Sherry B, a healthy and active 61-year-old woman, came to my office several months ago. She had noted an unusually fast heart rate during exercise, and felt lightheaded when standing in line at the grocery store or after finishing her five-mile run. She carried a water bottle with her and drank from it throughout our meeting. I dont understand! she said, Im always thirsty, even though I drink water constantly. Most of her symptoms had started the previous year when she decided to clean up her lifestyle, began to exercise more regularly, and stopped eating out. She added proudly that she had thrown away her salt shaker.

After ruling out diabetes, weak heart, anemia, and other medical conditions, I suspected that Sherry was one of the few Americans who may actually not consume enough salt in their daily diet.

Those at higher risk for getting insufficient salt (sodium) in their diet include people who sweat heavily with exercise or at work, have normal or low blood pressure, have normal heart and kidney function, and consume a very-low-sodium diet. In addition to an inappropriately fast heart rate and lightheadedness with standing, other symptoms can include constipation, fatigue, headaches, and even fainting. In extreme cases, excessive sodium restriction can cause brain swelling. There is no simple way to diagnose this problem; routine blood tests, including measurement of sodium levels in the blood, are typically normal.

We all know that too much salt is bad for our health. Excess sodium intake causes elevated blood pressure and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But consuming too little salt can also be harmful.

When we do not replace the salt we lose every day in our urine and feces, exhaled breath, and sweat, we cannot retain sufficient water to properly regulate our blood volume. This is because our kidneys precisely regulate the sodium concentration in our blood so that it matches the concentration in our cells. If we drink too much water without consuming enough sodium, our blood becomes more diluted than our cells. This forces the kidneys to eliminate the excess water as dilute urine. As a result, we can become dehydrated, no matter how much water we drink.

Individual sodium needs vary, but most people require at least 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium every day (roughly 2/3 of a teaspoon of table salt), with an additional 300 mg added per hour of exercise. When sodium intake is extremely restricted, the body compensates by increasing production of hormones called renin and aldosterone, which signal the blood vessels to narrow, and tell the kidneys to retain salt and water in an attempt to maintain balance. When sodium intake is so low that blood pressure drops when we stand (orthostatic hypotension), the body produces more norepinephrine, a fight or flight hormone that tells the heart to beat more quickly and forcefully.

Many studies have shown that consuming more than 5,000 mg of sodium per day is associated with increased risk for CVD. The PURE study, the largest international study to examine the relationship between sodium intake and health, looked at the relationship between sodium consumption and CVD risk in over 95,000 people from the general population. The authors reported a J-shaped association, with the lowest risk of CVD events in those with moderate sodium consumption (about 4,500 mg per day). Both higher and lower consumption (less than 3,000 mg per day) was associated with increased risk. (The study accounted for those who consume very little salt due to other illnesses.)

The great majority of Americans consume excessive amounts of sodium, mostly in the form of commercially processed foods. Approximately 80% of our sodium intake comes from processed and restaurant foods, another 15% from foods that contain sodium such as olives and pickles, and only about 5% from salt added in the home.

From a CVD standpoint, the ideal diet would mainly consist of home-cooked, plant-based foods, but with a modest amount of added salt. With this strategy it is almost impossible to exceed the (somewhat arbitrary) 2,300 mg upper limit recommended by the American Heart Association.

Without a doubt, the typical Western diet, heavy in processed foods and extremely high in sodium, is contributing to excess CVD risk in the majority of Americans. However, we also need to keep in mind that a modest amount of sodium is essential for proper regulation of blood volume and nervous system function. In otherwise healthy people, there is no proven benefit, and possible harm, from overly restricting salt intake.

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In defense of the salt shaker - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (WNDU) - In 2021, the Michigan Department of Transportation said they hope to repave a few miles of U.S. 12 from the state line to Red Arrow Highway, going through New Buffalo.

Commonly known as a "road diet," they want to reduce the number of lanes from four to three.

