Running just isn’t the same lately. I’ve been slowed down by an injury, and it isn’t even my own. My faithful running companion of the past eight years who helps me feel safe and always pushes me to keep going is injured and I am suffering. I’m not talking about a human partner either. My favorite running companion is my dog, a 95-pound weimaraner that looks more horse than dog.

My dog, Orion, injured his leg when running off leash in the woods by our house. The vet has ordered him (me) to rest for at least four weeks. We’re on week two and I’m as lonely as can be. I don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m not holding the leash and I have no one to “talk to” and keep me company in the early morning hours. I’ve lost all motivation without him and I can’t stand to put on my running shoes and see the look on his face when I tell him “no” at the door.

No wonder Dr. O’Keefe writes so many “prescriptions” for dogs.  Seriously, there are lots of studies out there that document better fitness in dog owners.  And for good reason.  Orion is there every morning waiting for me to run.  He’ll even tap my shoulder with his paw if I try to sleep in.  He knows the sound of the drawer where I keep my running socks – he goes crazy whenever it opens and can hear it from anywhere in the house – amazing!  I can’t even spell the word R-U-N without him getting excited.

Two more weeks without my best running buddy - how will I handle it?

Go figure!
It’s marathon week. 18 weeks of training and all has gone perfectly well. I’m finally in the taper week and guess what? My first illness of the year – a darn sinus infection has to get in my way. I have asthma and these things usually lead to breathing problems for me. I am really hoping to have this gone in a couple of days. I’m drinking tons of extra fluids, eating only healthy foods including tons of color and I made a call to my asthma doctor. I have been trying to get some extra sleep, but was up all night worrying about being sick. Ugh!

Fortunately taper week is a time for rest. I had a scheduled day off today and only a 3-mile run tomorrow. Wednesday is just four miles and then Thursday and Friday are completely off. My schedule calls for a very easy one-three mile run on Saturday and Sunday is the full 26.2. I always look forward to a few days of eating lots of carbs!

I am determined not to let this nasty sinus infection ruin what could be a great run, but I’m going to need all of the help I can get! Keep your fingers crossed!

I’ve been stealthily training for a spring marathon without really making it official. I wanted to make sure I could get through the training before I committed by actually telling people I was doing it. I wasn’t worried about the physical demands, but more so about life’s other demands and balancing it all. I almost completely quit about a month and a half ago and my husband saved my efforts. He knows I’m a much better wife and mother when I’m getting the “me-time” that exercise provides. About two and a half weeks ago, I made it official when I registered for my home-state Lincoln Marathon. I’ve done the half there many times before and I love it. The course runs right through the University of Nebraska campus, past my old sorority house, etc. The whole run is a trip down memory lane and I never know who I’m going to run into on the course as I have lots of old friends and acquaintances that do the race.

I’m getting pretty excited for this one. I’m not stressed out about hitting a certain time and I’m feeling really good. My last long run was this past Sunday and I felt great for most of the 22 miles. I don’t know exactly what it is this time around, but I have not been overly sore or tired after any of my long runs. In fact, I’ve felt like I could run the next day (but I’ve been good and taken the day off). Last year I was tired and always sore during spring marathon training and I had trouble meeting my goal on race day. This year, I was loyal to the post-run ice bath (my kids find that hilarious – they fill the tub with ice for me and like to wait for the noise I make when I get in). I also upped my omega-3 dose post-run. I took two extra omega-3 softgels on my long run days and the day after. I’ve also stuck to a training plan (the best I could with a job, grad school, and keeping my kids priority #1).

By: Michelle Kruse

As a runner and biker, I try my best to watch out for pedestrians when driving my car. As a runner and biker, I try to dress in bright colors and stick to safe paths. I follow all the rules and know that I can’t expect everyone else to do the same. I’m always on the lookout. Last month, my aunt was hit by a car and injured pretty severely. She was following the rules, too. She was crossing a street in a crosswalk, with a walk signal and a green light. A driver didn’t see her and turned right into her. Her shattered pelvis and leg prevented her from attending her father’s funeral a week after her accident.

It scares the heck out of me. I haven’t been on my road bike since and am scared to death to run anywhere but the park by my house or the nearby trails. I used to meet friends for a road run or long bike ride, but I’ve been too scared to do so lately. How does one get over the fear and get back on the bike or even the sidewalk for a run?

By: Michelle Kruse

My training partner and I like to joke that we should be “certified” for running outdoors on the days we do. Neither rain nor wind nor snow nor ice, you get the picture. It’s not that we’re really that crazy, but more that we’ve both find the fresh air and open spaces exhilarating. And I credit my at least weekly winter outdoor workouts with keeping me upbeat all winter long. I have not experienced any of the cabin fever and depression that some of my friends are experiencing because I haven’t been cooped up indoors for months. Here are a few of my tips (and some from my much more experienced workout buddy):

1. Dress appropriately. When I first started working out in the bitter cold, I was dressed all wrong and I paid for it. Invest in some lined workout pants that are made to wick away sweat. I love the pair I bought from Road Runner Sports. Also well worth the money is a thermal half-zip. Buy one made for outdoor workouts. I’ve literally had sweat freeze into icicles on fleece, etc. The thin material on mine by CW-X keeps me dry and unbelievably warm. Plus it’s got thumb holes that prevent your shirt from riding up your arms and leaving a gap between shirt and gloves. In fact, sometimes I get almost too warm in this.

2. Get the right accessories. The right ear wrap or beanie can make all the difference in the world. So can the right gloves. Now is a great time to buy this stuff too – it’s all on sale! Wear sunglasses even if it’s not sunny. They shield your eyes from the wind.

