Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Posts tagged family
Unplug and Reconnect with ‘Real Life’
05 months ago
It’s important to take time to remember the things in life that make it special. That sometimes means leaving all the digital stuff and being present in the moments you have with your family. Our roadtrip to Monticello, Williamsburg and Busch Gardens was so fun. We had a lot of laughs, got to know our kids better, wore each other out, got on each others nerves, had ice cream every day — The things you should do on a vacation.
As much as I love doing my blog, it’s important to not have it take over your entire life and get in the way of spending real valuable time with those you love. You never get this time back, so don’t get too wrapped up in what’s online. Learn to unplug and reconnect with ‘real life’.
Restaurants helping combat obesity, or are they?
06 months ago
Restaurants to offer more-healthful fare for kids
It’s something but is it really enough?
Nineteen chains — including Burger King, Denny’s, IHOP, Chili’s, Friendly’s, Chevy’s and El Pollo Loco — have agreed to participate in the Kids Live Well initiative as worries increase about the role of fast food in childhood obesity.
French fries, slathered with ketchup and washed down with a pint of soda, are a favorite part of fast-food lunches and dinners for millions of American youngsters.
But taking a cue from nutritionists, a group of 19 restaurant companies are pledging to offer more-healthful menu options for children at a time when concern is growing over the role of fast food in childhood obesity.
Burger King, the second-largest burger chain, for instance, will stop automatically including French fries and soda in its kids’ meals starting this month, although the items will still be available.
Instead, the company said Tuesday, its employees will ask parents whether they prefer such options as milk or sliced apples before assembling the meals.
“We’re asking the customers to specify what they want,” said Craig Prusher, the chain’s vice president of government relations. Fries and soft drinks are “no longer a default decision,” he added.
Marriage helps Colon Cancer Survival Rate
07 months ago
Marriage Improves Odds of Surviving Colon Cancer
ScienceDaily (June 21, 2011) — A new study shows that being married boosts survival odds for both men and women with colon cancer at every stage of the disease. Married patients had a 14 percent lower risk of death according to researchers at Penn State’s College of Medicine and Brigham Young University. That estimate is based on analysis of 127,753 patient records.
Similar to studies of other types of cancers, the researchers did find that married people were diagnosed at earlier stages of colon cancer and sought more aggressive treatment. The researchers took those and other factors into account before calculating the benefit of marriage on survival odds.
“Controlling for the stage that the cancer was detected is key,” said Sven Wilson, a study coauthor and professor at Brigham Young University. “Without that, it’s hard to know whether the analysis is just picking up a diagnosis effect.”
Colon cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States for both men and women. Curiously, the marriage benefit seen in the new study was nearly identical for both men and women.
Squat Cleans
07 months ago
Since we had family in town this weekend, we officially moved Father’s Day to next Sunday in our house. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do — It was so fun to have my big brother here for the weekend. I love seeing my kids around their family since we don’t live near any — it’s really important that my kids get to establish relationships with them whenever they can. With 5 brothers and sisters, there are certainly a lot of relationships to work on. And my Mom came as well and helped watch the kids while we went to the Cure By Design event in DC.
Cure By Design was so fun. It was the first year of this event here in DC, so not a huge crowd but a super nice group of people all coming together for a really great cause. So many stories — and seeing Scotty up there brought back a lot of memories of our treatment. People asked me how did we find out — when did it begin. I don’t really talk about that stuff anymore — being 3 years out of it, so talking about was hard. It definitely is fun to get all dressed up, gussied up and go to a fancy event in the Big City! Open bar, lots of hor d’ourves –and hanging out with Scott and my brother. Really fun event.
I’m still a bit worn out from last week’s brutal workouts. I definitely took yesterday off and because it was a celebration weekend of sorts, I did not eat all that well starting Friday evening through yesterday. I am going to once again re-focus because it may be in my head but I can feel the extra crap food on me. I don’t like that feeling…
Warmupx2
20 Double Unders
10 Pass thrus
10 Ring Rows
10 Med Ball Cleans
Skill
False grip on rings
WOD
15m AMRAP
7 power squat cleans (80% bodyweight) 65#
7 Chest to bar pull ups (I did no band pull ups, working on my kip)
total: 5+ 7 squat cleans/5 pull ups
Go Heavy, or go Home
07 months ago
wearing my strong=sexy shirt from Life as Rx'd
I feel better – finally and just have small remnants of my cold. It’s hard to believe summer is here already. Time goes by so fast. Seeing my niece this weekend really brought that home. Scotty’s illness really brought home to me how important family is. There are no other people in the world who get you as much as your family — it’s a combo of environment and genetics. I didn’t grow up with all 5 of my brothers and sisters — we were split between our mom and dad due to many complicated reasons, so I didn’t really get to know my older brothers and sisters. When we get together it’s really cool to me to see how we share some of the same mannerisms and personality traits. No one else in the world will be closer to you than your siblings. That’s one of the things I tell both my kids when they say they don’t like each other — no one else in the entire world share what they do. I am probably over sensitive about it because of how I was brought up.
