Through my work with The Blogrollers, Fair Winds Trading, and Macy’s as an ambassador for the “Heart of Haiti” initiative, I’ve been asked to highlight someone that is doing great things to raise awareness, empower and/or inspire others, and is all out passionate about making positive changes in her life, her community (online and/or offline), or maybe even the world! Karen Bantuveris is someone who personifies many of the themes present in the Heart of Haiti project. I chose to highlight Karen as a person who represents the “Heart of Social Good”; Karen is the Founder and CEO of VolunteerSpot; she is passionate about increasing parent participation in schools, engaging parents to fund education technology, and using new media tools to inspire social action in the ‘real’ world.

Have you ever met someone and known instantly that they were your kind of people? When we were in Las Vegas earlier this year for BlogWorld Expo, Stephanie Schwab invited me and Michele McGraw to a nice dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in The Venetian. It was an amazing meal but most it was the quartet of women gathered around the table that made the meal. The conversation that evening covered the gamut of topics from our upbringings to our careers and we even touched on politics!

Stephanie introduced us to Karen Bantuveris that evening. I was “social media style” acquainted with Karen and had vaguely heard of the organization she is Founder & CEO of, VolunteerSpot, but this was the first time I’d had the opportunity to sit and get to know her. She’s one fabulously fun gal! Later that night, while visiting VolunteerSpot.com and reading one blog entry after another, I discovered what an amazingly brilliant thing Karen has done.

Volunteerism is essential to the economic and social workings of most communities. The organization and mobilization of volunteer efforts, whether in the wake of disaster or for a simple school fundraiser, can make or brake the experience for all involved. The “burnout” rate for volunteers is a hot topic in the news and it’s something we’ve been addressing in my own community this fall. The extraneous “noise” and hoops one must often jump through just to give of their time can be overwhelming. I have often found myself weighing the value of my time (and the time taken away from family, work, and household responsibilities) against the good I’m able to accomplish. The reply-all emails, clipboards, online groups, and late night reminder messages can be incredibly time consuming and frustrating; it was just this type of frustration that fueled the launch of VolunteerSpot in 2009.

VolunteerSpot is a free on-line organization tool that simplifies organizing and coordinating volunteers in your community, congregation and social networks. VolunteerSpot’s simple sign up application makes it easy for community members to participate without having to wait for approvals and passwords, there is no software to install, just easy, free scheduling and sign up tools.

Thank you, Karen, for sharing your talents and for your passion for empowering and inspiring others to make a difference in their communities!

Listen to Karen talk about avoiding volunteer burnout on CNN.

This week MomActive welcomes guest blogger, Becca. A diagnosis of spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease has posed a number of challenges but has not stopped this active mom of two from being an excellent example of healthy living for her family, and an inspiration for us all! Becca hopes that by sharing her story she can help others who might be suffering from similar symptoms.

Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with a degenerative spinal defect. I was having some strange lower back pain and went to get it checked out. The pain was almost like that of an epidural, if you can relate to that. It wasn’t a muscle pain, but almost in my bones.

The defect? Ok, I lied. There are two. Spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease. Lucky me. It was the same thing that my Grandmother was diagnosed with. She died a few years ago after being bedridden for the last 3 years of her life, in constant pain because the bones in her spine were brittle and lacked cushioning between the discs.
Also, my father was diagnosed with the same defect a few years ago and suffers from the same excruciating pain that my grandmother did.
It’s genetic, I guess. The bad part? Grandma and Dad were diagnosed in their mid-50′s. I am 32.
I was referred to an amazing bone and joint doctor, one of the best in the state, who explained to me that my age and the fact that I am active should keep me from ending up in a wheelchair… as long as I keep moving.

Last year, I was kickboxing, turbo jamming, and running in 5k’s left and right. I even joined a women’s soccer team… well, until I fractured both of my feet in a game. But that’s a story for later. Last year I felt better than I ever had, and I was showing my boys how to be healthy by example.

This year? Spinal defect. New game, new rules.

At 32, I had no idea how to react when my body told me no. I pushed. It pushed back.

One day during the summer, I ran 3 miles. That night I paid dearly. Last year, 3 miles was ok. This year, it laid me out on the couch. I didn’t understand how, in the span of 6 months, I was no longer able to run 3 miles or finish a Turbo Jam video without taking advantage of the “modified” workouts. I was embarrassed and thought my family would think I was milking this thing for all it was worth.

