15th Annual Fat & Skinny Tire Fest

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About 15th Annual Fat & Skinny Tire Fest

Join us for this fun-filled weekend of all-things bicycling in downtown Warsaw, and the beautiful Village at Winona. Our “ode to National Bicycle Month” is an all-size bicycle tires shindig that has something exciting for the whole family… including Friday night kick-off party and family-friendly community ride, multi-length casual road tours, DINO-series mountain bike racing, USA Cycling road racing, family scavenger hunt, historic Winona Lake town tours, BMX stunt shows, kid-specific safety courses and bike activities, good food, live music, micro brews and more. Fat & Skinny Tire Fest is directed by KCV Cycling Club as part of the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake initiative, in cooperation with the Town of Winona Lake, and the city of Warsaw. The goal of this growing, regionally visited festival is to celebrate National Bicycle Month, and our “Bicycle Friendly Community” status by providing fun, healthy, family-friendly opportunities in the community through bicycling education, awareness, and activities.

Contact Information

https://visitindiana.com/events/37986-15th-annual-fat-and-skinny-tire-fest

Relaxation Tip

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(If no allergies exist), pet a furry animal. – Petting or snuggling a fuzzy friend is stress-reliever.  According to animalsmart.org “playing with or petting an animal can increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol.”  So, snuggle up and reduce that stress.

 

Summer Campus Fitness Opportunities

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Our colleagues at the HRC (Health and Recreation Complex) have new information for you regarding their summer fitness activities schedule, including classes free to you!  We wanted to make sure you were aware of what is right at hand.

  • Track open M-F 6:00-8:00 AM, 12:00-1:00 PM, 4:00-5:00 PM
  • Noontime Basketball Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 PM
  • Summer group fitness classes start Monday, May 21 (spring classes end May 4, so there is a 2 week break).
  • The Monday – Thursday noon classes will be the same this summer with one instructor change to Beth for Body Sculpt.
  • The Monday 4:00 PM cycle class will be continuing in the summer
  • On Fridays, the noon yoga class will not be held this summer due  to instructor availability.  The option is open for faculty and staff  to attend the Friday morning 7:00 AM cycling class at no charge.  Other HRC members may be in attendance for this class as well.

 

2018 Food Trends

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Unusual Herbs

When was the last time you sprinkled some chervil, lovage, lemon balm, or papalo on a dish? According to the National Restaurant Association, you’ll be seeing a lot more of these leafy green herbs—which are botanically similar to parsley, celery, mint, and cilantro, respectively—on restaurant menus, and possibly in grocery store aisles. Like all fresh herbs, they’re good for your health.

“By adding herbs to your food, you can reduce or even eliminate the salt you add and still have a tasty meal,” says CR’s Ellen Klosz, a Consumer Reports nutritionist, “thereby reducing your sodium intake and making a healthier dish.”

Though they’re not typically eaten in large enough quantities to have a big effect on your daily intake of vitamins and minerals, they do help. One tablespoon of dried chervil, for example, has 26 milligrams of calcium and 90 milligrams of potassium; and lovage is high in vitamin C. Fresh versions of herbs can also be tossed into salads with other nutritious dark leafy greens.  

Hot Sauce

This spicy condiment has been a mainstay in consumers’ cupboards and fridges for decades, but 2017 saw countless unique varieties heating up industry trade shows and grocery store aisles, and that trend is expected to continue. Think everything from milder types with hints of ginger and citrus to painfully hot blends made with extra spicy varietals, such as ghost pepper and the Carolina Reaper.

And capsaicin, the compound that puts the heat in peppers, can have health benefits, too. Hot peppers have been associated with a longer life, improved blood flow, and a healthy metabolism, and may also be protective against bacteria that have been linked with inflammation and disease. A recent study found that spicy food lovers not only preferred to eat less salty foods but also ate an estimated half a teaspoon less of it per day than people who didn’t like spicy foods, and had lower blood pressure.

“Hot sauces provide a different taste profile to your food in a similar way that herbs do, and because many contain sodium, you don’t have to add salt,” says Klosz. “It’s also low in calories and contains some vitamin C from the peppers.”

Watch the sodium content, though. For example, just 1 teaspoon of popular brand Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce has 190 milligrams of sodium. That can add up quickly if you’re not careful.

Sparkling Beverages

“Sugar is now the number one thing people want to avoid in their diets,” says Darren Seifer, a food and beverage industry analyst at The NPD Group, a market research firm. In fact, he says, 70 percent of adults are trying to either cut down or eliminate the ingredient altogether. And one strategy they’re using is cutting out sugary beverages. “The trends in beverages reflect a move toward purity,” says Seifer. “Particularly at restaurants, we see that bottled and seltzer water is a top beverage.”

Sparkling water is a bubbly alternative to sugary sodas and can help keep you hydrated, says Klosz. “Some people find it difficult to drink enough plain water because they simply find it boring, so sparkling beverages like seltzer are a good option,” she says, because the bubbles make it interesting. But check labels before you buy. While seltzer is usually sugar- and calorie-free, some sparkling waters contain sugars, and others have non-nutritive sweeteners (such as aspartame and sucralose). “They may not be noticeable on the label unless you look at the ingredients,” Klosz says. 

https://www.consumerreports.org/food/food-trends-to-know/

What is Intense Aerobic Activity?

