We hope you enjoy this week’s pictures!

Pictures by Barbara Epperson.

What we liked about the program — the participants keep it real and they have fun too. The next Lite N Up Program  is scheduled to start in spring 2012, but you can check here for NIFS other  upcoming nutrition and wellness programs.

Enjoy this week’s pictures!

Photos by Barbara Epperson

The Hoosier Outdoor Experience is also our family’s chance to try activities we don’t get to do often – or might not ever try in our whole lives. We’re suburban slickers, but in the past two years – thanks to the Hoosier Outdoor Experience – we have tried skeet shooting, shot a bow and arrow, used a pellet gun, rode in an UTV and taken a 30-minute family horseback ride.

Including the fun stuff I just mentioned, there are 50 activities scheduled for this year’s event, including fly fishing, hay rides, disc golf, panning for gold and tiny tots mini-bike rides. Other reasons to go:

1. The great outdoors literally offers something for all ages. I have taken my kids, nieces, nephews and parents, so that’s an age range of eight to 70 years old. Each year, we have found something (or several somethings) that everyone enjoyed.
2. You get to do so many activities for FREE. Let’s be real, we’re in a tough economy and getting the whole family out for a day-long activity is costly. You can’t go to Chucky Cheese, a water park or gaming facility, stay all day and try 50 activities for free.
3. You get to use real equipment. They have the shotguns, the bikes, the fishing poles, the boats – everything you need to really try out an activity.
4. You are guided by the pros. Each area has experienced people on hand to teach you about their interest. They’ll show you exactly how to use the equipment correctly, tell you places in Indiana where you can enjoy different activities, discuss safety and more.
5. It’s a great way to get your tween, teen or gamer away from a screen. It might take some convincing, but once they are there they can’t help but have fun. They might even thank you. OK, that’s crazy talk, but you might catch a smile when they realize they can hit a real target instead of a virtual one.

A few tips before you head out for the day: 1) Wear comfortable shoes. They have a great bus and trolley system set up, but you still may have to walk a bit and 2) Food is available for purchase, but throw some snacks and water in a carry-on bag to enjoy during the day.

Don’t miss this annual event. It’s something your family will be talking about all year.

What special family events does your family look forward to each year?

If you missed Local Fest this weekend, you can still find local foods at Whole Foods every day. Enjoy this week’s photo blog!

Photos by Barbara Epperson.

They love Funky Monkey snacks. We did too!

Eden Farms brought arugula, basil and watercress.

Yummy Cheese Crisps from Grace Island Snacks

Pine Manor Farms chicken tastes great grilled

Hurst bean soup made this couple smile

Sampling apples from Doud Orchards

Local Food Folks shared their dips and sauces

A little Endangered Species chocolate

Staci makes fruit tarts for the Whole Foods bakery

Traders Point Creamery cheeses were a hit

Camping can be a great family activity allowing time for families to play games, hike and prepare meals together.

This week, we share a few pictures from the first annual Family Camp Out at the YMCA’s Baxter branch. Five families enjoyed the water balloon toss, a scavenger hunt, relay races and a movie before sleeping under the stars!

Crafting fun

A tough balancing act!

Campfire is ready!

Pitching tents after a long day!

The Baxter YMCA has free family-friendly events for their members each month like the Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, which will feature games, crafts and healthy fall snacks.

On October 21, members and non-members can celebrate Halloween at the Y from 6 to 8 p.m. Click here for more info and cost for the event.

We would love to see pictures of you and your family enjoying time together. Send your pictures to comments@fitcityindy.org and we might include a photo or two in our next Every Body is Beautiful blog post. Please include the names of everyone in the photo and a description of where you are and what you are doing with your family. We look forward to sharing your photos!

What did we discover? People from around Indianapolis buying fruits, vegetables, flowers and so much more. Each week, there are about 30 vendors and you can find produce, tea, crepes, ice cream, kettle corn…

You can visit the Broad Ripple Farmers Market on Wednesdays  5 to 8 p.m. in Broad Ripple Park or Saturdays, 8 to noon by Broad Ripple High School.