This pic on the left is of my mom, my daughter, Hannah, and my niece Amelia this past weekend in New Jersey. I just love that my Mom was able to spend time with both of her granddaughters this weekend. Next time, I will bring the boy too — make it a grand kid extravaganza! What could be better than that??!!
Ok, enough about that mushy stuff – now it’s on to the strong chick stuff — So, today was yet another heavy lift day. You know how I said I like these days and I know how important they are? I realize I need to clarify that after today’s workout. I do like lifting days, but I don’t like the super heavy lifting days. There is some element of it where it becomes really not fun when it is just super heavy. I felt the mood difference immediately. I am sure it’s because I can’t use my strong upper body and have to rely on technique and coordination — 2 things that challenge me daily.
Warmupx2
20 DUs
10 Pass Thrus
10 Sit ups
10 Good Mornings
10 OHS
10 Mountain climbers
10 Hand stands (Yay! Thanks Jerry)
Skill
Deadlift
WOD
Deadlift – GO HEAVY!
3-3-3-3-3
110 lbs, 165 lbs, 205 lbs, 205 lbs, and 215 lbs | Rx’d
Oh and that was a PR for me. I had done 205lb previously – but once Coach Jerry got a hold of me and switched up my form — I could not lift that thing if my life depended on it. So, while I did lift it and that counts — I do have to work on form because you could seriously mess up your back.
Does having children make you happy?
08 months ago
Does having children make you happy?
Such an interesting discussion. I know lots of people with no kids who are happy, and those will kids who are happy. I guess it all depends on how you define Happy.
Nearly one in five American women now ends her childbearing years without having a child, compared with one in ten in the 1970s, according to recently released U.S. Census data.
The most educated women, those with bachelor’s degrees or higher, are among the most likely never to have given birth, according to the Pew Research Center.
Women like Copeland are challenging the idea that happy and fulfilled lives require children. In fact, other studies suggest that having children can have a negative impact on happiness.
“As a group, parents of all types and all socioeconomic levels in the United States report more symptoms of depression and emotional distress than their childless adult counterparts,” said Robin Simon, a Wake Forest University sociology professor who researches the association between parenthood and emotional well-being.
Her information is based on a nationally representative study sampling 11,473 Americans. They were picked from all races, socioeconomic backgrounds and educational levels
Trying CrossFit Kids for the First Time
08 months ago
Today I took my daughter and a friend to one of the CrossFit Kids classes that CrossFit Impavidus held to start prepping for the summer session. They had opened it up to all members’ kids, so why not tire my kids out on a Sunday morning. I had read about what CF Kids was all about, but I was curious to see it put into action.
Coach Lori and Coach Jerry started off with gathering the kids in a circle and talking to them a bit about what was on tap for the session. What I liked about that was they talked to them in kids speak so they could understand what’s going to happen. They went over some of the other skills the kids would have to use when doing the exercises and then into the warmup they went. This session was more geared towards the 5-8 year olds than the older kids.
They did some general stretching and then began to get ready for the Lego Game.
In teams of 2, each partner has to do broad jumps to one wall to earn 3 lego pieces – then with lego pieces in hand, they run back alternating for 6minutes. They can earn 3 more lego pieces if individually they decide to do 3 burpees right after their broad jump. The team that can construct the highest lego structure within 5 mins of time being called wins. What I loved about this was i combined exercise with learning to work as a team and then use your brain to figure out how to get the tallest structure.
