1) Okay to Eat, Drink Before Exercise

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Times have changed since mothers cautioned children about waiting 30 minutes after supper before going out to play. In today’s world, meals often are sandwiched between family activities.

While not eating a meal before even moderate physical activity might seem common sense, eating before, during or after exercise can be a matter of personal preference – and stamina, said Elizabeth Fallon, Kansas State University exercise scientist. Some recreational marathon runners can eat while running the marathon.

Replacing fluids lost through perspiration is a must, though, said Fallon, who this year is consulting on K-State Research and Extension’s Walk Kansas challenge March 9-May 3.

And, while replacing lost fluids is important during spring and summer heat, doing so is also important during fall and winter, when it’s still possible to work up a sweat, she said. 

Dehydration can upset the body’s chemical balance and cause multiple problems. Minor symptoms may include thirst, dry mouth and fatigue. More extreme symptoms and effects may include dizziness, nausea, tingling limbs, exhaustion and even death, Fallon said.

Fallon recommended drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day for general health, and drinking additional water before and after physical activity.

To check for dehydration, Fallon recommends taking a look at one’s urine: Clear urine suggests hydration; the darker the urine, the greater the dehydration.

More tips on adding healthy physical activity to everyday life are available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices or on the Walk Kansas Web site at www.walkkansas.org or the Kansas Extension Web site at www.oznet.ksu.edu.


 

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2)  May 3 Herb Day Slated for Sedgwick County Extension

WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita’s 13th annual Herb Day will be May 3 at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at the corner of 21st and Ridge Rd.

The event runs from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Herb growers, cooks and others can learn about selecting, planting, maintaining, decorating with and cooking herbs.

Sponsored by the county’s K-State Research and Extension Master Gardeners and the Herb Society of South Central Kansas, the day will feature seminars on topics appropriate for both the homeowner and commercial audience. Plant vendors will have herbs and other plants for sale.

The keynote speaker for Herb Day will be Beverly Fennell, a lifelong herbal cook and cultivator from Little Rock, Ark. Fennell has taught classes at the Chef's Mart in Chicago and opened her own cooking school in Tennessee. She also was on a long-running PBS show on gardening with herbs. Since moving to Little Rock, she has been an active member of the Arkansas Unit of the American Herb Society and has produced a video on the use and cultivation of herbs.

Seminars on growing and preserving herbs, as well as using them in cooking, will be given through the day. Some will take place in the Extension Demonstration Garden.

Sedgwick County’s Extension Master Gardeners will have a plant sale during the event. An herbal brunch served by 4-H members will be available. Other parts of the day will include a garden magazine sale, vendor exhibits, door prizes and the Kansas Grown! Farmer’s Market.

The address for the Sedgwick Co. Extension Center is 7001 W 21st N, Wichita, Kan. More information is available by calling Extension horticulture agent Bob Neier at 316-722-7721, Ext. 140.

 

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3) Warmer Weather Signals Insect-Scouting Time for Farmers

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – The arrival of spring means baseball season, yard work and walks in the park for some, but for farmers it means insects may be active in their crops.

“One of the earliest pests is often the army cutworm,” said Kansas State University entomologist Phil Sloderbeck. “This larva can feed on a variety of crops at this time of year, including alfalfa, canola and wheat.”

Sloderbeck, who is the entomology state leader for K-State Research and Extension, said producers should watch their fields for areas that are failing to green-up.

“The need for treatment depends on the number of worms and the amount of feeding,” Sloderbeck said. “Lush, rapidly growing stands can support higher numbers of larvae than either thin or stressed stands can. Since we have not heard of much cutworm activity yet, it may be that problems are not going to be too severe this year.”

The other pest that bears watching for at this time of year is the alfalfa weevil, he added.

“We should probably begin scouting fields as soon as possible, given that we had another long, mild fall that could mean an early hatch of weevil larvae this spring,” Sloderbeck said.

Management information for army cutworm, alfalfa weevil, and other agricultural and household pests is available by using the search function on the K-State Research and Extension entomology Web site: http://www.entomology.ksu.edu/.


 

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4) Americans Over-Confident About Low-Water Crossings

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Many Americans still believe the size and weight of their vehicle is enough to withstand the force when water starts flowing in a low-water crossing.

As a result, Americans are still dying.

These crossings are on normally passable roads, and that can give drivers a false sense of security, said Mary Knapp, State of Kansas climatologist, based with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

“When the rainwater in that dip, dry stream or other drainage area reaches just 6 inches deep, it can take the control of your vehicle away from you. If you drive too fast, even less water will make your car hydroplane,” Knapp said.

Many Americans also believe that flooded low-water crossings are mostly a hazard at night.

“Visibility can be a problem,” she said. “But fatality statistics show that daytime is as much, if not more risky than nighttime. Perhaps the ability to see makes people over-confident.”

Even during the daytime, being able to assess the condition of the road under the water is likely to be impossible, Knapp said. And, flooding can scour or even wash away roadbeds, making the surface unsafe for driving.

“We all need to pay attention to the slogan ‘Turn around, don’t drown,’” she said.