Category Archives: Lifestyle

lifestyle

LINCOLN’S QUODDY LIGHT LV KAYAK

Marc Bourgoin, CEO, Lincoln Canoe & Kayak, asked me for a recommendation for the wonderful, snappy little Quoddy Light LV kayak that I own and love. Here it is – with pleasure.

As I segued from equestrian sports to skiing and, when single-parent finances dictated, to running, it never occurred to me to try a water sport. Then came surgery that stole my running shoes. So if I was to be permanently grounded, I’d try water.

My first boat was a plastic tub that served only to get my attention. I traded up, really up. A friend in the business found me a great deal on an elegant Epic18. She was beautiful, swift and, though light, a pain for me to maneuver on land or to the roof of my car. But I was hooked and even dreamed dreams of joining a local recreational racing group.

That was 6 years ago. In the interim I fell in love again, this time with road cycling. Normally I am a one-sport woman, but I have learned the perfect formula – dedicated training hours on my bike balanced by any extra hours I can find to paddle.

I have finally acquired the perfect bike and absolutely the best kayak for me, a low profile Quoddy Light.

It all began when, on vacation, I met Marc Bourgoin in Freeport, Maine. I wanted to test the local waters and he sent me out with a Quoddy Light. In fact, he wanted to share his love for a Chebeague, but once I had paddled the Quoddy Light, I was snared.

Why? My Epic was serious. I am serious. Paddling the Quoddy Light made me laugh out loud. The day I tested it, the wind was up and the boat should have been unstable. It was not.

Mind you, I am small, not brave or super strong or highly skilled. I am also a grandmother. But in that boat, on that day, I sliced through wind and waves that should have alarmed me. Instead I returned wet, salty and exhilarated. So much from so little.

It didn’t make sense. Anyone knows you should paddle at least a 16’ boat if you want performance and stability, right? Wrong.

The fun I had that day haunted me. Bottom line? Marc was patient. Finally I let go of my beloved Epic. The sale made the new owner very happy and financed my new, custom built Quoddy Light.

Each and every boat that comes out of the Lincoln factory is meticulously finished and embodies a spirit, a personality, of its own. The lucky ones are those of us who connect with our boat. I love mine. She rides on top of my X-Trek along with my bike. I can go anywhere and ride on land or water. These two are my friends, my training partners, my playmates. And we trust each other. We fit. We work hard and celebrate big. We live life the way it is meant to be lived.

Who knows, maybe someday there will be room in my “stable” for a Seguin. But whatever, it will be a boat built by Lincoln, maybe even by Rusty himself.

GIRLS ON THE RUN VERMONT

Girls on the Run Vermont, a piece of the national pie, is an organization that, through cooperative effort, teamed energies, and plenty of activity, promotes and sustains budding confidence, awareness and individuality for girls.

When RUN = FUN

Girls on the Run, Vermont, Culminates Another Year

Submitted by Linda Freeman for 6-14-2015

At the Start 2015

ACTIVE VERMONT

In a small café in Randolph, in the spring of 2011, I met Nancy Heydinger, Executive Director of Girls on the Run Vermont. The coffee was good, our connection was warm and immediate, and I left with full admiration for Heydinger and her mission, to make Girls o the Run (GOTR) available to every girl in Vermont.

Four years ago Heydinger said: “As a coach, runner and mother, I was drawn to the way GOTR builds girls’ confidence and also how it helps them become physically and emotionally strong. The curriculum emphasizes values of health and self-awareness, the message is to teach the girls to feel strong and proud of who they are, unique and beautiful, inside and out.”

Fast-forward to Saturday, June 6, 2015. My fourth grader and I pulled onto the Essex Fair Grounds parking lot and claimed a slot in the first row. We were eager to get on with our day. Soon it was apparent that the prediction of 2000 girls and 3000 family and supporters was conservative.

This was the GOTR year-end 5K event, the grand finale, of a 3-month GOTR season, drawing participants from schools throughout central and northern Vermont. It was designed for fun, and fun it was. Cool and breezy didn’t matter; pre-run activities heated up quickly.

The place was popping with color, laughter, nerves, costumes, face painting, hair streaking, warm ups, cheers, high 5s, music, photo ops and so much expended energy one wondered if there would be enough left to lap the grounds twice for a total of 3.1 miles.

By the time the 1700+ girls along with many more registered supporters lined up for four wave starts, the mass of tutus, feathers and decorated skin on faces, arms and legs, looked like a moving circus about to parade through town.

And then the parade began. Actually, some of the participants ran fast with the first few clocking in around 23 minutes. But this event was not about fast. It was about finish. It was about running and/or walking with a buddy. It was about cheering and hugging and crying and going back at the end to welcome friends across the line.

Halfway around I saw my girl and her buddy taking a walking break. I called out their names with a “looking good” and off they went again, perhaps wanting to prove my point.

Watching, I wanted to take in every detail of the mass and freeze the memory. There were girls with their families and friends from every imaginable background and of every size, shape, socio-economic level and ethnicity. It was a feast for the eyes, food for the soul.

As we drove away to stop for a celebratory bagel, I asked my fourth grader if all the girls in her school group participated. “Yes,” she said. “In the beginning some of them could hardly run at all, but everyone finished. It didn’t matter whether they walked or ran, but what mattered was that we helped each other. And that we had fun.” And there you have it.

What is GOTR?

GOTR was first organized in 1996 in Charlotte, NC. and is currently a national organization with national partners. Girls on the Run Vermont took first steps in 1999. Now, June 2015, Heydinger’s vision has escalated to a statewide organization of over 3100 girls from 144 schools and 825 volunteer coaches.

Annie Guyon, Director of Marketing, Communications and Development, credits Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, state-wide program sponsor, for “substantial financial contributions that support the program itself, the entire program.”

(Note that BCBSVT also supports Velocity, a similar program for boys. For more information see http://www.bcbsvt.com/velocity.)

Other sponsors step up to help out with additional costs such as Peoples United Bank that sponsored the Essex 5k event.

Somewhere in the United States this year, one young girl was the one millionth to have participated in the GOTR program. The national goal is two million by 2020. That’s a lot of girls.

