Is sweating socially acceptable? (Rule #2 & 6)

This is the question posed recently by Dr. Daniel Friedman (Dean of the College of Built Environments @ UW) at a conversation in Seattle's Town Hall. He was presenting on the the topic of sustainability and pushing the public toward a more sustainable future by encouraging behavior changes. So, can we correlate environmental and widespread health problems in western society to our unwillingness to accept human traits such as sweating in public? As we progress toward creating a world that can sustain a healthy increase in population, these are interesting questions to ponder. Now, some cultures and areas of the country/world can get away with a short bike ride that is flat and can be accomplished without excessive sweating, but in the hilly cities of the PNW, this is rarely an option.
The status quo in our society is that sweating is acceptable in the gym, on the trail, or during a run through town, but not in the office or meeting environment. As I sit writing this on the UW campus, I am reminded that the university setting may be one of the few were you would not be ostracized for showing up to a professional engagement with a fresh sweat on your brow.
I do try to walk or bike whenever possible, and plan trips accordingly to avoid using the car, but unless there is a shower and a fresh change of clothes, I am choosy about when I make these decisions.
So...what if we as a society were more open to sweaty individuals? Would you ride your bike or walk more often? To the store, work, school, a social occasion? Would this change in behavior create a healthier population and a cleaner environment? I look forward to your comments!

Farm-to-School Program: how much do we value the health of children? (Rule #1 & 4)

As a society faced with challenging economic times, we are looking to reduce costs everywhere we can, but at what expense? The health of our kids? The quality of the local environment? Launched in 2008, the state run Farm-to-School program has the great intentions of keeping kids healthy while helping schools support local farmers, truly a win-win for all involved. There are challenges though, and those come at a higher premium - prices that tax payers may not be willing to support. So, the question is "How much does society truly value healthy kids?" The Farm-to-School program has the rare opportunity to bring real world experience to kids of any grade level by allowing them to be involved in the process of growing, harvesting, and preparing food - with the outcome of healthier kids who are more aware of where their food comes from and how it gets to their plates. Many families don't have the time or knowledge of nutrition to consistently provide their children with the education on how to eat properly and select food that is not only good for them, but good for the planet as well. As taxpayers, it is our job to support an educational process that produces children steeped in the skills necessary for life, and I hope we would rate eating well in-line with reading, writing and arithmetic. Take a moment to review the comments on the article and you will see just how divided we are on the topic.

Read the whole Seattle Times article here.

Root Connection CSA (Rule #3)

One of the greatest things I offer my children is experiences that instill values in them that will create more awareness of the world around them. Considering how busy life is and how little time we have to do things like go shopping and take our children on adventures, I recently found a way to do both while making our family healthier, supporting local business, and promoting sustainability. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a CSA, I will offer you this brief explanation. Think of it like buying stock in a company that offers a weekly dividend and the ultimate payoff is health! Wow, hard to beat that right? Community Supported Agriculture is a farm or coop that allows individuals and families to purchase a"share" of a farm and receive a weekly allotment of produce during the growing season (25 - 30 weeks in the Puget Sound area). We joined The Root Connection CSA, which is conveniently less than 2 miles from our house. It supplies about 600 families the bulk of their produce from June - October for less than $35 per week. We also purchase a fruit share for an additional $25 per week that is sourced from mostly local and organic fruit growers, although we do get the occasional kiwi, banana or mango. Besides the benefits of incredibly fresh and nutritious locally produced food for most of the year, I get to take my daughters to the farm every week where they can pick carrots and lettuce, arrange their own bouquet of flowers, and see first hand where their food is grown. The best part is that they are much more inclined to eat things like kale and green beans after they pick it themselves!

Creating Intelligent Feet (Rule #2 & 4)

Western society for the most part frowns upon going barefoot in public for health and safety reasons, but benefits of going barefoot have long been known by many cultures around the world. For most of us, shoes fit a purpose and we do not often think about how they impact our health -we are more concerned with how they look or if they will keep our feet dry and warm. Our bodies have become accustomed to the support and protection of shoes so much, that recent studies have proven shoes may actually be causing more health problems for many as they create lazy feet and shutoff our feets ability to "learn". As an avid "barefooter" at home and outdoors during the seasonally appropriate months, I was thrilled to see Vibram Five Fingers come on the market as an alternative to safely and legally go barefoot anywhere. It took me a few months to commit and take the leap, but when I did in January, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I have suffered from mild plantar faciitis and knee/hip/low back issues for years. I have tried different shoes for exercise and running. Have been fit for orthotics by 3 different Physical Therapists and Podiatrists and visit the chiropractor regularly for a tune-up to my active body, but nothing seemed to really do the trick. For 9 months now I have been wearing the Five Fingers, not exclusively, but regularly for everything from working out in the yard and walking around town to workouts at the gym and running outdoors. They take time to get used to, and the recommendations on the Five Fingers website should be taken to heart, but I am now convinced that the majority of the issues I have had the past 16 + years was due to my body not being able to move as it naturally wanted to within the confines of shoes. My feet feel better and that has translated to by knees, hips, and low back! Now...I also incorporate a regular regime of Yoga, Myofascial Release techniques with the Trigger Point Technologies kit, and Movement Preparation techniques prior to exercise or strenous outdoor activites which are definitely a contributor to my success. If you are considering giving the Five Fingers a try, check out their website to learn more.

Thundering Hooves Comes For Dinner (Rule #1)

Saturday nights have always been my chance to experiment with food, and tonight I invited Thundering Hooves to the table. Based in Walla Walla, WA and owned by the Huesby family. In 1994, Joel Huesby had an epiphany that transformed the farm from producing subsidized wheat and alfalfa to sustainably raised and 100% grass fed meats. By putting the natural laws of farming and ranching at the forefront of his business practice, Joel was able to create a superior product that has a positive impact on the environment and produces highly nutritious and absolutely delicious meat!

We brought home a pound of their 9% ground beef, mixed it with fresh herbs from the farmer's market, and grilled it on the BBQ for the best burger I have had in a long, long time. Burgers were topped off with lettuce and thinly sliced zucchini from the garden, grilled onions from Root Connection, and a homemade balsamic aioli - deeeelicious and nuuuutritious!

Thundering Hooves products are available through their website and are also now sold at PCC Natural Markets.

My new favorite book: "In Defense of Food" (Rule #8)

Michael Pollan's views on personal and environmental health as they relate to real food, what companies would like us to believe is food, and implications of food choices on our local and global communities. In his latest publication, In Defense of Food, Pollan brings insight into the state of national and global health whuile creating the undeniable link to environmental challenges. If you ever question how your food is produced, how it gets to your grocery store or delivery truck, and what exactly is in the food you eat - you cannot miss this book! Contrary to the frustrations some feel after reading his previous publication on food, Omnivore's Dilema, Pollan leaves the reader with an extensive list of "rules" to pull from when making food choices and shopping decisions.

Since completing the book, I have joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) foraged for berries in my neighborhood and been more focused on maintaing our backyard garden to produce higher yields of food. I am already an avid farmer's market attendee and seek out organic produce whenever possible, and am now considering a chest freezer to purchase our meats in bulk from a local farm. The power of the written word on our actions!