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Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes classes beginning in August will be accessible on all computers, laptops, and mobile devices. Jump into August with a new focus on YOU and your health.
Along came Rusty! Ok, his name was Banjo at the Wake County SPCA, but he and I had a little chat on the fateful April day we adopted him three months after our final farewell to TJ-the-Wonderdog of almost-18-yrs! { My partner had been promised three years of freedom from canines, yet three months was L O N G E N O U G H ! }
Conversation went something like this—
Me: Hey, you’re cute ( understatement ).
Banjo: ________ cute cute cute __________
Me: You know, having a puppy whose name rhymes with NO isn’t the best idea.
Banjo: ________ cute cute cute ________* tail wags * _________
Me: I’ll just bend down to pick you up and OW ouch OW ouch Oweeeeeeee !
Banjo: _____lick___ cute cute cute____ * tail wags *_____ lick
Me: My knees aren’t what they used to be now that I’m fifty. They’re kind of RUSTY!
Rusty: ____ I’m yours! ____ * tail wags *____ lick____ cute cute cute
Me: You know, you’re probably my final dog. Just live to be about 15 years old and I doubt I’ll adopt another canine companion at 65!
Rusty: ___ NO promises! ___ * tail wags * ____ lick____lick____ cute cute cute
Fast forward to this Spring and Summer. Rusty has me moving at sunrise and walking much more as I train a puppy. Yes, this is my very first real puppy in all my years. Somehow, dogs have found me somewhat in their maturity. Thus, one moves more and more and more with Rusty knees! Movement can even help me with my knee arthritis, which I happen ‘enjoy’ at this age.
Keeping Rusty safe and moving in our NC summer has become paramount for me and my family. We have found this to be a great resource for you hoping to move more with your canines during the true dog days of summer
Movement with Rusty knees is great for my cardiovascular health and certainly helps me to burn more calories (Did I mention before the sun comes up?!). Moreover, my mental health has taken a great leap forward with my cute-as-all-get-out Rusty…. and improved those knees that accompany both him and me. {More to come on improved mental health and movement from me later.}
Grab that companion (canine or human) and move your joints as best you can. We at Eat Smart, Move More , Weigh Less and Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes are cheering you onward.
Love me; love my dog.
Dogs welcomed; humans tolerated.
It’s call FURniture for a reason in my house.
Wipe your paws.
Yes, you’ve seen the signs for those of us who are proudly dog people. One may often underestimate my adoration for canines, but that would be a true mistake if you’re trying to get to know the authentic Greg.
Thus, this is the first time I’ve ever written the words: TJ has died. Oh, it’s easier to say TJ has gone to Rainbow Bridge. Yes… but it doesn’t hide the facts that TJ has died and will not be my companion again. Those words took almost half a year to type, since we said our sad farewell to our precious TJ on January 7, 2016. I will not soon forget that fateful day, because we had an important meeting of Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less and the-newly-formed Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes meeting for all instructors on that day. Additionally, my mom was hospitalized in Durham simultaneously to both events occurring. Yes, when it rains, it truly does pour.
My movement buddy, my constant support buddy, my stress-management buddy, my best friend and canine son left the biggest hole in my heart that I have felt in half-a-century of living. The pain was (is) so great that I never posted about it on social media—some things are too sacred to share with the world. Those who know me, reached out in appropriate ways. Those who I thought knew me may have failed to understand the impact of this almost-18-year-old dog on my life.
Of course, I teach in our MOVE MORE lessons each series about what gets me going off the couch and that always includes my pooches. So, it was the dog days of winter this past season that brought me down somewhat, both physically and mentally… not knowing if Spring and now Summer would ever come into my heart again.
GOOD NEWS—Spring always comes and Summer always follows (Rusty Knees blog to follow) . For now, I encourage my fellow sojourners on this journey into eating smart and moving more (those who also count themselves among the true dog-lovers out there ) to strap on that leash for their best pal and head to the dog park or trail or sidewalk to work on those 150 moderate aerobic minutes for the week and salute my TJ and all his loving exuberance of 18 years for my life.
