March is Deep Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month

This month marks the 7th annual Deep Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month. The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis is working diligently to make more people aware of this potentially life-threatening condition.

While many of us are unfamiliar with the complications involving deep-vein thrombosis, each year almost 2 million people are afflicted with this condition and of that number 300,000 succumb to a more serious side effect known as a pulmonary embolism. By making the public aware of the risks and symptoms of this condition, treatment can be sought early enough to prevent further complications.

So what exactly is a deep-vein thrombosis?

Who Dat Sparkers Take on the Mardi Gras Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon

Wow, what an incredible weekend it was spending time in New Orleans with fourteen SparkPeople Members and their friends and family. You cannot even begin to imagine the excitement we were all experiencing as we made our trek from all over the country and Canada to finally have the wonderful opportunity to meet. Trust me when I say this, but it was like coming home to a big family reunion. There was an instant connection we all felt the minute we said our 'hellos'.

SparkPeople Members Take on New Orleans

Late last summer a few members on the Road Runners SparkTeam started chatting on the threads about doing the Mardi Gras Rock 'N Roll Half-Marathon and Marathon in New Orleans on February 28th. My co-leader of the team, Gail (AKA Rhynic) was one of the those members talking about making the trek from Nova Scotia to New Orleans. She and her dear friend Tammy (AKA TamTam64) made plans to run this race together with their husbands.

Once I heard they would be doing this race-- and since this was probably the closest-distance wise-Gail and I would be (I live in Texas, she in Canada), I too, jumped at the opportunity to join my pals. Before Tammy and Gail knew it, they had members traveling from Alaska, California, New York, Toronto, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado and Virginia. They even had a local Louisianan and a SparkPeople Member from Illinois make arrangements to come to New Orleans to cheer us all on.

I have had the honor to meet a few of the SparkPeople Members at our conventions in San Diego and Cincinnati, but this will be the first time we will all be running/walking 13.1 miles or 26.2 together as a SparkTeam. Because this is about our team, I asked our members if they would be willing to share their thoughts about their trip. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Runners Are Being Urged to Limit Caffeine Consumption

A few years ago you could pick up almost any running or fitness magazine and read about the benefits of consuming caffeine prior to running or exercising. Runners, just like many of you, like to take a swig of their favorite caffeinated beverage before they leave for their morning run. In fact, it's not too uncommon to see runners just before a race downing an extra tall cup of joe before the horn blows. After all, studies have shown that drinking a little caffeine can actually give us some benefit by slowing down the rate of fatigue, keeping us more alert and it may even help ease the pain caused from exercise induced muscle soreness.

However, the running world is being warned about the dangers of consuming too much caffeine before and during a long distance run or race. Doing so can actually have fatal or debilitating consequences, primarily for the longer distance runners who consume caffeinated beverages and then use caffeine based gels, gus or jelly beans as a refueling source during their races or training runs.

Running Quiz: How Much Do You Know-Part 2

I have been told that my running first quiz was a little too easy for some of you, therefore I have been given a challenge from a Spark member and fellow runner to see if I can put together a little more exciting and daring quiz. So here goes...GOOD LUCK!

1. The only purpose for speed work is to make you a faster runner.
   
   
2. The hard/easy approach is the what will allow you to become a better runner.
   
   
3. A good bench mark on how you will do in longer races is to use the finishing times in shorter races.
   
   
4. One of the most important pieces of equipment a runner should own, after a good pair of shoes, is a heart rate monitor.
   
   
5. An increase in your resting heart rate is a sign that you are making progress.
   
   
6. If you are a new runner running at least 10 miles a week, you can run a marathon within 4 months with proper training.
   
   
7. Cardiac creep is the obnoxious runner next to you at a race who insists he's going to finish first in his age division.
   
   
8. A bandit is someone who likes to run races, but refuses to pay for them.
   
   
9. Piriformis syndrome is a pain in the bum, literally.
   
   
10. Runners should always run with the flow of traffic.

Go Red for Women on Friday, February 5th

I've never really thought of myself as having heart disease until early last year when I wrote a blog about the Go Red for Women campaign. A few months earlier my doctor mentioned how proud she was of me that I had been able to keep my heart disease in check. What--me, Nancy Howard have heart disease even with all the changes I have made?

Wait a minute, in the course of 5 years I have dropped 80 pounds and kept it off. My diet is the healthiest it's ever been in my entire life. I am a faithful runner/gym goer pounding the pavement at least 5 days every week and I still fall in the heart disease category?

I should not be too surprised as there is a strong family history on both my maternal and paternal side, but the stigma remains with me. I know my health is what it is, but it still makes me wonder if I will ever be able to accept this fate.

Coping with a Loved One’s Diagnosis

A few months ago I wrote a blog on how to cope when caring for aging parents; little did I know then that this was just the beginning of a new set of challenges. Last month my mother-in-law called me on a Tuesday morning complaining of a mass in her abdomen. She was not experiencing any pain, discomfort or any other symptoms, but as a former Registered Nurse, this was something we could not ignore.

Hand-washing Is Still the Best Way to Prevent Illness

With the recent outbreak of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus and now with seasonal flu just beginning to appear, hand-washing is still considered to be one of the most effective means of preventing the spread of disease. Strangely enough, how a simple act of washing our hands for 20 seconds with good ol’ soap and water can do wonders to keep us all healthy.

