FamilyInShape

It's Monday - Day one ... again!

 

The Noland Trail in Virginia.  I went for a walk with the kids only to realize this was a five mile trail. There was no way out, we had to finish the walk/run/skip/jump/race. We had a great time!

Hey, yes it is.   It's Monday and time to get back on that 'ole wagon again.  Skip the treadmill, jump on the elliptical; skip those light 10 lbs weights and go for 12 or maybe even 15. Why not? Just get out there and do it!!

OK well, maybe it's not so simple to just jump into a fitness routine after being gone for a while so let's back it up a bit.

Your average person exercises because they have to; whether they do it to get in shape for a race, to lose weight, to improve health or reduce stress; it is an act that must be done or we pay the consequences.  But what happens to our psyche when we skip a day and then another and another....

First we say it's just one day.  I need a break anyway. Ha! 

Then after a few days we say we needed a longer break and we can always start back up Monday, right? WRONG!

Monday comes around and a list of events falls from the sky and lands right on on our laps.  Oh no, now we have to shampoo the rug, cut the grass, the kids are sick, blah blah blah.... can we come up with more excuses? Of course.

But now we've missed an entire week and we know that going back is going to hurt so we find other reasons why we wont go exercise and that one week turns into one month and then three months.

Cut the excuses out of your vocabulary and realize that this is not a chore or a task you do then resent having done it.  Your exercise should be fun, enjoyable, and something you look forward to doing everyday.  

Get out there and enjoy the weather, enjoy nature, take the kids, take the dog, invite your friends. Get on a bike or push the stroller and have a great time.  You wont even know you're exercising but in the end you will feel happy and the kids, well they will remember these days more than anything. Trust me, I know!

 

This was the view at the end of our walk.  Breathtaking, isn't it?

So what are you waiting for? You know the challenge to not gain weight over the holidays is still on and first on my list of things to do is FITNESS! So let's get to it. In or out of the house, it doesn't really matter if you're at the local park or in your back yard collecting leaves. Every minute you spend being active counts and before you know it, that minute becomes five minutes, then ten...etc. You get my drift.

How many miles do you think you'll walk, run, bike or skate this week? How many minutes?

Stay Well,

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Holiday Party Cookies from erincooks

Is that even possible? You know, to not gain any weight over the holidays?  Well for some people it is. They are the ones who can easily say no to the sweeter things in life.  Just so you know, I'm not one of them. For some reason, holiday baked goods just taste so much better between November 1st and January 1st.  It's like comfort food for the soul.  Except the only thing getting padded around here are the hips, waist, back legs and arms.  

But seriously, why is it that we require food to enjoy the holiday season? And it is a requirement I tell you.  I've conducted an experiment and invited friends over for coffee and the first thing they say is, "what can I bring, I can make cookies or a quiche?" Hmmmm, that sounds yummy! I have to admit that the first thing I think about is "what should I make?" you know, to serve with the coffee because it would be a sin to have JUST coffee.

Well, this is who we are and this is what we do.  We are trained to celebrate everything with food and there's no better time to "get away" with over eating like the holiday season.  The media and every medical profession in the media has been telling us that, on average, people gain five to seven pounds during the holiday season.  OUCH!  They say from November to December, more accurately it all begins on Halloween, October 31st and ends on New Year's day, January 1st.  So, even though we know this to be pretty accurate, we still manage to fall into the trap of the holiday weight gain.  We eat the tasty treats, the delicious foods, and the drinks and begin the process of putting off fitness as a new year's resolution. We simply give in to the fad.

So what do we do now?  The "weight gain season" has already begun.  Do we just stay on this slippery slope and start our healthy habits next year OR is it possible to avoid becoming a statistic? Of course it is. Anything is possible if you really want it to be.  I have tips, you have wants, so lets put it all together and see how we do.

  

 1.  Start moving NOW!  Why wait until after you've gained the weight to realize you need to get back in shape.  Start now!  

 

Exercise: Measure out an area that is safe for you to walk from your home and back.  Invite some neighbors to join you after dinner, early in the morning or middle of the day.  Do the math.  Walk two miles a day, times seven days a week-- that is just over a marathon in 2 weeks.  Challenge yourself and add a mile to your walk OR cut back on the time it takes to walk 2 miles. As you can see, you don't have to join a gym or hire a trainer. Make it fun for the entire family and take the kids for a bike ride, roller skates, or a hike through the park. However, if you feel inadequate about walking alone or working out alone, then by all means join a gym, hire a trainer, start taking classes.  Arm yourself with a fitness routine that does not allow you to cheat yourself out of enjoying special holiday treats.

2.  Eat well, everyday! If you haven't already started, spend a couple of days logging everything you eat before making any changes.  This will help you identify problem areas with your current nutrition plan (because we all know we have one right?)  

