I like the information provided at ediets.com.  The articles are short but detailed enough that you can get inspired to take action for better health. 

If you have difficulty losing weight, this article may help you learn how to speed up your metabolism.  Good stuff. 

If you want to lose your love handles, this article will help.  Watch the video - wow. 

If you’re short of time but want to workout, here are the 10 most effective exercises.

I like what Dr. Sears has to say about the healthiest candy. 

It’s Time for Walk Kansas!

Springtime signals the return of Walk Kansas, an eight-week fitness challenge for teams of six.  The 2008 program will begin March 9 and conclude May 3.  Last year over 20,000 Kansans participated in the program.

If each team member exercises for 30 minutes, five days a week (equal to 2 miles of walking), the team will collectively walk about
423 miles - the distance across Kansas - during the program. Team members report their activity weekly to a team captain who posts the information on the Walk Kansas web site.

Walk Kansas is offered by K-State Research and Extension.  Contact your local extension office to find out more about the Walk Kansas program in your area.  Most programs charge a nominal fee, usually about $5.00, to cover the costs of mailing newsletters, prizes and events.  T-shirts are optional and available for purchase.  Shirts for 2008 are available in lavender and heather gray.

Shawnee County Walk Kansas
In Shawnee County, team members will have opportunities for several group walks, including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Topeka, a walk in Historic Alma, and another featuring Topeka’s downtown architecture.  A kick-off event is planned at the Southwest YMCA in March and a wrap-up event will be offered in May at Gage Park.  Contact Cindy Evans or Pam Weaver at 785-232-0062 for information.  Captain’s packets can be downloaded from the Shawnee County web site at www.shawnee.ksu.edu. Important note: People participating in a program other than Shawnee County should contact their local extension office, as the materials and fees vary.

Walk Kansas Activities in Other Counties
All but four counties (dark green) are offering Walk Kansas events.  If you want to promote your county’s Walk Kansas events, shoot me an email with the promotional details included.  I will be glad to add them to this blog. 

Have you ever noticed that county extension offices have fabulous information and services?  I just came across a little video about how to make a stir fry - if you’re not already skilled at this. 

This demo is for stir-fry beginners.  It includes a printable recipe.  Enjoy!

http://www.walkkansas.org/Stir_fry.aspx (click the video icon)

If you’re hungering for financial wellness…..watch these short videos.  I found them on www.youtube.com.  If you were to buy the DVD, it would cost you about $20!  So watch them for free here. 

The Back story….

I recently bought a new car at Academy Cars in Lawrence, Kansas.  I LOVE IT!  Actually, it’s a 2003 but new to me.  I never buy new cars because they lose their value so fast.  As a gift for buying through them, I got a copy of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Revisited book.  I’d never heard of Dave Ramsey.  As I flipped through the chapters, I got excited.  Hey, this guy can help me get my finances in ship shape.  One of the owners of the car dealership got excited about my excitement and gave me a bag of Dave’s DVD’s and his Total Money Makeover book - if I promised to watch the DVDs and read the books.

I’ve done just that and am excited to say that I’m amped about putting his concepts into action.  I’ve already reduced my only credit card by $1700 in just a short time.  I did the math last night, and I am really excited about being debt free (including my house) in just a few short years.  YES!!

I know some people will find him to be obnoxious and pushy.  And he is.  But who cares!  He’s right about our love affair with debt in the U.S., and I’m glad somebody is helping so many Americans get out of debt.

This short video gives a quick overview of many of Dave Ramsey’s debt reduction steps.  He’s passionate, funny, and a little over the top.

There are 9 short videos in this Dump Your Debt series.  You will not look at the money and debt the same after watching these videos. Good luck dumping your debt!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Super Save

Do you stand in front of the displays of handbags, perfume, and jewelry wondering if you’re spending a boat load of money on something your mother will like and use…or just give away at the next church rummage sale? 

We’re become such a consumer-oriented society that it’s difficult to buy a gift for someone . . . that they haven’t already bought for themselves.  To reduce our gift-shopping angst, we ask them to tell us EXACTLY what they want and we buy them THAT.  Or we give them cash.  And they ask US to tell them EXACTLY what we want, or they give us cash.  Wouldn’t it be more gratifying and less ridiculous to give them the gift of your time?

