That's Fit

So what are your plans for Labor Day? Frankly, the holiday sneaked up on me this year. What with back-to-school and work deadlines and other things I have on my mind, I completely forgot about it. My son and I will find something fun to do, though. We'll probably visit with family and maybe go to the BMX track (my son's favorite activity).

When making your Labor Day plans, keep health in mind. Some ideas:

• When grilling for your Labor Day BBQ, choose leaner cuts of meat and grill plenty of vegetables. You can also grill some fruits (peaches, plums, pineapple) for dessert. Remember to keep grilling safety in mind, too.
  
• Skip the chips and mayo-laden salads. Instead offer more healthful choices like veggie trays, yummy mixed green salads, and fruit salad.
• Plan some active time with family and friends. You can set up a volleyball net in the backyard, hold a basketball competition, or swim. Kids would also enjoy relay races and active games like red light, green light.
  
• Go on a Labor Day outing. Hike along a nature trail, bike on a rail trail, or visit a nearby beach (and don't just lay around -- swim and be active).

My son has attended the same summer camp for two years now. Throughout the summer there are specialty camps kids can opt to attend. Last summer he signed up for an intense biking camp. At the beginning of the week, there were more than 30 kids signed up. By day three, the numbers had dropped to about 12. By the end of the week, only 6 kids remained.

On the first day of camp, the kids and their counselors rode a total of 10 miles. But the rides were short and they stopped at several fun locations to play and rest in between rides. Still, my very fit and athletic son needed to take a bath that night to relax his muscles.

The second day, the kids rode about the same distance, but with only one, longer break in between. It was a hard day, evidenced by the fact that more than half of the kids dropped out after day two. My son mentioned that he thought maybe he'd like to quit, too. But day three was too intriguing for him to give up.

You've only got a limited time to enjoy the summer, now that we are already into August. If you are like me, many of the fun things on your summer fun to-do list either haven't gotten done yet, or seem so monumental that you don't feel like attempting them anymore... canoeing with a three-year-old comes to mind....

Never fear, you can enjoy summer with some easy activities that keep your body active and your mind serene. Ten healthy ways to enjoy summer include:

• biking
• yard-saling
• enjoying nature
• brewing sun tea
• enjoying a good book
• grilling
• fishing

Visit Monica Resinger's original article for all ten ways and then go out and have a healthy rest of the summer.

I make a point of working out several times a week, and would certainly call myself fit. But when someone tells me they're doing or have done a triathlon, I'm in awe of them. In my eyes, a triathlon is like the pinnacle of fitness, something that is done by the elite of the fitness world. In other words? Something someone like me could never do.

But Shape Magazine has developed a Triathlon plan for everyone. Me included. It's a two-month plan that involves doing one or two triathlon-related activities a day, five days a week. That means you get two whole days of rest, and work out anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes the rest of the days, which, let's be honest, isn't too bad.

So if a triathlon is on your list of 'must-dos,' give it a try! You've got nothing to lose -- except for that beer gut. Click here for the program.

There is a wooded area in a nearby community that's open to the public. Though it's smack-dab in the middle of a city, you really feel like you're escaping to the wilderness there. My son and I like to visit it for day hikes and he also likes to ride his bike on the trails. Though the trails are groomed and maintained for public use, off-trail it's a woods like any other. If you're not careful, you can definitely run across some of the poison plants -- poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. You can avoid the itch by recognizing the plants:

• Poison ivy. In some areas poison, ivy grows as a vine. In others it's more of a shrub. The identifying trait is it's three-leaf configuration.
• Poison oak. Poison oak is somewhat similar in appearance to poison ivy, but the leaves are shaped more like an oak tree's. The underside of the leaf is lighter than the top and is covered in hair.
• Poison sumac. Common in swampy areas, poison sumac is a woody shrub with leaves arranged in pairs and clusters of green berries.

I rode bikes with my mom and my son on Sunday. We covered nearly seven miles on our trek around town, stopping at Walgreen's to accomplish an errand and then landing at my sister's house to rest and refuel. While there, I coaxed sis into running two miles with me. Then my mom and I rode back home -- Joey said "no way" to more riding and hung out with his cousins instead. Today, I walked. Tomorrow, I'll probably run some more.

I'm all about mixing it up this summer. Don't want things getting too stale. So I'm putting biking, running, walking, and back-yard exercising on my to-do list. There's also swimming. And jog-strollering. And the trusty gym. And kayaking at a local lake. There's a lot I can do this summer. And that's my plan -- to do a lot.

What's your summer shape-up plan? Give it some thought -- the season is just around the corner.

Mommy and Daddy can't decide what we want to do today. Haul the jogging stroller to a hiking trail along the Potomac River? Hook up the bicycle trailer and head out on the Washington and Old Dominion trail?

Either way, stuff with wheels will make a good workout in the nice weather possible with our toddler. Some might think it's crazy to have three strollers, as we do. But once your kid weighs more than 30 pounds, putting them in a body carrier just doesn't work. We've put plenty of miles on the jogging stroller, and not all of them jogging. Trekking over grass, mud and stone is nearly impossible without one. Certainly, an urban or suburban walk around town serves as a wonderful workout with a conventional stroller, too. We just love being among more trees, water and wildlife. And the jogging stroller makes it possible.

