Healthy Kids Like to Run!

It's back, the Healthy Kids Running Series!  Paddy participated in this series of races in the spring and has been asking all summer about when it would start again.

HKRS is a series of 5 races.  Kids get their swag bag at the beginning and a beautiful finishers medal at the end.  The length of the race that the child participates in is based on their grade, so distances are age appropriate.   Instead of placing, they earn points for each race.  At the end of the series, the points are tallied and first place receives a trophy.

The kids learn about sportsmanship (one little girl stopped in her tracks to help up another who had fallen), and not necessarily coming in first but doing the best they can.  Paddy fell flat on his little face, but jumped up and busted out as fast as he could.  I thought for sure he'd be heart broken.  Instead he was thrilled, telling me, "Mom, I totally fell, but I got up and powered through and still came in 4th!"  He realized what he was capable of.

Give your kids the chance to get out, get active, and learn a little something about themselves!  And don't forget to include yourself in the fun.  There are always volunteer positions.  If you don't see your town on the list, just ask how you can bring HKRS to your neighborhood.  If you have any questions or want to share your child's experience, I encourage you to comment below.

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Review: Salada Green Tea Iced Tea

My husband is a Diet Coke junkie, and I've been hounding him to cut back.  With the sweltering weather of summer upon us, I'm hoping iced tea will replace some of his soda.  In honor of June being National Iced Tea month, Salada introduced 3 new green tea iced tea flavors, raspberry, tropical fruit, and peach nectarine.  And I received complimentary samples to test and review!  I love iced tea, especially sweet iced tea.  For a long time I enjoyed the bottled peach tea, until I read about bottled/processed teas causing kidney stones.  No thanks.  I've since home brewed.  The only problem is that I can't that same peachy flavor, so I've just been using plain ol' regular tea.

It all starts with a tea leaf

At Salada we use only premium green tea leaves, carefully selected and hand picked from the lush tea gardens in the Far East, to make our Iced Tea blend.  The result is a 100% natural iced green tea with a crisp, refreshing and satisfying taste for your ultimate enjoyment. 

What do we think:
Since I love peach flavored tea, I went for Salada's Peach Nectarine Green Tea for Iced Tea.  I followed the directions, 1 family size tea bag per quart of boiled water, steep 3-5 minutes.  I added 1/2 a cup of sugar to my 2 quarts and let it cool.  When I saw how light the tea was, I wasn't expecting much in the way of flavor (I forgot green tea is much lighter).  I was surprised when my tea was actually really tasty!  It was very similar to the bottled stuff I had been missing...except with actual health benefits and it's 100% natural.  The whole family liked it.  And I feel better about giving them green tea than juice or soda (neither of which do the kids drink, so this was fun for them).

I also received Salada's Wellness Green Teas to test.  I can't say if the cherry flavored bone health tea strengthened my bones, but the additional calcium in my diet can't hurt...Plus it was mighty delicious!

For more info on all of Salada's Green Teas, or to order, please visit www.greentea.com.  You can also download some great green tea recipes.  And don't miss out on Salada's Consumer Spokesperson Iron Girl Tara Coleman's tips and nutritional info.

*Yep, the tea was free, but that's all I got.  I didn't get any loot or other compensation.  Make no mistake opinions are 100% mine and I'm not easily influenced by anyone other than me.

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Review: Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

I have to be honest and say that I'm not a big fan of the packaged cookie.  I like homemade.  When I received a complimentary sample of the Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies to review from Influenster, I was hesitant.

Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

Enjoy chewy, soft-baked cookies in a family-favorite flavor! With wholesome Quaker Oats and delicious raisins, you’ll never remember they came from our kitchen instead of yours.

-Made with Whole Grain Quaker Oats
-Individually packaged
-Provides a good source of fiber
-Contains 6 grams of total fat per serving

Where to Buy

You can find Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies at most major retailers.

