Michelle's Run

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

I made this with my five year-old daughter the other day. It is easy, healthy, and the kids loved it! Perfect for Thanksgiving and the whole holiday season.

EASY, Kid-Friendly Pumpkin Soup

One yellow onion
2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin (canned works well)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

Chop the onion and carmelize with olive oil in pan. In large crock pot or stock pot, add pumpkin, nutmeg and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth and heat thoroughly on medium heat.
Optional: Before serving, pour into blender or food processor and blend until smooth, will appear creamy. (Bonus, the kids don’t see the onions!)

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

As I type this, I am sitting in the airport waiting to leave New Orleans. Happily, this is the first time I’ve ever left this town feeling well. In the city of excess everything, it’s hard to come away not feeling heavier, bloated, and worn out. What’s different? This time I made a conscious effort to eat well, avoid salty junk, and avoid smoky jazz joints and smoky restaurants. I traveled with my dietitian colleague, Sally Brown. That helped, too. My tips for traveling “light:”

1. BYOWP: Bring Your Own Whey Protein!!! CardioWhey comes in single serve packets – you can even take them on the airplane – in your carry-on. Mix it with some milk, juice or even water and have a healthy breakfast anytime. You can always find a fresh fruit cup, orange, or apple somewhere – have it with your CardioWhey and you’ve got a complete meal.

2. Request what you want at restaurants. Just because something is not on the menu, it doesn’t mean they don’t have it or can’t do it. Chances are your server can replace iceberg with darker greens or can add extra veggies to your salad. Order light dressing or even just vinegar and olive oil on the side so you can control your calories. Ask for a light protein source with your salad – small piece of grilled chicken, fish, etc.

3. SHARE! Sally and I split meals in the evenings. The portions are huge. You don’t have to eat it all! Splitting with a friend means your portion is more reasonable. Skip dessert or order fresh berries for dessert. Even when they’re not on the menu, many nice restaurants will still serve them.

4. Travel with healthy snacks. My husband always travels with raw nuts, apples, and other “easy” snacks. Then when the peanuts and pretzels come on the plane, we can skip them and eat our own healthy food.

4. Research your exercise before you leave. I always call to see if there is a lap pool at the hotel and bring a suit and goggles if so. I check out the workout room online and when I arrive, I ask at the front desk for a running map. Most hotels have safe routes mapped out for walkers and runners. They’ll always make one for you. Just ask! Never leave home without your running/walking shoes and workout clothes.

Boarding time – there’s no place like home!

By Michelle Kruse

Download Michelle Kruse’s delicious pumpkin pancakes recipe for fall. A nutritional and tasty recipe that is kid-tested and approved!

By Michelle Kruse

There can’t be a better way to start the day than by enjoying the morning sky from a mountaintop. The only thing that made it better was the feeling of accomplishment to go along with the view… having run five miles, in the company of my brother, to witness this wonderful sight.

We’ve just spent several days in Rocky Mountain National Park and are now in Golden, CO visiting my sister and my brother and his wife. My parents are here, too. The whole day has been great. And, to top it off, today is my birthday (a milestone age) and I get to spend it with my family and one of my very best friends.

I think birthdays are the perfect time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments. So far, this has been a great year and I’ve accomplished quite a few things on my to-do list in the past year: two marathons, four triathlons (including the half-Ironman), sending my baby to kindergarten and loving life with my kids, my husband, family and friends old and new. We’re staying happy and healthy. What a truly great year it has been!

But, I also think it’s important to make new goals, especially after reflecting on the ones you’ve accomplished. Everyone says if you want to accomplish something, make sure you tell people (and this goes for anything – losing weight, running your first 5K, etc.). It holds you accountable. So, here goes.

In the past year, I’ve made so many great strides with my running and training routine that I really want to keep pushing myself. This year, I’d like to run a Boston qualifying marathon and improve my time in the sprint and Olympic distance tri (not sure if I’ll have the time to train for another 70.3 this year). I’m also thinking about a late-September marathon. Since I’m already running long distances, I can be ready by then, (I haven’t stopped training and am still working out with my girlfriend who is training for the full Ironman in November). I’ll post my training plan later this week.