Here are the basics. GOTR is about more, much more, than running. It is a three-month long after-school program that meets twice weekly and is coached by a trained leader and assistants who follow a carefully developed curriculum that includes tools to address health and fitness, confidence through accomplishment and social skills to be used in everyday experiences faced by young girls in contemporary society. GOTR is about self-awareness and understanding, about relationships and teamwork, about how to connect with each other and the community and world in which they live.

There is a small fee, but scholarships are available. Fundraising helps to support these scholarships.

At the end of the program, each region hosts a 5k event: Brattleboro on 5-16-2015, Rutland on 5-30-2015 and Essex on 6-6-2015.

Of this year’s 5ks, Heydinger said: “Our three 5k events were fantastic and continue to grow. Our goals for these events are to provide the girls with a joyful lifetime experience in a fun, festive and non-competitive environment, an opportunity to be successful in the goals that they set for themselves at the beginning of the season … to complete a 5k run/walk.”

Following the Rutland event, Guyon said: “Today’s Rutland 5k was amazing, where over 950 girls came to celebrate their limitless potential, their confidence, their uniqueness and their inner and outer strength. It was spectacular, with beautiful balmy weather, lots of smiling faces and amazing achievements, with all the girls finishing strong—and beaming.” (Rutland’s Presenting Sponsor was Rutland Regional Medical Center.)

“Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realized that even the seemingly impossible is possible.” (www.girlsontherun.org)

What happens after the finish line? GOTR is available to girls in grades 3-5. Girls then move on to Girls on Track, their sister middle school program for grades 6-8. Soon, GOT, restructured, will morph into Heart & Soul.

For detailed discussions on each program as well as contact information and ways in which to support or participate, go (run or walk is ok) to www.girlsontherunvermont.org or www.girlsotherun.org.

MAKE IT FUN

For years, as a single mom with two kids, I drove a truck decorated with the Ben & Jerry’s blue and white bumper sticker that proposed “If it isn’t fun, why do it?” (I can’t remember the exact words. I also had “NO FEAR” pasted across the top of the windshield so you can guess the era.)

Later I learned that the quote, “If it ain’t fun don’t do it,” is attributed to Jack Canfield, the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series.

Now I tweak the original saying. Fun is an often underestimated part of the fitness equation and must be both considered and honored. Why? If the fitness activity you pursue isn’t fun, that activity will gradually disappear from your daily schedule.

If it isn’t fun, then find other pursuits, other ways to include activity in copious amounts in your personal and corporate life.

Perhaps a better way to say it might be, if it isn’t fun, MAKE it so. This was my take-home message from last weekend.

Quickly, when I say the word “run” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many it is merely a grunt or an “ugh.” Run does not always equate fun. Change one letter and you’ve got it. Change parts of the process and you’ve got it as well.

Make a run, walk, hike, ride, strength training session, even laps or an elliptical fun by adding quirky, amusing or light-hearted pieces. Be creative. Join friends for a start, tell stories along the way, wear something funky, plot coffee or a beer for later, even a bribe works, but make it fun.

Then, just maybe, you’ll find yourself in the habit of exercise, a habit that you should not break and might not want to.

SAFETY ON THE ROAD for the VULNERABLE USER

Article published May 17, 2015, Rutland Herald & Times Argus, ‘ACTIVE VERMONT’

AN URGENT NEED FOR COURTESY

With death resulting. It’s an unimaginable way to end a sentence, an outing and a life. Every time a runner laces up his running shoes, a cyclist clicks into her pedals or a driver fastens his seatbelt, he or she ventures onto a road that may lead nowhere.

Vermont attracts people who choose the outdoors, who choose to walk, run and ride. The reasons for doing so vary from an economic or environmental incentive to leave the car home, to recreation, health and fitness or training for pleasure or competition. That people who make this choice risk injury and death is an unnecessary and sad reality.

Sometimes the line between safety and fatality is as fine as simple courtesy. Vermont law dictates the rights and responsibilities of all concerned in what is known as the Vulnerable User law in which motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are mandated to share the road and to do so abiding by laws designed to protect, not to punish.

Transcending the clearly defined rules of the road are actions that bond a community and build a state in which quality of life is imperative: respect, tolerance, patience; a pause, a smile, a thank you.

Already this year the news has been sobering. On April 14, Kelly Boe of Middlebury was struck and killed by a motorist while riding his bike in Weybridge. On April 26, Richard Tom of Hinesburg was killed by a motorist while riding 1⁄2 mile from his home, an incident in which the young driver lost his life as well.

Yes, in Vermont communities, such sorrows serve to bring out the best in neighbors and friends. On May 4, 400 rode in memory of both Richard Tom and Joseph Marshall; and on May 5, a ride was held in Middlebury to honor Kelly Boe.

The Green Mountain Bicycle Club established The Richard Tom Foundation to honor the cyclist’s memory and to promote bicycling and bicycle safety. The Kelly Boe Memorial Scholarship Fund, dedicated in his memory, is to encourage Middlebury Union High School students and continue Boe’s commitment to their success.

Jason Van Driesche is Director of Advocacy and Education for Local Motion, an organization designed to promote opportunity and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This spring’s fatalities have spurred the organization to take stronger and broader steps to reach goals and function effectively.

“Local Motion is officially statewide,” Van Driesche said. “Now we have to make good on that promise. We must engage in communities all over the state.” What works in one community might not work in another, he said. “We must explore their needs and wants.” (www.localmotion.org).

Van Driesche and his wife moved from Western Massachusetts to Vermont after a Christmas visit with family in Middlebury and then welcoming the New Year in Burlington. They loved what they observed and experienced.“We saw some of the best qualities of where we grew up,” Van Driesche said. Shortly after their relocation to Vermont, each embarked on a new job. Van Driesche has been with Local Motion for six years and embraces the mission “to help communities become great places to walk and bike,” he said.

With advanced degrees in urban planning and conservation management, Van Driesche said: “What I’m interested in is connection between people and places. We need to relocalize Vermont’s transportation system. We need to make it safe and comfortable to travel around your own community, to give people choices.” Van Driesche doesn’t live far from his work, but a sharply uphill morning ride begins his day. As a commuter, he recognizes the difference between biking as a means of transportation or recreation and that of training for cycling performance. “We try to talk about activities and choices,” he said. “The focus on what we do is on the middle drive-walk-bike. Some people would do more if they actually felt safe.”