"Which will be a nightmare during the busy holiday seasons, or should I say summer season," resident John Gorny said.

At a meeting Wednesday, MDOT representatives talked with community members about why they feel this proposed project is necessary.

MDOT said safety is their No. 1 priority.

"It gets that left-turn traffic out of the flow of traffic. So, we are reducing the number of crashes by probably two-thirds," MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa said.

MDOT said in the last four years, there have been 157 crashes on this stretch of U.S. 12. They said two-thirds of those crashes would not have happened if there had been three lanes.

MDOT also said the lane reduction will provide wider shoulders, a buffer between cars and pedestrians, will help eliminate weaving in and out of traffic lanes, and will help reduce side-street delays.

In a four-lane section, MDOT said emergency responders have to negotiate traffic. With a road diet, however, they can use the turn lane.

This proposal is not a done deal, as they are still in the planning phase.

"We wanted to get some community feedback. Certainly there are some things these folks know working and living here, just because we are not here every day," Schirripa said.

"But in fact, I was lectured to, and a lot of statistics were thrown about," Gorny said.

MDOT said they have been planning this resurfacing project long before the Marquette Greenway Project, which is a trail connecting New Buffalo to Chicago.

"Creating a safer, efficient roadway was the catalyst for the road diet concept. When that idea became public and other organizations started talking with us about it, that's when the idea of adding the Greenway as a partnership came to be. So, there is certainly an opportunity to work together with the folks on the Maquette Greenway, but it was not a catalyst for this project," Schirripa said.

The proposed repaving project would cost $2.4 million.

Continue reading here:
MDOT meets with community members, proposes to repave a strip of U.S.12 - WNDU-TV

Consider the banana. When they go extinct, kaput, vamoose, maybe thats when well finally realize weve wrecked things. Even though we regularly hear about freak floods and heat waves and climate refugees, even though the evidence of a profound change is everywhere around us, we still cross fingers, hope its all just a wobble in the Earths rotation, and get on with the daily grind. But what will happen when we lose something so basic to our diets? What will we do when our 49-cents-a-pound bananas spike to $5 per banana or higher? Thats coming soon, certainly in our lifetime. Climate change has exacerbated the spread of black sigatoka, a fungus first spotted in Fiji in the 60s, which thrives in hotter and wetter conditions and is killing off the worlds bananasa fruit already made vulnerable when we reduced them to a bland monoculture crop.

No more banana bread, banana pudding, banana splits or banana cream pie. Im not sure how Ill cope without banana smoothies. And thats just the gut-wrenching start. Experts say well also bid farewell to chocolate, coffee, many varieties of nuts, avocados and even maple syrup. The maple tree has long grown like a weed in this part of the world, but wildly unpredictable springs have messed up their internal sap clocks, and researchers predict that in a few decades, the trees will be unable to adapt to hotter and drier summers and will go extinct. Well need a new national pancake topping as well as a new flag.

Food rationing isnt anything new. As a blundering species, weve managed to survive shortages brought on by nature and by us. The much-revered American food writer M.F.K. Fisher released How to Cook a Wolf in 1942, written for housewives coping with hunger brought on by wartime ration cards. She says theres something noble in finding creative solutions to having nothing, but warns against monotony. And if all else fails, have a good drink before dinner.

These apocalyptic predictions seem especially unfair today, when our food supply is more diverseand sophisticatedthan ever before. As a child in 1970s Canada, my diet consisted almost exclusively of Life cereal, cans of SpaghettiOs and Twinkies. Now Im a parent of a preschooler whos bored if we serve him Korean barbecue more than once a month. When the server at our local pub asks if he wants shaved truffle on his fries, he shrugs a Sure, why not.