Not exercising? Not an option. I exercise for stress relief, fresh air, and a healthy body. I now have an amazing physical therapist who helps me maximize my workouts and feel the best that I can.
These are my new rules:

1. Listen to your doctor. Take notes, listen to what he or she says, and ask a lot of questions. A few days after the appointment when everything settles in, don’t be afraid to call and ask more questions.

2. Find a physical therapist. I underestimated what physical therapists do. They help you strengthen the muscles around your weak areas to reduce injury, while slowly building up muscles in the injured area. My PTs provided me with exercises that, on the service, seem elementary… until I do them. I woke up last weekend in a lot of pain and exercised for 10 minutes using the “bad day exercise” sheet I was given. Not only did I feel better afterwards, but the next day the muscles I worked were fatigued. Seriously – if you could have seen how easy these exercises were, you would have laughed. But they targeted exactly the right muscle groups.

3. Exercise isn’t everything. Health, wellness, nutrition, and exercise all work together on a daily basis. If you wake up and change into your workout gear only to discover that you can’t bend down to tie your shoes, maybe today is the day to do some strengthening exercises or yoga. I make up for those days in other areas. I make an effort to eat less calories to balance out the lack of cardio. Exercise isn’t the goal; feeling good and being healthy are the goals.

4. {Responsibly} Test the waters. I can run 2 miles without having to ice my back. I know this because I ran 3 and it was too much for my spine. So I ran 2 1/2 a few times, and it was still too much. 2 miles? I feel accomplished, and my spine doesn’t yell at me. I could have easily decided that running wasn’t for me after the 3 miler, but… (see #5)

5. Don’t stop moving. The day you decide to give up and stay on the couch is the day you have lost. If your legs hurt, lift some light arm weights. If your arms hurt, do a few leg lifts. Do something. Try something different (the game has changed, you know). Do what you can.

*Becca is a mother of three boys (ages 6, 10, and 35), and a part time speech therapist. She enjoys two mile runs, modified Turbo Jam workouts, reading books, and eating M&Ms. You can find her personal blog at  OurCrazyBoys.com.

This weeks featured Active Mom, Chelsea shares tips for getting moving and staying motivated!

It is hard to get moving. This is especially true for busy moms. But guess what? It is even harder to keep moving.

About a year and a half ago, I needed something. I am a busy, working, tired wife and mom to two young children. My sister and some of her friends were talking about the running that they do, and invited me to join them. I was not a runner and had never been a runner. But I went and, over time, have fallen in love with running.

That being said, running is hard for me. I am not all that good at it, I don’t have time to do it as often as I’d like, and I tend to be very hard on myself when I don’t run as far or as fast as I’d like to. There have been times when I thought that maybe it was just too hard. Maybe I should just stop trying to be a runner. But, you know what? The feeling I get from it FAR outweighs the struggle. While running last week, I reflected on things that I have learned that keep me running and active. Today, I’d like to share those things with you.
1. Find your support group. This doesn’t have to mean a group of people that you actually, physically run with. It’s easier to run with a partner, but it can be tough (think: impossible) to schedule time when two or more people are available and ready to go on a regular basis. What it does mean is a group of people who know your plans and your goals. If you want to do a 5k in 3 months, tell your friends and ask them to check in with you each week about your progress. It’s easier to tie your shoes and get moving if you know you have someone else to answer to.
2. Buy some equipment. I’m not saying to spend a fortune, but buy a cute running outfit or perhaps an interval watch. Something that makes you look at feel like a runner. Call it motivation or call it guilt, that item could help nudge you out the door.
3. Start with what makes you feel successful. If you have never run before, please don’t hit the streets thinking you’ll run a quick 5 miles before heading out to work. Nothing will break your desire to be active like feeling unsuccessful. Start with promising to run one minute for every 3 that you walk, and work up from there. Set a realistic goal, based on either distance or time, and meet that goal no matter how many walking breaks you have to take.
4. Plan for realistic progress. Running, or any physical activity, is hard. It takes time to improve and, even then, it’s not always upward progress. Personally, I have been running for a year and a half. I have run two half marathons, many 10k’s and countless 5k’s. My time varies greatly, even from week to week. Some days I can’t run a full mile without walking. Improvement comes in the form of how you feel after running. It has to be ok for you to be slower today than you were last week.
5. Plan good routes. It is nice to have a couple of different running routes to choose from. I have one near my home, one between work and my kids’ daycare, and one that works well for nighttime (because it’s well lit and populated). When AT ALL possible, plan routes that don’t include many small loops. If you want to run 3 miles, try to find something that is 1.5 out and then back. It is so easy to turn your goal of 10 laps into 7… or 5… or “oh I’ve lost count so that must be good enough.” Having a physical location you have to get to and then back, or one large loop that you run once, makes it tougher to talk yourself out of it half way through.
6. Be ok with breaks. Plan your running intervals – for example 5 minutes running and 1 minute walking, and stick to them as much as you can. That being said, if you need more time, or an extra 30 seconds in the middle of a running interval… do it. It is better to take extra breaks and finish your goal distance (or time), than to give up, go home, and feel frustrated. Running should make you feel good about yourself, not stressed or unsuccessful.
7. Get others involved. As much as you can, get friends, colleagues, family involved in what you do. I have been called the “running instigator” of my school district due to getting people involved in running. It’s very hard to quit when people you have gotten involved are watching.
8. Give up perfect. See how this list is going to end on #8? That is not perfect. Neither are you, and definitely neither am I. If you goal is to win marathons, none of my advice applies. The rest of us? We need to keep our eyes on our prizes. For me, that includes physical fitness, emotional stability, and social aspects. What are your goals?
Running, or whatever physical activity you choose, needs to benefit your body, mind, and spirit. Keep these goals in mind, and stop being so hard on yourself. Just get out there and get (and keep) moving!