Most people who walk or ride a bike, also drive a car. The reverse is not always the case. Perhaps there would be more understanding if it were so. Van Driesche believes it is divisive to consider bicyclists and pedestrians separately as both need consideration, and, in fact, many more walk than ride.

Local Motion identifies street and road design as particularly significant for pedestrian safety. Noting individual action and personal responsibility, Van Driesche said: “There’s a much larger piece, bigger than any individual. The best way is to design an environment for safety.”

Working closely with VTrans, Local Motion finds partnership in revisiting state road standards, plans, construction and maintenance, attempting to look forward in so doing.

Local Motion offers the program, “Everyday Bicycling Project” to give people practical skills to use a bike as transportation. These free workshops are available around the state. (Contact Mary Catherine Graziano, marycatherine@localmotion.org.)

“The Vulnerable User law,” Van Driesche said, “has given people a vocabulary for talking about how our streets and roads can work. Having discussion helps to shift conversation from ‘what are the cyclists doing on the road?’ to ‘how can we play safe together?’”

Recently Van Driesche addressed the role of law enforcement at the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsfield. He told a class of new candidates, “Vermont is the third highest state in the nation of people who walk or ride to work.” He pursued the effective use of enforcement as a tool for improving safety. The law is spelled out and enforceable.

The vulnerable user, one with no built-in protection, also travels roads that were, for the most part, not originally designed with their safety in mind.

Though the specifics are clear with respect to rights and responsibilities of all users, there are gray areas that are often a matter of judgment. For example, a cyclist may attempt to ride predictably and toward the side of a road, but to do so insofar as it is practical. When a motorist approaches a cyclist, the motorist might not understand that there is a pothole or debris on the shoulder that the cyclist needs to avoid. Awareness is a significant concept. Simply taking a foot off the accelerator could prevent an accident.

“Consider this,” Van Driesche said. “If a car travels at 40 mph in a 25 mph zone and hits a walker or cyclist, there is an 85 percent chance of death. In a 55 mph zone, though, it doesn’t matter if a car is going 55 or 70 – you’re dead either way.” If, however, a car has slowed to 25 mph with 45 feet in which to stop, there is a 95 percent chance of survival for the pedestrian or cyclist. If a motorist is in a hurry, perhaps a good habit would be to leave a few minutes earlier.

There is much to discuss and, in light of recent events, discussions are more meaningful. Information needs to be disseminated to participants, law enforcement, driver’s education instructors and students, and the public in general.

Each year the National Ride of Silence is held on the 3rd Wednesday in May to honor victims of bicycle and automobile collisions. (Photo by Jeb Wallace Brodeur. Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott leading the 2014 Ride of Silence in Montpelier.) This year rides are planned for Northfield and Middlebury. Not everyone participates as each has his or her own way of promoting safety and honoring victims. “My preference is to focus on positive solutions,” Van Driesche said.

There is a clear correlation between increasing numbers of walkers, runners and cyclists on the road and the potential for accidents. Interestingly, in practice, roads that are highly utilized by vulnerable users are often safer; perhaps because motorists anticipate sharing the road.

While there is a pressing need to address safety here in Vermont, there is also a need to preserve the joy of walking, running and riding. This is not a case of us versus them, motorists versus athletes and active others. This is a case of communities coming together, of a state that supports, encourages and attracts active participants, a case of sharing the road and infrastructure on which to do so. Courtesy — motorist to vulnerable user and pedestrian, runner and cyclist to motorist — is a big part of the answer.

‘GO WILD’, Take Your Training to the Next Level – OUTDOORS

Take your training to the next level – outside.

The human body is a wonderful thing. Tracing evolutionary development, we see that the body changes, grows, reaches and adapts with amazing competence. The human body is efficient. When a task is regularly repeated, the body learns to perform that task with minimum stress to muscles, bones and mind. Apply this simple truth to our fitness routines, and we will soon see why we plateau, why exercise that at first was demanding becomes moderate and why results diminish. For example, the new exerciser might struggle to run-walk a mile, lose weight with the effort and then suddenly, at the same pace, cease to lose and become bored and discouraged.

As we incorporate exercise into our daily schedules, it is important to vary that exercise and to continue to challenge in different ways, to embrace complexity. To eat the same foods every day, to run the same route, to work out at the same level of intensity, is counterproductive. More and more of the same, results in less and less. Think about it. Boot camp and Cross-Fit classes address adaptation by providing constantly changing training. Road runners have taken to trails, marathoners have moved to ultras, cyclists have turned onto dirt roads, rail trails and into the woods and swimmers have left the pool for open water.

Making the move takes courage. We must push outside our comfort zones; be bold. But we do not need to be pioneers. Others have gone before us and are eager to encourage and share. There’s more. Moving outdoors is relative to play. Though solitary activity has its own benefits, going outside is often done in community. And, community, as well as exercise, nutrition, recovery, balance and sleep is part of the equation of health and well-being.

FROM THE FITNESS BOOKSHELF

“GO WILD” by John J. Ratey, M.D., and Richard Manning (Little, Brown and Company 2014), is my new favorite read. “GO WILD, Free Your Body and Mind From the Afflictions of Civilization”

Go wild. When was the last time you were told to do that? Well, you’re being told to do so now, and in no uncertain or irresponsible way.This book visits many places, sight-sees voraciously, organizes findings and presents convincing proof of what we discovered while we were there. No, this is not a travel book, but it charges through universal themes and connects the dots from early hunter-gatherers to you and me today via evolution and civilization. So if this stuff interests you, grab a copy and settle in for a thought-provoking, perhaps life-altering venture.

Or you might want to begin with “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, first published in 2007. Documented evidence suggests that regular exercise does far more than strengthen the body and help to create a healthy body composition. Dedicated exercise positively affects cognitive development, stress, depression, dementia, ADD, ADHD and a multitude of other disorders related to the brain. Exercise is commonly accepted to be a major contributor to a host of diseases that plague contemporary society.

