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Happy Holidays! Tis’ the season for shopping for holiday gifts, and I thought it would be nice to share some winter gift ideas that encourage healthy lifestyles in a cold Wisconsin winter. 
Of course, one of my all time favorite winter activities is ice skating, so a good pair of ice skates is a great gift for people of all ages! It would also be fun to plan an outing to a local ice skating rink with the whole family. It is great exercise and a ton of fun.
My son Sawyer received his first pair last year from Santa, and he and I were regulars at the outdoor ice rink in Verona last winter.
Another great idea is a hockey stick and puck. Sawyer is asking for hockey gear this year. He actually wanted them last year after watching the older boys play pick-up games, but I told him he needed to learn how to skate before he could carry a stick. He’s ready now!
Snow shoes are also awesome gifts. I love going for walks in them after a huge snow like the ones we’ve had the last few winters.
A good strong shovel is another great thing to have around during winter. May not be the best gift idea, but it’s not all bad to shovel your driveway, just bend at the knees and get a little help from the kids! It’s really good exercise. And you won’t even notice the cold if you’re dressed appropriately because you’ll be working hard!
Skis and snowboards are also great gift ideas that are very fun and healthy, as are sleds, but those are probably a little bit more popular than some of the other gift ideas I suggested.
Good luck shopping! Take advantage of the opportunity to give your family gifts they’ll love that also encourage a healthy lifestyle.
PS. Suzy and I will be back to blogging in the New Year, after winter break.
Casey and I always talk about how important it is to eat right and exercise. But I want to remind everyone that relaxation is important too!
If you are always on the go because of work, school, sporting events, or any other activities, you might be so busy that you're forgetting how important it is to sleep well and take a little bit of time each day just to relax and de-stress.
Some of my favorite stress relievers—after running of course—are doing yoga or reading a good book. I even tried hot yoga for the first time! Hot yoga heats the room up like a sauna and improves the benefits. It was so nice, especially with the cold weather we've been having.
You don't have to be "good" at yoga to start. All you have to do is learn a few poses to get you started. Or you can even just do some stretches you already know. It will make your body feel better and give your mind the time it needs to refresh after a long day at work.
Happy Relaxing!
Last week was our first Movin’ and Munchin’ event of the school year. It was held at Clinton Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade students. This event was one of our smaller events, but the energy in the room was one of the largest we’ve seen!
The kids were extremely animated and a lot of fun to work with. As always, Suzy’s energy was contagious and we got the entire school excited about being active and eating healthy foods.
While I was there, I learned that every winter Clinton Elementary creates an ice skating rink outside on the front lawn of the school. Then Allison Peters, the school’s physical education teacher, plans a whole unit on ice skating after the kids come back from winter vacation. Most of the skates are donated to the school and they also have a lot of parents volunteer to help tie all the laces. That definitely would have been my favorite unit of the year! 
I thought this was an awesome example of how kids can have fun and be active all year round at the same time! And the community support is so important too.
I saw an interesting video the other day on MSN.com in the Health & Fitness section called Say 'cheese' – and risk your health. I thought this was especially interesting because living in Wisconsin—"The Cheese Head State"—we eat a lot of cheese!
So many of us forget how much saturated fat is in cheese. For example, a single piece of take-out pizza could have over 15 grams of saturated fat—which is a whole day's value of saturated fat in just one sitting. Another example is macaroni and cheese. Usually made with whole milk, full fat butter, and cheese, one serving from a restaurant could have up to twice your daily value of saturated fat and over 1,000 calories.
Although these are some scary statistics, there are some things you can do to still enjoy cheese without going overboard on calories and saturated fat. First, as I said last week, cook at home! It's a great way to know exactly what you are eating and make healthy choices. Second, buy reduced fat and natural dairy products (milk, cheese, butter) for your home instead of full fat or processed products. Lastly, if you're ordering pizza, ask for them to go easy on the cheese, ask for thin crust, and add a vegetable topping.
These few tricks will help you eat healthier while you still enjoy one of Wisconsin's favorite foods!
My advice for you this week is to EAT IN! It is extremely easy to get caught up in our busy schedules and feel that we do not have time to cook a home-cooked meal or pack a lunch, but it is so important! Often when we eat out, the foods we choose are far unhealthier than those we would buy at the grocery store or farmers market. Also, when you go to a restaurant to eat, you are more likely to eat more food because you can't plate the food yourself. They serve you a huge portion at the restaurant and you don't want to waste it, so you eat it all!
At home however, you can cook a big meal, but give yourself just enough to be satisfied and put the rest in the fridge. The nice thing about cooking big meals at home is that you might have several servings of leftovers that you can save in the refrigerator or freezer so that when you are busy and don't have time to cook; you have an easy, home-cooked option waiting for you.
Another reason why eating in is so important it that is saves you TONS of money! Think about it. If you pack yourself a sandwich or wrap for lunch instead of going out to get lunch during your work break, your lunch is only going to cost you a few dollars instead of $7 or $8 at a restaurant.