Here are a few of the people we met on our visit to the market.

Photos by Barbara Epperson.

My best friend, Christy, and I have been running together for about a year and a half.  We have run 5K’s, did the training series for the Mini Marathon, and did our first ever half marathon with that event.  We celebrated our “run-iversary” by running the Fishers Freedom Festival 5K which was our first ever 5K in 2010.

After we completed our first ever half marathon in May, we weren’t sure what would come next.  Christy had a stress fracture in her foot so she was on the “disabled list” for a while.  I needed a break from running.

But then there was a Groupon for Team In Training.  Instead of paying the $100 registration fee, you would pay $25 for the Groupon and could register with Team In Training for one of their fall events.  We can’t resist a good Groupon.  So we bought it, went to the informational meeting, got inspired and fired up, and immediately signed up for fall events.  I signed up for the Indianapolis Half Marathon which is run at Fort Benjamin Harrison.  Christy signed up for the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco (she’s doing the half marathon, not the full).

The hard part of Team In Training isn’t the running.  The hard part is the fundraising.  Team In Training was created as a fundraising program to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  You sign up, raise money, train for a running or cycling or triathlon event, and you end up helping to fight cancer.  What I like about raising money for LLS is that the money is used for more than cancer research- it’s used to fund drug research, education, support for patients as well as family, and is even used to fund treatment for blood cancer patients.  In their July issue, Runner’s World Magazine had a special section devoted to running for the fight against cancer and highlighted the Team In Training experience.

Last night, Christy and I made a healthy dinner at my church as a fundraiser.  My church has a weekly dinner and there is an opportunity for those who partake in the dinner to give money to cover the food expense and also give to the group that is preparing the food.  Christy and I hoped this would be something fun we could do that would not only give us the chance to raise some money, but also give us the chance to offer a healthy, nutritious, delicious dinner.

We made a pasta and salad bar.  We made angel hair pasta and garden rotini.  We had sauce donated by Olive Garden- marinara and meat sauce.  We had received donations and discounts from vendors at the Fishers Farmer’s Market so we also offered sautéed mushrooms and zucchini and yellow squash (sautéed in olive oil with onion and fresh garlic).  Our salad bar consisted of a basic salad mix, baby spinach, broccoli, red onion, green peppers, carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, peas, and crimini mushrooms. 

Not only were we fighting cancer by raising money, we were offering a buffet of cancer fighting foods and superfoods.  I put some links in that last sentence that are definitely worth reading so feel free to click them open in new tabs or windows and go learn about these awesomely healthy foods.

We did raise some money towards our fundraising efforts.  On a more personally rewarding level, we received great feedback and compliments from people who greatly appreciated the healthy offerings.  The salad enhancements were so easy to do- peeling and chopping carrots, cutting up mushrooms, cutting cucumbers and so on.  Christy and I enjoyed our time in the kitchen together (and are very grateful for the cutting and peeling and chopping help from our friend, Nancy, and my husband, Jeff) and especially enjoyed the colorful presentation we were able to offer to families.  Moms thanked us for the foods their kids loved to eat- peas, blueberries, spinach, grape tomatoes.  Adults thanked us for the baby spinach along with the salad mix- many find it easier to digest (and it’s incredibly healthier for you!).

Best of all, we were able to incorporate cancer fighting foods into our fight to end cancer.  Spinach, peas, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, tea- all are foods thought to have nutrients that are beneficial in fighting and even preventing cancer.  It was a night that represented everything that matters to us in choosing to do Team In Training.  We want to be active and strong so we train to run a half marathon.  We want to help others who are fighting the battle against blood cancers.  We want to eat foods that strengthen our bodies.  Serving a healthy meal that benefited our fundraising efforts took all of that into account. 

Running with Team In Training allows me to use my feet for others.  Cooking this fundraising, healthy meal allowed me to use my hands for others.  There is something very special about using my hands and feet to benefit others.

As the organizers of the market explained to me, the Wednesday market is nice for those who work on weekends or for those who already have a jam-packed weekend of activities on their schedule. I would be in the latter category most weeks!

