Holiday Eating

Merry Christmas Eve! Are you ready for Christmas? How about New Years? I know I sure am! We are all eager to get together with our loved ones and celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than by joining together in a great feast? If your families are anything like mine, you will probably have at least three Christmases and one New Year's Eve party. When you think about it, that is a lot of food; and let's be honest, we all like to splurge a little on the holidays. Unfortunately, this is an enormous amount of calories added into our diet and, if not properly tracked, could lead to extra pounds. But it's so hard to limit ourselves and still try to stay healthy through this time of the year. Well, I'm here to tell you it is not impossible to prevent the weight gain. We can still enjoy our holiday meals without having to give up on our goals. Listed below are a few ways to stay healthy during these next few weeks.

1. Make realistic, short-term goals.  Don't make it your goal to lose 5lbs before January. That is incredibly unrealistic and will make you feel bad about yourself in the long run. Instead of trying to lose weight, why not make it your goal simply to maintain your current weight? That way you could continue with your weight loss when the holidays are finished.

2. Weigh your options at meal times. Look at all of the food before you decide what you want. Choose the foods that are your favorites, rather than getting everything you like. That way you don't overload your plate. Also try to fit in at least a few fruits and vegetables as substitutes for high-calorie foods.

3. Stay Hydrated! Drink water! I cannot stress this enough. As some of you may already know, drinking water makes you feel full a lot faster. By drinking a glass of water before your meal, you won't be quite as hungry and will therefore eat less

4. Eat Slowly. Try to put your fork or spoon down between bites and chew your food as much as possible. Try to stay involved in table conversation during meal time. These small breaks between bites will allow you to know when you are actually full. If you eat too quickly, you might not feel full immediately, and therefore overeat. When you eat slowly, you will know exactly when you are full, and you will not eat as much food.

5. Think twice about getting seconds. Try to wait a while for that second serving. It might take you a few minutes to feel full. It might also be a good idea to finish up another glass of water to try to reach your stomach's maximum capacity before you over-stuff it.

6. Keep busy. Whether it's engaging in conversation, joining in a card game, or even watching a movie, it's a good idea to stay involved. Joining in on other activities will help keep your mind off of food, so you'll be less tempted to snack on those Christmas goodies.

I hope you find these few tips to be useful. I'd really appreciate the feedback! In addition to these tips, I've included a few links to some other helpful websites with articles about holiday eating. I used them as references in the past and found them to be helpful. Also, before I forget, I'd like to wish everyone a happy holiday, and a wonderful New Year! Good luck with the food, and remember to enjoy yourself.

Happy Holidays!
Danielle ♥

WebMD: Healthy Holiday Eating
Sutter Health: Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

Motivation

Happy holiday's everyone!

Christmas is only a few days, do you know what that means? That's right, New Years is just around the corner. That also means it's time for everyone to make a new years resolution. Being a regular at the gym, I've always noticed that most people make the resolution to get into better shape and lose some weight. I also tend to notice that most people do not stick with their resolution. The gym is generally overcrowded in January, about half the crowd is gone by February, and by March only the regulars are left. So why is it so difficult to stick with our resolutions? It's no secret that we all struggle with self-motivation. We set our goals, we work at it for a few weeks, maybe even a few months; eventually we start making excuses to stop working towards our goals and we give up. Then we wonder why it is that we have to start over again. The whole process is tiring and eventually we stop trying to restart.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is the fact that I am my biggest problem when it comes to motivation. I can't seem to keep myself motivated enough to stick with new goals at first. When I first started running in high school, I did it with the end goal of shortening my mile time for volleyball tryouts. I then had a friend that needed a running partner, so I ran with her. She might not know it, but she was my motivation. On days that she couldn't run, I wouldn't. When we did run, I would want to go one mile, and she would want to go three. I was easily embarrassed because I thought I was out of shape, so I struggled to keep up with her. Before I knew it, I was running 5 miles easily. Later in high school, during cross country, my PR was my motivation. I was the slowest runner on the team, so, seeing as I was easily embarrassed, I hated my speed. I worked to improve it. That was my motivation. As soon as I got out of high school I lost all motivation. I didn't have a running partner and I didn't have a PR to break at my next race. My only goal was to lose weight, but I attended the gym regularly so I wasn't dead set on running. I had no goal. That's when my friend recommended reading Runner's World Magazine for motivation. I wasn't thrilled at first, but I was hooked with the first issue I read. By reading the things that other people have gone through to get to where they are, how much of a struggle they went through to finish their first 5k, it really got me thinking. By the time I finished the second issue I was so motivated that I wanted to start training for a half marathon.

I'm not telling you that you must read this magazine, but reading about how successful other people are, you might find yourself more willing to stick with your goals. If your goal is to run, whether it be for health or to finish a race, I have attached a few websites with motivational hints, tips, and success stories. If you have time, I really urge you to read at least a few. It might really make a difference. Also, I will be posting weekly motivational quotes in the sidebars of this website. It doesn't seem like much, but they really might get you thinking.

Motivation:
Hints and Tips
Success Stories

Happy Holidays & A Happy New Year!
Danielle ♥

Apologies

Hello Readers!

As stated in the title, I really must apologize to all of you for my absence. As I am sure you all know, school can be a bit rough from time to time. This past semester was without a doubt the worst semester I have ever had in my life as a student. I took on 20 credit hours (5 courses) that consisted of the following: Organic Chemistry, Biostatistical Analysis, Biology 203: Intro to Ecology and Biodiveristy, Multivariable Calculus (aka Calculus III), and Wall Climbing. Of these classes, two had 3 hours of lab tacked onto them. On top of this I kept up with my work schedule (usually between 20 and 30 hours a week. I quickly realized that biology really wasn't my cup of tea, and after a crazy series of events and life-changing decisions I switched my major to mathematics.

You are all probably wondering why I keep going on and on about this. There really isn't much explanation other than I felt like telling you why I have not been keeping up with this blog. I also realize that this probably sounds like nothing but excuses, and trust me, they are, but I really wanted to let you all know that I will never have a semester like this again and I will be back and consistently posting to this blog again. I would also like to give you a heads up that the next few months of blogging will be mostly about running, nutrition, and general health seeing as I skipped the gym to keep up with all of my work and I need to get back into shape; though I really doubt that should bother most of you considering most of my posts are about that anyways.

