A feast for the eyes

Perusing seed catalogs is almost as enticing as looking into a bakery display case. Everything looks so delectable and yummy that you want one of everything. The endless varieties of veggies are so tempting that you can quickly find yourself ordering too many seeds for your small plot. First, decide how much land you can carve out for a garden or how much space you can manage for a container garden on your deck or patio. Next, think about what you would like to eat and how much space each plant will take. Some plants need a lot more room to grown than others. Finally, the plants you chose must be able to grow and thrive in Michigan’s growing conditions.

Visit www.seedsofchange.com or www.groworganic.com for free catalogs and more info.

Pay dirt

It may be prudent to get a soil analysis before you start planting a larger scale garden. Call 1.888.678.3464 to locate your local Michigan State University Extension office. For container gardening start with the same kind of organic potting mix you would for houseplants.

Mix in 1/3 compost to help aerate the soil and hold moisture at the same time.

“Fertilize with an organic balanced fertilizer,” says Annie Spiegelman, contributing editor at organicstylemag.com. “Synthetic fertilizers damage the soil by destroying critical microorganisms and also pollute our local waterways and wildlife.” Balanced means all three numbers on the front are similar. For instance, 10-10-10 of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The three most valuable nutrients for plant growth.

The potted life

“Anything will grow in a containereven a redwood tree, for awhile, “ says Katherine Whiteside, author of The

Way We Garden Now. “Lettuces, spinach, radicchio, kale, tomatoes, garlic, patio sized fruit trees, herbs, blueberries, carrots and any flower, including shrubs like roses, spirea and rose of Sharon will adapt to the potted life.” While there are an abundance of pots to choose from, the key is to match the pot size to the plant. For example, herbs will do fine in a standard six-inch pot but you’ll want deeper pots for beets and carrots and large pots for potatoes. Clay pots dry out faster than plastic, but all pots need good drainage. “Containers need to drain quickly or the plant roots rot,” says Whiteside. “Add sand or gravel at the bottom for drainage and make sure the containers are raised up a bit with rocks or bricks so that the water can drain.” Frequent watering may be necessary when the weather is especially hot and sunny. “You’ll have to fertilize more often in containers because you don’t have the earthworms working underground aerating your soil for free,” says Spiegelman.

Natural predators

Sometimes unwelcome guests invade our garden. Thankfully, these are natural remedies for keeping pests away. Plant flowers such as cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, mints, candytuff, yarrow, clover and wallflower to help invite beneficial bugs to your yard,” says Spiegelman. Herbs make great defenders too. The strongly scented oils discourage pests. Plant them alongside vegetables or in in their own container. Spiegelman suggests combinations of basil, thyme and tarragon or parsley, chives and oregano and even scented geranium and lavender. You get more bang for your buck by keeping your plants healthy and getting some tasty herbs besides!

Nip ‘em in the bud

Mix up natural formulas in your kitchen to rid your plants of nasty insects like aphids, spider mites and earwigs. For aphids, Speigleman recommends spraying them with a strong burst of water from the hose. Repeat in a week and they should be history.

Another option – lady beetles from your local nursery. Release them at night and they’ll be munching on aphids all night. Keep in mind that lady beetles like to travel and may end up in your neighbor’s yard too.

Spider mites are usually too tiny to see, but if your plant has little dots or clusters of yellow on their leaves, then you probably have them. “Make your own concoction at home by mixing a half-cup of vegetable oil with one teaspoon liquid detergent. Then take one tablespoon of that mixture and dilute it in a cup of water to spray on your plants,”says Spiegelman.

Earwigs like to munch nightly on flower petals, lettuce and other soft leaf plants. Since they like tight spaces, place rolled up newspaper in the garden or potted plant and dispose of the earwigs that crawled inside.

