AmazingMFitness.com

Last year, I strived to embrace a healthy lifestyle. In 2011, I plan to ratchet up a notch. Healthy isnt good enough, I want to be a fitness machine.

OK, Ive gone a little overboard maybe a lot overboard.

My first goal for the New Year is to run 200(ish) miles from Miami to Key West this weekend. Before you have me committed, let me tell you I wont be running all 200 miles by myself (I’m not thatcrazy).

Ive joined a team participating in the Ragnar Relay Series. There are 10 of us on team Jacks & Jills Race For Water splitting the 191.1 miles over predetermined legs. We start Friday at 7:30 a.m. and someone on the team will be running constantly until we cross the finish line sometime Saturday.

My concerns (in this order):

1. Limited restroom facilities (I find I always need one when Im nervous or there are no toilets available)

2. Lack of sleep (I have been known to turn into a witch when I dont get my 8 hours)

3. Getting lost (Im terrible with directions)

4. Actually completing the 3 legs Im responsible for (my priorities are a little skewed; this should probably rank higher)

And somewhere hovering above these concerns is my need to have control over every aspect of my life. That control will be thrown out of the window for this endeavor. I will need to embrace the side of me that iseasygoing and rugged Im sure shes in there somewhere.

I plan to blog about it as I go, so check back here Friday and Saturday for updates and remember, Ill be sleep deprived and probably spend a lot of time lost while searching for a bathroom, so cut me some slack.

A year ago this week I went shopping for jeans.

I remember it quite well. I was throwing a party for a coworker that was leaving the newspaper and I was in need of something new to wear. It had been some time since I stepped foot in a clothing store. (After gaining weight, trying on clothes wasnt high on my list of things I enjoyed.)

I had mentally prepared myself for the size 8 that I would leave the store with. Unfortunately, I left with a size 10. Im certain that if I had any more time, I would have visited every store in Florida until I could find a size 8 that fit. (Postponing the party only briefly crossed my mind.)

In October I went back to that same store with the same goal: Purchasing a pair of jeans.

This time I didnt need to prepare myself for any shockers. I have been exercising and eating healthy since Dec. 28.

I grabbed a size 6 and a size 4 and headed back to the fitting rooms.

And I actually did have a shock. I left with a size 2.

One thing I love about summer is the freedom I feel to take weekend trips.

I traveled to Juno Beach with friends last week for a quick two-day jaunt and returned feeling rejuvinated. I didnt stick to a normal workout schedule, or even my typical eating plan, while I was there. But dropping my routine for a few days was a welcome change.

After an afternoon at the beach, where we spent more than two hours swimming in the ocean, catching waves and walking the shore, we stopped at a grocery store for a late lunch. I always crave fresh food after time at the beach, so I got a big watermelon to share and half a whole-wheat sub packed with veggies and lean turkey. Nothing particularly special, but it was satisfying and refreshing.

In the two days I was away, I didnt stray so far from the usual healthy that I came back regretting the trip.

Instead, it felt good to break away from life, from the gym and from my so-called diet.

Did you know you’re not supposed to run at the same intensity in the summer as you do in the winter?

So says Rebecca Stearns, a certified athetic trainer and heat-stroke specialist at the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, who tells AOL’s That’s Fit that “running at a high intensity, particularly in the early days [of summer] when you’re not acclimatized to the heat, will kick up your body temperature more than anything else.”

Running in the summer is harder on your body, because it can take from 10 days to two weeks to acclimate to the hotter temperatures, Stearns adds.

And avoid getting a sunburn, as it can decrease the amount your body can sweat, she says. Your body needs to sweat to cool itself.

To read more summer running mistakes, click here for the full article at AOL That’s Fit.

Check out the new Blausen Human Atlas HD iPad app, which features stunning 3D video animations of 150 common medical treatments and conditions. The 1-2 minute long, narrated videos cover 15 major body systems/categories: Cancer, Circulatory, Digestive, Ear, Endocrine, Eye, Immune, Muscular, Nervous, Pediatric, Reproductive, Respiratory, Skeletal, Skin and Urinary.

The iPad app also includes:

360 degree rotatable 3D Human Figures showing 9 full body systems, e.g. circulatory, muscular, nervous, etc.

Searchable 1,500+ term medical glossary, cross referenced to related animations, images and definitions.

2,100 detailed still images derived from the animations.

iTunes link…

Press release: Blausen Medical Launches Human Atlas HD iPad App Optimized to Showcase Animations, Enhance Patient Education…