I recently found this article from MayoClinic.com about children and exercise-induced asthma.  Here’s an excerpt I liked:

“Your child [or anyone] doesn’t have to let asthma limit physical activity. In fact, regular exercise strengthens the lungs, making breathing easier for kids with exercise-induced asthma.”

So there ya go.  Asthma or no asthma, there’s no excuse to limit physical activity.  Obviously if you have asthma you will want to be prepared for anything.  There’s not a lot of things worse than going out and running sprint intervals, feeling your airway tighten up and then realizing you (me in this case!) forgot your “rescue” inhaler.  Oops. 

Be smart.  Be active.  Don’t let asthma hold you or your kids back. 

Pretty funny picture. 

The Health Aspect of Playing a Sport is a great read about some of the health benefits we can get from playing sports.  Ask my wife, she’ll tell you how much I love to play (and watch) sports! 

Check out these Bean and Sweet Potato Nachos from A Life Less Sweet.  Wow, these look good.  I haven’t made them yet but I plan on it.  Again, just ask my wife how much I love beans and sweet potatoes.

While we’re on the topic of food, check out this Zucchini Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust.  I’m a big fan of quiche.  My mom-in-law makes a great one, but I’ve never done it.  I’m making this one for sure. 

Let’s top everything off with What’s more important?  Diet, exercise or Lifestyle?  Is one better than the other or are all 3 important.  Read and decide. 

Have a great weekend.  I’m gonna try and fix my golf swing. 

The swim.  Did just under 1 mile in Utah Lake — it was a little bit chilly.  I’m there in the middle in the white swim cap.

Bike leg was 25 miles.  Someday I’ll get better bike, but for now this is all I’ve got.  It’s tough getting passed by the fast people on their tri bikes.  : )

Run.  6.2 miles.  Legs felt a little tight. 

Always nice to cross the finish line.

Biggest.  Fan.  Ever.  She’s 4 months old now.

My mom and wife before their 5K run.

Sprint to the finish. 

The finish line.  They are somewhere in that sea of people. 

Hope you enjoyed the pics.  Stay active and have fun!: )

I love the Harry Potter series.  My wife got me into it.  Great books, decent movies, and good fun all around.  The new movie comes out July 15th.  Nice.

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), one of the stars of the HP movies, seems to have a good outlook on staying healthy and active:

“There is so much pressure on girls our age to be smart and pretty and funny and skinny — they have to be everything.  I definitely know what that pressure is like, but my philosophy is to eat what you like and be healthy and exercise.”

“For some reason, girls seem to think it [being athletic] is unfeminine and they worry about being ‘pretty.’ But I feel the most pretty when I come off the pitch after a field hockey game and I’ve got pink cheeks and bright eyes. Sport really makes me feel good about myself.”

That’s a good attitude to have.  Hopefully young girls can look up to her and follow her example of being active instead of starving themselves or jumping into fad diets promoted by some celebrities.

[Quotes from this article].

Today I’m creating my workout plans and getting them on paper.  No more excuses.  Just thought you should know so you can ask me how I’m doing. 

On a kind-of related note, my wife did her first 5K over the weekend.  She did great and met her goals (finish and run the whole time).  Not bad for having a baby 4 months ago!  She really enjoyed the atmosphere of the race and wants to do more.  I’m trying to convince her to do some triathlons.  She’s fine w/ the swim and run, the bike scares her a little, though.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Has social media –whether it be twitter, facebook, or a blog — ever motivated you to get out and exercise or help you make a better choice for a meal or snack?  It definitely has for me. 

So for those of you who post messages about your healthy lifestyle, keep them coming.  They help people more than you probably know.  Hopefully my tweets can do the same.  I’m on Twitter here.

“The media and marketers have done a very good job at making us feel inadequate about our appearance.  They want to help us use their products to solve a problem that they’ve created.  People who have a product to sell will do their part to create a demand for their product.  They’re just trying to convince people that they need their product.  In my mind, weight’s not the problem.  The whole population’s fixation on weight is the problem.”

– Lora Beth Brown, Professor in the department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science at Brigham Young University

This specific quote was about so-called miracle pills and supplements, etc. and why there are so many.

Anyway, this article is a good read and makes good points about focusing on health rather than the numbers on the scale.  A healthy lifestyle is a better lifestyle.  Try it and you’ll see. 

The Tempation of Soda Taxes from Marion Nestle’s blog is an interesting read.  Check out the graph that shows the prices of soda and prices of fruits/veggies in last 10 years. 

I’m not a “hard core” cyclist like a lot of people, but I have had some close calls with cars while out on my bike.  Honestly, it bugs me how cars think they own the road.  This article from EverymanTri talks about the motorist vs. cyclist relationship, and how scary it can be.

Next on the list is Do You Celebrate with Food?  I love Mary’s blog and this post talks about how a lot of times we celebrate occasions — big and small — with food.  Check out her take on the topic. 

Have a look at Oklahoma Running Mom’s post about her marathon.  I have true admiration for marathoners.  A great accomplishment.

This next one is for the dad’s in honor of Father’s day last week (late, I know).  Here’s How to be a Better Sports Dad from ESPN.  It’s true about teaching your kid how to throw a ball… : )

Have a great weekend.  I’m hoping this rain get’s out of here so I can play some golf and get some runs in.