To finish up, I'd just like to say I am truly sorry one more time and ask that you all give me another chance and continue reading all of my future posts. I really do love helping you all as much as possible and cannot wait to start blogging again! As usual, if there is anything specific you want me to write about, please leave me some comments below and I will be sure to get back to you. Thank you all!

Happy Holidays,
Danielle ♥

Prioritize

As a student, time is a valuable thing. Balance things like social lives, academics, and health become our greatest challenges, especially for us college students. We are constantly moving, always wanting to be with our friends, but then we struggle to fit in our homework and sleep. Sometimes it is the other way around; we forget to be social because we are too focused on our academics. In my opinion, the problem is knowing our priorities. I, personally, struggle most with remembering where my priorities lie. These past few weeks I prioritized my social life, and then I struggled to finish studying and ended up losing sleep and sanity in the process.

It is clear to us all at some point that we need to find balance. The top priority for all of us should be our health. Lack of sleep actually weakens our immune system and makes us more susceptible to illness. Being in school already puts us in an extremely germy environment, so a weakened immune system is just asking to be put to the test. Being sick leads to lack of focus, less energy, less time spent with friends, and eventually could lead to the inability to attend classes. In case you didn't pick up on it, the point I'm trying to make is your overall health directly affects every aspect of your life and could put you behind. If your health starts declining, you should cut back on the social time and focus on completing your homework earlier in order to get enough time and rest to recover.

Our next priority should be our education. We are in school for a reason, are we not? Not to mention the fact that we pay a lot of money for the educations we are receiving. It is not fair for us to invest all of this money in our futures and then throw it away by not caring. What we do with our academics now dictates our futures. Making the decision to sleep instead of going to class is a way for us to train ourselves to choose sleep over work. In the future, we may not get choices like these. We need to understand that these few years we spend in college have the potential to change our lives, for better or for worse. So rather than putting academics last, we need to put them towards the top of our to do list. It also helps to spread our work out. Cramming a day or two before an exam may seem like a good idea, but then you are skipping out on sleep and only getting in X hours of studying. What if we took 3 hours out of every day to study? Is 3 hours really too much? If you spent 3 hours on homework every weekday for 5 days, you would have 15 hours of studying done. More than you would get in one day of cramming AND you don't get the added stress! Then you have more time during the weekends to be social and catch up on sleep.

After health and academics, we can focus on leisure. If you are healthy and caught up (or ahead) on school work, why not enjoy yourself? Use the rest of your time to relax, spend time with friends, go to the gym, read a book, whatever you want to do! It is important to get at least a little downtime during the school year in order to keep a positive attitude. And honestly, if your friends really like you, they will wait until you finish everything else to spend time with you. Believe it or not, others do care about your health and education. It is okay to put yourself and your future before your social life.

Prioritizing our time sounds so simple, but we all know it is much easier said than done. But if we just remember these few things, we can make it simpler to balance out our lives and keep a healthy, positive outlook on life. I know these things seem repetitive, but I really hope it helped anyways. It is hard to remember where our priorities lie all the time, and that's okay as long as we think about why we are here and remember what it is we need to do to reach our end goal. Good luck to you all with managing your time! If you have any questions or comments about things I mentioned in this post, please contact me!

Study Hard,
Danielle Renee

Stay Safe

Summer is quickly ending, which means shorter days, cooler weather, and school. This fall, it is important to keep your safety in mind as you run outdoors. Most safety precautions seem like common sense, but it is easy to overlook our safety when we find it inconvenient, time-consuming, or just uninteresting.

With the days getting shorter, and nights getting longer, one of the most important things for runners to do is make sure they are visible. This means that you should be easily seen by all cars that drive past you. The easiest way to do this is wearing brightly colored clothing. Most running clothes nowadays also have some sort of reflective material in order for cars to see you even better. Headlamps and other reflectors also make you more visible to road traffic.

If you do happen to be running on the road, whether it’s during the day or night, it is very important to stay safe from traffic. The most common, and possibly best, way to do this is by running against the flow of traffic. By running against traffic, you are better able to see oncoming cars and react in the case of an emergency. In case there is an emergency, it is important for runners to have some form of I.D. with them. Some runners choose to wear I.D. wristbands, others choose to carry a cell phone or driver’s license.

Lastly, runners should always make sure that they are never alone. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should always run with a partner. Sometimes this means you should make sure that somebody knows where you are going and just about what time you should return. That way, if something does happen, people you know and trust will know that something happened and may be able to find you easier. It is also a good idea to run in familiar, safe places.

As a runner, I do my best to put my safety first. Being at college, I do find it hard to run during daylight hours. This usually results in me running at, or slightly after, sunset. Luckily, I really like colorful shorts and t-shirts, so wearing brightly colored clothing doesn’t prove to be too much trouble. Going to school in a small town also ensures that I always have a sidewalk to run on, as well as little traffic to worry about. It is still important to me to run against traffic anyways just in case something would go wrong. As far as identification, I keep my student I.D. card in the tiny key-pocket of my shorts. Having a roommate, as well as a bunch of friends living on campus, it is usually fairly easy for me to find someone to tell them where I am going. As I said before, our town is not very big, so I never go too far, but I am always sure to tell at least one person where I am going and how long I plan on being gone.

I sincerely hope that all of you reading this post either take these safety precautions already, or plan on playing it safe in the future. Always put your safety above your workout.

Stay Alive!

Danielle ♥

Coming Soon...

Summer is quickly turning into fall, which means cooler weather, shorter days, and school (for some of us). Within the next few weeks, I will write about topics such as weather, running safety, how to balance a busy schedule, study habits and more. If there are any specific topics you would like me to research and write about, please let me know!! I want to do my best to keep this page as interesting as possible for you readers and actually feed you useful information. If you are interested in one of the topics provided in the poll at the top of this page, please leave vote. If you have any other ideas, you can leave suggestions/requests in the comment box at the end of this post, or you can send me a message at the bottom of this web page.

Thanks!
Danielle ♥

Holy Heat Wave!