But back to “GO WILD.” Having laid the foundation of the science behind his experiments and research, Ratey moved on to his more recent book, this time collaborating with Richard Manning, a journalist who was not content to take notes, but needed to put into practice what he was learning.

Trust me, this is not a rah-rah book to encourage you to get to the gym and log your hours, nor is it feel-good pop-psychology. I invite you to do a background check on the authors. You’ll find that Ratey is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author and speaker (www.johnratey.com and www.sparkinglife.org). He brings to this project the clinical, academic and yet practical data focusing on movement, nutrition and their effects on the brain and body, while Manning provides balance with personal interests in the wild, agriculture, the environment and eco-system restoration. Each has a story to tell.

Many other names appear on these pages. Some are recognizable for their voice in current fitness and athletic circles: Foreword by David Perlmutter, M.D., author of “Grain Brain” (2013); Dr. Loren Cordain, founder of the Paleo movement; Christopher McDougall, author of the wildly popular “Born to Run” (2009) and just released “Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance.” There are more, but these few names could whet your appetite. Then there’s talk about the value of CrossFit, Tabattas and TRX. Shall I continue?

Civilization and evolution have brought mixed blessings: an advanced society that diminishes physical exertion, promotes processed foods, extends years, but fails to sustain body and mind. The authors assault heavy issues with audacious assertions yet back their claims with anecdote and science. Though they highlight nutrition and movement as primary movers, they firmly support the value of community, connection and relationship.

Then there’s the whole piece about diseases. “We are designed to be wild, and by living tamely we make ourselves sick and unhappy,” they write. A sedentary lifestyle is relative to many illnesses as well as a culprit in malfunctioning cognitive development and skills. According to the authors, the lack of exercise makes us dumber. While movement may not prevent disease, it may help to lessen the risk and hasten the cure.

Like all good teachers, the authors tell stories; like good researchers, they generously cite resources; and like good scientists, they test their claims. In fact, they use themselves as test subjects as well. “This book is not an academic exercise for either of us, but rather a product of living our real and textured lives,” they write.They stress diversity, applying that concept to the complexity of human wants, needs and experiences. Nutritional advice is founded on two principles: reduce/eliminate the consumption of carbohydrates and, more importantly, make variety paramount in food choices.

Throughout the years, there have been countless theories surrounding sugars, fats (good, bad and trans), cholesterol, bacteria, meat and grains. The authors do not suggest a restrictive diet, but “Nuts, root vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, fish, wild game, clean, cool water. Range far and wide. Eat well.”

Equally important is the mandate to get off the couch and get moving. Go wild. The gym is good, but outdoors is better. “Exercise in nature is exercise squared.” Hit the trails, hike the hills, snowshoe through the woods, backcountry ski. Exercise daily, in many places and in many ways. Find your tribe, friends and family who will join you; a class, running partners, leaders who will challenge and followers who will encourage. Play. Pursue new projects and ideas. And when you have done so, rest. Sleep — eight hours a night if possible.

“Whether you’re stressed or relaxed, well-being is not about always being safe or fed or comfortable. Rather, it is learning to walk the line between the two, to balance, to move back and forth between them with ease and grace. Well-being comes from learning to talk to the lions.”

As you prepare to re-wild (a Ratey word), heed the closing advice: “Take a step. Assess. Then take another. This whole business becomes not an assignment or duty — rather, an exploration, a process of discovery. It’s guided by rewards.”

(Text was part of piece that appeared on the ACTIVE VERMONT page, Rutland Herald & Times Argus, by Linda Freeman, May 3, 2015.)

Celebrate the Full Moon

A Vermont Full Moon – Stefan Hard

A full moon – it’s the perfect time to throw a party, to celebrate, to be festive, loony if you like, and to have some active fun.

Let me explain. I am active and constantly coach, prod, teach, encourage and nag others, including you, dear readers, to move, to get outdoors as much as possible, to include exercise in each day and to play.

I sincerely believe purposeful, deliberate, structured training is great, but that it must be accompanied by hours of moving through life, in a variety of activities, with a sense of humor and within a community of friends.

Like many of you, I become bogged down in the busy-ness, the hustle and bustle of work, responsibilities, obligations, tasks and worries of daily life. I neglect to take my own advice, and the recommendations of so many others much wiser than me, to play, to have fun.

A few weeks back I was invited to join some awesome women on a full moon snowshoe to the summit of a wooded mountain in central Vermont. I was about to decline when I said to myself, “Hey, this is what you are always recommending to others — just do it.”

When the time arrived to join my friends, I had many excuses prepared as there were deadlines and unfinished tasks piling up around me.

I snowshoed. It took time to get where we were going, through woods on trails that were sometimes packed and sometimes deep and new, sometimes gentle but usually steep, sometimes with headlamps, sometimes simply under the starlit sky, sometimes in full chatter and sometimes silent, sometimes focused and breathing hard, sometimes in awe. But always in companionship.

And then it happened. Over the crest of the hill, past the distant mountain range, there it was, the moon beginning its ascent. It was a celebration of life in Vermont, of friendship, of the blessing of an active lifestyle. It was also a workout and we were happy to return to a warm house to eat and drink and share.

So why don’t we do this more often? Those five or so hours with friends have sustained me with pleasant memories during the weeks since. Do we need an excuse to get outdoors, to do something fun or maybe even a little silly, a bit — lunatic?

Here’s the excuse, a full moon. The very next full moon is known as the Full Pink Moon, supposedly dubbed that because of the early flowering pink phlox. It’s also called the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and, on the coast, the Full Fish Moon because of the shad headed upstream to spawn. There’s more. In the early morning, for about five minutes, there will be a total lunar eclipse.

Here are a few lunar facts for you. The moon is actually a satellite, billions of years old, and rather than a face in the moon, what we see are craters. The solar eclipse happens during a new moon, but a lunar eclipse comes about at the time of a full moon, and thus April 4. The moon affects ocean tides and the length of days.

Moving beyond the scientific, the moon figures prominently in music, literature, mythology, nursery rhymes, folk tales and art. There’s the man in the moon, a man on the moon, the attempt to reach the moon, over the moon and to the moon and back.

