“Improving the quality of the school meals is a critical step to building a healthy future for our kids.”

– Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary

“A healthier population will save billions of dollars in future health care costs.”

–Dawn Undurraga, Environmental Working Group staff nutritionist

New guidelines were recently released to help improve school lunches.

The good:

Doubling the amount of fruits and veggies in cafeteria lunches. More whole-grain foods. Limiting calories, sodium and trans fat.

The not-so-good:

Big Food made sure that french fries are still readily available. And don’t forget, pizza counts as a vegetable. Ha.

Interesting stuff. Don’t know how much of a difference this will really make but at least it’s something.

Source:

FoxNews.com: USDA Sets Guidelines for Healthier School Meals

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My work is doing a GIVEAWAY on the company Facebook Page.

To enter to potentially win a $40 prepaid debit card, simply “Like” the page and write your “February Resolution” on the wall.

Your “February Resolution” can be anything that you plan to do to move yourself towards improved health and wellness.

More details on the Orriant Blog here.

Don’t miss your chance to recommit to your New Year’s resolutions and also potentially win a great prize just for sharing your goal!

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Did 40 mins in the pool followed by a 40 min run. Training for the Utah Half is now underway.

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We walked at a good clip for 60 minutes, without stopping in any stores. Believe me, with the wife in tow, that’s a huge accomplishment. :)

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I’m loving my new bike. It kinda stinks riding in the middle of winter but I’ve had a few decent rides on it so far. Glad Wife finally gave it the “ok”!

Looks like little Tayster likes it too. :)

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“It’s easier to get up the will-power to turn down a 900 calorie double-burger with cheese and sauce and opt for a 400 calorie chicken sandwich or salad when you know your entire daily needs are about 1600 calories.”

– Joan Carter, a CNRC registered dietitian and instructor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Looking for another calorie-needs estimator? Try this one from the Baylor College of Medicine.

The time for New Year’s resolutions is upon us. What will yours be?

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“Any combination of steps–making fruits and vegetables part of every meal, limiting treats, walking and playing, even shopping together—can add up to make a real difference in children’s lives and help build healthy habits for life.”

– LetsMove.gov: For Parents

Parents can really make a difference in helping kids develop healthy habits. You already know that. Think of a way to do it better.

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My girl just can’t get enough broccoli. It’s pretty awesome. She likes it steamed straight-up.

Reasons to eat more broccoli:

Potential Cancer Prevention

It’s Just Good For You

Enjoy!

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“It’s not how long you stay standing, but how often you stand up, how often you challenge your body to respond. What provides the baseline of physiological activity in the body is small to large movement, intermittently all day, every day.”

– Joan Vernikos, former director of life sciences at NASA

Even if you regularly exercise, it’s still a good idea to be active throughout your day, according to this article from ABC News:

Key to Fighting Cancer is to Stay Active

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So yeah, I’m still here. It has been a busy last little while. I accepted a new position at Orriant that keeps me busy, and on top of that, we’ve been dealing with a sick toddler for the last month.

Well, I’m back. Stay tuned.

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