New Lily

Pear Spice Oatmeal…A Fall Favorite!

IMG_7014

Here is wonderful recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Recipes Remembered....

Oatmeal is a year round breakfast for me, but I especially love it on the cooler days of fall and winter…a perfect comfort food!

Happy Fall, friends.  It’s time for spice, for apples & pears, crisp mornings, boots & comfy sweaters, marathons and so many other lovely – and delicious – things.  This oatmeal is one of the delicious things.  It’s a base of fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves – topped with deliciously sweet pears, pecans for crunch and a little drizzle of milk.  I’m a little sad to see summer go but if I can look forward to breakfasts like this one then I think I’ll be ok. [Read more…]

A Look at The Pregnancy Project DVD (Guest Post)

A different way to work out during pregnancy…The Pregnancy Project DVD.

The following is a guest post from Kallah Oakes who is pregnant with her second child.  I saw Kallah when she was only a few weeks along, and she told me she was planning on using The Pregnancy Project DVD throughout her second pregnancy.  I had not heard of this method, and so asked if she could share with us a little about how the exercise program works and how she is faring (she is almost six months pregnant now).  I wished that I had learned about this kind of exercise when I was pregnant as I think a lot of the running that I did was hard on my joints, etc.! I was especially interested in what she says about our mindset during pregnancy in regards to exercise.  It’s good to workout but we shouldn’t be “results oriented” while we are allowing a child to grow inside! So true!

Enjoy…and let us know if you have used the DVD and how you rate it! [Read more…]

Cold and Flu Season…How Can Exercise Help (or Hurt)

Should we exercise when we have a cold?

Should we workout if we have a cold or a cough…or should we lay low for a while? Well, that depends on what the ailment is.  If your symptoms are from the neck up, meaning you have sniffles, a runny nose, headache and perhaps a very mild cough, it’s probably OK to perform a mild workout. The key is to make sure you have no difficulty breathing during or after a workout. Experts agree that going at one third your normal pace might be the best way to proceed and if you feel worse a few hours later – a few days rest are in order.

Fever is the limiting factor, says Lewis G. Maharam, MD, a New York City-based sports medicine expert. “The danger is exercising and raising your body temperature internally if you already have a fever, because that can make you even sicker,”  he says in a WEBMd article. If you have a fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, sit the workout out, he says.  I don’t know about most people, but when I have a fever of 101…the last thing I want to do is exercise. [Read more…]

Mom: Your Kids Love Your Squishy Hugs!

From Whitney:  The following is an important article for moms to read.  As someone who enjoys fitness and has an interest in it on many levels, I am more importantly a mom…which is why this article really hit home!  I think exercise and staying fit help to make me a better mom.  That being said, I also realize that we can put too much emphasis on fitness and it can interfere in our job as a mom.  I can say, however, that I haven’t ever truly thought of any of this from the eyes of my children.  Dr. Meg Meeker writes about how children do not see whether their mothers are fit, look good, or have a six pack…in fact they probably would rather they be a little on the “soft side”.  It is definately good food for thought!!!  The following is the entire article from Dr. Meg Meeker’s website:

Mom: Your Kids Love Your Squishy Hugs

mom trying to zip her jeansFind me one American mother who doesn’t want to tweak something about her body, and I’ll pay you $100. [Read more…]

From 5K to Marathon in a Year!

At 65, he started running and accomplished a marathon in a year…and so much more!

I saw this post on SparkPeople and thought I would repost it here for my 9 Kid Fitness readers…Great story!

From 5K to Marathon in One Year

On December 3, 2011 I ran my first race, a 5K in Orlando, FL.  I had just turned 65.  This was after 10 weeks of training, which started quite innocently as a way to lose a few pounds.  I enjoyed it so much I thought I would try to do a 5K.  Fast forward just about one year, and I have completed my 1st Marathon. The Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon, on November 3, 2012. [Read more…]

10 Great Foods to Eat After a Workout…

I have changed my tune over the years when it comes to what I eat after a run or hard workout.  It used to be that I really didn’t think about the makeup of an after workout snack or meal…I just ate what I felt like and didn’t worry too much about it.  Then I went through an “extreme” phase where I ate only low-fat foods that were also high in energy.  Now in my mid-forties,my thinking about post workout foods has evolved and I have  a more healthy outlook.

