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I've done numerous blogs about children and healthy eating. The topic has always interested me, but even more-so now that I have children of my own. Every day we hear statistics about the number of obese children in America and strategies for how to solve this growing problem. I wasn't familiar with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver until a few months ago, when I saw his new show being promoted on network television. I was curious to see if his approach to tackling childhood nutrition and obesity was going to work. Some say "yes", some say "no way".
Posted 7/9/2010 6:16:57 AM By: Jen Mueller : 156 comments
Believe it or not, working in the health and fitness world wasn't always my dream. Sure, I enjoyed playing sports and being active as a kid and teen. I even worked out regularly when I moved to college. But it was simply something I had enjoyed—a way to stay in shape. I didn't plan to make it a career. I actually started my undergraduate studies in art and design, first attending school for architecture, then transferring to an art school, and later switching schools a third time to double major in architecture and interior design and be closer to home.
But when my own health, fitness and weight became an issue during college, I knew something had to change.
Posted 5/7/2010 3:00:18 PM By: Nicole Nichols : 97 comments
My love affair with sweets goes back many years. I enjoy foods like French fries and chips, but if I never had them again that would be okay with me. However, if you take away my cookies, candy and cake, we've got a problem. The more I eat sweets, the more I want them. And usually I end up feeling guilty afterwards, knowing that I could have opted for the small dish of ice cream instead of the giant sundae. Too much sugar makes me feel sluggish, and for a long time I've wanted to break my sugar addiction but felt like I didn't have the willpower to do it. Recently I had the opportunity to make a serious commitment to cut back on sweets, and so far it's going better than I expected.
Posted 5/4/2010 1:05:09 PM By: Jen Mueller : 159 comments
I can’t tell you how many times after I started my own healthy living journey I would step on the scale and the minute the number was not what I expected my motivation began to falter. For me, the scale became the be-all-end-all to my success. However, having vowed that I would never diet again, I looked to other benchmarks to help me measure my success.
If you do not currently track these numbers, now may be the time to do so, especially when you are struggling to get those last few pounds off.
Posted 3/24/2010 5:57:07 PM By: Nancy Howard : 87 comments
I was never one of those kids who knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even in college when it was time to pick a major, I picked business because it seemed like I could do a lot with it. I really didn't like business more or less than anything else. But my parents encouraged me to finish college and then I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
Posted 3/23/2010 2:19:10 PM By: Jen Mueller : 200 comments
When we were researching and writing our best-selling book, The Spark, we discovered 27 secrets of success that thousands of successful SparkPeople members have used to reach their goals, lose weight and keep it off.
We're sharing 15 secrets from the book on the dailySpark from March 1-15.
Secret #14: Don't look back.
We define "successful" members as the people who have reached their goal weight OR lost at least 100 pounds but are still on track to reaching their ultimate goal. Of all of the most successful members we surveyed, literally ZERO percent said they let setbacks derail their efforts. How did they get back on track?
Posted 3/14/2010 6:01:27 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 48 comments
Those of us that are nutritionally aware have become quite competent at reading the nutrition label as we make purchasing decisions at the supermarket.
Last fall, Coach Dean shared his concerns with the Smart Choices labeling program when Froot Loops was considered a smart choice. The Food and Drug Administration also warned the food industry to standardize the proliferation of symbols and ratings used to highlight nutritional claims on the front of food packages. Last year the F.D.A. shared with manufactures the belief that front-of-pack labeling is a promising way to help consumers make informed food choices. They also shared concerns related to their "research which found that with such labeling, people are less likely to check the Nutrition Facts label on the back or side panel of foods." Because of this, the front-of-package information they seek is more than just a symbol. Because of the risk of decreased use of nutrition information labeling, the F.D.A. is now encouraging manufactures share important nutritional information such as complete calorie per container especially for single serve food and snack items. Coca-Cola Co. began putting calorie counts on the front of most of their drinks but it highlighted a new problem related to calorie reporting and portion sizes. So how would front-of-package labeling relate to portion size nutrition?
Posted 2/9/2010 3:39:04 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 111 comments
A few months ago I wrote a blog on how to cope when caring for aging parents; little did I know then that this was just the beginning of a new set of challenges. Last month my mother-in-law called me on a Tuesday morning complaining of a mass in her abdomen. She was not experiencing any pain, discomfort or any other symptoms, but as a former Registered Nurse, this was something we could not ignore.
Posted 1/27/2010 5:01:44 PM By: Nancy Howard : 248 comments
I see this scenario pretty frequently at this time of the year: A person decides it's time to get healthy. So they start reading about all of the foods they should and shouldn't eat, all of the habits they should and shouldn't have, and they are ready to completely change their life. There are so many different things they could focus on, so why choose just one? Right away they start drinking more water, eating lots of fruits and veggies, tracking how much fat they are consuming (and what kind it is), getting more sleep, burning exactly 325 calories per day through exercise, wearing sunscreen daily- whew! The list goes on and on….
A week later, they are totally stressed out and ready to throw in the towel because it's too many things to think about. Does this sound familiar? Have you ever fallen into the trap of feeling like you have to become perfectly healthy and do everything exactly the way the experts tell you to? With so much information out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed with what you should and shouldn't be doing when it comes to your health.
