Category: A Healthier Community

F is for Fridays, Food, and Family

After a long week at work, there’s nothing more comforting than coming home on a Friday night and having some idea of what you’re going to serve your family for dinner.

I really hate it when I don’t have a meal plan, especially on a Friday night when my creative reserves are fairly depleted. Having something already in mind can make all the difference in the world. It can, quite literally, make the difference between having a nice, relaxing night to end a long week … and the evening dissolving into a pool of frustration with no dinner in sight until much later than you’d like.

For me, one of my favorite Friday night family meals is homemade pizza – a meal that’s easy, tasty and healthy, but also a wild departure from my Eastern European upbringing.

Must be easy

So my plans for Friday night dinner generally revolve around something I can pull together fairly easily. Usually, I like to have all of the ingredients on hand. But if I don’t, I can pick up a few things fairly easily at our local meat market on my way home.

Stopping at a larger grocery store would just make my trip home longer, add too much stress to the end of the day and needlessly complicate the chore. For me, that’s an easy one to drop from the realm of possibilities on a Friday night.

Must be healthy

The selection also has to be fairly healthy. My husband and I are of the years when things like cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium content make a difference. I’m always fighting high cholesterol and constantly looking for ways to lower the number that appears on my yearly health risk assessment.

Must be tasty

And, of course, dinner must also taste good. I mean, what’s the point of eating anything if it isn’t delicious? That’s a lesson I learned a long time ago … while growing up in a family where such Old World favorites as beet soup and stuffed cabbage with potatoes were the standard fare.

When I was young, no one I knew ate such dishes. They were a far cry from the macaroni and cheese, fish sticks and French fries that my classmates lived on.

Back then, my distaste for beet soup was so palpable that I was known to have sat for hours without so much as touching a steaming bowl of (purple-colored!) beet soup. Now, of course, beet soup and stuffed cabbage are favorites of mine, and I can hardly recall what all the fuss was about, except that for me, as a first-generation American back then, it was.

Vegetable pigments make beet soup beautiful and delicious.

Vegetable pigments make beet soup beautiful and delicious.

Leaving behind the Old World

My attitude toward food changed when I was introduced to the art of cooking in home economics classes in junior high school. It was eye-opening to learn that there were endless combinations of foods and ways to prepare them that could actually look and taste good.

Pretty soon, I was preparing the food I’d learned to cook in school at home, much to the surprise of my family. There was no end to the ribbing my brothers gave me about the grapefruit halves that I ran under the broiler and served as an appetizer with a maraschino cherry on top. For them, that was a wild departure from the mostly Eastern European, meat-and-potatoes dishes we were used to.

My fascination for cooking continued after I got married and had a family of my own. I wasn’t going to serve them food that didn’t at least look appetizing and have some nutritional value.

Bye mac & cheese. Hello tahini paste.

Of course, when our children were little, my go-to meals tended toward kid-friendly macaroni and cheese, tuna noodle casseroles and homemade chicken nuggets. No one ever tired of these tried-and-true favorites, and they were simple and easy to make with ingredients that usually were on-hand.

Our tastes became more adventurous and sophisticated as the years went on, though. Now, the staples that can usually be found in our refrigerator and pantry are things like hot chicken sausage in the freezer, kale in the vegetable crisper, and tahini paste, canned tomatoes with green chilies and just about every variety of beans you can think of in the cupboard.

These ingredients can add zip and zing to just about any dish, and make something as mundane as Friday night dinner into FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER.

The perfect Friday night FAMILY meal: Homemade pizza

More often than not, the dish that I go to when I think about Friday night dinner on my way home after a long week at work is homemade pizza.

It’s a meal in one — no other sides, other than perhaps a salad, are required. It comes piping hot out of your oven — without ever tasting like the cardboard box that a delivered pizza tastes like. It’s satisfying and nutritious — dressed up with an endless variety of fresh vegetables.

Yes, pizza can be healthy

The fact that pizza can be satisfying and nutritious is probably the single biggest reason for choosing homemade pizza on a Friday night. The recipe below calls for hot chicken sausage (a healthy substitute for the usual pork sausage), but you can also use turkey pepperoni for something different.

All kinds of vegetables and vegetable combinations go well with pizza. They’re especially tasty sprinkled with fresh herbs snipped from the pots on your windowsill or in your kitchen garden. Use those same herbs to make a pesto (frozen and later thawed) that adds a nice touch to homemade pizza in the winter months.

When you make your own pie, you also have full control of the amount and type of cheese you use. Feel free to try lower-fat varieties, which may suit your tastes just as well as full-fat selections. Because you’re eating in, you can also afford to be choosy about your pizza dough. Here in Syracuse, there’s nothing like Columbus Bakery’s prepared pizza dough, but you may have other out-of-this-world dough suggestions from your favorite bakeries to recommend in the comments section below. You could even try whole wheat pizza dough as a healthier alternative.

So have fun experimenting, bon appétit and please let us know your favorite homemade pizza recipes, topping combinations or other go-to Friday night family dinner recipes below.

Print Recipe
 Chicken Sausage Pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Stretch pizza dough to fit a round, lightly oiled pizza pan. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and cook chopped onion a couple of minutes until lightly browned. Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two. Add hot chicken sausage and cook until browned and crumbled.
  2. Cover pizza dough with desired amount of sauce. Layer with the sausage mixture. Top with chopped red peppers and other vegetables if desired. Sprinkle with seasonings and red pepper flakes for added kick.
  3. Place sliced tomatoes on top of sausage/vegetable/seasoning mixture, covering the pie. Brush any visible crust with olive oil and spray tomatoes with cooking spray.
  4. Place in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. When it starts to rise and the crust just starts to turn brown, remove from oven and top with shredded mozzarella/cheddar cheese and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Brush crust with oil again and return to oven just until cheese melts.
  5. Remove from oven, slice with pizza cutter and serve immediately!

Conceiving A Miracle: When Getting Pregnant Isn’t A Given

“What are you guys waiting for?” That’s the question friends and family would ask every year at my son’s birthday parties.

Little did everyone know that we’d been struggling for years to have our second child.

Our struggle to conceive has been fraught with doubt and disappointment.   But for the first time, I’m also feeling hopeful.