 

Nutrition: Ask yourself, am I eating enough fruits and vegetables? Five a day is what they say. Make them fresh or frozen, raw or cooked.  More is best.  To keep the fresh vegetables from going bad in the fridge, eat them within a few days or cook and refrigerate or freeze them so that they are ready to be used in soups and stews over the colder months.  

 

Speaking of soups and stews, stay away from creamy soups that only add on the pounds.  I know, it's the comfort food we crave when we're cold and it's OK to have them in moderation. But if you don't think you can have just one serving then stick with the less creamy soups loaded with vegetables, legumes and lean meats.  Best to choose good carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain, sweet potatoes, etc.  Low fat dairy, lean meats and fish are also important in your diet as they provide you with well needed protein your muscles will crave. Take this opportunity to teach the kids what a serving is and what's in that serving of food. Lead by example.

 

3. Rest, de-stress, sleep! I am so bad at doing any of these.  It seems I'm alway running somewhere (and I don't mean that literally, otherwise I would have nothing to worry about if I was really running,) cleaning, packing (for an upcoming big move), doing homework, and staying up late for no good reason.  

 

A lot of women do this in search of quiet, meditative time and that's great if #1 we can still manage to get enough sleep and #2 if we use that time wisely, i.e. meditating, stretching, etc. I'm back to putting meditative time on my schedule.  We don't need a lot all at one time, 10 - 15 minutes of being with oneself, in our thoughts, in our minds, and revisiting our souls is all.  Do it a few times a day, do it while waiting in line at the store, or upon rising, before bed.  There are opportunities, we just fail to seize them and instead go to bed with a mind full of junk we can't resolve in our sleep.  So rest your mind, sleep and the result will be = controlled stress management. Again with the family, take some time to read to your kids or with your kids; teach them how to be silent for one whole minute - make it  a game and then ask what they were thinking when they were still.  You'd be amazed at the stories you get. 

 

4. Drink Water.  Oh yes, this is a biggy.  I am terrible at drinking water in the winter time.  Did I mention I'm from the Caribbean?  As much as I love the beautiful fall foliage and a crispy cold winter's day, it is not my cup of tea to live in it everyday.  Definitely tropical and if I want winter I can drive to it instead.  That's ideal.  

 

Back to water.  Since I know that drinking anything cold is not all that attractive to me I make it a point of drinking plenty of water before, during and after my workouts.  Carry water with me wherever I go so that I'm not tempted to buy coffee or food.  I also keep my water bottle on the counter to maintain the room temperature.  I find that my kids don't drink nearly as much water as they should - I think sometimes they skip it all together, so new rule:  when they say they are bored or hungry I offer them a glass of water while I make a nutritious treat or plan an activity like going out to play in the piles leaves.  One other option if you don't like cold water is a cup of warm water with a twist of lemon in the morning is actually pretty good too.  My dad was told (prescribed by his doctor) to drink this every morning to keep his digestive system running smooth.

  

The Challenge:  To avoid any weight gain over the holidays.  Go ahead, challenge yourself to be different this year.  Don't bother making a resolution to get healthy, do it now.  Get in the best shape of your life starting right now.  Get the family involved in getting and staying active, even if you don't have weight to lose, living a healthier lifestyle IS the new fad.

Disclaimer: If you want to lose weight, PLEASE, keep in mind that this process takes time, it's not going to happen over night, it's not going to happen in ONLY 10 minutes a day.  However, with a little determination and motivation, it will happen as you burn 500 calories a day exercising, cleaning, chasing the kids around.  As you eat 300 less calories a day replacing junk food with good-for-you food.  It will happen as you burn off 1-2 lbs a week and replace body fat with lean muscle mass.  It will happen if you want it bad enough!

Let's do it together!! What are you waiting for?  Tell me, how will you avoid the holiday weight gain in 2009? I want to know! 

Stay Well,

 


Almost Autumn

Autumn is my favorite time of year, if I lived in a state or part of the state where the colors changed with the season. The fall season started September 21st and I remember having a discussion with my young 7 year old child about how it wasn't Fall yet and she kept saying "yes it is mom, it started last week" and I argued that it couldn't be because the leaves were all green, we were still wearing summer clothes and cutting the grass.  In my book Fall begins when all that stops.  I spent part of my childhood in New Jersey and some adult time in Pennsylvania, where you can feel the change in the seasons.  I really miss that.

Above is what I see, just not enough orange.

Meanwhile, below was the sky looking gray and cool.

