Hydration is so very important when you exercise but it’s especially important in the summer when doing anything out in the heat. Many people resort to Gatorade or Power Ade thinking that those sugary drinks are the best way to replenish electrolytes. If you are a person who doesn’t read labels or if you are a consumer driven by marketing campaigns then that may seem to be the way to go. But if you are the least bit health conscious and if you check labels for ingredients, you’ll notice that the sugary colorful drinks on the market contain lots of additives and colors that translate as toxins in your system in addition to the large amount of added sugar. So if you’d like to eliminate toxins and reduce the amount of sugar you take in, check out these other options. I love this infographic from FoodBabe.com. It gives you several choices. My favorite is Coconut water and chia seeds. That’s what I used for hydration when I ran the Can Am 30 mile sled dog race this winter. Some people consider coconut water an acquired taste. You may want to add a bit of lemon or lime to the water to add a little flavor to it.

I’ve also posted a recipe elsewhere on this Blog given to me by Scott Josephson, formerly of the Hippocrates Institute who is now the Senior Vice President for Operations at Gold’s Gym in Washington DC. Here is the link to a Low Glycemic Homemade Sports Drink Recipe.

Whatever way you choose, just make sure you hydrate and replenish those electrolytes.

Hydrate The Natural Way is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

There are many benefits to meditation not the least of which is healthy weight loss. Mindful eating is a great technique to use to slow down the eating process and basically to be present in the moment. Personally, I need to work on that. I tend to multi-task when I eat. I like to watch TV or read and I often don’t focus on the act of eating and the nourishment itself. When someone practices mindful eating it is wonderful to use all the senses to “tune in” to what is before us. The smell, sight and taste of the food can really help us slow down and savor the moment. It’s well worth doing on a daily basis.

But there are lots of other benefits to meditation. Here is a link to
5 Benefits of a 10 Minute Meditation Practice

There are many self-help books on meditation and there are online programs as well that help guide a novice wanting to get started. Here is some good basic info on How to get started with Meditation.
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where Mindfulness Meditation Sessions are held then check them out.

Not far from where I live in Berlin, Maryland there is such a place. It is called Lotus Moon and Chantal Birch offers yoga classes and workshops as well as Mindfulness Meditation Practice in a lovely yurt on her farm. I’ve recently started attending her weekly Meditation Practice sessions and I am delighted at the opportunity to learn how to perfect the practice.

If your goal is to live a healthier life, consider Meditation as a stepping stone to that end.

What does meditation have to do with eating? is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

This infographic from Fat Girl Rehab Healthy and Fit

When it comes to eating, the US tops the lists in many different categories related to food. A lot of them are not lists to be proud of. But one list is. It appears that almost 60% of US consumers report a decent understanding of food labels and numbers. That is not the case in other countries around the world. We top the list in that category! If we want to eat healthy we are encouraged to read food labels and to make better educated choices regarding our purchases. We are learning! And that is a good thing!

To celebrate that fact, check out this hilarious You Tube video by Brian Regan on Foods and labels.
I’m sure it will have you chuckling all the way to the grocery store.

Brian Regan Foods and Labels

Laughing over Foods and Labels is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldow Emerson

Do Not Go Where The Path May Lead is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

It’s important to remember that taking that first step toward a goal is something we have to want to do. As Tony Robbins says, we have to be “disturbed” enough to take that first step. Until that happens change isn’t going to happen. If we do something because our spouse, children, doctor wants us to do it, success will be hard to come by. But the minute we find that shift and decide that WE want to make the change, then progress can be made.

Support Means Success is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

I’ve never looked at a “Life is Good” logo and not smiled. This one in particular reminds me that Spring planting is underway and fresh local produce is not far behind. Spring and Summer is a great time to incorporate healthier foods into our daily choices. Even people who aren’t great fans of vegetables find it hard to resist them when they are fresh picked!

Eating healthy is a bit easier also if you have a “go to” recipe already prepared and in your fridge. I always try to have a ready dish that is healthy and versatile and can be eaten as a stew or a soup, as a side dish or a main meal, or even as a snack. Such recipes are great to have on hand or for putting in a thermos to take along in the car. Here is a great go-to dish from Cathy Fisher of Straight Up Food. Cathy is a plant strong chef who gives very helpful notes about her recipes and their ingredients. Her recipe for Curried French Lentils is listed here. You can also find it and more of her plant strong recipes at Straight Up Food.

Curried French Lentils

Serves 4 (makes about 8 cups or 4 bowls)

Ingredients:

Instructions:

In a soup pot on high, bring the water and lentils to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes (a low boil).

Add the onion, yam/sweet potato, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes (including juice), and the four herbs and spices. Cook for 10 minutes at the same heat. Add greens, and cook for 5-10 more minutes (spinach, chard and beet greens won’t take as long to cook as kale or collard greens), until potatoes and greens are tender. Serve as is or over cooked brown rice or with quinoa.

