Run for Education Time!

Run For Education 
Saturday, May 14, 2011

Join us for the 6th annual Run for Education in St. Ignatius.  There is a 5k and 1.5ish mile fun run/walk. Starts at 10:00am at the high school track.  Day of the race registration and pre-registration check in, starts at 9:00am.  I hope you will join us as this is a great family event that raises money for scholarships for local high school seniors.

5K Registration fee, all ages, unless in stroller (no shirt)------- $10.00 donation (or more if you want to!)

1.5 Mile Registration fee, 13 & over (no shirt) ---------------$10.00

1.5 Mile Registration fee, 12 & under (no shirt) --------------$ 5.00

 

Download REGISTRATION FORM here!

Shirt prices are $12.00, if you want to purchase a shirt separately.  This year, shirts MUST be pre-ordered and will not be ordered after the race. 

**Everybody that pre-registers, will be entered into a separate prize drawing, so get your entries in before day of the race!

29 Healthy Snack Ideas!

I am sure we have all been here... It is 3:30 and the kids are off school and headed home and they are going to be hungry!  You are really trying to feed your family a healthy diet, so you skip the pizza bites and look for a healthy snack.  All of a sudden, your mind goes blank!  You cant think of anything too feed the monstrous appetites that are going to be running through the door any minute!  Here are 29 different healthy snack ideas to help you with that!  Print out the page and stick in on the inside of a cupboard and you will have ideas at your fingertips!

1. 1c. raw broccoli or cauliflower/ 1/4 c. hummus
2. 4 c. light popcorn/1 low fat string cheese
3. 1 sl. w.w. toast/1/4 c. sliced avocado sprinkled with lemon juice
4. 1 apple sliced & sprinkled with cinnamon/2 Tbls. raw walnuts
5. 1/2 c. unsw. applesauce/2 Tbls. raw pecans
6. 1 c. cherry tomatoes/1 low fat string cheese
7. 1 oz. non-nitrate deli roast beef/1 oz. lofat cheese slices/alfalfa sprouts
8. ½ c. warm br. rice/1/2 c skim milk/1 tsp. honey or agave syrup
9. 10 lrg. black or green olives, rinsed/1 oz. lofat cheese
10. 3 rye krisp crackers/1 oz. sliced lofat cheese
11. 1/2 w.w. Eng. muffin/1 Tbls. natural peanut butter (ck the ingredients on the label!)
12. 1 c. berries/ 1/2 c. nonfat yogurt/1 Tbls. non sugar jam
13. 1 med. pear/1 oz. lofat cheese
14. 1 med. orange/ 1/2c. nonfat cot. cheese
15. 1 c. sliced red or green peppers/ ¼ c. hummus
16. ½ c. rinsed black beans/ 1/2 c. lofat cot. Cheese
17. 1 kiwi/1 lofat string cheese
18. ½ toasted pita pocket/ ¼ c. hummus
19. 1 slice sprouted gr. bread/ 1 Tbls. nat. peanut butter/1 tsp. non sugar jam
20. 1 oz. lofat Feta cheese/ 1/2c. unsw.applesauce or sliced peaches
21. 1 slice w.w. bread/1 tsp. lite mayo/1 sliced tomato/1 oz. cheese-broil ‘til cheese is melted
22. 1 scoop unsw. prot. pwd./ ½ c. berries/ ½ c. skim milk/stevia-blend
23. 1 c. Kashi whole gr. puffed cereal/ ½ c. skim milk/stevia
24. 1 hard boiled egg/1 sl. w.w. toast/1 tsp. non sugar jam
25. 1 veggie burger/1 slice tomato/romaine lettuce leaves/mustard
26. 2 large dates/1 Tbls. nat. peanut butter
27. 1/2 lofat, low sugar granola bar/1 Tbls. sunflower seeds
28. 6 oz. can of low sod. tomato or v8 juice/1 wedge light laughing cow cheese/5 w.w. crackers
29. 1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt/1 Tbls. nat. peanut butter, nuked and stirred into yogurt/1/4 sliced banana

Go to Dustin Maher for more ideas like these!

