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Muscle built through strength training increases your resting metabolic rate and tones your body. This helps with maintaining long term weight control.

I was speaking to a friend and fellow runner yesterday about exercise…getting started, progression, and cross training. We are both fairly new runners in training for an upcoming event. We talked about how increasing our mileage or cross training can leave you with an “I can do anything” attitude. We changed focus a bit and talked about life, family, work and the demands of a busy schedule. It is not that we have all this extra time to “workout” or run, it's that it is important to us and therefore we make the time. It has become a priority in our daily schedule. We all have the power within to get fit and stay healthy. Then she said…”my level of fitness is one of the only things truly in my life that I have control over”.  Control…The power to direct or determine. I thought about that a lot last night and how we all have that control but many of us do not embrace it or know how to get started.

In our daily lives we come across situations, people, and circumstances that require our attention however the outcome may not always be in our control. When it comes to our health that is where we can choose how, when, what and where we are going to fit exercise into our lives. It’s easy to get bogged down and distracted with deadlines, e-mails, phone calls, home projects and other things that require our time but maintaining a healthy lifestyle needs to be a top priority as well.

That’s one of the things I love most about running, it doesn’t require a schedule or time frame, can be done anywhere, requires no equipment, helps clear your mind/gives you focus, is great for weight loss or weight maintenance and has significant overall health benefits.

Make the commitment to prioritize your health, find time in your day for YOU, learn to take care of yourself in the same manner that you take care of a loved one.

At the end of the day, your health is your responsibility!

3 things parents can do to encourage healthy lifestyle habits in their kids from an early age are:

Act as a role model and lead by example.

Reduce the time spend on watching tv and playing video games.

Give kids healthy choices for meals and activities.

Here they are…my marathon sneakers!

I have always been a fan of Brooks running shoes and still am however the last time I went to the local running store (to be fitted for sneakers) I decided on the Mizuno Wave Elixir 7 and have been running with happy feet ever since!

The minute I put these sneakers on it felt like I was running on air. I especially like how light they are and that they are breathable. There is traction at the tip of the toe area that feels as though you are pushing off with every step all while gripping the road with the rest of the sole. They are extremely cushiony with a wide front foot area. I did order up a half size and they fit just right.

I am not a huge fan of the color. I tend to buy more neutral shades so these are a bit out of my ‘fashion’ comfort zone. I was speaking to a fellow runner recently who cautioned me that although Mizuno is a great running shoe they may not stand up to high mileage like Asics or Brooks. For now they are perfect, I will keep you all posted on how they fare over the next couple of weeks.

When it comes to stretching, try to stretch the muscles on both sides of the body equally to create balance.

For many, the lazy days of summer mean enjoying the nice warm weather and relaxing with the kids before another year of school starts. For others it may mean that the routine schedule is thrown off and getting things done often goes by the wayside. Below are some tips that I have put into play to be able to enjoy the sunny days and still accomplish all (okay not all, but most) of the things I want and need to get done.

1. Create routines. Make a habit of keeping to some form of a schedule to get tasks accomplished, bills paid, e-mails sent and phone calls returned.

2. Get enough sleep. A proper nights rest can make all the difference when it comes to workplace productivity. To be at your days best, try to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep nightly.

3. Step away from the computer. Incoming emails can be a distraction. Make a habit to only check the inbox at certaintimes of the day to avoid getting sidetracked with requests and responses.

4. Make a to-do list. Create a realistic list of tasks that need to be accomplished daily. Write them in order of priority and chip away at them throughout the day.

5. Stay healthy. Health and productivity go hand in hand, so be sure to maintain good healthy habits to ensure you are taking necessary precautions when it comes to germs and sickness.

6. Keep a pen and pad onhand. Carrying a pen and pad can be useful when writing down thoughts and reminders as they come to mind.

7. Shut off social media. Social media can consume large chunks of time throughout your day. Avoid the temptation to check in, update your status or tweet throughout the day.

8. Don’t bounce around. Assign a portion of the day for one project, and once that time is up, move on to the next mission.

9. Look back. Schedule sometime every week to see what was accomplished and if that schedule needs tweaking for the following week.

10. Say no. Don’t stretch yourself too thin. Sometimes we overstretch ourselves because we don’t want to, or don’t know how to, say no. Empowering yourself by learning to say no can help keep you focused and avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed.

11. Take care of YOU. Carve out some quality YOU time to keep the balance between the world and what is most important to you.

Dress for success. Before you start any kind of exercise routine make sure that your body is well supported. This means comfortable shoes and properly fitted attire (preferably made from breathable fabrics). The less you have to fuss with during your workout (by tugging at your clothing, or making readjustments) the more you can focus on achieving better results.

I will soon be entering week 13 of my 18 week marathon training plan. My event is 43 days away. The mileage is really picking up and the distance is taking me further from home. While running I get a lot of thinking done. I often wonder what other runners necessities are on their distance days. For me, my running necessities are quite simple: non restrictive running shorts, supportive jog top, low cut socks, professionally sized running shoes, hydration pack, Clif SHOT gel, Garmin, Road ID, I-Pod and inhaler.

As I start to think of each of these items, one is equally as important as the other for a good, safe run. The one my thoughts keep coming back to is the Road ID. If something happened to you while running are you identifiable? Last weekend when I was running my 16 mile run and I was two towns away from home it gave me peace of mind knowing I had my Road ID on. You never know when an emergency is going to happen. Valuable time can be lost on proper treatment when medical professionals do not know anything about their patient. If your sport takes you away from home please protect yourself and have some sort of identification on you.

I also have my husbands information in my cell phone contact list under IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Take precautions and be prepared at all times. Simple measures can make a big difference.

For more info on Road ID go to: www.roadid.com

Let the music move you. Music has an amazing power to pump us up and get us moving. Rather than relying on shuffle to get you through a workout, organize your songs on your mp3 player with your favorites at the beginning, middle and toward the end to keep you motivated. Change it up every week by adding new songs.