Alan Tyson, a physical therapist who works with professional, elite, and middle of the road athletes, knows a thing or two about nutrition after a workout.  The following article, written  by Alan, includes 10 foods to eat after an intense exercise session.  For the kind of fitness that I do, his guidelines are appropriate, even though I am not an elite athlete.  Many of my workouts are an hour or so, and while others are much shorter, I often do the intense variety.  I would tweek a few things, however.  For instance, I would add to the low-fat granola a gluten-free variety (such as Trader Joe’s Loaded Fruit and Nut).  I would also add a low-fat Greek yogurt to go along with the granola.  I love oatmeal and load it with nuts and dried fruit, so I would replace his energy bites with oatmeal.  Alan’s #1 post workout food is low-fat chocolate milk…but since I am not a milk drinker, I would say the Greek yogurt is the best replacement for that.  Finally, I would have to put my #1 post-workout food as a smoothie (Alan’s #5) because I can add so much to the drink (flax seed, chia seed, protein powder, kale and other greens,etc.).  Read the article and let me know what you would add as your favorite post workout meal… [Read more…]

Day Three at Lovejoy Pond…Rain, Rain Go Away

Shoulder and arms workout with #4, #5, #6 and #7. All eyes on the dvd playing in the laptop. I’m breaking my electronics pledge already. It does come in handy, however!

Day Three at Lovejoy Pond, August 16, 2012
Thought of the day: Rain, rain, go away…come again another day (like late next week maybe).

This morning I woke at 6:25 a.m., not to the sound of loons, but to the sound of rain…and it didn’t stop until after 7 p.m.! Somehow we could tell very early that it wasn’t going to let up and so we decided to forget the morning run and do P90X inside the cabin and then head to Freeport (L.L. Bean country) and do a little shopping. Four backpacks, two pairs of shoes, and a few shirts later…still under umbrellas, we finally left Freeport. [Read more…]

Day Two at Lovejoy Pond…The Way Life Should Be

Peter (#4) diving off the high platform at Lovejoy Pond, Maine.

Day Two August 15, 2012. Thought for the day: “The Way Life Should Be…”

As I write this it’s the end of Day Two of the Hetzel Adventures in Good Clean Fun. I find my eyes half closing at 10:20 p.m. and, considering all that we did today, I’m surprised they don’t simply rebel against me and shut on their own for the night. We just finished playing the second round of Phase 10 and it’s still not a completed game yet. I have figured out, though, that personalities are revealed through card games and you can learn a lot about your children by playing a few games with them!

I noticed while driving into Maine on Monday that the welcome sign said, “Maine…The Way Life Should Be”. I realized that today was the way life should be as well (although the perfect day would have included our three older children too). Since I am too tired to write much, I”ll simply highlight today bullet-point style. [Read more…]

Day One at Lovejoy Pond…Keeping the Main Thing The Maine Thing

On the dock

Day One August 14, 2012 Thought of the Day…”Keep the Main thing the Maine thing.” This morning I woke up to the sound of Loons (a woeful, high-pitched, almost song-like cry) at about 6:40 a.m.  Some of the kids got up about 20 minutes later and quietly raced down to the lake where we are staying (there is a quiet hour rule in effect here from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.)  We are staying in a cabin that long ago was a part of Camp Menatoma and is now owned by my brother-in-law’s family. It’s a lovely peaceful area right on the water with two docks…one for swimming and one for fishing. About 15 other cabins dot the area where we are located and everyone shares the docks, a few lodges, and a laundry outhouse. [Read more…]

Nine Reasons Summertime=Healthier Living

Gotta love those summer fruits!

There is no doubt that if I had to choose a season to get healthier, it would be summer. Here are nine reasons why there is no time like the sunny present to get started on healthier living…

1. The fruits we love are abundantly available. Summer fruits are some of my favorites, and local farm stands are everywhere. Some of the fruits that are especially “fruitful” now are: blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, watermelons, green and red grapes, and cherries. Some of my favorite childhood memories are stopping by Michigan roadside farms for the yummiest, juiciest peaches. [Read more…]