Health and Fitness | ParentSphere

I made a pledge today

February 26, 2009 By: Amy Category: Contests, Health and Fitness

*Update: Congrats to our giveaway winners: Janet, who pledged to eat healthier and be a better person and Carol, who pledged to exercise 5x a week (you go, girl!)

As I reach the halfway point in my pregnancy, I have really started thinking about the new little life we’re bringing into the world. I have had just over 3 years experience now as a parent and I have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done to ensure my kids grow up strong and healthy. We’re not full of super healthy habits but that’s something that will always be a work-in-progress and that’s ok.

So, today I clicked over to Gerber’s Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Campaign. I thought, now is as good a time as any to make a pledge to myself and my girls to take care of each of us. Starting with me. I may be pregnant but it’s not too late for me to get into an exercise routine. This is also a good age for my 3 year old to take an interest in what I’m doing. She can join right in with me. We also do our best to make sure she is getting the nutrition that she needs to keep her healthy. It’s amazing how quickly these kids grow! Then, there is our newest family member, a little girl yet to see the world. It will be our responsibility to make sure she is getting everything she needs until she can start making choices of her own.

I created a pledge today for my two girls and myself. I know that I want to be around for a long time. I want to see them grow up and I want to grow old with my husband. It’s our duty to take care of ourselves so we can make that pledge a reality. You can create a pledge too. It’s fun and sometimes just seeing it in pictures and words makes it easier to put into action.

I may be a total pro at this pregnancy and mom thing now (he he he) but I still like to stay current on the newest trends in the parenting and baby world. So, I’ll be spending a lot of time over at Gerber’s Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Resource Center. I still have plenty of questions about nursing and nutrition for my kids and I have trusted Gerber for as long as I can remember.

To celebrate this important campaign reminding us to take care of ourselves and our families, we’re giving away two Gerber diaper bag backpacks filled with a recipe tin and a teddy bear. This giveaway is only open to US residents.

You can enter to win by leaving a comment on this post with your pledge. Check out some of the 14,750 plus pledges that have already been made over at the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy website for ideas. If you create a pledge, let us know in your entry comment and we’ll give you an extra entry. We’ll choose a winner at random on Wednesday, March 5th. The winner will be notified via email (check your spam!) and announced on this post.

While you’re taking action on your pledge and waiting to hear if you’re one of our two winners, check out the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy YouTube Channel for some cute and inspirational videos.

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Tags: for the good, parenting websites

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Holiday indulgences and whatnot

December 07, 2008 By: Amy Category: Health and Fitness

With the holiday season fast approaching, it never fails, the moment you walk into the grocery store, you are faced with special deals on sweets and items for holiday baking. I don’t know about you but it’s temptation central for me. Even if I had no intention of baking those six different Christmas cookies, I’m always suckered in once I see those bags of red and green wrapped Hershey kisses, Reese cups and bags of brown sugar.

I’ve never been one to follow a weight-loss program. I suppose that could be why I have the weight concerns that I do today. Although, I have become increasingly more interested in the Weight Watchers program. I recently discovered that they have some pretty neat online tools to make balancing your eating habits a pretty simple task. I’m all about the simple.

Weight Watchers now has this “Snack Widget” that you can get for your desktop or embed into your website, which allows you to simply type in a snack food that you want and the widget will produce a variety of Weight Watchers snacks to choose from instead.

Check it out for yourself here:

You can get this widget HERE.

You can find Weight Watchers on Facebook (I just became a fan) where they offer free recipes and great weight watching tips. You can also find a lot of great healthy eating information on their website HERE.

Like I said, the closer we get to celebrating the holidays, the harder it is to eat sensibly when you’re faced with all of those fabulous goodies. Keep Weight Watchers in mind when you head out to that next holiday party. Know that they have a great online resource that you can turn to when you need a boost in confidence and some healthy eating tips.

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Tags: feeding and hydration, health and wellness, nutrition

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Dad On the Run: Week 2

November 24, 2008 By: Eric Category: Dad On the Run, Health and Fitness

Woah, I’m a few days late with this post, but better late than never, right? So the second week of Dad On the Run was a bit of a hectic week. I jogged only 12.02 miles (according to the treadmill) but (again) fell off the wagon in regards to eating good stuff again. I ate too much, drank too much, and took a few days off towards the end of the week. No worries though, this isn’t going to happen overnight.

