I used to run. I trained for a marathon and crossed the finish line several years ago. I'm trying to get back on the wagon. Running can't really involve my little girl the way other activities do: the playground, short hikes, walks with the stroller, jumping on a trampoline and dancing around the house are much easier ways of getting moving while caring for my 3-year-old. I have a jogging stroller, but have used it for jogging only a few times. It fills in as the rugged wheels we need for traversing grass fields and trails, but usually at a much slower pace. The truth is, my kid weighs me down, literally, more than she motivates me.

That's about to change. At least I hope so. And I'm hoping See Mommy Run can help. A group of women setting an example for their kids, and doing something for themselves, at the same time. Beautiful.

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The guidelines are based on the first thorough review of scientific research about physical activity and health in more than a decade, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. A 13-member advisory committee appointed in April 2007 reviewed research and produced an extensive report in order to come up with the guidelines.

This gist of the guidelines is this: Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, and children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity a day. In addition to preventing disease, physical activity can improve thinking ability in older adults and the ability to engage in activities needed for daily living.

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While our neighbors head to church, a friend and I plan to hit Great Falls National Park on Sunday morning and sweat it out on the trails. We're both going through very challenging times and we need to escape and work our bodies and breathe and take in something much bigger than us and our worries. Something tells me God approves. In fact, He will be there.

There's something about waterfalls. The power. The beauty. The refusal to stop going. That's it. They just keep going. So that's what we'll do. We'll take a lesson from the waterfalls. The Stone Roses song comes to mind:

She'll carry on through it all.
She's a waterfall.
She'll carry on through it all.

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I know we don't usually think of the phrase "make your own" anything when it comes to reducing stress. But in the case of kids' meals, I honestly believe it applies.

We often divert to going out to eat when we're maxed out on stress and running way short on time. However, let's disect this knee-jerk reaction a bit and see how much time we're really saving:

By the time kids are loaded into the car, you drive to a restaurant, wait in line to order or wait to be seated, decide what to order, wait for it to be prepared, eat it and come home, you could have easily boiled some water for pasta and steamed veggies and called it a night. Think about it. What's really easier? Another thing I like to do to save time and feed my family, make a couple of dishes on Sunday that can be eaten all week long: enchiladas, a pot of soup, lasagna. I also often make chicken tenders with a package of chicken cut in that format, dipped in bread crumbs, salt and pepper and sauteed in a little olive oil. Takes 10 minutes, tops.


If you still prefer to go out, knowing what's in kids' meals at various restaurants might stress you out enough to keep you home. According to the article, one Chili's Bar and Grill kids' meal composed of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories, while another composed of cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade contained 1,000 calories. A Burger King meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk has 910 calories, and Sonic has a "Wacky Pack" with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries, and a slushie.

While there are some healthy choices on restaurant menus, "parents have to navigate a minefield of calories, fat and salt to find them," the report said. Plus, there's the price of the food and the gas to get to the restaurant.

Now do you believe me that it's less stressful to stay at home?

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There is no shortage of various styles on the market with new-fangled designs and supports. I don't own one, but I make it a habit to give hammocks a whirl whenever I have the opportunity. I still remember lounging in one with my husband on the Big Island of Hawaii under the moonlight at the Hilton Waikoloa Village resort after completing the Kona Marathon earlier that day in 2002.

But certainly one does not need to complete a marathon, visit an island or stay at a resort to make use of this lovely time-tested practice. I recently had the opportunity to make use of a hammock with my daughter in my brother-in-law's back yard in Northern California. It was the traditional woven style that allows gravity to force all of your muscles into relaxation. They are the best kind, I think. Since then, I've been scouting my yard for a good spot. I think I've found one in between two solid trees in the back. Just in time to enjoy the pleasant Fall temps and foliage.

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I'm a bit of a sucker for memoirs. I even read A Million Little Pieces after James Frey was deemed a fraud. (He's still working, by the way. No such thing as bad press, right?) I just finished The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan.

Jacki Donaldson read and posted about the book a while back. But I read it after a new friend of mine recommended it. She recently went through the excruciating experience of losing her mother to ALS while living an airplane ride apart. I am currently going through the same thing.

The Middle Place instead involves dealing with cancer, but the themes involving parent-child relationships, distance, disease, and faith are the same. Kelly, who survived her cancer, struggles with all of it, but particularly faith. She is baffled by the Buddhist truth of detachment, "even to people." She still struggles with faith to this day, several years later. I struggle with it a bit as well and I suspect all of us do to some degree. It's the very nature of faith, after all. It's transparent, intangible.

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I've written about walking kids to school as a slam-dunk for a parent to to get daily exercise. But why stop at school?

I realize it's not practical to walk everywhere and some of us don't live in neighborhoods within walking distance of various errands or activities. If this is you, I recommend taking stock of those errands or activities. I'm willing to bet there's at least one or two you could give up in favor of walking or biking around the neighborhood with your kid(s).

If you live in a neighborhood like mine, you can walk to your kid's school, the park, the rec center, the library, a cafe for lunch, even the doctor or dentist. This is what I do. Incorporating walking into your day has myriad benefits; a bunch of short, brisk walks add up to countless calories burned. For example, yesterday I walked my daughter to her first ballet class at the rec center, rode the stationary bike while she danced, and then walked home. Today, I walked downtown for lunch with my daughter, then walked to her preschool a couple of blocks away and then back home. Both days I logged more than 30 minutes of continuous exercise. Bonus strength training for pushing a stroller, too!

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If you travel by airplane at all for a trip that lasts more than a carry-on's worth of clothes, you know the worry. Will my suitcase weigh more than 50 pounds and I'll have to pay extra? Airline luggage allowances are a pittance these days. The airlines giveth -- blankets, pillows, peanuts, room for luggage -- and the airlines taketh away. Unless you pay, of course.

First, let me say that I realize that, to the inexperienced, 50 pounds may sound like a ridiculous weight for a suitcase. How could anyone pack that much stuff for a trip? Let me tell you, it adds up quick. And now that more of us have to add those heavy toiletry bags to the check-in mix to avoid the potential of having our shampoo tossed out at the security checkpoint, it's worse. And, if you've got a kid to pack stuff for in your luggage, well, it's a challenge to keep that weight under control.

There's really no way to take all the stress out of air travel, but we've found an easier way to determine if we've put on too many travel pounds without struggling to see the scale over the suitcase we're holding.We've been using this handy suitcase scale for our past several trips to via Southwest Airlines to California to see our families. So worth the $10 I spent. There's also a digital version of the same thing. Or, if you're in the market for a new suitcase, some have built-in scales. Pretty cool.

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Fitting exercise in when you are a parent can be challenging enough. When you are a parent on vacation, you can almost forget it. Unless a trip to an amusement park, as they are called, happens to be on your itinerary.

I should have worn a pedometer when we went to Sea World in San Diego last week. Even without measuring, though, I'm pretty sure we cleared at least five miles. We're talking brisk. No strolling. Not even close. With a show schedule and a 3-year-old, you simply cannot be leisurely. Remember, though, if you want to count a walk in this kind of park a workout, you must bypass the junk food around every bend.

Of course, I'll need a vacation from my vacation when I return home. The good news is that going to the gym will feel like one.

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