It is HOT this week! Given the high temperatures, along with the incredibly high humidity, exercising outdoors can become risky. When we exercise, our body temperatures increase. With our high body temperatures and the high outdoor temperatures our body needs to get rid of a lot of heat. The body’s natural method of reducing body heat is sweating. Sweating is a method of cooling called evaporative heat loss. As the sweat on your skin evaporates, it also reduces heat and cools you off. In high heat, your body can still do this fairly easily, but when it is humid, the body struggles to release its heat. If the humidity is too high the sweat on your skin will not evaporate as easily and your body will not be able to maintain its temperature. The danger with this is that it could lead to your body overheating. If your body over heats, you could be at risk of heat exhaustion. If heat exhaustion goes on too long, your body could even have a heat stroke.

As you can probably guess, heat exhaustion is very dangerous to your health. The best way to avoid damage to your body is to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion. A lot of the symptoms of heat exhaustion are: confusion, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, and fainting. If you experience these symptoms, it is important to stop what you’re doing (running, biking, etc.), rehydrate, and/or remove any extra, unnecessary clothing. If the body continues to overheat taking a cold shower or sitting by a fan might also help.

Treating heat exhaustion is extremely important to keep in mind, but knowing how to prevent heat exhaustion could prove to be just as important. The easiest, and possibly the best, way of preventing heat exhaustion is to hydrate. It is vitally important to drink water both before and after working out. This will keep the body from dehydrating, which causes the body’s chances of experiencing heat exhaustion to increase. Another way to prevent heat exhaustion is avoiding the heat. While exercising outdoors is preferred, exercising indoors during high heat and humidity could help keep the body cooled down and dry. It is best to check the humidity and temperature online in order to make a better, more educated decision as to whether or not you should exercise outdoors. If you insist on exercising outdoors, it is helpful to exercise early (seeing as it gets hotter as the day goes on), wear light, loose-fitting clothing, exercise in the shade and avoid direct sun, tell others where you will be exercising, and exercise with a partner. In case you do pass out or get sick, letting others know where you are could make sure you get the medical attention you need if necessary.

Stay Safe!

Danielle Renee

Other information:

WebMD

10 Tips for Hot Summer Runs

Breathing is Key

Recently, studies have shown that the way you breathe when you run could cause you to have more injuries. These studies, done at the University of Utah, show that exhalation causes great stress on the body as your foot hits the ground.  It was observed that runners who consistently exhaled as their right foot hit the ground had more injuries on the right side of their bodies. Some runners then played around with their breathing patterns in order to alternate exhalations between their two feet. Runners who alternated their exhales eventually found themselves with fewer injuries and shorter race times.

I personally attempted this the other day while running intervals. I began my run as usual, not thinking about breathing at all. About 20 minutes into my run I started to get a cramp on my right side. I then paid closer attention to my breathing and it turns out I exhale as my right foot hits the ground. So I tried to alternate between my two feet. At first, it was difficult to rearrange my breathing, but after another 10 minutes, the cramp was completely gone. I cannot say with complete certainty that my breathing was why the cramp was gone, but it was certainly interesting. I plan on focusing on my breathing patterns during my next few runs to see if I notice any change. I encourage all of you to try this as well. Not only is it possible that it can prevent injury, but thinking about your breathing also distracts you from thinking about your time or how much farther you need to run.

Don’t forget to breathe!

Danielle Renee ♥

Food Substitutions

When it comes to eating right and losing weight, the number of calories you consume and burn can make a big difference. Whether it be you pre-run snack, post-run snack, or one of your three meals, it is important to make the right decisions and eat those healthier foods. It is easy to work out, and then justify eating loads of food. This is an extremely unhealthy habit that can be easily fixed with a little bit of knowledge and will power. Below are some tables that compare different foods and may offer some simple substitutions that can change your whole diet.

In the first column is a food (and the number of calories) that most people would commonly choose to eat. The second shows a simple, healthier food that you could trade out. The final column shows the number of calories you save by switching. Also keep in mind that the number of calories per food are approximated and may be slightly different depending on the amount and brand of food.

Food	Substitution	Calories Saved
Small Bag (1 oz.) of Chips (160 Cal)	1 cup Mixed Veggies (80 Cal)	80 Calories
Latte w/ whole Milk (1c) (136 Cal)	Latte w/ Skim Milk (1c) (67 Cal)	69 Calories
Cappuccino w/ 2% (1c) (100 Cal)	Black Coffee (1c) (2 Cal)	98 Calories
4 oz. lb. 80% Lean Beef (306 Cal)	Chicken Breast (130 Cal)	176 Calories
1 Cup Orange Juice (112 Cal)	1 medium Orange (62 Cal)	50 Calories
Yogurt (150 Cal)	Greek Yogurt (100 Cal)	50 Calories
1 tbsp. Grape Jelly (50 Cal)	½ Banana Sliced (36 Cal)	14 Calories
1 Cup Ice Cream (273 Cal)	1 Cup Frozen Yogurt (235 Cal)	38 Calories
Chips (1 oz.) (160 Cal)	Popcorn (1 oz.) (122 Cal)	38 Calories

The difference in calories for these foods seem insignificant, but it is important to keep in mind that we normally eat more than the given amount, and therefore would be saving more calories. Plus, when you think about how often you eat these things, the number of calories saved begins to really add up. This is why keeping a food log can help you lose weight. If you compare food logs from when you first start keeping track of your calories to a food log today, you would see that you consume much less calories than before, and your calories probably come from foods that are healthier and have less calories.

Eat Well!

Danielle Renee ♥

Simple Substitutions

Weight Loss: Day 5

When trying to lose weight, our diets are one of our main focuses. Our diets, however, can also prove to be a major problem. It’s no secret that Americans eat unhealthy food. A lot of people blame these unhealthy foods for our increasing average sizes. The truth is, whether people want to believe it or not, there are more than enough healthy options for us to choose over the unhealthy ones. Now some of you are probably saying, “But healthy food is more expensive” or “I do not like healthy foods”, and some of you may even be saying “I don’t have time to make myself healthy meals!” Well, the truth is, there are healthier options that are still cheap. For those of you who do not like healthy foods, you probably just don’t like vegetables or things of the sort. And for those who think you do not have enough time, there are plenty of healthy foods that you can prepare quickly, or even “pre-make” ahead of time.