How did that happen? How did we arrive at a time when the average No Frills carries a dozen types of lettuce and New Zealand spring lamb chops? (And how is it always spring there?) Globalization, and the resulting web of economies, is one big reason. So is the great advantage of living in this exceptionally diverse city. But I worry every time I contemplate that wall of lettuce, that our appetites will be our undoing. Our hunger for new foodsfor having our vegetables available to us year-round, for flying them in from countries that are burning their rainforests to meet our demandis also to blame for melting glaciers and drowning polar bears. Guilt about the environmental cost of our ravenous diets was what inspired the 100-mile diet and the Slow Food movement. Both have been criticized for their exclusivityonly the wealthy can afford a purely locavore, non-freezer-bagged food supply. But at the rate were going, with our disappearing crops, the fears of peak oil, tariff wars and massive migrations of displaced people fleeing droughts and other climate disasters, we all need to anticipate what a banana-less life will mean.

Some solutions are easy. Ive stopped buying (so much) out-of-season produce. I also put away preserves and canned tomatoes for the winter. (The canning fad of the past couple of years is paying off.) I keep a list of stores that stock local products and avoid restaurants that dont serve Ocean Wise fish. But the harder work is being done by food technologists and researchers, and by start-ups, many of them in the GTA, who are developing protein-rich products that imitate meat, crops that can adapt to whiplash weather patterns, and technologies that, if they work, can stop us from throwing away what food supplies we have (one UN report estimates that 30 per cent of food is wasted).

We have to figure it out, and quick. Rising temperatures are expected to decimate many wine regionsproduction could drop 85 per cent in the next 50 years. So much for that good drink before dinner. Mark Pupo

Part 1: These farming revolutions are changing the way we grow foodLocal start-ups are using drones, AI and even vodka to change the future of agriculture

Part 2: The frozen food aisle is full of credible mock meatsGrocery stores suddenly have faux burgers and meatballs galore. We asked our chief food critic, Mark Pupo, to taste-test some of the Canadian-made options

Part 3: Salted crickets are the new roasted peanutsEvery week, Entomo Farms harvests millions of crickets, all destined for the dinner table

Part 4: Dairy-free cheese is deliciousStokess Vegan Cheese is stinky and sharp in all the right ways

Part 5: Fake meat doesnt have to cost a fortuneA U of T lab is figuring out how to make animal-free meat affordable for everyone

Part 6: This woman wants to make chickenless eggs and cowless milkThe cellular scientist Isha Datar on how scientists will conjure real animal products without any animals

Part 7: This guy is inventing a pulled pork sandwichhold the porkAdrian Pascu, also known as the Alternative Butcher, is creating an organic pork alternative to compete with Beyond Meat

Part 8: Toronto chefs are embracing the gourmet bug crazeHeres where to find ants, crickets and mealworms on the menu

Part 9: this grocery store is a one-stop shop for sustainable diningThe Good Rebel is the citys first all-vegan supermarket

These stories originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of Toronto Life magazine. To subscribe, for just $29.95 a year, click here.

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The future of food - Toronto Life

The latest episode of Real Housewives of Orange County shows Emily Simpsoncontinuing to have conflict with her husband Shane. On the show that aired November 5, Emily took Shane to task on his constant joking, including when it comes to staying on her diet.

The November 5 episode featured the couple out for dinner, where Shanes teasing about Emilys diet and trying to tempt her with food showed his lack of support. Heres the bread bowl, Shane said laughing, requesting that the waiter put the food in front of Emily and fanning the aroma in her face. Well tempt her all night long. Youve earned a piece of bread, youve earned it. How bout we share a piece?

Emily was able to stay the course and not give in to his taunting. Im not eating it, she said, according to People. Im not eating any bread. Im not eating any bread, so stop trying to get me to eat bread.

She later shared on-camera her frustration with Shane and his continuing to treat everything as a laughing matter. Everything with Shane is a joke, but this is a serious issue, she said. Ive gained a lot of weight. Ive literally put on 20 lbs. in, like, an eight-month period. I want to be healthy for my kids. I want to play with them and take them to the park and not feel like crap. I just need, not jokes. I need support.

