This same friend mentioned that she wasn’t the biggest fan of sports drinks, so her trainer recommended coconut water to replenish her electrolytes after working out.  Of course, I hadn’t heard of this.  I chuckled at the thought of me smashing a coconut to get to the coconut water with me wearing most of it and half a coconut shell as a hat.  After all, straws don’t simply pop into the side of a coconut. 

With a quick search on-line, I found these nifty little cartons of O.N.E coconut water on-line, which comes with a straw and pops into the top quite easily.

I have to admit.  The idea of trying coconut water intrigues me even if it is minus the rum and a paper umbrella.  The whole natural sports drink appeals to me, as it lacks food coloring and high fructose corn syrup which are the main ingredients found in many of the popular sports drink. 

Upon researching the benefits of coconut water, I learned that “the electrolytes in coconut water helps you get rid of fatigue and refreshes your body to the core”, which puts a whole new twist to Harry Nilsson’s lyrics. There’s electrolytes in the coconut, so drink it all up…. There’s electrolytes in the coconut, so drink it all up.  Besides replenishing my electrolytes, I learned that coconut could really “relieve a belly ache” by cleansing the digestive tract.  Plus, coconut water has twice the potassium of a banana.

But most importantly, if I contract intestinal worms a little coconut water can help rid me of the nasty little buggers.  Hey, I watch House.  It could totally happen. 

So, have you tried coconut water?  What did you think?

Lots of exciting things have been happening around in the great big blogosphere for Run DMT.  First, my Noggin Workout was featured on Riding with No Hands-Weekend Roundup.

Then, Run DMT was featured in the Week in Review-Round Up at

Five Minutes for Special Needs.

All this love is a great ego boost, but I am surely going to get a big head and everyone knows a big head will slow down my pace!  Plus, I don’t think my running hat will fit anymore.  Note to self: Invest in a clip on visor for swelled head.

But wait!  There’s more!  While twittering the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting little twit bit.  Run DMT is listed as #66 on the Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs!  Check it out!  This just validates what I’ve thought all along: Reading Run DMT is good for your health. So, keep reading, my friends.

And finally, Vicki from Secret Mom Thoughts gave me an Extraordinary and Awesome Award, which is another validation affirming my already highly overrated opinion of myself. 

Now with this award, I am instructed to pass it along to five other extraordinary and awesome bloggers.  So, here they are in no particular order:

Momisodes

A Daily Dose of Toni

Living the Dream

Running with a Bottle of Wine

More than an Electrician

Thanks for all the blogger love and giving me a big head!

xoxoxox

I’ve been slacking a bit, but it’s time to get things rolling again with Five Minues for Fitness.   

Obviously, there are numerous health benefits to dancing.  It’s a great cardio activity to burn calories, strengthen and tone, but no night clubs or dance studios or formal training required for this fun, simple work-out.  You can shimmy and shake it in the comfort of your own living room.    

Since I love to dance, I tore up the dance floor at my sister’s wedding.  I even rocked out my best Tina Turner dance moves when The Stick Martin Show played Proud Mary.  When I popped my Proud Mary, I used a variety of muscle groups trying to dance like Tina.  

So, for this week’s Five Minutes for Fitness, I encourage you to try the Tina Turner work-out.  Keep those legs moving!  Work those legs like your doing football drills through tires! Dance like no one is watching!  Keep on burning!

Upon reading my posts, you may have gathered that I am a highly motivated, goal-oriented person.  My friends and loved ones will attest to the contagiousness of my energy and enthusiastic spirit.  My positive attitude combined with strong ambition fuel my ability to accomplish my goals and dreams. 

This past weekend, my family and I went to my nephew’s 2^nd birthday party.  An old friend of my SIL’s also attended the party.  She has been training for triathlons some time and I was excited to pick her brain about our shared interest in the sport. 

I proudly told her about my latest endeavors and she snidely remarks, “Those aren’t real triathlons.  If you aren’t swimming 2 miles and feel like you are going to die, then you’ve not done a real tri.” 

Talk about crushing someone’s spirit!  That’s like telling someone who runs 5K, “You’re not a real runner unless you run a marathon.” 

Even in my shock, I scripted a pretty decent rebuttal.  “I believe a triathlon is defined by completing 3 physical activities: swim, bike and run.  If we went around the room and polled everyone, I think you would find everyone’s response to include those three things.  And, yes, technically it is only a sprint, but it feels like a REAL triathlon to me.  And despite what you may think, I do feel like I am going to die during and after, but I love it!  It’s not about the distance for me, but the challenge and trying to compete against my own time.” 