Just relax? Yeah, you try that.

So many people – from my obstetrician (OB) to friends and family alike – would suggest “just relaxing” or “try not to think about it.” I now know that’s the worst advice you can give anyone in these situations. (If you are looking for ways to help friends and family struggling with infertility, or even looking for different ways to start a family, visit Resolve.org.)

Even still, we tried, took dozens of pills and injections, had seven surgeries and procedures, removed grains and dairy from my diet, and still suffered two miscarriages, all of which made us feel very alone and anything but relaxed. My body, our minds, and our finances were drained.

Meanwhile friends and family lapped us – having one or two more children to our zero. Trust me, it was not a competition, but you can imagine how defeated we’d feel when we knew we too were once able to just get pregnant on our own. But for some reason, this second child wasn’t going to be as easy.

I celebrated each friend or family member’s new baby as best I could – always with a smile and hope. I never wanted to get on the other side of my situation and have people reflect on how hard it has been for me. I wanted to make sure I was there for them, too- with a positive spirit.

IVF: Not for the faint of heart

After six intrauterine inseminations (IUIs) – two of which resulted in miscarriages – we decided to try In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

The process is not for the faint of heart, but I am grateful to the support group/yoga class I’d been attending for nearly two years. These women have seen it all and dropped everything to help a newbie. Each time I spoke with them, I felt less alone, more hopeful, more comfortable being the person I had to be.

Our IVF protocol was a rigorous one. At this point I’m 39 years old, so my “advanced maternal age” wasn’t necessarily increasing my chances of getting pregnant again. I was bruised mentally from negative pregnancy tests and pregnancy losses, and physically from the injections and blood work.

The mental bruises take a long time to go away. The bruises make you doubt that you’ll actually get pregnant, a skepticism that those “just relax” advisors would yell at you for. Those who’ve done this already know, it’s a doubt you can’t get rid of – but you do have to tuck it away in a remote location of your mind. I carried the doubt, but tried so hard not to let it consume me. I realized that two years later we were smarter, trying new things each time, and each attempt was different. So I forced myself not to ask, “Why should this time be different?”

We’re pregnant! Hooray, right? Well….

 In January 2016, we began prepping for our first retrieval.

By now I was used to the fatigue that comes with constantly running to appointments, juggling prescription refills and approvals, and the general malaise that the injections caused my body.

February’s retrieval came and went.  I was almost in auto pilot mode because in the back of my mind, I was more terrified of the next step to come – the transfer.

Because of the intense protocol I signed us up for, we didn’t transfer until April. When April came, I felt like I was stuck in one those dreams I used to have about my college exams:   the dream where I prepared for the exam, but then showed up for a test that I knew nothing about, and had to wing it. That’s kind of like the IVF experience. You can prep all you want, but it’s really up to science.

After our transfer, we waited and kept ourselves distracted with other things. Over the years we’d been doing this, I became a fan of distractions – anything to not dwell on the one thing we cannot control. We’d take day trips, have fun dinners, just play with our son, or I’d immerse myself in my work.

All along there’d been yoga – every morning I get up and practice solo for about 20 to 30 minutes to organize my body and my head.

Then on May 4th we got our phone call – we were pregnant. Hooray right? Well…

I couldn’t get excited about being pregnant

 As soon as we got our positive blood test, I moved on. I did not get excited.

I said, “Great, see you at next week’s appointment.” We kept the faith, but realistically kept moving on with our lives. This was ironic because I once dreamed of the day we’d get our “get out of jail card” and become pregnant again.

I imagined we’d be ecstatic, able to embrace this joyful moment and be happy. But because of our past emotional experiences, I just couldn’t put myself in that mindset.

With each week and each check-up, we got great reports. Numbers were great and we had a strong heartbeat – all great signs and things we hadn’t seen with past positive tests.

But I just couldn’t let myself enjoy being pregnant. With this technically being my fourth pregnancy, my body was changing fast. I was cramming myself into my normal clothes at eight weeks of pregnancy because I didn’t want to “jinx” us by wearing maternity clothes.

Worse was that I would dread going to the bathroom because there was always that chance that blood would show up, a sign that I might be miscarrying again. There were times I would cry myself to sleep for fear that a normal stomachache was something worse. Or I would spend days at my desk hiding from people so they couldn’t see the fatigue and bloat, or ask questions I didn’t want to answer.

Somehow, one day after one of our last appointments with our fertility team, I actually stopped thinking about the fear of losing this pregnancy. I let it go. I decided I could move on, and try to enjoy the experience.

Then it happened. I was bleeding.

Learning to have faith

 I was paralyzed with fear and anger. My first thought wasn’t what most rational women would say (“oh, it’s probably nothing”). My first reaction was to punish myself for being hopeful – “look at that, you let down your guard and you ruined it.”

I believe that IVF post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real thing. (Though this is not a clinical diagnosis for me specifically, it’s a sentiment or a feeling of loss of security or safety, and that trauma of loss or negative results will continue to occur for me.)

We hurried to the doctor and confirmed that everything was still a-ok. Heartbeat, sac, even limbs were all still there. I most likely had subchorionic bleeding, which can be scary, but is common early in pregnancy and doesn’t normally indicate that the pregnancy is at risk.

Ironically, after that incident, I had more faith and confidence in myself and in this little human who is growing inside me. I learned that not everything is what we think it is every time. And perhaps it was a test to show me that it is OK to let my guard down.

I’d be a liar if I told you that, at nine weeks pregnant and experiencing bleeding, I was thrilled and relieved. My growing confidence allowed me to celebrate this little human in quiet prayer and yoga every day. But it wasn’t until I reached almost 21-weeks of pregnancy that I started to relax and enjoy the miracle of my pregnancy.

With peace of mind, comes joy

 Until experiences showed me that I was not going to have another disappointment, I felt I had to protect myself emotionally and physically.  So I went on “auto pilot” for about 13 more weeks. I got up, got dressed, fed my family, drank my decaf coffee, went to work, and went to bed. I worked hard to avoid thinking about being pregnant – and to my family it came off as a negative attitude. What was hard for them to understand was that I had to build up a shell, that I was just using all of my energy to breathe and keep functioning, leaving no energy to enjoy life for the moment.

