Category: Uncategorized
Sick
| April 15, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Uncategorized |
Happy Monday friends! Hope it’s going better for you than it is us. Sorry to have disappeared on you all but we have been battling some illnesses over here.
I had the stomach bug last week, Em has a nasty cough, and now it seems like she’s shared her cold with me. Probably doesn’t help that pollen is falling like rain down here in Savannah.
We are trying to get on the mend and hope to be back to blogging soon! I miss you all!
Have a Heart for Diabetes Prevention
| February 23, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Uncategorized |
I wrote yesterday about how important heart disease prevention is as it is a topic near and dear to my heart. Today, Carolyn is sharing more about diabetes prevention as well. Diabetes and heart disease can often go hand-in-hand and unfortunately I have a family history of both. Understanding the causes behind these diseases and how you can prevent them in yourself, your children, and those that you love is SO important! So while this post is a little out of the norm for the el-blogo it is also a topic I am passionate about and I think needs to be heard.
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Until recently, only Type 1 Diabetes was associated with young people under the age of 20. Today, however, children like my young cousin are being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the body can’t use insulin adequately. Sadly, this disease is also tied to many other serious health issues; according to Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Cardiac Hospital, these issues can include neurological problems and heart disease. With February being National Heart Month, it’s a great time to raise awareness and work as a family towards your own prevention of Type 2.
While diet and exercise are frequently effective treatments for Type 2 Diabetes, these same things can effectively prevent the disease in the first place. Parents can help kids live healthier lives and avoid the onset of Type 2 Diabetes by helping them make healthy eating choices and exercise regularly!
Leading by Example
Kids are likely to follow parental examples. If you make healthy food choices, they often will follow suit. Join your kids in eating healthy on a regular basis:
- eat healthy snacks such as fresh fruit, nuts and fresh vegetables
- instead of sugary drinks, hydrate with plenty of water – if you or the kids don’t care for the taste of tap water, get jugs of purified water to drink or add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon to your sports bottle full of ice water
- at mealtime, avoid processed foods such as lunchmeat or boxed meals
- start to regularly serve fresh, lean foods, including nuts, whole grains, lea meat, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies
An idea for a fun after-school snack or dessert that the kids can help make is “Mr. Fruit Head”: Place half a pear, peeled and cored, on a plate. Have your kids decorate “Mr. Pear” by attaching berries, grapes, and other pieces of fruit with small dabs of Greek yogurt. Chill and serve for a snack or dessert!
Actively Leading by Example
Exercise is another component of preventing Type 2 Diabetes. Some great activities you can enjoy as a family include:
- swimming
- after-dinner walks though the neighborhood
- nature hikes
- treasure hunts & obstacle courses outside
- rollerblading
- riding bikes
- tackling a ropes course
- yoga, Zumba or Pilates
In cold weather climates you can take advantage of the snowy weather to provide some great activities:
- sledding/tubing down a nearby hill
- skiing & snowboarding at a resort
- building snow forts and having snowball fights
- ice skating at the local rink or frozen pond
A few simple changes to your family’s daily habits can make a big difference in your children’s health. When you are actively helping your kids make healthy choices, their bodies will respond positively. There’s no time like February to have a heart for healthy kids!
Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/!
What are your thoughts on the prevalence of diabetes in the United States, particularly among children?
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National Vitamin Day
| January 29, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Health, Sponsored, Uncategorized |
We are just about one month into 2013 so I figure now is a great time to take stock of our New Year’s resolutions and see how were are doing! I just want to focus on some of my healthy living goals today because I find those are the ones I have been most focused on lately. So what were they again?
- Clean up my eats – doing pretty good so far! Getting my juicer has upped my game.
- Limit to one Diet Coke a day - fail
- Run at least 5 races - None yet
- Log 700-ish miles – on my way! Logged 61 miles so far.
- Do an unassisted forearm stand – making huge strides already in this one. Have held it off the wall several times.
- Do an unassisted pull-up – dream big
- Do yoga 1-2 times a week minimum - going strong. Currently going a solid 2x a week and soon to be third. I even attended my first yoga workshop!
