My LiveStrong Challenge Ride

Since October is also Breast Cancer awareness month, and the month is rapidly coming to an end, I thought this week I’d fill you in on an event I participated in for the first time.  This past weekend here in Austin, TX the last of 4 “LiveStrong Challenge” events took place.  If you are not familiar with the LiveStrong Challenge, it is the signature fundraising series of events that takes place in four cities in the United States to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).  LAF was founded in 1997 by Lance Armstrong (cancer survivor and 7-time Tour de France champion).  LAF is committed to providing funds for research, cancer prevention, access to screening and care, and improving the quality of life for cancer survivors.

Like most people, I personally know a lot of people who are either cancer survivors, current fighters, or whose lives were taken by cancer.  Over the years, I’ve done races like the Komen Race for the Cure, and I’ve donated money to other people who have participated in various running or walking events to raise money for cancer and other diseases, but I had never done a cycling event myself.  Being primarily a marathon runner, I thought it would be good to challenge myself with some long distance cycling, so I signed up for the 45-mile course. 

The Austin LiveStrong Challenge had a 5K race on Saturday, and various cycling distances on Sunday (10, 25, 45, 65, and 90 miles).  There was also an Expo both Friday and Saturday where not only could you pick up your race packet, you could also visit the LAF mission booth, get information on cancer prevention, register to win prizes, get samples from various vendors, and purchase merchandise (clothing, shoes, cycling gear, etc.). 

Since I am in the middle of training a group of runners for a marathon (and I actually do all the runs with my group), I really did not have time to train for a “long” cycling event, so I figured 45 miles was a good start.  I knew the course was going to be fairly challenging as it was set in what is known locally as “the hill country,” so doing anything longer than 45 miles was not an option for me this season.  That area is also prone to being quite windy, so the hills were not going to be the only challenge.  We also had to ride over A LOT of cattle guards, and some of the roads were also quite bumpy, which can really wreak havoc on your upper body if you are not careful.

To get prepared, I had been taking a couple of spin classes each week, and tried to get in a “long” bike ride once on the weekends, but the last couple of months, that was just not possible due to my schedule.  Luckily for me, all the run and core workouts we’ve been doing have kept me in pretty decent shape.  By the end of the ride yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised that my legs were not sore at all, and even more importantly, I did not get “saddle sore.” 

It was such a fun experience; very different from any other race I have ever done.  All the volunteers were great, and it just felt so good to be a part of an event that is making a difference in so many people’s lives.  If you have the opportunity to participate in this event in 2010, I highly recommend it.  Visit here for more information. 

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month

October 1 was World Vegetarian Day, and serves as the annual kick-off for Vegetarian Awareness Month.  The purpose is to bring attention to the benefits of eating a plant-based diet, not only for our own health, but also for the health of our planet earth (and of course the animals!).

According to the position statement of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) published in July 2009, appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan diets are nutritionally adequate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, adolescence, and even for athletes.  Note that the ADA defines a vegetarian diet as one that “does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods.”

What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet?  Based on the ADA’s review of evidence-based studies, a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease.  People who follow a vegetarian diet also appear to have lower blood pressure, lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL, or commonly referred to as the “bad” cholesterol), and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians.  Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates.  The reasons why a vegetarian diet may reduce risk of chronic disease are that these diets contain lower amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, and fiber. 

I think lowering our risk of contracting heart disease, diabetes, and cancer ought to be reason enough to go vegetarian, but if that is not enough to motivate you, what about climate change?  A lot of studies have found that eating meat produces more carbon emissions that driving our cars.  For the average consumer, their diet has a bigger impact on global warming than the amount of time they drive their cars.  The International Vegetarian Union has many good references on their website if you are interested in this particular topic.

And if that doesn’t motivate you, what about the inhumane treatment of so many farm animals, as well as farm workers?  If you have not seen Food, Inc., I highly encourage you to.  It is still playing in select theaters around the country.  You can also purchase the book.  

Some other interesting tidbits regarding vegetarianism, and notable people from history who were vegetarians can be found at TreeHugger.com .  At the top of the list is Gandhi; his birthday was October 2, so I find it quite fitting that October was chosen as the month for Vegetarian Awareness!   He once said "I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants."  Nice quote.  Some other notable vegetarians from the past include Plato, Da Vinci, Tolstoy, and Albert Einstein!  It is said that Albert Einstein did not become a vegetarian until late in life.  I find it quite interesting that Einstein, who is believed my many to be one of the greatest minds to have ever lived, is quoted as saying "nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." 

For ideas on how to celebrate Vegetarian Awareness Month, visit http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/.

What is a Health Fitness Specialist?

My apologies for not blogging for a couple of weeks. . . I was cramming for a certification exam! Reminded me of my old college days and final exams; glad I don’t have to do that too often!

What is the certification I was testing for? The Health Fitness Specialist (HFS) certification through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). So what is an HFS? It is an advanced personal trainer certification for people who have (at a minimum) an associate’s degree is some type of health related field (such as kinesiology, physiology, physical therapy, nutrition, etc.) and are also CPR/AED certified. The requirements will change to a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in one of these fields in 2011. I chose ACSM specifically because they have been certifying fitness professionals longer than anyone else, and they set the standard for exercise guidelines that other organizations use for their certifications.

People who have the ACSM’s HFS certification are qualified to:

• Conduct risk stratification.
• Conduct physical fitness assessments and interpret results.
• Construct appropriate exercise prescriptions for healthy adults and individuals with controlled conditions released for independent physical activity.
• Motivate apparently healthy individuals with medically controlled diseases to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors.
• Motivate individuals to begin and continue with their healthy behaviors.

A lot of you know I am already an assistant coach for a marathon training group (and have been for a few years), and that I have a lot of personal experience with doing a variety of training (weight lifting, swimming, cycling, etc.), so why would I want to pursue this certification? The main reason is to improve my skill set.

As a registered and licensed dietitian, I am required to get a certain amount of continuing education annually to ensure that I stay on top of new research and methods that may help me help my clients. I am one of those people who usually get WAY more continuing education units than are required because I want to be the best at what I do.

For that same reason, as I have begun to work with more and more athletes, and as I have personally attempted more (and different!) types of athletic events, I want to learn and experience as much as I can in order to improve my ability to help my clients achieve their nutrition and fitness goals.

For more information on the ACSM and HFS, visit their website.