Chelsea blogs at VicariousChelsea.com . She commonly writes about running, but also about her family, her full time job in education and whatever else pops into her head. You can read more about her love/hate relationship with running HERE and a little bit about her latest half marathon HERE .

Today we welcome Molly Gold, of Go Mom, Inc.  She’ll be Racing For The Cure this Saturday and I asked her to share her story with us…

By Molly Gold

www.gomominc.com

On Saturday, June 12, 2010, I am running the North Carolina Susan B. Komen® Race for the Cure because…

My Mother is a survivor and I’m so relieved she tested negative for Brac 1 and 2.

My Aunt has had breast cancer twice spanning 25 years.

My Grandmother passed away in her 50’s of ovarian cancer.

I had my first mammogram at 34 and I’m over being in the high risk category.

I have a neighbor who passed away this winter after a long battle and her children are my children’s ages.

I can count 5 people I know on one hand who have had breast cancer in the last year.

1 in 9 women will fight this disease in her lifetime and I don’t want to be part of that sisterhood.

I am running because my friend Krista Colvin has breast cancer and she’s going to win.

As you all know, Krista is the ultimate gal pal.  She’s sassy and fun, smart and caring, she’s that girlfriend that you wouldn’t dare miss a girl’s night out with and you’d give your right arm for.  Or your right breast.  She is bold and brave, not one to shy away from anything, and an educator in her heart.    I live on the other side of the country, have never met her in real life, and know in my heart she’s my kind, that instant connection that makes you know that you know that you know you are meant to share the sisterhood.

When Krista shared the news of her diagnosis, I was mad, devastated for her, and sadly, I’m embarrassed to say so selfishly terrified for myself.  What did it mean if a woman so vibrant and true could randomly, without a family history like mine that screams warning signals, while doing those monthly exams most of the time along with yearly mammograms still be challenged to fight stage 3 aggressive breast cancer?  What if I ever hear that terrible news?

Because of Krista, I have realized that I can’t live in fear that I might get breast cancer.  In fact I have to recognize that when your world is wide as today’s can be thanks to Face Book, Twitter, and just being the social butterfly that I am, I am going to hear about breast cancer, and frankly lots of other scary things, a lot.  And you know what?  I can’t worry about what if…not when it comes to breast cancer, H1N1, or any other terrible unexpected threat to our lives.  We can’t anticipate that and will miss out on this precious life right here in front of us if that’s where we focus our energy.

But when I hear about a newly diagnosed patient or learn of their most recent battle, that’s my chance to help.  That’s my chance to pray for people I know and I don’t,  to get out in my local community and raise money for women hear and all over the country, including out in Camas, Washington where my sweet friend is making such a huge difference sharing her story publicly every step of the way.  Krista is using her relationships in the local media to educate women just like you and me about what breast cancer really looks like.