One of the ways to help achieve your goals is to remain accountable for them which is why I am checking in today. More importantly that reaching goals, living a healthy lifestyle is all about taking care of YOU. On that note … did you know today is National Vitamin Day? It is! I have been taking a daily multivitamin for the last few years to help supplement my healthy lifestyle.
No I am not pregnant so don’t get excited. I do take a prenatal multivitamin since it is recommended that women of child bearing years include folic acid in their diet. Nature Made has been my vitamin of choice for awhile now. Why?
- Nature Made is the #1 vitamin provider in the world
- They utilize a science based approach for their products – they only make supplements that scientific studies have concluded that they are both safe for consumption and provide a benefit to the consumer
- Nature Made is the #1 pharmacist recommended brand in six segments as ranked in Pharmacy Times
Nature Made has gone a step further in their efforts to help people live a healthier lifestyle and get their vitamins in through VitaMelts. VitaMelts are vitamins that dissolve in your mouth and come in tasty flavors. The fact that they come in small, portable containers means you have no excuses NOT to take your vitamins because they can be taken anywhere!
I am most interested in checking out the VitaMelts Energy (B-12). B-12 can help support cellular energy production in cells, is essential for red blood cell formation, help maintain nervous system health, and can play a role in cardiovascular health. Added energy and some heart health benefits? Sign me up. The flavors are naturally derived and contain no synthetic dyes either. WIN. Alas, I am not a doctor so you should definitely check with yours before taking any supplements. Mine is thrilled that I am taking a multivitamin daily. To learn more about Nature Made and the VitaMelts, you can check them out HERE.
No matter what, take charge of your health and let’s make 2013 the best and healthiest year yet Nature Made® VitaMelts™ are a new “one of a kind”, enjoyable way to take your vitamins because they melt in your mouth and taste great. Discover how new Nature Made® VitaMelts™ can transform your vitamin taking experience by making it enjoyable. Visit us at NatureMade.com/VitaMelts to get a coupon.
Do you take a multivitamin? What do you think of the VitaMelts concept?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nature Made via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nature Made.
A Look Back on My Goals for 2012
| December 31, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Uncategorized |
Happy New Year’s Eve! I can hardly believe that tomorrow is a brand new year. 2012 was a big year for us. A few of our highlights:
- I ran (and PRd) in two half marathons … The Go! St. Louis in April and Rock-N-Roll Savannah in November
- We moved to Savannah
- Emmie went to the beach for the first time
- Chris took command of a military police company
- My dad had major surgery … and is doing GREAT
- Emmie turned one
- I broke into the 25′s for my 5K time
- We celebrated our first Christmas away from family
So much more happened this year but those are just a few of the stand-outs for me. A big part about today for me is also to reflect upon the goals I set at the beginning of 2012. I am proud to say I accomplished many of them!
Health
- Clean up my diet … bring less processed food into the house - We have done pretty good about this one but have been slipping the last two months so I am going to say did not accomplish.
Get to the gym 4-5 times a week– definitely accomplished this one!Lose the the baby weight and get to my goal weight– I am happily sitting 6 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight and wrote about my journey in my 12 month post-baby body update.
Beat my last half marathon time- done and done- Cut WAY back on Diet Coke – umm oops? My bad. Epic fail.
Relationship
- Go on a date night with the hubs every month … hire a sitter – oh how naive I was at the beginning of the year! HA. We have gone on a handful of dates and I can count on one hand how many times we have hired a sitter. However, every time a grandparent visits we take full advantage.
Eat dinner at the dinner table with the TV off most nights- Emmie and I always eat at the table and the nights Chris is home we manage to eat at the table 95% of the time.Get the hubs a gift just because– I bought him his Nike “Running Sucks” shirt on a whim
Emmalyne
- Organize her photos into a scrapbook/digital book – FAIL
Breastfeed until she is 1 year old … or until she bites
- SUCCESS. I breastfed until just about 13 monthsMake all her baby food from scratch- We ended up doing Baby Led Weaning and LOVED it.Start teaching her baby sign language– does it count if she knows “all done”? I am going to say yes. However, she has a pretty good vocabulary and can communicate most her needs.- Find a play group for her to join – any tips as to how to do this one??
- Sign up for a baby class (IE Gymboree, musicology, swim…) – not a lot of selection in Richmond Hill and we ended up being out of town for most of the swim sessions and there’s a wait list for the gym class on post.