In January, we had a Full Wolf Moon and in February, a Full Snow Moon. (no kidding). The March Full Worm Moon sounds less enticing, but it worked.

May 3 brings us a Full Flower Moon, June 2 a Full Strawberry Moon and July offers a bonus of two in one month: the Full Beach Moon on July 1 and the Blue Moon on July 31 (the 2nd of two full in one month is a Blue Moon).

Aug. 29 provides the Full Sturgeon Moon, Sept. 27 the Full Harvest Moon, Oct. 27 the Full Hunter’s Moon, and Nov. 25 the Full Beaver Moon.

The year ends coincidentally with the Full Moon Before Yule, or the Full Cold Moon, falling on Dec. 25.

Because the calendar is based upon the moon, perhaps you will join me in taking pen in hand and noting the remaining full moon dates of 2015. Then, go ahead and put yourself out there.

Plan now, and more importantly invite others to join you, thus stating your intention, to actively celebrate each full moon. There are full moon walks, hikes, runs, skis, snowshoes, paddles, cruises, events, outings and frolics in the moonlight just waiting to be devised and enjoyed.

Nutrition Must Be An Integral Part of Training

Nutrition and Training go hand in hand to produce health and performance. In my role as a writer, and as field editor of the ACTIVE VERMONT page of each Sunday’s Rutland Herald & Times Argus, I am privileged to meet experts and fellow participants in the active life we share in Vermont. It is my pleasure to introduce you to one of the best, Kim Evans of Whole Health Nutrition in Williston, Vermont.

Below is my introduction of Kim as well as her writing on nutrition and the athlete. Both stories appeared in ACTIVE VERMONT, 3-1-2015.

Kimberly Evans, MS, RD, co-owner of Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center and Whole Health Nutrition

Meet Kimberly Evans, dancer, athlete, business owner, mother of five and generous friend. Professionally, Evans is a registered dietitian whose continuing quest for knowledge gives her depth in specialized areas of sports nutrition, functional medicine and integrative nutrition.

Often introduced as a sports and wellness nutritionist, Evans teaches and lives her belief that “Food should be friend, fuel and fun.” To Evans, it’s all about the “power of nutrition meeting the pleasure of eating.”

Evans spent her early years in Michigan, living in New York City and Pennsylvania as well. “I’m a person who likes change,” she said. One summer, Evans came to Vermont to hike and fell in love with the state. A 1998 return visit sealed the deal. It was Halloween and a stroll along Church Street in downtown Burlington with everyone dressed up in costumes provided the final nudge for a move here in 1999. “It stuck,” Evans said. “The more I travel and the more I see, I realize that Vermont is a special place.”

Talking with Evans, one becomes aware of the juxtaposition of care with knowledge, theory with practice, composure with passion and the desire to reach to the center of another’s needs. “Vermont has allowed me to develop myself as a professional in the world of health and wellness.” In her chosen field, Evans is required to maintain her accreditation as a registered dietitian with rigorous continuing education layered on top of her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and health care administration.

“I’m a person who loves to learn,” Evans said. As an RD, she is tasked to continually develop. Evans would have it no other way. What makes the academic practical for Evans is her personal history of movement, sports and an active lifestyle.

Evans began to dance at the age of 3 and didn’t stop until 37 years later. “Because I was a dancer, I wasn’t allowed to run,” she said. “I was always that kid in high school who couldn’t run a mile, always a ‘bun head’.” As soon as the dance chapter of her life closed, the running chapter opened. Perhaps the discipline of dance, the order, the attention to form and technique, the willingness to put in hours of practice, helped transform Evans into a runner and a cyclist. Evans now claims that she is not an adrenaline junkie, but wants to “role-model for her children and her community.” She does so, and well.

Evans is indeed passionate about her family, community, work and clients. More significantly, she embraces a deep feeling of responsibility with respect to her own health and body, and shares that sense of responsibility with others in pursuit of health and well-being as well as performance. “Eat well and move your body,” she said. “You are what you eat.” Be responsible, honor emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.

Evans is co-owner (since 2010) of Whole Health Nutrition in South Burlington, as well as Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center in Williston. “I am excited to be a part of an integrated wellness practice,” she said. “The model is exciting. We wrap a team around people striving to reach their goals.”

Welcome Kimberly Evans to the “Active Vermont” page. She will periodically share insights on relevant topics of nutrition related to recreational and competitive sports as well as individual pursuit of balance, strength, health and vibrant daily life.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT. Active people need to include nutrition in their training.

By KIMBERLY EVANS
Eating can be complicated. Let’s face it, there are almost as many opinions about nutrition as there are people who eat. That’s a lot of opinions. Eating to fuel athletic performance can be even more confusing. Think about it. Where, as an athlete or an active person, did you learn about nutrition specific to fueling your activity? Do you have set fueling practices? If you are like many athletes that I know the answer would be ‘no.’

Typically, when an athlete comes into my office, they often have a detailed plan about their workouts and training, and gadgets to support the plan. Yet when I ask them about their nutrition plan, I get a blank look. Nutrition is simply overlooked. Here is the thing. Whether you are an endurance athlete or a recreational athlete, a newly active person or an experienced competitor, your nutrition practices need to be at least 50 percent of your training effort.

Proper fueling increases lean body mass, making strong performance more attainable. Regularly adhering to good nutritional practices helps to reduce the risk of injury while shortening recovery time between exercise and managing hormones, such as cortisol, associated with exercise.

Meeting nutritional goals translates to meeting training and sports performance goals. When performance declines, there can be several reasons, such as lack of sleep, overtraining or inadequate fuel. Nutrition supports the mental and emotional aspects of sports performance as well. Fueling appropriately keeps your head “in the game,” improves mood and helps prevent fatigue.

But here’s a favorite reason to underpin your playing, training or competing with good nutrition: You have another reason to eat. This is always a plus for me.

Let me share my story. I have been a registered dietitian for 27 years, and yet I learned about sports nutrition the hard way. I grew up dancing ballet. Dancers have their own ideas about nutrition. When I turned 40, I decided it was time to hang up my pointe shoes and tutu and take up running. This is where trouble began.