While the fear has gotten quieter, it honestly hasn’t gone away. As I near the end of my pregnancy, I know that until I hold this human in my arms, I won’t fully let my guard down. With each passing week, it does get easier. After ultrasounds and check-ups, after seeing our little girl, her cute profile and all of her organs, I finally have some peace of mind.  With peace comes joy. And with joy comes space to smile, laugh, and enjoy some of life. Because life will keep going, this baby will keep growing, and I can keep breathing.

Update: My healthy, beautiful daughter was born in late December 2016. We stare at her in complete disbelief and happiness.

Notes: This narrative was motivated and inspired by Amy Klein’s blog post on the New York Times “Motherlode.” In this amazing post, Ms. Klein introduces the concept of PTSD for fertility patients. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/after-i-v-f-pregnant-but-still-stuck-in-the-past/

Sleep Cycle App Will Kick You Out of Bed, But Gently

The Sleep Cycle app is listed as “essential” in the app store, and for good reason! Sleep Cycle is an app that helps wake you up based on how you sleep. Since I’m basically the opposite of a morning person, I find that the customizable features and 30-minute “wake-up phase” help me feel less like a zombie when I wake up. Instead, I’m more ready to face my day fully recharged (if that’s even possible with me).

How it works

  1. When you’re ready for bed, set Sleep Cycle’s wake-up alarm and place your phone face-down next to your bed or on the edge of your mattress.
  2. Using your phone’s microphone or accelerometer (a type of motion detector), your sleep patterns are analyzed based on your movements in bed.
  3. While you sleep, the app tracks the peaks and valleys of your lightest to deepest sleep phases.
  4. Since I share a bed with another Sleep Cycle user, the app links our phones through the Wi-Fi connection, accounting for both of our movements. That way his sleep phases don’t impact my sleep statistics and vice versa.

How to customize

Using the app settings, select how you’d like to wake up, choosing between several fairly gentle alarm sounds, such as “warm breeze” or “forest glade.”  Premium users can also enable the “random alarm sound” setting to cycle through a new one each day so you don’t get too irritated with just one sound (you can get irritated with them all instead!).

I use the “random” feature to keep things interesting, and to prevent myself from getting so used to one tone that I start to sleep through the alarm. Plus, I know myself ­– there are only so many times I can hear “forest glade” in one week before chucking my phone across the room and dozing back off to sleep.

During the recommended 30-minute, “wake-up phase,” the alarm goes off when you’re in your lightest sleep of that time period, making it easier to wake. For me, this setting means instead of feeling majorly groggy and sluggish when my alarm sounds, I feel only slightly groggy– a big improvement in my book.

You “hit” snooze by either double tapping on or near your phone or by picking up the entire phone. The “intelligent” feature can also be programmed so the alarm sounds get closer together each time you hit snooze, which I found to be an especially useful feature. Since I’m a true snooze-button-addict, I need an extra few kicks in the morning to willingly emerge from the covers.

Extras

The app provides reports on your average sleep quality and time in bed every day, and premium users can access trend reports for the days, weeks, and months you use the app. Premium users can also record mood and heart rate upon waking, add “sleep notes” like whether you worked out or consumed alcohol, and see how weather might affect sleep.  For example, I learned I sleep significantly better on days I work out, and significantly worse after I consume alcohol, experience a stressful day, or get a sunburn!

What I Learned

I learned that my deepest sleep is typically between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m., which could be why I have such a hard time waking up most mornings. I was also fascinated to see how my daytime activities affected my sleep quality. I now think twice before having that glass or two of wine before bed when I want to feel rested the next day. I also try to give myself plenty of time to unwind before bed, and the app motivates me to keep on track with my gym schedule — no one likes a poor night’s rest!

Any Critiques?

The app helped me learn more about my sleep patterns and the effect my habits have on them, but didn’t exactly change my life. I may never be a morning person and I’ll probably never find an app that can make me into one.

There’s also no way to know the true accuracy of the sleep cycle app. I sometimes wake up feeling as if I’ve had the best sleep of my life, only to have the app report my sleep quality at 50 percent. The app isn’t a substitute for a sleep study and doesn’t claim to be, but these little inconsistencies can sometimes leave me second-guessing the technology.

The Gist

Healthy sleep is critical to good health. When you sleep well, you tend to feel better, be more alert and reduce your risks for medical conditions, such as heart disease.  Sleep Cycle helps me better understand my sleep needs and patterns, helping me get more of that essential shut-eye!

Download: https://www.sleepcycle.com/

Cost: FREE

Premium: $29.99/year

Disclaimer: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield does not endorse or have any business relationship with Sleep Cycle.

pregnant moms take note

Pregnant Moms Take Note: Sooner Isn’t Better

Reaching the 37th week of pregnancy with both of my boys felt like a big milestone.

After heaving my bloated, pregnant self around for way too long, my baby boy was finally “full-term,” or fully developed. It wouldn’t matter if he was delivered now, I mistakenly thought, or on my due date in a few weeks.

Turns out I was wrong.

But it’s not my fault, or the fault of many moms, who think their little bundles of joy are ready to go at 37 weeks, when they really aren’t. Up until a few years ago, even medical experts thought 37 weeks was the ideal goal.

Pushing the Goal Line Back

That all changed several years ago, when medical experts changed the rules for pregnant moms. No longer was the goal of many pregnant moms to reach the 37th week of pregnancy. The goal line was pushed back to 39 weeks, because new research showed that babies still had a lot of growing to do at weeks 37 and 38. The baby’s brain and lungs, for example, were still developing.

It’s important to note that some babies need to be delivered early. This may be because the mother or baby is at risk for complications. But if there are no complications, inducing labor or scheduling a C-section before 39 weeks should be avoided, because the baby is still growing, according to Choosing Wisely, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation.

Babies born at 37 or 38 weeks run a greater risk of having feeding problems or needing respiratory support, compared to babies born full-term (between 39 to 41 weeks.)

An infographic on more reasons you might want to avoid inducing labor or scheduling C-sections before 39 weeks (if you can!)

 Did you know?

