Let me  preface by saying, I am not complaining.

It was 7o degrees today.

In northern Ohio.

In March.

Meteorologists spent the day debating the reasons why winter never really came, the role of global warming, and what this means for spring and summer months ahead.

Meanwhile, I went for a run and thought about none of the above – just, “ahhhh,” as I sunned my legs and arms for the first time since, um, a million days ago.  I don’t give a pig’s arse why it was warmer today than it was all of the days in May last year, combined. That was then, this is now, and I completely understand why people move south: BECAUSE WARMTH IS NICE! Snow at Christmas time is lovely. Any more than that is redundant.  Now that I’ve had a winter with a side dish of snow rather than as a main course, I actually think I could even handle it being a very small appetizer. Sorry snow – I guess you could say it just didn’t work out between us, and I’ve moved on.

Hello spring (wink, nodding), how you doin’?

After tripping over several abandoned pairs of running shoes on my way to the car this morning, it occurred to me I should do something with them other than tossing them in the path of people exiting the house. As luck would have it, I ran across a note I’d made in my blog folder (probably the last time I tripped over my old shoes): Soles4souls.org!  They will take your used shoes and pass them along to disaster victims.

Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey, started Soles4Souls after the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. His compulsion to “do something” has resulted in over 17 million pairs of shoes delivered to people in over 127 countries. How many times have you felt the same compulsion – to take action, lend a hand, make a difference – in some way, large or small? This is an inspirational example of how one person with the spark of an idea can accomplish great things.

For a list of frequently asked questions, including the types of shoes you can donate, the condition they need to be in, and where to send them, visit Soles4Souls FAQ.

Off to see how many pairs of shoes I can round up and send off.

You are what you eat, and when you eat poorly, your body knows. Oh boy, does it know, and if you exercise regularly, you may notice that your workouts aren’t up to par. Your energy levels, brain function, digestive system, and even your exercise performance react to the foods you eat. Assuming you want to get the most out of your workouts, optimal nutrition is key.

Food is the preferred source of vitamins and minerals, yet meeting your body’s daily nutritional needs can be challenging unless you eliminate the foods that provide no to little nutritional value. Calories are wasted on foods that contain sugar, or are too easily processed by the body, such as white breads, cakes, white rice, potatoes, soda pop, candy and other simple carbohydrates. If you eliminate a cookie, you have room for both a fruit and a vegetable. However, because life often dictates what we have time to prepare, or shop for, supplementation might be necessary to “fill in the gaps.” Not sure what to buy? Use my Healthy Shopping List the next time you go to the store.

In order to get the adequate number of nutrients, your diet should be well-rounded, include adequate calories to meet your daily energy needs, and include all of the food groups. This isn’t always easy, especially for busy moms who shuttle between home, work, their children’s activities, and their own activities. This scenario requires special attention. If you find yourself “grabbing and going” without much thought as to what foods you’re grabbing, try to pre-prepare healthy snacks that are at the ready when you are on the run. (Also, check out: Healthy Meals in Minutes)

Walkers, runners, cyclists, Zumba enthusiasts…no matter what your mode of exercise is, in order for the body to perform at its best, it needs quality nutrition. All of the B vitamins vitamin D, C and E, beta carotene, selenium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, and zinc should be included in your diet daily.

In addition, if you are training for a distance event, such as a half- or full-marathon? Paying extra attention to your nutritional needs will help propel you through the many weeks of intense training required to complete these events. Vitamins that specifically enhance exercise performance include vitamin D, B vitamins, and calcium.

• Quality protein is key to supporting the growth and repair of muscle tissue. Keep in mind, the typical American diet already contains nearly twice the daily requirement for protein, and consuming more than that provides no boost to your performance, may add stress to the kidneys. and may even result in calcium loss. http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Requirement.html

• Quality fats, such as mono- and poly-unsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, seeds, nuts, avocado, and fatty fish, for example, are important for the proper absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as providing energy for long-endurance events. Healthy fats also maintain cell membranes.

• Vitamin D helps fast-twitch muscle fibers multiply and grow, as well as assists in the support of bone health, immunity, muscle function, and inflammation. If you happen to live in a part of the country where the sun shines less for large chunks of time during parts of the year (as in Ohio, where I live), you may need to supplement.

• The B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folate, B6, niacin, and B12) help the body convert food to energy, repair muscle tissue, and help make new red blood cells.

• Vitamin D and calcium work together to develop and maintain bone tissue.

• Female athletes in particular may not consume enough calories on a daily basis to cover their need for calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. These minerals are found in animal products, therefore vegans and vegetarians are particularly at risk of being deficient in these minerals.

• Finally, proper fluid balance will maintain hydration before, during, and after exercise. Because sweat lost through physical activity can easily exceed 2-3 liters per hour, it is important to replenish fluids as soon as possible after exercising. You’ll know you are re-hydrated when your urine is pale yellow to clear.

