Finishing up our first year at 9 Kid Fitness, I want to thank all of you who have visited our site, contributed with comments, and just checked in with us via Facebook and Twitter. Launching last March, my hope was to engage with others who are trying to make fitness a priority in their very busy lives. Thank you for being a part of the 9 Kid Fitness community, and I hope that we will continue to find support and encouragement from each other in 2012! Today I would like to look back over the last year and highlight nine of the most visited posts at 9 Kid Fitness:
1. Me vs. Victoria’s Secret I take on the image of women that Vicoria’s Secret portrays in their holiday commercials (among other things).
2. When I Run I Feel His Pleasure Many of us Feel God’s presence when we run, and in this post I talk about how it felt for me. [Read more…]
As I write this, I am feeling the after-effects of an early morning run with my friends Karrie and Susan…I feel calm, sharp, and ready for the day. Most of us know that exercise can help to calm us down, and during the Christmas holidays, calmness is a rare emotion for many of us. Certain forms of exercise (jogging, cross country skiing, swimming, hiking, bicycling) require a fairly consistent repetitive motion that can alter one’s state of consciousness. Described by some as “moving meditation”, the physiological effects of regular participation in these activities is very similar to what happens when one practices meditation. Breathing and movement act as a mantra and may in part be responsible for the feelings of calmness and tranquility claimed by some in response to exercise. Physical activity also revs up our endorphins, our brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. Although this function is often referred to as a runner’s high, any workout that raises our heart rate and is over 30 minutes can boost the endorphins. These endorphins go a long way to bring us a little peace of mind, to calm us, and to improve our mood. They have even been known to lower symptoms associated with mild depression. 
I saw a friend of mine yesterday who I haven’t seen in a long time. She looked great, and said she has been feeling better recently than she has in years. When I asked her what was different…if there was anything new in her life that could account for the difference in how she is feeling, she said vitamin D! Her doctor had put her on an 8-week vitamin D surge and she couldn’t believe how great she felt. It is always amazing to me how hearing someone’s personal experience makes so much more of an impact than simply reading or hearing about it from a health professional or the media. 
A funny thing happened this morning on my run. I had met my friend, Susan at about 5:40 and we ran six and a half miles, mostly in the dark. When we parted ways, the sun was just coming up and I had about a half mile left before I got home. I love this time of morning when it isn’t still dark, but it’s not yet light, either…things appear shadow-like. 
Increasing physical frailty as we age is not inevitable! It used to be assumed as fact that after age 40, people lose approximately eight percent or more of their muscle mass each decade. While this will happen if we are not exercising and working on developing strength through resistance training, newer research suggests that we can get stronger and leaner no matter what age we begin this type of exercise! Muscle is extremely important, especially for seniors, and not only because it keeps us strong. Muscle burns calories and helps us maintain our weight, and it contributes to balance and bone strength. Simply said, without our muscle strength, we can lose our independence as we age.
I have written at 9 Kid Fitness about 
Shame on us America. We have allowed Victoria’s Secret to dictate what is an attractive image of women. This occurred to me the other night when a commercial (for the
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