I remember my first pair of what I thought was a “good” pair of running shoes. I was a freshman in high school and the coach noticed my shoes and encouraged me to buy some good shoes for running so my Mom took me to the local department store to purchase my first pair of “running” shoes. The selection of athletic shoes was slim at best. As I looked through the few athletic shoes they had only one that claimed “running” shoe.

I remember the name of the shoes distinctly; they had the inscription “the winner” on them and were completely white – soles and all. Silently I chuckled at the name and resisting the temptation of holding up the all popular “L” finger sign on my forehead, but not being well-to-do folks, they would have to do. They seemed relatively expensive compared to the regular cheap “tennies” I had grown accustomed to wearing for most the cross-country season. So we purchased them. Although they were not your typical name brand shoes, I was still excited to have something that was new and better than what I had. Now 25 years later I have learned the importance of good running shoes.

There is a lot of hype lately about running in bare feet and I do believe that is valuable to allow your body to learn how to run efficiently with proper form. I can often be found at an outdoor track running barefoot and working on my form. I would have to admit that on a regular basis I prefer to wear shoes. Not only do they protect my feet and keep them warm in cold weather but they are comfortable. I have suffered very few injuries over my many years as a runner and I believe it is due to always having good shoes along with practicing proper stretching, resting enough, eating healthy and staying hydrated. I truly believe it is important to buy good shoes. Good is a relative term, but I am not talking about your department store “the winner” shoes, but your name brand shoes found at a specialty running shop.

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The majority of American’s are overweight or obese for a reason. I believe this is largely due to the “empty calorie” consumption of soda pop and the increased use of convenience foods. While there are many other factors that lead to fat American’s like fitness (or lack of it); a large factor is diet. Unfortunately soda pop is a staple in the average American’s diet today. Let’s consider the ramifications of this lifestyle choice.

Over the many years as I have worked as a weight loss specialist I would say the majority of the people that I have worked with that wanted to lose weight drank an average of three 12 once sodas a day before starting the program. This is about 130 grams of sugar or 520 empty calories. To burn this off an average 150 pound person would have to run about between 3.5-4 miles. Alright, so let’s say they decided to switch to diet soda after they figured this out.

No calories no problem right? True no calories, but what about the other substances found in soda? Soda pop is high in the mineral called phosphorus. Extra phosphorus in the body is excreted through the urine and is accompanied by calcium which is often lost in the urine. If the body doesn’t consume adequate amounts of calcium (soda often replaces milk in the diet) then the body takes calcium from the bones often making them porous. This leads to osteopenia and finally osteoporosis, a painful chronic condition. This once “aged” disease is now being seen in children.

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Lora Erickson – Certified Personal Trainer | Runner and Triathlon Coach Specializing in Weight Loss, Corrective Exercise and Endurance Training

Lora Erickson aka “Blonde Runner” is a certified personal trainer, runner and triathlon coach specializing in weight loss, corrective exercise and endurance training. As a mother of four, she has many years of experience designing realistic custom individual programs that can fit into a busy everyday life. Growing up in Colorado, Lora was actively recruited in high school by Stanford, BYU, Yale and many other colleges. Accepting an athletic scholarship to the University of Utah, she began her career as a distance runner. She later transferred to Utah State University where she earned the title of Big West All-Conference Runner.

Since graduating from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health Education and duel minors in Nutrition and Chemistry, she has taken on the role of wife, mother, entrepreneur, trainer, coach, race director, running club organizer and weight loss specialist. Lora has enjoyed teaching the American Heart Association weight loss classes and continues to share her passion through running camps, cooking/nutrition classes, fitness boot camps and public speaking as well as through individual consultation and corporate wellness seminars.

While, she continues to offer unique, custom-designed programs to help meet a variety of health conditions including arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis and thyroid disorders. She specifically takes a personal interest in diabetes prevention. She maintains that “there is no one-size-fits-all program, everyone is different,” and takes a personal interest in each client.

Lora has been certified as a USATF running coach since 1996, which has allowed her to share her love of running. Her in-depth knowledge of nutrition and exercise physiology has also proved helpful to those she trains. Lora is an accomplished athlete and health professional, winning many awards and honors. She is the founder/CEO of Blonde Runner Health LLC and South Davis Road Runners in Bountiful, Utah where she currently resides. When she is not guest lecturing, teaching, coaching or training for her next competition, she can be found in her garden or catching worms with her three boys to take them fishing. She also enjoys karate, cooking and shopping with her little girl.

Lora loves to show her enthusiasm for health and has used her positive “can-do” approach to help hundreds of people, ages five to eighty-two, reach their goals. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, enter your first triathlon or shed an unwanted twenty pounds, she wants you to become the next success story.