Make the Connnection: Health and Fitness with Christ!

Make the Connection...using new media to strengthen your connection to faith!

How's your health these days? Feeling great about it? Did you run in the local Road Race? Bike down the Rail Trail? Chase the kids/grandkids around the yard?

If not, are you wishing you could? Or just wanting to feel like you are on a path of wellness?

Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (See I Corinthians 6: 19-20). Those of you, who know me, know I value fitness, cooking nutritiously and eating healthy meals. So, my picks in new media this week center on living a healthy lifestyle and giving back to those in need through fitness!

Get started with the Healthy Catholic show! http://sqpn.com/category/video/healthy-catholic/ a video series with one of my favorite Catholic priests Father Roderick Vonhogen.

Want to learn more about healthy eating? Check out http://www.cravingbetterhealth.com/ Parishioner Julie Hanagan is a Certified Health Counselor. Her goal is to "guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you". She will "help you to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals".

Need a coach for fitness? Check out http://www.faithfirstfitness.com/. It is both "an online and in-person fitness coaching business". Owner Greg Cheney is a "pastor and certified fitness coach". His fitness programs "focus on total life change and not temporary success. He coaches clients in-person and thousands of miles away via the Internet and phone". Although this is not a Catholic site, I found it interesting. "Pursue Genuine Faith and LifelongFitness at FaithFirstFitness.com"

I have enjoyed using http://www.sparkpeople.com/. This online healthy lifestyle community has a mission to "SPARK millions of PEOPLE to reach their goals and lead healthier lives". They "offer nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are 100% free." Among the support teams, you will find "Fired Up Catholics", "Catholic Bible Study" and more! Also not a Catholic site but I find it super helpful.

Need to find a route to walk or jog in your neighborhood without getting in the car first to check the distance? Check out http://www.mapmyrun.com/ to create or find a route.

So by September you should be ready to join me in a road race/walk! Use your healthy body and faith focus to help a worthy cause: St. Charles Children's Home, an “intermediate group home for children from families in crisis” run by a group of religious sisters whose focus is on the physical and spiritual well being of the children placed in their home.
First check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7uRoX4o99w and http://www.stcharleshome.org/
Then join me for a road race to benefit the Home on Labor Day this year! http://www.stcharleshome.org/race.html.

Or check out http://www.coolrunning.com/ to find other events.

If you have questions or suggestions about "Make the Connection", feel free to contact me!
Peace of Christ to you!
Kerry Madden, The Catholic Parish Media Liaison
KMadden445@aol.com