The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training

Dawn Dais is NOT a runner. She is seriously devoted to her Lazy-Boy recliner and her remote control. In a life changing decision, she decides to run a marathon and raise money for the American Stroke Society. We all know I am now training for a marathon, so I really was curious about this book because it is written especially for women. The main difference between her and me is that I have never been a couch potato! I’m not one of those people who thinks exercise is moving from the couch to the fridge.

The good parts about this book is that it is entertaining reading. Some of her descriptions are absolutely hilarious. She has a particular DISTASTE for too short running shorts. She gives more than one description of how they look from behind and attempts to dissuade anyone from ever appearing in public in too short running shorts. It didn’t matter if they were men or women- she hates them all. “Now I wear spandex” and I know I don’t look great from behind- but I’m not letting it all hang out either! Her actual plan is a run/walk method which is fine for a beginning marathon. Five months is plenty of time to train but she went from a couch potato to running a full marathon SLOWLY and managed to keep her sense of humor. Dais made up little funny rhymes about people who passed her which I thought was a good use of her brain while drowning in pain. “Once….Twice…Three tiiiimes you’ve passed meee…and I wanna triiiiip yooooooouuuu.”

There are a few things that I disagree with regarding the actual training for a marathon. I do NOT feel you should start your five months of training on the philosophy that you can eat anything you want. I also don’t think you should overdo it on carbohydrate loading or white pasta- mounds of it whenever you feel like it. Dais describes training for a marathon for five months and not losing a pound! I didn’t see any weight training in her plans and this concerns me. Although, she runs really slowly- so maybe she’s not getting enough anaerobic training in to trigger more calories burned for losing any weight. As for”carbo loading ” prior to the marathon start, I think this is also just a myth that has circulated among the running and cycling communities for far too long. She also describes jog bra problem and I think she is way off. Yes, women need to wear supportive jog bras- however there is NO need to wear two. (remember, I use to be one of those people) There are plenty of good bras out there to support well endowed women. Maybe her local shop did not offer the Enell or CW-X but a little bit of research on the subject could lead her away from wearing two cheapies at time.

This book should be looked at as a guide for women. She’d like to be your girlfriend throughout your beginning training of a marathon. She describes first hand all the little things you need to think about when embarking on a marathon program. She’s a rookie at running with a serious talent for writing so it makes for a charming read. She’s really not an authority on running so a lot of her advice, I would disregard. If you’re thinking of starting a marathon training program, I’d start with high ranking sources such as Runner’s World. However, her discussions on motivation were really great. I loved how she could break down the training to small steps but put it all in a big picture.

What would you like to see in a women’s guide to marathons?

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Book Review: Sexy in 6: Sculpt Your Body with the 6 Minute Quick-Blast Workout

For the last month, I have been working my way through this book.  Let me just get my preconceived notions on it out of the way so you people know where I am coming from.  First, the title implied to me that you could get a body like Tracey’s in 6 minutes.  I don’t have a body like hers and I seriously didn’t believe that I could get it by doing only 6 minutes of anything every single day.  Also, why do I have to be sexy?  I’d rather be fit which is sexy, right? Second, I’m a snob.  Ok, I said it, you still reading??  I  am one of those people that think in order to be fit- you need to run or bike or get outside and enjoy exercising.  I exercise because it’s fun!  So, the thought of “being sexy in 6” minutes in front of the TV is NOT my way.  

HOWEVER, after reading the book, I’ve found a lot of value in the plan, particularly for new moms or for really busy women with no fitness background.  It does take a good hour to get to the gym, exercise, and get back and I know LOTS of people who won’t go to the gym because of the time factor.   But, it’s not based on 6 minutes a day, PEOPLE.  It’s more like 18 minutes a day, six days a week.  Her philosophy is valid- you can find 6 minute stretches throughout the day to exercise.   The Sexy in 6 Plan is a get started on your fitness plan for beginners!  Once you can complete 6 minutes- she suggests that you progress forwards with 30 minute plans on the stairmaster, stationary bicycle or treadmill.

