All Entries From Nancy Howard
Nancy is known on SparkPeople.com as SP_COACH_NANCY
Nancy Howard has a degree in nursing and was a member of SparkPeople before joining the staff as a community moderator in 2008. Her mission is to help others learn the process of living a healthy lifestyle and to let them know it is never too late to start. An avid runner, Nancy has competed in more than 65 races since 2006. In 2009, she achieved two amazing goals: She became a Runners Club of America Certified Running Coach and ran the Chicago Marathon. She wants to inspire the world and let everyone know you don’t have to be an Olympian to run.
Last week's fitness blog featured strength training exercises a beginner could do at home. This week's blog features those exercises that allow you to do a full-body workout routine in the gym.
If you feel you do not have time to incorporate all the various exercises into your busy schedule, according to the American Council on Exercise, "significant fitness and strength gains can be made in just two strength training sessions per week when you target all muscle groups."
Below are ten strength training exercises to do at the gym.
Please be sure to do a nice warm-up and cool-down before and after doing these exercises.
Note that if you have a history of joint problems or health issues you will want to get medical clearance before performing any of these activities.
Posted 9/1/2010 12:13:14 PM By: Nancy Howard : 24 comments
Fitness experts recommend a triad of exercises we should incorporate into our lifestyle in order to achieve optimum fitness. These exercises include cardio-respiratory activities, flexibility exercises and resistance training.
Cardio-respiratory activities such as walking, cycling, running, and swimming help with our overall health, while flexibility exercises, such as stretching, help with range of motion around the joint. Lastly, we should all participate in some form of resistance training regardless of our age or gender, whether with free weights, machines, resistance bands or even your own body weight.
If you feel you do not have time to incorporate all the various exercises into your busy schedule, according to the American Council on Exercise, "significant fitness and strength gains can be made in just two strength training sessions per week when you target all muscle groups."
Posted 8/25/2010 4:00:38 PM By: Nancy Howard : 23 comments
Over the past three decades, childhood obesity has become a national epidemic in this country and if we do nothing to help this generation of kids to learn to embrace healthy habits now they face the potential risk of developing adult diseases such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and even heart disease at a very young age. Sadly some of these kids have already met this fate.
The American College of Sports Medicine in conjunction with several other prominent organizations, such as the NAACP, the American Society for Nutrition, the Cleveland Clinic and HealthCorps, just to name a few, are waging a battle against childhood obesity by declaring September National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. On March 26, 2010 the United States Senate passed this declaration to help raise awareness to parents and educators that action needs to be taken now if we hope to curtail this growing trend.
Posted 8/21/2010 10:43:11 AM By: Nancy Howard : 40 comments
Our shoulders play an important role in helping us live an active daily lifestyle, therefore, by training the muscles that support the shoulder joint this allows for greater strength, flexibility and stabilization. Not only do strong shoulders give our upper body balance, but as we grow older shoulder stabilizing exercises allow us to perform tasks we once took for granted, such as combing our hair or reaching for an item off the top shelf in the grocery store. Strong shoulders also can help in correcting poor posture.
Below are seven exercises to help you build strong, shapely shoulders. Please note that you do not have to do all these exercises at one time. Also, if you have a history of shoulder pain you should avoid doing any shoulder exercises until you have sought medical clearance from your physician.
Rotator Toner
Lateral Shoulder Raise
Dumbbell Front Raise
Posted 8/18/2010 12:30:52 PM By: Nancy Howard : 26 comments
A few weeks ago a member of the Master Runners SparkTeam posted a thread asking his fellow SparkPeople runners what had been their biggest running mistake to date. The responses were quite interesting and varied which prompted me to take this forum to the other running SparkTeams to see what mistakes other runners have done in their training or racing that we could all learn from.
I believe that we learn more from the mistakes we make than by doing everything in life perfectly. However, by learning from other members mistakes maybe we can avoid some of the same issues others have experienced. I would like to thank all the runners who shared their mistakes. You guys are awesome.
Posted 8/14/2010 10:09:17 AM By: Nancy Howard : 76 comments
Full body resistance band workouts are great for when you are short on time and going to the gym is not an option. They provide an excellent alternative for a full range of exercises when you do not have access to free weights or other exercise equipment.
Shoulders and Back
Lat Raise Combo
Chest Press
Chest Press with Band
Biceps
The Thinker
Triceps
Posted 8/11/2010 1:30:08 PM By: Nancy Howard : 44 comments
Last September a trend started in the SparkPeople Road Runners SparkTeam that has since blossomed into a full-fledge SparkPeople movement. The unofficial SparkPeople Inaugural Race took place at the New Orleans Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon and Half-marathon in February 2010. Since that time, race get-togethers have been slowly building momentum with each subsequent posting on the message boards.