If you’re not afraid of getting dirt under your nails, organic gardening can be a rewarding way to enjoy delicious and organic produce growing right outside your own back door.

by Sherri Powers

Odds are those who are watching their waistline will be able to make it through Thanksgiving Day without bursting a button but it’s making it through the following four weeks that’s the hard part. Weight gain isn’t likely to happen on Thanksgiving Day, but over eating on that day can leads to a spiraling effect of uncontrolled eating from then until New Years.

Following the tips below will help to stay away from the, “Who cares, it’s the holidays,” mentality when it’s time to head through the buffet line.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Fasting the full day until it’s time to build your plate can only lead to one thing, overeating. Not only does an ample morning meal provide energy for the day’s labors, but it can also prevent all day snacking and then indulging in a huge plate of food.

If you have breakfast and still aren’t eating until later in the day, make sure that you get at least a healthy snack in, such as fruit or veggies and dip, before the big meal so you’re not left famished and more likely to overeat.

Have a Plan

Have in mind what you want to eat during the meal so that you don’t see the buffet line and load everything onto your plate. Have in mind some things that you definitely want to have and let the other items fall to the wayside.

Also, plan for the week of Thanksgiving Day by lightening up your calorie intake a couple of days before and after the holiday. This will even out your total weekly calorie intake.

Use a Smaller Plate

We’ve all heard this tip, but it still stands. By using a smaller plate you’re automatically getting a smaller portion of each dish, which in turn means less calorie intake.

You could, of course, pile everything upwards into miniature mountains but that would undoubtedly get you at least a few stares and defeat the whole purpose of the smaller plate.

Don’t Deprive Yourself

Allow yourself to taste everything. If there is something that is really high in calories, such as your grandmother’s famous apple pie, don’t say no to it all together, just don’t allow yourself a whole piece. Instead offer to share it with someone else or just simply cut a smaller piece.

Often times, cutting out entire dishes can give the mentality of “I didn’t eat any pie so I can have as much stuffing as I want.”

This throws the concept of smaller portions out the window. So go ahead and at least try everything you want, it will keep you from feeling deprived later.

Eat Slowly

Take it slow while you’re eating and you’ll be able to better detect when you’re full. Not only will you enjoy the food on your plate better but you’ll thank yourself later when you’re not bloated.
Try sipping a calorie-free drink in between bites so that you’re not rushing through the meal. Or take time in between bites to catch up with distant relatives. Use the time to enjoy conversation instead of over indulging.

Stay Away From Seconds

Before you head back for a second helping take the time to question whether you’re doing it out of hunger or habit. More than likely, if you’re being honest, the decision will be that you’re full.
Remember that you can always make a turkey sandwich the next day to help curb your craving

Keep Moving

Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean that you should set aside your daily workout routine. If you normally run three miles in the morning nothing should stop you from doing this on Thanksgiving Day once the turkey’s in the oven.

Also resist the urge to sprawl out on the couch after the meal is over, instead help do the dishes or take a family walk. Try and get the family involved by playing a game of touch football in the yard before or after dinner. Keeping busy will aid in the digestion process and allow for calorie burning.

Drink Water

Avoid alcoholic drinks, sodas and concentrated juices. These drinks are packed with calories and, unlike water, can cause bloating. Water will quench your thirst without the bloated feeling, will cleanse your palate in between bites to help with total food enjoyment and it will also help aid digestion.

Remove Temptation

When cleaning up the table and packing away the food, place the leftovers into containers. As guests start to leave, divvy up the leftovers among them. Most people will be happy to take them off your hands.

This will eliminate the urge to have a second full meal later in the evening, not to mention the urge to eat the same things for days to come. Removing the temptation of Thanksgiving leftovers will allow you to promptly get back to your regular eating habits, not allowing the feast to sneak back up on you in the days to come.

by Sherri Powers

The amount of reduced fat products on the market can mislead consumers into thinking the less fats they ingest daily the better. Although some fats, like trans fat, should be cut out of diets, good fats such as Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to a healthy lifestyle.

“Our society seems to be fat phobic,” registered dietitian Amy Hanover, MS, RD said.

“People are preoccupied about what the foods they consume don’t have in them. Instead, people should be more concerned about what their foods have to offer them nutritionally.”

