TAC Board: The Alaska Club Blog

Summer in Alaska is the perfect time for outdoor activities, and going fishing is one of them. We are fortunate to have an abundance of different types of fish here, and I hope you had the chance to harvest your own. For the first time this year, I caught my weight in red salmon. While fishing, it was delightful to hear people exchanging recipes on the beach. Another popular topic was the health benefits of salmon.

There is nothing like a stretch of summer sunshine to inspire Alaskans to venture outside. For some, it’s difficult to transition to new routines and new outdoor options. I get it! You like your gym routine, don’t want to get dirty, don’t have the right shoes/equipment … trust me, I have said all those things and more to talk myself out of going, but over time I have realized that there are just so many ways to get after it in Alaska and summers are short, so we must take advantage of every opportunity. Despite the good weather, motivation can still be an issue, and I also hear you on that one. I polled my family and some friends for recommended strategies and outings for these warmer temps.

Sick of high gas prices? What if I told you there was a way to save money & improve your health? How? Well, you need to kick yourself into gear and grab a BIKE! Regularly cycling can improve your life expectancy, aid in mental health, improve respiratory systems, reduce heart disease, and help your overall health and weight loss journey.

I am a mother to three children, who were all born within three years (2006-2009). I was in “advanced maternal age” when I had my first baby, so my husband and I went for it and had two more without thinking about it because we didn’t have time to waste. Parenthood is amazing in all the ways everyone promised it would be, except it isn’t always amazing for the workout routine! I am happy to share some strategies I employed to survive and stay in sort-of “good” shape and sane…. And also share some of my favorite moments doing events with my kids.

How are we doing? That’s always a good question to ask eight weeks into the new year when the newness of the year and resolutions we made are already distant memories. There are current events that enhance the likelihood of us staying the course of those early year promises we made to ourselves (and maybe to others as well) of steps we would take to improve our health, our relationships, and our lives. The daylight is visibly increasing, the temperatures are warming, and our own home-grown Alaskans are setting the example of plying their hard-won, lifelong honed skills across the ocean in the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Did you know that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US? One person dies every 36 seconds from this condition.

Have you experienced a drop in energy at around 3 o’clock and can’t focus on your work? You dread to complete your task and you just can’t think clearly? You don’t have any medical condition, you know it is not a hangover, it is not lack of sleep, it is not a cold or low blood sugar, so what is the cause? Sometimes, there is no clear explanation, but certain foods can aggravate or improve your mental acuity in the afternoon. Here are some tips:

We are in that weird fall/winter limbo season. You know, it’s not really fall anymore because the leaves are almost all completely off the trees, but then again, the snow is a little skimpy and mushy too. Hikers and hunters don’t forget that this is also a really high avalanche risk time as well. It’s very muddy in the woods, there’s puddles galore and bears have a ways to go before they settle down for the winter. The moose-match dating season is still ongoing so watch out for those frisky moose! Some nights are under 32º so puddles freeze. Some nights are not. If you want to give your Begonias a chance to make it to next year, you’d best put them in the garage and let the bulbs dry out.

When we think about inflammation, we think about the reaction of our immune system to a foreign object such as a virus or bacteria entering our body. However, in modern life, one of the most common causes of chronic inflammation besides lack of sleep and poor stress management is what we eat and drink. When the body is exposed to ongoing inflammation, we are at increased risk of chronic and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, GERD, body pain, and others.