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Summer Send Off!
The Movin’ and Munchin’ program will soon come to close for this year, so Casey and I wanted to write a summer send off.
Here is a short synopsis of all of the great things that happened in the Movin’ and Munchin’ program this year.
- We broke our Movin’ and Munchin’ enrollment record again this year—Over 230 schools enrolled!
- We met some very inspiring students in Monroe, Mukwonago, New Lisbon, South Wayne, and Waupun, who are excited about health and fitness! You guys really set a great example for other students in Wisconsin.
- We talked with high school students in Mukwonago that are helping pass down knowledge about health and fitness to younger students.
- We met many public school employees, including teachers, school staff, physical education teachers, principals and many more who work extremely hard every day to ensure that their students are given the resources necessary to stay healthy and learn in a healthy environment.
- Last but not least, you all worked very hard to stay fit, exercise regularly, and eat healthy.WAY TO GO WISCONSIN!
Program Summary Forms are due byJune 15! Don’t forget to send them in!
Have a great summer! See you next fall for another exciting year of Movin’ and Munchin’ events.
I say this all the time, but goals truly are the key to success. Goals can be the key factor that differentiates success from failure in staying healthy. Even the smallest goals are worthwhile as long as they are attainable and make you feel good.
Set 2-3 small goals at a time and let them become habits. Once you no longer have to think about them anymore, you can set new ones!
Here are a few examples of goals that might be too broad to attain:
- Tomorrow I am going to start eating healthy foods.
- Next week I am going to start exercising.
- Currently I don’t exercise very often, but starting tomorrow I am going to exercise every day.
The goals above are great, but they probably won’t last because they are too big. Try starting with smaller things that are more attainable. For example:
- I am going to start eating fruits and vegetables for snacks instead of chips and sweets.
- I am going to go for a walk every Tuesday and Thursday night with my neighbor.
- I am going to walk the dog in the mornings for 10 or 15 minutes before I leave for work.
The goals above are a good starting point. They aren’t too big or too small. You will be able to accomplish these small goals and make better choices right away.
Good luck setting goals for the summer!
This week Casey and I were in Mukwonago with the Movin’ and Munchin’ team. We held an event at the Clarendon Avenue Elementary School, and then afterwards Casey and I helped kick off the districts’ Track and Field Day for grades four through six. We had an absolute blast!
We could feel the excitement at Clarendon from the second we walked into the school! This is their ninth year participating in the Movin’ and Munchin’ program and it shows! Movin’ and Munchin’ and a dedication to health and fitness have really become part of their culture and spread to the whole community.
Mrs. Portz, the Clarendon gym teacher, deserves so much credit for taking charge of the program and helping the students and staff set awesome school-wide Movin’ and Munchin’ miles goals year after year. This year they are traveling around the United States using only national scenic trails. Mrs. Portz’s energy is so inspiring to me. Especially, how it so clearly radiates to her students, colleagues, and EVERYONE around her!
Clarendon also has exceptional parent and family involvement in the Movin’ and Munchin’ program. Families working together to stay healthy is so important and they really get that!
Mukwonago’s community involvement in health and fitness was evident too at the Track and Field Day event. Hundreds of community members, staff, and parents gathered to watch the track and field activities.
Casey and I spoke with the high school team before they kicked off the event for the younger grades. We were very impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication that the high school students showed in teaching their younger peers about everything from long jumping to shot put.
We had a terrific day in Mukwonago! We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Movin’ and Munchin’ event and the Track and Field Day for their enthusiasm—don't ever lose that! It was awesome to spend the day with all of you.
Keep up the good work!
A little over a month ago, I received a phone call telling me that I was being inducted into the United States Speed Skating Hall of Fame. The call came as somewhat of a shock, but I was very excited and humbled.
A few weeks later, I was honored at the U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Fame Dinner with three others, including two people elected as “Contributors” to the sport of speed skating, both from Wisconsin: Elayne Riley from Sun Prairie, and the late Bob Doucette from Milwaukee.
Elayne’s son Tom was a skater here in the Madison Speed Skating Club. I got to chase him around the oval for years, and later he became a coach of mine! Speed skating is a small sport here in America, so it wasn’t a surprise when one of the other inductees played a pretty direct role in my development on the ice. Oh yeah…and, ironically, Elayne was a long time employee for The WEA Trust, my partner in Movin’ and Munchin’, and the reason I’m writing this blog! Small world.
I’m very thankful to all of my family for believing in me since I was young. It is a great honor to be able to stand among so many incredible athletes and contributors already inducted into the U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Fame.