Don’t limit your intake

By limiting fat intake consumers are losing out on Omega 3 fatty acids in their diet, she said. Omega 3’s are proven to protect against heart disease, improve the health of diabetics, reduce depression, reduce hyper activity in children, and prevent dementia and Alzheimers.

Docosahexaenoic acid, DHA, is one of the three fatty acids and like the other two is essential to good health, especially in young children.

“DHA is one of the most important omega 3 acids,” Hanover said.

The human brain is more than 60 percent fat and requires DHA acid, which has to come entirely from dietary sources, to allow for fluidity and smooth transmission of brain synapses, she said.

Without DHA, nurons will not fire properly and brain performance is sacrificed. “In fetal and infant development this fatty acid is crucial,” Hanover said. “It’s also vital in adults, but particularly important during development.”

The fatty acids in Omega 3’s like DHA, should be consumed every day in order to obtain their benefits, she said.

“People are getting smarter about reducing trans fat from their diets,” she said. “However, they are forgetting to add the good fats to their diets. Getting a daily dose of these essential fatty acids is easier than many people think.”

Sources to consider

Some good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are cold water fish, walnuts and egg yolks, she said. Some egg brands like Egglands Best Eggs are even fortified with high quality protein.

“There are some product lines available that offer common foods that are fortified with Omega 3 DHA,” Hanover said.

“A company called Smart Balance offers mayo, margarine, cooking oil, butter stick for baking, peanut butter and flax oil that are all fortified with DHA acid.”

Flax oil, derived from the seeds of the flax plant, allows essential fatty acids to be easily consumed by adding the oil or seeds to food, Hanover said.

“A teaspoon of flax oil can be added to salads, potato salad, yogurt, cottage cheese, a smoothie or anything else that will hide the oil,” she said. “You can also grind up actual flax seeds and sprinkle them onto your morning cereal or bake them into bread.”

It is important to grind the seeds, instead of consuming them whole, or they will go right through the gastrointestinal system.

“With a little pre-planning, these essential fatty acids can be incorporated into a healthy diet allowing for consumers to get the good fats they need while staying away from the ones they don’t,” Hanover said.

by Sherri Powers

Boy, was I wrong.

I wasn’t expecting to be zooming down steep hills that had a sand pit at the bottom. I didn’t think I’d be hopping off my bike; only to pick it up over the large fallen trees that I couldn’t ride over. And never in a million years did I think I’d be riding over rickety planks pushed together to form some version of a ramp on a trail called the Swamp Thing.

Good thing Tim was with me. Tim, who uses the trails at Burchfield Park, in Holt, to train for mountain bike racing, has ridden for years and knew the trail like the back of his hand. That came in handy when it came time for a warning about a fallen log or last second tips on how to steer through the sand without falling over (grip the handlebars tight and peddle like crazy!).

While peddling into the wooded area where the trail started, I was given the option of a smooth rolling or a more technical route. Needless to stay I chose the smooth route. This was, after all, my first mountain bike ride. But apparently whoever laid out the trails has a different definition of smooth because I wasn’t quite ready for what was ahead.

I gradually learned that going up hills wasn’t that hard, you just have to get going at a good pace to make it up. It was going down that gave me some problems. Picture this: A beginner, me, looking down about a 30 degree angle of a hill and noticing that once at the bottom I can either make a sharp turn in a patch of sand to continue on the path or ride face first into a tree trunk.

So while Tim headed down the hills as if he didn’t even notice they were there, I did so cautiously. I was careful not to go too fast, while keeping my hands on the brakes. I learned not to use too much brake down a hill, though, because that made it feel like, any second, my bike would flip over forward.

And then there were logs. These weren’t just logs I’d see by my family’s fireplace, but huge fallen tree trucks blocking the trail. I came to the first one, adventurously taking Tim’s advice.

“Just go over it!” he yelled.

