Bottom line…soda isn’t good for you!
My sister-in-law sent me this link regarding the effects of soda. I know that giving up soda can improve my health in more ways than one. All I really need to do is look at these seven ways it can harm to recognize the negative consequences of drinking soda…and diet soda is no better! So why haven’t I given up drinking the bubbly stuff?! What about you….do you drink soda?
My family’s experience with cancer last year has a lot to do with this year’s New Year’s resolutions….
Happy New Year! I hope and pray that 2013 will be a wonderful year for all. That is what I hoped and prayed for last year as well. In fact, last year at this time I had no idea what was looming just around the bend. I didn’t know that in less than two months time my husband of 24 years would be diagnosed with stage IV cancer. I didn’t know that it would be a year of visits to the doctor’s office and to the hospital…to the chemotherapy infusion room and the radiation oncology facility. What a difference a year makes. [Read more…]
I met my friend Stacy this morning at 5 am at the pool where our kids have morning practice every Monday. It was dark and never got light until well after we returned from our hour and a half run. The temperature was a little warm for my taste (especially for this time of year), and there was a mist in the foggy air. It was beautiful, though. Just a few streetlights were on and the Christmas lights on the homes and in the yards we passed presented a soft early morning glow. And it was quiet. That is something I long for in these busy December days. [Read more…]
An Advent wreath is just one way to bring meaning to the season…
I move away from the fitness subject today. I find that I become easily frustrated this time of year. It’s not the hustle and bustle, the baking and decoratons, or even the Christmas cards (which I am hoping to finally get out this year). It’s the bombardment of the “shopping mall version” of Christmas that always seems to get me down. Don’t get me wrong… good ol’ Saint Nick himself isn’t the cause of my angst. We celebrate his visit in our home on December 6th (the Feast of Saint Nicholas) when shoes are filled with treats and surprises and we get a glimpse of the special giving of the Christmas season. Even the modern jolly, plump Santa is hard not to like, after all. [Read more…]
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:
Find me one American mother who doesn’t want to tweak something about her body, and I’ll pay you $100. [Read more…]
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Shannon working out at Pure Barre at 38 weeks!
A topic that many are interested in is how and when to get back to fitness after a pregnancy. Although getting back to fitness after each of my nine pregnancies was a priority for me, it changed as I had more children and as I got older. I talked to two women who both had a baby in the not-so-distant past and who are both already back to a full workout routine. I met Shannon at Pure Barre and was amazed as she continued to work out and look great throughout her pregnancy. Ashley is a friend who also exercised throughout her eighth pregnancy…doing mostly P90X at her house. I also weighed in on some of the questions…
1. How long ago did you give birth? Was it a C-section?
Ashley: My youngest is 4 months old. Not a C-section.
Shannon: I gave birth to my second son 14 weeks ago. I had a C-section due to complications from my first son’s delivery.
2. Did you exercise during your pregnancy? If so, did that help in terms of birth or recovery?
Ashley: Yes, 5-6 days a week up until the week she was born. It helped greatly in terms of energy during the pregnancy. My labors have started to slow down (she is my 8th). It’s hard to tell if it helped in terms of birth. It certainly helped in terms of my health. Her strip during labor was flawless … no way to know for sure if that is connected to a healthy mommy, but I have to think it factors in. My recovery was very easy. That is absolutely attributed to the exercise. I’ve had non-exercising pregnancies and the recovery period is much longer. [Read more…]
Yesterday’s Carolina blue sky was full of hope…
I stumbled onto a new run yesterday morning. Coming out of Levine Children’s Hospital, going down some cement stairs, crossing a creek bed, I found myself on the Sugar Creek Parkway (or the canal run) and took it for about half a mile into downtown Charlotte. I turned around at that point and ran for another two miles to Freedom Park, passing dozens of other runners, walkers, and bikers. Then, after running in the park for a few minutes, I turned around for the run back to the hospital.
I had been down at Levine’s Children’s Hospital for three days with our daughter (#6) Grace who at 7 am last Friday had a cyst removed from her face (next to her right ear). We will find out exactly what the cyst was this week although we are fairly certain it was just one of those benign masses that form for odd reasons. The surgery was more involved, however, than we had predicted. She has two incisions because they had to “borrow” some belly fat to replace the skin that was removed from her face. Grace has been a trooper and has literally not complained about anything (even pain) since we arrived at 4:45 am on Friday. [Read more…]
The sugar monster comes in late October and lurks around corners through December…BEWARE!
You have heard me on many occasions at 9 Kid Fitness talk about sugar. I guess it is a sort of love-hate relationship that I have developed over a long period of years. I love sugar because it tastes good and often satisfies in ways other foods just don’t. I hate it because no matter how temporarily satisfying it is, it is usually regretted later. I’m not talking about the occasional sugary treat. I am talking about the sugar monster lurking around the corner…only so happy to be indulged in and to “satisfy” an unsuspecting victim.
I realize that the word victim is not entirely appropriate. A victim usually doesn’t have any culpability. In the case of sugar, most of us have enough knowledge and experience to know better than to be a true victim. However, as with many other vices, we can be caught off guard and we can experience a type of amnesia about past consequences. Although I am not a nutritionist, I believe that I have a vast resume of experience on this topic and therefore feel that I can speak with a sort of authority on the subject. So consider this your fair warning. Don’t be caught off-guard! [Read more…]
As a cross country coach who practices with my team everyday during the school week, I have no choice except to bring my young children along on our runs. Consequently what people see on the trails where we do most of our running is about 10-15 middle and high school runners, me pushing a double baby jogger with #9 (Sam) inside, #8 (6 year-old C.C.) in and out of the jogger, and #7 (8 year-old John) running alongside. Needless to say, we turn a few heads. As is often the case with our busy life, by the time I get to practice, pull the jogger out of the van and take a real inventory of what has come along, I realize a few key things are missing…things like shoes, for instance. When I first started coaching, this would have been cause for more kids to be in my jogger than running alongside it. However, now what usually happens is that my young kids run without shoes…and most of the time still keep up with the rest of us. [Read more…]
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