Posted 1/19/2010 5:41:03 AM By: Jen Mueller : 109 comments
The topic of TV is a constant battle in my house. I would be happy if we got rid of the TV completely (okay, except when it's the middle of a season of Top Chef.) My husband, on the other hand, was a little too excited when we got our new flat-screen, big-screen, too much-screen TV. There are lots of good reasons to watch less TV, especially since the average American spends 5 hours a DAY in front of the TV. It's easy to assume that less TV might lead to healthier habits, since you'd have more time to exercise or cook a healthy meal. A new study shows that less TV might not change your diet or increase your exercise, but it could lead to an increase in overall activity levels.
Posted 1/15/2010 6:21:55 PM By: Jen Mueller : 148 comments
Happy New Year!
As 2010 begins and I start to think about my resolutions for this year, I thought it would be good to take a look at how I did with last year's resolutions. I might not have done as well as I'd hoped, but hopefully the experiences of the past year will help me make a plan to be more successful this year.
Posted 1/1/2010 5:51:54 AM By: Jen Mueller : 41 comments
It was exactly one year ago today that I blogged about running my first 5K race. "I am not a runner. I really do not enjoy running," it opened.
It was true. Running was something I did rarely because it made my lungs burn and my heart race. It challenged my body (and my mind) like no other workout ever could. I didn't think it was fun and I wasn't sure that I believed the so-called "runner's high" even existed.
Six months after that race, I still didn't call myself a runner. When interviewed by a local reporter, I distinctly remember her asking me if I was a runner. "No way!" I had said—because I wasn't. Even though I had fun during that first 5K race and hoped to do more, I hadn't set any goals to run and I still couldn't make myself stick with it.
How could so many people run and actually enjoy it? Coach Jen and Nancy were both training for the Chicago Marathon. So many of our most successful SparkPeople members had lost 20, 50, even 100 pounds and started running 5Ks and eventually half and full marathons. And they all seemed to be having fun while they did it. Was something wrong with me?
Around July, I started running more regularly (once a week) to take advantage of the beautiful summer mornings. Then I increased to twice a week. By the end of August, I was regularly running three times per week, solely because I wanted to thoroughly test the Nike+ SportBand before I posted a product review. Little did I know it, but my determination to test that little gadget put the universe into motion and resulted in something I never expected.
Posted 10/7/2009 6:17:04 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 77 comments
Faster than a speeding bullet, there's a new approach to healthy living can make you fit as a fiddle. And it's as easy as 1-2-3!
It's called "stealth health" and it's a philosophy that's gaining ground among experts, food manufacturers—and people who want to live a healthier life. Even if you haven't heard of it (I hadn't either), you're probably already using these principles into your life. The concept, as explained in this WebMD article is nothing new to most of us at SparkPeople. It's about taking small actions every day to improve your health, nutrition and fitness levels in BIG ways. We've been advocating a small-steps approach for years, whether in the form of 10-minute workouts or fast break goals. We believe that doing something is always better than doing nothing. And yes, that 10 minutes on the treadmill or that single serving of vegetables DOES make a difference.
When you start small, you feel accomplished. That initial success inspires you to make additional positive changes in your life. So you continue, getting healthier, fitter, and leaner over time—all by starting with a few small changes. Ask some of your SparkFriends, and I'll bet they'll say that this approach has worked for them.
As I read the article and tips about stealth health, I started to think about the ways I sneak a little bit of health into my days. I'm a big believer that small steps—in fitness, nutrition and motivation—really do make a difference, no matter where you are in your lifestyle journey. I use them all the time myself! So I came up with a short list of small things I do to affect my health in a positive way.
Posted 9/23/2009 7:33:51 AM By: Nicole Nichols : 186 comments
Last January I attended a two day seminar led by one of the country's premier sports dietitians, Nancy Clark. During her lecture on weight loss and exercise she made the following comment that struck a chord with me. She said, "If what you are doing isn't giving you the results you expect, what is the harm with trying something else?"
This was such a powerful message to me because so many times in the past I was so reluctant to try anything different in fear that it would take me in the wrong direction. This was especially true when I was advised to up my caloric intake when I started increasing my running mileage last spring. I had become so accustomed to eating between 1,200-1,550 calories per day that to increase my calories to 1,500-1,800 seemed so overwhelming. Almost to the point where fear took hold of me each time I logged my food into my food tracker.
Posted 9/12/2009 6:26:09 AM By: Nancy Howard : 94 comments
“See a penny pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck.”
This sweet saying was something my dear Grandmother would tell me whenever she saw a coin on the ground. Keep in mind this was at a time when a penny could still buy something even if it was just piece of bubble gum at the local convenience store.
In August 2007 I was out for a run with my running group when I looked down and saw a penny. I couldn’t help but run back and pick up the tarnished and hardly recognizable coin. I joked with my pals that I was going to put this in a jar and see how much money I could find. They all laughed and yet, for the year we ran together it turned into a game as to how much money I would bring in. There was never a day I didn't find at least one coin.
When the group disbanded because of busy lives and family commitments, I continued the trend that began August 24, 2007 and in 23 months since that time I have collected close to $25 dollars, all in the form of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and yes, even one half-dollar.
So many people have told me I must be one of luckiest people in the world because of the money I have found. This got me to thinking, which I do a lot of when I am running. Why is it that I found these coins when no else has? Was it really luck?
What I have discovered is I am no more fortunate in finding a penny, or any other coin for that matter, than anyone else. The difference between me and someone else is I look for them. I actually scan the road in front of me searching.
Posted 7/18/2009 5:13:15 AM By: Nancy Howard : 192 comments 
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