Entry bubble Play Ball!

By: Colleen | April 02, 2008 | Category: Fun

Monday kicked off my favorite time of the year as a sports fan. It was Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. baseball

Although the Phils dropped the home opener, it does nothing to diminish my excitement that baseball season is here.

Baseball is my favorite sport to watch in person (followed closely by college basketball and NFL football. On TV my favs are: college basketball, NFL football, college football, and then baseball...the differences in these two lists call for a another post entirely.)

Few things in life beat sitting in the warm sunshine on a clear afternoon with your friends and a hot dog, watching your favorite player crush a home run and your team ultimately winning the game.

Baseball has long been known as our "national pastime" and plays an important role in American history.

  • Each year, the President throws out the first pitch of the World Series
  • Franklin Roosevelt urged MLB to continue play during World War II to boost the spirit of the American people and to show resiliency
  • April 15, 2004 marked the first Jackie Robinson Day. This annual tradition serves as a reminder of when Jackie broke the color barrier—not just sending a message in sports, but society as well.
  • In the spring of 2001, President Bush opened the South Lawn of the White House for kids to play t-ball, keeping in the tradition of the "people's house."

Warm up your vocals and get ready to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," baseball is back!

| Comments [3] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: baseball  colleen  national  pastime  president  series  sports  world 

 

Entry bubble Root Canal Awareness Week

By: Colleen | March 26, 2008 | Category: Health

Direct from the "strange but true" file: Next week is Root Canal Awareness Week!root canal

Sponsored by the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), it lasts from March 30-April 5th.

An endodontist is a dentist that specializes in root canals.

This year endodontists unite to stress the importance of protecting your teeth during sports activities with the theme "Watch Your Mouth!"—a phrase I typically associate with my childhood and mother.

While mouth guards are typically associated with full-contact sports like football and hockey, it is actually eight times more likely a dental injury will occur while playing a game like soccer.

Parents and coaches should encourage (or flat out force) their budding Michael Jordans and Mia Hamms to wear a protective mouth guard for all sports. (Although I'm pretty sure your young Tiger Woods should be okay without one—unless severely uncoordinated.)

It may not be the coolest accessory on the field or court, but it can really pay off. In high school, after thousands of dollars in orthodontia my sister took an elbow right to the kisser. You better believe the very next day I was not only sporting the coolest red and black Nike Air high-tops ever, but a bright yellow "boil and bite" mouth guard as well. I had prom dates lining up around the block.

Regardless, I can credit my beautiful pearly whites to protecting my teeth during all those years of athletic competition. A public "thanks" to Mom and Pops.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to injure oneself while engaged in athletics. For additional information check out "Sports Injuries"—and keep smiling!

| Comments [2] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: canal  colleen  injury  protection  root  sports  teeth 

 

Entry bubble Food, Family, & Football

By: Sam | November 21, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

Colleen likes to say that Thanksgiving is for food, family, friends, and football.  I couldn’t agree more.  Except, I hail from the South where game day is on Saturday.  And this Saturday my GA Bulldawgs play the Ramblin’ Wreck from GA Tech.  With only 70 miles separating the schools, this annual slugfest gives the winner bragging rights at family dinners and neighborhood BBQs for the coming year.

Saturday also marks the last regular season game in college football.  With a season full of surprises (An undefeated Kansas? A 2-9 Notre Dame? ), one common thread is the amount of injuries the players sustain.  From concussions to torn ACLs, there’s not a week that goes by where one of your favorite players or Heisman candidates isn’t sitting on the sidelines injured.

Even though I don’t sweat it out on the gridiron every Saturday, I do try to workout  several times a week, particularly right before Thanksgiving.  And over time, I have succumbed to plenty of my own injuries.  So much so that I no longer associate the word rice with food but instead with rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Some of my most common injuries are those pesky sprains and strains.  And for as long as I’ve been running, I can never remember the difference between the two.  Thankfully, this great sprains and strains Q & A publication helps me sort it all out and gives me great tips on how I can prevent them.     

Lately, sprains and strains haven’t been the only problems that keep me sidelined from my workouts.  Unfortunately, years of pounding the pavement haven’t been too kind on my knees.  I now try to switch up my workouts with more gentle aerobic exercises like walking or swimming (watch out Michael Phelps).

Feel free to share how you like to say fit, whether it’s by gardening or jogging, and what you do to prevent injuries.  Meanwhile, I’ll be gearing up for Saturday’s showdown in the ATL.  Go Dawgs!!!

| envelope Email This Entry | Tags: exercise  fitness  football  injuries  sports  thanksgiving  workout