Healthy Memphis

Learn fitness walking at a clinic set for 9 a.m. Saturday (August 9) at Yale Road Park in Bartlett.

The hour-long event is sponsored by Major Body Worx Fitness Center. Grace Major, the clinic coordinator, said persons from all fitness levels are welcome as well as folks interested in training for marathons and other races.

The cost is $18. For more information or to register, call 385-9725 or e-mail majorbodyworx@gmail.com.

Are you planning a fitness event? E-mail us at powers@commercialappeal.com and we will post the information on The Commercial Appeal's Healthy Memphis Web site.

I promise - I didn't fall off the wagon. In fact, I think I may be driving it.

After a fantastically lazy weekend at the Current River in Missouri, I came home injured and vowing not to run no matter how guilty I might feel. We spent our Sunday floating in inner tubes for seven hours over what had to be the sharpest rocks I've ever had the displeasure of walking on. I'm now sporting a 1" long, 1" deep cut on the inner pad of my right foot. Next time I'll pack more adequate footwear. But when I walked through my door at 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, I realized I couldn't just not go. I mean, I am writing about it.

And then the weather...

Monday was by far the hottest, stickiest, most gruelling afternoon of exercise I've ever endured, bar none. That being said, I'm still glad I went. The crowds were down, the spirits were struggling, but the coaches were there, smiling as always and encouraging us all to keep moving, despite the heat.

It felt like my lungs were filling with hot water instead of air. OK, that's an exaggeration. Blame it on the day job. (A big thank you goes out to all the coaches. I'm genuinely impressed by your dedication.)

On a side note, I've had no trouble with either the water bottle or key-issue since I last wrote. Thanks girls, the tips are great. On the other hand I'm now facing a new enemy: dreaded tan lines. I despise them in ways men hate Lifetime movies or shoe-shopping on Saturdays. I wear SPF 50 sunblock and I'm still developing a despicable little line around my ankles that drives me positively batty. I'm ranting now, please overlook it.

I'll see you all again this Monday. Take care of yourselves and don't forget to work in a few sessions during the week. I know, I don't love them either, but I'm more afraid of embarrassing myself at the 5K than I am of impending mosquito bites or allergy-inducing lawn mowers. Don't you just love summer in the South??

So girls, how was Week 2?

Last week I got in three practices with the advanced schedule, but I chickened out and ran with the Intermediate 2 group again Monday night. I’m telling you, the word “hills” just scares me.

On the other hand, running three miles straight through for a week is already working wonders on my body. My calves are coming back! Runners’ calf muscles are beautiful. If you’ve never noticed, take a look. And the best part: they’re one of the first muscles to develop. I love ‘em.

I hope everyone’s doing OK with the program. DJ, Terri and others do their best to keep us informed and motivated. You girls are doing a great job! By the way, if any intermediate or advanced runners are practicing throughout the week and want some company let me know. I’d love to work another practice into my schedule.

And thank you to everyone who wrote in last week! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your valuable tips. I didn’t have any trouble with my keys this week. I tried Cindy Wolff’s idea of stringing it through my shoelace and it worked like a dream. Cindy is a staffer here at The Commercial Appeal who worked out with the Women and Running program a few years ago, so she knows what it’s like. (She’s an amazing writer. If nothing else, please check out her blog, Pets on My Mind. She’s a real hoot!)

The Memphis Runners Track Club began an 8-week training program for women Monday night (July 7) at 6:30 in the Shelby Farms area. The program is open to anyone, regardless of fitness level or age, who wants to train to become a runner or a powerwalker. It starts out slow and helps you to build your endurance and stamina. Volunteers will be there with you to cheer you on and answer questions. The cost is $20, which includes registration for the graduation day 5k run at Audubon Park (Sept. 6). It’s not too late to join! You'll need to get out there and practice at least two times a week, three would be better. You can also join two groups on Yahoo to see when people are getting together to walk or run. Here's the runner's link. Here's the powerwalker's link.

Isn’t parking a doozy! Next time I’ll know to arrive sooner. I don’t know about the other 1,000+ women who descended upon the Shelby Farms area to exercise Monday night but I had a really good time. I couldn’t believe how many of us there were! I’d love to see an aerial shot - five lines of women dashing through the park like colorful marching ants, weaving in and out of the trees.

So I may be young, but I’ve never been a runner. I never wanted to be a runner. Running, for me, always seemed painful and grossly unnecessary, yet here I am, trudging along with the rest of the group. It all started last year when I had to start running as part of a class at The University of Memphis where I’m a junior journalism major. Two to three times a week I had to hit the track, road, hill or whatever our instructor had in mind for calisthenics and always a healthy dose of running.

Suddenly, I could run. I could run in a steady stride and keep going for two miles before I ever felt a thing. That awful, painful exercise didn’t seem so awful or painful anymore. (I wish I’d figured this out in elementary school!) But when the classes ended, so did my motivation. It’s been two months and I’m sad to say last night was slightly more difficult than I’d hoped. I may need to try the advanced group but  I'm a little intimidated of the word "hills." Speed has never been my best ally.

Was anyone else a little thrown off by carrying your keys and a water bottle? I always heard that was a common problem but never having run outside the confines of school, it never occurred to me how annoying it would be. My cluttered key ring is definitely going to slim down before I try that again. Oh, and DJ and Terri were right- DON’T WEAR COTTON. My comfortable, worn in t-shirt felt like it like a wool blanket in Monday’s heat. Learn from my mistakes!