With a stunned expression, she replied “Well, I compete against myself as well, but I don’t event like triathlons.” 

“Then, why do you even do them?” 

“I do them because my friends convinced me to do it, but I don’t like them.” 

“So, you caved to peer pressure?  Interesting.” 

The longer I spoke with her, the more my blood began to boil.  I realize I am no Hollie Kenney, but I do best and I am damn proud of what I do!  The other athletes I have met at the various races have been so supportive and encouraging.  My friends and family applaud my achievements and in turn, I celebrate their hard-work too.  Where did this chick come off? 

To avoid an ugly scene turning even uglier, I took a few deep cleansing breaths and escaped to the patio to discuss politics with my BIL.  Discussing Obama over a beer would make me feel better.

It was once believed that pregnant women were fragile creatures, who should avoid exerting themselves during those 9 months.  However, now many studies have established that exercise actually helps the body deal with the stresses of pregnancy with benefits for the: aerobic system,  respiratory system and cardiovascular system.

That said there are some basic guidelines to keep in mind to keep both mama and baby safe while breaking a sweat.  ALWAYS check with your doctor before beginning (or continuing) a workout program, while pregnant to see if you have any special needs or restrictions.

• Workout with the goal of maintaining fitness, rather than training for competition.
• Avoid exercising in hot, humid environments which challenge the body’s ability to cool itself.  Your body temp should stay below 100 degrees.
• Stay well-hydrated, drink (preferably water) until your urine runs light in color
• Have a light snack before to avoid low blood sugar
• Keep energy bars, fruit and juices on hand in case of low blood sugar
• Do longer warm-ups and cool-downs
• Reduce the frequency, intensity and time of your workouts as your pregnancy progresses
• Try to exercise on flat even surfaces, balance and joint laxity is challenged during pregnancy, increasing the risk of ankle sprains
• Wear supportive footwear
• Work at an intensity you would describe as “somewhat hard”.
• Avoid situations which could result in abdominal trauma (roller-blading, kick-boxing, mountain biking, downhill skiing) especially as the pregnancy progresses
• Avoid breath-holding during exercise
• Avoid rapid changes of position between exercise or prolonged standing as these can result in dizziness or fainting from blood pooling in the legs and feet.
• Avoid lying flat on your back after the first trimester, as the weight of the baby can impair blood flow back to your heart and brain, making you feel dizzy, faint or uncomfortable
• Keep your pelvic floor strong by doing Kegels both during your workout and during the day (some experts recommend as may as 50 reps, 10-20 sets every day — Geez, that’s A LOT of Kegeling!!).  For directions on how to Kegel check out this link to The Mayo Clinic

Again, this list is just a guide and women with certain medical conditions and/or a high-risk pregnancy may need additional modifications.  Unfortunately, in some cases women may not be able to exercise at all.   Be sure to talk to your doctor and make sure he/she is okay with what you are planning to do.

Geralyn Coopersmith is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Fit + Female, The Perfect Fitness and Nutrition Game Plan for Your Unique Body Type. Geralyn served as the exercise consultant for the highly-successful Joy Fit Club Program with Joy Bauer on The Today Show.  She is a contributing reporter and editorial advisor for iVillage.com and a member of the advisory board for Health Magazine.   Geralyn is frequently featured in national magazines and newpapers, including:  Health,Fitness, Self, Fit Pregnancy, Marie Claire, Family Circle, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, The New York Post, Newsday and many others.

For this week’s edition of 5 Minutes for Fitness, let’s do some lunges, which are one of my favorite strengthening exercises. 

Lunges are great to help strengthen and tone your legs.  For forward lunges, stand tall with your hands on your hips and step with one leg forward.  Be sure your front knee does not pass your toes.  Then, switch legs.  Make sure to keep your abdomen pulled in tight and your posture straight. 

 I even found a fabulous visual to help you.

If you want to challenge yourself, try a few reps of walking lunges, but watch your alignment.  For an even greater challenge, hold 5-10 pound weights while you walk.    

And of course you need some music keep you moving and Mercy by Duffy (3:40) is the perfect song for lunges.  After a few reps of these, you will find yourself “begging for mercy”.