Will having this in writing help me meet my goals and reach that mountaintop? I hope so, since the view is always better when you worked to get there.

By Michelle Kruse

Is it possible to stick to your diet and exercise routine when you’re on vacation? Last weekend, we took our first family camping trip. I ate too many s’mores and other processed junk, didn’t drink enough water and got very little sleep. I forgot to take my fish oil and CardioDaily. I woke up yesterday with zits like a teenager, a bladder infection and a cold. I’m suffering the inflammatory aftermath of a weekend “off the wagon.”

So, what’s a girl to do? I’m determined to flush the junk out of my system by this weekend. (We’ve got a fun weekend planned – at a lake house with friends.) Clearly, one weekend can wreak havoc, but a slip-up doesn’t derail everything. I’m back to my routine this week. I’m eating lots of colors, no white flours and sugars, and drinking only water and tea. I’m also back to my exercise routine. I’ve got a sprint triathlon in less than two weeks and although it is a shorter distance than I’ve been doing so far this year, I still want to perform well. That means saying no to the junk at the lake this weekend.

Sticking to my regular routine while on vacation as someone’s guest will be tricky, but I’ve got a plan. I have already started planning when I’ll be able to squeeze in work outs and the healthy foods I’ll bring along – whey protein, apples, bananas, pre-cut veggies and other “convenience” foods. I’m sure everyone will be happy to have a designated driver, so that means no temptation to drink high-calorie margaritas and other drinks. It also means I’ll be up before everyone else and probably back from my run before anyone realizes I’m gone. I’ll let you know how it goes.

By Michelle Kruse

I thought you guys would like to see some photos from my Ironman competition.

Waving to my family midway through the 13.1 mile run

Catching my breath at the finish

The finish line (themed “Yellow Brick Road” by Ironman KS). BTW, my wave started 36 minutes after the first wave so the clock is deceiving

My training partner congratulates me at the finish

By Michelle Kruse

Exercise for Life!

By Becky Captain, R.N., Nurse Practitioner, Preventive Cardiology Clinic

Exercise is your insurance policy. It doesn’t have to cost you any money AND it will give you more time on the clock of life. As an added bonus, exercise will add quality to your life.

Close your eyes and picture yourself 10 years from now with your overweight, tired, low self -esteem body lying on a hospital bed with a heart monitor and a nurse constantly checking your blood pressure, blood sugar and heart rate. Your worried family is by your bedside. Open your eyes. Scary, huh?

Now close your eyes and picture yourself and family on a sandy beach or out in nature with all the energy you never imagined possible due to the reconditioned body you have carved. Feels good. Doesn’t it?
All of us have the ability to change our mindset and choose a different future, or a different past. Becoming fit doesn’t take years—you’ll see the benefit of exercise within a few weeks.

Does the following sound familiar?
You know you’ve got to start exercising and you vow to park the car in the furthest parking space, hit the gym after work, sign up for an exercise class, and take the stairs. But a week passes and before you know it, parking spots are opening up right in front of the stores and buildings, the elevator is already in the lobby and you’ve had an intense week of juggling work, kids and deadlines. How could you have ever thought you could fit in exercise when you have 100 things to do (including your bone density test)? Really, what were you thinking? You still have to organize the sock drawer and Tupperware cabinets too. How can you exercise with those items in such chaos? Been there? Many of us have.

So why does exercise seem so wonderful until we actually have to do it? Lack of motivation? OR is it a misunderstanding that leads us to believe motivation is something that will come to us if we wait long enough…that someday we’ll wake up and finally want to exercise. We must stop living in that fantasy. The reality of motivation—it is something we create—not something we wait for. So, stop waiting for the motivation to come to you—just do it! Make it happen today!

Download this form to learn about the six ways to create your motivation.