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Getting Ready For Your First 5K Race

Congratulations, you signed up for your first 5K race!

  You have been running for a while and decided to sign up for your first 5K race. I want to say congratulations for all that training that you have done. Signing up for that first race is awesome! I know you are probably nervous and have many questions. I don't really remember my first race as that was many years ago. I have been running on and off since I was 20 years old. Over the years I have done many races and I am now about to run a 5k after taking a two-year break due to an ankle injury. So I will do my best to give you some tips on preparing for the race.

The day before the race

The morning before the race.  I like to eat a breakfast that has little fiber. Races are always early in the morning and I am not a morning person. That means I won't have time to empty my bowels in the morning so by eating a low fiber breakfast the day before, I won't have to do number two while running the race. Do drink your coffee though for your day before breakfast so you take care of number 2 potty business the day before the race. The rest of the day I try to eat healthy meals with low fiber also for potty reasons.

Running the day before the race? I like to run a couple of miles the day before the race. I already run every day so my body is used to it. If you are an every other day runner than don't run the day before.

Pick up race packet the day before. If you are able to pick up your race packet the day before I highly recommend it as the lines to pick them up at the race are always super long.

Look at the race info  I like to look at the race info the day before so I can figure out where the race is and where to park. I don't see a need to look at the race course as there is always plenty of people along the course to guide the runners.

Lay out your items for the race  I like to pin the race number to my shirt and lay out the clothes that I will be wearing for the race. This is also a good time to put the timing chip in your shoe laces if there is one. I also pack a bag with items that I need for the race. In that bag, I will put a bottle of water(great for hydration before the race), my iPod, a small microfiber towel(great for wiping up all that sweat after the race), a hair tie, a waist pouch for my keys, and a high carb granola bar. I just love this microfiber towel set as it includes a smaller one that fits perfectly in my waist pouch so I can immediately wipe all that sweat off after the race. It also includes a bigger one that is great to stash in my car for after the race. I love the bigger bag that I can place all my gear in.  These light-weight towels are ultra absorbent and dry so quickly. Unlike other microfiber towels, these are very soft. They even have attached loops to make them easier to hang up

Sleep I have a hard time sleeping the night before the race as I am a bundle of nerves. I take a warm shower and try to go to bed at my normal time. I also set my alarm clock.

The day of the race

Arrive at the race early  I like to get to the race at least an hour before the race starts. That way I can get a good parking spot close to the starting line so I can place items like my jacket and water bottle in the car before the race starts. Getting there early also gives me a chance to warm up, stretch, and use the potty. I like to go potty 15 minutes before the race starts.

Eat a good but light breakfast  I like to eat a healthy granola or meal bar an hour before the race so my body has time to digest it. Other good options to eat are bagels, bananas, oatmeal, or anything that is high in carbs. Just stay away from greasy foods. I don't drink coffee before a race as it will make my body want to do number 2 during the race. I will take some energy chews 15-30 minutes before the race for extra energy.  Below is a couple that I like to use. Also, make sure to drink about 8 ounces of water before the race.

Warm up  It is always good to walk or jog a bit before the race to wake up your muscles. I like to jog for about 5-10 minutes and do my usual pre-run stretches that way my muscles are ready to run.

Get in early Take your place in line about 5 minutes before the race starts. I am very competitive so I line up to the side in the very front as I don't want the other runners slowing me down at the start. Since this is your first race, I recommend lining up in the middle as that is a good place for beginners.

Enjoy the race  This is a tough one for me because of my competitiveness. I bring with my iPod so I can listen to music as I run. My goal for races is to win in my age category so I always push myself to run faster that the person ahead of me. Maybe this will be the race I just enjoy running.

 Pace yourself  This is something I learned from http://www.active.com that I need to try on race day.
Most racers give their best effort in the first mile leaving two more to go! Aim to negative split your effort on race day—that simply means finishing the second half of the race faster than you ran the first half. Start conservatively and build your effort throughout the run. When you start out too fast, your body works too hard too soon and fizzles after the first mile, making your overall time slower, not faster. In the last quarter mile, kick it into the finish line to finish strong.

After the race

You crossed the finish line! Give yourself a pat on the back for running your first race. Grab your microfiber towel and wipe up the sweat off your face. Go to your car and get the larger microfiber towel if needed. I like to wet the smaller towel and cool myself off. Then I use the larger towel to dry myself. Then I walk over to the refreshment table to get some water and a snack. Drink plenty of water to hydrate your body at least 8 ounces. Enjoy the snack as you earned it.

Find out your time  Find out where the race results will be. Sometimes they post them up on a wall after the race or other times you have to go online for them. I like to stick around for the medal ceremony to see if I won 1st, 2nd or third in my age category. I am hoping that since I am older that I will win one of these places. The last race that I ran two years ago, I won 1st place in my age category. It always feels so good to win as it gives me a sense of accomplishment for my hard work.