If you believe, you can achieve!
Hello Wisconsin!
I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day! Mine was great. My husband and my daughter mean the world to me, so spending a day together—just the three of us—was wonderful!
I noticed something recently that I wanted to share with you all. I was looking for a fun new recipe to try so I searched online for “healthy spring recipes.” On CBSnews.com I found some recipes that looked really great! There were three different recipes listed: one for chicken, one for a vegetable casserole, and one potato recipe.
When I was looking through the recipes, I noticed something alarming. Two of the recipes call for over ½ a pound of butter!!! I can't believe that these recipes that are supposed to be “simple, light, healthy spring recipes” are actually filled with tons of fat!
I wanted to share this with everyone because there is often a misconception that if a label or a recipe says a food is healthy, then it must actually be healthy. Unfortunately, that is often not the case. I encourage you to make sure that the recipes you are using actually have healthy ingredients (lean meats, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruit, etc.)
If a recipe does call for butter you can sometimes exchange it for applesauce or yogurt. Exchanging butter for one of these ingredients will maintain the favor and texture of the food without adding lots of excess fat. Substitutions of butter to other ingredients are available online.
For those of you looking for a healthy spring recipe, try this vegetable casserole instead!
Sawyer and I have been keeping ourselves busy outside despite the windy weather. He loves to ride his scooter in the driveway and around the neighborhood—and as you guys know, I can't sit still. I have been busy getting the yard and farm ready for summer.
It can be hard to get yourself motivated and into an exercise routine when the weather is constantly changing and seeming to never ACTUALLY get warm, but just remember to set goals.
Set easy and attainable exercise and healthy eating goals! Once those become a part of your daily routine then continue to up the ante.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago when I talked about my injury, being healthy is about listening to your body and taking things slow. You don't have to run a marathon the first time you work out, and you don't have to eliminate every unhealthy food from your diet. Take it slow! That way the changes will become habit and you'll never have to start a new diet or exercise plan again—they will already be a part of your daily schedule.
It’s hard to prepare three healthy meals a day. Especially when you don’t even have time to think about what to cook or what you are in the mood for.
One way to help make meal-time less stressful is to write up a meal plan for a week or two at a time. Sit down with the family and talk about what everyone wants to cook.
When you make your meal plan, talk to your children about healthy food options. You can even look up new, fun recipes you would like to try! This also gives you more time to spend as a family—both planning and preparing meals.
Having a plan in mind will make grocery shopping easier, help you prepare healthy meals, and make it easier to decide what to cook for dinner each night.
Have fun cooking!
Last week I went for a short run for the first time in over a year. That may sound surprising coming from a former Olympic athlete, but you might remember back in July of 2009 I tore my meniscus and subsequently had surgery on it in February of 2010.
Last summer I still could not jog—and even bike rides caused pain afterward. But I am a ridiculously active person (I can’t sit down for long), so sitting around the house or in the lawn chair was not an option.
I found other ways to keep myself busy and active without aggravating my knee. I did lots of chores, cut wood up at the farm, planted trees, mowed two lawns, and played with my kiddos. All of those activities kept me active, if not exercising!
Finally, last week my knee was feeling pretty good and I decided to test it just a little. I didn’t want to push myself too much because the last thing I wanted was to re-injure myself, but I really wanted to try jogging again. I started out with just a 5 minute jog one day, and then moved up to 10 a few days later. While marathons are not even a figment of my imagination, I’d like to be able to work up to running 20–30 minutes a few times a week.
I share this story to remind everyone that injuries happen and you have to take them seriously. Preventing injuries is just as important as exercise and eating healthy foods! But even if you are injured, don’t let it slow you down all together. There’s a lot to be said for simply getting your heart rate up, getting your blood flowing, and moving!
Casey and I are just getting settled back in after a busy couple of weeks on the road with the Movin’ and Munchin’' team. We had a terrific time, met some great students and staff, and saw some really great program ideas. The deadline to hand in program summaries is coming up quickly—it's only about 8 weeks away!
So here is a little To Do list to see if you are ready to hand in your Movin’ and Munchin’ programs:
- Has your school exercised a lot?
- Has your school eaten lots of healthy foods?
- Did you reach your personal Movin’ and Munchin’ Miles goal?
- Did your school reach its Movin’ and Munchin’ Miles goal?
If you answered “yes” to all of these questions then you are ready to submit your programs! We can't wait to see all of the good ideas you came up with!
