Kristi's
Health and Fitness Page- May/June 2023
Welcome to Spring! I hope this note finds you well and ready to
usher into a season of new life as the grass turns greener and the
flowers will soon start blooming! I had the pleasure of presenting
at our National Conference at that American Occupational Therapy
Conference in Kansas City, MO. The tulips, daffodils and
lilacs are in full bloom there so it was fun to see a glimpse of
things to come here in Minnesota!
For those that missed recent events, we had a fun time at my dad's
90th birthday party and too are gearing up for another wonderful
MS 150 with the Purple Pumpers. We will have some training rides
prior to the event (second week of June) and will have additional
rides throughout the month. All are welcome to join us!
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Support the Purple Pumpers!
This year the 28th Purple Pumpers again embark on our
adventures to support efforts to combat MS through research and
advanced technologies and therapies. As many know, our team has
two people on it diagnosed with MS who still ride with us.
With your help, over the years we have raised over $190,000 (I
posted last year's amount last month)! I will match up to
$250 donated to me, I will send the link via email. You may also
donate to the whole team. Here is last year's team:
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Social Update!
First Weekend of May- We will likely have a training ride
**There will be one to two more rides during May, I will send out
an email
June 9-11 Purple Pumpers 28th!
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North Shore Fun!
I had the opportunity to visit former Lifetime fitness instructor
and dear friend Julie Hukriede again last month. Lutsen was open
well into May and given all the snow the conditions were amazing!
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Flashback Photos!
Left- Kristi and John enjoy the teaching
spirit!
2013 Battle of the Sexes!
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Health and Fitness
Information
* The FDA recommends
2300 mg of sodium a day yet most
Americans consume significantly more....
even up to 2 times the recommended
amount! For instance, a serving of
a popular canned chicken noodle soup
contains 890 mg and store bought Italian
salad dressing 486 mg per serving.
It doesn't take long for excess sodium
to build up! According to the Mayo
Foundation over 75% of our consumed
sodium comes from pre-processed foods.
* Although
in the middle of the winter and onset of Spring we don't
always think of upcoming races we may partake in over the
summer, having an event to train for often provides a
motivation. In recent years "adventure races" such as
the Warrier Dash, Tough Mudder and others, have become more
popular. Remember when considering the type of event,
that you want to be sure to properly train so as not to risk
injury due to ill-preparation for the event. Sometimes
partnering with a friend or two can enhance the motivation
and training prior to the event. Just a reminder, we
have the Purple Pumpers 28 this year for the MS 150!
*According to Thrivant, the average U.S.
household throws out almost 25% of the
vegetables and fruits which can
accumulate to more than $500 of
waste. Means to minimize such
waste include (a) buying what you need,
(b) using proper storage, and (c) making
an effort to eat what you purchase
*Many people use prayer as part of their
personal faith and as a means to find
balance, unity and connection with
God. According to Pastor Peter
Brown, using a journal is often a way to
enhance prayer life and devotions.
Journals can help us keep track of
prayers, petitions, and praises.
Journaling may also be used for many
purposes including personal reflections,
tracking of exercise and eating, or to
maintain a diary of significant
happenings in our life. I
personally have written poetry and have
kept hard copy and online journals for
over 30 years. I too have studied the
role of writing in the development of
the self as well as the healing
properties of writing for persons with
mental illness. The first part of my
research is published in the Journal
of Poetry Therapy (Haertl, 2014)
and the final phase of the research was
republished in 2019 in Arts and
Health (Haertl &
Ero-Phillips, 2019). If you would like
to see my articles let me know!
... Happy journaling!
*Many
people know that I have worked in
mental health, taught it, researched
and been in author in this area for
over 35 years (it is my primary area -
mental health occupational therapy,
that I teach in as a professor.
Since the pandemic there has been an
exponential increase in mental health
conditions and suicidality, especially
among youth. Be sure to write
down and teach folks about 988- an
important crisis/ suicide prevention
number to know!
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May we each consider how to make a
positive difference!
Blessings!
Kristi