FamilyInShape

Being a 'health nut' can be cool in the eyes of teens

I learned this past week that my 17 y.o. son's friends call me a health nut. At first I wasn't sure how to take that because I sort of heard him say it without much emotion or follow up comment. So later I decided to have this conversation so I could find out if it was said in a positive or negative tone.

My son, we'll call him Jteen, was discussing food with his friends, something he does frequently because he's always hungry. He's a growing teen with the metabolism fast enough to fuel a train.  If only I could harbor that energy for myself.  Anyway, the kids were talking about what they eat or were planning to eat after school. Jteen said, "we don't have any soda or junk food at home." To which one teen replied, "oh that's right, your mom is a health nut, ha ha!" Another teen said, "no junk food or soda for him." They all laughed, he said, then the next comment was my favorite..."that's pretty cool that your mom is a health nut, so you really enjoy it when she does buy junk food." Another teen said, "no wonder I never see you buying anything from the junk machine."

Now, I'm sure not everyone agreed with him or me but it made me realize that the choices I make at home have influenced my child and he may somehow influence his friends too.  My goal was not to be cool in the eyes of teens but to positively influence my children.  I'm glad to see that they make wise choices in food and portion sizes.

We do have snacks in our pantry. You will find a bag of Tostitos for those days when we feel like eating nachos, a box of Ritz crackers for a quick cheese, apple and crackers appetizer, some 100 calorie snacks for a quick to-go snack, pudding cups, pretzel sticks, granola bars, protein bars, lots of fruit, nuts...etc. The thing is that these snacks last a while in the pantry which means my kids are making wise choices when they eat and they are more then likely eating portion controlled snacks.

I am proud to be a "health nut" mom. It's a plus that his friends think "it's cool" to be a health nut.

How do you think your everyday food and exercise decisions influence those around you?  Your spouse? Your kids? Your friends?  Would love to hear some of your stories.

Stay Well,
Spin Diva

Staying focused when kids are sick

My daughter woke up today not feeling well.  Many thoughts crossed my mind immediately after I looked into her sad eyes and heard the whining that usually accompanies a cold or other common childhood illness.  My panic-stricken thoughts went something like this:  Oh, oh, she's going to have to stay home, does she have a fever? I wonder if I'll catch what she has?(a little selfish thought) Oh my goodness what about the gym? I have a client to see and a class to teach?  Hmmm what do I do now?  Ok those thoughts came in and quickly left my mind because I knew I needed to focus and take one step at a time. 

First, make sure Baby Girl (BG) is OK.  She has a low grade fever, a little tummy ache but otherwise well enough to hang with me for the day.  She recovered from her illness shortly after I told her she could stay home from school and also when she realized the school bus had come and gone, without her.  I guess she figured it was safe to "get all better."

  Next step was to figure out what to do about my client and my class at the gym.  I called in a few favors and had another instructor teach they class and rescheduled my appointment.  That takes care of my responsibilities at the gym.  With baby fed, settled in the playroom and happily playing with BG (when I wasn't looking) I knew it was time to tackle some chores around the house.  My to-do list looked something like this:

• Laundry
• Dishes
• Mop kitchen floor
• Change bed sheets
• Work on taxes, homework, bills
• Play with the kids

However, I also needed to fit in a workout so here's what I did:

• (warm-up) Laundry – ran up and down the stairs 4X –then switched the laundry, repeated the run before folding the clean load

• (legs) Dishes –squats for 30 seconds then empty the dishwasher; calf raises as I put away dishes, plié squats for 30 seconds then fill up the dishwasher

Squats:

Plié:

Calf raise:

• (back, chest, arms) Mop  kitchen floor –push-ups against the kitchen counter—then continue to sweep/mop the floor (that's a workout in its own)

Push ups:

• (more legs, shoulders, chest) Change bed sheets – walking lunges on the way to the bedroom, push-ups and triceps dips on the stairs, went up the stairs two steps at a time

Walking lunges:

• (glutes, quads) Work on taxes, homework, bills, etc. – sat on the stability ball and bounced for 30 seconds, rest 15, bounce 30—did that for 2 minutes

Stability ball bounce:

• (abdominals) Play with the kids – Lay on the floor, rest child on my shins, then extend the legs at a 45 degree angle, bring the knees back in towards face—they love that.  While on the floor do crunches in the center, left and right obliques—BG enjoyed showing off her floor exercises.  Apparently she feels well enough to do this…hmmm funny how quickly they recover.

Abdominals:

My heart was racing; I felt energized and got a lot done in the process.  Now I can sit with the kids and watch Dora and my childhood show, Sesame Street, before lunch and nap time roll around.

My point here is that there are opportunities to fit in exercise; we just don't see it sometimes because we are blinded by all that we have to do throughout the day.  With or without the kids home from school, find the time to fit in 10 minutes here and there, before  you know it, they will be joining you and those ten minutes will soon become 20 and this exercise thing I keep pushing will soon become a habit. 

I hope some of these ideas will inspire you to get moving.  Please share your ideas for great chores+exercise routine.

Stay well,

Spin Diva

Quick fix diets do not work

As I stood in line at the grocery store, I found myself perusing through dozens of magazines, each with a headliner aimed at people looking for the ultimate weightloss plan.  One craze that has been thrown in our face is Alli, the FDA approved wonder pill.  One of my favorite lines on their website is "What makes alli different? FDA approval and a sensible approach that focuses on your long-term success." Really, FDA approval makes it different?  How about safe, lets shoot for safety.  Does FDA approval make it SAFE!

In doing my research about this and other diet pills I found this very interesting post on blogher.com. Read it here.