The Choosing Wisely program was started to reduce waste in the health care system and avoid risks associated with unnecessary treatments. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation publishes and shares hundreds of care recommendations from more than 70 medical specialty societies. A goal of the program is to promote conversations between physicians and patients about the necessity of certain tests and procedures. This includes the risks associated with scheduling a C-section before 39 weeks gestation. Another important goal of Choosing Wisley is to give patients more of a say in some of the decisions.

12 Ways to Workout on the Cheap

I’ve done boot camp. I’ve joined a gym or two. I’m pretty committed when I join things—I like to get my money’s worth. But, I’ve found that the best workouts for me are those that I do at home or on my own.

Don’t get me wrong. A lot of people like the socialization and motivation that comes with belonging to a gym or going to a class. I like to take a yoga class once a week, but for everyday activity, I’m more likely to exercise when the time and place are convenient for me.

Jan practicing yoga on the cheap.

To help you tackle your fitness goals at little or no cost, I’ve compiled the following tips for working out on the cheap this year:

  1. Walk! For many years, walking has been my go-to exercise. When we lived in the country but on a busy highway, I sometimes drove to nearby less-trafficked neighborhoods to walk. Now, I live in a small village in Central New York. It’s a walker’s dream. There are sidewalks. I can stroll to a nearby park and take a trail by 9-Mile Creek. The sound of the rushing water is soothing; there’s green everywhere in the summer and the trees are leafed in a riot of color in the fall. (Recent research points out that being in nature is good for your brain and body.)

Since I got a FitBit, I’m adamant about getting in 10,000 steps a day. It motivates me to move and it’s good for maintaining a healthy weight and a good barometer for how active I’ve been during the day.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

When it’s too slippery and cold to walk outside, I’ve found other ways to step it up.

  1. Loop around the perimeter of a big box store such as Walmart, Target or Wegmans before you fill your cart.
  2. Check with your local school or community center. Our middle school gym has a track that’s available for local use on weekday evenings. If your local school has a pool, they may open hours to the public to swim for free. Many communities have rec centers where membership is free (especially for seniors) or costs less than a gym. 
  3. Take the stairs at work, at home, wherever. I recently found a portable “stair stepper” for $40; when my sister asked what I wanted for my birthday, it was on my doorstep in a few days.

Other Ways to Move It

  1. If your workplace has a fitness facility like mine does, don’t waste this great benefit. Come in early, stay late or work out during lunch time.
  2. Make chores fun. Put on your favorite playlist and step to the music as you prepare dinner or make dusting an opportunity to improve your dance moves. It will make the work go faster and doesn’t feel like exercise.
  3. Exercise bands are inexpensive, but learn how to use them properly. Try out this printable 20-minute workout.
  4. Jump rope. I have a few co-workers who swear by jumping rope. Joy, for example, was an avid jump roper as a kid. She’ll occasionally get out a jump rope when she’s looking for an alternative (very intense!) cardio workout. A simple challenge is to see how long you can jump rope without stopping or getting the rope tangled and then working towards beating your record time.

Online, Anytime

  1. Exercise videos. Believe it or not, I still use exercise DVDs. Before you laugh – I did find a bunch of DVDs at Goodwill for a few dollars each. YouTube also has an abundance of free exercise and instructional videos that you can stream. My co-worker recently stumbled upon a 9-minute “Tank Top Arms Workout” that she now regularly follows. You can subscribe to exercise channels on the internet, stream videos from Amazon Prime or pick them up on cable TV.
  2. You don’t need to buy a lot of fancy equipment to lift weights. Websites like WebMD.com show you routines where you can use your own body weight to strengthen your muscles—lunges, push-ups and double chair lifts are a few demonstrated with this no-gym workout. (I guess this is where I should include the part about checking with your doctor before you begin any strenuous exercise routine.)
  3. There’s an app for that. One of my work colleagues, Erika, likes to use free workout apps to track steps or log workouts. Here are some of her favorites:

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em

  1. Bite the bullet, bundle up and try a winter sport such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or ice skating that lets you enjoy nature while you get in a work-out. I’ve decided snowshoeing is more my speed. Investing in the equipment several years ago has paid off and is a sport I can do on my own or with my son or friends. You can snowshoe or cross-country ski for little or no cost at many parks. Don’t own your own equipment? Lots of places rent it.

Just Do It

The hard part of exercising is getting started. Commit to exercise for five or ten minutes a day, and I bet you’ll find yourself making it part of your daily routine.

Once you get in the habit of exercising, it becomes an important part of your life. I do my yoga routine either in the morning to start the day or after work to unwind. If skip it, I feel as if something’s missing. Although I like to walk before work, I often have to squeeze in a few minutes during my lunch break. After dinner is also a nice time. If you have someone to walk with to share your day, even better.

A dog may be the key to losing weight

Want to Lose Weight? Grab Your Dog’s Leash

Losing weight is…well, hard! Eat healthy, be more active…you know the drill. But getting started and sticking with it are two of the hardest parts. So, what if you had someone to keep you on track, was always available, and never said no? Would it also help if they were one of your best friends?

If you answered yes, the answer may be just a few feet away from you.

If we’re out of shape, then our pets probably are too. About 54 percent of dogs (and 58 percent of cats) are overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. About 2 in 3 upstate New York adults, meanwhile, are also overweight or obese, according to an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield report. Heavier adults are at risk for serious chronic diseases and health problems. But, did you know that obese pets also face many of the same health problems as humans, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, urinary disease, skin problems, and breathing problems. Also, overweight pets often have shorter life spans (up to 2.5 years less). Taking steps to stay in shape with our pets may help keep them around longer.

Taking “steps” to be active

In 2015, the U.S. Surgeon General encouraged people to be active and walk more.“ Strong evidence exists that physical activity has substantial health benefits,” according to “Step it Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities.” “Walking is an excellent way for most Americans to increase their physical activity.“

It’s a simple formula. One overweight adult + one overweight dog = one really good reason (and motivation) to lose weight together. One easy way to get started would be to just go on regular walks together a few times each week.

The Wake-up Call that Saved Brad’s Life

A walk or a run can be great exercise.

Brad, a 6-foot-6-inch former athlete, had a wake-up call in his mid-30s. His doctor said he was at risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke, because of his weight and lack of exercise. He adopted Buddy, a black Labrador retriever. ”The energetic dog became Brad’s running buddy and ticket to better health. “  (More on the story of Brad and Buddy.)

