Blog
Finding Joy in Movement
Over the past several weeks, our Spend Smart. Eat Smart. team has been sharing some of our favorite ways to stay physically active. One of my goals as a parent is to help my kids develop a love for movement- something that feels fun, not forced. As Justine shared in last week’s family blog, finding activities that get your body moving and bring you joy is key to staying motivated.
My Go-To Ways to Stay Active
As the weather warms-up and the days get longer here in Iowa, I am looking forward to being active outside more. Over the past couple of years, one of my favorite ways to be active outdoors is going on bike rides. Last year was my first time riding a day of RAGBRAI. I rode with my colleague and fellow Spend Smart. Eat Smart. blogger, Justine Hoover. If you haven’t heard about RAGBRAI before, it’s a week-long bike ride across Iowa with overnight stops in different towns. Find out more at ragbrai.com. I like that it’s not a race and all ages and abilities participate. We had a lot of fun last year and are planning to ride another day this year. To prepare, I’ll spend some time on my bike on local trails.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
I hear and read a lot about eating protein foods, but I often end up confused. Am I not eating enough protein? Am I eating too much? This week and next week on the blog, Jody and I are digging deeper into protein needs to help us all better understand this topic.
Upper Body and Lower Body Strength Workouts with Iowa State Athletes
Last week I shared about our new Cardio Workout video on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. This week I’m sharing about the new Upper Body and Lower Body workouts led by Iowa State athletes.
Cardio Workout with Iowa State Athletes
We’ve added new physical activity videos to the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website and this time we partnered with Iowa State Athletics to have Cyclone athletes in the videos. How fun! Arianna, Maya and Morgan did a great job leading the videos.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Staying Active During Iowa Winters
I am not the biggest fan of Iowa winters. I grew up on the coast with mild winters. My first experience in Iowa, where the temperatures reached single digits and schools were still open, was an adjustment! One thing that has stuck with me since relocating to a colder state is ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’. Now that I have two young kids at home, it’s important to keep my family as active as I can during the winter to burn off their energy while increasing mine.
30 Days of Movement with Spend Smart. Eat Smart.
Being physically active is one of the most important things people of all ages can do to improve their health. Being active has many benefits, including:
Strength, Cardio, and Stretching Routine
The past couple of months I’ve shared about new physical activity videos we have on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. I enjoy making these videos to share because I am passionate about helping people find ways to be active that are fun and easy for them. Last time I shared Low Impact Cardio Intervals and Lower Body Stretch. Today I’d like to share our Strength, Cardio, and Stretching Routine. During the 10-minute routine strength exercises alternate with short cardio bursts. The routine ends with stretching. It is important for people of all abilities and skill levels to be physically active. This can be done by modifying movements for various needs. This routine can be done while sitting or standing so it is adjustable to meet your needs. I do the exercises sitting and my friend Katy does them standing. Grab a friend and get moving with us!
Hydrate and Stretch this Summer!
Summer is in full swing and my kids are busy with sports camps and day camps. My son is doing a strength and conditioning camp and the first day after camp his legs were sore! I encouraged him to do some leg stretches to help loosen them up. I got to thinking there are lots of activities we do during the summer that might make our legs a bit sore. Going for hikes, riding bikes, playing sports, walking while sightseeing on vacation and more! A new physical activity video we have on Spend Smart. Eat Smart. that might be helpful when you have sore legs is our Lower Body Stretch. It can be done as a standalone stretch or done when the body is warmed up for a deeper stretch.
A Happy, Healthy Heart
February is American Heart month. It’s a time to focus on habits that can help us live heart healthy lives. This is important because heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the US.
Strength Training: It does a body good
Last week I shared a sample plan on how to include our at-home workouts into your weekly exercise plan. This week I want to share some more information and tips on strength training. It is recommended to do muscle strengthening activity at least 2 days per week. Strength training is important for everyone. As we age, if we don’t use our muscles, they get weaker and we are less able to do normal daily activities.
A Walk a Day Could Keep the Doctor Away
As Jody mentioned in her earlier blogs this month, February is focused around heart health. I like to focus on the habits I can do every day that help keep my heart healthy. Eating well and staying active are at the top of the list for me.