For those of you who do not know, I am a college student. And yes, the stereotypes for college students fit me perfectly. I am completely broke. I barely afford my food. Between my Biology major, my Mathematics minor, and two jobs, I do not have a lot of time. But you know what? I STILL find ways to eat healthy. When I go grocery shopping, I avoid the junk food isles all together. I understand that junk food is exceptionally cheap. I also know myself well enough to know that I cannot pass up a good deal on food. So by avoiding the junk food isles all together, I avoid all temptation to buy such unhealthy foods. When it comes to my actual food, I buy cheap, long lasting fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, wheat bread, yogurt, cereal, etc. When I am actually at the store, I do not select my food based on the number of calories. I simply choose the foods that I know are not greasy, sugary, or full of preservatives. It is much better to buy foods that you would normally see in a list of ingredients, or foods that are not already “pre-made” into meals, seeing as these usually have more preservatives, more calories, and we usually eat more than one serving at a time.

Trying to choose healthier foods can be very difficult, especially if you know you really like to snack. As I have mentioned in previous posts, will power can make or break you when it comes to weight loss. It is obviously much easier said than done, but if you have strong will power, you can do all of this! Next time you are at the grocery store, just keep these things in mind and you will slowly but surely see a change in your eating habits. And remember, there are no excuses!

Keep it Up!

Danielle ♥

P.S. I will soon be posting actual lists of healthy substitutions for our regular foods and snacks. Check back later for this post.

Staying Active

Weight Loss: Day 4

Choosing to train for a race, whether it be a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, or a whole marathon, is a great way to stay motivated and get in shape.  Most new runners choose to train for a 5k race. The time it takes to build up endurance and get prepared for a 5k varies from person to person. For some people, training for a 5k can take as little as one month; for others, it can take several months. When I began training to run distance, it took me about two and a half months to be able to run 3 miles without stopping. No matter how long it takes, it is always worth the time. Plus, once you’ve run a few 5ks, you can move up to training for a 10k, then a half-marathon, and maybe, eventually, a marathon.

When training for a race of any distance, it is helpful to add challenges into your workouts. One way to do this is by adding hills to your runs. You can either choose a route with more hills, or you can go to a park and run hill repeats. Running up and down the hills will help you build up your strength and can even increase your speed. Another way to increase your speed is to do some “strength training” every once in a while. By strength training, you can build up the muscles in you upper and lower legs, as well as your glutes and abdominal muscles. Some helpful exercises for building leg and abdominal muscles are: jump roping, lunges, squats, squat jumps, crunches, planks, mountain climbers, etc.

While it is important to get in your daily training, it is also important to stay active as much as possible throughout the day. Simple decisions can make a difference in how many calories you burn every day. For example, walking to and from the back of a parking lot will burn more calories than walking from the front of the lot. Rather than taking an elevator to the third floor of the building, you can take the stairs to burn even more calories. Whatever you do, make sure you stay moving because chances are, you will only actually work out once a day. These small amounts of calories burned may seem insignificant, but after a while, these few extra calories really start to add up. Say you burn an extra 300 calories a day. This does not seem like a large amount, right? Well let’s say you burn the same extra 300 calories every day for one week. That is now 2,100 calories. Now let’s pretend you burn the same amount for one month (4 weeks). You have now burned 8,400 calories! One pound of fat is only 3,500 calories. This means that you lost an extra 2.4 pounds simply by making a few small, healthier choices.

Stay Moving!

Danielle ♥

Start Off Right

Weight Loss: Day 3

For most people, working out every day seems time consuming. Sure, working out only takes about an hour of your day, but that hour can be nearly impossible to fit into our daily schedules. Some people solve this problem by working out early in the mornings. Starting your day off with exercise can kick start your metabolism, leave you feeling more energized, and it can help get your workout done without interfering with your schedule. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when working out early in the morning.

Normally, you hear people telling you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is also said to kick start your metabolism and get your day moving. Still, a lot of people assume that it is okay to exercise on an empty stomach and eat breakfast when they are done with their workout. While it’s probably best not to run on a full stomach of cereal and milk, it is still important to get some sort of fuel in your system before working out. Scientists claim that exercising on an empty stomach will cause your body to use fat reserves as your only energy. This may sound like a good thing, but in reality, once your body starts using these reserves as fuel, you will lose energy quickly and may be forced to end your workout too soon. In addition, your body may think that it is under stress and may slow down your metabolism to prevent itself from losing more energy. Sports trainers and scientists agree that eating a small, pre-workout snack up to half an hour before you exercise will help keep you energized.

Once you get your workout in, it is a good idea to eat your normal breakfast. Eating breakfast after your workout can actually aid in muscle recovery. This is even more effective when you eat a good amount of protein with your breakfast. It is also important to keep in mind that most breakfast foods are sugary and loaded with calories. Do your best to eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast that won’t completely ruin your workout. I personally prefer making omelets with spinach, onions, and a little bit of cheese. This way I get some protein, and a good serving of vegetables.

Rise and Shine,

Danielle ♥

All of the above information can be found in Runner's World Magazine.

Watch What You Eat

Weight Loss: Day 2 

One way to lose weight is to watch what you eat. No, I don’t mean you need to go on some crazy diet that only allows you to eat gluten-free, sugar-free, no carbs, etc. When I say watch what you eat, I mostly mean you need to make sure you are not over-eating. This was the biggest challenge for me. Even as a child I remember my parents telling me to make sure I wasn’t over-eating. I’m pretty sure that was their “subtle” way of telling me that I was gaining weight. You see, the human body burns a certain number of calories on a daily basis. Most range between 1500 and 2500 calories per day. If you consume more calories than you burn, your body stores the extra calories in fat. This means that you will gain weight. On the other hand, if you consume less than you burn, your body will use those stored calories and will result in you losing weight. Therefore, when losing weight, you should make sure that your caloric intake is less than your caloric output.

As I previously stated, taking in less calories than you put out can help you lose weight. However, there is such a thing as not getting enough calories. If you limit your calorie intake too greatly, it can have some unhealthy and harmful effects. When you restrict your calories beyond a certain point, it sends your body into a sort of freak-out mode. Your body will think that it is stressed which will cause it to slow down your metabolism, making it harder for your body to actually lose weight. At one point, I tried eating less food throughout the day (snack wise), and there were times when I would have up to 10 hours between meals. I just assumed my body would start burning through my fat reserves while there was no food in my stomach. That was when my sister told me that what I was doing was unhealthy. She claimed that, by not eating for long periods of time, my body would go into starvation mode. She told me that by going into starvation mode my body would cling to any and all calories I had, as well as store more of my calories from my next meal just in case it were to go into starvation mode again. I doubted every word she said until I came across an article online. In this article from Runner’s World, scientist agreed with everything my sister had told me. They said that it was more common in women (go figure!) due to hormones found in our bodies related to reproduction. This article claimed that the female body takes the lack of food as a threat to its health, so it will train itself to hang on to as many calories and fats as it possibly can, which leads to more weight gain.