The Center for a New American Dream’s has created a gift card that you can give to your grandmother, your mother, your sister, or your buddy that gives them the gift of your time.  They can specify what they’d like you to do for them. 

download the pdf gift certificate here. 

For more gift ideas and tips for the holiday season and all year round,
check out www.SimplifyTheHolidays.org or call 877.68.DREAM

You’ve probably noticed that you sometimes eat in response to a feeling:  boredom, anger, nervousness, sadness, etc.  If you eat frequently to reduce the impact of an emotion, you could be an emotional eater.  Nutritionists and psychologists who write for Ediets.com frequently write about such topics. 

Today’s newsletter discusses 8 traits of the emotionally fit person.  Rate yourself on each of these traits to see how you’re doing.  The author makes this provocative statement:

Americans are as out of shape emotionally as we are physically and it is making us fat.

If we got into emotional shape we would lose weight . . . a lot of it!

Now there’s a tasty idea.  Find out how emotionally fit you are here

Are you excited about seeing your family over the holidays but worry about them pressing your buttons?  In the audio interview below, Dr. Judith Orloff gives several suggestions for dealing with people who press your buttons or drain your energy.  She calls these people “energy vampires.”  Her strategies might come in handy during the holidays–or tomorrow at work! 

I always thought it didn’t make sense to flush outdated pharmaceuticals down the toilet, but we’ve been told to do this for over 30 years.  We are now learning that this is an environmental taboo. 

According to Nancy Larson, Director of K-State’s Pollution Prevention Institute, “The U.S. Geological Survey has been detecting pharmaceuticals in streams for more than 30 years, but in the last 10 years they’ve been seeing genetic changes in wildlife.” 

Recommendations for handling old or unwanted medications (including both prescription and over-the-counter medications):

1. Nursing homes and other health care providers can send excess or expired drugs back to the pharmacy for disposal.
2. Private citizens whose cities offer a hazardous-waste disposal program should use that option.
3. If no hazardous-waste program is available, mix unwanted medicines into a paste with coffee grounds or kitty litter, seal the result in a lidded container and place it with the rest of the household trash. (I’m assuming you would have to open the capsules to mix them into a paste with coffee grounds.  This doesn’t make much sense to me.  (I would avoid handling and simply place the packaged drugs in the trash for pick up).

More information about disposal is available here.

The United States Geological Service (USGS) has published a national fact sheet detailing these water contamination issues. Get it here.

Make Your Holidays Eco Cool

Americans generated nearly 246 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2005 - a decrease of nearly 2 million tons from 2004. The decrease is due in part to the decline in individual waste generation to about 4.5 pounds per person per day, representing a 1.5 percent decrease from 2004. In addition to generating less waste, individuals recycled nearly 1.5 pounds per person per day.

Celebrate the season while reducing Waste at the Holidays:

Test your Holiday Environment I.Q.
1. What percent of all batteries are sold during the holidays?

a. 25
b. 40
c. 55
d. 70

2. Household waste in the U.S. generally increases by how much over the
holidays?

a. 50 thousand tons
b. 100 thousand tons
c. 1 million tons
d. 10 million tons

Answers
Question 1. The answer is b. Be part of the solution. Buy recyclable batteries <<more

About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the
amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

Question 2. The answer is c. Find out how to reduce holiday waste

As we enter the holiday season, consumers flock to malls, department stores and outlets in droves to search for that perfect gift, that one card that says it all, that tree to end all trees. But as we feast, give gifts, decorate and travel, we also consume lots of resources and generate lots of waste.

A recent report noted that the amount of household garbage in the United States generally increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, from 4 million tons to 5 million tons. That’s pretty amazing, but I can understand why.  Because of the holidays, we mail millions of cards and buy gifts and household items that are often over packaged.  We also consume more fuel.  If you’d like to be more eco-cool for the holidays and want some ideas, click on this link.

How can you make a difference?