For each section, there are three exercises that she suggest you do in sets of 3 (10-15 reps per set.)  I particularly enjoyed working with the stability ball and hand weights.  Using the ball requires your whole body to be engaged in addition to the body parts being worked.  The Upper Body Blasts A,B,C and D were challenging yet doable.  The more reading I do, the more I believe that weight training is the key to losing the pounds.

Music can really crank up or crank down your workouts and I love that she incorporated music lists to check out! 

In addition to her fitness plans, she also has a complete food plan.  Here’s what you get to eat everyday: 7 protein (1 ounce servings), 3 dairy, 4 fruits, unlimited veggies, 5 grains, 3 fats (6 almonds, 6 cashews, 10 peanuts, 4 pecan halves, 4 walnuts), 4 “treats” per week - wine (4- ounce serving), beer, candy, cookies, etc..

Juicy Facts (page 235):

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated!

2.  37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken as hunger.

3.  Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.

4.  Your muscles are 70% water

I’ve really enjoyed reading this book as I always learn new things.  I will need to rethink my portion sizes as well.  We eat at least 4-5 ounces of salmon, chicken or shrimp every night.  I’ve also taken to snacking on nuts- way more than 6 at a time!!  She also recommends the Portion Plate- a reminder of how many fruits and veggies you should eat at each meal and how small the protein and grains should be!  The workout plans are great, simple, yet challenging.  Tracy has a website called Team Mallet to check out.  

Sexy in 6: Sculpt Your Body with the 6 Minute Quick-Blast Workout

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You: On A Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management

I know it’s not Sunday, but, this information is better late than never, right? I am slowly making my way through this wonderful book. I highly recommend it to all of you, but I will talk more about that later. Right now, I want to focus on food and healthy, easy recipes offered in this book. Omega-3 Fatty Acids is an essential fatty acid that is not found in your body. That means you need to get it from an outside source and apparently (I’m still reading) this essential fatty acid can reduce all kinds of diseases! Hey, we need to be eating 3-4 servings each week to get the required amount of Omega-3 in our diets. Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizin, authors of this book, require either a 2 gram fish oil capsule a day, an ounce of walnuts, or Salmon 3-4 times per week. Omega -3 helps reduce inflammation. “To reduce obesity-causing inflammation, you need foods with nutrients that can do just that- either by having a direct anti-inflammatory or anti-oxidant properties.”

You on a DIET has two weeks of simple, easy to prepare recipes which I’ve really enjoyed. The Greek Feta Salad with Peppers and Olives was great. Loved the simplicity of the dressing- olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic and honey. We loved the Sweet Beet and Gorgonzola Salad (way better than beet juice!). I’ve also made the Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives (assemble in tin foil and bake)- different taste and flavor, but really enjoyable. Lemon Caper Chicken without capers was easy, quick and tasty. Sweet Potato Puree was NOT a winner in my house, though. So far, the only way I can get my family to eat Sweet Potatoes is if I make mashed potatoes with a combination of Yukon and Sweet. Lastly, Grilled Peanut Shrimp with Sesame Snow Peas was equally tasty (made with both Shrimp and Chicken). My absolute favorite was the Asian Salmon and Brown Rice and the recipe is as follows:

Brown Rice:

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 Onion

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

2 cups of water

1 cup of uncooked short grain rice

1/4 finely chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Salmon Ingredients:

4 skinless salmon fillets

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 garlic clove

1 TBSP fresh gingerroot

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp maple syrup

2 green onions

Directions:

Make race by heating oil in pan and add onion and pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Add water and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5o minutes or until rice is absorbed. Fluff and stir in parsley.

For salmon- combine all ingredients and pour over salmon. Let sit for 15 minutes, grill until done. Delicious!

Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen have a website called RealAge that has hundreds of recipes that are as good as this!

If you have tasty recipes for salmon or sweet potatoes, feel free to post a comment! I’m always open to new recipes.

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