And now it's Wednesday. They recommended we try to practice every other day, so I happily took last night off. Unfortunately the weather isn't doing much to motivate me today. Dark and dreary clouds made our usually cheery office seem like dusk during the sun's prime hours. It doesn't help that the National Weather Service has been teetering off warnings and watches all afternoon. That's where procrastination will lead you I suppose. Everyone be careful out there. The girls with Women & Running say they'll meet no matter what, rain or shine, but even they draw the line at lightning. Watch out ladies and exercise smart.

I'd love to hear your opinions. What did you love? What did you learn? What about Women & Running inspires you to Shelby Farms? Comment below and let your voice be heard.

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports just rolled out a new fitness challenge. This one is aimed at adults, not junior high students.

Designed for folks age 18 and older, it is designed to measure flexibility, strength and cardiovascular fitness. Participants can visit the council's Web site, enter their results and see how they compare with other Americans of the same age and gender.

Melissa Johnson, the council's executive director, told the Associated Press that the test was developed in response to Baby Boomers looking for exercise advice and a way to compare their performance to peers. Johnson said developers hope it will also inspire Americans to get moving.

The test involves:

-A one-mile walk or 1.5-mile run,

-Doing push-ups to exhaustion;

-Doing sit-ups for one minutes;

-A stretching exercise called sit and stretch.

More information is available online at the council's Web site.

Sorry, this time there is no patch. But if you take the challenge, let us know how you fare.

Memphis ranks as the nation’s fifth toughest place for asthmatics to live in the latest survey from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Knoxville again made the top spot.

The 2008 rankings are based on 12 factors, ranging from air quality and pollen counts to self-reports of asthma and prescriptions for asthma-related medications. Survey sponsors hope the ratings will spur community action to improve air quality, access to medications, asthma education and health care.

The group rated Memphis as “worse than average” in seven categories, including the crude rate of asthma-related deaths, air quality and annual pollen score. It ranked average in six others, including estimated asthma prevalence, number of asthma specialists and use of asthma medications.

Chattanooga, Johnson City, Little Rock and Nashville also made the list of top 50 worst cities. Respectively they are ranked 16th, 17th, 22th and 29th.

The survey is underwritten by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. cq no space

For more information, visit asthmacapitals.com.

Do you have asthma? Write in and share your tips for surviving in the Bluff City.

Memphis is Tennessee’s best walking city, according to the current issue of Prevention magazine.

The ranking is based on 14 factors, including the number of parks per square mile, the percentage of adults who walk for fitness, the percentage of residents who walk to work and violent crime. The survey, sponsored by the magazine and and American Podiatric Medical Association, put Cambridge, Mass., in the top spot nationally. Oklahoma City was named the worst.

The news came just days after Men’s Fitness named Memphis Couch Potato Central for being the city where residents are most likely to have the TV switched on. Maybe this will tempt a few to venture outside.

For more information about the 2008 Best Walking City in America, go to Prevention's Web site

Here is help for anyone still looking for help fulfilling New Year's resolutions to get fit and eat healthier.

The American Heart Association's free online My Start! program offers exercise tips, nutritional advice and other information plus a weekly summary of how your energy in (food) compares with your energy out (exercise).

To check it out, log on to My Start.

With the 15th Susan G. Komen Memphis-Mid South Race for the Cure coming up Saturday, this week's Health & Fitness section focuses on breast cancer. While routine screening saves lives by catching cancer early when odds of a cure are highest, I was interested in what women could do to prevent the disease.

Turns out, they can do quite a bit.

While some measures are riskier and reserved for women at the highest odds of developing the cancer, others are the kind we should all be following already. That list includes not smoking, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. Local experts warn such lifestyle changes result in just a modest reduction in breast cancer risk and don't replace the need for regular breast cancer screenings. I figure it is still worth the effort.

But the story inspired me to redouble my efforts to practice the health advice I write about.

What about you? Are you doing anything in hopes of cutting your breast cancer risk? Please post a comment and share your strategy.

The Memphis Runners Track Club is holding an eight-week training program for women on Monday nights at 6:30 at the Agricenter. The program is open to anyone, regardless of fitness level or age, who wants to train to become a runner or a powerwalker. It starts out slow and helps you to build your endurance and stamina. Volunteers will be there with you to cheer you on and answer questions. There's also a Power Walker group that meets at the Greenway. Scroll down in other posts about powerwalking to get details of where to go or leave a question in the comments and I'll give you directions. The cost for both is $15, which includes registration for the graduation day 5k run around Shelby Farms. You can scroll through posts on the Women and Running category on the Healthy Memphis blog to find a copy of the schedule for your training level. You can join the program at any time during the six weeks. You'll need to get out there and practice at least two times a week, three would be better. You can join two groups on Yahoo to see when people are getting together to walk or run. Here's the runner's link. Here's the powerwalker's link
It was cooler last Monday, a breeze blew on that unforgiving, unshade Moore Road near the Agricenter.

The best part is that there are still hundreds of women out there in all shapes and sizes giving it their all. The last time I did this program the dropout rate was high. The going got tough and the parking lot got empty.

Not this Monday. We were all here to listen to Mark Higginbotham, a running coach who works with groups through his company Memphis in Motion.

He always has wonderful advice and it energizes us. First thing is to swing those arms. Act like you're jabbing someone standing behind you with your elbow. The more you swing, the more momentum you get.

Hold your head up. I'm terrible at this. I always look down. You can breath better if your head is up. Same thing with your chest.

He also showed us how to take normal steps when we run, a little more than baby steps, but not big ones.

After he finished, we set out on run 2-minute walk 3-minute segments for 30 minutes. It was hard for me tonight. I'm not sure why. I got in my practices last week but it was hard.

I am going to try to go out tonight and practice and again on Saturday. I am going to try to build up and go ahead and try to run three minutes. It's going to be hard to move up that minute.