​I partnered with Valvoline Instant Oil Change for this post, however all opinions, grammatical errors and typos are my own.

I am pretty sure you know someone that suffers from asthma, either a family member of a friend. Asthma is a very common disease. Asthma is a disease that affects the airways that carry air to and from the lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition are said to be asthmatic.

People with asthma have airways that are irritated and can be sensitive to asthma triggers that can make their symptoms get worse. Symptoms of the narrowing of the airways include wheezing (a hissing sound during breathing), breathing problems, and coughing. Asthma triggers can even cause an asthma attack. An asthma episode, or an asthma attack, is when symptoms are worse than usual.

If you suffer from asthma you should see your doctor. Your doctor can help you find out what triggers your asthma symptoms and how to avoid them. They can also prescribe medications which will help you manage your asthma.

With time you will learn to keep away from things that irritate your airways (triggers) and know when to take your medication. Effective asthma control allows you to take part in normal everyday activities such as playing outside and exercising.

Asthma awareness month is to raise awareness that asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening chronic disease that can be controlled. Everybody needs to be aware of the resources available us, Latinos, because asthma seems to be very common among Latinos.

In 2010, about 3,600,000 Hispanics reported that they currently have asthma.

Hispanics are 30 percent more likely to visit the hospital for asthma, as compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

You can read more in the report: Luchando por el Aire: the burden of asthma on Hispanics

Lo más probable es que conozcas a alguien que sufre de asma, ya sea un familiar o un amigo. Asma es una enfermedad muy común. El asma es una enfermedad que afecta las vías aéreas que llevan el aire a los pulmones. A las personas que sufren de esta condición crónica se les conoce como asmáticos.

Las personas que sufren de asma tienen vías aéreas que pueden ser sensibles a algunas sustancias que pueden hacer que los síntomas sean peores. Cuando las vías aéreas se contraen, se pueden presentar síntomas como problemas para respirar, respiración con jadeo (silbido en el pecho) y tos. Las sustancias desencadenantes del asma pueden causar un ataque asmático. En el ataque asmático, los síntomas son más severos de lo normal.

Si usted sufre de asma, debe consultar con un doctor. El doctor le puede ayudar a identificar las sustancias desencadenantes del asma y ensenarle como controlarlas. También le pueden dar recetas para medicamentos que le pueden ayudar a manejar los síntomas del asma.

Con el tiempo, usted puede aprender a identificar cuáles son las sustancias que le empeoran el asma y aprender a manejar sus medicamentos. Una vez usted aprenda a controlar el asma podrá realizar actividades de la vida diaria como jugar afuera y hacer ejercicio sin tener ningún síntoma.

El mes de la concientización sobre el asma ha sido creado para aumentar los conocimientos sobre esta enfermedad tan grave, que a veces puede hasta producir muertes. Todas las personas deben tener conocimiento de los recursos disponibles, sobre todo la población Latina, en la que las estadísticas del asma son alarmantes.

En el 2010 aproximadamente 3,600,000 hispanos reportaron que tenían asma

Las visitas al hospital por asma son más comunes en los hispanos.

Si quieren leer mas sobre como el asma afecta a los hispanos pueden leer el reporte: Luchando por el Aire: the burden of asthma on Hispanics

Ok, so I am on my way to Miami for Hispanicize 2013 thanks to United Healthcare. 

A few days ago I wrote a post to participate on a contest to attend the conference with all expenses paid. As I was reading the post of everyone else that entered, I was getting nervous, because everyone had such an inspirational story and I had heavy competition.

So, when I found out that I had been chosen as the winner I was really happy. I want to say Thanks to the panel of judges that chose my story as the winner and I hope my journey to become healthy can empower more people to follow my advice and start moving and getting healthier.

It has not been easy but here you can see part of my trasformation

And I am not done here. This is still a work in progress so keep connected and you can more changes. 
Just remember: The number on the scale does not define you. Strive for healthy not for skinny.

I will be tweeting from Miami, so follow me @monicazyoung

Thank you UnitedHealthcare

If you are a reader of my blog, you should know by now that my New Year resolution for 2013 was to get healthier, lose weight and change my lifestyle. Most people have the same resolution year after year. But for me, it was serious and needed to happen.

I have medical background and I even have a Masters in Public Health and almost all my life I have been preaching how to be healthy and make lifestyle changes. However I was far from walk my talk, and I was not living a very healthy lifestyle. 

It was towards the end of 2012 that I went for a yearly check up and my doctor told me that I was obese. Yes, not overweight, but obese. The doctor told me that I was at high risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and other serious diseases. I was on shock. I knew I had some extra pounds, come on, my clothes were not really shrinking, but I was on denial about the severity of my problem.

My son is just 8 years old and I was not ready to become ill and not be able to enjoy time with him. I was already out of shape and keeping up with him playing was getting harder. Then I made a commitment. For me, for my son, for my family. 

It was time to change things here. Change my lifestyle. I had been on diets before, but it was obvious they actually did not work. So the change had to be in all aspects of my life. And the changes were going to include my family as well, so everyone was going to benefit from the changes.

What I have done so far that has helped me to lose 35 pounds.

• Exercise: I am walking 5 miles a day. It is recommended that you take 10,000 steps a day which equals to 5 miles.
• Drinking water: I am drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. I have reduced the amount of diet sodas (I am still working on trying to stop drinking them)
• Eating more fruits and vegetables. Changing the way I eat. I am not following any diet (diets do not work, believe me), but I am watching my portions and avoiding fatty, high calorie foods.

I can tell you that after losing the pounds not only I feel better with more self esteem but I also have more energy, I enjoy being outdoors and playing with my son, I do not feel depressed and even the stress level is less. I am taking my weight loss one pound at the time. I do not want to rush it, because I do not want to gain the weight again. My goal is to still lose at least another 30 pounds and I am sure that doing the changes I am making and continue with my medical check-ups I will be able to get there in a healthy way.

I want to invite you to visit United Health Care Latino and see all the resources available to change the lifestyle. Also check the video below. Learn about good eating habits and exercise

This post has not been compensated. I am writing this to participate on a contest sponsored by UnitedHealthCare to be able to attend Hispanicize 2013.