Other good things to pack in your lunch are fruit (like apples or oranges), string cheese, or yogurt. These snacks are great to munch on at the office when you get hungry instead of eating junk food like chips and candy. Not only are they more nutritious, but they will leave you more satisfied (both physically and mentally) so that you aren't as hungry later and don't regret your calorie splurge on junk food.
So, take the time to make yourself a quick breakfast in the morning (even if it's just a piece of toast and yogurt), pack a lunch, and cook at home for dinner! If you can make a habit of preparing your own meals, you will be more aware of what you are eating and are more likely to choose healthier options. Make eating out a treat only for special occasions!
As you know, I'm a huge hunter. It's bow hunting season right now and the weather has been perfect for spending time outdoors, so I've been up at the farm putzing and sitting in trees just about every weekend. This year I've recorded some great footage (I take a video camera along) and also harvested two does—the perfect amount of venison for my family for the next year! Not only do I enjoy hunting because I get to spend time outdoors, but it's also a great workout (minus the sitting and waiting part).
In light of the fact that many of you may not be hunters, I have another great idea! A friend of mine up near the farm told me about how she loves to get outside and collect nuts during the fall season. It's been so warm that I'm guessing it's been even more enjoyable for her this fall!
Nuts can be used in many different recipes and even just as coffee table snacks. They are healthy alternatives to many of the other sweet treats that are available this time of year. Personally, I was pretty impressed when she told me she had collected all the nuts herself instead of buying them from the supermarket.
I forgot to mention how delicious they are! My favorites were hickory nuts, chestnuts, and walnuts; and they are all plentiful here in Wisconsin. While it's ok to sample acorns, they aren't a personal favorite…not so tasty!
Happy Hunting!
Over the weekend, I had the chance to read part of the book, Food Rules, by Michael Pollan. I thought it had a lot of good suggestions about deciding what to eat, so I’ll share a few with you in this week’s blog. I didn’t get through the whole book yet, but here are some of my favorite rules so far:
Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
Think about it. Food that will eventually rot isn’t filled with a bunch of preservatives. Typically these kinds of foods are better for you because they are more nutritious and made from natural ingredients. There are some exceptions, though. Honey is a great natural sweetener, and it has an extremely long shelf life.
Avoid food products that contain ingredients no ordinary person would keep in their pantry.
When you look at food labels and see all kinds of strange scientific names that you can’t pronounce, let alone recognize, that is usually a sure indication that the food has been highly processed. You’ve probably never cooked with cellulose or ethoxylated diglycerides, so why eat them in something you buy from the grocery store?
Get out of the supermarket whenever you can.
You’re not going to find any highly processed foods at your local farmers market. When you buy your foods from local food markets, not only are you avoiding the highly processed and unhealthy packaged foods, but you are also supporting the local farmers and getting exercise by walking through the market. My family and I like to pack a picnic to bring to the farmers market and then after we walk around for a while, we sit on the capital lawn and eat our lunch.
Hope these suggestions help keep you Movin’ and Munchin’!
As a dad of two young kids, I can tell you from first-hand experience that Halloween is a fun time for adults and kids alike! There are costume parties, haunted houses, and activities like apple bobbing and pin the tail on the donkey. Usually, with all of the festivities there are LOTS of unhealthy food options, so I wanted to remind everyone to be conscious of what they eat this Halloween.
Holidays are a time to indulge in the tasty treats you love, but remember that everything is better in moderation.
Here are some suggested Halloween treat ideas that will help you be a little bit healthier:
Have a fun and safe Halloween!
- Avoid candies that contain hydrogenated oil, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colorings, or lengthy lists of ingredients.
- Look for candy made with nuts, nut butters, chocolate, or cane sugar. (These aren’t “good” for you, but they are better alternatives.)
- Mix in healthier treats such as fruit snacks and granola bars in your trick-or-treat candy bowl.
- Make treats such as puppy chow or caramel popcorn for at home snacking. These will still fill your craving for sweets, but they aren’t as heavy and fattening as some other options.
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure that I ran this fall. As I said in my last blog, one of my favorite things about fundraiser races is that you are exercising with tons of people and raising money for a good cause at the same time!
This August the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure held its first Central Wisconsin race in downtown Wausau. It was awesome to be there!
Roughly 75% of the money raised during this race stayed in Wisconsin to provide breast health research, diagnostics, screening, treatment services, and education for uninsured and underinsured women.
I participated in this 5K run/walk to help bring awareness to the issue of breast health and also to motivate the other runners and walkers. I was there to encourage them and just to talk with them.
I got to hear amazing stories from lots of people during the race. Some said they were participating to support a family member or friend, and others just wanted to be a part of the fight against breast cancer.
All the race participants knew, as I do, that breast cancer awareness is so important. It saves lives!
To see how you can get involved, visit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure> Web site for more information about the Race for the Cure.
This October, Suzy and I will be the keynote speakers for the Wisconsin Association of School Councils’ 2010 Fall Leadership Conference. At the conference, staff and student leaders will have the opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers discussing everything from service learning programs to building public awareness and appreciation of student organizations.
One of the reasons I enjoy participating in events like this is because I enjoy inspiring students and school employees to become even more active within their communities. If you believe in yourself and have strong goals, you will be able to accomplish things that you never thought were possible!
