Speed Bump

I can get behind this 7 minute workout . This simple workout was published in a scientific journal, and has research behind it to support its effectiveness. The key to this workout is intensity. "The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10...Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you're done."  Important to know: "Interval training, though, requires intervals; the extremely intense activity must be intermingled with brief periods of recovery. In the program outlined by Mr. Jordan and his colleagues, this recovery is provided in part by a 10-second rest between exercises. But even more, he says, it’s accomplished by alternating an exercise that emphasizes the large muscles in the upper body with those in the lower body. During the intermezzo, the unexercised muscles have a moment to...

This is Zip, my new Fitbit. Tragically, I lost my Fitbit Ultra a few weeks ago, and after going for several aimless, lost weeks without a tracker, I purchased the Zip. This is a new tracker from Fitbit that sells for almost half the price of the Ultra. It has a few less features than the Ultra that I already miss (no stop watch, no cheeky messages when you pick it up, no personal greetings) and has a replaceable watch battery instead of a USB charger. It comes in snappy colors and the clip comes on and off (I think I would really be likely to lose it without the clip).  I will report back after a few weeks to let you know how I like the Zip. The lower price is a great option for someone wanting to try out a tracker. Which everyone should! And...more info on the harms of sitting all day. Are you still sitting? One of the easiest and best things you can do for your health today, right now, is to stop sitting. Read about it here .

Fellow Kansas Citians take note - we have a brand new bike sharing program in the city. The bicycle program is called Kansas City B-cycle  and it is definitely something to get excited about. The new bikes arrived at 12 locations around downtown KC in time for the 4th of July and the All Star game hoopla. I had heard about the bikes on  NPR  one morning and then we saw them first hand at Crown Center during All Star weekend. Cowtown Couriers - I had no idea we had bike couriers in KC. From their website "If you need a delivery made at the last minute, during rush hour, with a concert at the Sprint Center, Cowtown Couriers is the only service that can get the job done." Good to know! Another plug for Cafe Gratitude (I wrote about this unique new spot in KC here ). During All Star weekend, there was someone stationed with the bikes at the Crown Center location to answer questions and offer help with the new system. The 12 bike stati...

I have a new favorite toy. This is my Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker  and even though I've had it for less than a week, we have become fast friends. Pedometers are nothing new and even the message that we should be walking 10,000 steps a day is not news. But Fitbit is not your father's pedometer - it has all the bells and whistles to make tech geeks happy, and is easy enough to use for those that are tech-challenged. Even though you've heard the message about getting in 10,000 daily steps, there are new reasons you should pay attention. I wrote previously about how inactivity can be just as detrimental to your health as activity can be beneficial. Researchers are finding out that sitting all day can increase your chances for cardiovascular disease and factors leading to type 2 diabetes and obesity. It's time to step up! I bought Ryan's Fitbit for Father's Day, knowing I had to get one for myself, too. We heard about Fitbit fro...

**You can improve your health one step at a time. Start here, start now.** Happy Monday! I am happy to report that my exercise for the past week went much better than last week . And I think I actually have the hot weather to thank. Knowing there is no way I would want to run in these afternoon temperatures, I got up early and exercised in the AM every day last week. I was dragging by the end of the week, but it was a sure fire plan to get in the miles. I was out the door for a run at 6am, home by 6:45. I have the kids to thank as well, as they slept in long enough for me to get in my workout (although I had to sneak out from under Izzy every morning as she has been in our bed every night since we returned from Spain. Going to have to do something about that soon). My weekly total:  170 minutes of exercise, 18.5 miles running and 3 toning workouts. My every day activity was probably very low given the heat - no trips to the park, no bike rides, no walks to the Farm...

I remember the day I brought home my Bob jogging stroller like it was yesterday. Bright shiny and new, cheerful in orange, ready to hit the pavement. The Bob is the stroller of choice for runners and I felt like I had joined an exclusive club - sort of like how people that drive Minis all wave at each other on the road (they really do, there is even a set wave you exchange by just lifting your palm up while still holding the top of the steering wheel). We got the Bob towards the end of my maternity leave when I really needed to get out of the house. I was itching to get back in shape and the Bob was my ticket there. It was spring time and the parks and running trails were calling me.

These days everyone is running a marathon. From the unofficial kickoff of the fall marathon season in Chicago in early October, to the ING New York City Marathon this coming weekend, almost a quarter of a million people will complete the 26.2 mile distance. With so many people conquering this once formidable distance, why should the youngest runner to finish yet, a 39 week baby in utero – draw so much attention? If you haven’t already heard, Amber Miller, aka “The Marathon Mom”, ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon at 38 weeks 5 days pregnant and then delivered her baby girl just hours following the race. This mom and, by all accounts, her very healthy baby have generated a lot of attention, and not all positive. Despite abundant evidence that exercise during pregnancy is not harmful for mother or baby, Amber Miller was openly criticized and attacked for putting her unborn child at risk by running a marathon. A veteran of eight marathons, three of them while pregnant, Amber’s ...

My parents were runners. They took us to road races when we were kids. I distinctly remember standing along the side of the road, waiting excitedly to see my Mom or Dad run past. They took turns, as Ryan and I do now, with one running and the other being responsible for the kids and cheering at the finish. Ryan's Fan Club