This past weekend was no exception as SparkPeople members gathered in Grant Park early Sunday morning to run and walk in the Second Annual Chicago Rock N Roll Half-Marathon. The day was absolutely gorgeous with not a cloud in the sky. It was a little warmer than ideal and the humidity was quite high, however, we all went out to run our very best.
Posted 8/7/2010 10:16:02 AM By: Nancy Howard : 77 comments
So who doesn't like a challenge? We, here at SparkPeople, find that challenges are actually a great motivational tool in helping our members reach their goals. So if SparkPeople members are motivated by the challenges, could this work for our politicians and their staff members in our country's capital? After all, many of us our motivated by the mere thought competing against others which isn't always a bad thing.
Seven weeks ago a competition like no other in Washington, D.C. went out to members of Congress, their staff, as well as the Capitol Police. This friendly competition had nothing to do with political affiliations in the least.
The competition you may ask--to see which Capitol Hill team could cover the greatest distance walking over a six week time period commencing on June 16th and ending on July 28th. The reward--the honor of being named the 'Top Walkers on the Hill' and receiving one of two highly sought after Blue Shoe trophies.
Posted 8/4/2010 8:40:43 AM By: Nancy Howard : 36 comments
There are many dates that stand out in our lives--the day we graduated high school and/or college, the day we met our future spouse, the day we got married, had our children, and the list goes on and on. For me I will add another date and that is August 1st. You may be asking yourself why this date is so significant to me and how it allowed me to become the person I am today. Well, that was the day I was given the incredible opportunity to come work for SparkPeople just two short years ago.
I was, and am, so honored and humbled to be asked to share my talents with all of you. While I never pictured myself as a writer, I am slowly gaining the confidence to move in that direction. I think my high school freshman English teacher would be quite proud of me today. Even though she was one of the toughest teachers I ever had, she taught me to go outside my comfort zone and do things I never thought I could do. So for all you teachers out there, never underestimate the power of your role in shaping the lives of your students even 30 plus years later.
Posted 7/31/2010 11:06:42 AM By: Nancy Howard : 61 comments
I am in the midst of training for a number of fall races which commences with the Chicago Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon this Sunday and ends with the Las Vegas Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon on December 5th. Throw in the Hood to Coast Relay at the end of this month, followed by the Victoria 1/2 Marathon in October, followed by the San Antonio Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in November and well, let's just say I have my fair share of training cut out for me. What started out as obtaining a simple medal in New Orleans in February has led me to register for five Rock N Roll events, not only to run with other SparkPeople members, but to achieve the coveted Rock Star Medal bestowed on a runner who completes five events in a calendar year.
As my long training runs have progressed from an hour a few months ago, to my last long run on Saturday, which was a tad short of three hours, I have had to depend on refueling sources during my runs to help keep my energy levels high.
Over the past several years, engineered refueling sources such as Clif Shot Bloks, Accelerade and Gu have become all the rage for runners, walkers, cyclists and most other endurance athletes for that matter. Just pick up any runner's magazine and you will see countless advertisements for these products. Not only do these products offer the endurance athlete convenience, but their primary purpose is to offer a healthy dose of carbohydrates in a small package. Some products even go so far as offering protein and electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, in addition to the carbohydrates.
Posted 7/28/2010 2:30:12 PM By: Nancy Howard : 66 comments
When I laced up my running shoes for the first time at the tender age of 44, I had no clue that I would, for the first time in my life, still be running, much less exercising on a consistent basis 4 1/2 years later. After all, I had spent 32 years of my life on a diet roller coaster and I must confess exercise was something that I once looked at with great disdain. It was something I felt I had to do in order to lose the weight and the health benefits that came with it were secondary. While I looked at this journey to reclaim my health as just that-a journey, somewhere along the way running become my passion.
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to run a 5K/15K race with a couple fellow SparkPeople members from my neck of the woods. Having never met 'in person' we had made plans to meet at the registration area prior to the race. While waiting, I recognized a gentleman donning a "Chicago Marathon" tech shirt. I told my husband that I thought he was the gentleman that I met last year on my way to Chicago to run my first marathon. Of course never wanting to miss an opportunity, I stepped up, something that I would never have done in the past, and asked. And as luck would have it, it was Runner Dave, as I so admirably referred to him.
