The Air We Breathe (and the stuff that comes with it)

Every now and then I pick up a copy of Women's Health Magazine. It's a great magazine that for one reason or another (ie: Woody's strong dislike of clutter) I don't have a subscription to but would probably save a lot of money if I did! I got the Matt Damon/Emily Blunt issue the other day and starting thumbing through it at a coffee shop. Right away I landed on an article about the effects poor air quality can have on people who exercise outdoors.

Being a city dweller who prefers running outdoors, this instantly grabbed my attention. It's pretty obvious that city streets in mid-town probably aren't the best places to run or bike. And even the  path that mingles between the West Side Highway and the Hudson River probably isn't the cleanest area either. But I've always assumed that the healthy act of running would offset the harmful effects that pollutants might have. I spend time walking through mid-town and that can't be worse than running along the water, right?

Well, turns out I've been wrong! I don't want to give away the entire article, but apparently while the air is cleaner than it was 30 years ago, it still has a long way to go and we are often breathing in soot, dust, aerosol and even metal while we're outdoors. Breathing heavily means we're breathing in more oxygen, and while this can be a good thing, it also means we're breathing in more of the nasty stuff than if we were just strolling down the sidewalk.

Studies have shown that bikers and runners who exercise in polluted conditions show signs of diminished performance. Over a long period of time, it can even lead to lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and more unpleasant health events that we're trying to prevent by exercising.

While this information does worry me a bit, it's not going to stop me from running outside. There are many benefits from being outdoors and as long as I stick to my morning routine and perhaps stay in on the hot summer days when we have air quality alerts, I think I'll be fine. Plus, I now have more incentive to make the trip uptown to Central Park to run!

The article gave provided these links to check local air quality before heading outside:

• http://www.airnow.gov/
• http://www.stateoftheair.org/
• The Oreck Air Quality Forecast app for iPhone and iPad
• Weather.com's air quality & pollution forecast

For the whole story by Katherine Bowers, pick up an issue before they're on to the next one, or read it here.

• How's the air where you live and play?
• Have you ever changed your plans because of bad air quality?

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Last night's workout -
3x12 seated row
100 crunches
3x10 glute kickbacks
Zumba!

Today's workout -
5x800 repeats w/ 400m jogs between
3x10 lateral raise
lots of stretching

5 For Friday

If all goes as planned, I will be on a plane when this posts! And hopefully I will be sleeping.

Can't wait to get this vacation started!

On to this week's 5 for Friday:

1. The Big Apple BBQ Festival in Madison Square Park is next weekend (June 12, 13)! There will be music, seminars, and lots of fantastic food from all over the country (including the amazing Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX)! If you're here, please go and enjoy some pulled pork for me!
2. Now that the weather is warm and the flowers are blooming, chances are, if you have a house, your lawn is growing too. Instead of thinking about mowing the lawn as a chore that just takes up your precious running time, think of it as cross training! According to caloriecount.com, one hour of mowing the lawn with a push mower burns 408 calories!
3. Have you heard California is on the verge of passing a bill that will ban one-time-use plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, local markets, convenience stores and more? Shoppers will either have to bring their own reusable bags or pay a fee for a paper bag made of recycled material. Apparently, Californians use over 19million plastic bags a year and only recycle a tiny fraction of them. Several Californian towns already have bans in place (perhaps you heard about San Fran) and this will bill will put in place a statewide legislation. Personally, I think this is fantastic and I hope other States follow suit!
4. The summer season of Burn Notice has started! Woody and I are addicted to this show. Jeffrey Donovan, who plays the lead role, Michael Weston, does all of the stunts himself. He has a Black Belt in Karate, and has studied Aikido and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He must spend a lot of time working out.
5. I saw this doormat in the Weight Watchers Magazine the other day and fell in love! Perfect for any runner or fitness enthusiast, so I just had to share it with you! You can get it on Amazon.com

Have a great weekend!

40 Years

40 years ago today, the environmental movement began. A lot of things were brewing in the United States at that time, and a lot of people started to recognize the damage that was being done to the environment by big businesses and common citizens alike. Industrial pollutions was running rampant and littering wasn't didn't even spur a second thought. On April 22nd, 1970, rallies and protests were held across the country on college campuses, at state capitols, in front of the headquarters of large corporations. By bringing attention to the issue, the people were able to make change. Four major events occurred because of that first Earth Day: the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water and the Endangered Species Acts.

