Make YOUR Bucks FitPledge
Complete the form to make your pledge to living a healthier and more active lifestyle
Take the first step towards your total health, whether you pledge to drink more water, swap your snack for a healthier alternative, or commit to working out like the pros. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network are helping fans improve the total health in the communities in which we live, work, and play.
Take our 30-Day Pledge Challenge. Sign up by using the form below and be eligible for BucksFit Rewards.
Prizes
2 Courtside seats Feb. 13 Bucks vs. Detroit & Player Meet and Greet
2 Courtside seats Mar. 10 Bucks vs. Indiana & Player Meet and Greet
Bucks Fan Pack filled with Bucks Gear
Player Autographed Item
Meet the Experts
Jake Daniels, BS, CPT
Jake Daniels has a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, with over 6 years of personal training experience. Being one of the leaders for this year’s BucksFit challenge and a Froedtert & MCW health coach, he puts tremendous value in his fitness expertise. Jake believes that everyone can attain their own level of greatness, and he is ready to inspire you beyond what you believe you can achieve.
Marin Koebert, MS, CPT
Marin Koebert, MS, CPT, GFI, is a Senior Health Coach for Froedtert & MCW Workforce Health. She is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Group Fitness Instructor, and holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology. As a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, she has helped many individuals create and reach their health and wellness goals. A long-time player in the fitness industry, Marin speaks for both academic and community programs and contributes to local media on fitness and wellness topics.
Sarah Kent, MS, RD
Sarah is a Certified and Registered Dietitian with a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition. Her specialties include clinical Medical Nutrition Therapy for weight loss, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Sarah lectures for both academic and community programs and contributes to local media on nutrition topics. She is passionate about health in her personal life and enjoys working out, cooking and traveling.
Healthy Tips from Jake Daniels, BS, CPT
Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training all major muscle groups 2-3 times per week can help reduce body fat, decrease muscle loss, improve blood sugar, reduce lower back pain and reduce risk of osteoporosis. Try adding 1-2 days of strength training to your routine; our favorite smartphone apps to use are “Nike Training Club” or “Johnson and Johnson 7 Minute Workout.” Give them a try!
Lower your Blood Pressure by Walking
Walking 10 minutes three times a day can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 5-7 points within three to four weeks!
Love your Heart (Rate)
Want to get the most out of your cardiovascular workout? Take 220 and subtract your age, and that is your age-predicted maximum heart rate. Healthy adults should strive to reach 60-85% of their age-predicted maximum heart rate to obtain the most benefits during a cardiovascular workout. For example, a 40 year old’s age-predicted maximum heart rate would be 180 beats per minute (220-40=180 bpm). That 40 year old would aim for a heart rate of 108-153 beats per minute to help improve heart health during cardiovascular exercise.
Rate your Intensity
An effective way to monitor exercise intensity is using the Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE) on a scale from 1-10. During exercise, pay attention to how your entire body feels during an exercise session, where a 1 = very weak effort, 3 = moderate effort, 10 = extremely strong effort. The recommended RPE range for most healthy individuals to achieve health benefits is 3–7 on the scale, which indicates moderate-intensity activity.
Warm Up!
All workouts should start with a lower-intensity warmup for at least 5 - 10 minutes to prepare your body for higher intensity activity and reduce the risk for injury. Make sure to get your heart rate up, and move through similar movements that you will be doing during your workout.
Set an Example
If you eat fruits and vegetables, your kids will be more likely to eat them. Children learn by example and imitation. If they see you eating fruits and vegetables, they will want to try them too!
What is RICES?
Most musculoskeletal injuries that occur during exercise are non-life-threatening, although they require a quick emergency response to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation:
Rest: Stop using the injured area.
Ice: Put an ice bag on the injured area for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours.
Compression: Use an ACE bandage or other compression device to compress the injured area
Elevation: Use pillows to raise the injured limb above heart level
Stabilization: Use braces, splints, or wraps to stabilize the area around the join injury
Step Up!
Walking 10,000 steps per day can help control weigh and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Use an inexpensive pedometer or a free phone app (we like the “health” app on the iPhone, but you can also search “pedometer” in your app store).
Spend a week tracking your steps to see your average. The next week, try to add 500 steps to that average, continue adding steps each week until you are up to 10,000 steps per day.
Balance Yourself
A well-designed exercise program includes a variety of training techniques, including cardio, weights, core exercises, balance, and flexibility. Your exercise program should complement your work routine, making sure that you include all aspects of fitness.
You may benefit more from an exercise program that is very different from what you do all day. If you lift heavy items at work, but not very often, then a lighter weight, higher rep strength routine may give a better balance to your activities.
Healthy Tips from Marin Koebert, MS, CPT
Boost Your Mood!