Social Media makes the world a much smaller place and it’s because of the wonderful network of people there that I’m honored to be part of Team Colvin.  Sponsored by Hanes Comfort and organized by my friend, Malise Terrell, Carolina Mama, we have an AWESOME chance to work together to raise money and awareness for breast cancer everywhere.   The local North Carolina Blogging Community is coming out to work together and we’d love your support so check us out! Thank you!

As I sit in my airplane at 100,000+ feet, I’m filled with a myriad of emotions. I am a bit sad that the weekend is over and my time with the fantastic social media ladies of the #ATL has ended until we next meet, likely at Blogher or Blogalicious.   I am excited to see my babies, whom I have missed.  I’m looking forward to getting home and finishing up some straggling work before I take the summer off from consulting, and I am at peace with the world after one of THE most relaxing weekends I have had in a very long time.

When I won The Blogrollers contest for a weekend “Race & Relax Weekend” trip to Atlanta, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  I was looking forward to a little time away from the daily grind and was  just plain thrilled to have a reason to train a 5k.  I’m typically focusing on longer endurance runs and never pay much attention to how fast I run.  Let’s just get this straight, I run far and loooong, major emphasis on the “long”. Simply put, I’m a slow runner.  I pretty much run straight 10 min miles no matter the distance so it has been fun to put more emphasis on speed work and I feel strong for it, so I’ll likely keep working at getting to be a “less slow” runner.

The Race

We were a crew of about 20, all with different goals and intentions for the race.  Some of us were out for the run, some for the walk, and others were there for the fun.  As we gathered at the start line, there was no mistaking who the social media mavens were …

Hey ladies!!! That was the start!

I was setting up my music and Nike+ so I could track my time, and suddenly a wave of runners started moving … YIKES we missed the gun.  I bolted forward and just started running.  I was a mess, and in the words of my lady friend @broksocialite, “we don’t DO mess”.  Well, I was a mess of fumbling iphone and wires and I should have been focused and preparing at the start line.  Oooops!  It took me a good 14 mile or so to get myself situated and into a running groove.

Can I just say that Atlanta is humid?  HU- MID! Not just the little glisten/glow kind of humid.  It was SWEAT your balls of humid.  I assumed the heat would be a challenge to me but I also wrongly assumed that because I train at altitude, I’d be able to breath much easier and move along at a faster pace.  Wrong, and a lesson learned – the humidity made the air thick and I huffed and puffed my way along the course struggling on the intake. I knew going in that the hills would likely slow me down a bit .. and they did.  I opted not to stop and wait in line at the one and only water stop. (Just a little FYI on race water tables “best practices”, stand IN FRONT of the table and pass the water to runners as they run by!) This was a decision I definitely regretted later when I would have given almost anything for a drop of water. I’m quite certain I must have sweat several gallons of water in that short distance, as I was blinded by the sweat dripping from my forehead.  My eyes stung and in my mind’s ear,  I was panting like a hyena giving birth. Or at least what I imagine a hyena giving birth would sound like.  I just kept thinking, “You can do anything for 3 miles” and “Suck air IN, Suck air IN”. It’s funny, I felt so strong despite wanting to die.  I was going to push along no matter what!

Never Make Assumptions

My cocky assumption that I’d have an easy time breathing during this race was silly, had I given it much thought or even looked into it at all, I would have realized that the thick humid air would pose a challenge and likely cancel out any benefit I had gained from training at altitude. I’ll chalk this one up to a lack of experience but I can tell you that I won’t ever go into another race being sure of what conditions to expect.

Strange Happenings

Our bodies change as they age and if you’ve ever birthed a child you will likely see significant proof of those children, that increases with each pregnancy and birth.  I’ve had three children. My body is evidence but I practice yoga in order to combat some of the core strength weakness that I might otherwise struggle with. No matter what I do, the trauma that certain parts of my body have weathered in pushing three gorgeous little blessings can not be undone.  I do believe that practicing yoga is just about the only thing holding my hips together right now!

The Finish

The finish line was right around a corner at the bottom of a hill.  Had I known that the finish line were there I might have picked up my pace earlier, but PHEW it was nice to see that “Finish” sign!  I thought I’d pass out as I walked it off catching my breath.  (Another race note: Making runners walk 3 blocks to get water when they’ve sweat so much you can smell them a mile away??  NOT advised – Place it off to the side if you have to but WATER should be in close proximity lest would like to  have a BaneringBlonde yack in the middle of your pretty street!

