Susie Kundrat has taught students in the fields of kinesiology and nutritional sciences for decades at UW-Milwaukee. Through teaching, she's learned that the best way to share information was often to simplify the science. This experience as a nutrition educator and health advocate inspired Kundrat to launch Eat Move Groove, which includes a book and a tour that shares simple and positive ways to improve one's health — no matter your age or your physical ability.
For Kundrat, the main mission behind launching this program was to help bridge the gap between research and daily life and put it in a package that people can do, remember and feel good about.
"As I started thinking about what I could do to make a difference in that space for consumers, I came up with the idea of 'Eat Move Groove,'" explains Kundrat. "Simple ways to eat, move your body in ways that feel good to you and support your personal well-being in all kinds of ways, which is what I talk about with the 'groove."
Specific, restrictive diets are something that, as an educator, Kundrat has encountered many times and now advises against. These approaches are often unsuccessful because they are not built for longevity and can cause illness due to lack of nutritional replenishment. That's where Eat Move Groove is different.
Kundrat says, "My goal with Eat Move Groove is to put something out there that is fun. It's simple. I wouldn't say it's easy to do because any behavior change is not necessarily easy, but it has a formula that people can go back to every day ... It's easy enough to understand that people can do it and feel good about it."
Kundrat's principle formula is what she calls the "2211 Lifestyle." For example, when you apply it to eating, it's "Simply just thinking when you start a meal try to start it with ... two cups of produce," she explains. "And the second '2' is at least two ounce equivalence of protein." Then the "11" component is one whole grain or starch and one healthy fat source.
Kundrat recommends finding food without being too weary of processed foods. Instead, find food that is accessible. While produce is important to regularly consume, Kundrat also encourages to not neglect having a source of protein with each meal as well. She also advocates consuming an appropriate amount of foods that aren't necessarily the healthiest, but that we enjoy eating. In terms of exercise, Kundrat recommends at least 22 minutes of purposeful movements per day and 11 minutes of stretch, strengthening or stability a day.
"So what people need to remember is the 2211 for eat and the 2211 for move, and you find what brings you joy and that's the type of movement you do so it's very positive," she says.
The 'groove' component is all about supporting personal well-being, ranging from being in community with others to focusing on how you feel emotionally. "That's important because it's the foundation," Kundrat adds. "If we feel good about ourselves and positive then we're more apt to eat well and move well, too."
Kundrat will be at the Shorewood High School auditorium on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. for her latest tour stop where 22% of book sale profits will go to the UW-Milwaukee Food Center and Pantry, Kinship Community Food Center and the Cathedral Center.
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