I've moved!

If you haven't heard, you can now find me over at www.familyfitnessfiles.com. That's my new Word Press site. It's still under construction and I have been frustrated with a lack of time to properly set it up, but I'll get it together one of these days! In the meantime, click on the link up there to see what's new.

Changes coming soon

I've been working on changing my Family Fitness Files blog to a Word Press template, hosted by GoDaddy. It's still in the works, but I hope to have the new site up and running soon. Don't worry, you'll still find all of the information you see here, plus lots of cool new features. I'm hoping it'll be more streamlined and easier to navigate. And when it all changes, I'll be sure to put up a link here for the new site.

Tell me: What changes are going on in your life?

Blog-4-Cause

I'm pleased to announce that my friends Joanna Sutter and Lance Ekum have completed their ebook, BLOG-4-CAUSE. Inside are 150 articles from bloggers all around the world. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I was truly honored to be asked to participate in this project. You can read more about it on Joanna's site, Fitness and Spice. Or, check out the Susan G. Komen site to download it directly. I believe the suggested donation is $5 but you may donate any amount you wish.

The content is a variety of articles, on all sorts of subjects: humor, inspiration, personal growth, even recipes. We were each asked to submit our favorite blog entry, and with that many people participating all across the globe, you're bound to get a good mix of material. I chose to submit this particular post. 

So check it out and please consider a donation if you're so inclined. Breast cancer affects one in eight US women and the Susan G. Komen Foundation is doing everything it can to help find a cure. Please take a moment and click on the links to learn more about how you can support a great cause! Thanks!

Community Health Fair this Saturday, November 7

For the past few years, it has been my honor to be involved in the Community Health Fair. I'll be honest, when I was first asked to participate, I didn't know what to think. Who me? What could I contribute? Well, it turns out, a lot. I talk about family health and fitness with people from all walks of life. I offer tips to help your family get active, recommend substitutions to make your recipes healthier and meet a lot of interesting people. Some years I hand out samples of healthy snacks. Last year, I got to make my yummy Mexican Tortilla Soup as an example of how you can cook healthy on a budget. It was a freezing cold November day, too, so the soup was a big hit. No one could guess that the secret ingredient is butternut squash, pureed and disguised in the broth. I'll be doing another presentation on healthy meals on a budget again this year. You can read more about the health fair here. It runs from 9 am to 1 pm, and will be located at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. You can get health screenings, immunizations, and lots of healthy living information. You can even get a chair massage. Read my Examiner article for more details. Hope to see you there!

Examiner Articles: Healthier Halloween

Another in the Healthier Halloween series today: This article features 25 alternatives to handing out candy. Later in the week I'll also have an article on some healthier snacks to serve at your Halloween party. Come by Examiner and check it out!

Examiner Articles: Healthier Halloween

I'm starting a short series this week on how to have a healthier Halloween. To me, Halloween starts what I call "The Eating Season." Don't tell me you don't know what it is. One day you're just cruising through life, taking brisk walks in the crisp autumn air, raking up piles of orange leaves. And then the next day you're in the throes of a candy corn-gasm. (Yes, I said it.) Everyone has "seasonal" treats - Pumpkin pie shakes! Pumpkin Lattes! Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses! And that's just the pumpkin stuff. It's everywhere and it is a serious challenge to keep yourself from going off the deep end and disappearing into a bag of fun size Snickers. But there's no need to cave. By following (and revisiting, if necessary) a few simple rules, you'll be able to stay on track. Today's article features 5 tips to control the sugar frenzy. Let me know how YOU handle this time of year.

Examiner Articles: Good for you food of the week

Every Thursday, my Examiner article focuses on a different healthy food. I call it the good for you food of the week, and this week it's garlic. Some people love it, some hate it. But regardless of how you feel about it, garlic has numerous health benefits. Read about them here.

Examiner Articles: Biggest Loser Fix

Do you love Biggest Loser like our family does? Every week, I write an article detailing the lessons we can all learn from that week's episode. Today's article talks about dealing with challenging situations and making the best of them. You can read it here.