@stacieinatlanta, me, @brokesocialite

For more about the race, and to read about the “RELAX” portion of the weekend join my on BanteringBlonde…

Relief...

I can look back at my overnight summer camp experiences as some of the most memorable and enriching times in my life.  I have kept in touch with many camp friends over the years and even communicate with a number of them on Facebook.  I even roomed with one of my best camp friends, Julia, at boarding school when we were juniors in high school.  We met up last winter and even although it had been 20 years since we’d graduated, it was as if no time had passed. It was with Julia that I learned that a sailboat really could tip right over if you turned too sharp… and that rope burn really hurts.  I learned about making my bed with hospital corners, and that you could actually get dressed while still in bed on cold Maine mornings.

My children are 10,7 and 5 years old and I’ve started to explore the possibility of sending them to an overnight camp.  I get a bit nervous as I’m sure most parents do, but I also know that camps provide structured and supervised opportunities for independence and discovery, things that children need in order grow into the responsible teens and adults that we all hope they will become.  My kids have much less freedom to explore, here in the city, than I ever did growing up on 11 acres in New Hampshire. We spend most every weekend in the mountains but I know that a camp experience will be an important part of their education and development.

MomActive Live program on MomTV.com Wednesday at 10pm ET will be dedicated to highlighting the value of an overnight camp experience.  We’ll discuss the different concerns parents have and address such things as cost, types of camp, and size, among other things.  I’ve been corresponding with Ariella Randle Rogge Assistant Director/Program Director Sanborn Western Camps at High Trails Ranch and she has been gracious enough arrange for Mike MacDonald, director of Big Spring Ranch for Boys, and Julie Richardson, director of High Trails Ranch for Girls, to be guests on Wednesday nights program.  This will be an amazing opportunity to ask your questions and to learn about the planning and consideration that goes into your child’s summer camp experience at an American Camp Association accredited camp.  The chat room will be open and we’ll be monitoring it in order to address all of your questions.

Come Join the conversation with @banteringblonde on TheBlogFrog community.

or Leave a comment here and tell us a little bit about your favorite camp memories.  Will you, or do you, send your kids to an overnight camp?  Why or why not?

Bantering Blonde (thats me!) WON the Run With Wifey Race & Relax Contest!!

Here is what I Won!

• Race & Relax Event Registration (which includes the Virginia Highlands Summerfest 5K run/walk; post-race brunch sponsored by Walt Disney World Resort; a Get Moving! Race & Relax “Powered By Red” race-day T-Shirt, train to manage your pain Red Recovery Routine and bottle of tart cherry juice sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute; and other goodies)
• Round Trip Airfare
• Hotel accommodations for Friday (6/4) and Saturday (6/5) night
• Transportation to airport and Race & Relax event activities.

I’m so excited to run this race and it is a perfect distance and date to fit right into our current training schedule for the MomActive Training Schedule!  If you’d like to run a 5k in your city and be my virtual race buddy I’d love to connect.  You can email me at fiona.bryan @ MomActive . com

We are so glad you are here!  Reading this post is the first step in what promises to be a fun journey.  Phase I: Week 1 kicks off on Monday May 3rd!

Walk/Run – As we mentioned last week our main goal right now is to just get out there and walk or jog for at least 30 minutes at least 3 times this week.  Start to get a feel for what the most convenient days for running are.  Also pay attention to the day or days that would work best for longer runs.  Keep in mind that we’ll be increasing the distance/time of our one day a week longer distance runs all way through to October. The days that you do not run experiment with other recreational fun activities like biking, hiking, Wii Fit, etc.

Ideally, you should be able to run for at least 30 minutes without stopping by the end of this week.  More advanced runners, take it easy and just do your thang.

Shoes/Feet

Whether you plan to run or walk with us you’ll need a good pair of shoes.  If you have a running (or walking) specialty store close by this is your best bet in finding the right shoe.  Most stores have a treadmill that you can test shoes out on and many now have video and computer analysis that will analyze your stride.  To read more about choosing a shoe and the terms pronate and supenate you can read this Runner’s World article, The Best Shoe For You.

