5K Race for Charity

For the last 4 years PACE Center for Girls, Broward and the City of Wilton Manors host a 5K Run/Walk to raise money for PACE.

For those who have never heard of PACE Center for Girls, Inc.; it is an alternative school for girls as well as my Alma mater and previous employer. PACE has done so much for me and millions of girls through out Florida! Not only did they help me finish high school when I had literally given up, but they also provided funding to help pay for my college education with their Jim Ward Scholarship.

PACE Center for Girls, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation that provides a non-residential delinquency prevention program in locations statewide, targeting the unique needs of females 12 to 18 who are identified as dependent, truant, runaway, delinquent, or in need of academic skills. PACE (Practical Academic Cultural Education) accepts referrals from the juvenile justice system, the Department of Children and Families, school personnel, community services agencies, parents, family members, friends and self-referrals. Its purpose is to intervene and prevent school withdrawal, juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and welfare dependency in a safe and nurturing environment. PACE programs provide the following services: academic education, individualized attention, a gender-specific life management curriculum (SPIRITED GIRLS®), therapeutic support services, parental involvement, student volunteer service projects and transition follow-up services. Every girl at PACE sets individual educational and social goals that are focused on earning a high school diploma or GED, re-entering public school, attending college, getting vocational training, joining the military or the entering the private workforce. After program completion, PACE continues to monitor each girl's educational and personal development with three years of follow-up case management. PACE operates 17 centers throughout Florida and a reach program. Since its creation in 1983 PACE has served over 19,000 girls. (http://www.pacecenter.org)

All proceeds from the 5K will go to help the girls at PACE, Broward. I have participated in the last 2 races and plan to attend this one as well not only to show my support but also my gratitude.

I encourage everyone to register and participate in this event, even if it's the only race you participate in this year!! For more information go to http://www.wiltonmanors.com , or http://www.splitsecondtiming.com/

To find out how you can help PACE in other ways (i.e. donations, volunteering) visit www.pacecenter.org

Motivation

Trying to lose weight and eat healthy is easier said than done! Everyone who has tried to lose weight has most likely had a problem, even personal trainers, with lack of motivation. There are going to be bad days, but sometimes bad days turn in to skipping a workout session and then skipping a week of workout sessions. When this happens bad habits start to show themselves and we fall back into our "comfortable" lives. It's not until we realize that the weight that we did lose has reappeared around our waist with a couple extra dimples in our thighs that we finally begin to exercise again.

Here are five ways to stay motivated and have fun!

• List your Goals. This means to write them down, big and bold, and post them in a place where they can be seen daily or twice daily if need be.
  
  
• Take a "Before" picture, then cut out a picture from a magazine, one that will represent what you want your "After" picture to look like and post them it next to your goals.
  
  
• Hold a "Biggest Loser" contest at work or with your friends. Set a time limit (like a month or two), you can hold weekly challenges (like taking a Ropes Course or having a trainer hold a Boot Camp just for your group), and have everyone put in 10-20 dollars (this will be the prize money, and who ever loses the most weight at the end of the given time will receive it!)
  
  
• Hold a contest with yourself! Set a goal, like "I want to lose 20-25 pounds in 3 months" and put away 40-50 dollars every time you get paid in those three months. If you reach your goal take the money you've saved and go shopping! (You'll probably need smaller cloths anyway!)
  
  
• Start a support group. Get together once a week and discuss nutrition, current diet trends, and exercise with people who are also trying to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles.
  

I hope this helps. I have personally done number 4 and having a shopping spree as a reward is so much fun and defiantly rewarding when I can buy cloths that would never have fit before!

How do you stay motivated? Leave a comment and let me know.

Taste Tester

While shopping at Publix a couple days ago I "discovered" Attune ; a chocolate wellness bar. I agonized over purchasing this bar since I have never seen it advertised. But I decided to give it a try and look at it as research.

When I arrived home I Googled Attune, which lead me to the Attune Foods Website. Where I was able to take my investigation a bit further. Apparently, these chocolate bars are

• 5x more live active cultures than yogurt
  
• an excellent source of calcium
  
• only 90-100 calories (depending on the flavor)
  
• good for "on-the-go" snacks
  
• Delicious!!
  

I am now in love with this product. It comes in several different flavors (Chocolate Crisp, Dark Chocolate, Mint Chocolate,and Blueberry Vanilla). To top it off they are now made with vegan and gluten-free ingredients. They also have granola probiotic(probiotics are good bacteria in your digestive tract) wellness bars (which I have yet to try).

If you would like to try Attune, you can find it in the yogurt section of your local supermarket. I recommend the Chocolate Crisp, it tastes so good you won't believe that it's good for you. Just remember to calculate the 100 calories into your daily caloric intake.

