April 2008 Archives

Rita Lambert is a sixth-grade health teacher, an eighth-grade basketball, volleyball and track coach, an accomplished triathelete and an all-conference cross-country champion. Even more amazing is that this disciplined 23-year-old has accomplished all of this while suffering from exercise-induced asthma.

Lambert comes from a large family, all of whom excelled at volleyball. And although she gave the sport a try, Lambert realized early on that her true athletic gift was not to be found on the court but on the track.

"Even in elementary school during track and field days I knew I could run," Lambert recalls.

Off and running
Lambert's track and cross country skills at Garner Middle School impressed her coaches, who encouraged her to sign up for both sports at MacArthur High School. Although a strong athlete, Lambert found her talent was soon compromised by a breathing condition that allowed her to finish only 60 percent of the races in which she competed.

"I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma in high school," explains Lambert. This was a devastating blow to someone like Lambert, who sees exercise as a major part of life, and she was sure her dreams of competing at the college level were over.

"Some coaches wouldn't even consider recruiting me because of my condition," she explains.

One coach, however, saw something special in Lambert and offered her a full scholarship in track and cross country to the University of Texas at San Antonio. The coach was world-class athlete Rose Monday, who, coincidentally, suffered from the same breathing condition as Lambert.

Monday sent Lambert to her own doctor, got her on the right medications, and helped her deal with the mental aspects of her disease. By the time she was a senior in college, Lambert's attacks were reduced by half, and she went on to win two cross country meets and not once, but four times, the all-conference title.

"She knew what I was going through and feeling," Lambert says of her coach. "She expected a lot out of me, and for her to believe in me was extremely motivating. She became one of my best friends."

Competing taught Lambert an enormous amount of self-discipline and kept her from getting entangled in the typical college party atmosphere. Instead, she got up early, dutifully went to class and in May of 2007 added a degree in kinesiology with a teaching certificate to her growing list of accomplishments.

Trying something new
Following her graduation from UTSA, Lambert, who worked at Solar Tri-Sports in Helotes, purchased a bike and hit the road.

"I didn't want to just run anymore," she explains. "In college I was on such a strict schedule, and there wasn't a lot of time or energy to expend on other sports."

Through her job, Lambert assisted with several triathlons and thought, "I can do that."

And she did! With no formal training plan in place, Lambert continued running and biking. She eventually began competing in triathlons on a regular basis. Although she has yet to win (swimming isn't her strong suit), Lambert says she enjoys trying something new. "I like it, and I just happen to be good at it," she laughs.

When she landed her teaching and coaching job at Bradley Middle School in the fall of 2007, Lambert treated herself to her first triathlon bike. "It was my reward for meeting my goal of getting the job," she says with a big grin.

Hitting her stride
Meeting her goals is something Lambert does well, and she credits the support of good friends and a strong family for helping her succeed. She strives to offer that same encouragement and support to the students she teaches and coaches, and she tries to lead by example.

"I talk to them about what fitness has done for me and try to get them excited about my races," she says. "I talk to them about peer pressure, body image and media messages," she adds. "I try to make them understand that models in magazines do not look like the average person."

Lambert doesn't try to push her students into sports, but she does encourage them to find something they love and stick with it. And she focuses on fun rather than winning with her team kids.

"You have to have fun with it," she explains. "If you don't enjoy what you are doing, you won't be able to take it to the next level."

Between coaching and teaching, there isn't much time left for Lambert to do all of the things that she enjoys. But even if she isn't regularly competing, you can still find her putting on her running shoes and hitting the road almost every evening.

"It's my stress-reliever in the same way that some people enjoy a bubble bath after a long day," Lambert says of her dedication. "It's my escape and my time to go and just be."

1. Start by lying on your back with knees bent with your feet parallel to one another (near your glutes). Press your weight through your heels, and slowly begin to raise your torso, starting with your tailbone. Focus on squeezing your glutes and abs. Your weight should be balanced between your heels and shoulder blades. Hold for a 20 count, and slowly return to starting position.

For more of a challenge, raise one foot 2 inches (without moving your hips) and hold. Alternate feet.

2. Maintain position from exercise number one; only place your heels on an exercise ball or bench. Slowly raise and lower your torso while squeezing your glutes. Note: This is a great opportunity to "superset" with abdominal work.

3. While in position number two, with torso raised, slowly extend legs out until almost straight. Keep your balance, hold for a count, and roll ball back in. (This doubles as a GREAT core workout!) Repeat desired number of sets or in one-minute intervals.

4. Place the ball between your glutes and a wall, with your feet held parallel slightly wider than your hips. Slowly lower to a squatting position, with your chest up and your abs engaged. (Remember the 90-degree rule: Keep knees over ankles and no farther than your toes!) Raise your body back to starting position and repeat.

Shannon Sutton is an independent certified personal trainer. Her certifications include ISSA, NASM, APEX and Reebok. She has invested years in helping individuals reach health, fitness and wellness goals. Contact her at (210) 722-3962.

Play at yoga
For each year that yoga has existed (it's estimated at least 3,000 years) there have been innumerable styles of yoga to learn and even a greater number of instructors to provide variations of those styles. Instead of worrying about perfect alignment, I tell my students that the Sanskrit base of the word Yoga is "yuj" meaning "to yoke or unite." This means to unite your body with your mind and spirit--not with anyone else's. So, in fact, there is no perfect way to do yoga. However, there is one "wrong" way: You're doing it wrong if you feel pain.

When we practice yoga, we feel stretching. We feel strengthening. If we feel genuine pain, that is our body's way of saying, "Stop!" And since the whole process of yoga is about uniting with one's own consciousness, listening to our body's cues is paramount.
So have at it! Give it a whirl. Use these photos as a visual guide, and then find your own playful path to uniting body, mind and spirit.