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Here are are some ways to understand and measure the intensity of aerobic activity: relative intensity and absolute intensity.

Relative Intensity

The level of effort required by a person to do an activity. When using relative intensity, people pay attention to how physical activity affects their heart rate and breathing.

The talk test is a simple way to measure relative intensity. In general, if you’re doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you’re doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

Absolute Intensity

The amount of energy used by the body per minute of activity. The table below lists examples of activities classified as moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity based upon the amount of energy used by the body while doing the activity.

Moderate Intensity

  • Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or faster, but not race-walking)
  • Water aerobics
  • Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour
  • Tennis (doubles)
  • Ballroom dancing
  • General gardening

Vigorous Intensity

  • Race walking, jogging, or running
  • Swimming laps
  • Tennis (singles)
  • Aerobic dancing
  • Bicycling 10 miles per hour or faster
  • Jumping rope
  • Heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing)
  • Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html

Get walking with this 12-week walking schedule

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By Mayo Clinic Staff
 Are you looking to ease into getting in shape? This 12-week walking schedule from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute can start you on the path to better health. But before starting this walking plan, talk with your doctor if you have serious health issues, or if you’re older than age 40 and you’ve been inactive recently.
 Aim to walk at least five days a week. Start out warming up with a five-minute, slower paced walk. Slow your pace to cool down during the last five minutes of your walk.

Start at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Then gradually pick up speed until you’re walking briskly — generally about 3 to 4 miles an hour. You should be breathing hard, but you should still be able to carry on a conversation. Each week, add about two minutes to your walking time.

In addition to walking, add strength training exercises — such as pushups and lunges — to your routine. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults include aerobic exercise and strength training in their fitness plans, specifically:

  • At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity a week
  • Strength training exercises of all the major muscle groups at least twice a week
Week Warm-up Brisk walking Cool-down
1 5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes
2 5 minutes 7 minutes 5 minutes
3 5 minutes 9 minutes 5 minutes
4 5 minutes 11 minutes 5 minutes
5 5 minutes 13 minutes 5 minutes
6 5 minutes 15 minutes 5 minutes
7 5 minutes 18 minutes 5 minutes
8 5 minutes 20 minutes 5 minutes
9 5 minutes 23 minutes 5 minutes
10 5 minutes 26 minutes 5 minutes
11 5 minutes 28 minutes 5 minutes
12 5 minutes 30 minutes 5 minutes

Based on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20050972

An Architectural Outdoor Tour – Columbus, IN

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Columbus, IN offers you a free outdoor experience of architectural delights.

How Columbus, Indiana, Became a Mecca for Modernist Architecture:

In the heyday of American industrialism, companies often shaped whole communities, serving as a town’s primary employer and economic driver. One of these so-called company towns, Columbus, Indiana, is home to Cummins Engine Company, a humble population of 46,000, and a disproportionate number of iconic mid-century modern buildings.

Located 50 miles south of Indianapolis, Columbus owns dozens of architectural masterworks by internationally renowned designers from the era. Eliel and Eero Saarinen, and more than a handful of Pritzker Prize Laureates, including I.M. Pei, Richard Meier, and Robert Venturi, began developing projects there with sudden regularity in the mid-1950s. Several of their building works are located along the city’s Fifth Street, otherwise known as the Avenue of the Architects.

An unlikely mecca of modernist architecture, it’s a place where banks, churches, office buildings, and schools (in short, the core of the city’s civic life) are also frequent stops along an architectural tour route trodden by thousands of design scholars and enthusiasts each year. The influential Indianapolis-based magazine Saturday Evening Post, noting the city’s curious character combination of small-town charm and design sophisticate, famously dubbed it “the Athens of the prairie” in 1964, an apt tagline that has held over the years.

For more information check:  https://columbus.in.us/mobile-map/

 

Westfield Run May 28th

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Grand Run Half-Marathon, 10K, 5K, & Kids Fun Run

May 28 @ 7:00 am – 12:00 pm

$55

Grand Run:
  • Distances offered will be the Kids Fun Run (50-yd dash), 5k, 10k, and our FIRST official HALF MARATHON!
  • Note: the 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon races will be chip-timed.
  • Registration includes: An Adidas Climalite short sleeve t-shirt, finisher’s medal, refreshments and snacks, and other fun festivities.
  • Registration Deadlines:
    • Nov. 12 – Dec. 31: 5k $20 | 10k $25 | Half Marathon $40
    • Jan. 1 – March 31: 5k $25 | 10k $30 | Half Marathon $45
    • April 1 – May 27: 5k $30 | 10k $35 | Half Marathon $50
      • **May 11 is the t-shirt deadline
    • Memorial Day (Day of race): 5k $35 | 10k $40 | Half Marathon $55
    • The Kids Fun Run (50-yd Dash): free and not timed

Click here to register for the Grand Run 2018.

