Week 9 News: Focus on Goals and Encourage Teammates

April 5, 2010

Dear Friends,

As you report your progress this week, can you believe this: our challenge is three quarters done! Now that the rains have stopped (cross your fingers), this is a great time to redouble your efforts. We can see from the numbers of many miles we’ve walked, hours we’ve exercised, and weight we’ve trimmed off that we have made incredible progress.

Now, in the dry weather and balmy temperatures, vow to get outdoors and enjoy them by adding lots of steps to your pedometer. Focus on your goals as we move into the last quarter of our competition. Don’t forget to encourage your teammates, too. Invite them to join you in banishing our rain-induced cabin fever. Check out this week’s Wednesday Walk in Newport and the local Walk of the Week, both featured below.

Yours In Health,

Rajiv Kumar

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Wednesday Walk and More!

Wednesday Walk
Join Shape Up RI for a walk on Wednesday April 7 at 12:15 p.m. Meet us at the Cliff Walk in Newport starting on Narragansett Ave (you can also park on this street). We will walk along the water and up to Memorial Boulevard and back for a 1.2 mile walk. That is over 2000 steps! Wednesday Walk page

Walk a 5K, about 3 miles, and Help Support Shape Up RI!

Shape Up RI has teamed up with Cox Races in a series of "races" on Sunday May 2nd, the last day of the competition. Come join us and walk a 5K or run a marathon (or anything in between). Part of the proceeds will benefit Shape Up RI. More information at Shape Up RI Cox Races

Register for any of the races at RhodeRaces.com and be sure to use the promotion code SHAPEUPRI2010. When you register, you can also join the Shape Up RI team using the same code, SHAPEUPRI2010, as the password.

Calendar of Freebies

During the past rainy month, it was great to have free indoor exercise classes to attend. This week, try Dance Jam (dance genres from rock n roll to swing with easy-to-follow choreography), Women with Weights, or a Pilates Mat Class specially designed for Shape Up RI participants. Read more at calendar of events.

How many calories are in...?

A banana? Eat a medium-sized banana and you’ll have consumed not only just 100 calories but a healthy dose of Vitamin C (fights infections), potassium (builds muscles, lowers blood pressure), and Vitamin B6 (boosts the immune system). Its dietary fiber helps you feel full and its natural sugars give you an energy boost.  Perfect for a 3 p.m. snack at your desk!

Recipe: Cinnamon Pear Compote

Add to your daily servings of fruit with this yummy warm pear concoction on top of a little ice cream or frozen yogurt. Dreamed up by those creative folks at Whole Foods, it has 90 calories and takes only 10 minutes to cook. Make it on the same day you make a pork roast, and tomorrow you can spread leftover compote on a leftover roast pork sandwich (include crisp lettuce and a little mustard). Try it at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1929

Vegetable juice: As good as whole vegetables?

Sometimes it’s easier just to grab a glass of vegetable juice than to whip up another serving of vegetables. Not a bad idea, says the Mayo Clinic, but there are pros and cons.
Read them at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetable-juice/AN01857

What makes you happy? Good conversations

Last week we talked about the emotional benefits of exercise, especially about the social connections that people make when they walk together on a regular basis or get to know other people at a gym. Now a University of Arizona researcher says that people who take time to have substantial conversations – like they would if they walk every morning with the same people – are happier than if they spend the whole day chit-chatting. Check it out at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/talk-deeply-be-happy/?src=me&ref=health

Walk of the Week: Bloomin’ Beautiful Wickford

After all those March rain showers come April flowers. One high and dry place to enjoy them is the historic seaport of Wickford. Start with a stroll downtown, where shops and restaurants are awash in daffodils, thanks to this month’s Daffodil Days celebration.
 
You’ll find dozens of fun shops you won’t see anywhere else, from Green Ink (women’s clothes) and Midnight Sun (goods from around the world) to A Different Drummer (gifts) and Beauty and The Bath (bath, lingerie, beauty). But don’t stop with downtown. Explore the village byways off Main Street and admire the spring gardens and window boxes brightening the town’s historic homes and churches. You’ll get great views of boats in the harbor everywhere you walk, and the steps on your pedometer will fly by.
 
At the end of Main Street, you’ll find quahog boats surrounding Gardner’s Wharf Seafood, a marketplace where you can pick up live lobsters to take home and celebrate this fabulous long walk. Even easier: Dine al fresco at the Seaport Tavern or the Beach Rose Café as you watch the swans ply the harbor.

Ordering Pedometers and t-shirts

Getting a t-shirt or an additional or replacement pedometer is easy. Visit our Shop to Support page. Questions? Give us a call at 401 421-0608.

Important: The information provided by Shape Up RI is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be used as a substitute for the care and advice of a professional health care provider. Before beginning any physical activity and/or weight loss program you should consult your physician. Shape Up RI provides health information meant for people in generally good health. If you have an underlying medical concern, please consult your physician about how this information affects your specific medical conditions.