A lot of progress has been made in the past 40 years, but there is still a lot to be done. We're facing global warming and only we can turn this around so many more generations will be able to enjoy the things we often take for granted. We spend hours running in parks, hiking mountains, boating in lakes and oceans, fishing in streams, and breathing fresh air. We should do all we can to make sure that our great great grandchildren can do the same.

The thing is, it's really not that difficult to make a difference. Every little thing we do, the little changes we make to our daily habits make a huge difference when you multiply them by all the little things that everyone else does. Here are a few quick things that hardly take any extra time:

1. Use resuable bags when shopping. Not only for food, but even when running quick errands around town.
2. Buy a reusable, BPA-free bottle and fill it up at home and from drinking fountains rather than buying bottled water on the go. Not only will you save money, but you'll also be helping the environment. plus. there are so many styles, colors, and sizes now, they are much more fun and 'cooler' than bottled water, too!
3. Take a travel mug to your local coffee shop or truck and ask them to fill it up rather than a paper cup.
4. Turn off the lights. Simple enough, right? It's amazing how many buildings are lit up 24hrs a day all over this city because people don't turn off the lights in their offices!
5. Eat organic foods whenever possible (HERE's the list of top foods to eat organic).
6. Shop at local farmers markets and buy in season fruits and vegetables as often as possible. HERE's a great site provided by Tricia, where you can see what's fresh in your state.
7. Recycle everything you can. Even clothing and textiles. In NYC, the Council on the Environment NYC has booths at farmers markets throughout the city each week where you can drop off basically any old textile for recylcing - clothes, shoes, hats, coats, linens, even belts and handbags! Go HERE for more details.
8. Instead of getting in the car, cab or even the subway, walk to your next destination.
9. Cardio equipment in the gym uses a LOT of energy. Once a week, workout in a park or take a run, walk or bike ride around your neighborhood instead of heading to the gym.
10. Instead of turning on the air conditioner at the first sign or warm weather, open your windows and let the fresh air in!

What is your favorite green tip?

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Workout Stats -
15mi bike
200 crunches
2x30sec planks
stretching and foam roller

NYC Food & Climate Summit

As I mentioned Friday, I attended the NYC Food & Climate Summit yesterday, held at NYU in Greenwich Village and sponsored by the Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, NYU, and Just Food. Over 30 organizations contributed to the day long conference. The goal was to create a dialog in concert with the climate talks in Copenhagen that was expanded to include the effects of our food system on climate changes. Over 3 billion Americans now live in cities and there are numerous barriers when it comes to accessing fresh, healthy foods in these cities, that contribute to global warming and the poor nutrition of countless people. One third of global warming is due to the production, distribution, and disposal of food products as well as the various inputs into the food system.

The day began with opening remarks from Lynne Brown, the SVP of University Relations & Public Affairs for NYU, Jacquie Berger, the Exec Director for Just Food, and Scott Stringer. A pre-taped video message from Wangari Mathaai, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner & Founder of The Green Belt Movement, who spoke from Africa before leaving for Copenhagen. She believes that it is what we do, and our respect for each other and the earth that will determine what life is like for future generations. Another video, this one from Vandara Shiva, the director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology & Ecology in India, stressed the need to create an efficient and fair food system that will feed everyone. Only 12% of earth's food potential is actually feeding humans. Vandara, too, is in Copenhagen participating in the discussions, and hopefully, creation of agreements. I had never heard of either woman before yesterday, but was instantly inspired and awakened by both.

After the opening remarks, a panel discussion featuring Mark Muller (Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy), Marion Nestle (Professor of Nutrition and author of several books including "Food Politics"), and Karen Washington (Urban Farmer & Co-Founder of La Familia Verde) was moderated by Anna Lappe (Founder of Small Planet Institute). They discussed issues we are facing today in regards to climate change and the food system and that while policy is needed, each person can take part in changing the way things are done in order to create a food system that is healthier for the environment and our bodies.

The 1000 people in attendance then broke out into smaller groups for discussions, demonstrations, and policy brainstorming sessions. There were 14 sessions to choose from both before and after lunch (we were given a guide for sustainable lunch places provided by the EatWell guide). The abundance of choices for learning were almost overwhelming.

I attended the Policy Session on child Nutrition, School Food & Food Education during the morning session. It seems that with so many other issues now, funding is one of the biggest issues facing school lunches, along with current procurement requirements. Most of the panelists are looking for better funding to provide universal lunches, mandate local, fresh, nutritious foods, and the encouragement of school gardens being integrated into the curriculum. All great ideas and even more important while families are finding it difficult to put food on the table, but also even more difficult to implement when local, state, and national funds are being cut.