I would love to hear any tips that any other runners may have so we can help out the first time 5K racer. What are your best tips for running a 5K?

Here is the link so you can more information on this microfiber travel towel set that is great for races!
                                      http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/b01lxjz6fu

"These opinions are my own and I received the three piece microfiber towel set to facilitate this post."   

Lemon Blueberry Bread Made With Fresh Lemon Juice

 This pretty-looking bread tastes so good. Lemons and blueberries are a great flavor combination.

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  The first time I saw a picture of lemon blueberry bread, I just knew that I had to make a loaf. The colors of this sweet loaf were just so pretty and I just knew that lemons and blueberries would taste so great together. I love the taste of blueberries in pancakes and muffins. I also loved lemon cookies and bars so I just had to find out how the sour flavor of lemons would combine with sweet blueberries. That was several months ago when I decided to make lemon blueberry bread. I have bought blueberries several times since then but my youngest son loves blueberries and eats up a whole pint in a day so I never got a chance to make the bread. 

Blueberry overload

 The other day I was at the dollar store and discovered frozen blueberries in their freezer section. My son and I loaded up the cart with ten packages, let's just say I bought them all so I would have some to make this sweet bread. I, of course, then went to the grocery store to buy fresh lemons so I could make the lemon blueberry bread before my son ate all the blueberries. I am so glad that I made this lemon blueberry bread. It has the texture of pound cake and a flavor that is so good. The tart lemons and sweet blueberries combine so well together to give a nice sweet flavor. My family just loves this bread and I will be making this again.

  I love using fresh lemons in my baking as the flavor is so much better than the stuff in the bottle. I find that using a lemon squeezer gets more juice out of the lemons than if I use my hands. The lemon squeezer is also less messy so the juice stays off my hands. The last time I used my hands to squeeze the juice out, I got a bad rash that took a long time to heal. Funny that I can eat lemons but all citrus fruits do a number on my hands if I touch the juice. So this time around, just to be safe, I put on gloves when I sliced my lemons. Qualitools makes a nice lemon squeezer that is stainless steel and allows me to squeeze the lemon without getting the juice on my hands. It not only looks good but it is durable and I can put it into the dishwasher and not worry about it rusting. My 8-year-old son loves helping me in the kitchen so I let him squeeze the lemons. I did catch him eating my blueberries, though. I think he likes helping me so he can lick the spoon.

You can find a lemon squeezer on Amazon. Using a lemon squeezer to juice lemons makes things so much simpler. Sure you can use lemon juice in a bottle but the taste won't be the same. Fresh lemon juice just tastes better.

 When I bake quick loaves of bread and other homemade recipes in my kitchen, I also use real vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract is an amazing flavor and your recipes will taste so much better. My favorite vanilla is Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract. Made from real vanilla beans is what I like about pure vanilla. Trust me you can tell the difference in taste.

Lemon Blueberry Bread is

+ Delicious

+ Loaded with lemon flavor

+ Beautiful

+ Easy to make

+ Filled with blueberries

+ Sweet

Check out these other quick bread recipes!

 Healthy Lemon Zucchini Blueberry Protein Bread 

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Protein Bread

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoons flour

Lemon glaze

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 powder sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Directions

       Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly grease a 9"x 5" loaf pan, I prefer using a glass pan for best results.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

2. Blend together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Mix until well combined.

3. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and milk until combined.

4. In a small bowl toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour. This flour coating will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your loaf while baking.

5. Gently fold the flour-coated berries into the batter.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

 7. Cool bread in the pan for about 30 minutes and then remove from pan. While bread is cooling you can make the lemon glaze.

Directions for the lemon glaze

Combine the melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl, then pour glaze over the loaf.  Allow to set a few minutes, then enjoy!

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Ten Tips For Keeping The Family Healthy

  I don't like when the weather gets cold as that means we spend more time indoors. Spending all that time indoors also means that my kids are exposed to more germs. Germs equal kids being sick with coughs, runny noses, and stomach problems. Did you know that kids get on average 2-12 colds a year and adults 2-4? I hate seeing my kids when they are sick and hearing them is even worse as they cough all night. So I do many simple and non-simple things to keep my kids healthy. Here are some of the things that I do to keep my family healthy.

1. Get a flu shot  Every October I take my kids to the doctor to get their flu shot. My kids and husband whine about getting this shot but we have not had the flu in a couple of years. The only time everyone, except me, was once in the past 5 years. That was the year that the drug makers did not predict the formulation of the shot correct. The shot still helped as the kids and husband only suffered 3 days with flu symptoms.

