That's Fit

by **Maggie Vink** Jun 16th 2009 11:00AM

Whether the motivation is the economy or the environment, backyard gardens are popping up all over the country. Perhaps most famously, a garden was even planted at the White House. Regardless of the reasons for planting a garden, there are undeniable health perks to growing your own produce.

Produce that is freshly picked (or dug as the case may be) hasn't had time to lose any nutrients. What's more, the fresher the produce, the better it seems to taste. And, as you grow different varieties of produce and have them right on hand, you're more likely to find ways to prepare and enjoy them. And increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is a good thing.

You can never have too many fruits and vegetables, but there are other, less healthful, foods that can send you into a flurry of overeating.

by **Kristen Seymour** Apr 21st 2009 5:00PM

Tomorrow is Earth Day -- how will you celebrate? Taking care of the Earth and taking care of your body often go hand in hand, and I have a few suggestions for observing this special holiday while also celebrating your healthy lifestyle.

Bike to work. Or the market, or school -- wherever you need to go. Not only will it show that you care about the environment, but you'll burn off your breakfast, too. Walking, of course, is just as good.
Skip the gym (but not your workout). Take the opportunity to get in touch with Mother Nature. If you have a park nearby, run a few sprints, then use the jungle gym to do pull-ups (just be sure to bring along your own reusable water bottle!). Or, just take a long walk around your neighborhood or through the woods. By skipping the gym, you'll avoid using the power you would have consumed on the treadmill or in the sauna, plus, it'll feel great to be outside.
Eat vegetarian. I'm not saying you should become a full-fledged veg (although, I'm not saying you shouldn't, either), but research has shown that a vegetarian diet is beneficial for the planet, and a plant-based diet is good for your body, too. And don't freak out -- vegetarian dining isn't hard, and it's not scary. You don't have to come up with anything exotic (unless you want to). Whole wheat pasta with sauce and some sauteed veggies will work, and steamed vegetables with couscous is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. Get inspired here -- you might even start making it a weekly thing! (Bonus points if your vegetarian meal is comprised of local foods!)
Get involved. Forget sitting on the couch and watching all of the cool Earth Day events on the news -- find events near you! A quick search of my town and "earth day" revealed lots of things to do, including planting trees and cleaning up. And have you ever planted trees? You're in for a workout!
Plant your own garden. Hey, if you're going to get your hands dirty and your brow sweaty, maybe you want to get something tangible out of it -- I don't blame you. Work with your roommates or family to create a vegetable garden. You'll burn calories getting it started, and you'll reap the benefits of homegrown, fresh, delicious vegetables in no time! Find out everything you need by entering your zip code on the National Gardening Association website.

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by **Martha Edwards** Jan 16th 2009 4:00PM

Does your husband spend lots of time working in the garden? Let's hope so -- not only is it good for him, it's good for your relationship. And I'm not just talking about the fact that the you two are less likely to get into a big fight when he's willingly helping out in the yard -- gardening can actually improve your sex life. As in, physically.

Recent studies show that gardening greatly reduces a man's chance of impotence, meaning it can do wonders for his performance in the bedroom. If gardening is typically your job around the house? Exercise in general will have the same effects, so get your guy moving.

And considering gardening burns around 272 calories an hour, the fact that it's helping your hubby get rid of his beer belly can't hurt either.

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by **Maggie Vink** Dec 11th 2008 2:00PM

"When you're covered in paint, it's quite hard to put food in your mouth!"

by **Maggie Vink** Nov 11th 2008 4:00PM

In today's economy, not everyone can afford a gym membership. But fitness isn't just for the wealthy. Parks and other public access areas can help bridge the gap between those whose wallets bulge and those who just have wallets.

Research has long shown that living near green spaces -- parks, manicured boulevards, gardens, etc. -- can improve health. Recent research shows the benefits of green spaces are greater than originally thought. The open spaces help residents release stress, and they promote physical activity.

If you're feeling the budget crunch, a local park might be just the place to score some free fitness opportunities. You may be lucky enough to have a local park that has areas specifically designed for fitness. If not, there's still plenty you can do. Check out this post for ideas.