Many student leaders at the conference are experienced leaders—having started their own student organizations, excelling in their school work and being active community members. These student leaders prove that kids can make a difference. Parents and teachers can help by encouraging new ideas, recognizing leadership, and promoting student involvement in schools and in the community.
Whether your skills are intellectual, athletic, musical, or elsewhere, there are always ways for students to make a difference. From volunteering at a local food shelter to playing a musical instrument at a retirement home, any one of a million small things can make a big difference!
If You Believe, You Can Achieve!
Recently I ran in the Badger Childhood Cancer Network’s Suzy Run and the Henry Vilas Zoo Run Run in Madison. Both of these races are charity runs, meaning that everyone was able to get exercise while raising money for a good cause! How awesome is that?
The Suzy Run is so important to me because it works to provide information and awareness for children and adolescents with cancer. Without charitable donations and charity events, many organizations such as the Badger Childhood Cancer Network would not exist.
So I say “If you are going to exercise, why not exercise for a good cause?”
Charity races of all kinds are available throughout the state. I encourage you to sign up for at least one charity run/walk each year to keep yourself in shape and to help a good cause. Usually, registration is between $15-30, and who knows, maybe your money will help save lives!
The leaves are changing and the temperature is dropping, but I'd like to remind everyone how much fun there is to be had outside even as the weather cools.
Last Friday, I went to an apple orchard with my son Sawyer's daycare class on a field trip. The kids had a blast walking through the orchard, getting exercise and eating healthy, delicious apples. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty great too!
Although you might need a sweatshirt, or even a light jacket, the weather is still great for lots of different outside activities. Saturday, our family did a charitable walk (there are tons this time of year) for the Great Lakes Hemophiliac Foundation on the Milwaukee Mile and then attended the Harvest Fair at the State Fairgrounds.
This weekend is also going to be jam-packed with outdoor activities for the family. We're headed to a pumpkin patch party 30 miles west of Madison. Fall festivals are always filled with fun activities for the kids too; so they help keep us outside while the weather is still nice.
I will also be trudging through the muck to duck hunt this weekend. I will be covered from head to toe! Doesn't that sound fun!?
The moral of the story is: it's one of the best times of the year to be outside! So instead of thinking it's cold outside, put on long sleeves and appreciate this 50–60 degree weather while it lasts!
I just read a study* from July that said obesity rates in the U.S. have gone up 37% in the last ten years—37%! On top of that, it reported that obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the U.S. or an estimated $147 billion a year. It also said obese people spend 40% more—or $1,429 more per year—in healthcare costs than people of normal weight. Clearly, obesity is taking a far greater toll on our country than just on health alone!
In response to the report, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined 24 new recommendations on how communities can combat obesity in their neighborhoods and schools by encouraging healthier eating and more exercise. These recommendations are right up the Movin' and Munchin' alley! Take a look on the CDC Web site: Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States.
While some of these 24 strategies by the CDC are monumental in scope, Movin' and Munchin' Schools is an easy-to-implement program that conditions students and staff alike, to turn the trend around and begin fighting the obesity epidemic one Movin' and Munchin' mile at a time!
If your school has already been a part of Movin' and Munchin', you're making a difference! Be sure to sign up again this year. The earlier you get started in your schools, the more impact you can make! And if your school hasn't done Movin' and Munchin' before, make this year your first! It really will take a community approach to create the change the nation needs!
Looking forward to learning about all of your programs this year!
P.S. Read the whole article Obesity costs U.S. health system $147 billion: study* on reuters.com.
With the new school year starting, fall sports are kicking off as well—
football, cross country, volleyball, golf, and tennis just to name a few. We are fortunate in Wisconsin to have so many options for kids. Sports are a great way to get exercise, learn strategy, and build relationship and leadership skills that will last long after your school years.
But one of the things that doesn't get enough attention is how to train. Being smart with your training is a key element to success. So what does "being smart" mean? It means how you train both on and off of the field.
Here are a few key ways to "train smart."
- Eating the right foods. It's simple. What you put in is what you get out. Eating junk food and then going to practice is a formula for mediocrity. Healthy foods will give you the energy you need, and often will give you the edge.
- Getting a great night's sleep. Again, simple enough, right? But often things get in the way of getting the sleep you need. Performing when rested vs. tired (be-it in the classroom or on the field) is a night and day difference. Make it a priority.
- Staying focused. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. The first two items will make this one much easier
I have often said that I was not the biggest, strongest or quickest speed skater. But I maximized my potential. I paid attention to what I ate, always gave my body the rest it needed, and paid attention to my lifestyle. This allowed me to perform at my highest level.
I am confident that by doing these three things each day, you will be the best that you can be! Good luck, and have fun!
With Labor Day behind us, my family and I are already settling into a fall schedule. We’re all moved into our new home; my daughter, Kylie, started kindergarten this week; I’m back to blogging and I’m really looking forward to a new Movin’ and Munchin’ season with you all. To start the school year off on the right foot, I have five healthy tips to share:
- Get your flu shot—most people aren’t thinking about flu season yet. But, with busy fall schedules, be sure to schedule time to get your flu shots to stay healthy for the school year. The Trust even brings flu shot clinics right to many of your school districts!