Kid's Missoula Marathon

I am trying to get the word out to the parents/guardians about this years' Kids Marathon in Missoula!  This is the 5th year the Missoula Marathon has been going and it is such a success!  It has done so well that is has been featured in Runners World, as the Best Overall Marathon and won this years' State of Montana's 2011 Tourism Event of the Year award!  That is amazing achievement for only have been going since 2006!  Included in the Missoula Marathon & Half Marathon, is a Kids Marathon.  Don't worry, kids don't have to run 26.2 miles all at once!  What they do is print out a log sheet and keep track of the miles (or part miles) they run up until July 8.  They will want to run 25 miles by then, and on Saturday, July 9, they finish their marathon with a 1.2 run on the course in Missoula!  It is a great way to break a huge accomplishment into smaller parts!  I would LOVE to see St. Ignatius represented by having lots of kids participating!  Go to Run Wild Missoula for more information!  Also, email me to let me know your child(ren) is participating!

Are you at risk for diabetes?

Do you have diabetes?  Do you really know?  What is your fasting blood sugar reading?  Yesterday, Tuesday, March 22, was Diabetes Alert Day and I thought it would be important to cover a little about this silent epidemic, as it is affecting more and more people everyday, young and old.  Did you know one in three adults are at risk for type 2 diabetes?  And our children are gaining on the adults!  Even more astounding statistics, according to the American Diabetes Association, is there are nearly 26 million children and adults that have diabetes and 79 million more have prediabetes.  It costs over $174 billion dollars a year to treat this disease!   It is hard to believe, isn't it? 

Lets look at some risk factors:

• Are you overweight?
• And do you have a second risk factor such as inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor eating habits, smoking, gestational diabetes, or if you are of a certain age, race, gender or if you have a family history of diabetes?

What exactly is diabetes?  It is diagnosed when your fasting blood sugar is 126 mg/dl or above.  Prediabetes is if your fasting blood sugar is between 100-126 mg/dl.

Some signs of diabetes: 
Type 1 (insulin dependent)

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and Irritability

Type 2 (insulin and/or pills for medication)

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
• Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections

*Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms! 

How do we help prevent or delay diabetes?  You should increase your physical activity.  Gradually at first, if you are new at it, and try to aim for at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week.  If you are overweight, start to work on losing weight.  The good news, you don't need to drop a huge amount of weight to start seeing positive changes!  Make a goal of losing 5-10% of your current weight to start getting the health benefits. 
Also, start eating healthier by reducing your portion sizes (Americas portion sizes are out of control!), and eating a diet with low saturated and trans fats and low in calories.  Easy way to do that? Fill the majority of your plate with veggies! 

Take this risk test provided by the American Diabetes Association to see if you are at risk for prediabetes.  If you suspect you may be prediabetic or diabetic, see your doctor right away to get on a plan.  If you don't think you are, see your doctor anyway, just to make sure! Remember, most Type 2 diabetics don't even know it until it is almost too late!

For more information visit http://www.diabetes.org/

Are you getting enough color?

Sorry I haven't gotten to post anything lately!  We just got back from a trip to California and Arizona that was about 3 days too long! :)  As I was at Disneyland, walking around, I noticed how the majority of people are truly overweight!  The statistics are right, 63.1% of adults in the U.S. were either overweight or obese in 2009, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.  It was quite represented at Disneyland and also in the majority of the towns/cities we visited in California and Arizona.  Scary stuff.  I immediately put me and my family on a junk food detox and a healthy eating and exercising plan.  It will start tomorrow, so we will see how it goes over when I break the news tonight! 

Everybody, now and again, needs to look at their eating habits and notice if they are getting enough veggies in their diets.  I linked a great article about "taking the color challenge".  Check it out and see if you are getting enough color in your diet.  And no, a bag or four, of pink cotton candy does not count!

Click here to read about getting enough color in your diet!

Gotta eat breakfast!

You hear it all the time... "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day".  And it is so correct!  After a nights sleep your body is in fasting mode, it hasn't eaten anything for 8 hours or so.  When you wake up, it needs fuel to start the day.  If it doesn't get this important fuel, your mind and body doesn't work as efficiently as it would with a tummy full of healthy food!  It may be hard to eat in the morning for you, it is for me.  I just have a hard time thinking about eating something.  It just doesn't sound good yet.  I pack a little bowl of oatmeal with me to work and by the time I get there I can finally think about eating something.  What about the kiddo's?  They HAVE to eat something in the morning!  It is way to far until lunchtime without any food!  Here is an article from a great blog I follow.  If you have a facebook account, you can "like" them and they will update you on great information and recipes.  If you don't you can also follow their blog.  Now, go grab a healthy snack!