Couch Potato to Athlete – The Story of Eric and Peety

Eric, a 57-year-old salesman from Spokane, Washington, says “a plump dog named Peety helped turn him from a couch potato struggling with obesity into a slim athlete.” Eric weighed 330 pounds. He lived by himself and would often eat two extra-large pizzas (consuming potentially thousands of calories) for dinner. He spent more than $1,000 a month in medications for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

One month before Eric was due to have weight-loss surgery, he was advised to eat a whole-foods diet AND to rescue a dog. The thinking was that having a dog might force Eric to get outside and be more active. (Maybe he’d even meet other people?) Peety, a 7-year-old border collie/Australian shepherd mix, “came into his life and changed it forever.” More on how Eric and Peety changed each other’s lives  (Their video.)

The Tale of Otto the Bulldog

how to help a bulldog to lose weight

Otto the Bulldog started taking longer walks and lost 15 pounds.

“Typically you can’t get an English bulldog off the couch, let alone walk more than 50 feet,” says Brittany, a digital marketing manager from Rochester, NY. “Ever since he was a puppy, Otto, our 6-year-old English Bulldog, has enjoyed going on walks.”

As he grew older though, Otto’s vet wanted him to drop from 65 to 55 pounds. Brittany gradually extended their typical route. “We often forced him to take breaks, just to catch our own breath!” Combining longer walks with better food, Otto has dropped down to 50 pounds, has a softer coat and is happier than ever. “No need for a Fitbit® alarm – Otto reminds us to walk every day with a long, dragged out whiny mumble. What a great way to unwind after work, talk about our day, and get our steps in as a whole family.”

Set up a routine and stick with it

The philosopher Lao Tzu had a saying that went something like, “The journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step.” If you’re just getting started, go for shorter walks, gradually increasing them as you feel comfortable. It’s important to set up a routine. Try walking at the same time every day. Dogs like routine and will likely come and encourage you on those days when you may not feel like it (just like Otto).

Also, if your friend or neighbor has a dog, maybe you can walk together.

Keep safety in mind for both of you. Stay hydrated. In hot weather, try going early or later in the day when it may be cooler. In cold and snowy weather, wear good boots and check their paws for snow and ice buildup.

Nutrition is also an important part of the puzzle.

“If food were in front of your dog all day, they would likely keep eating. We often have the same instincts.” says Janette Westman, a workplace wellness consultant at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “A dog’s food is controlled by their environment. The owner puts it out when it’s time to eat and controls the amount. We could create a similar environment for ourselves. By reducing how much food is constantly in front of us, we could be less tempted to snack all day long as well. Also, planning ahead is another way to make healthy eating easier.”

You can also try modifying some of your habits using the “Five Rules for Eating” from Stephen Cook, M.D., MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. If you do choose to snack during the day, there are healthy options that can give you a boost between meals. Try keeping a banana, apple, or a handful of almonds handy. Pat Salzer, a registered dietician for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, has suggestions for healthy snacking throughout the day.

What about healthy eating for my dog? According to the American Kennel Club, there are things you can do to prevent them from packing on unnecessary pounds, like establishing a regular eating schedule, limiting between-meal snacks, and choosing low-calorie treats.

Don’t already have a “workout” buddy?

Consider adopting/rescuing a dog. Check with your local animal rescue organization if interested in pet adoption. Some will allow local volunteers to come and walk their dogs. That can also be an option if you’re not quite ready to adopt.

Please consult with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise regimen for yourself and a veterinarian for your furry friend.

How I Learned to Avoid Drive-Thrus and Eat Healthier on a Budget

When I moved off campus my junior year of college, I was excited to have an actual kitchen to cook in and a place to eat that I didn’t have to share with hundreds of other students.
That feeling quickly faded when I remembered how much time and money it takes to cook and grocery shop when you’re a broke college student and also going to classes, club meetings, working and seeing friends.
Staying up late was normal for me. Some nights I’d leave work at 1:30 a.m., or I was up late studying or hanging out with friends. There was no way I was going to take the time to cook myself an actual healthy meal. Even if I wanted to cook, I probably didn’t have anything in my fridge to make it.

I saw fast food as my only option.

Drive-Thru Voodoo

Frequenting fast food drive-thrus became a regular habit for my friends and me. They were the only places open late at night and the cost seems cheap when you can get a meal for only a few dollars. If I did go to the grocery store, I’d buy chips or microwaveable meals that were easy to make. I probably used my oven a handful of times over an entire semester.
But the truth is, with a bit of planning, broke college students and young professionals can eat healthy without spending a lot of time or money. Pat Salzer, registered dietitian and workplace wellness consultant at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, shares eight tips to help you save time while eating healthy on the cheap.

8 Tips for Healthy Eating on a College Student’s Budget

  1. Have group meals. Find friends who like to cook and make your meals together. Having a group of people working together to make dinner is more fun than cooking alone and will help you avoid fast food restaurants.
  2. Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry. This might seem like an obvious tip that you’ve heard a thousand times, but it’s true! When you’re hungry, your willpower goes out the window. Everything will look good, especially the things that don’t take long to make.
  3. Buying in bulk isn’t always a good thing. Bulk can be good if you know that you’ll eat all of it. However, it’s not worth buying large quantities, especially produce, if you’ll just stress about not eating it all before it goes bad.
  4. Have a plan when you shop so you’ll get what you need and only what you really need. You won’t overspend if you stick to a grocery list. This strategy might also help you avoid filling your cart with junk food—like those little pints of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream that I love so much!
  5. Be realistic about what you will eat. I would always buy Greek yogurt because I knew it was healthy. Only problem was, I don’t like Greek yogurt. I tried to force myself to like it, but it wasn’t happening. The yogurt would sit in my fridge until it hit the expiration date and then I’d have to (thankfully!) throw it out. There’s no point in spending your money on something that you know you won’t eat.
  6. Prepare big batches of healthy, delicious foods that’ll leave you with lots of leftovers (and unlike in tip #3, you know you’ll eat it). Whatever you make for dinner, you can also eat the next day for lunch. It’s also a good way to keep yourself from overeating at a meal if you know that you need to save some for the next day.
  7. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in-season. Not only will that sweet Red Delicious apple you bought in the fall taste better, but it’ll likely be cheaper, too. Try different types of produce—you might be surprised by what you like! I was shocked (shocked) to learn that I actually liked the taste of broccoli!
  8. Stash affordable, healthy foods for snacks—yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, etc.—around your apartment, house or dormitory. These foods will help satisfy late-night cravings and deter you from embarking on fast food runs.
Finding the Right Gym in 2017

7 Steps to Finding the Right Gym

If you’re like me, you ended the year celebrating the holiday season just a little too much and you’ve started the new year looking for the perfect gym to undo the damage of rich desserts and not enough activity.