TRIKONASANA (Triangle Pose)
Instructions: Look, learn and laugh. Modification: If the stretch is too much, bend the front knee. Benefits: Strengthens the core, lengthens the legs, develops balance and improves circulation. This is good posture for affecting an attitude adjustment, for involved is a partial inversion (inversions promote hormone balance and can help ease and divert depression).

VASISTASANA (Side Plank)
Instructions: Make sure this does not hurt your wrists. Whichever leg is on top can be placed slightly forward (see photo) with the supporting leg slightly behind. This creates a stable triangle with the legs and hips. Modification: You may be able to modify this by balancing on your forearm instead of your hand. Benefits: An amazing toner that especially targets the triceps and oblique abdominals ... firming the forearm, trimming the waist just in time to "lighten up" for summer!

NAVASANA (Boat Pose)
Instructions: Keep the core drawn in as you keep the shins relatively parallel to the ground, while keeping the back as straight as possible. If this sounds like patting your head while rubbing your tummy, it is. Just do your best, and it will all fall into place with practice. Hint: Enjoy the fun of balancing and falling off balance. Remember when you learned how to ride a bike? Wasn't the wobbliness and an occasional spill half of the excitement? Benefits: Tummy tuck extraordinaire!

Laura Brookover is a body-mind trainer. She teaches EmPOWERment Yoga at Destination Maternity (210) 694-4692, and Bikini Bootcamp at Spectrum, Rogers Ranch (210) 408-9050. For more information visit her Web site at www.laurabrookover.com. Photos by Jenn Brookover Photography.

We've all heard the experts' recommendations: We need 30 minutes or more of physical activity and five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. For many of us, these recommendations do not seem attainable; however, anyone can make small changes in daily eating and activity habits to improve his or her overall health.

Since many Americans spend the majority of their wakeful hours at work, the workplace is an opportune setting in which to begin taking small steps. Such small steps may not seem to be enough to make a difference; however, over time, these can add up to a healthier you.

The following tips can help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Eat and drink healthful things at work:
• Bring your lunch three or four days of the week. Go out less, and save yourself money and calories.
• Snack on fruit or veggie sticks - you'll be closer to meeting your daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.
• While at restaurants, split your portions, and take half of your meal to- go. Now you have lunch for the next day!
• Instead of chips or fries, opt for a side salad or vegetables with your meal.
• Limit yourself to one or two cups of coffee and only one drink during lunch. Hydrate with water during the remainder of the workday. You are not depriving yourself of the drinks you love, but you are increasing your water intake!

Increase daily physical activity, and walk at work:
• On days you go out, choose restaurants that are close by and walk to lunch.
• Park your car as far away as possible from your office building.
• During your breaks, get up and just start walking! Make a note of the mini-walking sessions you fit in each day. Five minutes here, 10 there: Aim for a total of 30 minutes. You will increase activity and reduce stress.
• Take the stairs.
• Instead of sending an e-mail or calling, walk to co-workers for quick questions/comments.
• Use the buddy system: Make plans to walk with a co-worker after work, and you will be more likely to keep your physical activity plans.

For more ways to incorporate healthier behaviors in your daily life, check out www.smallstep.gov, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Stacy A. Maines, MPH, is the worksite wellness liaison for Steps to a Healthier San Antonio, San Antonio Metro Health District. The program is part of Steps to a HealthierUS, a national program focusing on the prevention of diabetes, obesity and asthma by addressing related risk factors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use and exposure.

A large kiwifruit contains:
• more than twice the vitamin C of an orange (about 230% of the USRDA).
• no fat.
• very little sodium.
• as much potassium as a banana (340 mg.).
• both soluble and insoluble fiber (16% USRDA).
• only about 45 calories each.

Kiwifruit is also a good source of magnesium and a low-fat source of vitamin E. Bite for bite, kiwifruit contains more essential nutrients than 27 of the most popular fruits, as proven by a Rutgers University study, making it the most "nutrient dense" fruit in the world.

Kiwi and Citrus Ceviche

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb shrimp, cooked, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb scallops, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb white fish, such as orange roughy, cut into bite-sized pieces
?1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 Tbsp. green jalapeno pepper, diced, seeded
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Cups fresh lime juice
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 to 4 kiwifruit, scooped & diced
2 limes, segmented
1 orange, segmented
Lettuce leaves

PREPARATION:
Combine the shrimp, salmon, scallops, white fish, red onion, jalapeno pepper, red pepper flakes and lime juice. Marinate refrigerated for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, drain off excess lime juice. Rinse briefly. Then add tomatoes, cilantro, sugar, salt and pepper. Carefully add in the kiwifruit, lime and orange segments, and gently mix. Serve on bed of lettuce leaves. Makes 16 (1/2 cup) servings. Serving Nutritional Analysis: Calories 110 (21% Calories from Fat), Protein 12 g, Carbohydrate 12 g, Fiber 2 g, Fat 3 g, Sat. Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 45mg, Sodium 60 mg

Fran Werner is a certified lifestyle and weight management consultant, a certified personal trainer, and a certified lifestyle coach, specializing in weight management. She has been the owner/director of Lifestyle Consulting since 1981, and has maintained an office in Austin, Texas since 1993. Werner has helped thousands of individuals achieve and maintain healthy weights and healthy lifestyles. You can contact her at (512) 794-3848 or at stfh@lifestyleconsulting.com. Visit her Web site, www.lifestyleconsulting.com. Werner's weight management program is now available on CD, www.thelifestyleprogram.com.