The couple, who are parents to daughter Annabelle, 6, and twin sons Luke and Keller, 4, are apparently not keeping their problems away from the children. Emily revealed that her relationship with Shane had fundamental issues that needed attention from both of them, and they also need to stop arguing in front of the kids. Theres a lot of separation, Emily said. We need to take more time with you and I and the kids We have to fight less in front of the kids. We fight a lot.

The couple had previously gone to counseling, but Emily stopped going to their joint sessions, which now makes Shane reluctant to try therapy again. You didnt want to go anymore. I was going by myself. So why now? Shane asked Emily, saying she should go to therapy alone. Show your commitment. If youre really interested in working on things, then Ill join you. You want to go. You havent gone in the last, how long? Even though I was going, you would not show up, cancel last minute, do all these things. If you really think its worthwhile, then no ones stopping you from going.

Emily felt that too much of the burden was placed on her shoulders. Why does it reside 100 percent on me? she asked. I understand that I have a lot of anger, I understand that I lash out. But I also feel like a lot of times you say things that push me there. It comes off to me that its condescending.

The RHOC star admitted to dropping out of the couples counseling sessions, saying she did not see a positive impact on Shane. I quit going to couples therapy because there was no self awareness or change on Shanes part. Its hard because for 10 years, Ive always had a problem with the way he talks to me, Emily said in tears. Thats what Im dealing with every single day, and I have little kids! This is really hard. I dont know what to do. What am I supposed to do?

The couple seemed to be getting on the right track last month. Emily credited Shanes being able to see his actions on television as a productive reality check.

When you have the opportunity to watch yourself, sometimes the self-awareness that you get is just an entirely different perspective, Emily said last month, according to People. [Shane] really saw and heard everything everybody was saying and really took it to heart. He watched with the intent from learning from it, and he learned a lot from it.

She added that his positive changes could be a result of maybe just the millions of people tweeting, Shane shouldnt be such a jerk. I think he probably had a moment of self-realization where he thought, Emily is a really good wife and really good mom. I won the wife lottery. I need to step up my game. And he really has, she said. I have to give him credit for that.

Bravos Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Tuesday nights.

Excerpt from:
'RHOC:' Emily Simpson Says She and Husband Shane Have 'Fundamental Issues' Including His Mocking Her Diet - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Its a sunny, autumn September day. Lines of small orange cones and strings of red flags line the trees surrounding the soccer stadium at Saint Martins University. Slowly, but surely, parents, coaches and event officials meander toward the finish line and clock set up on a red-tinted track, their shadows continuing to elongate in the evening sun.

Everyone waits for the first runner from the Ramrock Classics boys 5-kilometer race to appear.

Some know exactly who will lead going into the final stretch.

Across the facility, ribbons lead a rugged path from a meadow onto the track. From the finish lines flank, Bryce Cerkowniak, standing 5-foot-10, places a foot onto the track. He has about 300 meters to go until the finish line.

For the first 200 meters, its just him and the track. His short strides increase as his arms continue to pump and his strides get longer.

The small crowd begins cheering.

With a final push, Cerkowniak leans through the finish line and the timer, his legs slowing his body from the sprint 15 minutes, 36 seconds and first place.

Yelm junior Bryce Cerkowniak leads the pack by a lengthy amount at the 3A South Sound Conference Championship. For the first time, Cerkowniak placed first at the league race.

Not bad at all.

Just as Cerkowniak begins catching his breath, a North Thurston runner enters into the final stretch. With a final push from his deep strides, Samir Amin brushes through the finish line, high-fiving Cerkowniak and moving off the track in the process.

Both are juniors at their respective schools and have forged a friendly rivalry as the South Sound Conferences top runners. Amin joins Cerkowniak on the side of the track and the two commence a casual conversation, each of them congratulating Yelms Ryan Lange, then Kelan Herness as they pass through the finish line. The four young athletes smile, recounting the course.

They stay on the side of the finish line, cheering on runners as they enter onto the track and throwing high fives out toward finishing runners. The 20th man finishes, and the boys keep the cheering strong. Cerkowniak may have finished first, but it was the talk of sportsmanship that lingered on as the crowd of young men grew.