Curried French Lentil Recipe is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

If you’re looking for optimal sources of energy don’t overlook the kind of energy you can’t get from food or natural supplements. Find your passion and you’ll be amazed at how energized you’ll feel. The natural high you get from living your passion has a ripple effect on your health and well being. It is generally the drive that gets you out of bed in the morning, and that gets you out the door to practice your craft. And it is generally the motivation that drives you to make healthier lifestyle choices. So if you want to find your energy, find your passion and live life to the fullest.

Happy Trails!

Tap your hidden energy source. is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

There are lots of reasons for eating organic. Some are healthy ones–less toxins, more nutrients. Some are philosophical–support local farmers. And some, as the photo above suggests are on principle.
But choosing organic can be a challenge for some people either because of budgeting concerns or because of the lack of good organic food in the area. If that is your case, stop beating yourself up. You can still make progress on your path to healthier eating without feeling guilty if you can’t do it all. Here are some tips that might help. All you need to do is figure out the one or two that work for you and start there. Eating healthy is a lifestyle and a process. That means variables change over time so knowing different options can be helpful.

Vegetables: If you are lucky enough to live in an area that abounds in local farming then start there. Many farmers, while not being Certified Organic, opt to use very limited pesticides on their plants and try to offer vegetables with very little exposure to these. Seek out those and support them. Eating local produce not only supports your local farmers but the produce is fresher and therefore more nutrient-dense.

Dairy: If you consume a lot of milk then switch to buying organic. That is an easy place to start and even though it may cost a bit more it may actually save you money in the long run. The 2 biggest advantages to buying organic milk are 1. It has a longer shelf life because it’s sterilized at very high temperatures, and 2. Organic milk has no hormones or antibiotics which are often found in regular milk.

Meat and Fish: If you’re buying meat try to choose packaging that says No hormones or Steroids. AND no antibiotics. In Fish, only buy fish that is “wild caught”. Never buy farm raised since these are often treated with antibiotics.

Where to Shop: If you are finding choices poor in your local grocery store, go to the Clubs like Sam’s Club or BJ’s. They often have good organic choices in the above areas and the prices are quite reasonable.

The important thing is to do what you can. Taking even a small step is still taking a step in the right direction. And that is what’s important.

Feeling guilty about not eating organic? is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

The month of April held some new experiences for The Powers Pack. Mushing season was over for us on the Eastern Shore of Md. but we had great fun meeting new friends and talking about our experiences this year. At the beginning of April I was honored to be the featured speaker at the Ocean City Chapter of the Sons of Italy. Speaking to some 80 adults my focus was on stressing that it’s never too late to live your dream as long as you are willing to do what it takes to make it happen.

At the end of the month the Pack and I went to The Salisbury School to take part in their Global Awareness Day which featured Canada. Since my heritage is French Canadian it was a delight for me to speak about Canada and about how mushing helps me connect to my French Canadian roots. The dogs were thrilled to spend the day at school and they got to make lots of new friends. One special friend was Margy Meeks the school’s librarian who organized Global Awareness Day. Here she is with us on stage as she and Kevin helped quiet the dogs during my presentation.

For a full report on our Global Awareness Day experience reported as only Kevin can do it as the One Man Pit Crew, check out his last Mushing Bulletin of the 2013 season:

Global Awareness Day at The Salisbury School

Happy Trails!

The Powers Pack on the Speaking Circuit. is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach

I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say “It’s Spring, for God’s sake, what are you doing writing mushing bulletins. Why aren’t you out at the practice range hitting golf balls?”

There are a couple of answers to this question. First of all, we have not had two consecutive warm days thus far this Spring. One day you hit a seven iron 150 yards and the very next day, because the temperature has not gotten above 40 degrees, the ball feels like a brick and goes 120 yards. Not that that necessarily stops me, but it’s not a great deal of fun.

Secondly, and I have said this before if you’ve read these bulletins, there is no “Mushing Season”. Mushing Season begins when the Head Musher arises on January 1st and it lasts until the next December 31st, then it starts over. Sometimes, the Mushing Season involves running on snow; sometimes running on sand and dirt; sometimes watching films of other mushers run races like the Iditarod when it’s too hot in Maryland to do anything other than play golf.

Now, contrast this with the golfing season. We have a much more rational approach to the sporting life. For golfers, Golfing Season begins on January 1st and lasts until the next December 31st, then starts over. Sometimes, it involves playing on beautifully manicured grass; sometimes it involves playing on beautifully manicured grass that has frozen solid; sometimes it involves watching films of other golfers playing in tournaments in Hawaii, for example, when it is too cold in Maryland to do anything other than run sled dogs. So, you can see the critical difference between Mushing Season and Golfing Season i.e., one starts with the letter “M” and one starts with the letter “G”.

So, one might conclude from the above that the mushing season and golfing season overlap somewhat. That is why last Friday, a day screaming out the word “Golf!” at the top of its lungs, I found myself hitching up the trailer, tying on the three-wheeled, German-made Fritz cart, and traveling down Route 50. The objective was to keep the Head Musher under control as she ran a four-dog team out onto the stage as the leading attraction in the annual celebration of Global Awareness Day at The Salisbury School.

