Fuel Up to Play for 60

I love the Governor Branstad’s push for Iowa to be the healthiest state.  Especially in the face of fewer recess and gym class hours for school kids.  

They held a Fuel Up To Play 60 assembly at a middle school in the metro this week.  I was shocked when I found out that one brave 4^th grader spoke at the assembly saying he was working to lose weight and eat healthy.  I wouldn’t have dreamed of admitting to 4^th graders I was overweight when I was that age.  Actually… I wouldn’t admit to 4^th graders that I am overweight TODAY! They’re mean! 

If you don’t know what Fuel Up to Play 60 is, it’s a program supported by Michelle Obama that lets students decide how to make their school a healthier place.  They let students come up with the ideas and challenges students to earn prizes for the work they do.  

It’s a commitment to healthy eating and 60 minutes of physical activity every day…  

…….wait……..

60 minutes?  How many of us get 45 minutes 5 days a week and think we’re total gym rats. 

This is a wake-up call to me.  If we’re asking our kids to get 60 minutes of activity, why are we short changing ourselves? 

Now they’re not asking these kids to do 60 minute intense cardio training for 7 days a week… that’s actually frowned upon.  Our bodies need time to recover.  But a recovery day or two can easily include a walk at a park, or a bike ride on some of Des Moines’ awesome trails.  

 

Honestly, when I was just writing that, I was trying to think of things adults do to “play”.   Kids fly kites, play on playgrounds, build sand castles, play in the pool, go sledding… When I was a kid, it was almost expected that I would go out every summer night and run around and play some version of tag in the dark.  But now a night of “play” is ordering Chinese and watching a movie.  

I challenge you (and myself) to really consider 60 minutes of “play” every day.  Get outside, clean the house, heck… fly a kite! Play on a playground! Who says those things are for kids.  Spend less time on Facebook and more time dancing.  Spend more time chatting with your friends on the path around Gray’s lake and less time in front of the Real Housewives of wherever.  

  

I’m ready to play.  Who’s in?

http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/

She's a vegetarian...

I’ve been working out like a crazy person lately (pretty on par with my life) and I don’t seem to be losing any lbs. 

I’ve always been very athletic, playing sports every season, bla bla bla… But I don’t really look like an athlete. 

I will say I notice changes in my body when I’m committed to certain exercise regiments… like when I rode RAGBRAI I noticed my quads were solid gold.  And I went to do one of my least favorite moves (pushups) on Wednesday and noticed I could actually do a real pushup! On my toes! 

Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I don’t know why I have a little extra junk in the trunk…  I like sweets.  I can take down a package of Halloween Oreos in 3.5 days.  I just like food.  I like looking at pictures of food, I like spending 2 hours cooking a meal for my parents, I like telling people about amazing restaurants… 

One thing that makes me a little queasy however, meat that other people have cooked…  I love a grilled steak or a curried salmon.  I have an entire small chicken in my fridge sitting next to three chicken breasts… But I just like to know what the meat looks like before it gets cooked… It’s just a phobia.  Carnophobia if you will. 

I’ve always said I can’t go vegetarian because of my intense love for meat… But in my old age (I’m 26…) I’m starting to wonder if there’s a whole new world out there full of quinoa burgers and tofu that I’m missing out on!

Mean girl side note- there was a girl on my floor in college who was a vegan and ate vegan cookies and pizza and didn’t touch vegetables… She wasn’t fit and fabulous.    

All this said, I’m considering a move to pescatarianism. (I’m a proud sushi junkie.)

So this is my plan: 3 days a week in November I’ll be a pescatarian, 5 days a week in December and if all goes to plan, a full-fledged pescatarian by New Years. 

If you know me, I make crazy plans like this all the time… so stay tuned to see how long this lasts. 

In other, but still slightly related news… here’s what’s on the menu for the next 2 weeks. 

Pumpkin oatmeal- I can’t remember where I got this recipe.  I’ll look for it and get back to you.

Roasted chicken- Hence the entire chicken in my fridge. 

Cajun Chicken Pasta- thepioneerwoman.com

Sweet potato and onion hash with an egg- A pretty customary go-to

Pesto pizza- budgetbytes.blogspot.com

Quesadillas- Just cheese.  Slightly over cooked.  Love of my life.