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.
Moving as a Family
In our blog series this month, we are sharing about some of our favorite ways to be active. Last week Jody shared about her favorites on the blog. Jody is a hard act to follow because she is a physical activity pro. Check out our physical activity videos on the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website for proof. I am not a pro at being active, but I try to move my body most days of the week. For me, being active is important because it gives me more energy, it improves my mood, and it helps me sleep better at night. Some of my time spent being active is alone, but I also enjoy being active with my kids. I have noticed that they experience the same benefits of being active as I do. Below are some tips I have learned over the years of us being active together.
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.
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.
Reducing Stress through the Benefits of Nature
As daylight hours dwindle and the air becomes crisper, thoughts and activities tend to focus less on the outdoors and more on the long winter months inside. And yet, the benefits of the outdoors and experiences with nature in reducing stress apply all year round.