If you didn't answer “yes” to all of the questions then you have just a little bit more work (or play!) to do. But don't worry it will be fun! Here are just a few ideas ways students and staff can earn Movin’ and Munchin’ Miles:
- Play a sport
- Play at a park
- Ride a bike
Go for a walk- Jump rope, Hula-Hoop, or play hopscotch
- Eat fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods like yogurt
- Drink milk and water instead of soda
Good luck Movin’ and Munchin’ everyone!
PS. If you have and great program ideas, photos of your events, or other success stories that you would like to share, please send them to us at events@movinandmunchin.com or post them on the Movin’ and Munchin’ Facebook page.
Over the past couple of weeks we have been all over the state for Movin’ and Munchin’ events.
At Monroe Middle School, Suzy and I met some really great kids who are excited about healthy eating and exercise! This year for their Movin’ and Munchin’ program they are walking to all 50 state capitals. In order to reach their goals they have divided up the work, setting individual as well as school-wide goals. It’s great to see students working together to stay healthy.
At Parkside Elementary School, also in Monroe, they have a very impressive record of winning Presidential Fitness Awards and National Fitness Awards. It was clear that the kids at Parkside know a lot about eating right and exercising and enjoy incorporating healthy activities into their daily lives. The teachers and staff at Parkside have also set some impressive health and fitness goals. They have pledged to exercise every week to help supply food to the food pantry. Last year, they raised three and a half tons of food!
One other school we visited recently was Rock River Intermediate School in Waupun. They started several great school initiatives to stay healthy. They have their own Marathon Club that runs after school, a Jump Rope Club that meets at lunchtime, and they participate in Jump Rope for Heart! Rock River has also set an awesome Movin’ and Munchin’ goal this year. They are following the Brewers baseball team all the way out to Phoenix, Arizona for spring training. A few weeks ago, when Suzy and I visited them they were already almost half way there!
The Movin’ and Munchin’ team has been very busy lately, but it has been a lot of fun meeting new students who are excited about being active and healthy! Hopefully your school has started on your Movin’ and Munchin’ program. If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea, feel free to use any of those I shared.
My 3-minute Workout Routine
Every morning I like to just do a 3-minute workout to get my blood pumping and get myself ready for the day.
You can do any kind of exercise you want! Just do 3-5 different exercises vigorously for 3 minutes. This won't replace healthy eating and a regular exercise routine, but it will help keep you energized on days when you don't have time for a longer workout.
Here are some exercises you should try in your 3-minute workout:
• PushupsThe sky is the limit! Have fun!
• Sit ups
• Crunches
• Running in place
• Plank
• Leg lifts
• Lunges
• Dance
• High knees
• Butt kicks
Last weekend we spent some time up at the family farm getting it ready for spring. There was a lot to get done!
One thing I do every year around this time is trim our apple trees. They are still dormant in March, so it is the perfect time to trim them so they will grow and blossom in the spring. People say it's best to trim apple trees so much that you can toss a hat through its branches and it wouldn't get stuck. This helps let more sunlight in, more breeze pass through, and keeps the trees healthy and fruitful.
Over the past couple of years we have picked a lot of juicy apples off our trees. Last year, my wife, a local 1st grade school teacher, brought apples into her class and the kids helped her make homemade apple sauce…then devoured it! Fresh applesauce is best served warm with a little bit of cinnamon on top. YUM!
Have a great week!
My family and I just returned from an awesome spring vacation. We went on a Disney cruise and my daughter absolutely loved it! It was the second year in a row. We are making it an annual tradition.
I'm sure many students and teachers will have time off this month for spring break, so I wanted to talk a little bit about how you can exercise and make healthy choices, especially on vacation.
Lots of people—myself included—like to travel somewhere warm for spring break so that we can sit on the beach or by the pool all day, relaxing and reading a good book. However, we can't forget how important it is to still maintain a healthy diet and exercise during the trip.
Here are some suggestions:
Have a great spring break!
- Go for a long walk. If the weather is nice, I like to walk really early in the morning and again in the evening. It is very refreshing!
- Choose active adventures. There are lots of fun activities available for families on vacation. Pick things that are active and you will exercise without even thinking about it. For example, even walking around an amusement park or swimming at a water park is great exercise!
Go to a park. National parks are great for hiking and biking. Sometimes they even offer activities like rock climbing or nature walks. These are great ways to get exercise and enjoy the warm weather during your vacation!
We talk a lot about the things we can do to live a healthier, happier life, but the truth is that even “healthy” people can be thrown “curve balls”. In my sister Jessi’s case, that curve ball came this past October in the form of stage-four breast cancer.
