Stretching!!!

Stretching is vital to your growing muscles.  So here is a little stretching 101

The Benefits of Stretching

• Increased flexibility and joint range of motion:
  Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.
• Improved circulation:
  Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste byproducts in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you've had any muscle injuries.
• Better posture:
  Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.
• Stress relief:
  Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress. 
• Enhanced coordination:
  Maintaining the full range-of-motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

Proper Stretching Technique

It is essential to practice proper stretching techniques. Doing so will allow you to avoid any unnecessary injury. Tips to proper stretching technique include the following:

• Warm up first
  Stretching muscles when they're cold increases your risk of pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes.
• Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds — and up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area. That can seem like a long time, so wear a watch or keep an eye on the clock to make sure you're holding your stretches long enough. For most of your muscle groups, if you hold the stretches for at least 30 seconds, you'll need to do each stretch only once.
• Don't bounce
  Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears (microtears) in the muscle, which leave scar tissue as the muscle heals. The scar tissue tightens the muscle even further, making you even less flexible — and more prone to pain.
• Focus on a pain-free stretch
  If you feel pain as you stretch, you've gone too far. Back off to the point where you don't feel any pain, then hold the stretch. 
• Relax and breathe freely
• Don't hold your breath while you're stretching
• Stretch both sides
  Make sure your joint range of motion is as equal as possible on each side of your body
• Stretch before and after activity
  Light stretching after your warm-up followed by a more thorough stretching regimen after your workout is your best bet

Thankful, Grateful and Praiseful

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I went to St. George for the weekend.  We had a ton of fun rock climbing, going to Tuachan and visiting Zion National Park. (Can I just say how beautiful Zions is!) Well we hiked Angel's landing and the Narrows and loved every bit of it.  Angel's Landing was frightening and I just about puked hiking up there.  But as we were hiking I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude.  How blessed am I to have a healthy body to be able to do this.  How grateful am I to be able to walk and run, to hear and see!

Well this past Sunday, we had a wonderful lesson on gratitude and that just reminding me of the blessing that I and all of us have been given.  We have these wonderful bodies that the Lord has blessed us with.  Our bodies are so intricate and detailed that only our Heavenly parents could have created such a thing.  We should be showing our gratitude to the Lord every opportunity we have.

During the lesson a scripture was shared, Mosiah 2: 20-21

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the^athanks and ^bpraise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and ^cpreserved you, and has caused that ye should ^drejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
 21 I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

The only way we can show God how grateful we are for our bodies is to serve Him and do His work.  Let us, sisters, remember the blessing it is to have a healthy body and use it for good, to serve our creator.  

Smart Running

Well....I am the new ward fitness coordinator (whatever that means).  So I am following in Jesse's footsteps and continuing on this blog.

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Megan Hunter and I am from Portland, Oregon.  I like to consider myself a runner.  I have run several 5k's, 10k's, halfs, and relays.  My goal this summer is to run a full marathon, if my knee gets better.......

My husband and I have only been married a few months and we haven't been doing very good on working out.  We had a race a couple weeks ago in Moab, Utah.  Its called the Red Rock Relay, Moab.  Our running habits have gone down the drain since about January, with school, work, being cold, planning a wedding it was very hard to fit that into the schedule.  So we decided to intensify our workouts about two weeks before our race.  Dumb idea.  I over worked my knee and now have what is called "Runners Knee."

Runner's Knee causes pain around your knee cap.  It is caused  by increasing your mileage too quickly (which I did), tightness in you IT band (it is a fibrous band that runs along the length of your thigh and when tight it rubs against your knee cap), poor running form, and your leg muscles are disproportional (they aren't strong enough to keep your knee cap in place).  It is really, really, really painful.  I could barely walk with out being in pain.

How to cure it? Well I have done a lot of research over the internet and this is what I have found

1. Cut back on your mileage and give it rest
2. Ice it and take ibuprofen after your run
3. Stretch your muscles a ton
4. Cross train (biking, weight lifting, lunges)
5. New shoes (you are supposed to switch out your shoes about every 200 miles)
6. Correct your form.

I know the majority of you probably don't have runners knee, but it is more common in women because our legs are angled more and put more strain on our knees.  But the key to prevent any kind of injury in running is to stretch a lot after every run, and cross training will strengthen other parts of you body which will help correct your form and actually quicken you pace.

To make a long story short, I never cured my knee in time for the race.  I know it wasn't smart but I just drugged myself up before each leg and stretched while in the car waiting for my next leg.  I can successfully say I ran all my legs, but I was in  a lot of pain for the next few days.

I am currently waiting on my new shoes to come in the mail, but in the meantime I have done a lot of cross training and stretching so when my shoes come I can begin slowly running again.  YA!