After they did a quick clean up of their lego pieces, the gang headed outside to play a game of tag with a twist. One person is it – once they tag someone, everyone freezes –
and those 2 (tagger and taggee) have to do 3 reps of the exercise that the coach calls out. For this game it was squats, push ups, and tuck jumps. So the 1st tagger/taggee had to do 3 squats. Everyone unfreezes and the taggee becomes the tagger and goes after someone else — doing the 3 push ups and so on. … The kids were well run after this was over –
Then they regathered in the circle for a wrap up and afterwards were able to look around and try out a few exercises on their own if they wanted — like push ups, pull ups, box jumps and ropes.
I love that these games are designed to be fun and active and also engages their mind. They learn strategy, teamwork, and patience! My daughter loved it!
What’s considered attractive and/or sexy in men versus women
08 months ago
The Sex Difference in Sex Scandals
There are some things that you can’t change about genetics and attraction I guess – no matter how far we have come. I posted this with regards to how women and men are viewed when they are in positions of power – and what is considered acceptable traits for one are actually detractors for the other. Think about all the scandals involving famous men – Kobe, Magic Johnson, Sir Charles, Presidents Clinton/Kennedy, White House Staff, Finance Moguls, Celebrities — most of them weather the storm of bad press and resume their careers. Some even seem more famous and powerful post scandal. As a society it seems to be the norm. Sad…
One has to do with what we typically consider attractive and/or sexy in men versus women. For better or worse … as a culture, we see competence and power as very attractive features in a man. The more power and competence a man and his position (and money) denote, the more attractive he will seem to a whole host of women. This, by the way, explains the appeal of the military flight suit. I single out the flight suit, as opposed to military dress uniforms, because there is nothing inherently attractive in what military pilots refer to as their “green bags.” And yet, a pilot walking into a bar in one increases his chances of getting a date by an order of magnitude over a guy in a t-shirt and jeans. Why? Because the flight suit denotes competence and a certain level of power.
A woman pilot wearing a flight suit into a bar, on the other hand, will see her chances of a date fall. Why? Because (and again, this is a general trend, there are always exceptions), we don’t see competence and power as sexy in a woman. If anything, they’re threatening. When I bought my current airplane 12 years ago, (a simple, four-seat, single engine model), a male friend of mine congratulated me on the purchase, but then added,
“You know, Lane, this is not exactly going to help your love life.”
Is that image changing? Of course it is. More and more men are waking up to the benefits and appeal of a smart, competent, independent and powerful woman. But as a culture, what makes a woman appealing is still her looks, not her power.
CrossFit KIDS is coming to Ashburn, VA
08 months ago
One of the great things of CrossFit is that they realize that kids need to have a program too — to help them on their journey of lifelong health and fitness. The program is called CrossFit KIDS and it’s specialized just for them.
Their description:
CrossFit Kids is not simply a scaled down version of CrossFit, it is entirely absolutely CrossFit geared and designed for a special population and the specific developmental needs of that population.
(neurological, cognitive, motor)
CrossFit Kids is the principal strength and conditioning program for many young athletes and the primary P.E. program for many home schools, charter schools. It is used by athletic teams, martial arts schools and many parents that want their kids to grow up healthy, strong and have a life long love of working out thus avoiding the common problems associated with childhood inactivity and obesity.
Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Healthy living requires that our kids push, pull, run, throw, climb, lift, jump, effectively and safely regardless of whether or not they play athletics. Athletics is a specialized pursuit. Our goal is to support the specialist, but reward the generalist.
My description: Fun times for your kids. The younger kids get to play and do kids games for exercise – so its fun for them. The older set of kids get to learn fundamentals and have fun in a group setting that is made up of kids their own age. They learn about nutrition and start to incorporate exercise in their daily lives. For those kids that are already active and do team sports – CrossFit KIDS is a great strength and conditioning program to enhance their sport. Here’s the link to some of their demos~
So why am I mentioning all of this? Well — CrossFit Impavidus is going to be starting a CrossFit KIDS program in Ashburn, VA. If you want to get your kids moving this summer – they are going to be having special classes during the summer to introduce and get your kids moving! For more info – email them at lori@crossfitimpavidus.com!
**Even though I am a paid consultant for CrossFit Impavidus – this post is my own and was not requested or influenced by CFI.
For the Parents of Daughters out there – a word from Tina Fey
08 months ago
For the Parents of Daughters out there –I read this and it made me laugh: Tina Fey’s lovely, touching and totally true ‘Prayer for a Daughter.’
First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.
What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.
O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.
“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen.