There are a few ways to track your calories throughout the day. One way is to keep count in your head. While this may seem simple, it can lead to miscalculations, under-calculations, and sooner or later, you may forget to check the calorie count on foods. Another way, which is less common, is to keep a written food log in a notebook. This would allow you to write down everything you have been eating and allow you to look up the caloric values later. Another method is calorie tracking via the internet or smartphone app. I personally use a smartphone app because it is quick, convenient, and I always have my phone with me. It also takes a lot of the guess work out of tracking your calories. Most of these apps have large data bases that already have the caloric values of common foods. All you have to do is tell it what you ate, and it will keep track of how many calories you have eaten, how many you have left in the day, as well as other basic nutritional information.

Lastly, I’d like to make sure you are all aware that working out does not mean you can eat whatever you want! I have also made this mistake! When you work out, your body only burns a certain number of calories. Yes, you can add those calories to your daily allowance, but that would mean your workout would not help you lose weight. It is best to make sure you still have a small deficit of calories every day, no matter how much you work out. It is also important that when you consume more calories, you do not justify eating sugary, unhealthy foods. Yes, they are okay every once in a while, but working out does NOT mean you can eat junk food whenever you want to. Just keep that in mind next time you open your food pantry ;)

I wish you all the best of luck with this! It may seem difficult at first, but I know you can do it!

Best Wishes,

Danielle ♥

P.S. If you have any questions at all about what I have said, please feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a direct message from the box at the bottom of the webpage. Thanks!

All of the above information can be found in Runner's World Magazine.

Weight Loss

Weight Loss: Day 1

It’s no secret that weight is a major concern in our society. If you have ever tried to lose weight, you know that it is much easier said than done. In our world today, we are used to getting instant results. The problem is, with dieting and working out, we do not lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time. After working out for two weeks, and losing less than 5 lbs., most people get discouraged and give up on their weight loss program. In addition to this, lack of motivation is one of the most common reasons that people are unable to reach their weight-loss goals. Prior to this past year, I gave up on my weight-loss goals more times than I could count. If I did not lose more than 3 lbs. a week I would get discouraged. Looking back now I am able to see that consistently losing 3+ lbs. a week was not a realistic goal. While it is possible to lose more than that in a short span of time, it is unhealthy. After researching weight loss, I learned that losing weight takes time. By focusing all of your efforts on the numbers you read on a scale, you are losing the importance why you are losing weight in the first place: to be healthy!

The best way to reach your goals of being healthy and slowly losing weight is to pull your focus away from the scale. It is also important to have some sort of motivation that will keep you going. It may not be for everyone, but training for a race is a great way to stay motivated, focused, and active. Not to mention it will make you a happier and healthier individual. Just as losing weight, training to run distance will take time. However, in that time, you will continuously be active and your focus will not be 100% on your weight. In addition to keeping you focused, running is a fantastic way to burn more calories in a shorter period of time. Also, seeing as it is summer, I doubt there is a single person reading this that would NOT want to get in shape for the summer, or even lose weight to show off when returning to school. For those of you wanting to lose weight, be it by running or by other means of working out, I just want to start off by saying if I can do it, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot! And, if you found this post intriguing, be sure to check back daily this upcoming week. I will be posting new articles about different aspects of weight loss, as well as helpful tips and tricks that will assist you in losing weight in a healthy manner. 

Good Luck,

Danielle Renee ♥

Running: Alone vs Groups

Running: Alone vs Groups

Do you enjoy your alone time while you run? Or maybe it’s the peace and quiet of your surroundings. Or do you prefer to run with others? Maybe you are a social butterfly. According to Runner’s World, there are pros and cons to both running alone and running with a group.

Running alone can be a great way to get in your daily work out; it allows you to focus on your running technique, speed, and breathing. In addition, it allows you to set your own running pace, which is helpful for those recovering from injury. Running alone can also help prevent injury. Experts say running with a group that is faster can help increase your speed, but running faster than your normal pace too much can overwork your body and lead to injuries. Lastly, for runners training to race, running alone can mentally prepare you for race day. Seeing as you run alone during a race, running alone during training helps you to pace yourself and become independent during races.

Running with a group is also beneficial to a runner. One benefit of running with a group is motivation. When running alone, it may be hard to finish a run, maintain a good pace, or even start running. It’s easy to just say “I’ll just run later” or “I can skip my run today”; however, when you plan on running with a group, you know that people are expecting you to go run with them. It is a lot harder to cancel your run or end early. Also, by running with others, it is easier to get distracted from your negative thoughts and make the run seem a lot shorter than it is. Another benefit to group running is speed. Maintaining a steady pace on your own may be difficult, and switching from your normal pace may seem impossible. But, when running with others, you can push each other to maintain a steady pace and, when running with a faster group, help you to increase your running pace.

The trick to running is to get a good balance of both running alone and in a group. Those who run alone might benefit from running with a faster group. Those who constantly run with others may be able to become more self-sufficient by running alone. Personally, I prefer to run alone, but I like to occasionally run with friends who are faster in order to increase my pace and get a better idea of where I am at compared to others.