Pink Series 5K

As the ward fitness coordinator, I would like to coordinate some fitness by inviting YOU to run a 5K in Pleasant Grove with Heather Wrigley and I on April 28th! Wait just a second, if you were about to sign off cuz' you think you're not a runner, STOP. I haven't run a 5K since 6th grade. This is my plan: run 3 times a week (I started with only 8/10 of a mile on Wednesday) and keep striving for a little further every day. If April 28th rolls around and I'm not really ready to run 3.1 miles...I will simply run what I can and then walk the rest. No shame in that.

Here are all the reasons you should really think about doing this with us:

1. It's to raise money for breast cancer! Who doesn't know someone who has been affected by breast cancer? As for me, I will be running for my grandmother and my husband's grandmother, both breast cancer survivors.

2. You can drag your husband into it too. Bonding!

3. Take control of your life. This may not apply to all of you, but I'm pretty sure I'm not a lone when I say that life has been crazy, a little less than ideal recently, and I want to put all my energy into something positive that will make me feel more in control again.

4. A goal to work towards. I find myself a little unemployed in the mornings (I only working 3 to 6 pm right now, and I'm bored!) and I bet I'm not the only one. I would be happy (THRILLED) to get together with other women in the ward that have some spare time in the mornings and train together! Working towards a goal feels so satisfying and rewarding!

5. It's all downhill! Easiest 5K you'll ever do.

Please check out the website and register soon if you want to join Heather Wrigley and I!
http://thepinkseries.com/5k-Info

Breastfeeding: Good for You and Baby!

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? That is the question! Breastfeeding can give your baby an advantage physically and mentally (see diagram below!) but it can also help you! Breastfeeding a baby burns about 500 calories per day above and beyond normal calories burned. This can help you to take off the weight you put on during pregnancy. Research also shows that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. All the same, some women cannot breastfeed (some women simply don't make enough milk, for example) and some babies cannot be breastfed (some babies have milk allergies). But if you can breastfeed and your baby can be breastfed, this is the way to go!

Diagram from: http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/diagram-of-breastfed-baby.html

Language in Motion

I owe you two apologies...first, I am so sorry I haven't blogged in several weeks! Second, I am sorry that I'm going to use this blog for my personal interests and devote an entire blog to advertising my dance concert. :-) Back in April of 2010, I started a dance company which consisted of my fellow dancers at BYU. We started out doing just a few performances in community events like BYU's Black History Month, a performance in the Covey Center for the Arts, and a benefit concert to raise money for ovarian cancer research. After I completed a 2 month-long substituting job for Provo High School's dance teacher, I learned that Provo High is trying to earn $100K this year to celebrate their 100th year. My company was eager for the opportunity to help plan a concert, perform, and help in the community, so we volunteered to organize a dance concert in conjunction with the Provo High dancers and other dance companies in the community. It has taken 4 months of planning, working, choreographing, rehearsing, publicizing, etc, but we are proud to announce our concert! The show is this Friday, Feb 3, and Saturday, Feb 4 at the Provo High Theater (1125 N Univ. Ave) and 7 pm. Tickets are only $6 and can be bought through me or at the door (only cash and check accepted at the door). Our guest performers include: DanceSport Champions Kyle and Allie Spinder (also from our ward!), Rocky Mountain Express (a nationally awarded clogging company), BYU Tap Dance Club, and The Collective Dance Project (a contemporary ballet company). The show will last about 1.5 hours. If you enjoy dance, or just want to support your friendly, community high school and budding, non-profit dance company, please come! Let me know if you have any questions at all!

Here is a link regarding the $100K for 100 years fundraising:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Provo-High-School-100K-for-100-Years/199825953402878

And here is my company's website: (Check it out, we just added our new video!)
http://www.wix.com/wasatchcontemporary/wcdc

New Year Resolutions - How to Stick to your Exercise Goals!

With the new year coming up, undoubtedly there are at least a few of us who are considering weight loss goals for 2012. Today I want to speak specifically to those weighing the pros/cons of exercise goals. You may be hesitant to make an exercise goal -- after all, who HASN'T made and broken at least a few of those goals in the past? But here's the secret to sticking to an exercise goal -- the best exercise plan for you is one you enjoy. No matter how good you know running is for you, if you're just not a runner, or hate going out in the cold, don't make that your goal. There is a form of exercise for everyone that will give you the health benefits you need, and be likable enough that even you can stick with it.

Here are just some options to consider:

BYU offers exercise classes (everything from Zumba, to Aquatic Aerobics, to Pilates) for only $48/semester (only $12 a month, that's awesome!). Every week there are 27 different classes offered and you get unlimited access to all of them! Check it out at: http://hhps.byu.edu/content/aerobics-fitness. Classes go from Jan 9 to Apr 27.

Walk 20-30 minutes a day. Easy as that.

Netflix offers lots of workout videos on instant play.

Recruit your husband or other RS sisters, support from others makes a huge difference in sticking to an exercise plan.