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by **Maggie Vink** Sep 26th 2008 4:00PM

Martha recently posted about whether or not parents should be notified if their children are overweight. A recent user question on Momtourage shows that some doctors are doing just that. ... and I think it's a good thing. The parent asking the question is wondering if they should even be concerned that their child is overweight because they feel that their child is active and happy.

Some children are clearly, unmistakably overweight. But for other kids, it isn't always easy to tell. After all, kids go through growth spurts and they grow at different rates. But if a medical professional expresses that your child is indeed overweight, it's time to take action.

As parents, there are many things you can do to help your child live a healthy lifestyle and maintain an appropriate weight.

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by **Maggie Vink** Jul 28th 2008 9:00AM

Growing your own produce is an economical way to feed your family healthfully. As an added perk, pulling all of the weeds helps to burn a few calories each day.

If you haven't gotten around to planting a garden this summer, you're not too late. There are plenty of veggies that can still thrive even into the fall. Perhaps even into the winter, depending on the weather conditions where you live. Divine Caroline has a list of edible goodies that can be planted now and enjoyed in the coming months:

Long-maturing crops such as carrots, cabbage, and potatoes can be planted now for regions with October frost dates, or in August for regions with November frost dates.
Medium-maturing crops like broccoli, Swiss chard, and kale take about two months to mature. You can plant them now or hold off a bit longer for fall growth.
Fast-maturing crops such as spinach, arugula, and leaf lettuce mature in about a month and can be planted as late as September. Plant some now and then plan to plant again for a second crop in the fall.

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by **Jacki Donaldson** Jul 12th 2008 7:30AM

"Have you written about our garden yet?" my seven-year-old Joey asked me the other day after finding me typing away at my laptop. "No, I haven't," I told him. "But I should." I wrote about our garden before we even started it. Makes sense I'd write about it now, months after our seeds plunged into the ground.

As promised, my hubby John tilled up a portion of our back yard, and Joey had the pleasure of putting his collection of seeds deep in the dirt. We've got all sorts of peppers, pumpkin, watermelon, peas, and tomatoes. There's cucumber and strawberries too. Several of our plants are bearing fruit -- and vegetables. We've got a few green tomatoes, a few green peppers, and our cucumbers and pumpkin plants are flowering nicely. We can't wait for the day when we can actually pick and eat something we've grown. For now, we're just happy for the blessing our garden has bestowed upon us.

Our garden has inspired Joey to care for something. He checks his crop each morning, waters it late each afternoon (unless a plentiful rain falls down), walks visitors out back to see what he's growing, and offers the family a progress report each night at dinner. "Dad, did you see how big that green pepper is getting?" he has announced on several occasions. Our garden has also sparked lively conversations about how food from the Earth is healthy, how food from boxes and packages usually is not. Our garden attracts butterflies, it brightens up our yard, and it allows us to witness the wonder of nature. When it offers us food we can use to nourish our bodies, it will be one grand lesson for two little boys who are just learning about the world -- and for their parents too.

by **Martha Edwards** Jul 9th 2008 6:02AM

House doesn't feel like home? Why not add a little 'green' to the interior? Having a houseplant can have an amazing effect on your health, mood and decor.

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by **Maggie Vink** Jun 16th 2008 6:00AM

Feeling stressed? One of the best ways to manage stress may be waiting for you just outside your back door.

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by **Deanna Glick** May 30th 2008 1:30PM

I'm trying, along with two of my friends and neighbors, to grow an organic food garden. Until we can harvest, I buy mostly organic produce to avoid residual pesticides and GMOs harm the environment and could be compromising to human health as well. And I've been researching the methods behind the concept.

Options for pest control include physical barriers such as netting as well as natural concoctions to replace chemical pesticides. These options aren't very glamorous or aesthetically pleasing. I realize we're growing food, but I'm a sucker for eye-pleasing landscapes. That's why I was thrilled to learn that incorporating flowers into our food garden could be an effective method for pest control.

