New Year's Resolutions!

This New Year, make resolutions realistic...

For 2009, resolve to do something you really can carry out. Don’t resolve to completely give up certain foods, lose an unreasonable amount of weight, or set unrealistic exercise goals.

Resolve to develop an eating and exercise plan that you can follow. Assess your eating habits, including what and how much you eat. Check your list against the Food Guide Pyramid to determine where changes need to be made.
Then, make one small change per week: Switch from whole milk to 2 percent or add one serving of fruit or vegetables to your diet each day, gradually working up to at least five a day.

If you make your goal realistic and achievable, you’ll have a much better chance of keeping your resolutions.

Eating Mindfully

What does it mean to “eat mindfully”?

Eating mindfully means taking the time to focus on what you are eating. It means noticing the taste, look and smell of the food which in turn makes it more fulfilling and enjoyable to eat.
The next time you eat a snack or meal, take a minute to notice how it looks. Is the bagel soft, is the toast crunchy, is the apple bright red or the chicken a nice golden brown. Next notice how the food smells. Does it sweet, spicy, rich and creamy or does it have a pungent smell. Now take a bite, a small bite and keep the food on your tongue for a moment before swallowing it. Notice how the flavors are affecting your taste buds. Is it sweet, salty, sour or bitter? Now take time to chew the food and notice how flavorful it feels. Is there butter or a creamy sauce on it that makes it taste rich and smooth or is there a hint of pepper and seasonings that perk up the senses. Finally, after you swallow the morsel, notice how fulfilling that bite just tasted. Did that bite of food taste better to you?
It is important in our busy, on the go, hectic lives to take the time to enjoy food. Food is our nourishment, it sustains us and keeps us moving and meeting our goals. Food nourishes us and gives us energy to play sports, study for a test or any number of tasks that we ask of our bodies each day.
By eating on the go, while watching TV, playing on the computer, talking on the phone, driving in the car, walking to class or any number of other things we multitask while eating, we do ourselves and our bodies a disservice.
We don’t fully appreciate and enjoy the food.
We don’t feel as satisfied with the meal/snack.
We feel hungry soon after because our mind wasn’t fully focused on the meal and still thinks its hungry.
We tend to overeat when we don’t pay attention to what we’re eating and when we eat while we’re distracted.
So when you eat your next meal or snack, try to be more mindful of what and how you’re eating.
Your body will thank you for it!

Don't Like to Shovel??

According to the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, just 15 minutes of snow shoveling counts as moderate physical activity! And seeing as how the optimum stay-in-goal for aerobic activity is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 3 times a week - then shoveling snow certainly fits the bill! The flip side of this is that just like any other kind of sports activity -- if you’re going to shovel snow you need to warm up first and stretch out a bit. Think of shoveling snow as an exercise similar to bent-over rowing that you would do with a barbell in the gym. Or compare it to bicep curls with a dumb bell or barbell. You wouldn’t just go in the gym and start doing those exercises without a warm-up. Researchers have reported an increase in the number of fatal heart attacks among those who shovel snow after heavy snowfalls. This rise may be due to the sudden demand that shoveling places on an individual's heart. Snow shoveling may cause a quick increase in heart rate and blood pressure. One study determined that after only two minutes of shoveling, a sedentary man's heart rates rose to levels higher than those normally recommended during aerobic exercise. Hey -- shoveling represents an intense workout even for healthy college-aged students! A study performed by researchers at North Dakota State University determined that, based on heart rate, shoveling was a moderately intense activity for college-aged subjects most of the time but was vigorous activity during about one-third of their shoveling time of 14 minutes. Shoveling can be made more difficult by the weather. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body, so think before you shovel. Stretch out first, dress warmly in layers and bend at the knees when you’re hurling that shovel-full of snow. Remember to lift with your legs not your back.Now that I’ve presented a few safety concerns to you, let’s talk about snow shoveling technique! The goal here is to clear your sidewalks and driveway AND get in a nice cardio workout. !Make sure you have a good snow shovel. Most snow shovels have open ends that allow you to easily toss the snow off to the side. - Consider your physical condition. If you are out of shape you should proceed with caution. When you shovel you are simultaneously pushing, lifting and lunging, and this will have a quick effect on your muscles and stamina. Come to think of it, shoveling snow has a lot in common with chopping wood. Snow is heavy and shoveling is hard work - you don't want to risk a serious injury or jeopardize your health. If you have a heart condition or back problems, you should definitely not shovel snow unless your doctor approves it.- Work toward the areas where you are depositing the snow so that you have less distance to toss it as you tire. Chip away any ice that you find under the snow and remove the chunks with the shovel. - Spread rock salt over the cleared area to avoid icing. Sand any areas that remain slippery. As snow falls, you will find yourself outside shoveling every few days, which coincidently is what you want to be doing if you want to feel the benefits of shoveling snow! Shoveling snow presents challenges even for those of you who are reasonably fit. The National Safety Council offers the following tips to help you get a handle on safe shoveling: - Individuals over the age of 40, or those who are relatively inactive, should be especially careful. If you have a history of heart trouble, do not shovel without a doctor's permission. - Do not shovel after eating or while smoking. - Shovel only fresh snow. Freshly fallen, powdery snow is easier to shovel than the wet, packed-down variety. - Push the snow as you shovel. It's easier on your back than lifting the snow out of the way. - Don't pick up too much at once. Use a small shovel, or fill only one-fourth or one-half of a large one. - Do not work to the point of exhaustion. If you run out of breath, take a break. If you feel tightness in your chest, stop immediately

