In this issue...

I. Welcome

II. Introducing roy pIrRUNg

III. Special Offer

IV. Product of the Month

V. Nutrition and Exercise

VI. Keep it Lite

VII. Upcoming Events

VIII. Quote of the Month

Welcome to the second offering of our online newsletter.  We hope to bring you the latest health information to help you keep “running” strong and feeling good.

Thanks to those who submitted suggestions to name this online newsletter.  There were several great suggestions, but after checking into them I found that the names, or similar names, were already being used. (See “Name the Newsletter and Win”)

I would like to give you some further background information regarding my transformation from a couch potato to a world class athlete. Over the months ahead, I will attempt to share the value of the lessons I have learned and hope that you will learn from my mistakes and successes.

Throughout my early life, since the time I can remember, I have always struggled with weight management.  I would lose weight when I really concentrated on my diet and then slip back and regain it each time.

Eventually, the cycle of loss and gain took its toll, with each loss followed by a substantial increase in gain.  In other words, after each loss I became even heavier than I was prior to losing weight in that cycle and eventually my weight climbed to 196 pounds on a 5 foot 6 inch frame.

This cyclical loss and gain is one of the most detrimental patterns to one’s health and it took me years to finally realize what I was doing wrong. There is an easy formula for weight management, but most people, though they hear it often, do not follow this simple equation.

By taking the calories consumed and balancing them with the calories expended, or calories in and calories out, weight is in balance and you do not gain or lose.  If you need to lose weight, you either need to decrease calorie intake or increase calorie output.

Changing my eating habits was the last thing I wanted to do.  I loved to eat and I loved to eat what tasted good, with total disregard to food type or calorie content.  I did not know the difference between saturated fat and unsaturated fat, carbohydrates or proteins.

One day, a fat lady ran by the house and I saw myself in her shoes.  If she could do it, then surely I, also a fat guy, could get out there and try.
My goal for the first attempt to run, in many years, was to go two miles.  I made it about two blocks and I thought I was going to die.  I had pains in places I wasn’t aware could feel pain.

After several weeks of sticking to it and getting out there each day I finally ran two miles.  And, as they say, the rest is history.

I saw the fat lady running by one day, laced up my running shoes and caught up to her (she was not a very fast runner).  She had not lost any weight and after speaking with her I knew why.

Her daily exercise was a jog to the nearest fast food place where she had coffee, a Danish, and read the newspaper.  From her I found the inspiration I needed.  Although, when looking back it is kind of funny that the person that inspired me to run, only ran to eat.

From this encounter I learned the value of eating to run, rather than running to eat.  Because of this I have maintained my healthy weight of 130 pounds, which I reached within a year following the start of my running program at age 32. 

This balance has allowed me to continually outperform many competitors who are much younger, but less experienced.

In 2008, at the 50-mile USATF National Trail Championships, a young man, 18, passed me off-and-on for the first 25 miles or so.  Then he caught up to me one more time and I asked if he thought it would be better just to run with me as I was running a pace and he was running erratically.  He agreed and we finished together, me with a smile on my face and he a little bit wiser.  
By learning to balance nutrition and exercise I have been able to reach goals that were unimaginable in my youth and early adulthood.  It is my hope that you too will discover the fountain of youth that can be had by combining nutrition and exercise.

In the next issue I will share some of the goals that I have set for myself—and reached!

See you in a few miles….roy

Introducing roy pIrRUNg

The first thing you may notice is the way Roy spells his name.  It is a true indication of what he does and who he is.  In 1989, he was the first athlete to use Mega Omega® and, like his running, once he started he never stopped. 

Over the past three decades, his accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable.  He has broken over 60 open and age group American records and amassed 60 national championship titles. In 1997 USA Track & Field honored him with the Ted Corbitt Award as the top ultra marathon runner of the year.  In 2001 he was installed in USATFs Masters Hall of Fame.  Along the way, USATF also named him  Masters Runner of the Year three times, including the past two years.

Roy is the epitome of health and endurance.  He has started and finished EVERY race he has started, over 820 to date, including 88 marathons and 143 ultra marathons—races ranging from 31 miles to 400 miles.

In 2008, he broke 4 American 60-64 age group records by surpassing marks at 12-hours, 100-kilometers, 100-miles and 24-hours.

