At the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

I can’t believe it’s already October. I used to associate October with fall color, Husker football and Halloween, but four years ago that all changed. October is breast cancer awareness month and to me, it’s all about pink! On Sunday, my family and family-friends gathered together for our 4th Annual TeamSANDY walk in Omaha’s Race for the Cure. Sandy is my mom, my best friend, and a breast cancer SURVIVOR – 4 years now! We also celebrate my grandmother, 91 year-old Margaret, a 9-year SURVIVOR!

I will never forget the day my mom was diagnosed. I had just left my OB doctor’s office with the news that we were having a BOY! I called my mom the minute I left and she didn’t answer. She didn’t answer her cell, home or work lines. My dad didn’t answer. THey’d been eagerly anticipating our news so I knew that something was very wrong. I knew her test results were due that day and knew it couldn’t have been good.

I remember pulling over on the side of the road, calling my husband and telling him that he needed to turn around and come get me. I couldn’t drive the rest of the way home.

At the time, we knew nothing about cancer and were about to get a crash course. The next week, my mom had a radical mastectomy, followed by several months of chemotherapy. She finished chemo and had a blood transfusion

two days before my brother’s July 30 wedding that year.

I thank God that my mom and dad were able to dance at that wedding and for her healing and recovery. I still have my best friend and that my kids have a vibrant, fun, loving grandma!

I did it! Stomach bug and all I qualified! For some reason, the Boston Marathon has always been my gauge. Qualifying for and running it would make me a “real” runner. I thought I’d feel different in some way upon making it, but I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but maybe it’s because I never took the time to “revel in the moment” at the end. I started to tear up and get excited, but the very moment I crossed the finish line, that stomach bug had me looking for the nearest restroom.

The race really did go well. My first half felt terrific and in the last 10K, I knew I had the Boston time nailed so I relaxed and had fun with it. My brother, his brother in law (who is also a friend of mine) and my husband, who all happen to be named Jason, ran the last half mile of the race with me and those are moments I’ll never forget.
I think the real finisher’s medal should go to my parents and kids. My mom and dad got the kids up very early to watch the race and helped my husband shuttle them from spot to spot along the race course. They did a lot of work and were there every few miles cheering me on. I should also thank the other Michelle. She was running my pace for the whole first half and had a ton of crowd support – I think she knew the whole city. I just pretended it was me that they were cheering for.

Boston April 2011, here I come. My good friend and running partner will even be joining me! Thanks to all of my friends and family for the well-wishes. We did 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!

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

Did anyone see Good Morning America yesterday? The segment’s focus was on new body type research. It seems that pear shapes have it good. I have always gained weight in my hips, thighs and rear. Fortunately for me, researchers say that fat stored in these areas is actually good for you. Researchers were not, however, talking about excess amounts of fat and were cognizant of the fine line between healthy and unhealthy amounts of weight.

Not all of us are quite that lucky. “Apple shapes,” or body types that store fat around the midsection of the body, have more to worry about. You’ve heard from us at Forever Young Diet about the dangers of abdominal or belly fat for a long time now. You know the rules about waist circumference (keep it less than half of your height). I’m about 5’8,” which is equivalent to 68” tall, so my waist circumference should be below 34.” The warnings about belly fat haven’t changed. It’s still dangerous. It still puts you at serious risk for a host of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Read these tips from Dr. James O’Keefe for losing belly fat. click here

By Michelle Kruse

I am so excited about our new product. While I’d like to be more green, I admit that I am not always the best. I am getting better, but I know there are a lot of things I could and should be doing to reduce my impact on the environment. That said, know that I think that the sustainability aspect of CardioTabs new Ocean Safe Omega-3 is terrific. But, it’s the little things that excite me the most. Little things like taste and purity. When the softgels first arrived in our offices for us to test, I was very hesitant to bite into the softgel. I’ve had fish oil softgels break before and the fishy smell is no picnic. Prepared for the worst, I hesitantly bit down on the softgel and lo and behold it tasted good. All I could taste was citrus berry. The oil didn’t even feel “oily” going down like liquid fish oil does. (I can’t stand to swallow liquid fish oil, either.) I’m going to have my kids try it tonight. I’m so eager to see how it goes. I have not been able to find a good high-DHA formula that my kids will take more than once. CardioTabs Ocean Safe Omega-3 is so clean tasting, I don’t think they’ll notice if I slip it in their milk or juice.

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.