Now Thanksgiving is on Thursday but it might present some problems. How to get around it? Just exercise some portion control and lay off the holiday drinks. That along with a hefty dose of pre-meal exercise should, hopefully, keep me on the right track this year. So after week two, things are as follows:

Weekly Weight Loss: -0.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -3.0 lbs

Prior Dad On the Run Posts:
Introduction
Week 1

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Tags: exercise, health and wellness

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Dad On the Run: Week 1

November 14, 2008 By: Eric Category: Dad On the Run, Health and Fitness

dadrun1 Dad On the Run: Week 1

So yeah, I took my own advice and started slowly and actually made it through the first week of Dad On the Run with flying colors. I jogged a total of 13 miles in six days which really isn’t all that much, but it’s a start. Check back in six weeks and hopefully my weekly mileage will be almost twice that. The one place I fell a little short was in the “healthy eating” department, but there are two ways I can look at this:

“I can either get crazy and neurotic about everything I eat or I can take things as they are presented and not feel bad about eating the leftover Halloween candy.”

For the sake of my sanity and the sanity of those around me (yes, I mean Amy) I’m going with the second option. Sure, I probably won’t get to my goals as fast, but this isn’t about some crazy diet or unrealistic exercise plan, Dad On the Run is about a lifestyle change. So even with a little “cheating” here and there, I’m still resolved to eat stuff that is better rather than worse for me. Those pita chips I just ate aren’t (however) making me feel any better about all this.

Anyhow here’s where I’m at after week one:

Weekly Weight Loss: -2.8 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -2.8 lbs

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Tags: exercise, health and wellness

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Dad On the Run: Introduction

November 07, 2008 By: Eric Category: Dad On the Run, Health and Fitness

Many of you may have read my previous post about how I lost 40 pounds in 6 months earlier this year, and if you haven’t feel free to go back and check it out. This isn’t about that journey, however. Dad On the Run is about right now and what I’m going to do to lose those last few (okay, it’s actually more like 25) pesky pounds. This is when and where the clock resets and it all turns to zero again.

To lose the weight I did between January and June I focused on eating well and jogging/running . On January 16th, I jogged a total of 1.27 miles; a humbling start for someone who just over four years earlier completed the Chicago Marathon. On June 29th I ran 8.68 miles and continued jogging (although more sporadically) through July and August, but started eating all the stuff I knew I shouldn’t be eating and have been regressing since. No more!

During those “good” months, I ran over 450 miles in total and I felt good. By early September (however) I wasn’t really doing anything. So a few additional pounds later, here I am laying it all on the table that HTML built. I’m going to start slowly (again) and ease my way back into running even though I haven’t really been away all that long. I know that I haven’t really answered the question of, “What exactly is Dad On the Run?” Here goes.

Every week I’m going to document my progress and what I’m doing to get where I’m going. Simple enough, right? Although I “practiced” a few times this week, the endeavor all starts tomorrow in earnest. I welcome all comments, questions, suggestions, etc…

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Tags: exercise, health and wellness

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MBT: the “anti-shoe” Chicago Scavenger Hunt (update)

September 16, 2008 By: Amy Category: Events, Family Fun, Health and Fitness

*Update: Unfortunately, the Chicago MBT scavenger hunt has been canceled. We’ll update you with more MBT events as they become available!

mbt shoes MBT: the anti shoe Chicago Scavenger Hunt (update)

MBT, the anti-shoe, is hosting its first-ever Chicago Scavenger Hunt. The MBT Scavenger Hunt is a great opportunity to discover new, fun facts about Chicago, while playing a game and getting a bit of exercise too!

All participants will receive MBT prizes and the winning team will receive MBT shoes!

Socialize. Compete. Win. And have a blast! Can’t beat that!

When:
September 27, 2008

Hunt:
The Secrets of the Loop

Time:
Time: 2pm (2:30pm – 4pm hunt)

Meet:
Daley Plaza benches, near corner of Clark/Washington

Email MBT@skadaddlemedia.com to register (limited to 50 people so get in NOW !). Email us your name, email address and phone number and we’ll get you signed up! Make sure to specify in the subject line “Chicago Scavenger Hunt”. Tell them, “ParentSphere.net” sent ya!

To learn more about MBT, check out MBT30Reasons.com

*Here is a sneak peak at into the scavenger hunt from Watson Adventures’ website:

Rediscover the historic heart of Chicago on a hunt that reveals the secrets of such places and sights as the Sears Tower, the Picasso in Daley Plaza, Millennium Park, the spectacular rooms in the Chicago Cultural Center, Marshall Field’s (or Macy’s, if you insist), the Rookery, the surprising lobby of the Marquette Building, and the giant orange Flamingo in Federal Plaza. You’ll discover the answers to such questions as…

• At the Chicago Theatre, what sounds like a bird, a car, and a doorbell? Answer: The organ, as explained in the entrance.

