We all know that it’s better to get kids to play outside than play on their computers. However, if it’s a rainy day and your kid wants to surf the net, what are some good websites to encourage for them to learn more about physical activity? Below is a list of websites that I have found interesting:

• Eat Smart. Play Hard from the United States Department of Agriculture. This website has printable activity books, clip art, recipes, games, and grocery store and yard treasure hunts. Check it out!
• VERB from Center for Disease Control. There are games to play online and a blog from many teenagers about their physical activity. As well, teens can create a virtual character (ViRTS) that “plays when you play” by enticing your kid to log their physical activity online. Kids can also create a game (I created “yard hula hopping”, in which you have to hula hoop while hopping around your yard. The one who can hula and hop the longest wins) and then try it out with their friends–this was so cool I wanted to be a kid again!
• Get Active Stay Active is an older website from PepsiCo and the President’s Challenge for Physical Activity and Fitness . It allows kids to create an account to log physical activity and pedometer steps and be awarded a President’s Physical Activity award. These logs can also be done as a class, which is pretty cool (your child’s 6th grade class and her friend’s class can compete to see who logs more activity).
• Kidnetic is a website from the International Food Information Council. This website also has games kids can make up online and play outside/inside, scavenger hunts, dances (you can make on up online and then practice it in your house), recipes, and even a section to learn about the human body.
• BAM is also from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It discusses Body and Mind that lists recipes, and you child can play a “what’s best for your in your school cafeteria” game. Your child can also log his/her physical activity, talk to website staff, and take a quiz to find out what type of physical activity is best for him/her. Not only does it have information regarding food and physical activity, but it discusses diseases, proper gear and safety (sun smarts, helmets), bullies, magazine ads, puberty, and food safety. What a comprehensive website!
• The President’s Challenge is a website from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. There is a section to log your child’s physical activity and participate in the President’s Challenge. Unfortunately, the website’s design doesn’t really look like it would appeal to kids, so it might be good to sit down with your child and work through the site.
• Get Kids in Action is a website designed by Gatorade and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Similar to other websites, your child can create a new game, make a new recipe, and dare to try a new food. She or he can also learn about sports superstars and log in to their physical activity site (to see what different things they can do in 60 minutes–and get an activity coach). Another great website!

There are so many other physical activity websites for kids to go–these are just a few. Share your kid’s favorite activity websites by commenting on this post!

So, you’ve realized that you just aren’t getting enough calcium in your diet. What about calcium supplements? There are many different kinds and types–which one is right for you?

• Calcium carbonate is found in many calcium supplements on the market (Tums, Oscal, Caltrate, Viactiv) and contains the most calcium per pill, but is best taken with meals.
• Calcium citrate is a better absorped type of calcium but each pill typically contains less calcium than a carbonate version, so you have to take more of them; you can take these with meals or on an empty stomach.
• Other forms of calcium supplements are not very well absorbed or do not contain much calcium (think coral calcium). Therefore, if you are going to choose a calcium supplement, choose citrate or carbonate.

Always look for the US Pharmacopeia (USP) seal on your calcium supplement. This tells you that what’s on the label is indeed in the bottle in the reported amounts, and that it has been made under “good manufacturing processes”. After all, dietary supplements do not have to be proven to be safe or effective BEFORE they are put on the market (which is different than medicines which have to be proven safe and effective before they are approved).

Additionally, there is no standardization of the supplement product, so one batch of the supplement made may contain different amounts than another batch. This is not the case with medicines that you take–each pill MUST have the same ingredient as every other of that kind of pill.

So, just remember, when choosing a calcium supplement, take note of:

1. the source of calcium (citrate, carbonate)
2. how much calcium is in each pill
3. whether it contains the USP seal

Of note, from drugstore.com:

• 1 oscal = $0.14
• 1 chewable viactiv = $0.13
• Tums = $0.03
• 2 citracal (to get the amount of calcium equal to calcium carbonate) = $0.22

An additional resource is The Website for the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Week 2 of marathon training is officially complete. This week was rough because I battled major rush hour (which is silly because it became more like “hours”) traffic, which caused my husband and I to train separately instead of together for part of the week. As well, the weather is warming up–and it’s been HUMID here in the DC metro area!

Here are our stats from the week:
Mileage = about 12 miles this week (one 6 mile long run plus two 3 mile runs)

Pace = I had a sub-10 minute/mile day this week, but overall finished the week with an 11:18 min/mile pace over 12 miles.

Rest = not as well this week, thanks to traffic and the Memorial Day weekend. I’m tired today!

Emotions = excited about the sub-10 minute miles. We’ve decided to increase our pace on our short running days, and I’m excited about this secondary goal of continuing sub-10 minute/miles.

Lessons Learned = Don’t eat dessert the night before a long run. I thought last Saturday’s nausea was due to eating late. However, Friday night I had cake for dessert at a local restaurant, and like clockwork, I was feeling nauseous before our run Saturday morning. I had eaten too much fat and calories without giving my body ample time to digest it.  Also, it is key to eat a good breakfast the morning of a long run–Mike didn’t really eat much before we ran, and he was not able to complete the 6 miles this weekend because he was STARVING!
Stay tuned to my weekly running recap throughout the next several months for more tips! Thanks for all your comments!

Just as a follow-up to a recent post, the Marine Corps Marathon registration for 2007 is now closed. Over 30,000 runners have registered. This is the 2nd quickest “sell out” in MCM history. How exciting!!!

If you still want to run this race, you can do so via MCM’s Charity Partners and run for a charity organization. See www.marinemarathon.com for more information.

Or, you can choose to run the 1/2 marathon or the 10K instead of the full marathon. Whatever you choose, I wish you good luck, good running, and good eating along the way!

Stay tuned for more running tidbits throughout the coming months.

As a dietitian, I promote food over supplements any day. But, for you frugal folks out there, you might say, “Stacie, it’s so much cheaper to buy a calcium supplement than to eat food that contains calcium.”

Or is it?

Cost Comparison

I browsed the aisles of my local pharmacy, grocery store, and Amazon.com for common prices for supplements and foods. Your purchase prices may vary slightly depending on where you shop (and when):

Calcium supplements:
OS-Cal (1 tablet = 500 mg Ca) = $0.14
Viactiv (1 chew = 500 mg Ca) = $0.13
Citracal (2 tablets = 630 mg Ca) = $0.22

Calcium-containing foods:
2 cups of milk = ~ 600 mg Ca = $0.37 ($3.00 per gallon)
2 small containers of yogurt: ~ 600 mg Ca = $1.00 (usually on sale 2/$1)
2-3 oz can of sardines: ~650 mg Ca = $1.70
1 ounce Total cereal: 1000 mg Ca = $0.14

Analysis

Although most foods that contain calcium are more expensive, these foods contain SO MANY MORE NUTRIENTS THAN JUST CALCIUM ALONE! As an easy and inexpensive example, Total cereal contains 100% of 12 vitamins and minerals!

And for those of you who say “why not just take a multivitamin?” Well, most multivitamins do not contain 100% of your daily needs for calcium, so you’d need to get another source of it anyways. Shall we do the math again?

1 ounce Total cereal: 1000 mg Ca = $0.14

One-a-Day Women’s vitamin: (only one with > 400 mg calcium per tablet) = $0.08
However, you’d need to eat some other source of calcium to get enough for the entire day!

Overall Assessment

Price of calcium supplement: less than a quarter
Price of calcium from food: variable
Price of nutrition from calcium-containing food: priceless!

No, this is not a paid advertisement to eat your Total cereal, just to eat a variety of foods to help meet your calcium needs!