Having recently spent some time in the hospital with my Dad after his hip replacement surgery, the one common denominator on all patients’ doors was the sign encouraging hand-washing by every person entering and leaving the room. If you preferred not to wash your hands, anti-septic foam dispensers were found just inside the door. These dispensers are commonplace in many doctor’s offices these days, as well as retirement homes. Have you noticed too, that retail stores, banks, and even some fast food restaurants have resorted to keeping a bottle of alcohol based gel on the counter?

My 2010 Goals: What Are Yours?

It's hard to believe we are almost 2 weeks into 2010. This blog is coming a little late since we have been undergoing quite an ordeal in the Howard Household. My Mother-in-law was diagnosed with liver cancer only 3 days before Christmas, so for the past 3 weeks we have been working frantically to set her up with hospice while making sure all her affairs are in order.

Even though it seems I have a lot on my plate right now, I did not fail to make some goals to strive for this year. Goals are such an integral part in keeping on this journey I call healthy living, so be prepared--here goes...

The Changes I Made in 2009

I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, however that does not mean I don't like to set goals for myself. In fact, when you read Chris Downie's book, "The Spark", you will gain a deeper understanding as to the importance goal-setting has in our lives--not just in losing weight and getting fit, but changing how we live and who we are meant to be. In other words, when we accomplish success in one area of our lives, many times it pervades in other areas of our lives, he calls this The Crisscross Effect. How cool is that?

Conquering Life's Mountain

Now that Christmas and Chanukah are behind us, many of us are starting to focus on the new year just a few short days away. This is a time of year when we all vow to purge unhealthy habits and replace them with healthier ones. There is something about having the opportunity to have a fresh start--to leave the past behind us and move onto the future.

Four years ago today, I joined SparkPeople as a member, just like you. During the past 48 months I have literally transformed my life, not just for my health's sake, but in developing the confidence to go out on a limb and take risks--risks that once paralyzed me.

For many, many years I allowed my weight to define me as a person. I believed that others judged me by my size and while that may not have been the case, I believed it. In other words, I put up walls around me that kept me from reaching out. I did not have the confidence to embrace the joys of life.

Prolonged Sitting May Increase Your Risk for Premature Death and Disease

Many of us have jobs that require us to sit for countless hours every day at our desk working on the computer or doing other paperwork. And sitting usually does not stop there. We sit in the car on the drive home from work, eating our meals, and of course who doesn't come home from a busy day only to plop down on the sofa to relax, read and watch T.V. In a article published in the November 2009 issue of Women's Health Magazine, the average American spends 56 hours per week sitting--the equivalent of 2 full days per week and then some.

How does all this sitting affect our health?

Prolonged sitting may be leading us down the road to poor health. Sitting may also be a contributing factor to the increase in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. According to a study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, sitting for extended periods of time may increase our risk of premature death, not to mention an increase in disease.

It Is in Giving That We Receive Happiness

For many of us this time of year brings the opportunity to help others. I am a true believer that when we give our time, talent or treasure to others we truly receive one of the greatest blessings in life. Giving back or helping those in need is what connects us to others and makes us happy and studies are proving this to be the case. It is truly what living is meant to be.

In just a few short days I will be celebrating my 4 year SparkVersary which means I have spent countless hours perusing the message boards. Over the course of four years I have seen complete strangers reach out to help others and what an amazing event it is to witness. Friendships are made and solidified as our members connect. And who can better to relate to our situation than others who have walked in similar shoes.

Confessions of a Former Diet Coke Addict

There were lots of foods and drinks that came quite easy for me to give up when I started this journey, with one exception--DIET COKE. I had always been a big fan of diet drinks from way back in the days when TAB and Fresca were considered the quintessential diet drinks. But that all changed in July 1982 when Diet Coke hit the stores shelves-- from that point on, I was hooked.

I was not a big coffee drinker in college. Keep in mind I grew up in the pre-Starbucks, pre-coffee house age. Coffee was coffee. Of course you could choose between decaf and regular coffee, and if you wanted to add a hint of cinnamon or hazelnut, you could indulge in a little smidgen of flavored non-dairy creamer. So in order to meet my caffeine requirements for studying I would drink my beloved Diet Coke.

I would have a Diet Coke early in the morning and throughout the day. I would occasionally drink water, but once again, bottled water was not the norm in vending machines at the time. When I became pregnant in 1987 I did give it up. There was something about not knowing how aspartame would affect my pregnancy. Sadly though on the way home from the hospital I had my husband stop by our local McDonald's to pick up a Diet Coke.

To Stretch or Not to Stretch, the Debate Continues

As a runner I have always had a stretching routine, however only after I am done with my runs, but not always. I have never stretched before my runs. I always start my runs with a brisk walk or nice slow jog for 5-10 minutes before I get into the meat of my run. This is a practice I have adhered to since I took up running almost 4 years ago and something that I do not plan on changing anytime soon.

The subject of stretching brings up varied responses from athlete to athlete, coach to coach, even exercise physiologist to exercise physiologist--a subject that does not seem to have a right or wrong answer. As diverse as we are as individuals, same is true for how we approach the subject of stretching. In other words, "we are all an experiment of one" consequently, what works best for me may or may not work well for you.