A quick word about your feet.  Running or walking distances does not pretty feet make!  Prepare to build tough calluses and be sure to monitor and stave off any cracking or peeling.  You’ll want to keep your toe nails short, although I will say that I have lost many toenails despite keeping them short. We’ll likely talk more about different remedies and foot related products as we build our time/distance, but it is worth a quick mention before we get started.

Clothing (and a word about sports bras)

You don’t need fancy clothes or any special gear to get started running.  An old t-shirt and comfortable shorts or sweats will do.  Ok, the sports bra conversation is an important one.  WEAR A PROPER SPORTS BRA – no matter what your size you need to have good support in order to be comfortable and if you can imagine the what having kids did to them … just imagine the damage from bouncing and jiggling out of control for long periods of time.  If you are blessed, as I am, with ample bosom I want you to know that I am livin’ it right there with you and we will be devoting an entire article and MomTV program to The Sports Bra very soon.  Not all sports bras are created equally and the right bra can will be crucial when we start racking up the miles.

Nutrition

This is also a topic that we’ll be covering in detail over the entire 21-ish weeks.  Here are few tips to get you started:

• Write down what you eat – I know it seems like a pain but we’ll use this information when we start analyzing our diets to be sure that we are fueling our bodies to do what we are asking them to do!
• Drink lots of water – uber important girls, just find a water bottle you can fall in love with and keep it with you all day long.  Another topic that will be published as a full article very soon.
• Take a multi-vitamin – I’m the worst at this – I make my kids take vitamins but I never take them myself.  The fact is most of us do not get the proper amount of vitamins and mineral solely from our food intake.  We’ll work on this but let’s just consider the multi-vitamin our insurance policy to fill in the gabs.

That’s it!  No fancy diets here – we’ll talk common sense and best practices for now and as we learn more we’ll begin to incorporate and eliminate foods as needed/desired.

Any questions? Ask away  ~ you can email or leave a comment!

The MomActive mission is to motivate and inspire women to take an active role in modeling positive behaviors for their children.  There is no way around it, an integral part of your wellness is movement. You must move to be healthy.  Your children must move to be healthy.  Movement is natural and how you move and the way you move is up to you.

HOW WILL YOU MOVE?

Start where you are.  If you haven’t exercised since high school, you probably shouldn’t head out and sign up to run an 8 mile race this weekend.  If you plan to follow along with our Get Moving series, you may be surprised to see that Beginner Track for Week 1 simply asks you to get up and walk.  That’s it. Walk three times this week and then try to take a longer walk at the weekend.  Where and how far?  That is up to you, but shoot for 20 minutes and see how you feel.  Experiment with how fast you walk.  Pay attention to your posture and pull your shoulders back, soak up the sun or whatever kind of day it is.  If you are already an active runner I challenge you to experience your body as you run.  Take note of your posture and stride.  How is your body moving?  Think about this because I’ll be sharing some amazingly powerful tips that will help you run faster and farther with less exertion.  This will come in handy if you are going to run the Inaugural Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon with Team MomActive in October (or any of the many other fall half marathons around the country).

WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN

Michele and I are social media geeks, freaks, enthusiasts, however you want to label it, we believe in the power of communication.  We know that there are others like us that feed off of the energy and inspiration of others.  Today, I propose that you allow yourselves to step back and clear the slate. Forget failed diets, past attempts at fitness programs and all the other mind trash.  Regardless of your health or fitness level you can always benefit from taking a look inward.  Our lives and our bodies are not static, open your mind to the possibility that there is better and that it is attainable.

SET A GOAL

Goal setting is an incredibly powerful and motivating tool.  We speak about goals but how many of us have outlined our goals and plotted exactly what needed to happen in order to reach those goals?  The floating goal may make you feel good but without a plan it is just an empty intention.  I happen to enjoy running and I enjoy racing because I set a goal for each race and then create a plan with how I will achieve that goal.  If you have never run before and set a goal of running in a 5k race or local walk, you’ll need a plan.  The plan will take shape around what your goal in running/walking the race is.  If you are a new runner you might simply want to finish, and your training plan will take that into consideration.  If you are an avid runner you’ll likely have a different goal, perhaps to improve your time.  I often run a 5k race as part of training for a longer race.  No matter your goal you will need a plan.  Lucky for you MomActive can help you with that! You can follow along behind the scenes or you can make the leap and join our growing group of women.  We will help you identify races in your local area and set realistic goals.  MomActive Run/Walk clubs are already starting to form in Denver, CO and the DC Metro area where organizers will plan occasional meet-ups for longer runs. This is really exciting for me because I’m always looking for a buddy on those longer training runs!  Let us know if you’d like to start a club in your area and we’ll help you pull it all together.  Be sure to sign up for our Newsletter to receive more information.