Its a scene that has been repeated again and again this year as hard work and dedication have propelled Cerkowniak to the front of the pack and title contention.

An eager Bryce Cerkowniak runs on a cleared path after last winters snow storm.

The road that brought Bryce Cerkowniak to the forefront of Yelm cross country running isnt one explained by natural talent and physique alone.

If youve driven around downtown Yelm at all within the last two years, youve probably seen him either early in the morning or in the afternoon; a scrawny, short-haired boy running the sidewalks that grid the small town.

His focus is forward. His shoulders are broad. His strides are short but consistent.

People drive past. Angie Cerkowniak, Bryces mother, said this is something hes kind of known for around town.

Hes almost a local celebrity, she said, noting that people will often tell her I saw Bryce running today.

And while many have seen Bryce Cerkowniaks entranced glare in transit, you cant help but believe his stature as a local celebrity might be true. Just a few years ago, Cerkowniak was a talented, impressionable freshman at Yelm High School. Now, hes possibly one of the best runners in the schools history.

A junior this year at Yelm High School, Cerkowniak is competing for the state 3A cross country championship title after placing first at both the 3A South Sound Conference league and West Central District championship meets.

While he may not be the favorite to take state this year, he, his coaches, fellow athletes and a small support group disagree. They believe he has what it takes to go for gold and clinch a massive upset on the course this November in Pasco.

Yelm Middle School track and field coaches Art VanVeen, right, and Laurel Robillard talk with a young Bryce Cerkowniak during a track meet. Cerkowniaks parents say the two were instrumental in encouraging him to run cross country in high school.

Last year, Cerkowniak placed eighth at state and is currently the third fastest 3A runner in Washington.

Cerkowniak twice broke the schools 5-kilometer boys record as a sophomore and this year as a junior, lowering it down to 15:22, which still remains his best time. Last spring for track and field, Cerkowniak twice broke the boys 3,200-meter school record.

Most recently, Cerkowniak clinched a first-place finish at the West Central District 3A Cross Country Championships 5K race last Saturday, Nov. 2. Cerkowniaks eyebrow-raising finish helped propel the Tornados to a fourth-place finish, qualifying them for state.

For a program like Yelm, coaches say runners like Cerkowniak only come around once in a blue moon.

Dan Baker, who coaches the girls cross country and track and field teams, discussed Cerkowniaks success last year after first breaking that 38-year-old 3,200-meter record during track season.

This is my 21st year coaching track here. There have not been a lot of kids at his caliber, Baker told the Nisqually Valley News last spring. Its not a surprise that hes doing well Hes got natural racing smarts.

Over a slice of pizza and surrounded by cross country athletes during an after-practice team get together at Bertoglios Pizza, head boys coach Alex McIntire and Justin and Angie Cerkowniak, Bryces parents, explain why his story is an important one to tell. Simply put, great things follow when you put in consistent, focus-driven work.

In previous interviews with the Nisqually Valley News, top Yelm runners such as senior Jacob Barnert and junior Kelan Herness have highlighted Cerkowniaks will to lead by example and his dedication to make the team tighter as a group shorten the teams spread.

Earlier this season, Herness said he believed it was Cerkowniaks leadership that would propel Yelm into its best season yet.

McIntire said Cerkowniak is a hard worker, but isnt one to showboat despite his success.

He came into my room the other day and he put all these lines up on the white board and says Guess what this is? Thats a map of the state course. He has it memorized, he visualizes it every single day; what its going to look like, feel like to win state, McIntire said. Hes got his goals written above his toilet seat so its the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last thing he sees when he goes to bed.

In the restaurant, Cerkowniak is quiet but doesnt mince words.

Recounting the story, Cerkowniak, sporting a medal from the last track and field season and with pizza in hand, smirked at the claim.