- Go for a walk—as it cools down outside, it seems like it gets harder and harder to get out from under the warm covers. But there is nothing better than early morning walks in the fall—make it a routine and you’ll be able to appreciate the changing colors on the leaves.
- Be prepared for allergy season—don’t forget to visit your doctor if you have seasonal allergies. They may need to refill your prescription, so it’s better to take care of refills and doctors appointments before your symptoms kick in.
- Eat your vegetables—indulge in all the yummy root vegetables that are in season during the fall. Experiment with new vegetables and you might find something you really enjoy:
Potatoes of all kinds Carrots Turnips Rutabagas Celery root Beets Yams Leeks - Take advantage of the fall weather for outdoor fun—all summer we complain about the heat and now that the temperatures are cooling down, we fear the cold! But I say, “Let’s get outside and enjoy fall!” It’s a great season for outdoor activities of all sorts: biking, hiking, running, walking, picnicking, jumping in leave piles, camping, etc.
So, take the kids and go enjoy the colors of fall, which will be here any day!
My son, Sawyer, had his first day of preschool last week and my wife, Jenn, is back in full swing in her Middleton classroom. With all signs pointing to summer’s end, my anticipation is growing for two main reasons—first, the launch of the 2010-2011 Movin’ and Munchin’ program and second, of course, hunting season!
While we weren’t tallying Movin’ and Munchin’ points over the summer months, I hope that you all still kept active and ate healthy. Between chasing the kiddos around by bike, water, and foot, and working on the yard and the farm, I kept myself movin’. I have certainly been enjoying another perk of living in Wisconsin; fresh fruit and veggies from farmers’ stands, and fresh caught fish.
In the next several weeks, DPI and the Trust will be mailing out the new Movin’ and Munchin’ folders. So keep an eye out for them, and start thinking about how your school will participate this year. Also, please encourage your neighboring schools to enroll if they haven’t before. I’m confident this will be yet another record-breaking year for the program!
Suzy and I have also set up an e-mail account for you to get in touch with us regarding any comments on our blog posts. We’d love suggestions too! Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to hear about? Shoot us a note at runandskateWI@gmail.com.
Welcome back, and we’ll see you soon!
A giant “Congratulations” is in store to all of you who signed up for the Movin' and Munchin' Schools program this year! Also, don’t’ forget that your Program Summary is due to DPI by next Tuesday, June 15th. A lot of you haven’t turned it in yet, and we want to be sure that your school is eligible for the grant award from DPI and matching award from the WEA Trust.
Casey and I had the honor of visiting many of you in your schools this year and we know how hard you've worked (or played!) to stay fit and eat well. You’ve all been so supportive and encouraging of your coworkers’ and students’ healthy success too. I am so proud of you all! I’m excited too to hear what great wellness investments your schools make with the Movin’ and Munchin’ money you receive! You’ll all have to share when I see you next school year.
If you have any questions or need some guidance on filling out the one-page form, contact Jon Hisgen at DPI. You can email him at jon.hisgen@dpi.wi.gov. The program summary form is available electronically or pdf format, and can be downloaded at movinandmunchin.com.
Keep up the great work and make sure to send DPI your projects by June 15!
It’s a great time of year to get out and enjoy Wisconsin. Suzy and I, along with the Movin’ and Munchin’ event team, spent three days last week in northern Wisconsin visiting schools in Boyceville, Glenwood City, and Osceola. We loved meeting so many of you students and school employees, and we also really enjoyed exploring the local areas in our down time.
This trip north reminded me of how beautiful our state is, and especially how nice it is during this time of year. The weather is perfect. Things are green and blooming, and the bugs aren’t even out yet!
With the days getting longer too, there is more time to do outdoor activities like hiking, walking, jogging, biking, canoeing, or just rough housing in the yard after dinner. Let’s not forget that it’s also the time of year to catch a bucket full of fish and pick asparagus or mushrooms—all healthy things to munch on!
While the school year is winding down and you may not see all of the Movin’ and Munchin’ reminders as frequently, this time of year sure does make it easier to stick to your healthy goals. Try not to lose track!
On Friday, May 7, as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration, the Trust held a charity walk for its employees and other business partners. Casey and I had the pleasure of joining in their efforts for the day! The walk was supposed to take place on their walking path outside, but due to the rain, they offered an indoor, dry route as well. Each walker then made a donation toward the Madison Children's Museum, resulting in a $5,000 gift toward the museum's capital campaign.
The event was so inspiring to me. Not even the rain could dampen the spirit of the Trust's generous employees! Everyone was so excited to be exercising, working together and supporting one another, and being philanthropic in their efforts.
The Trust is a leader in promoting innovative health and wellness programs for you all Wisconsin public school employees, students, and families. Casey and I strongly believe in that cause and are honored to be in partnership with them. The 40th anniversary event at their office just showed me once again how they really do do things differently at the Trust and it was so cool to be a part of it!
Here are some fun photos from the event too.