The Salisbury School is located about 20 miles from our house. I know exactly where it is because it is not far from Perdue stadium, the home of the Delmarva Shorebirds, the local minor league baseball team. Despite what Newsweek might say about the proper way of rating educational institutions, I find that proximity to baseball stadiums is the best way to judge the quality of a school. Find Fenway Park and you’ll find a school like Harvard. Find Perdue Stadium and you’ll find a school like The Salisbury School. It’s a simple matter of a mutual attraction between baseball stadiums and intelligent people and great educational institutions.

Well, one of the many intelligent things that The Salisbury School has done over the years is to hold a “Global Awareness Day”. They’ve been doing this every year for about twenty years. They pick a country, have the kids learn all about it, and then dedicate one day to celebrating its history and culture. We were lucky enough to participate because this year’s country was Canada and apparently someone tipped off the librarian at the school, a lady named Margy Meeks, that Linda Powers, a musher, lived nearby.

I’m sure all of you realize that the Head Musher has Canadian roots. Yup, she is 100% French Canadian. She thinks that Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion should be canonized. When she cut her hand on our recent séjour (a French noun which, roughly translated, means ‘to spend time in sub-zero temperatures”) in Canada she let out a quick stream of invectives in French directed at the knife and I’ve still not been able to find four of them in my Petit LaRousse. And, of course, every Christmas she bakes several traditional Canadian meat pies (“Tourtieres”) the contents of which caused them to be put on the State Department’s munitions list precluding export to countries harboring members of al Qaeda.

So, as they say in Canada “Global Awareness Day” and the Head Musher was “a match made in Québec”.

As a first step in preparing for the big day, the Head Musher Skyped first, second and third graders from the Bunkhouse at Baisley Lodges during our recent Canada trip.

The students got to ask her questions about Canada, mushing, and sled dogs. In the above picture, Chinook and Aura are trying to figure out exactly where the kids’ voices are coming from. Chinook is checking out the wood burning stove as the possible source, while Aura is checking out the front stoop.

Friday’s event at the school started with an assembly in the gym attended by all the students and a large number of parents. One of the graduating seniors sang “Oh Canada” to start the festivities. He sang it so well that a pick-up hockey game broke out in the rear of the gym. It (the rendition of “Oh, Canada” not the hockey game) brought tears to the Head Musher’s eyes. I had a flashback to elementary school and Canadian nuns and my knuckles began to hurt.

From the gym we moved to the music building where the Head Musher held three separate sessions with third, fourth, and fifth graders to describe the sport of mushing and the dogs that make it necessary. I remained in an outer room with Kodiak and Aura and, when given the high sign, brought the two dogs into the room so that they could sign autographs for the bargain price of one scratch under the chin and a pat on the head. Aura spent most of the time trying to figure out exactly what these little people were all about. Kodiak took a what’s-not-to-like-about-thirty-or-forty-kids-wanting-to-hug-you attitude.

But the coup de grace (which is like a coup d’état except without the armored vehicles) we hitched up the four dogs to the Fritz cart and the Head Musher rode into the gym and onto the stage. Chinook and Kodiak led the team with Fenway and Aura running in the wheel position next to the cart. In accordance with my “One-Man-Pit-Crew” responsibilities, I was dragooned into maintaining control over the outfit by attaching a leash to Chinook. My instructions were simple: “Do not let the team drag the cart and Head Musher off the four foot high stage and into crowd unless it was absolutely necessary.”

We got to our position on the stage, a run of about thirty yards, and stopped. This caused Fenway immediately to start barking. It was his “What are we stopping for?” bark. It was his “We’ve got harnesses on and a cart to pull!” bark. My fear was that he would continue to bark during the Head Musher’s slide presentation, drowning out every fourth word.

But the previously-mentioned Margy saved the day. In a heart-beat she said “Would it help if I stayed here on the stage and petted Fenway to quiet him down?”
Here is the answer to that question…

Aura remained on her feet and vigilant, but quiet.

We have offered Margy a lucrative contract to replace me as pit crew for next season but she remains committed to The Salisbury School.

In the weeks leading up to Global Awareness Day, the art teacher at The Salisbury School, Rene Schoelkopf, requested pictures of our dogs. She used the pictures to create a 4×8 foot mural of the dogs as part of a scene depicting life in the frozen north. It’s an amazing painting. What talent! The likenesses of the four dogs are incredible. She has caught the sweet calm of Kodiak’s eyes, Chinook’s piercing stare, Fenway’s cocky head-tilt and tail-wag, and Aura’s ever-cautious posture with tail curled around her legs. Here is the mural…

The Head Musher called the school to see if we could buy the painting. Rene informed us that they had already decided to give it to us. Could there be a more unique gift? A great way to end the mushing season.

Oh, wait, I forgot, the mushing season never ends. Jeez, I’ve got to write that down somewhere.

See you next seas…later,
The One-Man Pit Crew

P.S. This time I’m really hanging up my bulletin-writing pen and heading for the links.

Global Awareness Day at The Salisbury School is a post from: PowersHealth.com | Maryland Certified Nutrition Coach