So the pizza and potato to-do wasn't the final word on school lunches after all. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new guidelines for the school lunch and school breakfast programs. Some will take effect as soon as this fall, while others will be phased in over the next few years. Most significantly:

• Lunches will include both a fruit and a vegetable serving every day; while the plan to limit the amount of starchy vegetables served was scuttled, the rules do require schools to offer veggies from each of several subgroups (such as "dark green" and "red/orange") over the course of a week.
• Whole grains will be used for at least half of the grains served--for the first two years. After that, all grains must be whole.
• Plain milk will be fat-free or low-fat (1%); flavored milk will be fat-free only.
• Total calories per meal will fall within recommended, age-appropriate ranges.
• Over time, amounts of saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium will be reduced.

In unveiling the rules along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, First Lady Michelle Obama said: "When we send our kids to school, we have a right to expect that they won't be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we're trying to keep from them when they're at home ... That's why so many schools across this country have been working so hard to improve the food that they serve to our kids in school."

• How to pack healthy school lunches
• How to talk with your child about healthy lunch choices

If you prefer your workouts with a soundtrack of Latin or hip-hop beats, check out a new DVD: Rhythmica Cardio Dance Party from Gaiam. My review is now up, so you can find out what I thought, leave your own comments if you've tried this DVD, and see suggestions for other dance-based workouts too. They are a good option for cold and gloomy winter days, and I also think they're great for parent-child (or whole family) fitness sessions.

My daughter wears pretty dresses and makeup while she competes. Does that mean that figure skating isn't a sport? (Check her heart rate after a few spins and jumps before you answer.)

I strengthen my muscles and bones with a regular yoga practice. Am I an athlete? (Let me show you my push-up form before you discount what I've learned from hundreds of chaturangas.)

Today I'm asking: What is a sport? Maybe you can tell from the above that I have a pretty inclusive definition. Read more, and then tell me if you agree in the comments below.

Did you resolve to start (or restart) running in 2012? Whether you're starting fresh or returning to running after some time away, a 5K training program, often called "Couch to 5K," is a good way to get up to speed. I've used a training app called Ease into 5K; it's available for iOS and Android devices.

Over at About Running & Jogging, guide Christine Luff has advice for running on a treadmill and with a jogging stroller, and she also has a great quick-start running plan of her own.

I'm an on-again, off-again runner--this time of year, I would rather go cross-country skiing if I can. I just found out about a snowshoe race at a nearby nature center this weekend, too. I wish I didn't have a scheduling conflict, because I would have loved to join in. (The photo is from a Colorado snowshoeing event I did a couple of years ago.)

If you run, do you keep running outdoors in cold weather? Switch to snowshoes or skis instead? Or opt for the treadmill?

_{Photo: Catherine Holecko}