Thrive Fit Competition:
  • Participants will choose one of three divisions (individual, scaled, or team) and will have two workouts to complete (pull in donations and complete the Murph Challenge).
  • Murph Challenge: 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mile run.
  • Registration: $30 per person for non-ThriveFit members.
  • Divisions:
    1. Individual – RX Full Murph Challenge as prescribed
    2. Scaled – Modify to your specific needs in order to complete the Murph Challenge. No winner in the division.
    3. Team – 3 person (men, women, or coed). Team must perform all runs together but the work in the middle can be broken up in any way.
  • Workouts:
    1. Pull in the largest amounts of donations. Direct your friends, family, and others in your community to donate in your name by using the event registration page.
    2.  Complete the Murph Challenge to pay your respects to Michael Murphy and all other men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country’s freedoms. Learn more here.

Click here to register for the Thrive Fit’s Murph Challenge.

A portion of the proceeds from both events will benefit the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation.

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Spring Outdoor Play: Making the Most of the Season

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What outdoor play activities would you recommend in the springtime?

Springtime is ideal for outdoor play. After a cold, gray winter, the blue skies, new leaves, and warm breezes beckon everyone to come out and play for a while. In the excitement of a new season of growth, here are some activities to make the most of all that spring has to offer.

Rainy days:

April showers bring May flowers, but what kinds of play do April showers bring? Wet days are a challenge, but they are also an opportunity for special kinds of creative outdoor play. When it’s not thundering and unsafe, try some of these outdoor activities:

  • Puddle play – splashing, floating, seeking for creatures, comparing reflections.
  • Mud play – make the most of the wet mud while it’s there! It helps to have a backup set of clothes to get muddy in, and then just hose off at the end.
  • Rain walks – waterproof gear and boots, or some umbrellas keep everyone (mostly) dry while exploring.

When it’s too cold or too thundery to be outside, try these rain-related indoor activities:

  • Learn about and pretend to be wildlife who benefit from the rain, such as ducks, turtles, frogs, and salamanders
  • Create watercolor paintings with the rain – experiment with putting papers out in the rain for a minute and then painting on them, or put them out after painting and see what textures the rain adds.
  • Create garden collage artwork of pictures of plants that will grow in the spring and summer (with cutouts from plant catalogs and gardening magazines).

Warm, sunny spring days:

The best days of spring come with blue skies, warm breezes, and bright flowers and leaves. Try out some of these activities to maximize the pretty days of spring:

  • Measure leaf growth, record when the buds open and compare different plants’ growth.
  • Create art with flowers.
  • Pick flowers to bring inside the classroom.
  • Observe bugs and other creepy-crawlies.
  • Watch for birds and learn about what kinds migrate through your region in the spring.
  • Learn about baby animals (who are frequently born in the spring), with visiting bunnies, baby chicks, or ducklings.
  • Take photographs – let the children take photos of their observations of spring with disposable cameras or kid-friendly digital cameras.
  • Have a picnic day where all the day’s normal indoor activities happen outdoors.

Cool and windy spring days:

The changing seasons bring changing weather patterns and often, breezy spring days. Weather forecasts usually include a prediction for winds, which can be helpful when planning some of these activities.

  • Play with the wind – bring fabric, ribbons, and wind catchers to play with outdoors.
  • Make and fly kites – kites fly best with wind speeds between 5 and 15 mph.
  • Measure wind direction and speed with the “wet” finger technique.
  • Read some windy day stories outdoors.
  • Make and install wind chimes and windsocks.

Gardening:

Spring is high season for gardening as the soil warms up and the days grow longer. Here are some ideas to get your imagination started on the many possibilities for spring gardening with children. These activities can happen in almost any weather – weeding a garden bed can be a lot easier right after a rain, for instance. For more thorough information and guides, the NLI Green Desk has multiple posts on children’s gardening, here. 

  • Prepare the garden for the season’s plantings, see the Early Spring in the Garden post for more.
  • Start sugar snap pea seeds
  • Build a mini green bean teepee
  • Create newspaper pots and start seeds
  • Plant strawberries
  • Sow wildflower seeds
  • Plant sprouts in the window to eat
  • Serve spring seasonal snacks (sprouts, radishes, sugar snap peas, etc.)

 

Weather Safety Tips

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golden retriever dog and puppy in a puddle with umbrella

Spring is in the air, and that means warmer weather, blooming flowers…and the potential for extreme weather conditions! Some of our favorite animals remind us of what steps we can take to keep ourselves safe if bad weather strikes.

Don’t let floods, thunderstorms, or tornadoes take you by surprise this season.

Stay informed – get a weather radio.

The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts warnings and forecasts that can be received by NOAAweather radios.

Know what to Listen For!

  • Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible in your area. Remain alert for approaching storms.
  • Severe Thunderstorm Watch: Tells you when and where severe thunderstorms are likely to occur. Watch the sky and stay tuned to know when warnings are issued.
  • Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
  • Severe Thunderstorm Warning:  Issued when severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar