10.10.10 Breast Cancer Awareness

I’m not sure what happened to September.  One day it was Labor Day and then the next thing I know, it’s October 1st.  Although this post is 10 days late, I figured, it’s  better late than never.  Breast cancer awareness is too important of a topic to allow another month skip by without sharing more information.

I love that everywhere we go, we see different organizations supporting the cause-from the NFL hot pink gear, to the various walks/runs around the Nation, to even your everyday purchases of things like groceries and nail polish.  One thing that we all need to remember is that in addition to the money raised for finding a cure, one of our best defenses against breast cancer is early detection.  Monthly self-exams are key to early detection and the earlier you can detect any issue, the better your chances for treatment/recovery.  As I was reading up on the topic, I found a few more symptoms that I wanted to share.  Self exams are not just about seeing if there are any lumps, but you should check for all of the following:

• Any new, hard lump or thickening in any part of the breast
• Change in breast size or shape
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin
• Swelling, redness or warmth that does not go away
• Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle
• Pulling in of the nipple
• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and appears only in one breast
• An itchy, sore or scaling area on one nipple

More information can be found at www.nbcam.org.

SMART Goals

I recently joined a Women’s Investment group through my church and at our first meeting we all had to write down our personal goals.  Our goals needed to be SMART Goals.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.  SMART can be applied to any goal whether it be related to your finances, career or health/fitness level.

Here’s an example for Weight-loss:

My goal is to be at a healthy weight for my age and height.  In order to meet this, I must lose 10 pounds over the next 10 weeks by exercising 5 times a week and limiting by caloric intake to 1500 calories.

Specific– Explain What and Why versus “My goal is to lose weight”

Measurable– 10 pounds

Attainable– Exercising 5x/week and monitoring diet. Calories IN< Calories OUT

Realistic– Averages out to 1 pound/week (versus 5 pounds in a week)

Timely– 10 weeks

We can all benefit from setting and working toward SMART Goals!

Sports Sound Off

I’ve been completely consumed by ESPN/SportsCenter the past few weeks.  There is just too much going on right now and lucky for us we should have an exciting summer:

NBA Finals coming down to game 7 and between the Lakers and Celtics (surprise!)  I have not been a big fan of the NBA since the strike, when I was a Knicks fan (John Starks days;)  This may be the first time I’ve watched the entire playoff series post-strike so I guess the NBA’s strategy to hand-pick the “classic” teams to boost ratings is working.  Regardless of ratings, I still hold steady on my one and done playoffs/finals-there are too many games and the majority are completely bogus because there is always another.  Butler didn’t have another game to compensate for that missed half-court shot.  Hank Baskett didn’t have another game to try to catch that onside kick.  I’m just saying…

Lebron James  and all other free agents-Seriously, who would have thought there would be campaigns around getting a player to come to certain cities?!?  It’s crazy, but I like it.  NYC has started the full-court press and is going after what they want.  It’s a great example of the love a great personality can get you.  It will be interesting to see where everyone ends up after Lebron makes his decision.

World Cup!  I’m addicted-although I have stopped short of waking up at 4am PT to watch the first match of the day.  I ♥ the ESPN FIFA iPhone app-not only does it give you the real-time scores, but it also has a run down by team, player and group.  Looking forward to Slovenia/USA and Brazil/Cote d’Ivoire this weekend.

NCAA Football conference shakeups: PAC-10 pulling in additional schools and the Big 12 doing who knows what and we can’t forget about USC bowl game suspensions (wow!), at least they are allowing the juniors and seniors to transfer without sitting out a year.

Last but not least… 77 days until Ohio State Football season begins.  Go Bucks!

June 2-National Running Day

Image from http://www.runningday.org/

Mark your calendars for next Wednesday, June 2 to hit the streets and run for National Running Day.  No need to register or pay a fee for anything, just get a friend or group together to hit the streets for a run.  Doesn’t matter how long or short, that is completely up to you.

Some races are currently forming and you can also create your own on the National Running Day website www.runningday.org.  Also, visit to learn more about the Day, the Vision and their 7 reasons why you should run.

There currently aren’t any events setup for Los Angeles, so if you are interested in getting a group together, let me know.

21 Day Challenge!

According to experts, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so I challenged myself to 21 days of Bikram Yoga in addition to my usual cardio and weight training.