After lunch at Peanut Butter & Co., I attended another Policy Session exploring the Structural Discrimination related to Food & Climate Change. Here, attendees and panelists worked to develop policy changes that can provide healthy, fresh, affordable foods to people in low income areas. While we focused on NYC in particular, the panelists acknowledged that this is also a problem for rural populations. They also recognized that the price of food does not need to decrease, rather the ability for people to pay for food needs to improve. Infrastructure improvements, education, marketing of healthy foods, need to be improved.

The day concluded with an expo featuring several organizations ranging from higher education, the humane society, Project HEALTH, Watershed Ag Council and others, as well as vendors such as Hot Bread Kitchen, Katchkie Farm, Food for Life and more, was hosted by Mario Batali (picture below)!

It was an interesting and eye opening day. these issues are so important to all of us yet most people don't give them a second thought as they go about their day. And I am usually one of them! But just think about this - the amount of carbon dioxide created by producing a serving of french fries in California that ends up on the the tray of an 8 year old in New York is staggering. Multiply that by the 31 million school children in the school system today and it's even more depressing. Then, think of instead, the idea of putting an apple or orange on that tray from a local farmer.

As I write this, I'm eating one of the best apples I've had in a long time. Woody picked it up from the grocery store yesterday and I wonder where it came from. I wonder (but doubt) if it came from a NY orchard. If I can leave you with one thought from yesterday, it is the advice to eat fresh, eat local, and support local businesses who follow sustainable practices whenever possible. It's good for your body and the environment!

What's Ahead

I can't believe it's Friday already! Is it just me, or have the past two weeks flown by unusually fast? Maybe it's because there is so much to do right now, getting ready for Christmas, getting ready for our holiday break. I feel like yesterday was Monday.

Tomorrow I am going to attend the NYC Food & Climate Summit at NYU. It is being hosted by Scott Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President, NYU, and Just Food. The summit is meant to bring focus on the connection between our food sources and production and climate problems. They want to create a place for discussion, education, and creating solutions. With 1000 people expected to attend (the event is free, but all tickets have been distributed in advance), attendees will include farmers, community activists, citizens, environmentalists, nutritionists, elected officials, parents, and many others concerned about this issue. After reading In Defense of Food and now An Omnivore's Dilemma, I'm just now beginning to really understand how the production of our food is connected to pollution and climate change.

There are two breakout sessions and I have chosen to attend "Setting the Agenda for Child Nutrition, School Food and Food Education" in the morning, and "The Food Collar Economy" in the afternoon. Marion Nestle, a Professor at NYU and author of "Food Politics" will speak at the beginning of the summit and an expo will conclude the day. It should be very interesting and I can't wait to share with you what I learn.

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IN RACING NEWS.......
I've decided to set a goal for my first half-marathon of 2010 as the MORE Magazine - Fitness Magazine Women's Half-Marathon on April 25th! I love running the Mini 10K each year, which is women only, so this should be just as great. Everyone is so supportive and it's a lot of fun. I'd love to get a group of women together to train together, support each other and run together. If any of you lovely ladies are interested, let me know! It'll probably max out quickly, so we should sign up soon. The race is in Central Park, so the course will be a little over two full laps. LOTS of hills, but I will be ready for it. I can't wait!! So great to have a goal to work towards!

Climate Change

Many world leaders, great thinkers, activists and scientists have converged on Copenhagen for two weeks to discuss, and hopefully act on, this huge issue that is looming over our heads (literally, in some cases). It will be very interesting to see what happens, and what doesn't happen during this conference. With the hacking and leaking of thousands of emails between scientists that appear to show collusion and sneaky tactics to make things appear worse than they may actually be, some people are trying to play down the human effect on global warming. Even so, it's pretty difficult to look at pictures like this one, from the Guardian, that show glaciers disappearing, and say that we have absolutely nothing to do with it or that there isn't a problem.

Photos taken in 1928 & 2004

If the representatives don't do the right thing and make major changes and commitments, we can still do our part to make a difference. Simple things like recycling, conserving water & electricity, being mindful of our consumption, all of these things add up over time and will help our environment. Chances are that if you're reading this blog, you are an active person who enjoys being outdoors or being healthy and active in your community. And chances are, you care about the environment and are already doing your part, but it's still a good thing to think about and values to pass on to others. We need to make sure that the parks we run in and the oceans we swim in are still clean and available for our children and grandchildren. We enjoy them, shouldn't we do what we can to make sure that others get to as well?

If you're interested in keeping up with the conference - you can visit the New York Times, Natural Resources Defense Council and TIME Magazine, among many other news sites.