Did you know that tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water? I personally love tea! It has SO many great health benefits.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of antioxidant polyphenols. Some studies have suggested that tea's polyphenols may reduce the risk of gastric, esophageal and skin cancers, if you consume 4 to 6 cups a day. Another study showed that just 2 cups of tea can lower the risk of ovarian cancer by 46 percent in women. Even more studies have found that polyphenols help prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels. One Japanese study found too that green tea lowers death rates from heart disease.
Black, green, white and oolong teas all contain polyphenols. In fact, tea ranks as high as or higher than many fruits and vegetables in a score that measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods. Herbal teas don’t have polyphenols, but drinking tea of any kind still promotes good health such as relaxation and calming effects!
If you’re a soda drinker, I challenge you to replace it with tea! You will feel SO much better
In the past, I’ve talked about thinking outside the box for workouts—like mowing your lawn with a push mower. Just a few weeks ago, I also talked about the importance of tuning up your exercise equipment in preparation for the upcoming season—and specifically mentioned lawn care equipment too.
Yeah, well—I failed to adhere to my own advice because as I tuned up all of our bikes and my inline skates, I skipped over the dog gone mower. I rolled it out last week for the first time and didn’t have the greatest experience. After a few passes back and forth, half of the lawn was nicely cut grass and the other half was dust and dirt!
I stopped to look at what was going on and learned that one of the wheels was locked in the lowest position. I adjusted it up, but it just fell back down again. Subsequently, I ended up mowing my lawn pushing with one hand and lifting with the other so only the front two weels were on the groung—not a real common sense approach when using a push mower (but a pretty funny picture if you can visualize it!).
While I felt like a fool for having not checked out the lawn mower prior to when I actually needed to use it, the whole mishap made for a GREAT total body workout!
Does running sound scary to you? Do you have a hard time running down the block and back? If so, you’re not alone!
If you have never run before, it can be a really scary and intimidating activity. But it is an activity that—with patience, and persistence—just about anyone can learn.
I’ve put a lot of thought into this and came up with a one-mile run schedule. If you have never ran before in your life (or it’s been a really long time), in eight weeks, I promise, you could run a one-mile race and feel great! I challenge you to give it a try. 
You can do it,
Download Suzy's One Mile Run Plan (33kb)
The sun is shining more and more these days, and I cannot encourage you enough to take a break in your day to just get up, move a little, and grab a moment of fresh air. Who doesn’t feel better after walking outside to eat their lunch on a bench and soak up the sun (and some much needed vitamin D)?
Even if there is still too much chill in the air for you or you can’t get out of the building, remember the “up” and “move around” part. The health benefit to just getting up and moving to get the circulation going is incredible! As I’m sure you all know, the more energy you expend in a day, the more calories you’ll burn. Also, the more active you are, your metabolism rises and you’re able to burn more calories than normal while doing inactive things. I know a brief walk or a few simple stretches is not exactly a workout, but it gets the blood flowing and awakens your muscles. It also refreshes your mind!
Give it a try. And even better, grab a colleague to join you!
With spring often comes the urge to do some spring-cleaning. Devoting a day to giving your home a facelift is not only great for your home, and a relief mentally, it can be a great workout as well. I know I feel exhausted after a full day of cleaning, organizing, and rearranging, but I was curious to see just how much all that scrubbing measures up to regular exercise. You’ll love what I found! Here are the amount of calories burned for common household tasks (based on a 30-minute period):
Whether you’re devoting a day or weekend to spring-cleaning or are just catching up on the usual home and garden chores, these numbers should help keep you motivated and feeling even better about your accomplishments!
If you want to burn a few more calories, run up and down the stairs each time you go and stop and do a push up in your living room each time you go by it! I also recommend a rainy day like today for your spring tidying so you don’t miss any of the much-needed sunshine!
We just took a load of winter toys up to the farm to store and pulled out all of the summer ones to bring back to Madison. (We have a small two car garage so often use the farm for overflow storage space.) It may seem a little premature for the summer toys, but I highly recommend dusting them off now to make sure they are safe and sound before the warm weather comes to stay.
If your family's bikes, in particular, have been in storage all winter, they’ll be ready for a tune up. You’ll want to clean, inspect, repair, tighten, and lubricate each one. Also, take some time to do any little repairs of things that started being a problem last year, and do preventative maintenance so you don’t have unexpected problems come up this year.
If you’re more comfortable having an expert give your bikes a once over, your local bike shop will usually do it for little to no charge. Some communities offer bicycle tune up info sessions too. To find one of those, check with the parks and rec departments, community colleges, or bicycling clubs in your area.
Also make sure all of your family’s safety gear (helmets, knee pads, etc.) still fit properly. If they are outgrown or looking too flimsy to last another season, be sure to pick up new ones before hitting the pavement or trails.
Don’t forget to think lawn care too! You might want to give the lawnmower, weed whacker, etc. a once over before your lawn is in need of its first trim. (Mowing happens to be one of my most frequent spring, summer, and fall exercise activities!).
Be prepared this spring and summer,
In my last blog I talked about Red foods. This week I’ll talk about the most common color group: Green. Green fruits and vegetables are colored by a natural plant pigment called chlorophyll.