Today was day two of my challenge and I have already learned one thing-I must go to the first class each morning, that is when I can actually get through all the poses without having to take a time out due to dizziness…  Not sure if it is because usually the first class isn’t as hot as the later ones, or if that is the only time I am actually able to go to class on the empty stomach like I’m supposed to.  Maybe, I just need to remember to take deeper breaths during poses…

So, do you have something on your resolution list that you still haven’t made a habit?  Morning walk? Evening run? Challenge yourself to a 21 Day Challenge and Just Do It!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

It’s Cinco de Mayo and regardless of the fact that this Holiday has nothing to do with America or Mexico’s Independence, it is probably one of the holidays that adult (21+) Americans look forward to the most.

When else do you have an excuse to celebrate Mexican culture by eating all the delicious tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, tortilla chips with salsa AND guacamole topped off by unlimited Margaritas?  Only today.  So since both you and me are more likely to indulge today, try to opt for the least amount of damage possible with these options:

Bethenny Frankel’s Skinny Girl Margarita

Valerie Bertinelli’s Favorite Healthy Taco Recipe

allrecipes.com 5 minute Guacamole

Viva Las Vegas!

This past weekend was my first time to Las Vegas, Nevada where it wasn’t centered around a work trip or some sort of convention-the purpose was solely for time with friends.

I have always been a huge fan of Palm Springs because I love the desert heat and the scenic mountain surroundings and now I can add Vegas to the weekend getaway list.  Not only did we soak up the sun poolside, but time at the spa had me practically drooling in my sleep as I passed out on the hot stone bed.

Saturday morning we decided to head out to Red Rock Canyon for an early afternoon hike.  We chose the “moderate” Calico Tanks route which ended up being more on the strenuous side, but the rocks and views were amazing.  Once you made it to the end, you could see the entire strip from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay.

I highly recommend visiting on your next trip to Vegas-just goes to show that you can always find a way to stay active and have fun even in a gluttonous place full of all you can eat buffets, and 32oz Pina Coladas:)

Seven Pillars of Health

I’m back!  It’s been a while, lots of weekend trips during the month of April-I’ve literally been in a different city every weekend and it all ends this weekend in Vegas.

While traveling, I finally had a chance to get into the book my church hiking group selected for our reading material-The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert MD.  In case you are curious, the seven pillars the book breaks down are:

1)Water 2)Sleep & Rest 3)Living Food 4)Exercise 5)Detoxification 6) Nutritional Supplements 7)Coping with Stress

I’m in the middle of the 6th pillar (yes, I should be done with this book by now, but I get distracted on the flights that allow me to select my own satellite channels and on demand movies…)  The book is broken down so that you read a short section over the course of 50 days and at the end of each day there are “Points to Ponder” which recaps the information you need to take away from the section and an “Action Step” on how to incorporate what you have learned into positive changes in your life.

Overall, I am really enjoying the book-it goes pretty deep into each topic, the positive effects on your health and offers up information on your options.  It could almost be a little too thorough (if that’s possible) especially if you are one that is easily freaked out-once you learn how many chemicals are in your “filtered” water… you might be afraid to take another sip.  If you are ready for the truth, Dr. Colbert lays it all out there for you to consider.

Live Your Best Life

If you are located in the NYC Tri-State area, then check out the Live Your Best Life Walk website to learn more about O Magazine’s charity walk/fundraiser.  The walk will raise money for 10 charities and top fundraisers will have an opportunity to walk along side Oprah.

The charities range from the Ovarian Cancer Research fund to Health Corps, an organization that is focused on fighting obesity through educating high school students.

For more information on the walk and all the charities involved, go to www.lybl2010walk.com

Running woMan (insert dance)

I love to run, I sometimes forget once I get into another workout, but when I get back to it I always have to ask myself, ‘why don’t I do this more often?’ Running when I lived in Brooklyn was my favorite. The run up and down Eastern Parkway was THE BEST. Now, Downtown LA is just not as scenic, which is probably the real reason why I don’t run as much as before AND for some reason I’m against driving to go running. It’s just one of my things…

For those of you who currently do not consider yourself runners, but would like to start running, check out the couch to 5k website www.fromcouchto5k.com The site is specifically for new runners and contains articles with training plans, nutrition tips and ways to stay motivated.

For me, one of the best ways to stay motivated is to sign up for a run, especially one that helps benefit a social cause or medical research. For a database of runs near you, check out Runner’s World Race Finder