2. Eat healthy Food I feed my family lots of healthy food like fruits and veggies as they are loaded wth vitamins and minerals that help our body stay healthy. I also give everyone a whole food organic multi-vitamin for extra nutrients. My boys only like fruit so the vitamin fills in the gaps of their diet. My active teen just started taking a multi-vitamin that is made for teens. His acne is flaring up so I like that Rainbow Light adds Healthy Skin Support to their Young Men's Multivitamin. They also make their vitamin in mini tablets so they are easier for my teen to swallow. I just love all the fruits and veggies that Rainbow Light puts into these tablets. My teen is getting some veggies into his diet finally!

	Organic Rainbow Whole Foods Blend		79 mg	*
	Organic Beet [root], Organic Broccoli [plant], Organic Kale [leaf], Organic Spinach [leaf], Organic Blackberry [fruit], Organic Blueberry [fruit], Organic Cranberry [fruit]

3. Wash the hands  I am a fanatic about hand washing. I make my boys wash their hands before they eat, after they go potty, and when they get home from school or from other places. I remind them to sing happy birthday twice while scrubbing their hands. I truly believe this is one of the best things to do to stay healthy as washing removes the germs from your hands. My youngest does not always do a good job of hand washing and he is the one that gets sick first. This Lemongrass Gel Hand Wash smells so good and encourages my son to wash longer. I love that it does not contain any antibacterial ingredients so it does not wash any the good bacteria on my kid's hands and it leaves them feeling soft and clean. This Method soap is infused with citrus extracts that are naturally derived and is also great in the kitchen to wash away those stubborn smells like onions.

4. Stay away from the doctor  I try my best to avoid doctor offices during the winter as they are loaded with germs. My ten year old was born in November and I schedule his well check up in April with his 8-year-old brother just to avoid the germ infested doctors. If my boys get an illness that requires a doctor visit, I will do a video Dr. call first.

5. Take Probiotics  My boys started taking probiotics 2 years ago and they have not caught a cold since them. To keep my boys interested in taking a daily probiotic, I let them choose the form and flavor of their supplement. Their new favorite probiotic is a tropical punch flavor Kidophilus made by Advanced Nutrition by Zahler. My picky 10-year-old said "this is so delicious" the first time he tried it. This delicious probiotic has friendly bacteria in it that helps recolonize the intestines thus improving the immune system. Zahler® Kidophilus™ can also halt the growth of disease-causing bacteria like salmonella and ones related to the virus-caused flu.

6. Drink lots of water  Water is important for health. I make my boys drink a glass of water every time they want a snack. Warm herbal tea is also another great way to get plenty of water.

7. Exercise  Exercise keeps the body healthy and helps it to fight off those germs. I make sure the boys and I get plenty of exercise every day, The younger boys run around at school and the teen does track. I go for a walk or run every day.

8. Don't share  I know we teach our children to share but winter time is not the time to share things like food, drinks, pencils, and other items. I don't even share my drinks or food with my kids as you can be contagious before that first cold symptom. I also wash my hands after I shake someone's hand or pray. Those germs are everywhere.

9. Keep your distance  If someone is sneezing or coughing than stay away from them. When my husband has a cold, I sleep on the couch so I don't get sick. I also do this as his coughing will keep me awake.

10. Take care of mom  You knowing the saying "moms don't get sick days." That is so true as when we moms are sick nobody takes care of you or the house. I make sure I take a daily multi-vitamin to fortify my immune system. My vitamin is also made with organic whole food and other good stuff in it to give me energy, feminine balance, and mood balance. When I take my Rainbow Light Women’s Multivitamin plus Balance & Energy, I can do my mom job better.

Rainbow Light has a great line up of products to keep the whole family healthy year round. Check them out at the below link to discover products for kids, teens, women, and men at all stages of life. 

                                                                   https://www.rainbowlight.com/

"These opinions are my own and I received samples from Rainbow Light and Zahler to facilitate this post."

Keeping Your Family Safe In The Car

Keeping your family safe in the car is absolutely imperative. Car accidents are not rare, and you need to take every precaution possible to ensure that your loved ones are safe when you’re going on a trip. Here are some pointers to bear in mind:

Don’t Drive Without Putting On Your Seatbelts

Never start driving without making sure everybody is wearing their seatbelt first. Older kids might fight against this, which is why you should get everybody into the habit of it as early on as possible. You’re setting an example, so make sure it’s the first thing you do too.

Ensure The Car Is Safe Before A Trip

If you’re going on a long trip, you need to make sure your car is safe. Have it checked over, make sure the tires are good and that it has enough water in it.

Make Sure Your Kids Know How To Act In The Car

Teach your kids how to act in the car. Make sure they know it’s fine for them to listen to their music, read, or play a game. However, they shouldn’t be too loud, argue, or do anything that could distract you from the road. Make sure they know how important this is!

Find The Right Car Accessories

Having the right car accessories will help you to keep your family safe too. For instance, if you have a young child, having a sign in the window to point this out could make other drivers exercise more caution around you. You also need to make sure your kids have car seats where appropriate!

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