He earned his first world record at the 2008 24-hour world championships.  Competing in the 60-64 age-group, he completed 133+ miles in Seoul, South Korea as a scoring member of the USA 24-hour run national team.  That performance earned him Ultra Running magazine’s Top Age Group Performance of the Year.

Featured Product of
the Month

Mega Omega®

- the Omega-3 Whole Grain Food supplement with Stabilized Flax Base, plus Oat Bran, Vitamins and Minerals, providing balanced nutrition for people of all ages desiring a healthier lifestyle.  Omega essential fatty acids, plant based antioxidants, vitamins and minerals promote a long healthy life! With new pricing and a chance to win FREE product, it is time to place your order now!

Keep it Lite

Provided by Dennis Shoemaker, © D. E. Shoemaker 2009.

Nutrition & Exercise

A Sure Step to Fighting Inflammation

When most people consider training for a marathon, they look for a proven schedule.  Schedules can be found on the internet and most of them are very similar.  They advise starting out slowly and gradually building your mileage until you are conditioned to run 26.2 miles.

Something not found in most marathon training schedules is what is needed to help with muscle recovery.  The first place to look is your nutritional needs; not just the calories, but the choices of food.

If you are reading this newsletter, chances are you know something about omega-3s and omega-6s.  You may not know how they affect muscle recovery.

Omega-3s and Omega-6s Not the Same

Because of the different nature of each of these Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) the balance of their consumption is very important to the body’s ability to stave off inflammation.

Unfortunately, the Western diet has changed dramatically in the past 50 years.  That change began with the information that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were heart healthy.  So, seed oils containing omega-6s were introduced to the food chain at an alarming rate.

Food processors began using more and more seed oils because they went rancid less quickly than omega-3s.  This meant longer shelf life for packaged foods and higher profits for the manufacturer.

Five decades later, four of these omega-6 containing seed oils, make up 96 percent of the vegetables eaten in the United States.  Soybean, corn, cottonseed and canola oils are prevalent in most items you find packaged in the grocery store.

An Omega Balance

Because of the structural difference in each of these EFAs, knowing how to keep them in balance is very important to health.

Omega-6s are more rigid and therefore inflammatory, while omega-3s are more pliable and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Keeping the two types in balance, with a ratio of 1:1 is the ideal. However, because of the changes made through processing, the average American consumes 20 times more omega-6s in their diet and increases their risk to the many medical problems associated with inflammation.

Omega-3 Consumption a Good Idea

FFor those running a marathon, as well as the average person, it is therefore important to boost the diet with rich sources of omega-3s and decrease the consumption of omega-6s to reduce the affects of inflammation.

A sure way to reduce inflammation has always been to use ice or cold-water, but when you are not able to do that, having a diet rich in omega-3s will go a long way in keeping inflammation to a minimum.

Anti-oxidants and Omega-3s

Using a supplemental source such as Mega Omega® or Simply Omega is an excellent way to help with that concern.  Omax-3, another supplement we offer is great when traveling or for those busy people that cannot find the time to prepare food.

Upcoming Events

	Visit our booth at the Inaugural Illinois Marathon Expo being held at the University of Illinois Activities and Recreation Center, 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign-Urbana Campus, on Friday, April 10, 2009, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.   The Expo is presented by Body n’Sole, Inc. and Marathon & Beyond.  Visit www.illinoismarathon.com for further information and to register for the marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay or 5K.
	Omega Fields Health will partner with Marathon & Beyond at the 33rd Annual Grandma’s Marathon Expo on June 18 & 19 at DECC in downtown Duluth, MN.  Held in Palucci Hall, this two-day expo offers fitness enthusiasts an array of products and services.  See www.grandmasmarathon.com  for additional information and registration information.
	In the autumn of 2009 we will appear with M & B in Chicago, IL.  The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place October 11, 2009 on the streets of the Windy City.  Prior to it, the Expo will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 9 & 10, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. respectively.  McCormick Place Convention Building, Hall B1 at 2301 S. Martin Luther King Dr. is the location and we hope to see you there.  Learn more about the event at www.chicagomarathon.com.

Quote of the Month

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
Steve Prefontaine, Olympic distance runner

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