May’s Fitness Challenge

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Are you familiar with the 10,000 steps challenge?

A study from 2004 cited 10,000 steps as the number to strive for to be considered “active”. ShapeUp.org cites a call to arms (or legs) from the Surgeon General from 2001, also aiming for 10,000 steps per day. Are you ready to step-up your physical activity level?

I’ve always been aware of this magical number, which equates to about 5 miles of walking per day. That sounds like a lot, but I walk a lot! I take the stairs, I run most errands on foot, and I park at the far end of the parking lot. But I also sit in a chair for about 8 hours a day, spend about 90 minutes per day sitting in a car, and another 8 hours sleeping.

Maybe I’m not meeting this goal after all….
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Real Food is Always in Season

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Ever walk through the produce section of your grocery store and wonder why avocados are over $1 each, while apples are $.69 per lb? Chances are good that one is in season and the other isn’t. Alas, nature can be cruel when you crave guacamole in the middle of the winter! Shopping seasonally can be a challenge, but I’m sharing my favorite tool for the job. This site is especially useful when everything looks beautiful and shiny, as looks can be deceiving in the food world.
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April’s Confession Corner

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I’ve confessed my love of eggnog, my spending habits regarding athletic shoes, the challenges of time management, and how I loathe DST. I was pretty close to espousing the benefits of Cadbury Crème Eggs (antioxidants! Serotonin!) but I realized I don’t love them like I love eggnog. Perhaps they’re more satisfying, so I only consume one egg per year. Maybe I like them, but I don’t like-like them. It may also have something to do with my preferred method of chocolate consumption: put it on your mouth and let it melt. This works on M&M’s, Lindt truffles, and almost any other spherical chocolate…but an egg is simply too big .

I digress. I’ve got another secret, and it involves Napoleon.
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Prepping for Camping

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It’s mid-April and I’ve realized that I haven’t been camping, backpacking, or hiking once this year! Living in So Cal this is inexcusable, as it’s rarely too cold or too hot to do anything. With that in mind, I brushed off the mental cobwebs and compiled a list of what I typically bring when I go camping or hiking. Backpacking is essentially the same, although you’ll typically forego some creature comforts and size-down on the scale. Think of camping in terms of “what would I like to have?” (hello real pillows!) and backpacking as “what do I need to survive?” (hello lumpy pillow made of unworn clothing).

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