Before you pick up a bottle of whatever diet pill is on the market, turn that bottle around and read the label.  Look for key words such as "must follow a sensible diet and regular exercise plan."  Alli, for example, clearly states that you must "Commit to a plan" and cut fat out of your diet--ok maybe not completely, but drastically.  Then the pill forces most of what little fat you eat out of your body in a not-so-pretty way.  Others clearly state that they cause dizziness, headaches, and dry mouth to name a few. They also suggest you avoid caffeine or you will be bouncing off the walls.  Furthermore, most diet pills suggest that you follow a low calorie and/or low fat diet and exercise program.

Ok so let me sum this up:

1.  When taking diet pills you must consume 8-10 glasses of water each day
2.  You have to cut fat and calories; you have to include nutritious foods in your diet
3.  You have to exercise on a regular basis

My suggestions--- go ahead, do what they tell you to do, but don't take the pill and see what happens. The first thing you'll notice is that you wont have to worry about what you just put into your body, or what might be coming out.

A little known fact about fats from WebMd: "We actually need fats -- can't live without them, in fact. Fats are an important part of a healthy diet: They provide essential fatty acids, keep our skin soft, deliver fat-soluble vitamins, and are a great source of energizing fuel." For more on the types of fats to avoid Read the entire article here...

I have to go back to saying that changing the way we fit food into our lives and fitting in physical activity is more likely to provide results long-term, without the nasty side effects.  You have to drink water to stay hydrated, you have to control your portions and eat more raw foods which will help cut back on added fats and empty calories, but you also have to consume fats and calories--it's fuel and nutrition.  You also have to be physically active and you have to be realistic.  Challenge yourself to live a healthier lifestyle without the aid of fad diet.  Do your research and let me know your thoughts on the "Quick-fix" diets you've encountered.

Stay well,
Spin Diva

Start your fitness journey one small change at a time

The journey to fitness is truly an easy task—in theory. We write a plan of action. What we eat, what we should not eat, our exercise routine, how we avoid temptation, record our progress and constantly learn about nutrition and fitness. Unfortunately, applying the theory to real life is not as easy. The high energy fitness gurus would like you to think it is, but it’s not. And if the words “nothing in life is easy” sound familiar to you is because it’s true. 

Changing bad habits into good ones, one small step at a time, is the best way to keep from falling off the well-paved path. You still have to work hard and be mindful and accountable for the daily choices you make, but there’s no need to overwhelm yourself only to give it up a week later. It simply won’t work and then the yo-yo dieting begins. Ugh, there’s that word again.

For the next 14 days—Focus on Nutritional changes. Change one thing in your diet—you don’t have to do them all, just pick one to get your started, here are some ideas:

o drink 1 cup of coffee less than before

o eat one fruit in place of chips or another snack

o replace a soft drink with water

o change your milk from whole to 2%, or 2% to 1%

o use less sugar in your tea or coffee 

o change one condiment to a lower fat version – salad dressing=olive oil and lemon, mayonnaise=sour cream and mayo, butter=olive oil, etc…

The idea is to make one or two small changes and stick with them until you can do them without much thought. These are small enough to make a big impact but also easy to manage. Each time you become comfortable with your current change then you can add another. 

I have made many permanent changes over time. In the next 14 days I will be adding more fruit or vegetable to my daily snacks. So instead of cheese and crackers, I may have cheese with apples, a Granny Smith apple to satisfy my crunchy, tart cravings and fruit smoothies when I need something sweet.

What changes are you willing to make to begin paving the path for your fitness journey? Share them in the comments, maybe someone else will benefit from your ideas.

Stay well,

Spin Diva  

Water or sports drink?

Is anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed with the variety of drinks being offered? How about those sizes? There was a time when a small was actually only eight ounces, now you’re lucky if you can get away with a liter. One good example is at the theater. Their small is 16 oz, while the large, well they should just pour that baby into a bucket and wheel it to your seat. While they’re at it, they should also provide you with a port-a-potty so that you don’t have to miss any part of the movie.

But closer to home I am talking about the different types of water available at the market, each offering something “good” such as vitamins and antioxidants, others are invigorating, energizing, relaxing or calming, etc. etc. The list of goodness goes on for miles. I guess these are the things that the market thinks we want and NEED. A simple quick-fix to all our problems bottled up for us to enjoy at home or on the go.

What they don’t tell you is that they are also filled with sugar, calories, and sodium. If you open a bottle you are most likely to drink the whole thing even though each bottle holds two servings, sometimes, two and one half servings. This is where reading the nutrition labels carefully comes in handy. Not everyone truly understands nor reads these valuable labels. Some people know how to read them and understand them but sometimes choose to be in denial and believe in maintaining ignorance. This is especially true when they really enjoy each bite of sinfully delicious…whatever they’re about to eat. Believe me, I know! 

I don’t see anything wrong with changing up your water and trying something with flavor or fizz, just for fun.  As a fitness professional I recommend water 90% of the time, the other 10%, sports drinks, which is reserved for those who engage in vigorous exercise lasting more than 60 minutes. Sweating causes the loss of water and salt which can lead to dehydration. Sports drinks contain electrolytes that help you recover faster than water.

For the average person who engages in moderate exercise (60 minutes or less), your best option is definitely water. No additives, no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, artificial anything, added vitamins, calories, etc. If you provide your body with healthy nutrients throughout the day, you will have armed yourself with all that you need to make it through a hard workout. But if you decide to take in something other than water, read your food labels and then measure the calories burnt against the calories you are about to drink—then ask yourself, is it worth it? 

An article on the ABC News Good Morning America website provides more details on this subject.

Stay Well,

Spin Diva