SparkPeople Member and Certified Running Coach
Nancy Howard has a degree in nursing. Her mission is to help others learn the process of living a healthy lifestyle and to let them know it is never too late to start. An avid runner, Nancy has competed in more than 100 road races since 2006, including 12 half marathons and Hood to Coast Relay--the largest in North America. She has lost 80 pounds--and kept it off--since joining SparkPeople in 2005. In 2009, she achieved two amazing goals: She became a Runners Club of America Certified Running Coach and ran the Chicago Marathon. She wants to inspire the world and let everyone know you don’t have to be an Olympian to run.
Read More of 's Blogs:
Running Inconveniences Part 1
In recent years running has seen a huge resurgence for those of looking to reclaim their health and meet new goals. But what happens when you are forced to forgo your running due to an inconvenience caused in your training. It can leave many runners sidelined and frustrated; however by taking a few precautions early on hopefully you can prevent these so-called minor inconveniences from turning into bigger ones down the road.
Blisters
Blisters are one of the most common running inconveniences especially as a runner increases his/her mileage. They are primarily seen on the soles of the feet and the toes, but they can actually occur anywhere on the foot. And while they may be a minor inconvenience for some, for others they can literally be so painful they can keep you from running.
Posted 5/19/2010 4:00:00 PM By: : 70 comments 34,080 views
Ten New Best Member Blogs
It’s a Start
2nd Attempt at blog
Before and After Photos 385 to 295
Achieving the Impossible! Indy 500 Half Marathon Race Report
How Spark Has Changed My Life
Posted 5/14/2010 5:15:53 PM By: : 8 comments 17,921 views
Wake Up America, We Need to Get Healthy!
So I must have been in a fog last month when Men’s Health Magazine released its top 100 list of the fattest cities in the United States for 2010. Sadly my home state of Texas had four of the top 10 fattest cities in the United States, with Dallas, of which I live in a suburb of, coming in at number four.
According to the magazine, the rankings were based on the percentage of overweight people, those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the fitness levels of the residents, how much money was spent on junk food, and the number of people who ate fast food nine or more times in one month.
I should not be surprised anymore, however, it does ring a bit of truth. This past weekend I decided to conduct my own little experiment as to the number of fast food eateries and parks that are within a five mile radius of my home. The city in which I live has a population that well exceeds 200,000 residents, but I was still shocked to discover the following facts:
Posted 5/12/2010 3:00:00 PM By: : 120 comments 22,828 views
Celebrate Exercise is Medicine Month
The American College of Sports Medicine declared May as Exercise is Medicine month. The idea is for physicians and other health care providers to take time to educate their patients regarding the benefits of exercise, in addition to recommending activity to their patients as part of their treatment plan.
While participating in exercise is not a guarantee in protecting us from disease, studies have shown that it may prevent heart disease, some cancers and other chronic conditions such as osteoporosis. Not only does exercise keep our bodies more physically fit, but there are huge psychological benefits as well. Exercise can even help us cope more efficiently in times of stress.
Posted 5/8/2010 11:00:00 AM By: : 78 comments 16,240 views
Childhood Obesity Rates Higher in the South
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity rates increased from 2000 to 2010, reaching its highest rate at 15.9 percent in 2010. While overall prevalance decreased to 14.5 between 2010 and 2014, there is still significant work that must be done to combat the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States.
Dr. Gopal K. Singh, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Health Resources and Services Administration analyzed results of National Survey of Children's Health Data conducted in 2003 and 2007. They reported that almost 50 percent of all children nationwide are now classified as overweight (31.6 percent) or obese (16.4 percent) with the largest percentage coming from southern states, such as Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.
Posted 5/5/2010 3:00:00 PM By: : 62 comments 20,133 views
Hands-Only CPR: Saving a Life Becomes Easier
When I received my CPR recertification last June my instructor recounted an incident she had heard about from a former student regarding the reality of those who may be too frightened to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (AKA CPR). We may know what to do, but what happens when it is time to implement the measures should someone collapse in our presence. The story has a tragic ending, however, it is a lesson we all can learn from.
A few years ago a gentleman at a local road race collapsed and suffered a heart attack while on the course and even though people stopped to help, no one administered CPR. The bystanders called 911 and made sure the man was comfortable, but sadly that was as far as the help went. By the time the first responders arrived at the scene the gentleman was deceased.
Unfortunately this isn't an isolated story. People are often too fearful of implementing a technique they only practiced on mannequins. And when it comes time to put this to the test, fear of doing further harm can stand in the way of helping another human being.
Posted 4/28/2010 3:40:51 PM By: : 126 comments 26,506 views
Bring Your Walking Shoes to Work on Wednesday
How many of you use your lunch break to go out to eat with your co-workers, run errands, get your hair done or even catch up on some much needed work?
What if you took a little time away from your desk to lace up your shoes to go on a nice walk with your co-workers?
On Wednesday, April 28th people across the United States and Puerto Rico are being encouraged to use their lunch break to celebrate the 4th Annual National Walk @ Lunch Day by using this time to walk--to just get up and move. In a world where time is a premium, we must learn new ways of integrating activity into our day and this may very well be a start.
Posted 4/24/2010 12:00:00 PM By: : 182 comments 24,946 views
April is National Cancer Control Month
According to the American Cancer Society more than 1.4 million people this year will hear these dreaded words, "You have cancer" and every day 1,500 people will succumb to various forms of this disease. If there is one positive light to having cancer today, survival rates have increased almost 15% in the past 25 or so years based on data released last year by the American Cancer Society. The reason-- earlier diagnosis and better treatments.