Make Time for Breakfast

by Dayle Hayes, MS RD LD

As a mom, you may have often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After years of scientific research, it turns out that you may actually be right.

For kids, eating in the morning is essential for optimal school performance and overall health. Kids (and adults) who eat breakfast tend to do better at school (and work) and have healthier weights and cholesterol levels as well.
To refuel and rev-up your family for an energetic day, plan a power breakfast.

Plan Ahead

For most people, time is the biggest obstacle to eating in the morning. Here are three tried-and-true tips for beating the breakfast rush hour:

• Get ready the night before: Set the table with bowls and spoons for cereal. Get out a pan for pancakes or a blender for smoothies. Slice up some fruit and cheese.
• Keep it simple: Fancy breakfasts are wonderful when you have the time. On busy days, a sandwich, a slice of leftover veggie pizza, or low-fat yogurt with fruit work just fine.
• Pack to-go: If there’s no time to eat at home, take your nutrition to-go. Pack a brown bag breakfast for the road – or see if your school offers a breakfast program.

Include Protein/Carbs

• Carbohydrates: A high-octane carbohydrate energizes your body and brain for a busy day. Think cereal (hot or cold), bread, dinner rolls, tortillas, or even leftover rice or pasta. Choose whole grains for an extra nutrition punch (more fiber and nutrients).
• Protein: This is the missing link in most morning meals. Protein is what we need to go strong until lunch. Think a slice of Canadian bacon, an egg, a slice of lean deli meat or low-fat cheese, a container of low-fat yogurt, a scoop of low-fat cottage cheese, or a handful of nuts.
• Fruit: It’s quick and easy to add color and nutrition to your breakfast with your favorite fruits. Think fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit – like apples, berries, pears, bananas, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, oranges, or pineapple. Another great option is avocado's. They are high in unsaturated (or good") fat and contain vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and beta carotene, which forms vitamin A.

Eat well in the a.m. and you and your family will be on the nutrition fast track for a high-energy day. Check out the Power Up with Breakfast tip sheet for more breakfast ideas.

http://www.eatright.org/kids/

Happy Valentine's Day!

 “The name of the game is taking care of yourself, because you're going to live long enough to wish you had.”
-Grace Mirabella

February is known for being the month to celebrate Valentine's day, but did you know it is also is Heart Health month?  How is your hearth health?  Do you know your blood pressure and/or your cholesterol levels?  These are two important numbers, along with others, to help you know your heart health.  Cholesterol plays a major role in a person's heart health. High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. So what are the proper levels for total blood cholesterol?  The American Heart Association suggests the following:

Total Cholesterol Level	Category
Less than 200 mg/dL	Desirable level that puts you at lower risk for coronary heart disease. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher raises your risk.
200 to 239 mg/dL	Borderline high
240 mg/dL and above	High blood cholesterol. A person with this level has more than twice the risk of coronary heart disease as someone whose cholesterol is below 200 mg/dL.

HDL Cholesterol Level	Category ("Good" Cholesterol)
Less than 40 mg/dL (for men) Less than 50 mg/dL (for women)	Low HDL cholesterol. A major risk factor for heart disease.
60 mg/dL and above	High HDL cholesterol. An HDL of 60 mg/dL and above is considered protective against heart disease.

LDL Cholesterol Level ("bad")	Category
Less than 100 mg/dL	Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL	Near or above optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL	Borderline high
160 to 189 mg/dL	High
190 mg/dL and above	Very high

How do you reduce your cholesterol?  You need to reduce the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and total fat in your diet! If you have high cholesterol, it's very important to monitor and control high blood pressure, avoid tobacco, eat healthy, exercise regularly, & maintain a healthy weight.

Taking these steps will help to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. This may not be enough, and you may have to visit with your doctor to see if medicine is right for you along with a healthy lifestyle.

Go to http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/  for more information. REMEMBER!  We need to start being PRO-active with our health and we need to be responsible for ourselves.