Think you might want to get moving?  It can be hard to make that first step but we’ll be here, and we’ll be ready when you are!

Today, I am excited to announce the formation of a new editorial partnership with Michele McGraw, who will bring her real life experience with healthy lifestyle change to MomActive.  In addition to the introduction of a 3 part running series that will begin this week and culminate with the Oct 2nd Inaugural Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon (watch for more details tomorrow morning), we will join forces to offer support for our mutual goal of living a MomActive lifestyle. Whether you join us in running a half marathon, run a 5k or begin a new healthy lifestyle, we will offer full support along the way.

Michele McGraw ~ Partner/Editor

Michele has spent her life yo-yo dieting until 5 years ago when she lost 75 lbs and began a new healthy lifestyle for both her and her family. She has also spent the last 13+ years helping women find support online for their hobbies and lifestyles. MomActive is the perfect blend of new healthy lifestyle and her passion for offering online support. Michele is CEO of Mom Geek Media and creator of ScrapsofMyGeekLife.com, offering daily commentary, advice, reviews and shared experiences of how her real life and the digital domain connect. She is the host of the Digital Soul Hour, a technology webcast on MomTV on Wednesdays at 10pm ET. Michele is a work at home Mom of 4 kids ages 13, 11, 7 and 5. Her hobbies include digital scrapbooking, reading social media books, collecting gadgets, researching anything and dreaming about laying on the beach. She loves running, yoga and EA SPORTS Active

By Stacey Colino for Live Right Live Well

There’s something fishy going on. Omega-3 fatty acids, once found primarily in fatty fish, are being added to all sorts of foods, including fruit juices, soy milk, eggs, nutrition bars, cereal, yogurt — even infant formula. In fact, they’ve become the wonder nutrient du jour, largely because researchers are discovering more and more health benefits associated with them.

Health Benefits from Head to Toe

Long known for their heart-protective powers, omega-3 fatty acids lower blood pressure, reduce triglyceride levels, decrease the buildup of artery-clogging plaque and lower the risk of heart arrhythmia. In addition, researchers are now finding that omega-3s may be helpful in a wide range of conditions including acne, age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, depression, diabetes, macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness), Parkinson’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

How to Get Your Omega-3s

There are a few different types of omega-3 fatty acids, but the real powerhouses are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that most people eat fish, particularly fatty fish, at least twice per week. The best choices: fatty cold-water fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, lake trout, sardines, mackerel and anchovies. The AHA also recommends that people who have heart disease consume about one gram of EPA and DHA per day, possibly in supplement form. Those who need to lower their triglycerides are advised to ingest two to four grams of EPA and DHA per day from capsules.

But some experts go beyond the AHA recommendation, believing that even more people should be taking these supplements. “Those who consume less than the equivalent of two to three fish meals per week and no other sources of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 eggs, should consider supplements,” says J. Thomas Brenna, a professor of human nutrition at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. And if you’re worried about contaminants associated with fish, you’ll be happy to hear that omega-3 supplements have been found to be free of heavy metals that have been a concern with fish.

So eat more fish and
consider omega-3-fortified foods and supplements. Says Barry Swanson, a fellow
of the Institute of Food Technologists and professor of food science at
Washington State University in Pullman: It doesn’t matter how you get your
omega-3s — “as long as you get these nutrients in your body, it’s better than
not consuming them at all.”

Stacey Colino

Stacey Colino has written for The Washington Post Health section and many national magazines, including Newsweek, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Parenting, Sports Illustrated and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Copyright © 2010 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

Michele Obama’s initiative to combat the childhood obesity epidemic launches today. The effort, pegged “Let’s Move“, will focus on “four key pillars”: Educating parents about nutrition and exercise, improving the quality of food in schools, making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families and an increased focus on physical education.  Whether you agree on the extent to which she has used her own children in as an example or not, you have to admit that this is a good thing.  Our kids are growing up eating junk food, watching TV that encourages them to eat junk food , and they are also getting outside to play far less often than they did while you and I were growing up.  Drive down any street, anywhere in the country, and the number and variety of fast food joints, where half of the food options contain more fat and calories than most of us need in an entire day, is overwhelming.  I’m not a “Big Government” fan but I do think that convenience has become the norm and it will be interesting to see what impact this initiative will have.

