GetGoing NC!

Smart living, healthy aging

From the research world comes more incentive to stay active — or become so — as you age.
From the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University comes “preliminary evidence” that keeping your brain sharp can help you physically. Einstein researchers took a group of 20 “frail” seniors (age 70 or older who walk less [...]

CrossFit: covering all the bases

I originally wrote the following story for The Charlotte Observer, where it ran on Tuesday, July 13.  Yesterday, I posted a similar story that ran July 13 in The News & Observer of Raleigh.
Back in the spring, Andy Cole would have been happy to just keep up with his 5-year-old and almost 2-year-old at [...]

The case for cross-training

I originally wrote the following story for The News & Observer, where it ran on Tuesday, July 13.  Saturday, I’ll post a similar story that ran July 13 in the Charlotte Observer.
It helped Josh Handest train for a half marathon. It was even more instrumental in getting him into shape to keep up with [...]

Toolkit pries open the discussion on childhood obesity

For the last 20 years or so, childhood obesity has been, almost literally, the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The room in question, unfortunately, has been the pediatrician’s examining room.
Despite the fact childhood obesity has reached almost epidemic proportions in the past quarter century — the percentage of obese kids in the U.S. grew from [...]

Vote to refresh physical activity at school

Imagine being able to improve the health of North Carolina school kids to the tune of $250,000, and all you have to do is log on to your computer every day this month. Details in a moment; first, some quick introductions.

Be Active North Carolina. Be Active NC is a non-profit aimed at getting more North [...]

Sunscreen, sun sense

OK, everyone. Take a knee. It’s summer, the sun’s out: you need to make sure your best friend for a day of play doesn’t become your skin-zapping mortal enemy. Some tips on dealing with the sun from the American Academy of Dermatology.

30+ Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at [...]

Small Steps

Sometimes — a lot of the time — it’s the small steps that get us headed in the right direction.
That’s the thinking behind the Small Steps Web site  run by the government (the White House and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services).
Small Steps is a small but effective, non-overwhelming Web site that appreciates [...]

Heading off to HealthCamp

Today, I’m going to camp. Just like with any camp, there’s a mix of nerves and excitement. Excited about learning new stuff. Nerves over performing in front of others. Nerves and excitement over meeting new people.
But this camp isn’t like the camps of summer’s way past, where new lanyard-weaving techniques were learned, where a mangled [...]

It pays to Walk@Lunch

So far in this Walk@Lunch Week we’ve talked about the reasons you should spend your lunch “hour” walking. We’ve talked about the benefits to your body, we’ve talked about the benefits to your sanity. Today, we’ll talk about the benefits to your bottom line. Your wallet/purse/man-bag,  that is.
Yesterday, I went to Blue Cross Blue Shield [...]

Walk@Lunch: Making the most of your 30-minute escape

OK, it’s settled: This coming week, instead of working through lunch at your desk or going out with the gang for a $4.95 all-you-can-eat-but-not-necessarily-digest buffet, you’re going to observe National Walk@Lunch Week and take a walk. (Technically, it’s National Walk@Lunch Day,  but the observance deserves at least a week.)
We’ve already gone over what National Walk@Lunch [...]