Awesome Job!

Great job on the Santa Fund! There were 4 classes that raised over $100 for the cause. Yes my class won, but the bigger issue here is that our goal as a school was reached AND surpassed from last year. Way to dig deep. I did get a lot of..."you cheated to win", "what did you do to raise so much money", etc, etc etc. Really??? Are people REALLY concerned that my class was able to raise that much money?? I thought the point WAS to raise as much money as possible. Aside from reaching into the jar from another class (which we don't do), there are no rules to raising money. I suppose if people would like me to stop making an effort to raise so much I could...but then who loses? The same people complaining are the same people who's class raised $5. The only cheating going on is the cheating of the family we are trying to support. I get excited about increasing competition amongst kids and classes. What I've gotten my class to understand is that in order for another class to beat us they are going to have to raise a ton of money and if that happens then we as a school have done a great job. I think the people wrapped up in how my class gets the money, she expend their energy in figuring out a way to get their class to raise money. Our kids are very generous kids, just ask them.

STRESS!!!!!!!!

Between the holidays and finals this is a very stressful time of year for students. What you eat may help…..or hurt!

Here are some nutrition tips to help during this stressful time:

EAT BREAKFAST – Breakfast provides carbohydrates and protein to help get your brain and body ready to concentrate and perform.

EAT CARBOHYDRATES – Carbohydrates stimulate the release of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps reduce pain, decrease appetite and calm nerves. Healthy carbohydrates include whole grain breads, pasta, and cereals as well as fruits and vegetables.

EAT PROTEIN – Protein helps your body produce epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine – brain chemicals that boost mental alertness, memory and thinking. Lean protein-rich foods include fish, poultry, eggs, lean cuts of meat, legumes, milk, yogurt and low fat cheese.

EAT MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY – Eat 3 meals a day and snacks. Snacks keep you going. Healthy snack options include nuts, fruit, milk & cereal, and popcorn.

WATCH CAFFEINE – Caffeine may help you focus for a short time, but too much can leave you jittery. Hydrate yourself with water.

Many Thanks

Just wanted to thank everyone for doing such a fantastic job with the CPR Anytime program. It was so exciting to hear many of your parents telling us at conferences that their child had come home and talked at length about the program. Knowledge is power...and all of you who have shared this are empowering people. Congrats to you!!

Santa Fund

It's that time of year again to scrape the pennies and dimes out from under your carseats and couch cushions to help raise money for a great cause. This time of year is always challenging for people in terms of money and especially this year with the state of our economy, but remember, there are a lot of people who are even less fortunate than we may be. Are you a coffee drinker or a Rock Star energy drinker? If so, can you go a day without one of those guilty pleasures?? Nobody is asking you to contribute your college savings, but a few dollars here and there from everybody would make a huge difference. I've always tried to make Santa Fund a competition. I enjoy the "trash talking" and comraderie amongst the homerooms during this time. The more we really get into the spirit of the competition...the more money we are going to make for a great cause in the end. It's not really about which class wins, but just so you know...my class ALWAYS wins!! Best of luck.