I watched him do it, so how hard could it be, right? I took aim, peddled hard and tried to pull my bike and body over the log, but it didn’t work. I crashed. Apparently you’re supposed to lift up a little bit and keep your pedals up. But I’m a quick learner, so I got it right the next time, and because I also know my limits, if the log ahead looked too big, I got off and walked my bike over it.

Things got easier. Soon I was weaving through trees that seemed just far enough apart for one bike to squeeze through. As I got more comfortable, I also increased my speed. At no point were we going the full speed that Tim would normally ride through the trail, but I think I was going at a pretty good pace, for a first-timer anyway.

There was one other time that I opted to get off and walk rather than chance a broken leg, or broken anything, for that matter. It was a ramp that was about 10 inches across, which didn’t leave me much room for error. An error would have me lying in the muddy ditch below it. On top of its tiny size, it also zigzagged, forcing the rider to actually turn on the ramp. Better safe than sorry, right? I’ll give it a go the next trip out, maybe.

All and all it was a good ride. Besides the fact that I didn’t get hurt I ended up having a lot of fun. And it was a decent workout too. There were several times I was winded after heading up hills. Before heading out I thought that it would be just a good leg workout, but even my arms and core were a bit sore after the ride due to all the weaving through the trees.

One last thing. You should always wear a helmet. I didn’t fall down on my trip out, but there were a few times I thought for sure I was going over. Plus, there were plenty of branches that came out of nowhere and poked me in the helmet. That would hurt if I weren’t wearing one. It was a comfort just knowing that the helmet was there and it’d be the plastic that would hit the forest floor and not my head.

by Sherri Powers

It started out as an average run on the trail at Lake Lansing North. The trails were beautiful, as usual. Joanne and I even saw two deer running through the woods during the beginning part of the run.

While running on the trail has it’s positives, like the beautiful views and of course it provides a scenic break from just running around the neighborhood to get my miles in, I’ve learned it has it’s drawbacks as well.

The drawbacks come in the form of tree stumps and roots that stick up just enough so that if your not careful, you’ll end up tripping . They’re also hidden just enough so that if you’re not watching where your going for a few seconds, your almost guaranteed to trip.

Luckily the first time I fell, I was running uphill. Before I even knew that I was falling I was on the ground. Or in Joanne’s words, one second I was there and the next I was gone. Going uphill really helped though because I didn’t fall very far or so it seemed because it happened so fast and I didn’t seem to have any bumps or bruises.

After laughing it off, I was back on my way through the trails. There’s no way I could fall again right?

I had nearly reached the end of the trail when I flung over another tree root and found myself on the ground again. This time I wasn’t so lucky.

After slowly getting up and brushing off my arms and legs, I looked down to examine what seemed to be just mud on my pants. Looking closer I realized I actually had a skinned my knee. It was bleeding and everything.

I could not believe that I had done it again in the first place. You’d think that after falling once on the trail, that same run, I’d learn to be extra careful about what was headed my way while running.

I can officially say that I’ve learned my lesson. My advice for others would be, don’t let your guard down for even two seconds because those stumps and roots are waiting to get you.

I laughed it off with Joanne again because what else could I do at that point, I had just fallen twice on the same run and on top of that was sporting an official skinned knee. I will say, that I didn’t let it slow me down, I finished that run all the way to the end.

And then of course Joanne helped me clean off my knee with the First Aid Kit that she has stored in her car. Thanks Joanne!

I’ve learned a couple of things about myself as a runner.

The first being that I miss running when I’m not doing it. Sometimes I’d walk outside and there would be a perfect breeze—one that would compliment a run perfectly—and I wish I had my running shoes. Then there were a couple days that I was just too busy with other things, (family, work, school, etc.) to fit one in and I’d stare out the windy and think what a great stress reliever a good run would be.