As a fitness professional, I believe that it is important to test and research certain products, especially "healthy" foods. So I will continue to do research and taste tests on products that claim to be healthy and tasty; so keep checking back for my reviews....and if there is a particular product or food item you'd like more information about please feel free to contact me.

Personal Lows and Cardio Highs

I actually plan on writing an article with the same title, but since it is still a work in-progress....and I it's time to update the blog, I figured I would post some information on the mental benefits of exercise.
From a young age, I have suffered with clinical depression and anxiety. At first it was difficult to deal with especially as a teenager. I self medicated and ate my way through my emotional pain. It was during my teen years, the years that I suffered with depression the most, that I grew to a massive 250+ pounds. It's safe to say that I hated my body and my self-esteem was non-existent.

Years passed, I saw therapists and tried medications which worked, but I just didn't feel like that it was for me.

The event that changed my life was my father's wedding. I was hoping to find a nice dress to wear to the wedding and even asked a friend to come along and help me pick something out. I couldn't find anything, that I liked, that would fit me!! Devastated, I went down to Goodwill and found something that would hide my "rolls" to wear. The day of the wedding I vowed to myself that I would lose weight so I can wear what I want to wear and not have to worry about being embarrassed or disappointed when I go shopping.

The day after the wedding I stopped drinking soda and started eating healthier foods. I purchased a jump rope, a few exercise DVDs and began working out for at least an hour a day. Before I realized I had lost 50 pounds. This motivated even more, so I joined a gym and never looked back!

Today, even though I still suffer the effects of depression and anxiety they aren't as present in my life as they were before.

I'm not the only one who feels that proper diet and exercise has helped change and control my depression. Research shows at least 30 minutes of exercise a day for at least three to five days a week to significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of activity - as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time - can improve mood in the short term. "Small bouts of exercise may be a great way to get started if it's initially too hard to do more," Dr. Vickers-Douglas says.

Some evidence suggests that exercise raises the levels of certain mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain. Exercise may also boost feel-good endorphins, release muscle tension, help you sleep better, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also increases body temperature, which may have calming effects. All of these changes in your mind and body can improve such symptoms as sadness, anxiety, irritability, stress, fatigue, anger, self-doubt and hopelessness. (http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/exdepression)

So the next time you're feeling depressed avoid just laying around, for a quick mood booster (that will help you lose weight at the same time!) go for a run around your block, or just take the dog out for walk and get some fresh air. Trust me it helps!

Exercise of the Week

Here is this weeks exercise(s). Many people think that doing hundreds of sit-ups will give them "perfect" abs, but the truth is that unless you have little body fat, then it won't work. You definitely will strengthen your abdominals but you won't see any definition. The best thing to do is to incorporate cardio, and a variety of exercises that will work your whole core. Your core is a term often used to describe not only your abdominals but also your obliques (aka love-handles), and lower back. It's important to have a strong back! Here are a few exercises to try out. Also check out my new article on the core, The "Core" Problem( http://neowide.com/the-core-problem/) There is also a link on the left hand side of the screen.

trunk rotation with medicine ball low to high
(Click on image to view this exercise...)

trunk rotation with medicine ball and feet up

trunk rotation with medicine ball and feet up
(Click on image to view this exercise...)

Party for your Health

Now there is a way to party without feeling guilty that you’re breaking your diet! Healthy parties are a fun way to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle and how to have fun in the process. These parties are also a way to introduce friends and family to proper nutrition and exercise. A nutritionist and a personal trainer will be there as well to lead discussions, facilitate the activities, and answer and questions.

During these parties’ reasons for beginning nutrition and exercise regimen will be discussed. There will also be healthy recipe swaps, and demonstrations of workouts that can be done at home either alone or with your family.

For more information or if you would like to host a party send me an E-mail.
*Host will receive a special gift, all party guests will receive gift bags, and food is provided. *

Updates

So, it's been awhile since I have posted to any of my blogs. Sorry!

Things have been pretty busy. I have partnered with another Personal Trainer and a Nutritionist and we are in the process of starting a new total wellness company.

One thing that I am excited about is our Wellness Parties or Healthy Parties that we will be holding! I will write more about the a bit later. I am also in the process of moving and that in itself is a bit overwhelming. I will post a couple of exercises on here to make up for the weeks I have missed.

I have added a couple features to this blog. One, is links to my articles, which can be found to the left of the screen. The other is a BMI Calculator which is at the very bottom of the screen. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog as well! By doing so you will get all the latest updates, tips, and maybe even a couple free sessions.

If you live in the Broward County, Miami/Dade County area and would like a free consultation/session you can contact me by e-mail at trudy.dacosta@gmail.com or you can go to my web-site http://www.ftlauderdalefit.webs.com/ and feel out the Contact Form.