My family and I have led a very sheltered life, prior to Jessi’s cancer, when it comes to health and wellness. But the truth is, most of us eventually do have to face our own “curve ball” so I wanted to share my story to encourage you to do everything in your power not just to lead a healthy, active lifestyle, but to enjoy it. You never know what tomorrow will bring so all we can do is focus on being happy and healthy today to increase the odds we will stay that way for many years to come.
I want to encourage you not to view an active lifestyle as work, but rather to savor it as an opportunity. You never know when a new circumstance will change your life. Not everyone is blessed with the opportunity to get out for vigorous exercise so stay in shape, feel good about yourself, and savor the feeling!
If you Believe, you can Achieve!
Lately, soups are one of my favorite foods! They are great meals to have—especially when it’s cold outside—but most people only think of soup as a lunch or dinner meal. Recently I’ve been having soup in the mornings, and I really love it.
About a week ago I went to coffee shop by my house in the morning and I asked for soup. The store clerk said they usually don’t warm up the soup in the mornings, but I lucked out because someone had that morning. As I was enjoying my warm breakfast, the store manager approached me and said they were going to start serving soup in the morning everyday because it can be a great alternative to the usual donuts and bagels.
Soups are often filled with vegetables and some kind of meat, which are both a lot better for you than eating an all-carbohydrates breakfast. (Try to avoid the cream-based broths though.)
Eating soup in the morning leaves me feeling energized and ready to start my day! Give it a try!
Wow! Isn't this weather incredible?!! I hope it's as warm around the state as it is in Madison...think it is based on the news last night?! Our heating vents have been working overtime to dry our kids' boots after splashing 
around in puddles from all of the melted snow. Hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were literally snowed in!
I don't know about you, but my family and I have been taking full advantage of the nice weather. We have been going on walks these past few days whenever we get the chance. And Sawyer asked if we could take our bikes down off their hooks. (May be a little early for a four-year-old just learning to navigate those puddles?!)
This weather might not last, but hopefully it will motivate you to be active. Go for walks or a jog outside and get some fresh air! We have a lot of it here in Wisconsin.
Spring IS coming!
Happy Valentines Day!
I hope everyone has some fun plans for Valentines Day. When I was sitting down to write this blog, I thought…What is something nice to give your significant other for Valentines Day besides chocolate or candy?
Here is the answer I came up with:
Sweets are lovely, but they aren't good for you. I think a great gift is a family membership to a local gym, registering for a personal trainer together, or signing up for group fitness classes. One of my personal favorites is yoga class! There are so many fun exercises classes that you can do together. I think exercise is always more fun when you are doing it with someone.
So this Valentines Day, make a commitment to spend time together each week exercising. This can be a great way to de-stress and be healthy together.
This week Suzy and I went to the New Lisbon School District with the Movin’ and Munchin’ team to continue to encourage kids and staff to eat healthy and exercise. It was a great event—all of the staff and students (grades K-12) were very energetic and excited about health and fitness!
The New Lisbon School District has set some great Movin’ and Munchin’ goals this year! Their theme is “the Amazing Race.” All the students and staff are working together to visit different sites around Juneau County.
It's really awesome to see schools setting health goals with the Movin’ and Munchin’ program. And they've teamed up to accomplish their goals. They have separated the school into seven competing teams to encourage teamwork and to push each other to earn LOTS of Movin’ and Munchin’ points by eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly.
The New Lisbon School District also has an awesome workout facility and some great equipment that they are using to make exercise fun. Kayaks, bikes, and cross-country skis help them earn Movin’ and Munchin’ points! They also have a new “Garden Bar” with lots of healthy lunch options.
Suzy and I would like to commend the New Lisbon School District for joining the Movin’ and Munchin’ program! Their success in promoting health and wellness in the schools was evident in the students’ enthusiasm for our Movin’ and Munchin’ event. In New Lisbon they encourage healthy eating and exercise throughout the entire district. It is really great to see that they are making health and wellness a priority everyday!
Ps. If your school hasn't signed up for Movin’ and Munchin’ it’s not too late! Click the What is Movin’ and Munchin’? link to find the one-page registration form and send it in by February 15.
You know what? It's never too late to try a new sport or type of exercise. As you know, I love running. It's a great form of exercise that I find very relaxing. Running helps me clear my head and is a great stress reliever. However, even I need a break from running sometimes.
I've really been loving ice skating lately. It's so much fun and it doesn't feel like exercise when you're doing it with family or friends. It's a great activity for these cold Wisconsin winter weekends.