Happy Running,

Danielle Renee ♥

A Personal Story

A Personal Story

200 lbs. A number nobody wants to see when they look at a scale. That was my weight about a year ago. In high school, I was not one to care about what I ate as long as I did some physical activity. I played sports throughout high school including volleyball, softball, and cross country. But regardless of my activities, I did not try to maintain my weight. If I was hungry, I ate. If I was bored, I ate. I even ate when I was upset. However, I did not realize that it was a problem since I did not gain or lose any weight. As it turns out, my athletics helped me burn just about as many calories as I needed to maintain my weight while eating that much. The problem became noticeable after cross country season ended my senior year. I stopped running, I stopped working out, and I continued eating like I always had. Within about four months my weight went from 175 lbs to 200 lbs. At the time, I was in denial that I was gaining weight. I chose to ignore the problem because I was embarrassed about how I looked. In the summer, I went to talk to a recruiter about possibly joining the military. Everything went well until the end of the meeting. They took my weight and told me that I was too heavy to enlist. It was that day that I realized just how out of hand my weight had gotten. It was that day that I decided I needed to start working out again and watching my diet. This also led me to start running again. After the summer had ended, I went off to college. My biggest fear for college was gaining more weight. Most people have heard of the "freshman 15" and I did not want to gain more than I already had. I kept my determination in mind and worked hard to eat healthy and run as much as I could. Now, one year later, I weigh just above 160 lbs (less than I was before gaining weight my senior year). I have lost almost 40 lbs and I am still losing. I have not been this happy with the way I look in a long time. As cheesy as it sounds, I only have running to thank. I began running years ago as a way to stay active. Then running became a form of stress relief for me, and now running has helped me reach my goals and become an overall healthy human being. I am not here to tell you all that running is the only way to do this, just as I am not writing this blog to help you lose weight (though that would be a great if I helped you do that). Today, I am writing this post for two reasons. The first is to let all of you know that running can really change your life in more than one way. The second reason is to let all of you know that anyone can make the choice to be healthy. It may not be easy, but being healthy is a choice that anyone can make at any time. If I can do it, so can you!

The picture above shows three pictures of myself approximately one year ago when I weighed about 200 lbs. The bottom right-hand image is a picture of myself about a month ago when I was in the upper 160 lb range. I have lost a few more pounds since then and hope to continue to lose weight.

If any of you readers have any comments or questions for me you can leave them in the comments below or you can send an email to vsvball11@gmail.com

Stay Healthy!
Danielle Renee ♥

Poll Results

Poll Results

Which do you prefer?

Barefoot Running: 0%
Minimalist Shoes: 25%
Regular Shoes: 75%

Do you listen to music when you run?

Yes: 66%
Sometimes: 33%
No: 0%

Which do you choose to run by?

Time: 0%
Distance: 66%
Both: 33%

What would you like me to write about?

Running: Alone vs. Group Running: 0%
Healthy Foods you would Normally Overlook: 50%
Heart Monitors: Good or Bad?: 0%
Ways to Make Homework More Interesting: 50%

Results

Unfortunately, not very many people voted. But of those who did, most preferred regular running shoes over minimalist shoes or barefoot running. This could possibly be due to the fact that minimalist shoes are relatively new and running barefoot is a little to intense for people who are not used to it. When it comes to music, it is save to say that the majority of voters listen to their iPods and mp3 players while running. Even those runners that choose to run without it will listen to it occasionally. Also, most runners run by distance rather than time. With today's technology that is a lot simpler to do since we can easily map out distances before or after our runs. Some runners like to take days to run by time as well though. It also seems that the viewers of this blog are interested in learning about healthier foods and ways to make schoolwork a bit more interesting. I will be sure to write about these topics soon for all of you to see. Thank you all so much for your feedback! I found it extremely helpful and I will be taking all of your opinions into consideration when writing for this blog.

Thanks Again,
Danielle Renee ♥

Prayers for Boston

April 2013: Prayers for Boston

I would just like to take the time to send out my prayers to runners and viewers injured and killed in the Boston Marathon previously. This is the first attack to have hit so close to the running world. I think it goes without saying that we are all hurt by this. I ask that you all take the time to appreciate what you have and tell your friends and family that you love them every chance you get, because this could have happened to anyone. Keep the families and friends of those involved in the bombing in your prayers. We will never forget what happened that day.

Danielle Renee ♥

Time vs. Distance

Time vs. Distance

When you run, do you run based on time? Or do you mark out your mileage beforehand? Most runners choose one or the other, and a few switch between the two. Experts say there are pros and cons to both.

Above is a picture from Map My Run. After running a workout, you can use this website to map out your mileage, and it will give you your total mileage, time, description of course, average pace, and even the elevation of your workout.

Time

Runners World Magazine says, when running based on time, runners are able to focus their attention on their form, breathing, and are better able to assess their overall shape. They say this is especially helpful when doing tempo runs. Runners World also claims that running based on time is a good choice when you are not feeling the best, seeing as running at a slower pace then normal on a "regular" course can be discouraging. If the distance is something that you need to know, you can use a running app to map out the course and your average speed once you have completed your workout. You can do this easily at Map My Run.

Distance

Runners World Magazine also claims that running by distance can be helpful. Rather than helping with form and breathing, running a set distance allows a runner to focus on their pace. Running a set course multiple times can also help a runner keep track of their overall improvement, which definitely helps build up confidence. In addition, set distances allow runners to get a better idea of how they need to improve.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask them in the comment boxes below, or visit www.runnersworld.com

Also, please remember to vote in my survey on the left of your screen. I will post new polls every week in order to see what other runners do, as well as know what you all want to hear about. Thank you all so much!

Danielle Renee ♥

Keeping Up the Pace

Keeping Up the Pace ♫

Listening to Music During a Run

Do you listen to music while you run? Do you ever pick songs with faster beats in order to run faster? As strange as it sounds, a lot of people do that. While I run I listen to quick, upbeat songs and try to match my strides with the beats. Apparently there are many studies done on the effects of running with music. These studies say that music helps you concentrate and keeps your brain stimulated and thinking positively. Another study showed that listening to music while running improves performance. Yet another study claims that heart rate and mileage increases as the music's tempo increases. (More information can be found here)

My Playlist

I personally listen to a lot of rock while I run and thought I would share with you 25 upbeat songs that really get me moving.

1.) Shoot to Thrill - ACDC
2.) Afterlife - Avenged Sevenfold
3.) Beat It - Michael Jackson (I have the Fall Out Boy version. It is slightly faster)
4.) Welcome to the Jungle - Guns'N'Roses
5.) I'm Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
6.) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
7.) Enter Sandman - Metallica
8.) Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue
9.) Wild Side - Motley Crue
10.) Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback
11.) Still Swingin - Papa Roach
12.) Silence Is the Enemy - Papa Roach
13.) Kick In the Teeth
14.) Shut It Down - Pitbull
15.) Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor) - Pitbull
16.) Famous - Puddle of Mudd
17.) Black Betty - Ram Jam
18.) 6 Gun Quota - Seether
19.) Sound of Madness - Shinedown
20.) Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
21.) Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace
22.) Riot - Three Days Grace
23.) Headstrong - Trapt
24.) Yeah - Usher
25.) Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down

For viewers sake, I left out the "explicit" songs that are not appropriate for all ages. Rather than giving the songs, I am going to list the top 10 bands that keep me going during my runs.