Finding the right fitness facility can be tricky if you’re looking for more than just the lowest-cost option.

treadmill upstate ny

A treadmill is great for running in the winter months.

“You need to assess your fitness goals before selecting the best gym for you,” said Janette Westman, workplace wellness consultant, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “Do you want a basic gym with treadmills for a daily run or walk, for example, or do you prefer one with a variety of classes or state-of-the art equipment to keep you motivated?”

My needs as a gym buff have evolved over the years. When I was a broke, recent college graduate, I went with the cheapest option. All I needed was a place to run in the winter—at the lowest possible price!

Spinning Class Upstate NY

Select a gym close to your job.

As I earned a little more, I gravitated toward facilities that also had early morning spinning classes. But once I had kids and was paying daycare bills (yup, I was broke again!), I gravitated toward the free workplace gym.

Given my holiday weight gain, I’m now also hunting for a fitness facility to use on the weekends, when I don’t want to trek into work to work out. I’m considering a  gym or a facility that also offers classes, such as kickboxing.

Westman, a former personal trainer, offers the following tips for finding the right fitness facility in the new year:

  1. Location: People often stop exercising because they lack the time. If you exercise after work, select a gym close to your employer. Weekend warriors in the battle against the bulge may want a facility close to home.
  2. Hours of operation: The gym should be open when you plan to exercise. Early birds, for example, may need a fitness center that opens at the crack of dawn to allow for the 5 a.m. swim before work.
  3. Classes: Ask if classes such as spinning and yoga cost extra. If you’re solely interested in classes, a studio instead of a fitness facility may be a better option.
  4. Equipment quality: Ensure the cardio and weight machines are clean and in good condition.
  5. Staff: Are staff members friendly and qualified with the right certifications? You may want a gym with fitness trainers and dieticians to help you get healthier.
  6. Free trial pass: Test the gym during the times you’ll likely exercise. Is it too crowded? Are the classes, equipment, and atmosphere right for you? Are showers and changing facilities up to par? Is the parking convenient? Will you feel comfortable asking staff for advice or posing questions, such as how to use unfamiliar equipment?
  7. Cost: Ask if the gym will waive the enrollment fee so that you’re only responsible for the monthly dues.

Important Tip:  Some health care insurers may offer a benefit that helps pay for a gym membership. Be sure to check your policy to see what’s available to you. Don’t leave money on the table!

When in Snow Country, Snowshoe

Some of my friends think I’m odd because I’m one of those people who genuinely look forward to winter. I just can’t  imagine living someplace like Florida for the winter.  Snowy weather is something I embrace. I love to be outside in nature year-round, and when winter arrives it brings a whole new season to enjoy. And for me, winter means snowshoeing.

Keep moving and stay warm

No one likes being stuck indoors all winter and my  “ticket” to get out is snowshoeing. It’s a great cardio workout and also low impact. Snowshoeing is a fantastic recreational activity for many people, and is especially good if you’re looking for an activity that’s easier on your knees. Unlike ice fishing where you’re just standing around in the cold, snowshoeing generates heat and burns calories. The trick is to wear the right gear to stay warm and dry.

Make it easy to get outside

Living in upstate  New York, we don’t need to drive for hours to find a park with snowy trails. You also don’t need thousands of acres to have a fun snowshoeing experience. My wife and I are lucky that we can start  snowshoeing or cross country skiing right from our backyard. With a small local park nearly  outside our backdoor, it’s really easy to get out anytime we have snow. There are moments while snowshoeing where we’ll just take in the  scenic views and watch the local wildlife and birds. When the snow conditions are really good we also enjoy cross country  skiing, but snowshoeing doesn’t require great conditions. You can even snowshoe on many trails that wouldn’t be good for skiing.

There aren’t as many people outside in the winter and we enjoy quiet moments snowshoeing in Powder Mills Park (southeast of Rochester) and nearby Mendon Ponds Park. With fewer people outside, it is always a good idea to take  a friend with you on a winter adventure. There is safety in numbers. Keep reading for  a few additional tips I’ve picked up over the years.

Getting Started

On a cold winter day, managing your body temperature and perspiration is  key to staying comfortable and having a good experience while snowshoeing. You don’t want to be too cold, nor do you want to get overly hot & sweaty; once you get wet you can become cold.

  • Dress in breathable layers. Wear synthetic breathable materials like polypro and fleece. Never-ever wear cotton in the cold because it absorbs moisture and then gets cold (this means no jeans or cotton pants, no cotton socks, no cotton shirts, no cotton underwear).
  • Bring a water-resistant shell/coat that is easy to take off & carry, but available to put on if the weather turns cold, windy or wet. If you get too hot you can tie the jacket or extra layer around your waist. When it’s below 10 degrees, I like to wear extra glove liners under a pair of ski gloves or mittens. Bring water, a high energy snack and a cell phone.

Start slow and bring a buddy

  • Don’t set out on a mega, multi-mile journey your first time out. Snowshoeing on flat terrain is not technically difficult to learn, but it’s sort of like walking in deep sand or deep water. You’ll feel a bit like Herman Munster at first, but it gets easier with practice. Snowshoeing in deep snow or on steep terrain can be extremely hard work (like climbing many flights of stairs). Use common sense and gradually increase your distances over several outings.
  • If you’re snowshoeing on a trail that is also used by cross country skiers, they will be moving faster. As a courtesy, try and stay out of the grooves created by the cross country skiers so they can pass in either direction without having to stop.

Wear comfortable boots and gaiters to keep the snow out. I don’t like to snowshoe in sneakers or low shoes because my feet will get wet and then cold which isn’t fun.