Sadly though, many of us have been touched by at least one person in our lifetime who has battled some form of cancer. In 2005, the American Cancer Society released information stating that cancer surpassed heart disease as number one cause of death in people under the age of 85. And if the trend continues, according to the World Health Organization cancer could potentially affect 15 million people worldwide by 2020, only 10 short years from now.
Posted 4/21/2010 4:41:21 PM By: : 76 comments 19,417 views
Chocolate: A Little Goes a Long Way to Help Prevent Heart Disease
Chocolate--just saying the word can trigger a craving like nothing else. However, I must confess, for the past two years that hasn't been a big issue for me because every night I have what I like to call my anti-oxidant cocktail. This cocktail consists of one ounce of 70% Lindt dark chocolate with two tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Not only do I enjoy my little treat every evening, these foods contain polyphenols, or chemicals found in plants that can offset free radicals in our bodies, which may help prevent many diseases.
Having been diagnosed with hypertension 6 years and 80 pounds ago, I thought that once I lost the weight and started a consistent exercise routine I would be able to stop my anti-hypertensive medication, but that has not been the case. So I decided to look into other avenues to help keep my risk for developing heart disease low.
Posted 4/14/2010 3:51:02 PM By: : 179 comments 24,340 views
Confession: Patience is a Virtue I Am Still Working On
Last week I was in line at my credit union when the gentleman in front of me, who was not a member, was trying to cash a check. Because of the situation it was taking the teller forever to take care of all the paperwork required. She was the only one working and with each passing minute my patience was wearing thin. I had so many more errands to run and I needed to be home by 2 p.m. for an important phone call from my father-in-law's doctor and all I could do was wait. I had no choice but to wait, but I will say it was one of those ultimate tests in patience, that's for sure.
I recently read that impatience is due to our lack of control of the situation we find ourselves in, therefore when we are confronted with a situation in which we have no control our patience is definitely being put to the test.
Posted 4/10/2010 11:53:22 AM By: : 174 comments 24,638 views
Broken Hearts Can Be Mended
How many of you have watched a movie or TV show where one of the characters, who has experienced a stressful situation in her life, suffers from what appears to be a classic heart attack but isn't? While this may sound a little farfetched, doctors are beginning to recognize a condition that mimics a heart attack, but after further testing there is little or no sign of cardiovascular disease. Doctors refer to this condition as stress cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome. In all my years in nursing and reading up on health matters I have never heard of this syndrome before, until I came across an article in the Spring 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Heart-Healthy Living Magazine.
After doing my own research, I discovered that broken heart syndrome can mimic a true heart attack but does not cause death or irreversible damage to the heart like a classic heart attack can. However, the two conditions can be difficult to differentiate when a patient presents to the emergency room with chest pains, shortness of breath, nausea and in some cases even heart stoppage.
Posted 4/7/2010 2:56:28 PM By: : 118 comments 37,050 views
Flip-Flops May Not Be So Bad After All
Last spring I wrote a blog about my obsession with my beloved flip-flops. With the exception of a few months during the winter, flip-flops are my primary spring, summer and fall shoe staple. I wear them almost every day, the only exception is when I am running or attending an event that requires closed toe shoes.
Flip-flops are notorious for receiving a bad rap from the medical community due to their flimsy construction and lack of arch support. In a recent study conducted by Chicago's Rush University Medical Center published in the February 2010 online journal Arthritis Care & Research flip-flops may actually be a better choice of footwear for individuals with are suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee .
Posted 3/31/2010 4:00:00 PM By: : 187 comments 29,445 views
Tracking Your Numbers
I can’t tell you how many times after I started my own healthy living journey I would step on the scale and the minute the number was not what I expected my motivation began to falter. For me, the scale became the be-all-end-all to my success. However, having vowed that I would never diet again, I looked to other benchmarks to help me measure my success.
If you do not currently track these numbers, now may be the time to do so, especially when you are struggling to get those last few pounds off.
Posted 3/24/2010 5:00:00 PM By: : 103 comments 34,917 views
Two Inspiring SparkPeople Members Take on Walking Events
At the end of February I had the pleasure of participating in the Mardi Gras Marathon and Half-marathon in New Orleans with fourteen other SparkPeople members. While many of us participating were runners, two members, RELLIMTENAJ (AKA Janet, at right in the photo) and Boopster69 (AKA Betty, at left in the photo) walked this great event. And if you think finishing a half-marathon walking isn’t worthy of praise, I hope after reading this blog it will inspire you to take on the challenge of living your dream. These two women are an inspiration, not only to me, but to all of us who had the honor to meet these two phenomenal ladies.
Posted 3/20/2010 1:00:48 PM By: : 121 comments 24,975 views
7 Tips to Make Your Race Day Better
In less than three weeks I will be celebrating my 4th anniversary of when I took on the challenge to become a runner. I actually began training eight weeks prior to this date, but I use my first 5K race I ever participated in as my running anniversary date. The reason, I never really considered myself a runner until I ran my first race. Looking back I know differently, but trust me, I can remember the day like it was yesterday.
During the past 48 months I have learned a few lessons about racing, having tackled every distance from the mile to the marathon. Below are some tips I have practiced along the way that may help make your race day a little less nerve wracking.
Posted 3/17/2010 3:00:00 PM By: : 135 comments 48,386 views
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