Here’s hoping you’re hydrating well during our hot and humid Dog Days of Summer 2016 and may the dog days of your winters be brief and manageable.
Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes classes beginning in August will be accessible on all computers, laptops, and mobile devices. Jump into August with a new focus on YOU and your health.
I recently heard a story on NPR about the rise of the groceraunt, defined as a blend between a grocery store and a restaurant, that has become quite trendy especially among millennials. Contrary to what we teach in Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less and Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes when 
we discuss the importance of meal planning, most of us don’t know what we are having for dinner by 4pm. This lack of planning leaves us with no choice but to pick up an already prepared meal on the way home from work. Grocery stores are meeting this demand by serving high-quality, already prepared ‘heat-and-eat’ or just ‘eat’ meals as a less pricey option than a restaurant.
Since I am not a millennial, what appealed to me most during this story was brief mention of meal home delivery services that plan the meals for you and the ingredients and recipes are delivered right to your door. I like to cook, but find it challenging to find the time to creatively plan new meals. A recent internet search revealed that this meal home delivery concept is growing by leaps and bounds, as there are dozens of companies from which to choose. Since I had received several coupons in the mail for Blue Apron, I thought that I would give it a try. I was hesitant because it seemed kind of expensive to simply save me a trip to the grocery store. My thinking was that if I still have to do the cooking, how will this actually save me time?
After using the service for about 4 months, here is my list of pros and cons:
Pros
Cons
So where do I stand now? I continue to receive my Blue Apron meals each week. With the competitor list growing, I am hoping that Blue Apron will tend to my list of ‘Cons’, which I would imagine are not unique to me. If not, I will just have to use one of the many coupons in the mail to try another meal home delivery service.
I’m always up for a great challenge. Thus, a bar-time (yes, that type) in downtown Raleigh recently had me discussing a myriad of exercise opportunities with a CrossFit pal’s wife one night. She presented me with an interesting challenge, indeed!
I was invited to participate as her guest in a local Raleigh Barre class on a humpday Wednesday. Barre classes mix Pilates, dance, yoga, and strength training all while using a ballet barre and repetitions of small range-of-motion movements. How could this be challenging? After all, I do CrossFit , which surely means an hour at a ballet barre would be a piece of cake. WRONG and wrong again.
When I continue to advocate those 150 moderate aerobic minutes per week to reduce everyone’s risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, I don’t think I’ve once recommended Barre classes. That will now change. Get thee to the Barre to help you prevent diabetes in your life!
Not only did I get a full-body workout from head to toe; my heart rate came up several times with the amazing coaching from the instructor. Bonus privilege—finding out that your Barre instructor just happens to be your next-door neighbor! Yes, community is formed each time with s t r e t c h i n g (all puns intended) ourselves to move our bodies in a unique healthy way.
So, meet me at the Barre soon please. We’ll only have a giant drink of healthy water!
Summertime often gives us more opportunities 
to be physically active in new places. Whether walking in a new place or in your same old neighborhood at home, remember some simple rules to keep you and your family safe.
Please think before you set out on your next walking venture.
Being a caregiver (new phrase in life’s cycle ) has proven to be stressful beyond anything I could have possibly imagined prior to 2016. I wrote candidly last year for Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less about physical activity with my parents, not realizing that 
this physical activity would become even more minimal at the onset of this year. Deteriorating health amidst family is never easy—those who know, know. Those who have yet to know shall one day know exactly what this paragraph entails. Caregivers don’t have to explain to other caregivers, for we have an unspoken language all our own.
My joy now comes in the rare moments that my mom/dad tell me that they have walked to the end of the driveway or just to the end of the hallway, much less that they have walked the exercise track at their church. Recently, these miraculous church laps have occurred when my sibling and I least expect it. For this, we are extremely grateful.