Some members of the green group, including spinach and other dark leafy greens, green peppers, peas, cucumber, and celery contain lutein. Lutein works with another chemical, zeaxanthin, (found in corn, red peppers, oranges, grapes, and egg yolks) to help keep eyes healthy. Together these chemicals may help reduce risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness.
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other vegetables in the cruciferous (cabbage) family may help to lower your risk of getting cancer. A review of research published in the October 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 70% or more of the studies found a link between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer.
Leafy greens, such as spinach and broccoli are excellent sources of folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce risk of birth defects.
Examples of the green group include:
| Green apple | Artichoke | Asparagus |
| Avocado | Green beans | Broccoli |
| Brussel sprouts | Green cabbage | Cucumber |
| Green grapes | Honeydew melon |
Kiwi |
| Lettuce | Zucchini |
Green onion |
| Peas | Green pepper |
Spinach |
Soon enough we will be able to get these fruits and vegetables straight from our local gardens and markets too!
Normally we tell everyone to get up and get moving, and Suzy and I are go-go-go types of people who can never sit still. The last few weeks however, have been an eye opener for me as I had arthroscopic knee surgery on the 27th. I’ve had to have a healthy dose of patience and that was not easy for me. Especially in the first few days after my surgery, I pushed it a little too much and my recovery was likely delayed as a result.
Injuries are a part of life, and unfortunately they happen, probably more so to those who live exceptionally active lifestyles. While the goal is to ultimately avoid injuries all together, the important thing to remember, which I’m trying to teach myself as well, is to listen to your body and listen to your doctors. If you need a break to heal, allow yourself that time. You’ll be thankful and (more active) in the long run!
Since its nutrition month, let’s talk about nutrition! Sometimes it’s helpful to remember which foods are great for us and why, if we group them into simple categories, like color.
Red fruits and vegetables, for example, are colored by natural plant pigments called lycopene or anthocyanins.
• Lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, may help reduce risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer.
• Lycopene in foods containing cooked tomatoes (e.g., spaghetti sauce, and a small amount of oil is absorbed better than lycopene from raw tomatoes).
• Anthocyanins in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and other fruits and vegetables act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. Antioxidants are linked with keeping our hearts healthy, too.
Examples of fruits and veggies in the red group include:
| red apples | cranberries |
pink grapefruit |
beets |
red cabbage |
cherries |
red grapes |
red peppers |
pomegranates |
red potatoes |
radishes |
raspberries |
rhubarb |
strawberries |
tomatoes |
watermelon |
|
|
I’ll talk about another color group of foods next blog!
Fitz's Olympic observations
- Favorite Event:
- What else?! Long track speed skating, particularly the sprints, which (in my opinion) are more fun to watch and compete in. From an admittedly biased perspective, I believe speed skating is the truest sport in the Olympics, meaning the clock does not lie, the best man (or woman) on that day wins. While that can be said for some of the other sports such as bob sled, skiing, etc, I honestly believe no other winter athletes train as hard as speed skaters do!
- Favorite Athlete:
- Long track speed skater Trevor Marsicano because of his story and the kind of person he is.
- Favorite Moment:
- My sentimental favorite moment from these games is when Canadian figure skater, Joannie Rochette, who lost her Mom unexpectedly just two days before the games, finished with her personal best score. I thought that took incredible courage and demonstrated true talent and commitment to the sport.
- Most Heartbreaking Moment:
- Dutch long distance speed skating sensation Sven Kramer when he was disqualified for not changing lanes almost 2/3 of the way through his 10,000 meter race. He had actually shifted to the outside lane skating down the backstretch, but his coach signaled him to get back to the inside track quickly before going into the turn. He obliged, jumping over the cone, and went on to win the race by four seconds, but was disqualified and devastated as a result!
- Two notes on this:
- Skating an extra inside turn probably saved him about 6/10 of a second so even if he had stayed in the outside lane, it would have been a dominating performance. While I’ve never seen a coach falsely tell a skater to change lanes, I can see how it happened.
Each lap the coach looks up at the scoreboard to get the split time and then puts that number on a smaller score board that they hold up for the skater as they skate down the backstretch. By the time his coach, Gerard Kempkers, had the split number on the board, Sven had already started coming down the backstretch. He came out of his turn really wide and was already in the outside lane. As a result, his coach assumed that Sven had just finished an outside turn and needed to go inside.
So I can see how it could happen, and I have a lot of respect for Kempkers as he coached the American distance skaters while I was sprinting. He has been around a long time and is very good. Nonetheless, it was horribly unfortunate and devastating for both the skater and the coach as they now have four years, if not a lifetime, to revisit that moment.
- Close Call:
- While many sports are decided by 1/100s of a second, the US Women’s curling team was centimeters from writing an entirely different story at the 2010 Winter Games.
In conjunction with my last blog on nutrition label confusion, I thought I’d talk about portion control, which can be equally as confusing! To manage your weight sometimes you don't even need to change what you eat at all; you just have to get how MUCH you eat under control!