Personal
Work on my photography … maybe take a class- I haven’t taken a class but I think my pictures have gotten better over the year. I guess you can be the judge of that though.Start working on my PA applications– didn’t get in for 2013. Apply again in April!- Journal more – FAIL
- Continue attending church weekly as a family – needs improvement. But we really like the church here and have friends that go too.
- Actually make it to most holy days of obligation – FAIL.
Keep in better touch with friends and family– Doing pretty good on this one!
Overall I am pretty happy with how my resolutions turned out for the year. I will be back in the morning with my new ones for 2013. Don’t be surprised if some of the epic fails are on there again See you next year!
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I’m Sorry
| December 17, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Uncategorized |
I am a really private person. I am fiercely protective of my family and my friends. I try to share my life with all of you but I tend to censor a lot of my innermost thoughts and emotions. It’s just how I have always been. It takes a lot for me to really open up to people and include individuals in my circle of trust.
Last night I sat down and wrote two very different blog posts. The first was my thoughts on Friday’s tragedy. I had tried to put into words throughout the weekend how I was feeling and couldn’t. The second was my fitness Christmas list. Something fun and lighthearted which was easier on my heavy and sad heart. I chose to schedule my Christmas list to publish and discarded my thoughts to my drafts pile.
After a restless night of sleep I woke up realizing that I made a mistake. I should have published my thoughts and emotions and not gone about like nothing happened for my own comfort. I rescheduled my fitness post and hit publish on my emotional post. This decision was done rashly and without thought. I should have explained to you in my second post as to why I had delayed publish. That seeing other bloggers share their raw emotion gave me courage to do so myself. To step outside my comfort zone and tell you how I really felt. To show a side to you that I rarely show to anyone.
By deleting my original post and scheduling it for later, I made myself appear inauthentic. That I was merely hopping on the bandwagon which is so far from the truth. Friday’s tragedy deserves more than that. I rarely write about how I am feeling deep down because I am scared. Scared to open myself up that way to strangers on the internet. However, writing for me is cathartic and how I deal with situations. I have so many posts sitting in my drafts folder that will never be published. Today, finding courage in others, I made the decision to hit publish instead. I just went about it the wrong way.
I am sorry to you my readers, friends, and family. I should have explained my thought process earlier. I should have given you some better insight into how I think. I won’t make that mistake again. Thanks for sticking around and realizing that I am a human too who is far from perfect.
I am a really private person. I am fiercely protective of my family and my friends. I try to share my life with all of you but I tend to censor a lot of my innermost thoughts and emotions. It’s just how I have always been. It takes a lot for me to really open up to people and include individuals in my circle of trust.
Last night I sat down and wrote two very different blog posts. The first was my thoughts on Friday’s tragedy. I had tried to put into words throughout the weekend how I was feeling and couldn’t. The second was my fitness Christmas list. Something fun and lighthearted which was easier on my heavy and sad heart. I chose to schedule my Christmas list to publish and discarded my thoughts to my drafts pile.
After a restless night of sleep I woke up realizing that I made a mistake. I should have published my thoughts and emotions and not gone about like nothing happened for my own comfort. I rescheduled my fitness post and hit publish on my emotional post. This decision was done rashly and without thought. I should have explained to you in my second post as to why I had delayed publish. That seeing other bloggers share their raw emotion gave me courage to do so myself. To step outside my comfort zone and tell you how I really felt. To show a side to you that I rarely show to anyone.
By deleting my original post and scheduling it for later, I made myself appear inauthentic. That I was merely hopping on the bandwagon which is so far from the truth. Friday’s tragedy deserves more than that. I rarely write about how I am feeling deep down because I am scared. Scared to open myself up that way to strangers on the internet. However, writing for me is cathartic and how I deal with situations. I have so many posts sitting in my drafts folder that will never be published. Today, finding courage in others, I made the decision to hit publish instead. I just went about it the wrong way.
I am sorry to you my readers, friends, and family. I should have explained my thought process earlier. I should have given you some better insight into how I think. I won’t make that mistake again. Thanks for sticking around and realizing that I am a human too who is far from perfect.
