Alright all you ladies out there! It's time to lace up your running shoes and head to the H.E.B. in Lincoln Heights. No -it is not a supermarket shopping game--it's the San Antonio Road Runners Women's 5K run/walk. Celebrating 30 years of women running in the SARR, the event takes place Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 a.m. and is open to women of all ages. Registration fees range from $18 to $25 and early walk-in registration will take place until June 15 at Fleet Feet Sports on New Braunfels, all three Soler's Sports locations, Run.Gear.Run at Stone Oak and Run Wild Sport on Broadway. Packet pick-up and additional early registration will take place Friday, July 17 from noon until 7 p.m. at Lincoln Heights H.E.B. Participants can also register the day of the race from 6:30 until 7:30 a.m. in the Lincoln Heights H.E.B. parking lot. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. For information visit www.saroadrunners.com.
July 2009 Archives
Alright all you ladies out there! It's time to lace up your running shoes and head to the H.E.B. in Lincoln Heights. No -it is not a supermarket shopping game--it's the San Antonio Road Runners Women's 5K run/walk. Celebrating 30 years of women running in the SARR, the event takes place Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 a.m. and is open to women of all ages. Registration fees range from $18 to $25 and early walk-in registration will take place until June 15 at Fleet Feet Sports on New Braunfels, all three Soler's Sports locations, Run.Gear.Run at Stone Oak and Run Wild Sport on Broadway. Packet pick-up and additional early registration will take place Friday, July 17 from noon until 7 p.m. at Lincoln Heights H.E.B. Participants can also register the day of the race from 6:30 until 7:30 a.m. in the Lincoln Heights H.E.B. parking lot. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. For information visit www.saroadrunners.com.
A cool sweet summer treatBy Janis Turk
It wouldn't seem like summer without an iced-down watermelon in the backyard for a picnic. But don't wait to have a Fourth of July barbecue to bring out that wonderful, cold red treat! Watermelons are good for you. They're an excellent natural food that's a good source of vitamins A, C and B6.
Did you know that ancient Egyptians also enjoyed watermelons? And why not! It was hot there, too, so Texans aren't the only ones who crave the cool, refreshing, watery taste of this sweet vegetable! (No, it's technically not a fruit, believe it or not). It's said that we've had watermelons in North America since the 1600s, and we've loved it ever since. Especially here in Texas watermelons are a big hit. They're an inexpensive, delicious, nutritious, large-sized snack that can feed a lot of people, and you can even grow them in your garden!
Folks in the nearby small town of Luling, off Interstate 10, are big watermelon fans. In fact, it's their town mascot of sorts, and there's even an annual Watermelon Thump festival each June when citizens celebrate this delectable gourd-like treat. There's even a Watermelon Queen crowned each year at "The Thump."
Water is one of the best parts about watermelons, as they are about 92 percent water and eight percent sugar. Early explorers sometimes used watermelons as a canteen, according to Ranjan Shandilya on the Web site www.buzzle.com. Though it seems watermelons would be pretty heavy to haul around with you on horseback or in a wagon. Life is easier for us now. We can get water from the tap and watermelons at the store. Watermelons are found everywhere--even sold on the side of the road this month!
So enjoy a nutritious, delicious treat. Have watermelon, blueberries and strawberries with whipped cream for a special Fourth of July celebration desert. Or enjoy chunks of icy cold watermelon for breakfast on the porch in the mornings. Have a big bowl of watermelon balls and cantaloupe balls on hand in the fridge when the kids come in from the pool. This cool treat will rehydrate them while giving them a sweet taste of summertime fun.
For more information about watermelon, go to. www.buzzle.com/articles/watermelon-facts.html.
By Annette M. Zaharoff, MDScientific reports are in fairly unanimous agreement that regular exercise will help prolong your life. In fact many of the symptoms of aging are now believed to be related more to disuse rather than the aging process itself, which means you have some control over your aging process.
What happens
The most dramatic declines due to aging occur in muscle strength. You will lose six pounds of muscle each decade unless you do some type of resistance exercise to strengthen your muscles. Strength training may include the use of weights, exercise machines, elastic bands or any form of calisthenics that allows the muscles to get resistive training.
The loss of muscle mass not only changes our body composition and general strength, but it also lowers our metabolism and exposes us to greater risk of age-related disease. Typically, with the loss of muscle there is an increase in body fat. This combination adds extra strain on the heart, alters our body's ability to metabolize sugar (increasing the risk for diabetes) and can elevate the bad cholesterol and reduce the good cholesterol, leading to heart attack and stroke.
Building muscle is easier than you may think.
Strength training just 20 minutes a day, two or three times a week, for 10 to 12 weeks can rebuild three pounds of muscle and increase your metabolism by 7 percent. Boosting your metabolism will give you more energy; make you feel more alert, more focused and more alive! Many other systems of the body will benefit from increasing your muscle mass; reducing blood pressure, improving your ability to use glucose from the blood by 25 percent, increasing your bone mass by one to three percent and improving gastrointestinal efficiency by 55 percent.
