutrition’ is a lifestyle.)

Here’s an article on this topic.  Just more info!  🙂

http://www.livestrong.com/article/451983-the-importance-of-exercise-nutrition/

Nutrition + Exercise = Success.

PB + Jelly = A childhood memory for me. 🙂

Together…we are Better!

/ YourFitness-411 / 5 Comments

With any weight-loss goal, as many of you know, the biggest hurdle is KEEPING IT OFF!

I was doing great and only a few pounds away from my weight loss goal a few months ago.  Then, the holidays came and I was put on Prednisone because of an ulcerative colitis flare-up.  ** NO FUN!  **  This drug is a steroid which causes weight gain no matter how healthy you eat.  It’s water weight and I really dislike what it does to my body.  Well, pending on how long you are on it, it takes just that long for your body to return to normal weight.  I am just now getting back to ‘normal’ weight, but have gained a few pounds.  So, I am working hard to get it back off and hit that GOAL!  I’m on a mission and it’s gonna happen.  There is NO OTHER OPTION!  🙂 I’m only a couple pounds away from that point a few months ago.  Whew!!

I am saying this because it’s not only my battle now, but I also owe it to you to succeed. I’m an ordinary girl with an extraordinary fitness goal that I was so close to accomplishing, then it was taken out of my hands. But, I am healed now and ready to finally hit that goal!  The more followers/friends I have, the more empowered I feel.  The more I can teach you about health and fitness, the stronger the desire in me becomes to finally be able to post….ACCOMPLISHED!!!!  And to NEVER look back again!

I know how good it feels to be self confident in any article of clothing I put on my body.  I know the increased energy, the better sleep, and the toned muscles are worthwhile.  I LOVE the ‘strong’ look to the female body.  Anyone can be ‘skinny’ but it takes work to see muscle definition!!!  Serious work!  I LOVE pushing my body to the point where I think I cannot go one more .10 mile and then I run another 1/2 mile….that pride is fun!

While running the marathon, a little girl held a sign that said, “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever.”  🙂  That pushed me through.  (Surely, there will be a future blog with that as the title)!

We are all human.  We overeat, crave sweets, get lazy, fall into bad habits,think we need soda, etc.  But those of us who are strong can pick ourselves up and continue onward on this journey!  Join me, as I regain the sense of accomplishment and push forward towards my goal   There are some stubborn pounds ahead of me and having you along for the ride, in support of my progress, IS making me work a hell of a lot harder.  Let’s keep this ball rolling, and together, experience the good, bad, and the ugly… until the very last pound has been shed.  TOGETHER….WE ARE BETTER!

Please follow me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/YourFitnessInfo and let’s help push one another across the finish line.  ❤