I’ve discovered that there’s no better feeling than the one you get when you just finish a run. You may be out of breath, maybe even have a side cramp, but you’ll never regret finishing a run. When I’m not able to get out there I miss is the feeling of accomplishment. No matter how fast or far I go, I always feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Secondly, I’ve learned the real negative side to missing a few runs. I was fooled by the fact that I was steadily improving with each of my runs and thought that if I missed a few runs I could just pick right back up where I was when I stopped. I was even naive enough to think I would still improve a little. I was wrong.

The longest I’ve gone without running was five days. Five, although a small number, is too many days to go in between runs. During my run after having five days off, it was almost as if I was back at square one in my training. After two miles I was just plain wiped out. Not only was I running slow for myself but I was also trailing behind my running partner, who I can normally keep up with, with no problem.

Although, it could have quite possibly been the worst run since my training started, it turned out to be just what I needed. There was nothing more motivating than realizing that you’re a worse runner than you were a week ago, simply because you hadn’t made time in the past five days to go for a run.

Since then I’ve learned that even a short run is better than not running at all. Even if I’m really short on time. If I make time to run a few times around my neighborhood, which is about two miles, instead of running the full four miles I would usually run with no time restrictions, I’m still accomplishing something. It’s the shorter runs that have helped to keep me on track with training since I learned what happens if you take too long of a break.

So my advice is to make time. I’m back in school now and although busier, I’m not going to allow it to be an excuse not to lace up my running shoes. Whether that means getting up an hour earlier, going to bed later or going to class sweaty from a run, I don’t plan on missing any more training days.

So what is a parent to do? How can you provide a healthy snack to tide children over until dinner without spoiling their appetite or giving them processed foods?

“Time is key,” said Registered Dietitian Amy Hanover, who has three children of her own. “It’s understandable that parents need something quick and easy, but that is all too often solved with processed foods that offer no nutritional benefits.”

With a little pre-planning, parents can have the fridge stocked with nutritious whole foods that are easy to snack on, she said.

Whole foods are those in their most natural state, Hanover said. Choices like fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy provide vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that carry anti-oxidant properties.

“This means do away with highly processed food, especially those made with white flour that contain very little nutrition and empty calories, such as chips, pretzels and crackers,” Hanover said. “Not only do they do nothing for your kids but the processed foods cost more, too.”

Although no work goes into processed foods at snack time, healthy whole foods really don’t take very much effort to prepare, Hanover said.

“How long does it take to peel a banana?” she asked. “Most healthy foods are not labor intensive. Most just involve portioning out and cutting up.”

Often parents think of only what is easy when buying food for their kids, Hanover said. Parents should focus more on how they can make healthy foods easier instead.

Parents sometimes get hung up on numbers instead of nutrients. For instance, using 100 calorie packs as a light snack may seem like a good idea, but even though they provide a low calorie count they don’t provide many nutrients for their growing children.

The way a parent presents a healthy snack has a lot to do with how their kids will perceive them as well, Hanover said.

“Remember to set out children’s snacks that meet your criteria without saying much,” she said. “After all, when asked, who wouldn’t prefer a candy bar over a healthy choice?”

Have the snack ready and on the table. If children come home and nothing is ready, they will head to the cupboard. Once there, if given the option of cookies or jumbo raisins, they’ll choose the cookies.

“It is our responsibility as parents to offer nutritious options and the onus remain on the child to eat when hungry and to stop when full,” Hanover said. “You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see your kids come in from school and begin munching on the carrots and dip you placed on the table.”

A record 1,188 runners and walkers finished the race on Sunday making it not just a success for me but a success for the Ele’s Place. They also raised $113,000 for their cause.

Waking up in the morning, although I was a little nervous, this time I knew that there would be no confusion over littering on the side of the road or what a chip was. I had also set a goal to improve my time by 5 minutes, and was anxious to see if I could meet it.

As I got to the event I could see that it was going to be a big one, the place was packed. I was lucky to find Joanne, who I’ve been training with through Playmakers, in the mob of people that were surrounding the registration table.

Wandering around the event before the race started you could almost forget that you were there to run 3.1 miles. It was more like a carnival, with kids games and even a band. Soon enough though I snapped back to reality when they started annoucing where to line up since the race would be started in the next 10 minutes.