Speaking of gratitude, I am thankful for parents who still understand that any minimal activity, whatsoever, is something for which to aspire for overall healthy benefits. Both parents surprisingly welcomed the addition of Rusty, my newest canine family member, during a very rough spot medically for both of them. Walking Rusty at their home during my visits is a welcomed distraction, especially for my dad. Additionally, each seemed to understand Rusty’s importance for my mental health as a key support system to enable my continuing care-giving for them.
I am eagerly anticipating the teaching of Stress Management as an emphasis in our new Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes program. I have consistently emphasized the need for physical activity as a key tool for stress management. I have also now realized that reaching out for peer support is instrumental as well—especially for caregivers. I encourage you to reach out should you find yourself as caregiver in your familial dynamic.
Embrace the moments you walk or dance or cycle or swim with those you hold dear. For in those moments, life’s blessings abound. {More thoughts on family, both chosen and canine, to follow in weeks to come.}
There are no good foods or bad foods. You have no doubt heard this for years. I contend that there are bad foods. We all know there are foods that we should not eat or at least should not eat very often. Would that not constitute a bad food? Why can’t we say that a coffee drink made with whole milk, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream that has 900 calories is bad? Because it has calcium from the milk? Come on, aren’t there better ways to get calcium. Would that coffee drink loaded with sugar and fat not fall into the bad category?
A fellow nutrition warrior, Melinda Hemmelgarn, has put my feelings into words in a way that uniquely expresses what I have felt for year. She astutely brings up the MOST important question. Who keeps saying there are no bad foods? Most likely it is those who purvey the very foods we may classify as bad. Here, in part, is what Melinda has to say about the good food bad food debate:
“I for one, will stand up and say that I believe that there are “good” foods and “bad” foods. Good foods are sustainably produced and contribute to our health. They are produced without harm to the environment and abuse to farm workers. Bad foods harm the planet and hurt people. For example, canned foods that contain BPA residues, chocolate harvested by child laborers, or fish that is contaminated with mercury or pesticide residues would be considered “not good” to eat in my book. I file them under “bad” for a range of reasons that include social and environmental injustice…
We have to think: who owns the message that there are no good foods and no bad foods? If I were making “cheap” food with ingredients that contribute to chronic disease, or used harmful chemicals in their production, then I surely wouldn’t want some nutrition educator going around and calling them “bad.” But hey, a rose by any other name…
I see my job as helping clients and students think “beyond their plates.”…
Call me a heretic but after 30 years in this business I feel comfortable calling out the “bad” players.”
We may not agree on which foods are good and which are bad. Since there is precious little we do agree on in the nutrition community disagreement is nothing new. Perhaps debating which foods are bad would be a better debate than saying none are bad at all. What do you think? Can you label some foods as bad?
No questions asked, having a dog keeps me motivated to move more. He is hands down the number one reason I put on my walking shoes and step outside… or that I even factor it into my daily routine. And I LOVE it. I love that I can now easily reach my daily goal of 10,000 steps. I love seeing different parts of the neighborhood and surrounding community. I love meeting new neighbors and dog owners. I love spending quality time with my pup
doing what he loves to do. Am I a crazy dog person? Yes. But am I moving more? YES.
Before having a dog, I was more of a treadmill runner compared to an outdoor runner. (I was also not a dog person, but that’s another story). There is nothing wrong with treadmill walking or running, but now I spend most of my physical activity time outdoors. My motivation = if my dog doesn’t exercise, he will be wild.
Once we got our walk/run weekly routine down, I wanted to make sure I was still getting in some strength training exercises. When we finish our walk, Boone (the dog) relaxes in the backyard while I do a few exercises using my own body weight such as push-ups, squats, tricep dips, and planks. On one of our walking routes, there are benches every few hundred feet and this is a great opportunity to incorporate these exercises during our walk. What are other exercises to try? This article shares 4 simple exercises to do with your dog.
Do you have a dog that keeps you moving? Or favorite bodyweight exercises to share? Let’s hear them!