Suggested retail price: $2.69 for a box of 6 cookies

What I thought:

I have to admit, it was good.  They are soft, not necessarily moist, but soft like a homemade cookie.  You can taste real ingredients, most of which I actually have in my kitchen.  The raisins weren't all dried out and shriveled up like you find in most packaged cookies.  And you can actually see the oats!  If I'm not giving my kids homemade, I'd definitely opt for one of these Quaker cookies.

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Hydration Games

It's a scorcher out there.  I don't know about everywhere else, but here in the Philly 'burbs, the heat index is reaching 105!  And let's not forget about that humidity.  I have to admit, if I weren't training, I'd likely be only running 3 miles, or even use this weather as an excuse to skip and do some extra lunges instead.  But, that's just not an option.  I have 15 more miles to run this week, 8 of those miles being the long run.  I'm going to do it before the sun comes up...In nothing more than my shorts, shoes, and a very supportive sports bra.  I'd suggest using your low beams, and averting your eyes, if driving on the Main Line before dawn for the next few days.  It ain't gonna be pretty.

So besides wearing the least amount of clothing I can get away with, without being offensive (which I may have crossed that line anyway), I'm taking some other precautions as well.  Proper hydration is important every day, but even more so when you're exerting yourself in the heat and humidity.  Per the new formula (weight/2=oz's of water you should consume), I should be drinking 59oz's of water a day. I'm currently downing 128!  I'm also drinking at least one electrolyte drink, like Powerade or Gatorade to replace everything I'm losing when I sweat...And I sweat A LOT.  Yes, with all that fluid, I'm also peeing a lot, but hey, better that than ending up dehydrated and hooked up to an IV.  I've also cut back on the caffeinated stuff.  

Even after you have hydrated, keep in mind that the heat is still hard on your body.  Slow down, maybe even cut it short if you aren't feeling good.  Signs that you need to stop include, chills, dizziness, or you stop sweating.  According to WebMD, here are some additional symptoms you should keep an eye out for: 

• Increased thirst
• Dry mouth and swollen tongue
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Palpitations (feeling that the heart is jumping or pounding)
• Confusion
• Sluggishness fainting
• Fainting
• Inability to sweat
• Decreased urine output

Get your workout in, but make sure you're getting the right type and amount of fluids too, and don't forget to take it easy.

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Running Mommies do the Philly Color Run

I wanted to do this post last night, but I was exhausted and decided to be a bum and just tweet and Facebook instead...

Just over a year ago, I started a Facebook Group called Running Mommies.  I invited a bunch of moms that I knew who ran and pretty much any mom I knew who mentioned they might want to run.  I started it because mom runners are different.  When moms run, we have to factor in things that other runners don't, kids, naps, school drop offs/pick ups, joggers, being home when the kids get up/go to sleep, running in clothes that you're not embarrassed to grocery shop in, and so on.  Every run that a mom does has to be scheduled around a kid.  Sometimes we need ideas on how to do it all, and to complain when we don't.  And really only other moms who run get it.

When I started the group, it was just a few people that I recruited.  Pretty soon those people were adding their friends who ran or wanted to start, and eventually moms were finding the group organically and requesting to join.  We share advice, post about the foods we eat, when and where we run, problems we've had, goals that we've reached, goals that we want to reach, and races we want to run....Like the Philly Color Run.  When someone threw that idea out there, I signed up and created a team.  Next thing ya know, Running Mommies from South Jersey, North Jersey, Ohio, and Indiana, were also signed up along side us locals!

I'm still in shock that 2 women, who didn't know each other prior to the group, would get in touch, plan a 12 hour road trip and get a hotel room together to run a 5k with some other Running Mommies.  We had to make it a weekend event!  Saturday morning we did the pre-dawn coffee run.  Saturday evening was the pool party, which, due to weather, turned into the indoor carb loading party.  And of course on Sunday we donned our white "Running Mommies" tanks (that's right we made shirts) and our tutus and ran the Philly Color Run together.  From Marathoners to a 5k virgin, we stuck together  and ran as a team.

It is such an amazing feeling to have created a little ol' Facebook group and have it turn into what it has; a place where moms can come together to not only discuss running, but to make connections.

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