While the Wednesday market is a little smaller, they still have many of the same vendors. I was pleasantly surprised to find 3 Days in Paris cooking up crepes, and my daughter LOVED her chocolate ice cream from Traders Point Creamery. Of course, the market had many of the usual products you might expect at a farmers market like strawberries, cabbage, beans and fresh flowers. But they also had some unexpected items available too like tea, bird seed and kettle corn.

The Wednesday market was also very laid back. You could stop and talk to vendors. I asked Summer at the Sunny Creek Farm booth “What is that and how do you cook it,” and she patiently explained how you could season and sauté daylily blossoms. Who knew? I spoke with a number of shoppers too, as they perused the park with kids, dogs or both in tow.

I hope you’ll help me spread the word about the new Wednesday Broad Ripple Farmers Market. If you want a preview for the week, go to their website and click on the week’s e-newsletter to see exactly what products you can expect to find and which vendors should be at the market. They’re open rain or shine, now through September.

Where’s your favorite farmers’ market?

Sitting still: hazardous to your health
Indystar.com
Find out what new research says about how sitting too much impacts your health, plus tips on how to stay active at work.

Indiana Agritourism and Farmers’ Market Online Directory
In.gov
Extensive list of farmers’ markets across Indiana. Search by product, location or county, and find out when your favorite fruits and veggies will be in season.

Freewheelin Bikes
Freewheelinbikes.org
We posted about this organization on Facebook this week, but we had to mention it again. Starting May 21, this local group will lead bike rides around Indy. They’ll travel to the Indianapolis Art Museum to Zionsville to Carmel and everywhere in between. The program is designed for kids ages 10 to 15, but families are welcome too.

Upcoming Indy Area Events
Tuxbro.com
Tis the season for walks, runs, triathlons, 5Ks and more. This calendar has links with details about 15 Indy area events between now and the end of August.

I moved my body forward for 13.1 miles.  I ran as much as I could.  I walked when I had to- which was a lot of the last 3 miles.  I felt fantastic for about 6 miles before I started to feel soreness and fatigue.  It was a vast improvement from my 10 mile run experience just 2 weeks ago. 

I stayed hydrated and fueled myself with dried pineapple. 

I wore my Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove.  My original pair gave me a terrible blister and Merrell was awesome enough to replace my shoes before my run.  A couple of weeks in them would have been better but I was still happy.   

I have some blisters.  My legs are tired, my feet are sore.  I came home and took one of the best baths of my entire life.

I ran and walked 13.1 miles. 

There was entertainment all along the route.  There were bands and people cheerin all along the route.  There men outside a neighborhood barbershop, there were families on porches, there were high school cheerleading squads.  I remember a lady holding a little gray toy poodle- that encouraged me because I thought of my own little poodle at home.  There were kids and older folks giving high fives and words of encouragement. 

I started and ended strong.

I crossed the finish line and couldn’t stop laughing and crying.  I stopped at the side of the road, hunched over with my crying and laughing and not being able to breath.  A medical person came to me to see if I was alright- I straightened up and told her that I was crying and it was preventing me from breathing.  She gave me the best medical care she could- an amazing hug. 

I ran with my best friend.  We’ve been running through all kinds of ailments and stress.  She ran with an injured foot.  We sometimes compared pain points and then redirected ourselves to focusing on parts of us that didn’t hurt- elbows, ears, shoulders, cheeks.  We ran our intervals for the first half pretty consistently.  With her hurt foot, she walked slower than I walked but ran faster than I ran when my hip was hurting.  So we just kept lapping back and forth for a good while. 

She pushed at the last 1/4 mile through to the end and was cheering for me as I crossed the finish line.  She cheered for me when I ran up the incline leading into the Speedway track.  She went the 4 extra steps to get me a bottle of chocolate milk at the post-race party. 

My husband sent me text messages with updates of what he was seeing on the TV coverage at home.  He is proud of me.  That’s an amazing feeling for me.

I did it.  I did it!  I fought my way through 13.1 miles.  I enjoyed many parts of 13.1 miles. 

I finished a half marathon.

There’s nothing Mini about that!