The race started off on a good note, literally as a band to the left of us amped everyone up. And we were off, well sort of.  It took me a minute to acutally be able to run, as you can imagine might be the case with over a 1,000 people lined up at a starting line.

But after a minute of walking in a mob of people, I was off. The first portion of the race went great. There was a band on the side of the road keeping everyone going and I made it to the first mile marker aid station with no problem. I drank a few swiggs of water while walking and I was back off and running.

At the turn around point on the far end of SandHill off Okemos Road I got another burst of energy while taking a few sips of water knowing that I was half way done. Now all I had to do was run back. Easy enough right? Except for the cramp that I suddenly developed at the aid station.  

I could either run, which made it hurt worse or speed walk it off. So I walked for a good minute or so before I was off again. As I passed another drink station I took only a sip of the water not wanting to put more liquid in my stomache than I had to.

But before I new it, the cramp had disappeared and I was rounding the corner to Okemos Road. Then I ran back passed the band and back into the parking lot. It was easy from here. I could hear the people cheering at the finish line from the entrance of the parking lot.

As I got closer they got louder. I’d like to think it was because they saw me coming but I could probably just hear them better the closer I got to the finish line. And there it was, I noticed that the clock had yet to reach 35:00, so my goal of improving my time by five minutes was in sight. And then it was over. With a finishing time of 34:40.

I was pumped up at that point though, and probably could have ran further than that. I was happy to see that I had improved by six minutes, cramp and all. As Joanne brought up, just think how I could have done without a cramp in my side.

Overall, cramp or no cramp I couldn’t be happier with that kind of improvement. I’m already looking forward to the next race, after some more training, so I can improve even more.

Last Saturday, during Playmakers formal training, I thought that I’d gone back to square one in my training. I started off on my first loop around Hawk Island Park and almost immediately felt out of breath. The truth was I couldn’t get any air in. The air was so thick that it felt like I was breathing in syrup.

Throughout the rest of the week, the heat barely let up. Although there was nothing I could do to get away from the heat I did try pacing myself while drinking lots of water.

I’m sure that it’s not just me experiencing the worst of the heat and humidity while out on my daily runs, so I thought I’d research some information on how to beat the heat while training at any pace for all the other runners out there.  

Compliments of The American Council of Exercise, here are six steps that will help runners to protect themselves from heat illness.

1. Hydration
Fluid replenishment before, during and after exercise is essential to avoid progressive dehydration. Always consume more fluids than you think you need before and after exercise, and strive to drink six to eight ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.

2. Exercise Intensity
You should probably reduce the intensity of your workout, particularly the first few times you are exposed to higher temperatures.

3. Temperature
Use the heat stress index table to determine the risk of exercising at various combinations of temperature and humidity. While a 90° F outdoor temp is relatively safe at 10 percent humidity, the heat stress of 90° F at 50 percent humidity is the equivalent of 96° F. When the heat stress index rises above 90° F, you may want to consider postponing your exercise session until later in the day. Or, plan ahead, and beat the day’s heat by working out early in the morning.

4. Fitness
Physical training and heat acclimation can increase your blood volume, helping to regulate body temperature more effectively.

Interestingly, the acclimatization process can be completed in 7 to 14 days of repeated heat exposure. However, you must always continue to drink fluids before, during and after exercise.

5. Clothing
Wear minimal clothing to provide greater skin surface area for heat dissipation. Your clothing should be lightweight, loose fitting, light colored to reflect the sun’s rays, and of a material that absorbs water, such as cotton.

6. Rest
Know when to say ‘no’ to exercise. Using common sense is your best bet for preventing heat stress when Mother Nature turns up the heat.

There does seem to be one positive thing about continuing to train in the summer heat that Steve Santer of Playmakers told me. Running in the fall, without all of the humidity is going to be that much easier. When the humid summer air gets replaced with the fall crisp air you may see some improvement in your pace and time, since you’ll be breathing easier.