Marigolds and lavender are among a long list of components that can be used as part of companion planting, which, as it turns out, has been a standard method used by organic gardeners for some time. Other bloggers over at Green Daily have covered it as well. It's too soon to tell if it's working in our garden, but it sure looks pretty. And that works for me. For now.

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by **Deanna Glick** Apr 8th 2008 10:00AM

Medicinal herbs can be welcome relief for stress and it's side effects, including nervousness, anxiety and loss of sleep. Thus the market for consumption via herbal teas and supplements in pill or liquid form. Last week I wrote about the benefits of getting out in the garden to relieve stress. Then I got to thinking, why not include some stress-relieving medicinal herbs while you're at it?

Planting lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, California poppy, and others in the relatively long list of herbs known for their calming effects would provide a constant supply of remedies and the peace of caring for them. Herbs that provide stress relief are often classified into various categories for treating related ailments, including anxiety , insomnia , nervousness and restlessness. There's also a breakdown of which herbs to use according to potency according to David Hoffmann's book Medical Herbalism. The same article describes such herbs as nervines: a plant remedy with some kind of beneficial effect upon the nervous system. Nervine relaxants are most important in times of stress and confusion, as they can alleviate many of the accompanying symptoms.

If you can't find appropriate plants or seeds at your local nursery, you can buy many of them online . There are also plenty of tips for growing herbs as well as ideas for growing indoors.

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by **Deanna Glick** Apr 1st 2008 12:30PM

I did a ton of yard work last weekend. Layed out a lasagna-style garden plot, mowed the grass, planted some pansies and cleaned off the patio furniture so I could relax and admire my handy work.

My back hurt, but my head felt great. The mental benefits of being outside and getting your body moving have always been crucial for me. Winter is tough for that reason. Combating stress during colder months means hot tea, hot baths and exercise in a gym. And the affect wears thin after a while. So, for me, spring's arrival doesn't just mean warmer temperatures feeling good on my skin and enjoying the sight and smell of flowers.

The vitamin D and work in the yard make for huge stress relievers. If you haven't tried it, get out and garden. It may work for you too. Just keep the muscle rub and ibuprofen handy.

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by **Jacki Donaldson** Feb 19th 2008 9:00AM

We're going to plant a garden. This is the year. We're really going to do it. Our kids have been begging to plant seeds and watch them grow for a while now and we just haven't made it happen. But a garden is in the works now. It has to be. We made a promise.

John promised Joey and Danny that he'll till up a portion of our back yard so they can bury their seeds deep in the dirt. He even asked his mom, a successful gardener herself, for tips and tricks. And for a quick start, he's decided to buy a strawberry pot and begin this crop while the rest of the garden takes shape. They boys are thrilled and while they experienced a temporary set-back last night when they couldn't locate such a pot at any of our garden shops, they are patiently optimistic that their garden will soon be up and sprouting.

Besides strawberries, we hope to grow tomatoes, zucchini, carrots and if Joey has his way, we'll have pumpkins, sunflowers, beans, watermelon, peppers, and more. He'd buy every package of seeds available if he could. He's that excited.

I'm excited too -- about the prospect of growing our own healthy foods, about saving a few pennies at the grocery store, about my boys witnessing firsthand the wonder of nature. The family time will be a treasure too. What better way to grow together than joining forces and enjoying the fruits of our labor.

by **Brian White** Sep 19th 2007 12:02PM

One of the great joys of cooking ultra-flavorful dishes these days (or reviving bland foods) is to add herbs. I add herbs to almost everything I eat except fruit. From whole-grain muffins to fresh broccoli, herbs make everything taste good and are quite a bit more healthy that loads of salt.

Wouldn't it be nice to grow your own herbs? Many people I know do this in windowsills and other lightful areas in their homes. I tell you what -- those folks never have a bland-tasting meal that I've ever seen.

Get a nice foot-tall terra cotta pot, some sunlight, water and soil and you're prepped for growing a small (but fruitful, heh) mini-herb garden right inside your home. Try that fresh dill on salmon and thyme on top of red potatoes. Oh my -- my stomach's already rumbling!

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