Movin’ and Groovin’ With Dr. Sheri

The 3-Day blog is happy to welcome back Dr. Sheri Prentiss, National Spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. Training for the Komen 3-Day is well underway for most walkers, and Dr. Sheri joins us this week to share some of her go-to tunes for staying motivated and moving.

“Music for me is a good distraction and ups my effort. It also puts me ‘in the zone’ and makes me want to move. Here are some of my favorites when I’m training for the 3-Day:

‘Survivor’ (of course!) (Destiny’s Child)

‘Good Feeling’ (Flo-Rida)

‘I’m Every Woman’ (Whitney Houston)

‘Let’s Go’ (Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo)

‘Right Now’ (Van Halen)

‘Turn Up the Music’ (Chris Brown)

‘Run the World’ (Beyoncé)

Whatever your favorite tune might be, your body automatically feels the beat of the music you listen to. You instinctively adjust your walking pace and heart rate to the tempo of the music. Listening to music while exercising can create an increased sense of motivation, as well as the ability to distract the mind while increasing heart rate. Training for my 3-Day experience is a wonderful distraction from everyday life, and my music takes it to a whole new level. So, get out there and get training!”

Thanks, Dr. Sheri! We can’t wait to boogie down with you on the 3-Day events this year!

Dr. Sheri’s Warm Weather Training Tips for the 3-Day

The 3-Day blog is excited to welcome back Dr. Sheri Prentiss, the National Spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day^®.Dr. Sheri is a physician, as well as a breast cancer survivor and a 3-Day walker herself. She joins us today to share some warm weather training tips to keep you in tip-top shape along your training route as you prepare for an amazing 60 miles.

As I continue my training efforts for the upcoming Komen 3-Day season, I personally am reconnecting with nature, body and mind. I’m invigorated by the sights, sounds and scents of summer and am grateful for life, health and a chance to win what I feel may be the biggest fight ever fought – the fight to end breast cancer.

Training for your 3-Day event means you, too, will be spending more time outdoors! Now is a great time to review a few tips to help keep you safe as you train and soak up this summertime weather.

Protect your skin. Wear a high SPF sunscreen and don’t forget the back of your neck, the tip of your ears and your hands. It’s always a good idea to wear a hat to protect your scalp from the sun, too. Also, look for a route that offers both sunlight and shade. Keep as cool as you can during your training walks by always choosing to walk on the shady side of the street where you have a choice. But use caution, as going from shade into sun you may not see road hazards as well.
Wear light-colored and lightweight clothing that is made from moisture-wicking fabric; this keeps moisture away from the skin and dries quickly. This also includes moisture-wicking socks to help prevent blisters.
Prior to going outdoors to begin your fitness regimen, pay attention to the weather forecast and heat alerts. Take extra precaution and check the weather conditions so you can be best prepared for rain, heat or humidity
Up your intake of water. If you’re walking, you need more than the standard eight ounces of water eight times a day. Take a reusable water bottle with you on your walk. Alternate drinking salt-replenishing sports drinks and water. Also be sure to bring along salty snacks for those longer training walks.
Once you are started and you can feel the temperature rising, pay attention to your heart rate. Your heart rate will naturally rise one beat per minute for each degree above 77F, so while you may not be going faster, your body is already working harder and producing more internal heat so it will have trouble dispersing. Hot weather is no time to set a pace record. Slow down to a pace that doesn’t leave you purple in the face!
Don’t keep walking once you are nauseated, dizzy, feeling faint, experiencing gray-outs, headache and/or muscle cramps. Seek shade, sports drink, and call for help.

Always be sure to put your well-being first when training, especially in the heat of the summer months!

A Celebration of Mothers, with Dr. Sheri

Guest post by Dr. Sheri Prentiss, National Spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it’d be appropriate to share what I admired in my mother, and strive for as a mother myself. Many of us are lucky to have been influenced by amazing women that were also mothers. Let’s celebrate those wonderful women!

My mom Yvonne Springs was a strong, courageous woman who always put her children first. She worked hard to overcome life’s obstacles and set a good example for her four children. She never gave up.

To be a mother is a great commitment and sacrifice. Moms have the most challenging, but also the most rewarding, job in the world. Learning from my mother, I strive to be the best mom I can be through:

Always being there for my children, even when they are grown.
Supporting my children’s dreams, even when they seem impossible.
Defending my children against the world.
Going the extra mile, whenever needed.
Constantly and unconditionally loving my girls.

I walk for my two daughters who have blossomed into young women. I was so proud to walk in the 2013 Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day with both of my daughters when they participated in the Young Women Walking program. I’m thankful to the Val Skinner Foundation for sponsoring the YW² program, which gives 16-23 year-old young women and men a chance to participate in one day of the Komen 3-Day and encourages them to take charge of their breast health.

As mothers, we would do just about anything for our children. For me, walking in as many 3-Day events as possible is a small price to pay (while having the best time of my life)!

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

Abraham Lincoln