Miss Becky's Blog

2nd Annual SMILEY's FUN RUN

Dear Friends,

Since SMILEY's FUN RUN was such a fun, good experience for our family and friends, especially the Chinese children at the Gao Chun Special School, we have decided to make it an ANNUAL event.

The purpose of the FUN RUN will be to have FUN together as we

* Promote good health and fitness for family and friends,

* Raise $$ to support the SUNSHINE Project in Nanjing, China, and

* Put SMILES on the faces of all who participate!!!

It will be held each year in the fall around Ken/Smiley's birthday in honor of the first FUN RUN, where we were able to pull off the most "spectuar suprise" of Ken's life!!!

Our "Top Secret Mission" was accomplished AND our grandchildren loved it. Months ago they started asking what we were going to do to celebrate Pappy's birthday this year? That got Ken and I to thinking and we have been in contact with the Sunshine Project leaders in China to set it all up.

The 2nd ANNUAL SMILEY's FUN RUN will be held on: Saturday, October 27th 2007 in Logan, Utah and at the Gao Chun Special School near Nanjing, China AND anywhere you live, for example our son K.C. will be "running" in Las Vegas and is inviting some young friends to participate as a service project.

The FUN RUN will be 7 miles again here in Logan, or whatever length that would be a good goal for you and yours. Some of our younger grandchildren will "run" a shorter distance, with some stops along the way to do some FUN activities. We post a report of our FUN RUN on my BLOG after October 27th.

We have challenged each of the Chinese children and our grandchildren to set their own GOAL for what they want to accomplish this year and EACH will be rewarded for reaching their GOAL!!

The SUNSHINE Project leaders in China are printing t-shirts for the children there to save shipping costs --- our family will use our shirts from last year. We are sending some "smiley" prizes for each of the children who complete their "walking, jogging, running" goal.

I'll also be posting several articles on health/fitness on my BLOG at: http://www.xmission.com/~kmitch/becky/ that to be used by the Chinese teachers to promote greater knowledge and awareness of the vital role exercise and positive emotions (love, caring, & happiness) play in our health, overall well-being and fitness.

If you live in Logan, you are invited to come "walk/jog/run" with us at 10:00 am on October 27th. If any of you want to do something for your health and "walk/jog/run" where ever you are, we would appreciate knowing and receiving your pictures so we can share with the Chinese children, all those who participated.

We are inviting our grandchildren to make any donation they want to the Sunshine Project, rather than giving Ken or I birthday gifts. AND it has to be money that they have "earned" themself, not just given them by their parents. We want them to learn early to care about others and learn to give!

Donations of any amount to the SUNSHINE Project will be welcome:

In China donations can be sent to:

JIN JIAN (Jane is her English name)

Bank of China in Nanjing, HuNan Road Sub-Branch, PR China

Account number 4447802-0188-052027-3

Jin Jian, is the treasurer of the SUNSHINE Project and if you have any questions please call her at 13851986887.

In America, donation checks can be sent to:

Ken & Becky Mitchell

149 East 700 North

Logan, UT 84321

Phone: 435-752-2466

If you would like to learn more about the SUNSHINE Project, please go to my BLOG and click on the Category "Sunshine Project - Nanjing, China."

Hope you all have had a good summer and are enjoying beautiful fall or autumn weather now. It's very beautiful here in Logan, we are especially enjoying cooler temperatures after a hot, record setting summer.

KEEP MOVING AND SMILING!!!

Much love,

Ken and Becky Mitchell

YOU CAN STOP NORMAL AGING

This article, YOU CAN STOP “NORMAL” AGING – by Dr. Henry S. Lodge, shows the importance of EXERCISE & LOVE to the health of individual cells of your body!

Form your body’s point of view, “normal” aging isn’t normal at all. It’s a choice you make by the way you live your life. The other choice is to tell your cells to grow – to build a strong, vibrant body and mind.