Its actually on my desk. He just wishes I put it on my bathroom wall, Cerkowniak said. I wanna have the state championship. I sit at my desk every day and do homework, basically. So I see it every day, so it keeps it in my head, keeps it fresh so I remember what my goals are.

Stringent routine drives Cerkowniaks day-to-day.

The Yelm junior wakes up every day around 5:30 a.m. After bagging up his lunch that he prepared the night before, he heads out to the high school parking lot to meet McIntire for a 2 and a half mile run.

After school, he heads to practice where more workouts ensue. This is where Cerkowniaks friends are. Over the years the team has become closer, he said, if not for the countless hours they spend every season running than because of the frequent team dinners and activities their parents will host.

After practice, Cerkowniak gets home, takes his dog Krypto out, and then hits the books. On the weekends, hell usually take it easy, but hell make sure to run every day.

More important than the runners routine is the diet. Cerkowniak, like many of his friends on the team, keeps a consistent diet on most days, including leading up to a meet. Before class, the Yelm junior will usually down an egg, meat and cheese burrito to cap off his run. For lunch, its usually a black-forest ham sandwich with pretzels.

Even while driving across the country during vacation this summer, Cerkowniak wouldnt give up on his daily running routine. Hed constantly be looking for routes to run during downtime.

I think it was kind of cool because it gave me something to do. I run in Yelm every day, its the same loop every day and on the weekends and the offseason. Its nice to get out, find something new, Cerkowniak said.

To say hes dedicated could be an understatement. But running, as a sport, is something thats developed into an addictive passion. Last summer, it was reported that he ran upwards of 640 miles in preparation of the 2019 season.

Im just proud of his dedication to it. We never tell him, Hey, you better get out and run. Its him. Hes self motivated with it, father Justin Cerkowniak added.

McIntire didnt believe in the hype Yelm Middle School track and field coach Art VanVeen and other athletes were trying to feed him on Cerkowniak.

As a freshman new to cross country, Cerkowniak showed potential but didnt blow anyone away when he finished 75th in state.

I didnt realize fully the type of runner that Bryce could be until his track season freshman year, McIntire said. Bryce really worked toward being good. I wouldnt say its totally talent. I mean, he has a lot of talent but he really put in a lot of work right away.

In the months following the 2017 cross country season, Yelm lost one of its top runners, then-sophomore Logan Miller.

In Millers absence, Cerkowniak worked a tough training regiment going into the track and field season. McIntire said Millers departure left something of a hole for Cerkowniak to fill as the Tornados top runner.

He came out and he ran 10 seconds off the school record as a freshman. So thats where you start thinking, OK. Theres some real talent here, McIntire recalled. He works hard. He ran every single day that winter, did not miss a day. And hes got his journal to prove it.

As McIntire took the helm of head boys cross country coach, he began to refocus what he wanted his athletes to take away from running a love for it.

In the summer of 2018, as school let out, McIntire took a group of six boys to Glacier National Park to work out goals and teach his boys, especially young Bryce, how to love the sport of running and work through the pain.

I think Bryce loved to win, he loved to be competitive. I dont know if hed learned how to love to run at that point yet. So, we just got out in the mountains and ran for four days. And that really, I think, was the kind of spark he needed to say, I actually like doing this, McIntire recalled. He just has a really good fundamental understanding of the bigger picture. I think a lot of athletes kind of struggle to see the why of doing everything. And he got it pretty quick.

McIntire said he knew Cerkowniak was a different breed of runner after that summer.

Going into last years cross country season, McIntire said he wanted to build off of Cerkowniaks confidence and turn to competing fiercely at the state cross country meet. McIntire said he also wanted to make sure that he was building a solid foundation for Cerkowniak to look to his junior and senior years for the state title.

Cerkowniak ran about 50 to 60 miles a week going into the season.

After a record-breaking season and taking eighth at state, McIntire said he began to visualize Cerkowniak taking state his junior year.

Going into state this year, Cerkowniak is ranked in at third in the state. McIntire said the beauty of the sport is that even the best runners can have tumultuous days.