Here are some great tips to help get a grasp on portion control:
| 1. | Compare to common items. A good serving size for protein is about the size of a pack of playing cards. A serving of pasta, rice, or potatoes is about the size of a fist. Eat as many vegetables or as much salad as you like! |
| 2. | Don’t eat it all! It's much easier if you can serve yourself the right amount in the first place, but if you have been served too much, mentally divide your plate into what you will and won't eat before you start. If you’re at a restaurant, box the leftovers up before you start eating. |
| 3. | Higher calories means smaller portions. For higher calorie foods you love, serve enough to get the flavor without piling on the calories. For example, use one tablespoon of mayonnaise instead of soaking a whole sandwich in it, or one scoop of delicious chocolate ice-cream, not a whole bowl full with caramel, fudge, and whipped cream. Allow yourself three bites of any dessert only IF YOU REALLY WANT IT. I always love to share desserts with my friends too, which controls the portion size! |
| 4. | Don’t skip the protein. It helps keep blood sugar balanced and keeps you satisfied for longer. Instead of eating just fruit for a snack add a little low-fat cheese, hard-boiled egg or yogurt. Even though you’re adding calories, you will avoid getting hungry so quickly. |
| 5. | Measure it. Weighing and measuring everything you eat is a bore and can seem obsessive, but if you are not sure how much you are consuming it can really help until you get used to maintaining portion control. If you measure out one serving size of cereal, for example, you will be amazed at how little you find in your bowl. It becomes easy to see how calories mount up during the course of the day! |
For more information on portion control, and especially for weight loss, I’d highly recommend viewing this great slide show at the the Mayo Clinic Web site.
Be careful, and you can do it!
It really is as easy as 1-2-3! Results of a study released last week showed that children who (1) eat dinner regularly with their family, (2) limit TV time to less than two hours per day, and (3) get at least 10.5 hours of sleep each night can reduce their risk of obesity by 40% compared with children who don't follow these routines (not to mention they’re a lot more fun to be around!). In this national study, researchers analyzed data on 8,550 children from birth to 4-year-olds, making this some incredibly strong evidence!
While each routine on its own is a great habit to instill in our youth, the study found that children who practiced two of these healthy lifestyle behaviors were slimmer than those who adopted only one behavior, while kids who implemented three of the healthy habits were by far the least likely to be overweight. Obviously, adopting these routines can be a powerful way for families to encourage healthy weight in their children. And what I absolutely love is that they are so easy for most families to adopt! Several of them are even worth Movin’ and Munchin’ miles .
For more information on the study, visit: TIME, It’s a great one to share and even send home with Moms and Dads.
Do you know how to read a food label? I certainly didn’t always know how to, and I run into a lot of people that are confused by them too. Even if you know the basics, there are a few common mistakes to watch out for. Here are 4 particularly tricky things to look out for:
| • | A REALLY common mistake people make is to assume that a small item contains one serving just because the package is small! If you eat a bag of trail mix from a vending machine, for example, it might contain 2.5 servings. So you have to multiply the numbers by 2.5 to figure out how many calories and the amount of sodium and other nutrients you are actually eating. Sports drinks and juices are also prone to using this trick. Just because it’s one bottle, don’t assume the ingredients will be reported as only one serving! |
| • | Just because a label says that a food is “reduced fat” or “reduced sodium,” does not mean that the food is necessarily LOW in fat or sodium. It only means that the amount of fat or sodium has been reduced by 25% from the original product so be sure to still check the line details! |
| • | Be careful not to confuse the “% DV for fat” with the “percentage of calories from fat.” If the % DV is 15% that doesn't mean that 15% of the calories comes from fat. It means that you're using up 15% of all the fat you need for a day with one serving. |
| • | The amount of sugar on a label does not always mean that the sugar has been added. Milk, a perfect example, naturally has sugar (called lactose). But that doesn't mean you should stop drinking milk because it is overflowing with so many other important nutrients that your body needs! But if you scan the list of ingredients and see “high-fructose corn syrup” or “sugar” close to the top of the list, it probably means refined sugar has been added to the product and it may not be a healthy option. |
Once you’ve mastered the art of reading food labels, try to teach it to children as well. We don’t want to become obsessive, but it is good to spread the knowledge!
Just over a week to the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver! I’m looking forward to catching as much of the action as I can, especially the speedskating of course.
Speedskating has traditionally been THE most successful Winter Olympic sport and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon (which is amazing given the small number of skaters we have here in America). In Vancouver, once again, we will have at least a handful of skating team members that have a very legitimate shot at coming home with medals!
As a competitor, you try to put yourself in a position to win at The Games, and then do what you can to be “on” on the day that it counts. There are almost always a number of athletes that could win on any given day because the difference at that level is minute (I won by three hundredths of a second after skating a total of 1000 meters). There is no such thing as a guarantee. Our skating team has a bunch of athletes that COULD medal, so we’re more than likely going to see some of them succeed. From a viewer’s perspective, it’s a game of odds.
And make sure that you don’t make any pre-judgments about the athletes based on size alone. Many people think that speedskating is all about pushing hard and having big legs—not true! It’s all about leverage and using your body weight and getting your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders in line at the right time to create pressure and torque. That’s the only reason a guy like me could compete with guys that had legs twice the size, and were quite frankly bigger and quicker and stronger than I ever could be. It’s a great equalizer of a sport!