Very early into training for my first half-marathon, I realized that something was not going according to plan. My first impulse was to also hang up my running shoes and dismiss my troubles as me just being a “bad runner.” But I am determined and when I set my mind to something I am going to do it.

I decided to engage in my own medicine and began tracking and analyzing my eating in relationship to my training expectations. The results were staggering.I was eating too few calories, very little carbs, and was woefully deficient in vitamin C and iron, amongst other things. I am a quick learner. I made some adjustments to my own eating, ran that half-marathon (and many more after) and my quest began to learn as much about nutrition in relationship to various physical activities as possible.

GET STARTED. In a nutshell, here are my top three tips to get you started thinking about your own sports nutrition practices.

1. Meet your energy needs. All bodies require fuel and athletes need even more. The more you move, the more you need. Fuel demands are made up of your basic metabolic needs, daily activity, digestion and exercise. Most of us need a bit more fuel than we think we do. Consider getting your resting metabolic rate assessed. RMR is a measurement of how many calories a day your body needs as a bare minimum, just to breathe, digest, function and stay alive.

2. Don’t fear carbohydrates. Endurance athletes and athletes in the “push” phase of their training have a particularly high demand for carbs. Match your carb intake to the intensity of your activity. Choose quality carbs such as oatmeal, quinoa, brown and wild rice, beans, sweet potatoes, and the ancient grain farro.

3. Time your eating with your exercise. Strive to calorically balance your day, including energy expended during exercise. What you eat before, during and after exercise will help to maximize performance and improve recovery times.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from applying the science of sports nutrition. Small changes and attentiveness to eating will surprise you with big changes in health, energy, stamina and performance.

If you are wondering how to get started, check out some of my favorite resources for athletes:

Visit a registered dietitian who specializes in sports dietetics. This professional will have an RD after his or her name, and sometimes CSSD.

Sign on to Nutritiming to see how it can help with personalized, specific information. The website is nutritiming.com/welcome.

Runner’s World Magazine is a valuable resource for training and nutritional information that applies to all athletes, not just runners.

Finally, move more, eat better. Eat better, move more. Enjoy.

Kimberly Evans, MS, RD, is co-owner of Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center in Williston and Whole Health Nutrition in South Burlington. She can be reached at RD@wholehealthnutritionvt.com or visit her website: www.wholehealthnutritionvt.com.

GENERAL FITNESS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

The steps to fitness for the everyday athlete are built upon habitual daily exercise and healthy choices in diet and lifestyle.

It’s time for us to sit down and have a heart to heart talk. There are things that need to be said and things that need to be heard. None of what follows is my personal opinion, but rather based on education, experience, training and practice. I have had the privilege of watching others grow in health, strength and vitality. We coexist with a health care crisis that begs solutions. As individuals, we have the opportunity to make a difference. To proactively maximize our own wellbeing is our right, responsibility and opportunity.

Much of what you read on the Active Vermont page has to do with sports. We speak of athletes, competition and training. We also speak of events and activities that invite the everyday participant. Today I address general fitness for the general population.

Here’s the bottom line, right up front: you need to exercise aerobically 5-6 days a week, strength train at least 2, clean up your diet, get enough sleep, be a contributing member of a community, and include the spiritual piece as a component of your overall health.

If you are one of those who groan at the very thought of exercise, if you consider exercise as punishment, GET OVER IT. Exercise is a privilege. It is time for you to focus on yourself away from the call of demanding voices. It is time for you, your health and your dreams, your present as well as your future, to take center stage and strip away the distractions of daily life. It’s just for a little while, but it is well worth it.

Common advice for new moms is to take care of self first or they will be unable to care for baby and family. This is not self-indulgent, it is imperative and, as I said, a privilege. If you don’t believe me, just speak with someone who experiences life from a wheelchair.

Have you marveled at the courage of adaptive skiers, cyclists motoring along on their hand-crank recumbents, returning vets who run marathone on prosthesis or happy Special Olympians? Yes, well, as I said, get over it and assume your rightful place in the active quest for fitness.

Those new to exercise often consider it a chore because they do not identify as athletes. Who is an athlete? It is easy to see that those who reach the Olympic games, Superbowl or World Series are athletes. I asked Nancy Clark, nationally recognized Registered Dietician, author and speaker, how her “Sports Nutrition Handbook,” applies to ordinary people who do not consider themselves athletes but simply exercise for health benefits. Her succinct reply was “If you exercise regularly, you are an athlete.” Perhaps taking your self-identification to the next level would give you a boost in attitude about your daily exercise.

Did I say 5-6 days a week? Yes I did. Do you have dozens of excellent excuses not to do so? Yes, I’m sure you do and I do understand. The alarm goes off too early and your head hits the pillow at night too late. You have work commitments to fulfill, kids to take to practices, chores to be done, people to care for, appointments to keep and maybe even a night out once in awhile. But you also have time to exercise.

I worked for someone who liked to say, “Oh, you don’t have time to exercise? Well you DO have time for a heart attack.”

Consider the importance of exercise. By now the relationship between exercise and disease is known and established. Exercise as preventive as well as curative (or at least helpful) with respect to mental and emotional conditions is equally well proven. If you want to know more, do the research. Or you could skip this step and just get active.

Make the distinction between purposeful exercise and lifestyle activity. The admonition to exercise 5-6 days per week means to deliberately follow a training program (your own or one suggested for you and your specific needs). This is dedicated time designed to increase your cardiovascular as well as muscular strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and energy level.

Note, if you are already exercising regularly, perhaps it is time to take it to the next level. Whether you are new to exercise or ramping up an existing program, you need to take preliminary steps.

Talk with your medical care provider. You need a green light before you begin or make changes. It may be the same in other states, but here in Vermont the medical community seems to be peopled by professionals who strongly support exercise and then practice what they promote in personal and athletic lifestyles.

Next you need to assess your current condition, define goals and plan the steps to reach those goals. You may need help. Join a gym, enroll in a class, hire a fitness consultant to help you structure a gradual but effective journey.

Aerobic exercise begins with a warm up and ends with a cool down. The common recommendation is for 45 minutes of continuous, methodical movement each day. At first the intensity may range from easy to moderate, but as fitness increases, so does intensity.

