A Grand Blue Mile!

Tonight I had the privilege of being the warm-up leader and one of the many volunteers for the KidStriders (www.iowakidstrong.com) Grand Blue Mile Victory Run. Nearly 700 youth from the Des Moines area showed up to celebrate running a minimum cumulative marathon distance of 26 miles during recess KidStriders sessions. The Victory Run was combined with the Drake Relays' First Annual Grand Blue Mile, which took place in downtown Des Moines.

Before the race, I met with several students participating in the program, and they were ready to run!


This young gal wanted her picture taken with a "real princess!" After the race she gave me a high five (and did the "down low, too slow" thing to boot ...). What a joker!


These ladies are in the "See Us Run Des Moines Program," go to Roosevelt High School, and are going to run in the Des Moines Marathon in October! Good luck with training girls!


This was the finish line!


I ran the entire 1/4 mile race (that is quite the distance for elementary students) in my crown and sash with these two girls. They did a great job! Keep running girls!


As you can see, there were TONS of kids in attendance! This event was fun not only because I got to meet so many enthusiastic children, but because it is an initiative that makes fitness fun and rewarding for students. As a supporter of childhood obesity prevention initiatives, it is so important we support programs like this in the state of Iowa.

Fabulous Photos from Shirk Photography

On Wednesday of this week, I pulled up to a house in Wilton, Iowa, wondering if I was at the right place. I was to have my Miss Iowa photos taken with Ben Shirk, owner of Shirk Photography. It was gloomy and rainy, and I soon realized my GPS led me to the correct location. Ben walked out of his house, home to his photography studio, in his stylish hat, carrying an umbrella so that I wouldn’t disrupt my new “Do” :)


Ashlie at Park Avenue Style in Muscatine did a great job styling my hair beforehand, and Ben was kind enough to keep the style from being destroyed.

What a fun experience we had! Ben has been shooting out of his home for the past four years, and I can tell he has a bright future ahead of him. Check out his web site: www.shirkphotography.com – just looking at a couple of his pictures says it all. He has a fresh, unique style that will bring him an enormous amount of success. I feel blessed that he so graciously donated my portraits for Miss Iowa. I will definitely keep him in mind for future photos!

We spent several hours together as he created eye-catching backdrops and planted me in them ever so perfectly. Thanks, Ben for the great pictures! I have already told him it will be tough to make my final decisions.

Thanks also to Ashlie for working her magic with that curling iron and hairspray – two items no woman can live without! She was also kind enough to donate her services to the Muscatine titleholders for one year. What great support we have in our area of the state!

It is paperwork time, so I’ll be finalizing my platform statement and resume, along with other required documents, in time for Miss Iowa orientation on April 24th. I’m so excited for the competition already, I can hardly stand it!

Thanks to all of you for your constant encouragement, support, and love. I would not be where I am without you.

Hugs,
Jennifer

P.S. Please enjoy a few of the sample photos I've posted below.

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?

It airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on ABC. As a current nutrition and fitness professional and future Registered Dietitian, this show has left me beyond excited.

Jamie Oliver is attempting to tackle the obesity epidemic in the United States by starting a cooking revolution - one that strays from the consumption of processed foods and focuses on the preparation of whole, nutritious meals.

This quote sums up his mission:

"This Food Revolution is about changing the way we eat. We need to start cooking again, to make sure our children don’t grow up on a diet of processed food, at school or at home, and so they won’t have to battle obesity and diet-related illnesses when they grow up. Cooking is one of the most important skills a person can have and it has been proven that families who cook together eat better. A small change in your kitchen in could save the life of someone you love. America needs to do something now, before it’s too late.” Jamie Oliver

With my platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention, I could not be more enthralled about this movement, and challenge you to watch the program as well as sign his petition here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

I encourage you to join this movement - even if it means you simply watch the program on Friday nights and talk with someone about it. Jamie Oliver has the potential to create a much needed awareness about the role parents and schools both play in fostering healthy environments for children.

On a similar note, stay tuned as I begin my Snacking Smart tour across the state of Iowa! One of the core messages I leave with children is to eat whole, clean foods that are near their natural state - good growing foods. My platform is a perfect complement to this revolution, and I look forward to seeking out more opportunities for involvement.

All the best,
Jennifer

The Biggest Loser

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a dinner sponsored by the Metro Women's Network. While the food was delicious, the best part was meeting the special guest, Rebecca Meyer. Biggest Loser fans will know Rebecca was the at-home winner for Season 8 of the Biggest Loser. She looked phenomenal and it was great to hear some of the truths behind reality TV, as well as her inspirational story. With her was Daniel Wright, who was also a contestant on Season 8 of the show. These two have made incredible strides and I know this will not be the last we hear about either one of them. Here we are pictured together.


Rebecca and Daniel will be meeting with me in the next couple of weeks to discuss my platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention, and they have offered to share their perspective on the issue. Having experienced obesity growing up, both of them told me they are passionate about dealing with prevention of the condition and promoting healthy habits in children. I will be sure to post updates from our future meeting!

Let's Move!

I encourage you to check out "Let's Move," First Lady Michelle Obama's recently launched national campaign to combat childhood obesity. Because my personal platform is Childhood Obesity Prevention and my mission in life is to help others lead a healthy lifestyle, I could not be more excited about this initiative. For a quick overview of the project, please check out this video, and join the movement!

Iowa Chiropractic Society Convention

This weekend, I had the pleasure of presenting a four-hour seminar with Dr. Ed Thomas and Dr. Diane Bartholomew for the Annual Iowa Chiropractic Society Convention at the Downtown Marriot in Des Moines. Exercise, ergonomics and posture are among the tenets of Chiropractic medicine, and we explored emerging trends in those areas. I met many Chiropractic physicians from throughout the state, and learned much about the science and art of chiropractic healing. Plus, I had an opportunity to share about my personal platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention. What a great day!

Help Me Make Miracles Happen!

As many of you know, I am working toward my dream of becoming Miss Iowa, an official preliminary to Miss America. Last year, I was first runner-up to Miss Iowa 2009, and have been working diligently to better myself and the world around me over the past several months with the hope of being able to make an even greater difference as Miss Iowa 2010.

In addition to working on my personal platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention, I am fundraising once again for the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), my favorite charity. I have met so many children and families whose lives are changed by this organization since I first became involved as a volunteer; I have encountered children with cancer, spina bifida, and ailments kids simply should not have to endure. Thankfully, CMN helps make hospital stays more welcoming for these children by providing them with quality staff, medical equipment, and research to discover more effective treatments.

Please help me reach my goal of raising $2,000 for CMN so that, together, we can touch the lives of sick and injured children and ease the stresses of those who love them. The donations you make to CMN are so deeply needed and really do generate miracles for families across the country.

Join me in helping these children by making a secure donation today at this link: http://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=5365DB8CF33

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at jneal87@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! Thank you, and God Bless.

Jennifer