As for the bicycle trailer, that was last year's Father's Day gift before we spent a family weekend vacation in Chincoteague and rode rented bikes around the nearby Assateague Island. Our daughter loved cruising along, looking out the plastic windows, safe from the mosquitoes that seemed to be hatching faster than you could say no DEET please. The really cool thing is that mosquitoes couldn't make a swift landing on our skin with the breeze whisking past as we peddled.

My point is that stuff with wheels have been a crucial element for our active family activities that have been well worth the investment. You don't need to spend a lot, either. Both the jogging stroller and bicycle trailer were purchased at Target for a little more and a little less than $100, respectively.

Biking is such a great way to get fit. You can zoom around your neighborhood or escape to a wooded path. When fun and fitness pair up, it's a really great combination. So why not try and win a new set of wheels? Outdoorzy.com (together with Lipton) are sponsoring a bike giveaway contest.

The bike is an awesome Full Crosstown 2.0. (Seen above). There are three ways to enter the contest:

• Leave your full name in a comment on the Outdoorzy.com post.
  
• Send an email with your full name to info@outdoorzy.com.
• Comment on the Outdoorzy forum (must be an Outdoorzy member).

See Outdoorzy.com for more details. Good luck!

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

According to Crabby at Cranky Fitness, you may have a condition known as Bike in the Basement disorder if:

• you are still able to ride a bike,
• you have access to a bike,
• you live in a bike-friendly neighborhood,
• AND
• you still never ride your bike.
  
  

We can't have that, now can we? Especially not since spring has finally arrived and it's the perfect time of the year to get back out on two wheels. So if you're looking for a little motivation, check out these posts about getting back on your bike. You'll be so glad you did.

Patrick Dempsey says he gets a lot of crap for it, but he does prefer Spandex over baggies. Well, when he's biking anyway.

Gracing the cover of May's Bicycling magazine and the subject of a dreamy interview, the Grey's Anatomy star reveals how he broke into the sport of cycling, how he lost 12 pounds pushing those pedals round and round, and how he prefers solo to group riding. That's not all. Dempsey has lots more to say.

This TV and movie star says he's more energy drink than expresso, says right now, he's riding a new Tarmac SL, and says a ride -- on the day he gave this interview, he rode 21 miles -- is a sort of meditation for him.

Take a spin over here where Dempsey spills more of his fitness secrets.

Cycling is gaining popularity -- more and more people are looking for ways to commute in a more eco-friendly manner, plus many of us like the added benefit of burning those calories.

If you're planning to ride your bike around to run some errands, you can wear pretty much whatever you want as long as it's comfortable and allows a good range of movement. However, if you're serious about taking up cycling as a sport, there are a few items you might want to pick up:

Name a tried and true way of losing weight. If you answered "Cardio," you are absolutely right. This is not to say that there aren't any other effective methods, but performing regular cardiovascular exercise creates almost a certainty that you will drop some pounds. But how many pounds? That depends on everything else.

If you're consuming an inordinate amount of calories every day, you obviously won't lose much weight with your cardio routine. This mistake can sometimes be made by accident; in fact, it is often made when people are trying to eat healthy. Case in point: the Health Bar. The high calorie content of many of these bars causes you to burn the bar itself before you start burning any fat. That's why noshing on a low-calorie meal that contains slow-digesting carbs about an hour before your workout is a much better way to go.

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

I used to work with a woman who did Ironman competitions. Though I had a healthy dose of respect for her, I'll admit I thought she was a little bit nuts. I mean, isn't one big race enough for one day? I couldn't help but notice, however, how her excitement and anticipation would grow as training ramped up and race day neared.

I always thought I'd like to try a mini-triathlon, you know the one that endurance racers do in their sleep? Maybe once I master running, I'll work on my swimming skills and we'll see what happens. Until then, I'll get my fill by reading blogs by people training for their own triathlons:

Because I Tri

Veg Triathlete

Diary of an Amateur Triathlete

Blood, Sweat, and Beer

If you're an amateur triathlete, I hope you can find some inspiration here!

My grandma had osteoporosis. For her, it reared its ugly head in her back which became more and more rounded with each of her passing years. It caused her great pain. And it caused her to continually urge me to stand up straight and practice good posture -- which is important for young women like me who wish to maximize bone health. But even more critical for mostly Caucasian and Asian women is weight-bearing exercise and resistance training.

Walking, running, dancing, and playing tennis are just a few good weight-bearing activities. Biking and swimming don't count because they provide no impact of bones on the ground.

OK, so are you ready for your mission? Here's what you've gotta do: Start slow if you must and tackle 10 minutes of walking three times per week. Gradually build up to 30 minutes a day, five times per week. Do more if you can. Then add weights for resistance. Take on some strengthening exercises for 20 minutes, three times per week. If you don't feel very fit at the moment, begin walking with ankle weights and then tack on small amounts of weight, beginning with one pound and working your way up.

Personally, I hope to turn back the clock on osteoporosis. How about you?

Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Scooby Doo and Cruel Intentions, has avoided the limelight for a while now, but she's back as the covergirl for SELF Magazine. Within SELF's pages, she talks about finding balance in a superficial industry. Here are some highlights of the interview:

• (When asked how she blows off steam): "Sometimes it's going to the gym. The endorphins and sweating and just getting it all out. Sometimes it's curling up on the floor and having a full-on conversation with my dog. Sometimes it's just taking a walk and clearing your head and just being reminded that life is pretty good. We all have bad days, but we bounce back."