Written by Dwight ‘Mr. Cardiotone’ Calhoun
As November 24th looms behind us; with the craze for insatiable shopping ventures; stores filled to the brim during the late evening at local discount chains, malls and outlet stores. As we leave behind uncontrollable mobs of shoppers on steroids, that attacked security guards, shopping carts and in some cases each other. Customers were doing athletic somersault dives into bins of discounted items as they raced their way to the cashier’s check out counters, which is symbolic of the finish line. The first phase frenzy for spending and paying for goods and stuff-ings mostly on credit for our loved ones for the upcoming holiday celebrations came to a brief pause.
Not to be outdone by Black Friday shoppers we are gearing up for the second phase of hustling and bustling into the next holiday season with Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Ramadan and the New Year’s Eve just around the corner as we leap into the year 2012. Let us be mindful to use the same vigor to jump head over heel into good health and nutrition. Let our zeal for materials not outweigh our mad dash to the grocery stores to pick out healthy and natural foods to feed our families appetites. We need to be conscious of making healthy choices when we plunder the farmers markets and health food stores to gather up supplies that our loved ones can partake in their holy temples. Renewing and making new years resolutions as we all move forward towards a healthy nutritious starting line.
However, not only should we be concerned about nutrition in our homes; but also move into proper nutrition and fitness along with the First Family. One such initiative was created by the USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack who announced in April 2011 a $1 million in cost-share funding for children’s programs in 18 states and Puerto Rico, furthering USDA’s commitment to connect young people around the country with America’s great outdoors. This initiative subsequently will support the goals of both President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign!
Food for thought
No need to let good foods and good concepts go bad.
After all the celebrations and family gatherings let’s not let good nutritious food and ideas go away with the festive events. Key to keeping nutrition simple and easy: Integrate colorful fruits and vegetables into a larger portion of our eating habits. Just remember to let the vibrant colors of the holidays remind us to eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables usually indicate a high concentration of nutrients that sustains our bodies and simply are good for us. We can create with apples, oranges, pineapples, celery, raisins and melons fun foods such as fruit kabobs and ants on a stick. Other fruits and vegetables can be blended for smoothies or juiced to be served as healthy beverages and snacks. To take it one step further we conserve and preserve our greatest resources; being our bodies and our environment by going eco-green and eco-blue.
Meaning eat well, drink pure water and recycle and conserve our natural resources by placing plastic containers and paper products into recycling receptacles to be reused as our bodies are being renewed through proper nutrition and exercise. A final food for thought: Exercise your mind, body and spirit for a healthy and prosperous New You.
About the Author: Mr. Cardio- Tone is a certified personal trainer, dance and fitness instructor. He offers high energy, high impact cardio workouts using the latest urban line dances. Unlike other workout routines, you will not even feel like you are exercising. Visit http://www.urbanlinedancefitness.com/#bio for more information.