Even though I’m staying put here in Wisconsin during The Games, I still feel a great connection to the activities and many of the athletes. I’ll be making the rounds talking with area businesses and schools and doing some TV appearances too. Great perks. I truly enjoy this aspect of my life now! It’s a lot of fun… and a lot less pressure!
Go USA!
I was having a conversation with friends recently about “bucket lists” and I thought that it was a great topic to discuss in my blog here. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the movie or not, we should all have our own personal bucket or life list!
If you don’t already have one, set some time aside to create one for yourself and vouch to not put off your dreams for "someday." The easiest way to get started is to ask yourself: “If I had one year left to live, what would I be sure to do?” And then don’t wait until you have one year left to live—get started crossing things off the list now!
If you’re interested, a few things on my list:
| • | Climb a mountain |
| • | Start a running club for women (checked that one off last year!) |
| • | Learn how to ride a horse, jumps and all (which I am so excited to say that I will be doing later this year for a charity event!) |
| • | Become a mom (one I so fortunately can check off) |
It's never too early or too late to start writing and then living out your list! Your items can be serious or silly, easy or hard, large or small. It's whatever you dream about! I’ve discovered that most accomplishments on people's lists are more personal.
On the website 43Things.com—where 1.2 million people have posted their personal lists in the past three years—according to The New York Times, the top goal is losing weight. If that makes your list, there has never been a better time than now to check it off!
Start writing! Talk soon,
The New Year has taken off in a hurry and we should all be well on our way to upholding our New Year’s resolutions—right? Starting to make good in January is one thing, but believe me, I know that maintaining it is another matter entirely.
An article I read stated that up to 45% of Americans make a New Year's resolution. Of those, 45% are still going on their resolutions after 6 months. In other words, only about 1 in 5 of us find it within our power to keep our resolution. Personally, I think that the main reasons for failure, particular with fitness and weight loss goals (which let’s be honest, are what most of us hone in on!), is that we set too large and often too vague goals.
If you’ve committed to losing weight, for example, you’re much more likely to stick with it if you follow a strict workout plan. Instead of simply thinking to yourself that you want to workout 4 or 5 days per week, take the time and come up with a solid 12 or even 24-week workout plan. Write down what days you are going to exercise, for how long, and what activities you are going to do each day. If this seems too strong of a commitment for you right off the bat, start by scheduling a 30-45 minute time slot into each day just to walk. The health benefits of doing that are astronomical! Resolutions need to be small enough to handle, yet detailed enough to abide by.
I suggest that, while it’s still January, you take a look at your resolutions and make sure you know how you’re going to stick with them for the year, and hopefully even a lifetime!
I fully intend on making 2010 the best year yet!! And what an awesome first week it was!
On Friday, Casey and I and the Trust crew had a busy, but GREAT day. We started in Lodi at the elementary school with a bike drive in partnership with DreamBikes. We thought if we received even 5 or 10 donated bikes for nonprofit DreamBikes and their employees from the Boys and Girls Club to fix up and sell, it would have been well worth our efforts. But the students and community of Lodi wowed us!! By 8 a.m., they had donated 68 bikes! The students and parents just kept pouring in! It was amazing!
After the bike drive, we went inside and warmed up with a Movin’ and Munchin’ event for Lodi’s elementary school students. They were so much fun and had so much energy!
From there, we caravanned to Wisconsin Dells for another Movin’ and Munchin’ event! Wisconsin Dells has been a leader among Movin’ and Munchin’ Schools for several years now, so we were thrilled to be able to really honor them!
The generosity and enthusiasm of people, especially children, never fails to amaze me! It is so energizing! Let’s all keep the energy and enthusiasm going—And thanks again to Lodi and Wisconsin Dells for having us!
Over the holidays, I came across an old pair of snowshoes we've had around for quite some time. I dusted them off and took them out to the farm, and I was able to hike all over the place! I trekked up to several of my deer cameras and was able to get through areas of deep snow that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to. I had so much fun that I went back and put Sawyer (now almost 3) in our Baby Bjorn and snowshoed him around for an hour. He is a natural outdoorsman already, so of course, 
loved it as well. It's always great to have male bonding time too!
What I particularly like about snowshoeing, and why I mention it here, is that it offers a wide range of options for exercise intensity. You can poke along on flat terrain over packed snow at a slow pace, just like a leisurely walk. Or you can really challenge yourself and tread through deep snow and up and down hills at a strenuous pace—more like a great Stair-Master session! Each intensity range offers fantastic cardiovascular benefits, as I could tell from my few jaunts around the farm.
I also found some data on just how great snowshoeing can be for you from exercise physiologists at UW-La Crosse. A study was conducted of the effects of snowshoeing on men and women who were breaking trail over flat and varied terrain at an average speed of about 3 MPH. They found that this exercise compared very favorably to running at 6 MPH, cross country skiing at 5-8 MPH, cycling at 14-16 MPH, or swimming at 75 yards per minute. So in short, snowshoeing proves to be a great workout!
Whether it be snowshoeing or another activity, I suggest trying something new this year (or something you haven't done in awhile) and bring a family member or friend with you too. Remember that there are SO many ways to get in a workout, and many of them don't require a gym membership!
Keep on Movin'!