Wii games! Just Dance is an awesome work out. Anyone wanna come over to my house and play with me sometime?????

Biking, swimming at the RB pool on campus, or taking a dance class through UVU's community education classes (they even offer belly dancing!).

Hope this helps you to see that you can stick to an exercise plan. It doesn't take much -- just 30 minutes out of the 1,440 minutes in a day -- to help you reap the benefits of exercise. If you need any help, support, or a friend to exercise with, let me know, that's what I'm here for!

The TRUTH About the hCG Diet

Have you heard of the newest fad, the hCG diet? It claims you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days! In lieu of these shocking claims, I did my research and found out that while you may be able to lose a considerable amount of weight, the diet is not without risk and is not a decision to make lightly.

First of all, what is hCG? It stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women. This is the hormone that suppresses appetite and makes pregnant women feel nauseous. The hCG comes in the form of injections or sub-lingual (under the tongue) drops. If you choose the injection form of hCG you must give yourself the shot because hardly any health care provider in the U.S. will administer the shots since they are not approved for weight loss in the U.S.

That's right, hCG is NOT APPROVED by the FDA. Since 1975, the FDA has not endorsed hCG as a weight loss product. Therefore, hCG internet vendors are not monitored which means their safety, contamination levels, and concentration levels cannot be standardized or regulated. How can you even be sure that what they are sending you is hCG and not a placebo, or worse, something that could seriously harm your health?

How was the hCG diet introduced? Kevin Trudeau introduced the diet in his book 'The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About'. Kevin Trudeau is a shady millionaire who got rich off late-night infomercials and alleged "natural" cures to just about every disease. He has no medical or nutritional credentials but he does have a lot of law suits against him.

What exactly does the diet entail? You take hCG and eat a very low calorie diet from a very short list of foods. While the specific amount of calories varies according to the version of the diet you choose, generally it is between 500-800 calories per day. In the nutritional world, it is supported that a diet of 500 calories should never be attempted unless under the direct supervision of a doctor, however, hundreds of people all over the U.S. are undertaking this dangerous diet on their own, without medical support.This amount of calories is simply not enough to support normal bodily processes....this is not even enough calories to fuel your body even if all you did was stay in bed all day long. You should never cut calories under 1200 calories per day. The list of foods one can eat also varies depending on the version of the diet one chooses, but the diet recommended by Kevin Trudeau includes only raw vegetables and fruits and coconut oil. Slightly-more-sane versions of the diet include lean meats as well. Any weight loss that occurs from the diet is obviously caused by the extreme lack of eating; in clinical trials, the hCG itselt was proven ineffective as a weight loss aid.

What are the risks of the hCG diet? First of all, vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Even if all you eat is fruit and veggies, you're not eating enough to get the daily recommended values, which can decrease your immune function and make you more susceptible to illness and chronic disease. The diet will also cause low energy and extreme hunger, and it will also cause your body to burn muscle in order to meet your energy needs. With less muscle mass, the result will be a slowed metabolism which means after the diet your body won't burn as many calories as it used to until you build the muscle mass up again. After the diet, the weight is bound to return and it will most likely come back as MORE fat than you started with. The diet is expensive, and increases your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. It is very difficult to adhere to and is not a sustainable way to lose weight. In fact, according to WebMD, taking hCG ranks third on their list of "6 Things You Should Never Do To Lose Weight".

Let's face it. The best diet is one you can stick to. It's not an extreme change you can endure for a few weeks at a time. It's slow, healthy changes that cause progress over time. Quick fixes simply don't work. If it took you years to put on the weight, it won't take a matter of days to remove it. Do your body a favor. Make healthier choices today that you can stick with forever!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-hcg-for-weight-loss
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-dangers

Brown Rice vs White Rice

Wow, how is it already the middle of November? Just a short post today about the benefits of brown rice (as inspired by Heather Wrigley).

What is brown rice? It is rice with only the outermost hull removed. White rice is rice that has had LOTS of layers (and nutrients) removed. Just like the whole wheat vs white bread argument, you'll get a lot of needed vitamins and minerals from eating brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice is packed with: manganese, fiber, selenium, and magnesium. As I was reading up on this issue, I also learned that brown rice even contains something called rice bran oil, which can reduce your cholesterol! Amazing! Eating brown rice can help prevent cancer and type 2 diabetes, reduce constipation, prevent gallstones, reduce the frequency of migraines and decrease the severity of asthma!

So why aren't we eating brown rice? It is a little more expensive than brown rice (which I totally don't understand....I have to pay you more money to do less processing to my food? weird.) and a lot of us are raised on that good ol' white rice taste and it's hard to switch. However, there is hope! Ask Heather how she converted her husband to brown rice and now he loves it! You too can become a believer in brown rice, especially now that you know how good it is for you!