The Plank - A Great Core Exercise

The "core" is the area of the body consisting of the abs, lower back, hips, and glutes (your behind muscles). Having a strong core is essential to protect the spine and avoid injuries. It also plays a key role in overall athletic performance, being at the center of all movement. If you want to increase your power or overall mobility, start working on your core.

This past school year the 5th graders performed "planks" at the end of our dynamic warm-up. A plank is not a complex exercise, yet it is a challenging one. Planks are performed by placing all one's body weight on the forearms and toes. The rest of the body, from the head to the ankles, should be straight and rigid. The back should be flat, in alignment with the legs. Then it is simply a matter of holding this position as still as possible. If this version is too difficult, a modified version can be attempted. A modified version is different only in that the knees can touch the ground (so knees and forearms are touching the ground). This is a great exercise to add to your fitness routine. Below is a video of the SDA 5th graders holding a plank for about 10 seconds.

Anaerobic Energy Training

During the month of May, physical education students took part in a series of anaerobic training sessions. "Anaerobic exercise" places a focus on short term, quick, intense bouts of movement. When engaging in anaerobic exercise, the body uses ATP as its main source of energy. This is the opposite of "aerobic exercise" in which the body uses oxygen as its primary energy source, throughout a prolonged, continuous bout of movement.

In this video, SDA 5th graders are performing an anaerobic sprint workout. As the students sprint across the length of the gym, they are also carrying weighted medicine balls and clearing a hurdle at half court. Areas of speed, power, strength, and coordination were all improved. All the students agreed that this was a great workout that really challenged them. Take a look!

My 1st Farmers Market of the Summer

This morning I ventured off to the Lincoln Haymarket Farmers Market. I made sure to get down there early so that I could enjoy the vast selection of goods offered by the vendors. As I arrived at 9am on this beautiful sunny day, the streets were already packed with people buying fresh foods, flowers, and other plants. Some people were simply walking around enjoying the atmosphere. Others were present to listen to the talented musicians entertaining everyone. Quite a few people were purchasing freshly cooked food that was offered. It was one big party!

I had one mission though, and that was to buy some fresh, naturally raised, nutritious food. As I scanned the various stalls, I realized that certain vegetables must be in season. The hard part was choosing who to buy from because it all looked very good. I wanted to support as many vendors as possible so I decided to buy from 6 different farmers. It feels good to support the small family farm. They really take pride in providing well-raised food for their customers. My morning's purchase included asparagus, spinach, broccoli, buttercrunch lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and grass-fed lamb chops. Everything was picked fresh, naturally raised, and unadulterated. I am thoroughly excited to enjoy this food during the week. As the growing season moves into June, July, and August, more variety will be available. I can't wait to go back next week!

Below is a picture of my complete purchase from this morning:
Oh and one other thing. On my way back to my car, I stopped in at Maggie's. Maggie's is a vegetarian restaurant located at 8th and Q. Although I'm not a vegetarian, this might be my favorite place to eat in Lincoln. Her vegetarian lasagna is the best lasagna I've ever had, hands down. Today I purchased an avocado melt and it was simply amazing. It was loaded with fresh ingredients that were purchased from the farmers market earlier this morning! They are open for breakfast and lunch Monday-Saturday. Give this place a try! You won't regret it. Here is the delicious avocado melt that I devoured shortly after this picture was taken.

Farmers Market Information

The three farmers markets listed below are some of the most popular ones in Nebraska. They also happen to be the ones that I attend most often. Buying from farmer’s markets is a great way to support small family farms and improve your health through superior nutrition. While you’re there, take the opportunity to ask questions and learn from these people. Many of them are very friendly and love educating people about what they do. Hope to see you there!

Lincoln Haymarket Farmer’s Market
335 North 8th St. (in the Haymarket)
Lincoln, NE 68505
402-435-7496
Jeff Cunningham
May-October, Saturdays 8:00am-12:00pm

Old Cheney Road Farmers Market
Old Cheney Center Behind the Racquet Club
5500 Old Cheney Road
Lincoln, NE 68516
Tel. (402) 613-0088
Billeme Nemec
May-October, Sundays 10:00am-2:00pm

Village Pointe Farmers Market
Village Pointe Shopping Center
168th Street and West Dodge Road
Omaha, NE 68132
Tel. (402) 639-2760
Micheal Braunstein
May-October, Saturdays 8:00am-1:00pm

For more information about farmers markets and finding access to healthy food, please visit the following websites:

http://www.eatwellguide.org
http://www.localharvest.org

Farmers Market – A Great Choice!

