If you follow me, you know that last week I announced the special project that I had been working on with Vitacost! It is a Salute to Health for our Service men and women! It is a way to say Thank you for everything you do and sacrifice for us!

I was SO proud that my friend Ben Brokaw could be the first Service Man to kick off this campaign!

 

Ben had contacted me a while for some fitness advice. He had explained that he had been injured in the service. He sent me a little back story

“I was a Corporal in the Marines and served four years honorably. I was stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC and I was a 0331, which is an infantry heavy machine gunner. I deployed to Fallujah Iraq in January 2007, and returned home in February of 2008. While there, I was the NCO in charge of our platoon’s armory; meaning I kept control and accountability of all our weapons and ammo. Also, I was the lead gunner. I was manning the first gun truck in our convoys. I was the guy looking for IED’s (aka roadside bombs.) The night of my injury, we rolled over a stack of three 121mm artillery shells, completely disabling the truck. The impact threw me from the top of truck, down inside the truck. We then started receiving small arms fire from AK 47’s in the nearby village. We pursued a firefight for 45 minutes. Eventually, no one was shooting back at us. We were then able to recovery the truck with a wrecker, and move out. I received three blown discs in my lumbar, and ended up with degenerative disc disease, and was also diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression.”

This got me to thinking about what these men and women sacrifice for our freedom! How when they get back, especially with injuries, they get little to no help getting their lives back. I wanted to help Ben, even though I know I can’t heal him. I wanted him to know that his injury was not in vain and that his service is appreciated! I know that he can get into the best shape of his life and I truly wanted to help encourage him! Vitacost has been awesome for setting up this Salute to Health for these brave men and women!!!!

Ben received his care package of appreciation yesterday and was kind enough to send me some picture!

 

 

 

I salute you Ben Brokaw and again Thank you and your family for the sacrifices you have made for us! Now get your butt in the gym Mister!!!

I am also honored to have a guest blogger post today from Katie Kaleita with Vitacost.com Please, show her some love!

Five ways to make healthy eating fun

To call it a challenge would be an understatement. Anyone who has ever attempted to coerce their child into taking a bite of broccoli knows that it’d probably be easier to teach the family dog to play the piano. But it doesn’t have to be that way – we’ve compiled this handy list of simple tips to help get your kids on board with healthy eating:

1. Start your own garden. If you want your kids to fall in love with healthy foods, let them grow their own! Gardening is a great way to get kids interested in nutrition by teaching them where fruits and veggies come from and how they’re grown. Older kids can help with watering, while little ones can help you collect your crop. Start small and keep it simple – veggies such as potatoes, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and radishes are easy to grow and maintain. Don’t have a backyard? You can easily grow fresh herbs (or leafy lettuce) on a windowsill.

2. Get their help in the kitchen. Involving your kids in the cooking process can further their interest in healthy eating. Enlist their help with measuring, mixing, stirring and other simple kitchen tasks. Make things even more fun by letting your little chef get dressed for the occasion – with his or her very own apron, hat and kid-sized utensils.

3. Make mealtime fun. Different shapes, colors, textures and even funny names for foods (turn broccoli into a “baby tree” and suddenly it tastes better!) can encourage your kids to eat them more often. Cookie cutters are a crucial tool to accomplish this task – because nothing says “fun” like stars and hearts!

4. Turn healthy eating into a competition. A little sibling rivalry can be healthy now and then, especially when it involves servings of fruits and vegetables. Keep track of each child’s intake – whoever reaches their recommended amount first, wins! (Kids 3-6 should get at least 3 servings of veggies and 2 of fruit, while older kids need at 3-5 servings of veggies and 2-4 of fruit.)

5. Teach, don’t preach. Avoiding mandates will help you steer clear of mealtime meltdowns. Instead of saying, “Eat your fruits and vegetables,” teach kids about the importance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients – and how your body obtains them from fruits, veggies and other healthy foods. Then let them decide whether or not to eat what’s on the dinner plate.

This article has been provided by the folks at Vitacost.com. Vitacost.com has been selling discount vitamins since 1994. Since then it’s grown into one of the biggest online marketplaces for healthy essentials-with vitamins and supplements being just one of their many helpful categories! Get the best price on vitamins, nutritional supplements, whole foods and diet products such as mushroom supplements and. Vitacost.com’s customers mean the world to them, and it’s their goal to provide you with the best nutritional supplements, natural foods and sports nutrition to help with your health and wellness. Vitacost.com is not affiliated with this blog, and isn’t responsible for content outside of this article.