April is such a beautiful time of year. The winter weather is an after thought, the birds are out and the greenway is beginning to look lush again. It is hard to believe that with all of the beauty that comes with this month there are still many of us who sit inside our homes like its winter. Kids are in their ‘post school’ video game routine and you are probably still trying to adjust to all the changes that may be coming at your job. Spring break is over and you are anxiously awaiting summer.
However, we sometimes need a reminder that this time of year is the perfect time to focus on physical family wellness. Many trails are newly renovated, pools are open and tennis courts are cleaned up for safe activity. So, you and your family may need to use some of these tips to help break your winter routines to help enhance your physical family wellness.
-Clean the yard together as a family
-Get the shrubs and garden ready for the growing season (allow your children to help)
-Start planning 1-2 family walks/bikes per week after school
-Plan a family picnic at a local park on Saturday or Sunday
-Make weekly trips to the local farmers market
-Enrol your children in a spring recreation sports league
-Join your own adult recreation sports league
-Download some audio books for a ‘personal walk’ once per week
-Join a local fitness facility and/or association (tennis, swimming, etc..)
-Set your alarm 1 hour earlier and get some outdoor exercise in before work
All of these are good ways you can improve you and your family’s physical wellness. It is important for us to remember as adults that we are role models for our families and friends. If we can schedule in physical activity as leaders in our family then our children will also see it’s importance to their lives as you actively participate in physical activity together.
Remember, keep it simple and keep it fun. Turn spring in to the season of making new family memories together through regular physical activity.
Ryan Fahey
Wisconsin is the coldest and friendliest cheese loving place in the world! Upon entering Wisconsin, I was able to reconnect with a Phys. Ed leader named Joey Feith. We shared numerous stories as we attended the WHPE conference in Wisconsin Dells. After a great workout with some teachers and some great conference presentations, I began heading east to Milwaukee for the last leg of my U.S road trip. It was time to venture to Miller Park for my first Spartan Race. I had been training for 5 weeks for this event and I was more than ready to compete at this level. I finished the Sprint race in just over 1 hour and finished 69th in my age group and was ranked 438th out of 1,593 participants. The most important message I took from that race is that I did my best. It was a completely new event for me filled with challenging obstacles and I was so glad to be able to compete at such a high level physically. I am already planning to compete in another Spartan Race in 2015! Immediately following the race, I had a protein shake and headed east for Windsor, Ontario. Stay tuned for my Canadian road trip reflection in the coming weeks.
Now I don’t know all the answers and especially when it comes to supplements. However, I informed the man that there whole supplement store was virtually a disgrace and that if I wanted advice, I would seek out a Physician, Strength & Conditioning coach, and a certified Dietitian. I told him that pushing low grade micronutrient based products is no joke to the everyday consumer. I informed him that the FDA in America literally has little to no control over the ingredients in some of these products until a slew of people die or become sick from them. I then proceeded to tell him that each of the products in his store have about a 10-15% variance on their Net quantity product panel label which means that any product can have added amounts of ingredients without having to inform the consumer. Lastly, I informed him that many of the serving sizes are comparable to a 300lb man and not a 165lb lean male or a 120 lean female who may have a family history of high cholesterol and heart conditions. The FDA does not distinguish serving quantities as they only want to “know” what the entire product is compiled of. Individual companies are not influenced by the FDA when they make their ‘scientifically’ subject serving sizes. With this in mind the “nutrition expert” listened diligently, handed me my receipt and remained silent as I walked out the door. 
We man handled the wall, if I do say so myself and decided to sprint the tenth mile together as a symbol of how our coach trained us. What ever happened in the race we were always going to finish strong. We sprinted to the finish and just before the line we waited for our remaining team members to finish together. As we finished I put my hands on my knees and watched my sweat hit the mud and the blood dripping down my right leg. There were no thank you, no bells or whistles, no medals and no money for spending this vacation day pushing my limits. The only thing left to feel was the strengthened bond of my new teammates and how emotional it was to finish this event with my friend who was coached and mentored by the best. 
