Body in Motion

Fat-burning massage?!?

I read the funniest thing in the October issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. In a Q and A column, someone asked how many calories can you burn during a fat-burning massage. A fat-burning massage?!?  Unless the masseuse makes you jump off the table every five minutes and run around the room, do some push-ups and swing a kettlebell then you're probably burning just as many calories as you would by
sitting in front of the TV.

Improve your sex life

If you want to feel sexy, break a sweat, unleash those endorphins and wallow in pleasure. In a survey of people who work out four-five days a week, 88 percent of women and 69 percent of men reported their sexual performance as above average or much above average. That should motivate you to get to the gym. No? How about if you hear it from Dr. Ruth? She'll be at the Signature Grand, 6900 State Road 84, Davie, 6 p.m. next Thursday (Sept. 27). Call 1-800-256-1014 for free tickets.  Read more about it in the Sept. 25 Tropical Life section.

Lose 30 pounds!

The secret to losing weight is quite simple. Eat nutritious foods and exercise. I tried it and it worked. I'm 30 pounds lighter and I've kept the weight off for a year. I didn't hire a trainer and I didn't waste oney on any special diets. I work out six days a week at my condo gym and I eat what I want. I don't want any greasy, artery-clogging fast food. I want fruits and vegetables, wheat bread, veggie burgers, salmon, mixed nuts, chocolate-covered almonds, hummus, sushi, cold cereal, oatmeal, etc. And sometimes apple pie with ice cream. I just don't overdo it. Try it. You might surprise yourself.

Train, Train, Train!

If you're training for the ING Miami Marathon (www.ingmiamimarathon.com), my advice is to be prepared, whether this will be your first marathon or your 15th. This is advice I should have taken myself when I trained for the 2001 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. My longest training run, which should have been at least 20 miles, was only 13. Well, actually, I ran 11 miles, rested about 30 minutes, then ran 2 more miles. (What a slacker!) When I reached mile 15 in Oklahoma City, my feet ached, my thighs throbbed and I wanted to quit. But I didn't. I walked most of the next 11 miles and made it across the finish line. I spent the rest of the evening in bed. The Corporate Run was held the following week, but I was still too sore. I didn't run for about 2 weeks. I figured since I had already completed 5 marathons I idn't need to train for the 6th. Boy, was I wrong.

Condolences to teen's family

This morning police divers found the body of Corey McKinzie, a 15-year-old Boyd Anderson High honors student who was reported missing Monday evening after a cross-country meet. It's unclear how his body ended up in Davie's Vista View Park, along the cross-country path. It could have been an an accident, an underlying medical condition or the heat. Whenever you run in the heat, be careful. Drink plenty fluids, seek shady areas and try to run in the morning or evening when the temperature is more tolerable. Symptoms of heat stroke include: high body temperature; the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin; rapid pulse; difficulty breathing; strange behavior; hallucinations; confusion; agitation; disorientation; seizure; and coma.  Get help immediately if you have these symptoms.

Mission accomplished

 A round of applause to Clelia Carcasés, of Kendall, who raised $5,705 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and completed the Sept. 2 Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon in Virginia Beach. This was her first road race. Will she do another? How about Miami? Well, she'd like to, but that Quickie racing cycle, which Sunrise Medical in Colorado let her borrow, would cost her $600, way more than my New Balance sneakers.

Firefighter's 5K

Are you a solo runner? Get off the treadmill and pound the pavement at Sunday's Firefighter's 5K, 7 a.m. on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, A1A and Johnson Street. If you're planning to run Miami (www.ingmiamimarathon.com) and you've never raced before, add a few 5Ks to your training, see how it feels to run with a pack, see how many people you can pass, see how much fun you'll have. To register, click here: http://www.goldcoastrunners.org/events/firefighters.htm When it's over, tell me how you did.

26.2 or 13.1?

I ran 8 miles today. I'm more than ready for the ING Miami Half-Marathon. Are you training? Jan. 27 is more than four months away. You have plenty of time to train for the marathon or half-marathon. Log onto www.ingmiamimarathon.com and register. Need a reason? Here are 26.2. Pick one:

1. Look at your day planner. I bet you have no plans for 6 a.m. Jan. 27, 2008.
2. There's a good chance ice, sleet and snow won't get in the way of your training.
3. You don't have to sit on Staten Island, rain or shine, and wait five hours for the race to start, like they do at the New York City Marathon.
4. You live here in South Florida. This is your race. Help it grow.
5. You get a cool T-shirt.
6. You get an even cooler medal.
7. You once thought a 5K was impossible.
8. It's a challenge.
9. Guilt-free carbs; bring on the pasta.
10. You're fed up with the Atkins diet. Every time you cheat, your waistline expands.
11. Your fourth-grade teacher always said you'd never amount to anything.
12. You got kicked off the track team in high school because you started too fast and ended up walking the last 50 yards of the one-mile race. You must redeem yourself.
13. You've been putting off exercise long enough.
14. You need a new stress reliever, something healthier than Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey.
15. P. Diddy, Will Ferrell and Oprah are marathoners.
16. It's not that hard (if you train properly).
17. Your feet might hurt, your calves might ache and your shorts might catch fire from your thighs rubbing together, but pain is temporary.
18. On race day, you won't have to swim 2.4 miles and bike 112 miles before you get to run.
19. The human body is amazing.
20. Make your mom, dad, child, spouse or partner proud.
21. You'll see Miami-Dade's character. The homeless on Miami Avenue, the clubsters on SoBe, the beauty of Coconut Grove.
22. Thousands of athletes, running like a pack of wolves, what a beautiful sight!
23. You think you can't run 13.1 or 26.2 miles.
24. You know you can.
25. The afterparty awaits.
26.2. When you return to work Monday and your colleagues ask, "What did you do over the weekend?", you can proudly stick out your chest and say, "I ran a marathon."