My Boys' Favorite Energy Booster

Having grown up in the wonderful Midwest, home of the 8-month Winter, I not-so-fondly remember spending countless school days stuck inside because we just couldn’t get outdoors for recess without risking frostbite, hail or snowball ambushes.

Raising my boys in Southern California is a different story, however. We are fortunate to live in a place where they can get outside in the fresh air 300+ days per year, including the great majority of their school days. But simply being able to get out and play is not enough. Providing them with the resources to thrive, and the energy to do so, is a critical mission that I take very seriously.

One of the things that still surprises me, as a parent, is how hungry my boys seem to be ALL DAY LONG.

Just woke up à They’re famished

Back home after school? I can hear their tummies rumbling like mini garbage disposals waiting to be filled.

And of course when the clock strikes 5:00pm I know that they’ll either soon turn into pumpkins or start swiping sneak previews from the counter of the dinner I’m always just a few minutes behind on preparing.

But there’s truly only one thing that I know will satiate them no matter the time of day. And no, it’s not gummy bears.

Good old-fashioned milk. California’s finest.

I know that I can steal those last five minutes of dinner prep, (which is really usually 10. OK, 15) needed to prepare their requisite evening noms with a quick glass of milk.  Sure, those gummy bears might take less effort, but they’re worth it and it’s a great appetizer. Plus, I‘m fortunate that the Junior Dudes think receiving that tall, cool glass is a treat, even though they usually have it multiple times daily.

My older son, the 5 ½ year old Little Dude, can be a picky eater. And by “can be”, I mean has been every day of his life. We are fortunate to know that while he will likely enter Kindergarten without ever having tried pizza (entirely of his own volition), we never have to twist any arms for him to enjoy an apple, grapes or myriad other fruits.

As parents it’s important to appreciate winning the little battles even if the larger wars are lost more often than we’d prefer. I can admit that it took me a while to get used to the Little Dude’s preferred daily lunch of yogurt, fruit and rice cakes, which is certainly not the most exciting lunch option available to him. But I know now that I’m giving him the energy to refill his tank so he can get back outside to enjoy the sunshine while hiking, biking or just chasing his brother down the block.

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I’m happy to share with you that I’m partnering up with the California Milk Advisory Board to tell you about their Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) initiative, in association with the NFL. FUTP 60 is all about ensuring that kids get their full servings of nutrients the old school way: via dairy, fruits, grains and veggies while getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Also, to ensure that kids are getting exercise at school, they are offering schools grants up to $4,000 for the upcoming school year to support their health and wellness programs, featuring plays from the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook.  To apply for a spring grant, visit fueluptoplay60.com for more info and to get your school involved. Grant deadline is June 16.

I was compensated by the California MilkAdvisory Board for this post, though unfortunately not in bricks of cheese or vats of sour cream. All opinions expressed within are my own, for better or worse.

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From 0 to 5K with #RunDisney & The Avengers

If you know me in real life, you might know that there are three things I’m typically not a big fan of: waking up early, exercising and birthdays. So naturally when I was invited to participate in RunDisney’s inaugural Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland, which was scheduled to begin at 5:30am on my birthday, I rejected the concept in my head before I even knew what it was really about. But then I found out about a 5K race being run the day before the half marathon and actually gave it a second thought, and then a third thought, before accepting the invitation/challenge. Oh, did I mention this call was 9 days before the event?

So why would I jump blindly into something like a 5K with no notice? Because I had to. No, neither Captain America nor Mickey Mouse forced me to run, my sons did. It occurred to me over the summer when we’d take our nightly family walks after dinner that I was having trouble keeping up with my two boys. Kids love to run, especially after a meal that has refilled their gas tanks, and mine love to sprint back and forth down the blocks to burn some of that energy. After several weeks of feeling winded from running half a block to catch them, I knew it was time for change. I just didn’t know how to actually do it.

So Mrs. Dude and I started going for power walks in the evenings through our hilly neighborhood. At first I thought I was going to collapse after 10 minutes, but it got incrementally easier the more often we did it and before long we were averaging about 2 ½ miles. The problem was consistency, as my exercise frequency varied between zero and 2 or 3 times per week. Finding the time, or rather making the time, to exercise can be challenging. It can also be daunting to someone like me who’s never really had much fitness experience or education.

So with my almost-big birthday looming and having committed to running the Avengers 5K, I had to figure some things out quickly. And not the least of which was how was this lifelong night owl going to run a race at 5:30am! I knew that my workout inconsistency had to change. I figured that if nothing else I could at least walk the 5K course, but my goal quickly became more than that. I didn’t know how to quantify my goal, but I knew I needed to do a couple practice 5Ks to gauge things. I figured with 9 days to go, I could fit in 3 or 4 trial runs before the actual event.

So that night I set out alone in the dark to figure out how to prep for a 5K. It had been almost a month since my last vigorous exercise, but I wasn’t quite starting from scratch. I knew that 5K equals 3.1 miles and using the “Map My Walk” iPhone app, I started walking until I reached that distance. Up, down and around my neighborhood I watched the app’s odometer inch upward, seemingly very slowly, until I returned home a wheezing, sweaty mess. But I’d done it. I’d now completed a real 5K via a hybrid of mostly walking with bursts of running interspersed throughout.

5 days until the Avengers 5K

Five more times over the next week I did the same thing and despite varying the course on every occurrence, on each instance my overall time improved. I was feeling good about my prospects in the race and, more importantly, also about myself. With only a few calendar ticks remaining until I began the last year of my 30s, I was on a mission for my family and myself. Avengers 5K and Disneyland, here I come…

1 day until my first 5K!

To Be Continued

Disclaimer: I was invited by RunDisney to participate in their Avengers 5K race weekend. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post are mine alone, for better or worse. 

Note: Before beginning any rigorous exercise/training program you should consult with your physician. My exercise/training results and race preparation were not typical. YMMV.