• On Michigan Avenue, visit two giants who face off. When he’s constructed properly, what’s the profession of Juan Sam Peel? “Reconstruct” the letters of that name and you get Jaume Plensa, the artist of a plaza with a fountain here, as indicated on a sign.

• Near the Chicago Board of Trade, what Sunday had two noons? November 18, 1883, according to a sign that marks the spot where time zones were established—and on the day they went into effect, Chicago had two noons as the official time was reset.

**Please note that we haven’t included here the directions and other clues that lead you to the answers.

*ParentSphere is not affiliated with MBT or the MBT 30 Reasons to Walk campaign. We’re just here to spread the good word!

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Tags: footwear

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GO3: For those of us who aren’t seafood fans

June 22, 2008 By: Amy Category: Health and Fitness, His and Hers, Kids, Products

go3 logo GO3: For those of us who arent seafood fans

I never have, nor will I ever rub my stomach, close my eyes, salivate and fantasize about a seafood dinner. Just the thought makes me shudder. To prove it, I spent my honeymoon in Hawaii, surrounded by oodles of the freshest seafood around, and I turned my nose up at all of it.

Now, I’m well aware that consuming fatty fish twice per week is recommended by the American Heart Association. For me though, it needs to taste good and satisfy me. So, of course the best alternative for a picky eater like me is a fish oil supplement.

GO3 has been on the market since February 2008. Soccer-extraordinaire, David Beckham, has partnered with GO3’s associated company of Findus, Ltd. in an effort to help motivate kids and families to live a more healthy and active lifestyle.

I can’t dish out all of the scientific information about this product but you can visit this section of the GO3 website to learn more. One thing I do understand is how beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids are for you and your all-around good health – there’s no question about that.

go3 GO3: For those of us who arent seafood fans

So, yes, this is only a supplement and eating fish is recommended but for me, taking a supplement is better than nothing. We (the adults) have been taking two GO3 supplements daily. GO3 is also available for kids ages four and up in chewable junior strawberry capsules (we think they’re kind of gross) and Vitamin Kicks chewable multivitamin gummy balls (haven’t tried these). All of these supplements are available for purchase on the GO3 website.

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Tags: health and wellness

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How I lost 40 pounds in 6 months

June 02, 2008 By: Eric Category: Blog, Health and Fitness, His

scale How I lost 40 pounds in 6 months

I’m not sure what the weather is like where you live, but here in Chicago, it seems that things are finally looking up (at least in a meteorological sense) and I love it.

Back in mid-January (that’s less than 6 months ago), I made a decision that I was going to lose a significant amount of weight and get myself feeling like myself again; like the guy who ran the 2003 Chicago Marathon. So I made a plan and a plan to stick with that plan and as of today I’ve dropped 41 pounds and I’m hoping for at least 10 more by the 4th of July.

The funny thing about losing 40+ pounds is that it was actually pretty easy. Sure, there are sacrifices and staying motivated (especially at first) can be difficult, but it isn’t really that hard. Think about it; losing 40 pounds in about 20 weeks works out to 2 pounds a week. That’s a healthy and well-paced weight loss.

My formula for success is also pretty simple and there are 5 things you need to do:

* 1. Eat less, but don’t starve yourself. There are a million different places on the Interweb to find out what your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is and how much you should be eating so there isn’t any excuse. Some experts say keep a food log, but you know how much is too much. Yes you do.

* 2. Cut out refined sugars and processed carbohydrates. You don’t need to go low carb crazy, but stay away from breads, pasta, etc… Do eat as many fruits and vegetables as you care to. I know I could binge eat an entire bag of Doritos, but try eating an entire bag of apples or baby carrots. I’ll bet you can’t do it.

* 3. Exercise. Don’t be afraid to start slowly and stick with it. Back in January the first time I was on the treadmill I managed to go a little over a mile while alternating between walking and slow jogging. Yesterday I ran a little over 6 miles at about 9:00 pace.

* 4. Take a day off once in awhile. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the body of a fitness pro. Also don’t be afraid to have a cheat meal once in awhile. Have a slice of pizza and a beer on Friday night, but follow that up with a spinach omelet and 3 miles on the treadmill Saturday morning.

* 5. Have fun. If you hate running, you’ll never do it. Find something that you enjoy (swimming, biking, tennis, etc…) and stick with it.

That’s about it. Just eat less bad stuff, eat more good stuff, exercise, and don’t go overboard and set unrealistic goals you can’t meet. The only supplements I’ve taken during this time have been a daily multivitamin, fish oil capsules, and about 2 cups of green tea a day. If I can do it, so can you.