Posted 7/24/2010 11:12:17 AM By: Nancy Howard : 71 comments
Six weeks from today, I, along with 11 of my fellow SparkPeople running pals of the Sparkin' Hood to Coast Team, will be participating in one of the most prestigious long distance relays in the world--The Hood to Coast Relay. The relay begins on the slopes of Mt. Hood at the Timberline Lodge and winds through the Oregon terrain until the last runner crosses the finish line 197 miles down the road in the town of Seaside.
Each runner is given three distinct legs of varying distances, averaging 16 total miles, to be completed within a 31 hour time limit. Participants are expected to provide their own food, water and other amenities. We will be sleeping in short shifts, riding in a van, or waiting at the transition point until it is our turn to run. And because there is little time for muscle recovery in between runs, it has been reported that some runners have been known to experience soreness and stiffness during this time.
So you may be wondering what tart cherry juice has do with running the Hood to Coast Relay?
Posted 7/21/2010 2:35:33 PM By: Nancy Howard : 128 comments
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the local horse racing track to enjoy a day with friends. Each Saturday morning during race season, the track opens the grounds for people to have a light breakfast while the jockeys sit and answer questions from the audience about horse racing. We even had the opportunity to visit the horse barns and talk with a trainer leading that day's session.
During our visit to the barns, one of the trainers enthusiastically shared with us what her job entailed. Her job was to prepare and train the horses scheduled for that day and to make sure when they were done, the horses were fed and their joints iced. One little snippet that caught my attention was when she mentioned that horses, just like runners, should never run hard every single training session. Just like runners, horses use the hard/easy approach to training which allows them to progress in their training without experiencing overuse injuries.
As a certified running coach one of the tenets we were taught in our certification class is to instill in our runners that they do not have to, nor should they, perform every run at full speed. Doing so can lead not only to an increase in injuries, but can actually slow the process of becoming a better and more efficient runner. But I must say it is truly one of the most difficult mindsets to change, especially for new runners who are so enthusiastic about the sport.
Posted 7/14/2010 11:30:19 AM By: Nancy Howard : 80 comments
There is something about my type A, perfectionist personality, which in the past, stood in my way of pushing beyond life’s obstacles. Even if I gave my best, if others were losing at a faster rate, I deemed myself as a failure. The same is true with my running. But fortunately, I was able to put an end to that way of thinking after being taught a lesson by a gentleman who refused to let others keep him from his goals.
About a year into my running I decided to step outside the comforts of working one on one with a running coach to see what it would be like to run with a group. I signed up for a speed training class at my local running specialty store. I remember coming to the class excited to embark on the next chapter into becoming a more efficient runner. I was nervous, but comfortable in my ability, after all I had been working with a coach for almost a year.
The class took place on a cold February evening. We introduced ourselves to one another and that’s when I realized I was the second oldest in the group and only one of four women runners. I was beginning to feel my confidence waver. Our coach had us run the one mile trek to the local high school track where we ran 3 miles and when we were done we were to shout out our time.
I was one of the last runner’s to arrive to the track, huffing and puffing as I did my best to keep up. Now I was feeling like I did not belong. Our coach blew the whistle and off we went. The young guys and gals took the inside fast lanes as the slower runners, like me, kept to the outer lanes. As time passed, the faster runners were lapping me and then some of the slower runners started picking up steam and started passing me. At 20 minutes the first runners started shouting out their times. Here I was still trying to get to mile 2. I was feeling defeated as everyone else had completed their mission. The coach shouted to me and the older guy, who was all of 68 and trailing less than 200 meters behind me, to see how far we had gone. We hit the 30 minute mark and I was still only 2.75 miles into my run. The others were standing around talking and waiting and I felt so pressured that I told him I could stop. Surprisingly, Richard-the older man was not too far behind me-said he wanted to finish his 3 miles and he did.
Posted 7/10/2010 9:43:45 AM By: Nancy Howard : 168 comments
One of the most enjoyable aspects of running is you can basically do it anywhere in the world, whether on city streets, back country roads or in the comforts of a gym environment. All you need to do is lace up your running shoes and hit the trails. However, knowing how the different running surfaces impact your running form may help prevent aches and pains you may experience along the way.
Runners are said to experience the impact of three to four times their body weight over 800 times during just a one mile run. The harder the running surface, the greater the impact the body must absorb, which may lead to problems anywhere along the kinetic chain, from the foot to the upper back and everywhere in between.
Unfortunately, the minute one experiences an injury the shoes are the first thing we want to blame. After all they are the only so-called real equipment one needs to participate in the sport. But we should not ignore the fact that shoes are not always to blame when it comes to running injuries, particularly if you have do not vary your running surface.
Posted 7/7/2010 2:00:00 PM By: Nancy Howard : 66 comments 
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