Getting to the Starting Line
By Marni Rakes

It doesn’t matter if you’ve trained for two weeks, four weeks or several months, the days leading up to an event can be very tense.  Self-doubt, excitement, anxiousness and fear are among the many emotions that come with participating in an event.

Many women embark on the triathlon and running journey in order to get healthy, lose weight and improve self-confidence. Without a doubt, signing up for an Iron Girl event is the best way to feel confident about your new lifestyle of physical activity and healthy eating.  However, when it comes to getting to the starting line of a race, dieting, poor body image and fear of food have nothing to do with racing.

Training for an event is the best method of staying focused and consistent with healthy eating. Unfortunately, it is very easy to make excuses with training and to believe things like the treadmill was correct when you burned 700 calories after a 4-Mile run.  Working out on a regular basis provides some flexibility in eating but holding true to your weight loss goals is the biggest battle in training for an event. It is when the discipline for training outweighs the discipline for healthy eating that the weeks and months go by without seeing any changes in your weight. Even when the heart is strong, running times are fast and you feel strong on the bike, staying focused with your eating is a daily responsibility. 

The days leading up to an event, however, are not the days to think about your restricted, calorie-controlled diet. It would be wise to use your daily weight loss tips to continue to portion control and prioritize healthy foods on the few days before a race, but worrying about the number on the scale or how you look in running shorts will not get you anywhere. If you are thinking about your weight or body image the day before a race, your mind is in the wrong place. Sadly, there is nothing you can change about the weight you didn’t lose or how you look in spandex in the 24-hours before you get to the starting line. 
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Tips to Help You Stay Heathly: Presented by Aflac

Prevention Really Is the Best Medicine
 
You can reduce your risk for many diseases by eating right and staying physically active. Other risk factors within your control include not smoking (or quitting if you currently smoke), limiting alcohol intake, using sunscreen, controlling stress, and reducing your risk of injury by wearing a seat belt or other appropriate safety equipment. Of course, all diseases cannot be prevented entirely, so regular physical examinations and routine health screenings are essential to detecting disease early, when it has the best chance of responding to treatment.
 
All women should have an annual physical exam at least once per year; more frequent exams may be necessary depending on your individual health history and risk factors. In addition to an annual exam, specific screenings are recommended for women at certain ages. Some of the key tests you’ll need throughout your life include:
Pap Smear
Clinical Breast Exam
Mammogram
Cholesterol Screening
Stress Test to Evaluate Heart Function
Fasting Glucose Test
Thyroid Screening
Colonoscopy
Bone Density Test

How early and how often you receive these screenings will depend on your age, ethnic risk, personal health history, family medical history, and other risk factors. Consult your doctor for advice on which screenings are right for you.

For more information about Aflac, voluntary insurance and wellness benefits, visit our Web site at Aflac.com or telephone us at 1-800-992-3522.

For residents of New York, coverage is available from American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (Aflac New York). American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac) is not licensed in the state of New York.

 

Polar Heart Rate Training Tip and Offer
Heart Rate and Hydration

As the hottest days of summer approach, remember to hydrate while exercising.

During long-term activity, exercise tolerance will decrease because of the water lost through sweating - unless you adequately replace the lost fluids. For marathon runners, fluid loss can be as high as 5.4 liters per hour.  Also, at high altitudes, drinking is important because of the dry air.

If you don't drink enough, you will become dehydrated and your body's total blood volume will drop. Because the heart has access to less blood, it has to pump faster to circulate the same amount of blood - and your heart rate will rise.  If you don't replace the lost fluids by drinking, your heart rate will increase, and your ability to perform will decrease rapidly.

So, drinking fluids during exercise has several benefits:

• Fights dehydration

• Offsets body temperature increase

• Minimizes cardiovascular stress

Note that in addition to drinking too little, drinking too much during performance can also be dangerous. Over-hydration can lead to low blood sodium levels (hyponatremia). Hyponatremia is most commonly associated with prolonged exertion during high-intensity endurance activities like marathons.

Listen to your body with a Polar heart rate monitor.  With dozens of styles colors and capabilities, Polar has the perfect heart rate monitor to help you meet your fitness, running and cycling goals while keeping you motivated along the way.

New at Polar!  The G1 GPS Sensor™
The new G1 GPS Sensor provides speed and distance via GPS for running and cross-training.  It’s accurate, durable and lightweight - weighs only 80 grams.

A Polar monitor guides you to train at the right intensity by using continuous, accurate heart rate. It's like having a personal coach on your wrist. With dozens of styles, colors and capabilities to choose from, Polar has the perfect heart rate monitor for you. Visit www.shoppolar.com today and use code HER-FTB-CR3 to save 10% off one heart rate monitor.

Learn more about training with a Polar heart rate monitor at www.PolarUSA.com