In as little as 5 minutes after completing a moderate-intensity workout, exercise can boost your mood and reduce anxiety! What is moderate-intensity exercise? Go for a walk and time yourself for 1 minute. Try to get 100 steps in during that minute. Now you know what a moderate-intensity walk feels like!
Break the Stress Cycle
Stress is an automatic response to an action, situation, or event. Stress helps us to think clearly, increases our heart rate and is motivational. However, too much stress in your life, on a regular basis, can cause weight problems, type 2 diabetes, pain, gastrointestinal problems, and increased susceptibility to infections. Click here to learn a quick 5 minute break that can break the stress cycle!
Muscle Up!
Every decade after age 30, the average inactive adult loses 3-8% of their muscle mass. After age 50, muscle loss increases to 5-10% each decade! Muscle is what helps us maintain our mobility and quality of life as we age. How do you keep your muscle? Strength train all your major muscle groups 2-3 times per week. Hire a personal trainer, or try a smartphone app like “Nike Training Club” or “Sworkit”.
Get your Zzz’s
The National Sleep Foundation reports that most adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per night to function at their optimal level. Lack of enough quality sleep affects our ability to fight disease, perform physical and mental tasks, and can even lead to weight gain. Click here to watch a short video on how to better prepare for quality sleep!
Keep Calm
Certain situations are more stressful than others. Because we spend 8 hours most days at work, we tend to find ourselves stressed at work more than other place. Click here to learn more about how you can de-stress when a situation gets tense at the workplace.
Stay Flexible
Flexibility is the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion. Having adequate flexibility can aid in the ability to carry out the activities of daily living and can decrease risk of injury during exercise. Here are some important things to remember before you stretch:
- Make sure your body is warm, whether that’s after a workout or after a hot shower
- You want to stretch to a point of tightness or slight discomfort. If you feel pain, stop.
- Hold each stretch for 30 seconds each to adequately lengthen your muscles
- Take deep breaths as you stretch, avoid holding your breath
Just 10 minutes of stretching 2-3 days per week can improve your range of motion in 3-4 weeks!
Healthy Tips from Sarah Kent, MS, RD
Did you know?
Fried foods contain artery-clogging saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease—the leading killer of Americans. By baking, grilling or broiling foods, you can still retain the flavor without the fat. Try this recipe for Faux Fried Chicken tonight!
Eat this…not that…
Closely monitoring calorie intake from restaurant and fast foods can be a great way to maintain or lose weight. A typical large burrito with all the fixing can rack up over 1,000 calories in one serving!! That’s more than half the amount of calories many people should have in an entire day. Try this tasty recipe for homemade Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls and you won’t even miss the fast food version.
Try this meal planning tip…
Pull your slow cooker out of the cabinet, dust it off and start using it on a weekly basis to make meals. Toss ingredients in the pot the night before and pull out in the morning before work to turn on. Walk in the door after work to a hot, tasty meal! Check out this recipe for Amazing Pork Tenderloin in Slow Cooker
Eat this…not that…
Most pasta dishes are made with heavy, creamy sauces that are laden with fat and calories. You can easily swap low fat milk for heavy cream in preparing recipes at home to retain the flavor and texture but easily cut calories. Try this easy homemade Fettuccini Alfredo recipe to warm you up on a cold winter day.
Try this for today…
Homemade smoothies can be a great way to add in extra servings of fruits and vegetables. PLUS, they can serve as a quick meal or snack when you are on the go. Here are some ideas for How to Make a Smoothie. Try this Blueberry Pomegranate Surprise Smoothie for breakfast tomorrow.
Try this tonight…
Getting kids to eat fruits and vegetables is not always easy. Mix in vegetables into your children’s favorite meals to sneak them in. Chop mushrooms to mix with ground beef in your next casserole, shred carrots or zucchini into spaghetti sauce or add chopped bell peppers on pizza. Check out this recipe for Cauliflower Mac and Cheese instead of the box version.
Did you know?
Over half of your body is made up of water. It’s crucial to drink a minimum of 8 cups of water or water-like beverages per day. Choose sugar free beverages to save on calories—try putting some fresh fruit such as sliced lemons or limes in a bottle of water for a refreshing drink. Sometimes we confuse feelings of thirst with hunger so always fill up on water first.
Did you know?
Who eats more? The person who eats chips straight out of the bag or the person who pours them in a bowl first? No matter your appetite, when food is presented in a large portion size, you are more likely to overeat. To keep portions in check, serve meals on salad-size plates, portion snack mix into individual small bags and scoop ice cream into kid-size bowls. Try this recipe for Egg Muffins which are made into individual servings by baking using a muffin tin.
Did you know?
We often eat out of habit, boredom, stress, or convenience. If we work on being more aware of signs of physical hunger, it can help us to eat more mindfully. Try to eat during the shaded times based on this Hunger Scale to help guide mindful eating habits.