Farmers markets are gatherings of farmers who wish to sell their products directly to the consumer. Most of the time, these farmers practice sustainable agriculture and natural farming methods such as crop rotation and the use of host crops (more on these methods in the future). Practices like these are good for the soil, good for the insects, and good for the environment. That’s why true organic/natural farmers can ensure a product that is highly nutritious and free of chemicals like pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat conventional produce, but if you’re interested in something else, you may want to explore a farmer’s market.

When we eat fresh, nutritious foods, our body is provided with a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, protein, essential fats, and fiber that nourish and promote great health. Dr. Joel Fuhrman states, “What we eat creates the materials to build our cells. Eventually, we are what we eat.” He goes on to say, “Eating right won’t simply prevent disease; it will help you live life to its fullest. Eating right will enable you to feel great everyday, without stomachaches, headaches, indigestion, constipation, or a runny nose.” I couldn’t agree more.

There are some really outstanding farmer’s markets taking place in Nebraska this summer. I am going to highlight three of the more popular ones. For locations and information, please see the next post directly above this one.

Fresh, Local, Nutritious! Support Farmers Markets

In the previous post I addressed the issue of processed food and how it is causing many of the chronic diseases in our society today. Remember, although it may be appealing to the taste, most processed packaged food is lacking nutrients that can be used by the body.

The wonderful alternative choice is fresh, local, well-raised, highly nutritious food. In his book, “The UltraMind Solution,” Dr. Mark Hyman writes,

“Common sense and scientific research both lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies and healthy brains we must put in the right raw materials: real, whole, local, fresh, unadulterated, unprocessed, and chemical-, hormone-, and antibiotic-free food.”

These foods Dr. Hyman is talking about include fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and whole grains. Also included would be pasture-raised chicken, beef, and eggs. The fresher and more naturally raised we can get this food, the better. It will contain more nutrients and be free of any potentially harmful chemicals. Fortunately for us, there is a wonderful resource available from which we can purchase this type of food. It’s called a Farmers Market. My next posts will include important information about Farmers Markets, including when and where you can attend one.

Processed Food Does Not Promote Health

Let’s face it, America today is simply not a healthy nation overall. It seems as though most people are suffering from some type of health issue that is affecting the quality of their life. For some, those ailments include headaches, indigestion, or joint pain. Others suffer from more serious problems like heart disease, obesity, or cancer. Why is this? When placing blame, one has to take a serious look at the SAD (Standard American Diet) diet. The SAD diet consists of mostly processed foods. Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state. These foods contain additives including preservatives, colors, bleaches, and artificial flavors. In fact, there are over 3500 different additives in the processed food supply today. In his book “Disease-Proof Your Child – Feeding Kids Right,” Dr. Joel Fuhrman writes, “A body made from refined foods, white flour, oils, sugar, and other highly processed “fake” food develops into a sickly human…..junk food isn’t cheap; we pay a steep price for it years after consuming it.”

Most health experts would agree that processed foods were not meant to supply us with a high amount of nutrients. They are made in bulk quantities with the ideas of producing long shelf-life and appealing taste. That’s about it. Much of what goes into these foods is foreign to the body and does not promote health. One of the most highly respected doctors in the country today, Dr. Mark Hyman, states that “the real cause of epidemics and mental and physical illness in this country is our SAD diet…the highly processed, nutrient-poor foods that are sold to us do exactly the opposite of enriching us. They turn off the right genes, turn on the wrong ones, and send your system into chaos.”

The beauty in all this is that there is a much better choice. There are some amazing, life-giving foods that we can choose to have more of. These things include fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, herbs, and spices. Sadly, these foods represent about 5% of the typical American diet. In my next blog post I will feature information on these healthy foods, as well as a wonderful community gathering called a farmer’s market. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the website!

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to give you a closer look at the Syracuse Elementary Physical Education and Health program. Please take the time to thoroughly explore the site. It should give you excellent insight as to what is being accomplished throughout the year. I am excited about health and the students are too! Every week I am seeing a shift in attitude, thinking, and action amongst these children. They want to know what optimal health can be like. They want to experience it!My ultimate goal for this website is to inform and inspire. I want people to get excited about their health. I want people to realize there are few things more important than health. Once you have great health, the possibilities and endeavors for your life are limitless. The quote “knowledge is power” has never rang so true to me. Knowledge has helped me come to so many understandings in the world of health. There were many things I was totally unaware of or never even thought about until recent years. I am eager to share these things with you!We all have the power to choose great health. Empower yourself and your health through learning. Read, read, and read some more, but don’t forget to take the time to exercise too! Thanks for visiting and please check back again soon!



- Mr. Recker