1.) ACDC
2.) Avenged Sevenfold
3.) Disturbed
4.) Egypt Central
5.) Five Finger Death Punch
6.) Theory of a Deadman
7.) Nickelback
8.) Papa Roach
9.) Seether
10.) Shadows Fall

Safety First

Please keep in mind that, while running with music is a fun and enjoyable way to run, music that is too loud may reduce your awareness of your surroundings. If running alone on roads or trails, be sure your music is not so loud that it affects your safety.

Keep it Up!
Danielle Renee ♥

Want to know more? Read about the Running Debate - Running With Music

Two-a-Days

Two-a-Days

I have always been told that every little run counts, even if it is only 10 minutes; but what if ten minutes are not enough? Being a college student with a major, two minors, a job, and about 5 clubs to keep up with, I find it hard to find a lot of time in my day for running. I definitely have time to run at least 15 to 20 a day between classes and work, but some days I need to run more than that. For the past few weeks, I have been running two-a-days a few times a week. I run about a mile in the morning before classes, and then my normal workout between classes and work. This way I get more mileage and am able to keep up with my running schedule. There are things to keep in mind when running two-a-days though. An article on Marathon Nation gives some advice for how to add two-a-days to your schedule without ruining your training. According to the article, the most important things to remember are: do not add on too many miles, allow enough recovery time between workouts, and be sure to warm up before each run. Adding on too many miles can actually make you slower and increase your chance of injury. It is suggested that, when starting two-a-days, runners only add on a mile or two per week. Insufficient recovery time, as well as no warm-ups, can also lead to injuries, as well as increase the amount of required recovery time. It is also suggested that the harder and/or longer of the two workouts be done first. Another article, called Your Ultra-Training Bag of Tricks: Two-A-Days, lists the pros and cons of two-a-days as well as helpful advice about who should run them and how.

Get Outside! It's beautiful!
Danielle Renee ♥

Study Help

Study Help

Hello again bloggers! My blog, Nerds, Runners, and Animal Lovers, is a blog meant to focus on three things: school, running, and animals. So far, I've been posting a LOT about running, and not as much about school and animals. Since today was a Friday (a.k.a. Exam Day) I thought I'd give you all a few helpful hints and tips to help you with your weekend homework and studying. Obviously most adults will simply tell you to "get it done", but there are a lot of things that will help you through the homework. Below is a list of all the things I have found help with homework.

1.) Just Do It- homework is usually low on your priority list when Friday rolls around, but it is important that you do not forget what you have to do.

2.) Do NOT Procrastinate- this will only make it harder for you to remember what it is you have to do and may make it harder to complete the homework. Procrastination can also lead to lower quality and/or incomplete work in the long run

3.) Time Management- literally the MOST important skill to have in college. If you do not manage your time wisely you will cause yourself a lot of extra stress that may cause you to struggle with your classes

4.) Textbooks with Answers in the Back- ONLY use the answers to CHECK your work once you are done. If you do not know how to solve the problems on your homework, you will not be able to do them on tests and quizzes. This is especially important in mathematics and science. Math is never ending. Everything in math is related. If you do not understand one concept, you will not be able to move on to the next. Science is alike in that if you do not understand small concepts, larger concepts will not make sense.

5.) Give Yourself Some Incentive- Set goals! Do you want to hang out with friends? That would be a nice reward for finishing that essay, don't you think? It sounds like a cheesy way to get stuff done, but this is actually helpful. You could use "Facebook breaks" as rewards as well. Read X amount of pages, then take a break to browse the Internet. Hungry? Finish 20 practice problems on your math homework before grabbing those jelly beans!

6.) Stay Focused- If you have been doing homework for hours on end and cannot seem to focus, maybe its time to take a break. If you are having trouble staying focused for more than a few minutes, stop and think about what it is that is distracting you. First, check your surroundings. Is it too loud? Does something keep catching your eye? If this is the case, maybe you should move to a location that is less distracting. Other things can distract you too. If the Internet is open and distracting, close it. If someone keeps texting you, politely tell them you are busy and turn your phone off.

7.) Cold Turkey- If you have trouble staying off of the Internet and cannot seem to stay away from all of your social networking sites, it may be time to try out Cold Turkey. I found this program a few months ago and it changed the way I studied forever! I was constantly distracted by facebook and twitter. This FREE software blocks sites of your choosing (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) for any amount of time that you choose. That way, if you get bored and try to get onto one of these sites Cold Turkey will pop up and tell you to keep studying. You can download this software here.

I hope these tips helped. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please comment below this post. I really like to take your opinions into consideration. Also, on the topic of homework, if any of you readers have questions on specific subjects, I am more than willing to help. In college, I have tutored students in Biology and Mathematics. I am also knowledgeable in Chemistry, Reading, Writing, and more.

Happy Studying!
Danielle Renee ♥

Discussion: Barefoot Running

Discussion: Barefoot Running

In the past few years, the idea of minimalist running has become extremely popular. For those of you who are unfamiliar with minimalist running, it is basically the idea of running "naturally" or as close to running barefoot as is possible. They make a lot of new shoes that are supposed to mimic natural running. I have also heard that it is better for you. I recently read an article, called "Much Ado About Minimalism", about how minimalist running became popular and also discusses the benefits. This article claims that regular tennis shoes actually teach us to run with a form that is "unnatural" and causes us to rely on the shoes we wear. This article also claims that running barefoot, or with little shoe support, helps build muscle and coordination in the feet which are able to boost performance. What do you think of this? Is minimalist running better? If you have done it, do you like it? Are there any negatives? I want your feedback!

For those of you who want more information about minimalist running, here are two more articles:
The Basics of Barefoot/Minimalist Running
The First Scientific Support for Minimalist Running

For those of you wanting to start minimalist running, here is a website that will teach you how to make the transition safely.