• For more in depth nutritional counseling, it is always a good idea to visit a registered dietitian to discuss you current eating and exercise habits, as well as your training goals.

• Macronutrients are important too. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, provide the energy needed to sustain endurance-type activities (think running, cycling, swimming, and so on.)

Meeting your body’s nutritional needs, especially during times of intense physical training, can be difficult. Meeting with a registered dietician is a good idea if you know you aren’t acquiring specific nutrients, have dietary restrictions, or special health requirements. You can find a dietician near you by visiting, Eat Right

If you suffer from diabetes, you well know that exercise can and should be a part of the comprehensive treatment of both type I and type II diabetes. However, the potential for complications associated with diabetes often means that exercise is neglected, leading to inactivity. Inactivity, in turn, can further affect the complications of diabetes.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, relatively healthy persons with diabetes can engage in walking, jogging, cycling, cross-country skiing, and similar forms of aerobic activity for 20-60 minutes on 3-5 days per week, with exercise intensity ranging between 60-90% of max heart rate.  Recent research also indicates that regular resistance training may be beneficial for patients with diabetes. Therefore, including both cardiovascular and strength training exercise into a weekly fitness regimen may be beneficial for diabetes sufferers.

It is important to note that the possible glucose-altering effects of exercise make close monitoring of blood sugar before, during, and after exercise very important.  Because exercise makes the body more sensitive to the way the body responds to insulin, use of an insulin pump for individuals with type I diabetes is recommended in order to closely monitor blood sugar levels.

Before you begin an exercise program, it is important to get the okay from your physician and/or diabetes specialist.  Then, follow these tips to ensure that your exercise sessions are safe and effective.

1. Immediately  before exercising, test your glucose levels, then again during exercise (especially if you are just beginning a new program). You should re-check immediately after your session as well.
2. If your blood glucose level drops to less than 70 mg/dl or is higher than 250 mg/dl, and you know you have ketones in your urine, do not exercise. If blood glucose is 300 mg/dl or higher (regardless of the presence of ketones),  you should not exercise.
3. If you suffer from diabetes-related foot problems, make sure you were well-cushioned shoes and dry-wicking socks that keep moisture away from your feet.
4. Be aware that certain conditions associated with diabetes, such as autonomic neuropathy, neuropathy, or retinopathy, it is a good idea to seek your physician’s approval before beginning an exercise program. If you have one of these conditions and your physician gives you the go ahead to exercise, it is important that your trainer or exercise physiologist works closely with your physician, as there will likely me restrictions as to what activities you may participate in.
5. Know the warning signs of hypoglycemia: trembling or shaking, rapid heart rate, increased sweating, excessive hunger, headache, irritability and mood changes, impaired concentration, mental confusion, and drowsiness. Stop exercising if you experience any symptoms of low blood sugar and test blood glucose to confirm hypoglycemia.
6. If you are suffering from low blood glucose, eat or drink 10-15 g of simple sugar immediately to restore glucose levels. It is a good idea to keep foods such as raisins, hard candy, crackers, or boxed juice in your gym bag where it can be accessed easily, just in case you need it.
7. After replenishing your glucose, rest for 10-15 minutes before resuming any activity. This will allow the intestines time to absorb the glucose.
8. Continue to monitor blood glucose, preferably within 30-40 minutes of resuming exercise, if possible.
9. After exercise, replenish glucose immediately with complex carbohydrates.

[Sources: ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 4^th ed, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.

Exercise Physiology, 5^th ed, McArdle, Katch, and Katch, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001

IDEA Fitness Journal, Peggy Kraus, MA,  “Working with Diabetic Clients,” Nov-Dec 2007]

Stop reading the headline – I meant what I said.

At our house, we make mistakes. Really, big, messy ones sometimes. And you wanna know something really cool?  Wait for it…(knuckle in mouth)…they are usually helpful. Crazy, right? See, the thing about perfection is that it leads to all or nothing behavior. “I can’t ever miss a workout or I’ll fail,” leads to no working out at all. “I can’t eat that piece of cake or my plan to lose five pounds will be ruined,” turns into ditching the weight loss plan altogether, because eating cake won’t count as cheating if you’re not trying to lose weight. Am I right? But what if it is not only good to make some mistakes, but to make them often?

Mistakes are opportunities. Deep, I know. Mistakes are opportunities to learn.  In fact, I propose you make that same mistake twice, or three or four times. Make it until your plan is YOUR plan, because after trial and error time and again, you know what works, what doesn’t work, and how to overcome obstacles, get back on track, reevaluate, tweak, and become persistent. Making mistakes means you are trying. Multiple mistakes means you are continuing to try because you care, because you want success and you want to reach your goal, whatever that goal may be.

Finally, making mistakes reminds us that we are human. Everyone (seriously – everyone) makes mistakes, and I’m willing to bet that some of the most successful people on the planet made a lot of them before they reached their goals.