I couldn’t help but laugh when reading the following excerpt from ABCnews.com:

To help parents, the first lady said she’s working with the Food and Drug Administration and major food manufacturers and retailers to make it easier for parents to identify healthier foods by placing nutrition labeling on the front of the package.

Did we not have that earlier last year with the Smart Choices Campaign, in which Froot Loops donned the fabulously attractive and trendy green Smart Choices check mark?  I wrote several fiery posts here and on momactive.com blasting the program and the greedy scoundrels behind it.  If you missed it you can read about it right HERE and HERE. The quacks behind this ridiculous marketing effort have since stopped labeling foods with the Smart Choices check mark because the guidelines were so laughable that the FDA announced that it was looking into the “scientific criteria” used to designate foods that manufacturers who participated (read PAID) to take part in the labeling program.  The uproar surrounding the whole thing created a massive PR disaster for all involved and served as a lesson putting the big corporations on notice that consumers aren’t as stupid as they’d like to think we are.  I would love to hear what Michele Obama thought about Smart Choices.

What Michele Obama is trying to do isn’t exactly new.  I grew up with the Kennedy era President’s Council on Physical Fitness (which was actually just a renaming of the President’s Council on Youth Fitness started by Eisenhowerin 1956).  Remember the test?  The one where you have to try to touch your toes and where they measure your arm fat with the calipers?  I remember very clearly that I outran every boy in my class but I didn’t like the arm fat thing…  In any case, “Let’s Move” is similar to past government efforts, but perhaps the effort to increase nutritional education and improve the availability and cost of healthier foods will achieve a reduction in our country’s obesity rates.  Those of you that watch the show on MomTv will remember our discussion last week about a study that showed people responded more positively, and as a result purchased a greater amount of healthier foods more often, when given access to a reduction in the cost of healthy food choices in addition to nutrition education, versus those who only received the nutritional information.

Will “Lets Move” make a difference?  Let’s us know what you think!

Recent Research shows that processed or junk food, such as fast food, sweets and chips contribute to depression. Data related to food and mood was collected from 3,486 men and women in the UK over 5 years. The processed food pattern of eating more sweets, fried food, high fat diary and refined grains was associated with a higher chance of being depressed. Compared to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains.

The study researchers offer some tips for optimal physical and mental health:

1. Have breakfast because breakfast eaters consume more fiber calcium and micronutrients and are healthier
2. Eat sweets on occasion, focus on a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and healthy snacks.
3. Snack on apple, cheese, carrot sticks and nuts, this was the choice of the folks with a better mood.
4. Read Food labels and limit high fat/sugar foods.
5. Limit salt intake, use spices and herbs to season your food.
6. Make eating together as a family a top priority, meal times are a time of nourishment both physically and emotionally.

Source:

When we had our second daughter, my husband and I quickly realized that we needed to continue to spend one on one time with each child to assure that they both felt engaged and important to us. After baby girl number three, we still hold this philosophy, but when the children outnumber the adults, it becomes very hard to attain this goal.

But we still work at it… every day. It is not that we need to make time with each of them big events. We don’t need to take them to an amusement park or to the zoo. But we do need to give each of them a few minutes separately every day. For instance, my husband reads the bedtime story to the four year old every night. That is 15 minutes of dedicated daddy time that she is guaranteed and look forward to.

Other dedicated times might be to sit with the nine year old as she practices her piano, encouraging her and giving her undivided attention. We make puzzles with them, color, dance, let one of them prepare dinner with me or breakfast with Daddy.

We do also take time to make dates with each of them also. Again, it need not be elaborate or expensive, but just some time away from the house and the other sisters. It might be a daddy/daughter movie date or a mommmy/daughter picnic. Really, even when they get to ride in the car without two other screaming kids, they feel much more attended to and special.

The other day, as my nine year old sat on the edge of the tub keeping me company while I scrubbed the floor, she said, “Mommy, I really like this.”

“What?”

“Just sittin’ here talking to you.”

Awww, she filled my heart. But that proves that it really is the little things, those few stole moments here and there that will make the difference in your child’s life and grow that bond that every parents wants with their children. Hey, maybe you can even get them to scrub the toilet while you are talking!