Nobodys shooting for 3rd. Nobody says I want to be 3rd at state. No, you want to win. So thats what we were geared towards after that sophomore year. It was now we need to start training like a state champion, McIntire said.

Cerkowniak will find challenge in two superb eastside runners this weekend; North Central junior runner Leif Swanson and 3A state champ favorite Stanford Smith, a senior from Kamiakin who will undoubtedly be leaving everything he has on the Pasco course as he finishes out his high school career.

The Yelm boys cross country team will run in the 3A Washington Interscholastic Activities Association State Cross Country Meet Saturday, Nov. 9, at Sun WIllows Golf Course in Pasco.

Continue reading here:
Hard Work and Dedication: The Road That Brought Yelm's Bryce Cerkowniak to the Top - Nisqually Valley News

Asbjrn Flling, the biochemist who originally discovered the disease in the 1930s, was Norwegian, and Reynolds, who grew up skiing, knew she wanted to do something physical to raise awareness about PKU. Traversing across the country on skis seemed like a way to pay homage both to Flling and to push herself mentally and physically. (Reynolds and her husband are fronting the costs for the trip themselves, and all funds raised will go towards research.)

This had been such a journey for us over the years and this need to do a physical journey as part of this endurance run for a cure was just calling me, she says. I need [it] as a cathartic [way] of processing this disease.

While Reynolds played soccer in college and has always been active, this journey has required taking her fitness to another level. In February, shell be skiing 16 miles a day for nine days in temperatures that can reach negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit. And shell also be pulling a sled holding around 80 pounds of gear. By the time its done, shell basically have completed the equivalent of eight marathons, Reynolds says.

Some of the biggest dangers of the trip will be hypothermia and severe dehydration, she says. Cross-country skiing is a highly aerobic exercise, so Reynolds will have to stop every hour-and-a-half to drink water, but she can only pause for a minute, or else her sweat will begin to cool and put her at risk of hypothermia.

To train for this, shes taken on a workout routine of epic proportions. Working with Tiffany Nesfield of Nesfield Performance, she does strength training three days a week and endurance training almost every day. A sample day might include a 90-minute Peloton ride followed by a 45-minute run; hiking seven miles with a weighted backpack; or pulling a tire on the C&O Canal for 100 minutes. (The looks I get on the C&O canal are so funny, says Reynolds. Its mostly thumbs-ups.)

Its really changed my life, says Reynolds of her training, which has left her feeling happier and her clothes fitting better. This has gotten me in the best shape of my life, and at 45, you feel like youre turning back the clock a bit.

On the last day of her journey, Reynolds will be joined by her family and other members of the PKU community who will ski to the finish line with her. And while it will certainly be the journey of a lifetime, Reynolds ultimate focus is still on finding a cure for the disease.

Its a hard road, she says. Every morning youre reminded of the quest youre on. Were on a mission, and I think well get there.

Tia is currently trying a new drug recently approved by the FDA, says Reynolds. Shes injecting it once a week as of now, but when she progresses to daily injections, theyll know if its increasing her protein tolerance and eliminating some of the PKU side effects. What it hopefully means for her is a healthier brain and freedom from tight restrictions, says Reynolds.

As of now, Reynolds is most excited about the research surrounding the gene-editing tool CRISPR, which she says shows the biggest promise in the fight against PKU.

I dont think were decades away, were years away from a cure. We just have to keep the funds coming, she says.

When Tia was born, there was only one project aimed at fighting PKU in the works. Today theres over 25, says Reynolds. So its happening. I kind of cant believe it, she says. Theres a drug my daughter is taking because we beat everybody over the head and saidwe have to do this.

To learn more about Alison Reynolds upcoming journey, including how to be a sponsor or donate, visit crossingnorway.com.

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Meet the DC Mom Who's Cross-Country Skiing Across Norway in Freezing Temperatures to Raise Money for Her Daughter's Rare Disease - Washingtonian