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

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

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

I’m LOVING this advice and want to share it with all of you. First – know that I am a total cheapskate. I do not have the best gear, coolest running clothes or triathlon suit. Sure, I’d love to have the latest and greatest, but I can’t stand to part with my money for something I don’t NEED. I haven’t always been this way, but my husband has rubbed off on me over the last nine years.

So, when discussing Ironman and marathon nutrition with Sally Brown, MS, RD of Body Fuel, I was delighted to hear that I could replace my $2 a pop Cliff Bars with plain old peanut butter sandwiches. Brown said that although Cliff Bars also provide great nutrition, a good old PB&J will give me just what I need. She said to use my regular whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and a banana or jelly. (I love peanut butter banana, but if you’re going for a LONG workout, the banana can get kind of hot and gross in your pocket, so go with jelly instead.)

I am proud to say my PB&J sandwiches got me through Ironman 70.3 and I felt great the entire time. Combined with Cytomax or First Endurance electrolyte, my PB&J’s are perfect endurance fuel. My training friends all got a kick out of my smooshed sandwiches, but no one can argue the cost-effectiveness. On this weekend’s group bike ride (I bowed out after 50 miles, the rest of the group did 90 – I was on a tight schedule that day), I was so excited to see some converts.

My thriftiness is catching on!

By Michelle Kruse

I’ve been running with my Garmin Forerunner since I got it for Christmas last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. It’s a great motivational tool. For instance, it lets me know when I’m slacking off. And, ever the competitor, I find myself pushing to make an even mileage number – I can’t stop at 4.82 miles – I have to backtrack on the course to run the full five miles. Plus, I love knowing exactly how far I’ve gone and my exact pace.

The only downside is the lack of “real” competition. I’ve tried the “virtual partner,” but I’m kind of missing my lower-tech Nike Plus system. I had mine hooked up to my iPod and I enjoyed hearing Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe tell me “two miles completed” or “Congratulations, you just set a PR for the 10K.”

I also miss the challenges. Way back in the day (last year) before my brother in CO and other friends had switched to Garmins themselves, we would challenge each other on the Nike Plus website. The challenges were always small, a few friends trying to best each other in the 5-mile or fastest mile or 5K, but they were always motivating. There is just something about smack talk that pushes you to move faster! I’m going to have to spend some time searching to see if there is a way to do this with the Garmin – If so, let the smack talk begin (again)!

By Michelle Kruse

I want to congratulate my training “buddy.” She placed eighth overall and won her age group at a large triathlon this weekend. She is one amazing cyclist and has really taught me a lot over the last eight months. She’s also a really fast runner and pushes me to do my best. I’m lucky to have a friend and partner in crime for ridiculously long runs, pouring down rain runs, snowy runs, and even the great runs. She even understands when I want an all-by-myself run. If only everyone could have a workout buddy like mine.

Just the other day, I overheard an office conversation discussing the value of workout buddies and said conversant wishing she had one. It’s easy to find people who want to work out and get fit, but it isn’t so easy to find someone who meets your pace, your schedule, your goals, and your fitness level. Finding a good training partner is kind of like finding a spouse. You have to test them and sometimes the relationship doesn’t always work out.

If you’re serious about finding a training/work out partner, there are some safe and other not-so-safe ways to find one. If you’re a runner, your first step should be to contact your local running club. Join them for a weekend group run and ask about weekday runs. Running clubs, triathlon clubs, even walking clubs sponsor training sessions year-round. Don’t be afraid to join them – we all started somewhere. Local charity runs are great places to meet fellow runners (even walkers). With the exception of elites and those in the race to win it all, most of us are a pretty friendly bunch. The people who do charity races are out there simply to support a good cause and to get fit while doing it. And, most of the time, the people you’ll meet live right there in the community. Strike up a conversation. You never know who you’ll meet that way. (I’ve actually made a couple of good friends at races and had really interesting conversations at others.)

By Michelle Kruse

Sometime this month (I’m not sure of the exact date); I’ll celebrate a major anniversary. Okay, so it’s not the kind of thing most people think of as a cause for celebration, but it’s something I never would have thought could happen. I drank my last sip of pop (soda to non-Midwesterners), sometime last August. I didn’t really plan to quit drinking it completely. In fact, I’d weaned myself to so little that it wasn’t until last October that I realized I hadn’t had one or wanted one in over two months. This may not seem too amazing until I tell you that I used to drink at least six cans of diet soda a day. In college, I’m not sure I had water except when brushing my teeth. I used to hate working out and would cramp-up every time I tried to run. Needless to say, I never considered myself athletic, surely in some part due to dehydration. I never drank water. In fact, I used to crack a soda after swim practice in high school. No wonder I always felt crappy – and could it be a reason I never had perfectly clear skin?

So how did I do it? When I first started training for and running in triathlons, I realized I performed better when my diet was better (duh). I also took Joan’s advice and stopped drinking caffeine past noon. My sleep quality instantly improved (no more insomnia) and I didn’t have the time for soda. Eventually I was down to not being able to drink a whole can and having one every other day at most. I also started to feel like every time I sipped a diet coke my insides were corroding. Probably true. Then, I just stopped craving it altogether.

I was discussing my milestone with Joan yesterday and she brought up a fascinating study. Note, this study was conducted on rats, not humans, but still: The study actually linked lung cancer to phosphate intake. Diet pop and lung cancer. Scary stuff.

Life without soda is far from all-water boring. I drink a variety of teas (green was an acquired taste – now I love it), a CardioWhey mixed with skim milk or almond milk every day and, of course, I get enough water. When you’re actually drinking the amount of water you should every day, you’re rarely thirsty for anything else.

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.