Living longer
A regular exercise program consisting of 30 minutes of physical activity at least three days a week can reduce your risk of dying in the next eight years by 49 percent, improve brain function, cut your risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 60 percent and decrease the symptoms of depression. Given that 80 percent of the population over 65 suffers from at least one chronic condition, and half have two or more, according to a report from the Census Bureau and the National Institute on Aging, exercise is a powerful medicine!
Scientists are learning more about how the aging process works. Aerobic and strength training impact every cell in the body, helping reduce inflammation, increase blood flow and even improving oxygen efficiency. Improvement in a tiny energy-producing factory called mitochondria function in our cells to take glucose, protein, and fat from the food we eat and turn them into energy. Exercise can be traced to improving the function of mitochondria which naturally declines with age.
Exercise also combats damage from free radicals created as a by product of using oxygen. Regular exercise over time can slow your resting heart rate, thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen you need overall and reducing the rate at which you create harmful free radicals.
No matter when you start, the evidence is clear: Daily physical activity can transform and prolong your life. If you need help getting started on a program or have had orthopedic injuries in the past, contact your sports medicine physician to help you get started on a safe program. Get started! Get healthy! Live longer!
Dr. Annette Zaharoff is a sports medicine physician specializing in the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of injuries. She maintains a private practice in San Antonio and may be reached by calling her office at (210) 616-0646 or visiting her Web site www.drZmd.com
Put back fat behind you once and for all!by Shannon Sutton, certified personal trainer
You don't have to live with unsightly bulges resting over your bra straps! Good news, it's easy to tighten, tone and firm your back! One of the easiest and most effective exercises is the lat pull. The bonus is that you're simultaneously working your back, delts (shoulders), bi's, tri's and abs with this one simple exercise.
You can either use gym equipment or simple tubing.
Grasp the bar bar with arms in "V" position (about 45 degrees) or wider. Begin with arms fully extended, spine lengthened and abs drawn in. Lean back slightly, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and pull the bar down just below your chin. Elbows should be pointed toward your glutes. Hold for a count, then slowly return to starting position, and repeat.
Your back is such a large muscle group, and the more lean it is, the more calories you are burning all of the time, even when you're sleeping! (The same is true with all lean muscle).
Even if you do not have a great deal of time to devote to self improvement, I would highly incorporating this exercise into your regular routine to help you get rid of back fat once and for all.
Shannon Sutton is an independent certified personal trainer. Her certifications include ISSA, NASM, APEX and Reebok. She has invested years in helping individuals reach their health, fitness and wellness goals. Contact her at (210) 722-3962.
If you see people in your gym that look like they are gearing up to be on "Dancing with the Stars," then you are probably witnessing the latest craze in fitness--Zumba! Although Zumba been around SA for about four years, it has recently been gaining in popularity and showing up at more traditional clubs such as the Spectrum. Why? According to Zumba instructor and Challenge Fitness certified personal trainer Rachel Connor, it's because anyone can do it."There are people from many different fitness levels who participate," she says adding that she has taught classes that ranged from 20 year-olds to senior citizens.
"It is neat to see people who have never worked out before start working out because it's fun," she says.
By definition, Zumba is Latin American dance so participants spend the 50 minute to one-hour classes gyrating through everything from salsa to merenge, reggaton and even hip hop. But besides being fun, Zumba is also one effective total body workout that combines cardio with conditioning. Each class varies depending on instructor and but it usually involves a balanced mix of slow and fast dances to get the most from the experience.
"But I can't dance," you wail. That's no excuse. "It doesn't matter if you can't dance," assures Connor. "It's a party so no one cares. Everyone is having a good time and you do what you can."
Like any fitness routine such as step aerobics, yoga or Pilates, Zumba takes practice. You cannot expect to walk in and become an expert. You can expect to walk in and burn as many as 500 calories depending on your intensity. You can also expect to see people of all ages, shapes and sizes.
"I got involved in Zumba because it gave my clients a way to do cardio that was actually fun," says Connor. "It's not just running on a treadmill."
If you are considering a Zumba class for the first time, wear regular exercise clothes and running shoes. Also be aware of whether the class is Zumba or Zumba Gold.
"Gold is an easier class designed for senior citizens or someone who is overweight and just beginning an exercise program," explains Connor.
For more information or to find a class near you visit www.zumba.com.
What better way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon than with good friends, good food, great bike trails and maybe even a little shopping? Find out on Sunday, August 2, at 8:00 am, at the annual San Antonio Wheelmen Picnic held at Eisenhower Park. Take a brisk ride along an 18, 29 or 52-mile route and then kick back and relax while you chow down on some delicious food courtesy of Rudy's BBQ.As if that isn't enough, there will also be a Schwappenbike. What, you may ask, is a Schwappenbike? It is kind of like a garage sale/swap meet where you bring any extra gear and equipment you don't want anymore and then barter and sell.
Lunch will be served at at 11:30 am, and the cost is an $8 donation. You MUST RSVP by July 31 in order to reserve food for you and your family. Visit www.sawheelmen.com.