My daughter also started a new sport. She's only five years old and she just discovered that she loves downhill skiing. So no matter what age you are, you can always choose something new and fun to try.
Here is what I suggest: Pick a sport or activity that you always wanted to try, but you never did, and go out there this weekend with a friend or family member and give it a try! Maybe you will find a new activity that you love, and in the mean time you will be staying healthy and fighting off the winter blues!
Have fun!
Public schools are great places to be creative about exercise. My son Sawyer, for instance, is extremely excited about school. He's only in pre-school right now, but soon enough he will be starting kindergarten and then first grade, and I have little doubt that physical education and recess will be at the top of his story-telling list when he comes home after school! He is a very active kid, always wanting to play sports or play outside!
It is fun watching him grow. I can’t wait to see what sports and other extra curricular activities he decides to pursue in school. There are so many options for kids these days that he could pick just about anything. The bigger question is how much time do mom and dad have to cart him around for it!
I believe that, not unlike math and reading, physical and health education are crucial. They teach students to be mentally and physically healthy. That’s why Suzy and I love participating in the Movin’ and Munchin’ program. We want kids to know that “playing” is exercise—and that exercise is very, very important for your health, fitness, and overall well-being.
Be Active! Have Fun! Play!
PS. Kudos to all the schools who have already signed up for the Movin’ and Munchin’ program this year. Suzy and I are excited to meet more Wisconsin students and staff at our upcoming Movin’ and Munchin’ events! If your school hasn't signed up yet, the deadline is February 15. Hurry!
I have been reading Michael Pollan's book Food Rules again and found some pretty interesting and funny tips that you can follow to help you eat better and stay healthy.
- “It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language.”
- (e.g. Big Mac, Cheetos, Pringles, etc.)
You already know this rule. Junk food and fast food are bad for you and they tend to be called the same thing in every language. Remember this when you are grocery shopping or eating out and it will serve as a gentle reminder to choose the healthier option.
- “Eat your colors.”
- When you're making meals or snacks at home it is likely that the more colors you have on your plate the healthier your food is. Whether you are preparing a colorful salad, roasting vegetables, or making a fruit plate try to include lots of different colors. According to Pollan, the colors of vegetables reflect the different antioxidant chemicals they contain. So add a little color to your plate to make it healthy.
- “Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.”
- This rule should be common sense. Colorful cereal is not the same as colorful fruits and vegetables. The color in cereal comes from artificial dyes. These cereals are highly processed and are high in sugar. They may look great to kids, but try to find a healthier cereal that doesn't make a rainbow in the bowl.
I know a lot of people don't like cold Wisconsin winters, but personally I love them. I love being at the farm because it's so different from being in Madison. No matter what the weather is like, there are always fun things to do there.
Last weekend, Sawyer and I cleared all the snow off the pond as soon as we got up to the farm. I think he's starting to like ice skating as much as his dad. 
We also bundled up for sledding and ice fished too! Sawyer has a lot of fun being outside with me, but he hasn't totally gotten the hang of ice fishing. He thinks it's pretty cool when we catch a fish, but he doesn't have the patience to sit still and wait. If any of you ice fish, you know that it requires a LOT of waiting.
Sledding is a great workout for kids (and parents). Walking up the hill over and over again with Sawyer is a ton of fun. He never seems to get bored of it and his smile is always huge on the way down the hill—even if we've already gone down the hill 100 times.
2011 already looks like it's going to be a fun and busy year. We have lots of Movin' and Munchin' events planned, and I can't wait to keep sharing what I've learned about health and fitness in our great Wisconsin schools.
Happy New Year! It feels like 2010 just flew by! I celebrated New Year's Eve with my family and my daughter asked me if I would make cookies because we usually don't have a lot of sweets in the house. I found a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that looked a bit healthier than typical Holiday cookie recipes. They were awesome so I wanted to share the recipe with you:
http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/2-Recipes-for-Healthy-Holiday-Treats.htm.
As I was looking for the "healthier" cookie option on active.com, I also found a Virtual New Year's Day Run that I thought looked fun. All you had to do to register was make a small donation to charity. This is a great way to be active and raise money for a good cause! How cool!? Since it's a virtual race you could do it outside, on a treadmill, or a track at your local gym. You could do it by yourself, with family, friends, colleagues, fellow gym goers. While we'll have to mark the New Year's Virtual Race on our calendar for next year, making commitments like registering for a race is a great way to accomplish your fitness goals (which you've all set for the new year, right?)!
