Speed Bump

Do you juice? We do now. My wedding anniversary present from Ryan this year was a juicer - and I love it! Our inspiration came from the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead . If you haven't seen it, put it on your Netflix list for this weekend. It is eye-opening and inspiring - and it will make you want to juice! I will write a full post on 'the juice' next week when my life (hopefully) slows down a bit. I will tell you all about my 3 day juice reboot - it left me feeling amazingly healthy and nothing short of fantastic. May is Exercise is Medicine month and as I wrote about last week, we're kicking off the month with our conference and author event with Dr.Jordan Metzl. (If you missed that post, read about it here .) One more crazy story related to Jordan and his book. Around the time I was planning our Exercise is Medicine conference, we had my parents over for dinner and I had The Exercise Cure  still sitting out on the kitchen counter. My Dad noticed the book and s...

When it comes to exercise, my personal and professional worlds collide - in a good way. I write  about exercise on this blog often and I study exercise in my research. I co-organize a regional Exercise is Medicine conference at my institution (our third conference is coming up next week!) and this year I became the faculty advisor for an Exercise is Medicine interdisciplinary student group. These students are future doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and researchers - and they want to practice their particular health care specialty with a focus on exercise as prevention and treatment for their patients. I love that these students share my passion for this idea and this is truly one of the most rewarding and enjoyable aspects of my job. At home, I try to practice what I preach. I enjoy exercise and wish I could fit more of it into my day. I think better, eat better, live better when I exercise.   In my 20s , I often logged over 50 miles of running...

I've talked about Exercise is Medicine on Speedbump in the past  here  (and a series of exercise posts can be found here ). It is something I am increasingly passionate about, both personally and professionally. I've always been an exerciser - whether through sports, running or yoga. I like to exercise. Exercise makes me feel good about myself. My body feels 'right' when I'm exercising regularly. I don't relate well to those that don't like to exercise, that hate to exercise. I know those people exist and I try to remember that when sending out messages about exercise.  But I don't get it.  My problem is not that I don't want to exercise, it is that I find it harder and harder to find the time.  And I think that is the case for most people. Even those that hate to exercise know they should do it, and time is also a hindrance for them (a double whammy - to hate something and not have the time for it - no wonder so many people don't e...

Please watch this video . And think. Then move.

Exercise is Medicine month is coming to an end. This is the last official post in the series, but I'll be posting about exercise and health on Speed Bump in the future. It is a topic near and dear to my heart and always on my mind. I hope the series was helpful and informative. Thanks for reading! Merrell's Dash Glove, my new sneaks. I don't know that I've ever traveled without my running shoes. I certainly can't remember a time and place. Running has taken me beyond the tourist stops and into residential neighborhoods in Paris, and through all the famous parks of London. I got frustratingly lost running through a city park in Munich at the age of 22 and have worked on improving my sense of direction ever since. I ran at midnight in Egypt to avoid the heat, and ran from wild boars in a forest in Vienna. Running in Istanbul meant darting in and out of busy streets and markets, often with local children cheering and running behind me. I once ran a trail...

Tired of hearing the bad news about skyrocketing diabetes and obesity rates reported almost daily? Well, you can do something about it - quickly and in a big way. If I had to pick one message from the Exercise is Medicine meeting last week to pass on, it would be the need to decrease inactivity. Did you catch that? DECREASE INACTIVITY. Not INCREASE ACTIVITY - that is a message we hear all the time -  and one I absolutely want to continue to stress. By no means are we getting around the need to exercise to improve overall health. But, there is a growing body of evidence that inactivity - essentially sitting all day - is a major risk factor for chronic disease. Surprisingly, the biggest offenders of this inactive lifestyle can be regular exercisers. Do you know anyone that goes to the gym for 30 minutes and then sits for the remaining 15 1/2 hours of time spent awake each day? This descri...

Last week I co-hosted an Exercise is Medicine conference at my institution. 160 like-minded exercise enthusasists and researchers in one room left me feeling energized and reinvigorated about my own fitness goals, as well as my research interests in exercise and disease. Given the new numbers published today that 1 in 4 American teenagers may be diabetic or prediabetic (23%, up dramatically from 9% in 2000) some good news is definitely in order. I'll post the big take home messages from the exercise conference later this week. But first, I wanted to share my favorite abbreviated workout and some thoughts on obesity and weight loss. Interval training - easier than you think. Have you ever tried interval training? It is a great way to enhance your every day exercise routine whether you walk, run, bike or row. Interval training allows you to work at a level of intensity you couldn't sustain for a longer period of time. Th...