Let’s have a look at standard American aging. Barbara D. had a baby when she was 34, gave up exercise and gained 50 pounds. Exhausted and depressed, Barbara thought youth, energy and optimism were all in her rearview mirror. Jon M., 55, had fallen even farther down the slippery slope. He was stuck in the corporate world of stress, long hours and doughnuts. At 255 pounds, he had knees that hurt and a back that ached. He developed high blood pressure and eventually diabetes. Life was looking grim.

Jon and Barbara weren’t getting old; they had let their bodies decay. Most aging is just the dry rot we program into our cells by sedentary living, junk food and stress. Yes, we do have to get old, and ultimately we do have to die. But out bodies are designed to age slowly and remarkably well. Most of what we see and fear is decay, and decay is only one choice. Growth is the other.

After two years of misery, Barbara started exercising and is now in the best shape of her life. She just finished a sprint triathlon and, at 37, feels like she is 20. Jon started eating better and exercising too – slowly at first, but he stuck with it. He has since lost 50 pounds, the pain in his knees and back has disappeared, and his diabetes is gone. Today, Jon is 60 and living his life in the body of a healthy 30-year-old. He will die one day, but he is likely to live like a young man until he gets there.

The hard reality of our biology is that we are built to move. Exercise is the master signaling system that tells our cells to grow instead of fade. When we exercise, that process of growth spreads throughout every cell in our bodies, making us functionally younger. Not a little bit younger – a lot younger. True biological aging is a surprisingly slow and graceful process. You can live out your life in a powerful, healthy body if you are willing to put in the work.

Let’s take a step back to see how exercise works at the cellular level. Your body is made up of trillions of cells that live mostly for a few weeks or months, die and are replaced by new cells in an endless cycle. For example, your taste buds live only a few hours, white blood cells live 10 days, and your muscle cells live about three months. Even your bones dissolve and are replaced, over and over again. A few key stem cells in each organ and your brain cells are the only ones that stick around for the duration. All of your other cells are in a constant state of renewal.

You replace about 1% of your cells every day. That means 1% of your body is brand-new today, and you will get another 1% tomorrow. Think of it as getting a whole new body every three months. It’s not entirely accurate, but it’s pretty close. Viewed that way, you are walking around in a body that is brand-new since Christmas (article appeared in March 2007) new lungs, new liver, new muscles, new skin. Look down at your legs and realize that you are going to have new ones by the Fourth of July. Whether that body is functionally younger or older is a choice you make by how you live.

You choose whether those new cells come in stronger or weaker. You choose whether they grow or decay each day from then on. Your cells don’t care which choice you make. They just follow the directions you send. Exercise, and your cells get stronger; sit down, and they decay.

Men like Jon, who go from sedentary to fit, cut their risk of dying from a heart attack by 75% over five years. Women cut their risk by 80% -- and heart attacks are the largest single killer of women. Both men and women can double their leg strength with three months of exercise, and most of us can double it again in another three months. This is true whether you’re in your 30% or your 90%. It’s not a miracle or a mystery. It’s your biology, and you’re in charge.

The other master signal to our cells—equal and, in some respects, even more important than exercise—is emotion. One of the most fascinating revelations of the last decade is that emotions change our cells through the same molecular pathways as exercise. Anger, stress and loneliness are signals for “starvation” and chronic danger. They “melt” our bodies as surely as sedentary living. Optimism, love and community trigger the process of growth, building our bodies, hearts and minds.

Men who have a heart attack and come home to a family are four times less likely to die of a second heart attack. Women battling heart disease or cancer do better in direct proportion to the number of close friends and relatives they have. Babies in the ICU who are touched more often are more likely to survive. Everywhere you look, you see the role of emotion/love in our biology. Like exercise, it’s a choice.

’s hard to exercise every day. And with our busy lives, it’s even harder to find the time and energy to maintain relationships and build communities. But it’s worth it when you consider the alternative. Go for a walk or a run, and think about it. Deep in our cells, down at the level of molecular genetics, we are wired to exercise and to care. We’re beginning to wake up to that as a nation, but you might not want to wait. You might want to join Barbara, Jon and millions of others and change your life. Start today. Your cells are listening.

Dr. Henry S. Lodge is on the faculty of Columbia Medical School and is co-author of “Younger Next Year”….