3. Vaseline. We may look goofy, but we rarely meet anyone on the trails on the worst weather days anyway. Rub a layer of Vaseline all over your face when you work out in cold wind and snow. It will save you from any chapping, chaffing, or wind burn.

By: Michelle Kruse

If you haven’t checked out the recipes on the O’Keefe’s blog, make sure you do so. As the self-appointed head of the tasting committee, I must say the results were fabulous. Joan O’Keefe brainstormed some color and protein combinations and came up with some unique ideas. Disclosure – I am NOT a picky person. I like almost all foods, even the healthy ones. So, to make the tasting fair, we asked some of the world’s pickiest eaters (a couple of them are right here in our office) to give our recipes a try.

Remember the old Life Cereal commercials? Let’s see if Mikey likes it? Well, we’ve got a few Mikey’s on staff. But, even the pickiest eaters in our office enjoyed our recipes – especially those that included blueberries. The mandarin oranges were also a big hit. After some tweaks, the pumpkin recipe received a lot of favorite votes. It smells delicious, too. It’s comfort food that’s really, really healthy. It’s like pumpkin pie with huge health benefits, not huge guilt. I’m going to test that one on the kids tomorrow – I’ll let you know how it goes.

The goal of providing these recipes is to get people to enjoy whey protein. It’s one of the best things you can give your body. It’s one of the cleanest, purest proteins available and the benefits are astounding. In fact, I’m off to have my mid-day whey protein and some berries right now… I’ll be full until dinner time!

By: Michelle Kruse

Green Eggs and “Ham”

Here’s a fun recipe to try at home with young kids. My kids LOVE the book “Green Eggs and Ham” so this is a fun, easy way to get them to eat color and protein in the morning. Put a cup of spinach in a blender with 2 eggs and liquefy – all spinach texture should be gone. Scramble with cooking spray. Your “ham” can be almost anything. We sliced apples flat and called them “ham.” We’ve used whole grain toast for the ham before – anything goes. This is so easy and takes very little time out of our hurried mornings.

By Michelle Kruse

We talk a lot about the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3, and for good reason! However, I thought I’d show everyone an article written by my eye doctor, Dr. Thomas Anderson, of Smithville Eye Center. Omega-3 has terrific benefits for your eye health. I discovered one of the benefits by accident. Several years ago, my contacts were bothering me so badly that I simply stopped wearing them. My eyes were so dry that my contacts were unbearable. Around the same time, I upped my omega-3 fish oil intake. All of a sudden, it didn’t hurt to wear my contacts. I really didn’t relate the two until shortly after that I read a study that linked low DHA intake to dry eyes. It was definitely an “AHA” moment.

Omega-3, and in particular DHA is a vital nutrient for your eyes. Did you know your retinas are made of DHA (so is a large portion of your brain)? (No wonder they put so much of it in infant formula – help those developing eyes – and brains). Download Dr. Anderson’s article below.

By Michelle Kruse

And the Winner is…..
A recent study was performed to discover which states were the top 10 “brainiest” states in the nation. Unfortunately, it looks like my home state of Missouri has a way to go. (I’m originally from Nebraska and they didn’t fare much better.) So who were the winners? The study determined that the following ten states have the healthiest brains:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Maryland
3. Washington state
4. Vermont
5. Connecticut
6. Colorado
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. Maine
10. New Hampshire

Researchers reached their conclusion by devising a score based on over 21 factors, and looking at data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The major factors included diet, which made up 36% of the score, physical activity 25%, mental health 24%, and social well-being 15%.
These experts suggest that the key to maintaining brain health is eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, exercising (30 minutes a day), playing games, learning new things like languages, taking up new hobbies, and of course eating omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts.

It is interesting to note, that almost half of the diet score was based on fish sales and the consumption of the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA. With our brains made up of almost 60% DHA, it is no wonder that this omega-3 fatty acid impacted the results. (Are you getting enough?) Most experts recommend 500-1,000mg DHA + EPA per day. However, individual needs vary. Personally, I take a little more (4 CardioTabs Omega-3 fish oil softgels daily), because it really helps my dry eyes. Wearing my contacts is a lot more comfortable when I’m taking that amount. I’ve experimented a lot to come up with my “magic number.” During both of my pregnancies, I made sure I took at least three CardioTabs fish oil softgels daily to help ensure I received enough DHA to support myself and my developing babies. I also breast fed both of my children their entire first year because of all of research on the benefits of breast milk (side bonus: it helps melt away the baby weight). During this time, I continued to take fish oil because I knew that this was the most important time of my children’s lives for brain and eye development and the only way that they were going to receive the benefits of omega-3 was if I consumed it. Another mom-perk – consuming DHA from omega-3 fish oil may also ward off post partum depression – the theory is that baby takes so much of mom’s DHA that there isn’t much left over for mom’s brain. For me, CardioTabs Omega-3 was the perfect choice during pregnancy and nursing and also now because it is higher in DHA than most omega-3 fish oils available.

So remember the advice of the experts and tell your friends and family – you may catapult your state to the top 10.

By Michelle Kruse

You’ve heard the buzz: get more omega-3 . These days, just about anything can be fortified with omega-3. But, how much do you really need and what type? There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids, and while they’re all healthy choices, not all omega-3 fats provide the same benefits to your body. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fats found in fish. DHA and EPA have been found to provide the most benefit to cardiovascular health. DHA and EPA may also play a role in brain health and DHA in particular may benefit fetal development and perinatal health and eye health. Benefits from plant-based omega-3, or ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid), found in flaxseeds and walnuts, are not as great because the body converts only a small portion of ALA into DHA and EPA. Omega-3 enriched foods often contain small amounts of ALA only.

To read more about the benefits of different omega-3, download our article and get the facts!