Here, in the Virginia Peninsula, we're still waiting for the leaves to change colors.  I mentioned my dislike for dealing with dreary weather and nothing to show to a friend and I think she was offended because she said "yes we do have colors here, just walk through the park and you'll see."  OKayyyy! Soooorry!  I guess I'll take a walk through the park with the kids, it'll be good for my soul.

Growing up in Jersey I remember we had to get Halloween costumes that were warm and cozy because it was going to be cold trick-or-treating at night, some years we even had snow in October, imagine that.  I miss that too!  Anyway, yesterday was the first day that felt like fall, even if I had to seek out the changing colors, it really felt cool, it was a little gray outside and the air was just a little cooler than usual, I had to wear jeans and a long sleeve shirt, in fact, I had to find light jackets for the kids.  Fantastic!!

So this is the time to break out the crock pot, start making chili, soups and stews. Set up the fall decorations and get the kids involved in seeking out those red, yellow and orange leaves the locals keep talking about.  The best part of this time of year...well there are so many great things happening this time of year but one of my favorite past times is walking at dusk, not only is it a great way to keep the kids (and me) active but it's a great educational tool as well, from identifying tree leaves to identifying animal foot prints.

So go out and walk, seek out what changes in your part of town during this time of year.  If nothing changes outside, guaranteed, something will change inside. Enjoy the season!

Stay Well,

Spin Diva

(Cross Posted at BlogHer.com)

Participating in Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan from A Southern Daydreamer.  Visit Susan to see what other outdoor fun others are sharing.

School is now in session

Photo from The Hot file

For many of us whose children attend school outside of the home (public or private) this is a time of year when we are rushing to get school supplies, school clothes & shoes, the new back pack and that really cool pencil pouch.  OK maybe not rushing, some people actually plan ahead and all this done early in the summer.  I'm not one of those people, I confess.  Stress and pressure are my friends.

While it is important to prepare all the material stuff needed, apparently, on the first day of school, we also have to focus on the child and making sure they are prepared mentally and physically.  

I have to digress here and say something about the school supplies. Really? She's in second grade, she needs all that paper to write on?  She better be working on a dissertation or some long physics problem to be using so much paper in one school year.  Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm shopping for others as well.  Don't get me wrong, that's cool, I don't mind donating school supplies, I just wish I was given the option and not feel pressured to buy and send in a 24 pack of pencils, several glue sticks, six composition notebooks, a two inch binder and 2 packs of loose leaf paper for my 2nd grade kid. Anyway, it seems I took off in a new direction for a moment.  

But as a parent we need to place to focus back on the child's health.  It is extremely important to discuss nutrition, sleep (seems teens need to stay up late and get up late which doesn't fit in with their current school schedule-oh shucks!), physical activity AND personal hygiene.  I don't mean their daily bath and brushing their teeth - that's a given or it should be anyway.  I mean the hand washing before eating, not drinking from other people's drinks and washing those grubby hands as soon as they walk in the door.  Kids touch everything.  Ugh!

About nutrition.  Boy in my house new habits have to be established.  Not because they eat poorly, I think in general my kids eat pretty healthy.  I don't really buy junk food.  I mean we usually have chips and salsa, crackers to eat with cheese or in soup and our fantastic neighbor might bring over her most delicious brownie (she hates me, I just know it!).  But none of these things are eaten in excess so I don't worry about it.  The new habit is getting up at the crack of dawn and eating a healthy breakfast before 6:30 in the morning.  

Photo by TowerGirl

Some ideas we like to share - 

Hot breakfast - oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes and waffles, eggs and toast.

Cold Breakfast - High fiber, whole grain cereal with low fat or no fat milk, yogurt with granola, fruit & yogurt, mini bagel with peanut butter, hard boiled egg

After school snacks - apple with peanut butter, cheese stick and green apples, hummus and vegetables, fruit or fruit smoothie

The biggest concern, however, might be lunch time.  Most or many kids bring lunch to school, some buy the school lunch and that's fine if they make the right choice. I was able to make them pack lunches until the first two hit high school years then it was just embarrassing to carry around a lunch bag. Well forgive me, mam/sir for wanting you to eat a good meal.  Appearances mean a lot more I guess. However, that's only one meal in the day and although they may not have too many "good" choices to make, they need to know how and why to choose healthier options.

Listen here, this is important stuff --

With the rate of childhood obesity growing in the United States, it is up to us parents to help kids make better choices in any situation, stay active and live a healthier lifestyle.  You can't expect one child to be on a diet while everyone else enjoys the goodies.  It's not happening and it's not fair to the child to be singled out.  So what do you do?

You (the entire family) should adopt new healthy eating habits because everyone should be eating healthy.  You limit sedentary time and go do something fun and active TOGETHER.  You encourage everyone to live healthier.  Yes, that includes you - the one that makes the meals, serves the meals and buys the groceries.