Mix it up. Vary the activity and the pace. Make one day a week a longer session. Include family or friends but keep going. The social benefits of a class encourage accountability and performance.

Show up at the gym before work or on your lunch hour if you must. You have your choice: elliptical, treadmill, stair climber, Spinner® bike, Concept2 rowing machine, and more. Which machine is the best? The one that you will use. So, use it.

Limited? Even those who are housebound, wheelchair bound, or walker bound can exercise. The growing field of physical therapy is opening doors that were once closed.

Once you have established the habit of exercise you are on your way and it’s time to strength train. The body is comprised of small, medium and large muscles that must be regularly put to the test against resistance. All healthy muscles gain strength and power over time when trained in balance and with proper technique. Injury can occur. Education is important. Do the research yourself or get professional help to learn the basics. Two alternate days a week of strength training is required to maintain and three days to increase.

It’s not all about exercise. Fitness is an equation. Exercise + Diet = Fitness.

DIET is, in fact, a 4-letter word. In many cases it is a bad word, a foul word, a damaging word. Use the Greek definition, “way of living,” or a more contemporary, “habitual nourishment,” and you’ll learn to respect it. Reduced to the lowest common concepts, a healthy diet is one that is varied, free of any and all processed foods, replete with fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and so on. An appropriate diet is also measured and devoid of excesses. Diet is based on choice. Choose to eat healthfully and it will become habitual. Replace old habits with new and you will default to the new.

Ultimately you will recognize the effects exercise will have on your body, energy and personality. You will find it easier to pick up the 50 lb bag of dog food, shovel the walk, climb the stairs and play with the kids. You will have a spring in your step and discover endurance as you navigate long meetings or late hours. You will look forward to your exercise time; it is the appointment with yourself that you must keep.

You will learn to choose foods that nourish rather than destroy. You will crave fresh, whole and clean ingredients that have begun to taste better to you than the processed meals of your past. You will fuel appropriately.

You will become more flexible, achieve balance physically and in your daily commitments, be more positive, less anxious and less fatigued.

You will look ahead at a future of possibilities. You will model for your children, grandchildren, neighbors and coworkers.

Exercise and nutrition may not protect you from the randomness, the sheer bad luck, of some diseases, but they can sure improve your odds.

The market is flooded with fitness advice. Avoid claims of a quick fix. Demand science. I have many fitness books on my shelves, but recently revisited the three below that I recommend.

A friend gave me a copy of “Younger Next Year for Women,” by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. Because the cover is a very cute pink, I put it away without reading it until a trusted professional brought it up again. (There’s also “Younger Next Year,” the first book written, that is geared for men.) Read either. Just read it. It’s a decade old but science-based,90% relevant and 100% convincing.

John J. Ratey, MD presented ground-breaking work on the effect of exercise on the brain as well as stress, depression, ADHD, addiction, Alzheimers and a host of other current problems. By all means read “Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” (“Spark” was published in 2008. Ratey published a new book in 2014. My review copy is on the way and I’ll let you know more.)

Finally, “The Exercise Cure, A Doctor’s All-Natural, No-Pill Prescription for Better Health & Longer Life,” by Jordan D Metzl, MD (2013) presents many similar findings to the previous two books but adds exercise instructions and illustrations.

Metzl concludes: “May we all exercise for the next 100 years … and beyond.” Amen to that.

JANUARY IS A MASS START

January is a mass start to the year. We come from an extended season of peaks and valleys, stress and indulgence, a roller coaster of emotions and challenges from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Then January slides into place at the start line for the next twelve months. It does not matter the year. It just so happens this year is 2015.

The gun goes off and we hit the course at full speed. Some share a level playing field, some are seeded at the start. It is irrelevant.

Jeb Wallace-Brodeur / Staff Photo Skiers get off to a mass start to the annual Mad River Valley Ski Mountaineering Race that begins at Mad River Glen and ends at Sugarbush Resort.

Picture the mass start of the Birkebeiner cross-country ski race, the Vermont City Marathon, or the swim portion of the Kona Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. Bodies explode from the tape in a frenzy of motion. Shortly the field begins to sift down into leaders and followers and finally narrows into what will be the momentum and steady progress for most of the event. Until the finish. Then the return to chaos will determine winners and next best, shall we say losers?

Look at a calendar. Can’t you see it? January kicks off the new year with a jolt. We have goals to achieve, work to be made up, new clients, new projects, new expectations. And we want to do them all at once. We run on adrenaline until we empty the tank. We forget our vows to sleep well, fuel properly and attain/retain balance. We are stoked, but unrealistic.

Then our personal and professional frenzy settles by choice or necessity. We reach a zone of steady state, a zone in which we can continue to function through our days productively, not destructively. We are ready to pursue our long-distance event with the strength and staying power of endurance.

If we do so efficiently, we will be equipped to peak when necessary. We will be prepared to meet the challenges that inevitably come our way. Hopefully we will have the sense to recover well after each in order to meet the next with increased competence and composure rather than the equivalent of a weakened battery.

It is often said that sports provide a safe, controlled playing field for practicing life. Perhaps this is indeed so.

In slightly less than one week, January will close for another year. Have we settled into our pace? Have we remembered to breathe? Are we ready to move to the next phase, the next month, the next demand either self-imposed or made upon us? Yes?

RISK – NOT ALL BAD

Assume the risk as well as the lure of fresh powder. Photo: BTD

Striving to reach a challenge may involve risk – risking to move beyond a comfort zone or to prioritize goals. Rational risk is a part of training. Think more – think new job, new relationship, new home, new baby, new sport, new ______________ (fill in the blank).

Taking a risk can be a stupid and foolish thing to do. When faced with a decision to risk or not to risk, it is often helpful to apply the tried and true “risk v. reward” assessment. If the risk is manageable and the possible reward superior, it is worthy. If you look at worst-case-scenarios for each and either of them is unacceptable, better to pass.

The element of risk does more than add color to daily life. R-i-s-k is a four-letter word, to be sure, but so is g-o-o-d. Definitions of the word usually include chance and danger. The gray area seems to be if a risk involves uncertainty or probability with respect to negative consequences.