Snowshoeing boots

Boots are a must for snowshoeing

 

  • A number of years ago, I was up north snowshoeing deep in the Adirondack woods (near Gothics, a mountain in the High Peaks Region) after a 60-inch snowfall when my snowshoe binding broke. We were miles from the road where the car was parked. I was able to fix the snowshoe and get out safely (used a MacGyver technique with a spare shoelace). This is a lesson I remember and one reason I wear boots, not sneakers (just in case your snowshoe breaks and you have to walk out without snowshoes).

Snowshoe technology has come a long way in the past 20 years

old school snowshoes

What most people think of when they think of snowshoes

Modern snowshoes are lightweight and strong. Get good quality snowshoes that are sized for your weight/height. You don’t want to break a snowshoe or binding if you’re deep in the woods on a cold day.

Snowshoes

What modern snowshoes actually look like

  • Don’t skimp on equipment! I recommend a good sturdy snowshoe with an aluminum frame, and an adjustable step in binding with under-foot crampons to grip on ice or when going up a steep hill. There are places you can rent snowshoes before you buy (check downhill ski areas or local outdoor sports shops). Get help picking out snowshoes at a reputable outdoor shop to make sure you get the right size for your body weight.

snowshoe6

  • Use ski poles or walking poles with
    snow baskets to keep you balanced as you go.

Ski poles for snowshoeing

  • There is an investment to get started (approximately $200-$500) but once you have the snowshoe gear it can last many years, and it’s free to snowshoe in most of our public parks.

Get out in the snow

If you get outside this winter and have fun you can help to end those winter hibernation blues. Snowshoes are also very easy to keep in your car trunk in case you stumble upon a new place to explore.

 

Snowshoe resources (Rochester area):

http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/content/places-go-cross-country-skiing-and-snowshoeing-greater-rochester

Rentals: (While there are many rental options available, these are few that I am familiar with.)

Snowshoe course (varies by location):

Places to snowshoe in upstate New York: 

Allegany & Steuben Counties

  • Phillips Creek & Palmers Pond State Forests
  • Mossy Bank Park

Erie County

County parks: http://www2.erie.gov/parks/index.php?q=parks

Chautauqua & Cattaraugus Counties

  • Peek’n Peak  (note that fees may apply for this private location)
  • Westside Overland Trail
  • Long Point State Park
  • Allegany State Park (Art Roscoe Ski Area)
  • Allegheny River Valley Trail

Franklin County

Livingston, Ontario & Yates Counties

  • Bristol Mountain Nordic Center (note that fees may apply for this private location)
    http://www.bristolmountain.com/nordic-center/
  • Genesee Valley Greenway (Scottsville to Cuylerville)
  • Letchworth State Park (East of Genesee River)
  • Rattlesnake Hill
  • Canadice Lake Trail
  • Cumming Nature Center
  • Harriet Hollister Spencer Mem. State Recreation Area
  • Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area
  • Middlesex Valley Rail Trail
  • Keuka Lake State Park
  • Keuka Lake Outlet Trail

Monroe County

  • County parks: https://www2.monroecounty.gov/parks-index.php
  • Hamlin Beach State Park
  • Turning Point Park
  • Durand Eastman Park
  • Seneca Park
  • Webster Park
  • Black Creek Park
  • Northampton Park
  • Oatka Creek Park
  • Quinn Oak Openings
  • Tinker Nature Park
  • Genesee Country Nature Center
  • Powder Mills Park
  • Mendon Ponds Park

Niagara & Erie Counties

  • Erie County Forest
  • Erie County Forest — Lot 3
  • Sprague Brook Park
  • Emery Park
  • Tift Nature Preserve
  • Como Lake Park
  • Walton Woods
  • Buckhorn Island State Park

Onondaga County

Orleans, Genesee & Wyoming Counties

  • Lakeside Beach State Park
  • Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
  • Genesee County Park and Forest
  • Beaver Meadow Audubon Center
  • Bryncliff Resort

Is your favorite place to showshoe not on this list? Add it  to the comments section below!

Fighting Cancer: A Teenager’s Story of Courage

Being a teenager and going through high school can be difficult. There are classes to keep up with, sports commitments and demands for your time from family and friends. And, for Brittany McNair, a cancer diagnosis.

McNair was diagnosed with osteosarcoma June of 2005, the end of her freshman year of high school. She went to the doctor after not being able to walk and after several tests, found out that she had cancer in her right leg.

The former three-sport athlete went from running daily for soccer and indoor/outdoor track to relearning how to walk. She didn’t think she’d run again.

The high school years are a time when your peers are constantly judging you. Because chemotherapy treatments caused her hair to fall out, McNair feared having her picture taken or being asked to remove her hat. She also learned to get creative to avoid the dreaded hospital visits. (More on that later.)

With the help of friends, family and a local nonprofit, McNair found a way to keep some of the normalcy of her teenage years. Her family also emerged stronger and closer as a result of it.

A Teenager's Fight Against Cancer

Brittany McNair on her 16th birthday while in the hospital for cancer treatment.

A Visit to Her Hospital Room

In August of 2005, surgeons replaced the bones in McNair’s right leg with a metal prosthesis. At the same time, they removed her calf muscles and performed knee replacement surgery on that leg. She was 15.

As she recovered in the hospital, McNair received a visit from Lauren Spiker, executive director of 13thirty Cancer Connect, formerly known as Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation. Spiker had formed the organization three years prior after her daughter, Melissa, died of cancer, and was running it from her home.

On the wall at 13thirty Cancer Connect is Melissa’s request of her mother before she died, “If you have learned anything from me through all of this, do something with it to make a difference – to make things better.”

Spiker explained her daughter’s request.

“When Melissa was going through treatments for cancer as a teenager, we noticed that there weren’t many support groups for teenagers or young adults.”

Spiker visited McNair in the hospital to invite her to join their support groups, including a popular pancake breakfast at Spiker’s home with other teenage cancer survivors. A few weeks later, McNair participated in a photo shoot for a brochure for the organization. From that day, McNair has continued to attend 13thirty Cancer Connect events.

“13thirty Cancer Connect helped me in ways I couldn’t even begin to describe,” said McNair. “I’ve made lifelong friends there, and I am so thankful for them.”