My cheering section for the Mother's Day 5K We had a busy and fun weekend of racing in the Maniger household. The weather was beautiful both Saturday and Sunday, even a little cool at times which was perfect for running. With early mornings both Saturday and Sunday and two showings on the house to prep for, we felt pretty exhuasted by Sunday evening. Race note: I finished 3rd in my age group out of 378 runners -  and I paid for it all day Sunday. I need to put in more miles if I am going to run that hard. I know better, but I hadn't raced in a long time and my enthusiasm got the better of me. Gram finished 9th in her age group - despite almost missing the start. Way to go Mom! Mother's Day 5K Race Team 2012 We cheered on Kara in her big race Saturday and it was so much fun. I was surprised at how many people 'ran with the cows' in this race, which is only in its second year. I heard about 2500 turned out to run on Saturday. As with any big ra...

How perfect that Mother's Day falls in May - Exercise is Medicine month. A few thoughts on exercise and motherhood... Mother's Day makes me think about many things - my own Mom and how grateful I am to have her in my life (and not just for emergency babysitting!), and how grateful I am to be a mother to two beautiful, healthy children. Last year was my first Mother's Day with a daughter. And, although I always wanted a daughter, parenting a daughter scares me. I feel like there is a lot more room to make mistakes - for her to rebel and hate me, and for me as a role model to fail. I don't want my feminist ideals to come on too strong, or make her do a 180 against them and marry the first guy she loves at 18; and I also don't want her to think she has to achieve and impress me all her life - she will be my perfect girl no matter what. I worry about these things, maybe more than I should. But one thing I don't worry about in parenting my daughter is giving he...

 Running the Hospital Hill Half-Marathon with Ryan, circa 2007. Photo credit: K.Tuttle. 10 things - some new, some old - about exercise and me: 1. I ran my first 5K at the age of 10. Since then, I've run more road races than I can count. 2. In college, I was lucky enough to compete in the historic Head of the Charles , the world's largest two-day rowing event. 3. I had what I'm pretty sure amounts to a panic attack in the open water swim of my first triathlon. Thanks, but no thanks. 4. I've run 9 marathons, including the infamous Boston Marathon. My marathon PR is 3:24:40. 5. My favorite race distance is the half-marathon. 5 and 10Ks are too fast, a marathon requires too much time to train. 6. I am really excited that I get to help plan this upcoming meeting . 7. I'd like to run a marathon with my Dad someday. When I am 68, I hope I can still run a 10K under an hour and a half-marathon under 2 hours like he can. 8. I used to teach spin...

I don't know anyone that would argue against the benefits of exercise, so let's start this series on exercise with the real issue most people face - lack of time. Here are my best tips on carving out time for exercise in your day. 1. Make exercise a priority.  Take stock of all the things in your life that are important to you - even go so far as to make a list and rank your priorities in order. Where does exercise fall on this list? If you value your health and want to live your best life, then it should be close to the top. Make it clear to those close to you that exercise is a priority and call on your family, friends, and even co-workers, to help you make this happen. Your spouse can watch the kids for an hour, explain to your kids why you need to go to the gym, and grab a co-worker for a walk during your lunch break. 2. Make exercise a habit. This is really key for me. If I get out of the habit of exercising on a regular basis, I have almost...

Happy May Day! It is the first day of May and, whatever that means to you, I hope it is a great one. As a child, I remember celebrating with May Day baskets at school. And when I lived in Italy, we celebrated European labor day by striking and not going to work (hey, when in Rome...). Now, I have a new tradition to celebrate this first day of May - exercise! The American Academy of Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, has declared May Exercise is Medicine TM month . Exercise is Medicine TM is a global initiative designed to make "levels of physical activity" a standard vital sign to be assessed in every patient visit with a physician. It is based on the idea that exercise is a powerful tool in the prevention of chronic disease and should be prescribed by physicians as both preventative medicine and a first line of treatment. Exercise is medicine. Think about it. Exercise has proven health benefits for...