“To remove the element of risk is like playing cards with a stacked deck.” (Stephen Gillers, New York Times/OpEd, 11-23-1986).

When it comes to safety, risk is unacceptable, careless. With respect to life fitness, however, and athletic performance, risk is a good thing.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” (T.S.Eliot)

As you travel the path to wellness and winning performance, reaching beyond your current state of conditioning is imperative. You must have the dedication and courage to formulate goals and strive to meet them. Building muscular strength, for example, requires making gradual changes to the demand for work made upon the muscles by increasing weight, repetitions or complexity of moves. Running and racing involves pushing beyond limits with intervals or increased distances.

On the other hand, it is equally imperative to understand the process and to assess what types of stressors are appropriate, achievable and strengthening rather than destructive.

“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” (Warren Buffett) It is easy to fall into this trap. Misplaced confidence can land you on your ear.

January is a time to regroup, reorganize and plan your training, competing and living calendar for 2015. Now is the time to consider stretching farther, reaching higher, and risking a bit of yourself mentally, emotionally and physically.

Let’s say you ride and run a little and have toyed with the idea of a sprint triathlon. Brilliant. You should do it. First you will assess your goal. (You will not try to qualify for the full Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, but instead will find local races scheduled for next summer.) You will also check to see if there is a triathlon training group in your area and seek advice in print and on the internet. Then you need to address the third sport, swimming. It is often the piece of the tri pie that discourages newcomers. Instead, contact a nearby pool facility and inquire about using the pool to train, taking swim lessons to improve stroke efficiency and checking to see if there is a triathlon training program held at that facility. There just might be. You would not, as a non-swimmer, jump off a dock into 20 feet of water and expect to swim to the opposite shore. Seek guidance from an expert, learn about the technical elements of each sport that interests you, and to the best of your budget, purchase equipment that will help you in the process.

Dean Karnazes is known for his (apparently) super-human efforts to defy perceived limitations of the human body. It is Karnazes who has run daily marathons across the nation, completed ultra distance events and strangely challenging (risky) adventures from ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures to sand, heat and triple digit degrees, and lived to write and speak about it. An enthusiastic and genuinely caring individual, Karnazes squeezes the last drop out of physical, mental and emotional trials and shares liberally. “Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk.” (Karnazes)

The risk of embarrassment or failure doesn’t count. Failing to achieve might be a possibility, but failure to try is a probability. Risk is not all negative. Like a good seasoning, add a pinch to your life and see how delicious it can be.

“worth the risk” BTD

HOW TO HANDLE A TIME OF CELEBRATION…

The month of December means many things to many people, but often a season of excesses – excesses of stress, holiday parties, food, drink, spending, and perhaps more significantly, scurrying to end one year well, personally and professionally, while preparing for the start of the next.

It is often a challenge to prioritize, to keep values in order and to maintain one’s sense of humor by not taking oneself too seriously.

A reminder of Christmas playfulness. Photo taken at Shelburne Museum 2014.

In that spirit, I share with you what has become an annual tradition – the writing of a holiday poem gifted to me from the wonderful athletes I train at BCBS of Vermont. These folks are burdened with bucket-loads of work and stress yet diligently and with good humor take time several days per week to exercise during their lunch break. (Kudos to BCBS for providing this opportunity for them!) I love this poem because it is funny, irreverent and yet captures the energy and enthusiasm of each. These people “get it”. They “get” that cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and just plain choosing to be active is what daily life should be. They, in turn, are reaping the personal benefits while their employer reaps the benefits of employee loyalty and performance.

Take a few minutes to sit back and enjoy this year’s offering. Picture a group of men and women dressed in athletic attire sweating it out in a dedicated studio space in which a collection of free weights, stability balls, jump ropes, medicine balls, ladders, foam rollers and the like reside. Periodically I schlep in my large bags of “toys” – Bosu trainers, wobble board, rocker board, dyna bands, dyna discs, cones, tubing, agility dots, slides, and a collection of balls. Woohoo! Sometimes we meet outdoors and sometimes we take to the halls for lunges, skips and jogs. But, throughout all there floats the sound of “c’mon, you can do it,” and “good job” as camaraderie is articulated. And of course there’s my “Are we having fun yet?!”

A Visit from Elf Freeman

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the gym Everyone was moaning and groaning, “Oh, let the fun begin”…

The mats and the weights were distributed with care; And we hoped that we weren’t in for a tortured affair.

The victims were scattered all over the room; Thoughts of caterpillars and side planks still loomed

While visions of lunges and wall sits danced in their heads, Taylor said loudly, “I’d rather be sleeping in my bed”

When inside the gym there arose such a clatter, We sprang from the mats to see what was the matter.

Away to the doorway we flew like a flash, Like when Linda gave orders to make a mad dash

The weight of the weights in our newly gripped hands, Gave a luster of sweat to the tightly stretched bands

When what to our wondering eyes should appear, Is a red haired lady with all of her gear

She’s a little slave driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment I was going to be sick

More rapid than eagles the stretches she gave; And she whistled and shouted and called us by name

Julie and Renee and Janet and Will, Get on one leg and only stand still!

Susan and Holly and Lisa and Tom, Touch your left knee to your right palm!

Run then walk, now walk then run, She asked with a smile, “Are we having fun?”

To the top of the Bosu to the end of the hall, Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!

Stop and go the other way she proclaimed,We could all feel our quads going up in flames!

Back to the mats with post and with haste For some more exercise at a fast pace!

More pushups, more sit-ups and more rotation too, It was not time to bid Linda adieu!

Hoping and praying that the torture would soon end, Tom knew he couldn’t do one more bend!

One by one we glance at the clock, And each of us can only gawk!

For it is 1:30 and it’s not through; There was at least 10 more minutes and we all knew.

Our droll little bodies drawn up like a bow, And the flab of our chins were as white as the snow

The stump of our legs held our bodies beneath, And the steam it encircled our heads like a wreath

She was bubbly and happy a right jolly ole elf, And she laughed when she saw us in spite of herself!

But I heard her exclaim, ere she drove out of sight—

“What a great workout today, you’ll feel it tonight!!!!”

Seasons Greetings and Peace to All.

Linda Freeman Fitness

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