The organization welcomes individuals ages 13 to 30 who have cancer and their families. A few years after McNair joined the group, 13thirty Cancer Connect began offering fitness classes to give people who have been diagnosed with cancer a chance to exercise with the supervision of a physical therapist and get their strength back.

“Our program was able to recently expand, thanks to a $3,000 grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield,” said Spiker.

It was through this program that McNair started to run again.

Brittany with Lauren Spiker, executive director of 13thirty Cancer Connect

Brittany with Lauren Spiker, executive director of 13thirty Cancer Connect

Friends on the field

McNair was lucky to have friends who worked hard to keep her connected to high school (and all the drama!).

Her soccer teammates and their families took turns decorating and filling a box of goodies for McNair to have before she went to the hospital for chemotherapy on Fridays. She found the box on her front porch every Thursday.

“I would be in the hospital all weekend and my teammates would give me everything from candy to DVDs in that box,” said McNair.

McNair’s favorite? A barf bucket. (The chemotherapy made McNair pretty sick!) It was decorated with different words and phrases related to barfing.

After her diagnosis, one family gave her a laptop to help her keep up with school, but she also used it to keep up with her friends and high school happenings.

“AOL Instant Messenger was the big thing then, and I would be on my laptop all the time talking to friends so I was kept in the loop,” said McNair.

Her friends also would visit her at home and in the hospital. As often as she could, McNair would go to basketball games to watch her sister cheer, and she’d also sit on the bench and help her coach during soccer games.

A birthday to remember

McNair really wanted to be in school with her friends on her 16th birthday on Dec. 23, 2005. Usually her birthday falls during winter break, when there’s no school, but that year was an exception.

On the morning of her birthday that year, McNair’s mom – Jennifer Arnold – noticed that her daughter felt hot. So Arnold took her temperature. If McNair had a fever, that meant she’d have to go to the emergency room and would automatically be in the hospital for 24-48 hours. When Arnold came back, McNair’s sister was in the room.

“I didn’t think anything of it,” said Arnold. “I figured they had just been talking before Brittany’s sister went to school or something.”

Arnold looked at the thermometer and it read a normal temperature. Arnold made McNair take her temperature again, but this time she didn’t leave the room.

“The thermometer said she had a fever just like I thought,” Arnold said. “Brittany’s sister took her own temperature, and the girls tried to trick me!”

McNair’s friends ended up visiting her in the hospital and celebrated her birthday there.

It wasn’t the first time her friends or family were willing to intervene on McNair’s behalf.

 “I don’t know why it was such a big deal.”

When McNair walked into the school cafeteria to take her regents exam, the proctor wouldn’t let her in because she was wearing a hat.

“I don’t know why it was such a big deal,” said McNair. “I guess they were worried I was going to hide notes in my hat or something.”

McNair refused to take off her hat. She didn’t want to tell the proctor that she was embarrassed of her bald head. Eventually, one of her friends stepped in and explained why McNair wanted to keep her hat on. The proctor let her into the cafeteria to take her test.

After she sat down, a different proctor also asked her to remove her hat. Again, she refused. This time, a math teacher intervened and said that she could keep her hat on.

That night, Arnold attended a basketball game to see Britany’s sister cheer. The same math teacher approached her and apologized. He hoped that her daughter did well on the test.

“Brittany hadn’t told me that anything had happened at the regents test so I was trying to think of what could have possibly happened,” said Arnold, adding that she was also thinking , ‘Well I’d be more concerned that she didn’t do well because of all the work she hasn’t been doing.”

It wasn’t the first time McNair fought requests to remove her hat.

Learning to embrace her bald head

Like most 16-year-olds, McNair was eager to get her driving permit. She went to the DMV to take the written test and after passing it, stood in line to have her picture taken for her license. The photographer told her to remove her hat. McNair refused.

“My dad started arguing with the people at the DMV to let me keep my hat on and eventually they did and took my picture,” said McNair. “After that, when people looked at my I.D., they were confused to see that I was wearing a hat.”

McNair was determined to learn to drive during her sophomore year. Since she was still relearning how to use her right leg, used two feet instead of one to apply the brakes or use the accelerator.

“Looking back on everything from when I was diagnosed and going through chemo, I would tell other people going through the same thing to take pictures and rock the bald head,” said McNair. “Those are the two things I wish I had done.

Non-traditional Christmas

Arnold thinks back fondly on Christmas that year. It was a few days after McNair’s birthday fever and she was still in the hospital. She and her husband agreed to bring both McNair and her sister three presents to open at the hospital; they could open the rest when McNair returned home.

“My husband and I made two trips from the hospital to the house and back to pick up more presents because the girls didn’t want it to end, they were having so much fun,” said Arnold.

Brittany, her father (David), and younger sister (Alexis) on Christmas Day. Alexis is now a Pediatric Oncology nurse at Golisano Children's Hospital. She was inspired by the nurses who cared for Brittany.

Brittany, her father (David), and younger sister (Alexis) on Christmas Day. Alexis is now a Pediatric Oncology nurse at Golisano Children’s Hospital. She was inspired by the nurses who cared for Brittany.

When McNair came home on New Year’s Eve, her parents said she and her sister couldn’t open the rest of their presents until the next morning. They wanted the girls to have that feeling of waking up and seeing presents under the tree.

“The girls went to bed at 3 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and then woke up a few hours later to open presents,” said Arnold. “It wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but we made the most of it and that’s what made it so special. “

Changing the family dynamic

Mother and daughter smiled and laughed as they recalled those special memories. “Brittany’s cancer diagnosis definitely changed our family dynamic for the better,” said Arnold. “We’re all incredibly close and I love it.”

Brittany with her mother, Jennifer Arnold in September 2016.

Brittany with her mother, Jennifer Arnold in September 2016.

McNair, now an avid runner, made her athletic comeback October 2014 running the Bandana Bolt 5K at Seneca Park, thanks in large part to 13thirty Cancer Connect’s fitness program. Her mom joined her for the race as a fellow runner.

“With this new awesome fitness program that I’ve been doing for a couple years now, I’m slowly regaining my strength in my leg, regaining confidence and regaining the old me that was that former athlete,” said McNair.