GROWING OLD ...

My sister, Sue, sent these quotes to Ken for his SEVENTY Birthday:

Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. -- Maurice Chevalier

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. -- George Burns

Don't worry about middle age: you'll outgrow it. -- Laurence J. Peter

They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much. --Malcolm Cowley

I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomnes less and less an issue and what you are is the point. -- Susan Sarandon

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? Satchell Paige

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

If you die in the elevator, be sure to push the UP button. -- Sam Levenson

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE . . .

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. -- Richard Bach

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. -- William James

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the SMILES have been. -- Mark Twain

American Teenage Boy Plans to Run 200 Miles for Children's Charity

WOW ... can you image running continuously for 200 miles???? That's what the following young man is planning to do to raise money for a Children's Hospital!!! See the details in the article below:

Teens Vows To Run 200 Miles For Children's Charity

By Michele Gile

(CBS) LAKE FOREST, Calif. An 18-year-old runner will begin a planned 200-mile continuous run to raise funds for patients at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) tomorrow at El Toro High School.

Jesse Zweig will begin his "ultramarathon" at 2:30 p.m. from his alma mater at 25255 Toledo Way, and hopes to finish it Saturday, with the goal of raising $20,000, said Vicki Koda of the CHOC Foundation.

The run, with only short bathroom stops, will conclude at Zweig's home on Chestnutwood in Lake Forest, the hospital's Denise Almazan said.

Zweig plans to pass through Orange, Tustin, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills, she said.

The distance is the equivalent of 7 1/2 marathons, Almazan said.

Zweig, who competed in track at El Toro High School, became interested in the concept of running an ultramarathon after reading the book, "The Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner," written by Dean Karnazes, Almazan said.

"He has no personal connection to CHOC," Almazan said. "He feels blessed that he enjoys good health and wants to do something for the kids who are not as lucky."

Zweig, a Mormon, is awaiting an assignment for a two-year mission before going to college, Almazan said.

Zweig told KCAL9 that he is making backup preparations.

"This is the second pair of shoes (that) I need to break in, just in case," he said.

"There's no way I'd be able to do this by myself, (without) people, (without) their encouragement," Zweig said. "I've gotten e-mails, just telling me their stories, people who have been to CHOC. They're kind of helping me out. And also donations, they help out a lot."

Last year, Zweig raised about $7,000 when he ran 100 miles for CHOC, Channel 9 reported.

"It's going to be tough," Zweig said. "It'll be tough, I know that, but I'm prepared for it. I'm not going to give up just because it's hurting. So, I'm just going to push through it."

Zweig said he will keep himself going by thinking of the children at the hospital

SMILEY's FUN RUN at Gao Chun Special School

On Saturday, October 28th, some of the SUNSHINE Project leaders and students from Nanjing University traveled to the Gao Chun Special School to help the children with SMILEY's FUN RUN that day.

Hua Weina, Nanjing University teacher and one of the leaders of the Sunshine Project, along with Yang Hui and two of her deaf classmates (I love their SMILES!!!!) who have already graduated from this school and are now attending college in Nanjing. Yang Hui was one of the oldest children at the Gao Chun school when the SUNSHINE Project was started. She returned that day to visit with her friends, see the new campus and to participate in SMILEY's FUN RUN!!!!

Weina Hua, sent the following report and pictures:

"IT IS A WONDERFUL DAY. The Gao Chun Special School (the school changed its name since there are altogether 38 mental disabled students and 55 deaf students) has a new campus. It is much bigger and good in teaching and living condition. More teachers now in school.

"All the kids took part in the Smiley's Fun Run and had running games after the line running. The school had sound now with the mental-disabled students shouting 'Come on!' The kids were very happy today. And they were even happier to have the prizes with candy, balloon, toys, bouncing ball, and so on from Becky and JoAn."

The school in YELLOW today!

The youngest students are off and RUNNING!!!!!

Jin Jian (Jane), Sunshine Project leader from NJU leads the way as everyone "runs"!!!

Some of the children needed help in the running.