Happy Running,
Danielle Renee ♥

We Love Hills

We Love Hills

Back in high school cross country, we would always reserve Mondays for hill training. We went to a park about 30 minutes from our school and just ran repeats up the hills. The first was the sledding hill, next was the known to us as the mountain, and the third was named the baby killer. Now, keep in mind we were all from Ohio and were really used to running on fairly flat trails. Our mountains are more like ant hills (thank you glaciers). When we would run up the hills at this park, all we did was complain about how terrible they were and how we felt like we were dying, until we hired an assistant coach. Our assistant coach wasn't hired until my senior year, so I only got a small sample of her craziness. The first Monday she came with us, she heard some complaints when running uphill. She stopped all of us and said that, while running uphill, we had to yell "WE LOVE HILLS!". She told us that if we shouted it enough, one day we might actually start to believe it. We thought it was really stupid, but we did it anyways, and it made hills easier not because we loved hills, but rather because we got a kick out of shouting it and watching people's reactions. It became a team thing. We actually started to shout it out during races as encouragement for our teammates. Needless to say, shouting "WE LOVE HILLS" was actually beneficial to our team. 

Now, a year and a half later, I live in Pennsylvania where that park in Ohio looks flat. I literally look out my window and see miles and miles of hills and mountains. My campus itself is on top of a hill. Since I recently started running again, I have been trying to slowly increase my mileage. For my shorter runs, I do my best to avoid the hills and stay in the allotments behind my dorm (which are fairly flat). Yesterday, however, was my designated long-run day. A year ago I was able to run about 8 miles, but as of now my long run is at approximately 4.5 miles. This is the longest I've had to run around my campus so I decided to go along a different route around town. The first mile and a half was great! My pace was good, my heart rate was steady, nothing hurting, and my music was keeping me motivated... then I got to the first hill. It was fairly high, probably a quarter mile long, and I was ready. In my head, I thought "It's just one hill, one little bump in the road (pun intended), I can do this." I finished the hill strong. To my surprise, on the other side of this hill, was a bigger, longer hill. As I ran up the second hill the negative thoughts started: "Why did I run this way? What the hell was I thinking? Hills suck.. I suck... running is terrible..." I finished that hill, and struggled up the next. There was a steady downhill for a while, but the last mile of my run was entirely uphill again. I felt so defeated and discouraged when I remembered what my coach told me in high school. In my head, I started to think "I love hills." As I ran I kept repeating it over and over in my head while thinking of the memories of running in high school.

I was so focused on thinking "I love hills" that I was almost surprised to see my dorm at the end of my run. I know it seems like such a small, ineffective thing to do, but I encourage any of you who run to start thinking about how much you love hills as you run. Also, for those of you who are runners, I highly suggest logging your runs on Map My Run. It will show you the change in elevation of your run. When you log the workout it will show you a image like the one below. (This is not the run I mentioned above)

For more information on running hills, you may want to check out the following websites:

Hill Running: 5 Reasons to Love the Incline

Hill Training Articles

Can Hill Running Make you Faster?

Happy Running to All!

Danielle Renee ♥

The Beginning

The Beginning [of this blog]

Hello everybody! If you are reading this, chances are you are randomly looking up blogs OR you are a really nice friend who saw my links on twitter and Facebook. Either way, I want to take the time to thank you for reading my first post ever. As the title states, I am a nerd, I am a runner, and I am an animal lover. I live in Pennsylvania, so be prepared to hear about my life amongst the hills and the Amish.

Background Information

For those of you who do not know me, My name is Danielle. I am currently a college student majoring in Mathematics. Strange, I know, but I'm a wizard with numbers and it is my passion. Besides math, I also love my family, my friends, my pets, and doing everything I can for other people. I am currently an active member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega which allows me to act upon my love for helping others in as many ways as possible. In the past I was involved in National Honor Society, 4-H, ski club (college and high school), pre-vet society, physics club (I'm a nerd, I know), and my church's youth group. If you read all of that and thought "wow, she is such a nerd" then you are 100% correct. I have been a nerd my entire life and I fully embrace the fact that I am far from normal.

Running

As far as running is concerned, I began running my sophomore year in high school in order to stay "in shape" for softball, and again for volleyball. Eventually my love for running won me over and I quit volleyball to join my high school cross country team. My CC team was my family. As if I didn't love running enough to begin with, running with them made me love it even more. My senior year I got a sever case of Senioritis. This led me to stop all physical activities after my CC season. I also ate food like it was my job. Needless to say I gained a few pounds. At graduation I was actually 200lbs. I think this is the first time I've ever admitted that. I knew I was overweight and began running again. I am proud to say that I have lost 45lbs since then. Being a college student I do go through phases where I stop exercising/running for a while, but I always go back to it. I'm glad I began running, it has become a little piece of my soul that I will never fully give up. 

Animal Loving

In the early years of my life, I told my parents I wanted to grow up and be a veterinarian. For years they waited for me to change my mind. It wasn't until this past semester, 20 years into my life, that I decided I didn't want to be a veterinarian. However, that doesn't mean I don't have a passion for animals. Currently I have a dog, a cat, rabbits and chickens at home that I love and adore. I also go out of my way to involve them in my life and to pet every furry creature I ever cross paths with. Even though I don't plan on going into a profession involving animals, I plan on making them a part of my life for the rest of my life. Also, keep in mind that I was in 4-H for seven years and a biology major for a year and a half, so I am fairly knowledgeable about animals if you have any questions that need answered.

The Future Blogs

Finally, a few things about this blog. If you plan on following me and reading my blog I want you to know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Seeing as I am a nerd and a runner, I will mostly be giving advice about things such as study habits, time management, exercise, running, and nutrition. You're probably wondering why I haven't mentioned being an animal lover in relation to my posts. Seeing as I do not know how to relate animals to everyone's lives, I will instead only talk about animals in the case of a request by my readers. That and I will probably throw a few little pictures of animals into my posts or on the sideboards every once in a while.

If the above appeals to you, and you wish to know more, bookmark this page and tell your friends all about it! You can read my blogs at nerdsrunnersandanimallovers.blogspot.com. I will do my best to post new blogs at least once a week. If I get really into it there may be a new blog once every other day. I hope you are interested and plan on visiting again. I hope you have a wonderful time browsing the web!

Stay Sweet,
Danielle Renee