Finding a Balance

Sitting at your desk??

Many of us spend a majority of our work day sitting at a desk.  I challenge you to make a conscious effort to get up and move throughout the day just to get the blood pumping in your legs and arms!

Here are a couple articles from MPR that will make you think twice about spending your day glued to your desk chair!

Health-Chair Reform: Walk, Don't Sit At Your Desk Minnesota Public Radio News

Sitting All Day: Worse For You, Worse For You Than You May Think

National Bike to Work Day

Don't forget that National Bike to Work Month is MAY, National Bike to Work Week is May 16-20th and National Bike to Work Day is May 20, 2011!  Get geared up and if you need information for your business or for your commute check out the Bike to Work Tab at the top of the page! 

Bike/Walk Week for the Twin Cities is June 4th-12th, and on their Facebook page they had a clever fact:  "You never have to pay to park your shoes"  For those who work anywhere that you pay daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly  to park this might be just the fact to get your walking to work! 

Insider

The Buffalo, Hanover, Montrose School district has a  monthly newsletter and this month Live Wright grant projects "Grow Lunch" at Discovery Elementary and the Opening Doors Garden Club are featured in the Newsletter. To read the articles and other great news going on at BHM visit:

http://www.bhmschools.org/sites/default/files/downloads/insider-april2011web.pdf

Snow?!?!

Star Tribune Photo of a Monkey at the MN Zoo during the lovely snowfall today!

Yes, Minnesota winter brought it's top players this year and even those winter enthusiasts, the "true" Minnesotans are saying "enough is enough already!"  We have started to see plants shoot up and the grass was really starting to get green when the snow decided it hadn't quite had enough face time with us.  So, we began retreating back to the comfort of indoors...even I will admit that as much as I have begun to loathe the inside of a gym, it was just too sad to go outside and have to deal with the "too cold for spring temps" and there was no way that I was going to get slapped in the face by this "wintry mix."  So back I go to the monotony of the gym and wishing that I could get my 5 month old shoes a little dirty outside so they don't look like I just pulled them out of the box!  I've only got until the end of April and then the weather really had better shape up because my gym membership is over!  And then I'll have to take it outside no matter what!  The day will come soon enough though, that we will begin to complain about the heat and humidity of Summer and look forward to the cool-down of Fall, just to start complaining about Winter all over again, well most of us will anyway!  :)  

Here are a few ideas for indoor activites that will help get physically active for those of you who like me are refusing to "play in the snow" at the end of April!!

Dance!  Crank up the music (just loud enough so your neighbors don't complain) and dance!  It doesn't have to be choreographed, just gets you moving.  This is a great way to just let loose, you can really work up a sweat and not even realize it!

Video Games - I know.. I know...not the answer you were expecting, but when I say Video Games I'm not talking about giving your thumbs a work out and sitting on a couch killing zombies and aliens, I'm talking about all the options of physical movement in video games now, with the X-box 360 Kinect, PS3 Move,& Wii , there are so many games out there for all three of these game systems to get you moving and work up a sweat!

Workout DVDs- you don't have to purchases these, you can visit your local library, this gives you the oportunity to try out a couple different videos!


*As always before you start any new exercise routine, make sure to check with your doctor!

Minnesota Grown Directory

The 2011-2012 Minnesota Grown Directory is now available.  To find out where all the Minnesota Grown goodies are at check out the Minnesota Grown Directory or visit http://www.minnesotagrown.com/ You can also order your own copies of the Minnesota Grown Directory to share with others.  You can search by area, product or name of a farm or market.  Check out the Wright County section on page 42 of the directory to see what great places are near you! 



Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge

Last Day!!

Today is the last day of the 12 week Challenge...as I've said the last two days, this isn't the end, keep challenging yourself to eat healthier and to be more active or to maintain the healthy changes you've already made!  Set new goals and take the steps to achieve those goals and CELEBRATE your successes!!  We too often don't give ourselves the appreciation we deserve for reaching our goals, but when you reach a goal you deserve to celebrate!  Did you cut back on buying that mid-afternoon soda?  Use the money you saved to buy yourself a healthy reward!  Maybe you want to add another water bottle harness to your bike for those long rides you'll be taking this spring/summer/fall.  Maybe you want a pedometer to see how many steps you actually do get in a day!  These are great rewards for meeting healthy goals!  

Enjoy the weekend; rain, snow or sunshine, get out there and get moving, show nature who's boss!

Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge

1 DAY REMAINING!!

At 11:59pm tomorrow the Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge will end.  That doesn't mean that Challenging yourself has to end though!! 

If you didn't quite reach your goal during the 12 week challenge, choose a new goal date and work on achieving that goal.  Look back on the past 12 weeks and see what was the hardest part of reaching your goal.  Are there things that you could change in your daily routine that would make it easier for you to achieve your goal?  Sometimes we find ourselves sabotaging our goals and not even knowing it! 

Now that the weather is getting nicer (ignore these next few days with rumors of snow....) it may give you that extra motivation to get outside and get active.  I know one of my favorite things is that first spring run OUTSIDE and taking a much needed break from the inside of a gym and the monotony of an elliptical trainer or treadmill! 

Some of you may be noticing that it is really starting to "green up" outside too, that means that in no time we will be having gardens filled with fresh produce, farmer's markets bustling with people picking up their veggies and fruit for the week and no excuse to not have some fresh greens on your dinner table!  If you are looking for a healthy challenge, try to challenge yourself to include fresh fruits and veggies with all your meals. 

Try something new or something you used to "HATE" and have avoided for years!  For example, I have always been anti-asparagus....but just a couple weeks ago the only veggie that was offered to me with dinner was roasted asparagus with a little sea salt and pepper....so I decided to try it out again, and although it still is not the first veggie I'd choose, it wasn't as bad as I remember thinking it was! 

Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge

2 DAYS REMAINING!!

The Live Wright Team is at 86 pounds of weight loss to date!  This has been a fun challenge and a great way to keep track of your daily habits, I know it's made me think about how many glasses of water I'm drinking each day and how much physical activity I'm getting!  Being part of a team gives you a sense of responsiblity for what you are doing and accountability!  Just because the challenge ends on the 15th doesn't mean you can't still get a group together to continue to challenge yourself.  Maybe you have some co-workers that are trying to get their 10,000 steps in each day, you can start a lunch hour walking group, or maybe you want to train for a walk/run together.  Want to make sure to keep up those healthy eating habits? Start a healthy recipe exchange with friends or co-workers and try out some new dishes!  There are lots of ways to keep the healthy habits going and having others involved in your goals helps keep you motivated and aware of your goals and how you can reach them, with a little help from your friends! 

If you prefer to accomplish your goals solo, you can find lots of helpful tools online that can help you track your calories eaten, burned, and will help you log your activity.  Journaling your food intake and activity is another helpful way of holding yourself responsible and it can be eye-opening when you realize how much you are "snacking"  throughout the day, and how much or how little activity you are getting during the week. 

One other fun way to look at activity level is to record how often you are physically active, and record how much screen time you are getting...this include both TV & Computer...this one is usually a pretty scary high number!!  Now, if you want to balance your screen time and physcial activity time, and can't miss American Idol, try spending some of that TV time doing some sit-ups or lifting some free weights. During commericals do jumping jacks, jump rope, jog in place, etc. 

If you feel like your computer is a permanent extension of your hands, make a conscious effort to monitor the amount of time you are in front of your computer and take breaks, your eyes will thank you!!  Follow the rule of 20.  Every 20 minutes look away from your computer screen for 20 seconds at something that is 20 feet away. Set an alarm, there are some online alarm clocks you can use!

If you are glued to an office chair, staring at a computer screen all day, make sure to take breaks to stand up stretch and look away from your computer screen.  Taking small breaks can help you feel more refreshed and will allow you to be more productive! 

Take your lunch break....AWAY from your computer!  With deadlines, hectic schedules, and lots to do in little time we often find ourselves eating our lunch at our desk, still typing away on the computer.  This is not giving your body the break it needs from sitting in front of the computer and it also makes you less mindful of what and how much you are eating, which tends to lead to overeating. 

There are lots of helpful hints out there for maximizing your health while still performing well at your job, it doesn't have to be one or the other.  Many times we are too busy with work to take time for ourselves, but if we can incorporate those "good for you" things into our daily routines we'll fit in a little activity and healthy eating without even realizing it! 

Keep checking the blog for additional tips on fitting healthy behaviors into our everyday life!

New Look!

Spring Cleaning Time!  Not even the blog can escape a good clean up!   We are making it easier to navigate through some documents that we want available to you. There are now tabs at the top of the page that allow you to access information about SHIP, Community Leadership Team (CLT), National Bike to Work Day, the current Newsletter and Live Wright Grants that have been awarded.  We hope you find this easier to read and if you have any suggestions leave a comment! Thanks!