After the line running, there were running games! (I LOVE the sign!!!)

Jane plays the game!!! Look at the SMILES!!!

Here comes Weina ... she's a good player too!!

Here the children open their prize bags of smiley-faced toys, candy, pencils, balloons, etc.

Weina says, "The kids sent gifts to US grandparents, most of which are picture with greetings. Among them a box from a boy with four chocoletes. It would be no surprise if it came from our students. But it is from a boarding school deaf boy, who maybe thought it is very valuable and he sent to grandpa across the ocean and hope he would have a fully recovery (they all know that Ken had a heart attack before). And another box with 4 paper folded cranes also meaning fully recover soon. And some students wrote English meaning Missing You." (The Director, Teachers and Students of this school have always shown such great appreciation for what we have been able to contribute to their school.)

Eating lunch in the new dinning hall --- much nicer and so light! Weina reports, "There is some space in the school to plant vegetables

for their lunch. It is also very good!"

Yang Hui communicates with the students in sign language.

Weina ends her report with these special words about the teachers at the Gao Chun Special School: "We are much moved by the teachers' work. These teachers are really the contributers to the kids, especially those who are responcible to the mentally disordered kids. I couldn't explain very well in English, but I should say they are greater than us university teachers." The characters painted on the walls at the school show the spirit of the teachers and leaders there:

Body Disabled Gives You Special Potentials

Special Education Helps You Have A Unique Life

I'm sure the teachers at the Gao Chun Special School are most wonderful and dedicated to their students. BUT all of you leaders of the Sunshine Project are excellent teachers too and give so much of yourself not only to your students but to the students at Gao Chun. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your work and effort in making SMILEY's FUN RUN such a special experience for everyone at Gao Chun Special School. TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER -- Working together we can really accomplish WONDERFUL things!!!

WALKING -- JOGGING -- HIKING!!!!

Walking is very enjoyable exercise and is not only good for your physical body, but good for you mentally and emotionally as well.

I LOVE walking, jogging and hiking during the autumn time of the year. I've been able to do around 180 miles in the seven weeks of preparation for SMILEY's FUN RUN. I LOVE being outdoors and the fall time of the year is so beautiful in Logan, Utah. Here are a few pictures so you can see what it's like in my hometown during the fall time when the leaves begin to turn into pretty autumn colors.

This tree is right in front of our house, which Ken calls "Fort Smiley".

This is the same tree from the street side, our house is behind the tree. Some parts of our home are covered with natural wood, but most of it is "yellow." When we purchased our home, many years ago, it was a gray color. We chose to paint the house "yellow" because it is such a "happy" color. Ft. Smiley will be the finish line of SMILEY's FUN RUN here in Logan, Utah.

This is the tree lined, street we live on (700 North). I like to walk up toward the mountains. Utah State University in located at the top of the hill. The mountains in the background are not far away. We live in a valley, meaning that it is surrounded by mountains. Logan is located very close to the mountains on the east side of the valley. It only take about 5 minutes by car to arrive in the mountains.

It's FUN to walk through the fallen leaves. My grandchildren love to play in the leaves. Last week they raked all the fallen leaves in the neighbor's yards and brought them to our front lawn so they could make a huge pile of leaves to "play" in.

Since August, I've spent a few days each week at my father's home in Provo, Utah helping him. His home is also very close to the mountains.

When I'm at his home in Provo, I like to drive about five minutes to the mouth of Rock Canyon pictured here ... it's a great place to hike.

The trail can be very rocky in places, but it the rocks and trees are beautiful and and the trail is a steady incline so you get a good workout.

Rock Canyon is a good name for this place -- see all the rocks on the trail. The fall leaves add to the beauty of the season.

It fills my heart with JOY and makes me SMILE everyday to live in and enjoy such a beautiful world. I LOVE the mountains and University campuses, as I've lived near them both all my life!!!!

Deaf Student and Teachers Train for SMILEY'S FUN RUN

All the students and teachers at the Gao Chun Special School of Deaf and Disabled students have been participating in the TOP SECRET ADVENTURE. They are walking/jogging together each day and reporting their miles.