That's my rant on nutrition for now because I can go on for ever.  I hate to sound like we live this perfect life, like we never eat junk food or indulge in a most delicious ice cream or brownie cake.  Oh we do. Trust me on that.  We enjoy eating the food we like, but moderation must be taught and exercised, and as the parent I also encourage (enforce) portion control.  There's a time and place for everything.

So now the kids are going back to school, we're done shopping for supplies they probably wont ever use and clothes they'll outgrow by the fall and the shoes they'll wear out before Christmas.  Let's go shopping for the food they WILL consume at home and put your focus on those meals.  If they eat at school for lunch, again, it's one meal of many.  Think about it, the more you enforce healthy eating at home, the more likely they are to choose healthier meals at school.  But if they don't, again, one of many meals in the day.  

Stay Well,

 

crossposted at BlogHer

He's leaving the nest

While I can't even begin to describe how happy I am that my first born is now an "adult" and on his way to college I have to say that my heart is aching.  I've been fine until now, or so I thought.  I tell myself I wont cry when I drive away because after all "he's hardly ever home" and sometimes "he gets on my nerves" but no.  That's not the case.  I am aching right now at the idea that I have to let him go.

My first born, Josh, is a musician.  I never knew, no one really knew this about him.  What we saw develop was a kid in love with words and their origin, in love with reading great books, solving interesting puzzles, and being good at whatever he did.  He was great in Math and he knew it so, of course, as he grew we (dad and I) figured he would follow dad and go into engineering, computers, maybe even teaching the subject.  But his love for literature used to make us think that maybe he would take that route, once he even started writing a book, quite good but something happened that really threw us for a loop.  He joined the school choir - easy class and everyone has to do it at some point or another. 

I remember teacher's used to tell me he had great form, he was very focused, he was good.  As a parent I thought "well thank you, that's my boy" as my heart filled with pride.  Then one day, a few grades later, he sang a solo.  He was the only boy in a choir group of 22 kids.  Apparently the other boys were not interested in being singled out.  He stuck with it and it paid off.  I was a nervous wreck so I set up the camera knowing I would miss something.  At this moment I had never heard him sing alone.  NEVER.  He started singing Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" and I almost fainted.  I had no clue he could sing that well.

Still I never thought he would follow that field as a career.  In fact, he didn't think he was that good and said "Mom, it was just a song," relax.  OK whatever.  I know what I heard from a kid without professional training, but he was right.  After all, I am his mom and will be proud of everything and anything my kids do.  That was 8th grade.  In 9th grade he auditioned for the choir in his new school and his new Choir Director approached me and said "this child needs voice coaching, here, call this lady."  That's all he said. First I thought, "how much is this going to cost me?" Yes, as a parent of four kids I have to think about costs of things.  So I called the lady, Ms. Mary is her name.  She first gave me her resume and told me about the quality of people she trains and how she only selects kids with true talent.  She also mentioned that every kid she ever trained was able to get a scholarship if they applied themselves in every way.  She followed that with this, "however, I do not take Freshmen"  but that if I wanted she would allow him to audition just so he could see where he was and what he needed to do next.  So then I thought OK, I can do that. 

He auditioned.  She called me and said "how about he comes in every other Monday at 4:30 pm?" Excuse me?  What's going on? I though you didn't take Freshmen.  "I don't, but he's talented, he's going places and I want to be his coach."  OK.  Let's do it.  That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a bright future for my kid.  Fast forward 4 years during which time he was coached privately by Ms. Mary first twice a month then every week and sometimes twice a week; coached also by his Choir Director Mr. JD.  These four years he spent learning to play the piano, learning to read and write music, learning to conduct a choir and learning to sing in different languages, classical music, theater, Gospel, a capella, duets, participating in solo and choir competitions most of which he/they won something. 

All his teachers were a great influence in his life.  I thank them for seeing what we couldn't at home. His efforts and dedication to this field payed off and all those who told me he would go places were right.  He recently received several grants and scholarships which will pave the way to his future career as a Musician.  He will be attending Westminster Choir College at Rider University in New Jersey.  Here he will study Music Education and Vocal Performance.  Here he will continue to grow, mature and become exactly what he wants to become.

My heart aches and I can't wait to get past this week because I already know it will be hard to leave him.  I have three other kids to focus on, I have a big move coming up in 4 weeks, I have a lot going on right now.  I will let myself cry because there is nothing wrong with "feeling" and showing how I feel.  I am not speeding away from the parking lot, I am going to look back, I am going to be sad.  On the bright side, that sadness will be temporary because my sole purpose is ensure his happiness, safety, and well being.  I am very happy, excited, proud of his accomplishments so far.  So much more to come.

I will miss my Josh.