   

Teachers and older students help the younger ones.

In three (3) weeks the Students and Teachers at Gaochun School did 1,290 miles!!! They send their reports on e-mail to Miss Hua who translates them and sents me the total miles.

The Students and Teachers will participate in SMILEY's FUN RUN at their campus on Saturday, October 28th. Some of the Chinese Teachers/Leaders of The Sunshine Project at Nanjing University will travel to the school that day and help to implement the FUN RUN.

There will be a special "SMILEY's FUN RUN" t-shirt for each of the children to wear during the "run". When the children have finished the RUN there will be a fun, bag of prizes (toys, balloons, pencils, etc.) as a reward for their efforts.

It is our hope that the teachers and students will continue to "walk/jog/or run" each day to keep their bodies in good health.

Look for a report and pictures after October 28th of the FUN RUN done at GaoChun Special School.

HEART SMARTS ...

Save Your Heart Today -- Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Eighty percent of cases are preventable. Mehmet Oz, MD, and Michael Roizen, MD, boil it down to the

10 THINGS WE SHOULD ALL BE DOING

Get at least seven hours of sleep.

That's per night, not week. And men—a needier breed—require eight. The benefit? Ask us if you still need an explanation when you wake up in the morning.

Know your blood pressure.

What's the fastest way to age an artery? Subject it to high blood pressure, which will harden it like a garden hose that's been left out in the sun. A range of 120/80 to 130/85 mmHg is considered below the hypertension point, but it's not ideal. In fact, reducing your blood pressure from 130/85 to 115/76 can make your body up to ten years younger. There's no data to show that using drugs to lower blood pressure offers the full youth effect. So for now, you guessed it: Exercise, lose weight, reduce stress. The good news is the benefits from doing physical activity are just about instantaneous.

Avoid smoky bars.

Don't let people puff away in your space. An hour of passive smoke (called “second hand”smoke from others smoking around you) can cause the same amount of aging as having two to four cigarettes. (If you're doing the smoking, we're not going to bother nagging. You know what to do.)

Learn something new. Love something you do.

Continuing to challenge the brain and being passionately engaged increases neuroplasticity, prompting the growth of extra connections. If you then have an injury like a stroke, the brain is better able to compensate for the trauma and lessen its effects.

Walk 30 minutes every day.

One study on men suggests that for every hour of exercise, you get two extra hours of life. Rather than the "30 minutes," though, fixate on the "every day"—moving regularly is the active ingredient in exercise's powerful anti-aging effect.

Take half an aspirin daily.

Yes, those big studies came out last year saying low-dose aspirin does pretty much zilch to prevent heart attacks and cancer in women, but we still have little bits and pieces of the puzzle coming in—and the evidence is strong for aspirin's reducing the risk of stroke. Let's put it this way: People in the know take half an aspirin a day. If you're over 40, we recommend half a 325 milligram tablet (or two baby aspirins), with half a glass of warm water both before and after you swallow so that you're less likely to irritate your stomach. Check with your doctor to make sure you are aspirin tolerant.

Eat fish three times a week.

It may not be just the omega-3s in the oil that keep the heart and arteries humming along; a number of animal studies have also indicated that fish protein provides a separate boost to cardiovascular health. Eat a variety of low-mercury fish (such as wild salmon, catfish, or tilapia). And if you're not nuts about seafood, an ounce of walnuts a day will give you a good dose of omega-3s.

Live within your means.

Feeling out of control financially can cost you not only sleep (see number one) but also arterial health due to chronic stress. A bankruptcy can put miles on your body's odometer.

Floss and brush.

Periodontal disease, such as gingivitis, does not affect just the gums. Any chronic infection stimulates your body to defend itself, and part of the response is to protect against bleeding with an increase in clotting tendency—a recipe for heart attack.

Don't leave home without a stress-reducing technique—or several.

Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, running, knitting—you can't have too many ways to defuse stress. Even scrunching up your face as tightly as you can for 15 seconds and then releasing can deflect the pressure before it gets to you and starts wearing and tearing your cells.