FamilyInShape

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.

Kids do listen when we talk

(cross posted at Blogher.com)

Have you ever heard a toddler, your toddler, repeating a word you clearly should not have said during a moment of frustration?  Well, I have.  More times than I care to remember, I have wiggled my way out of a potential "bad" word in front of my kids.  I admit that dropping an object on my toe has caused me to say the "S" word outloud only to find out that my little man was not far behind all too ready to repeat that word clearly as if he had been saying it all along.  So sometimes Sh*t becomes shhugar and of course he doesn't bother with that one.  How do they know?  It's amazing.  

Aside from the occasional slip of the tounge, I mostly try to talk to my kids about the benefits of good nutrition, about reading the food labels and what those things mean, about wellness, fitness, sleeping, hygene and being happy.  These are the times when I want them to really listen to me and remember what I said.  I think most parents would agree that these little details are learned at home right along with the morals and values that will make them super fantastic human beings.  

I sometimes wonder if they hear what I say, if they care, if they even remember it later.  Sometimes I get a nod or an "I know mom" and sometimes I get a little undivided attention (such a thrill when that happens).  Still I don't know how much of what I say sticks and becomes the source for making decisions later.

Three things happened today which made me proud to have talked to the back of my kids' head because today they made me proud.

1.  My son has had acne, on and off or more on than off he would say, for several years now. As a teen  I remember being told to wash regularly, change my pillow case frequently, don't use the same face cloth twice and treat my condition with whatever stuff was given to me at the time.  It took me a while to realize or admit my parents were right.  So I passed along the same routine to my son and it took him a while as well but still I persisted and reminded him to follow the routine.  He finally found a product that works well with his schedule, his habits and his skin.  He said to me the other day when I complimented his skin that he followed my advise and was staying on top of his treatment.  It's obviously working.  His face looks awesome.  He was listening :-)

2.  My 15 y.o. girl talks about her "weight issue" which is really non-existent and what can she do for this, to tighten that or to shrink this, etc.  As a trainer I am inclined to break it down like I would a client but I have to remember that I have to live with this one and keeping the peace is pretty important.  She's a lot like me which means if I tell her what to do she'll likely do the opposite.  So I leave my little nutrtion articles laying around, I tell myself (really, I talk to myself) some new tips and nutrition facts I learned along the way.  When I do have her attention I give her little bits of information about portion control, exercise, what works best for the amount of time she is willing to dedicate to exercise etc.  Today, she was reading a magazine article which discussed the benefits of eating raw foods 70% of the time.  She was excited about this and asked if we could eat more raw foods.  Hmmm, funny, I've always had loads of raw foods available for my family.  Where has she been all these years?  Anyway, I said, sure.  We'll go grocery shopping for MORE fruits and vegetables and some healthier snacks.  She'll never admit it but ... She was listening :-)

3. Finally my 7 y.o. girl.  She's becoming such a great reader. Today we were walking around a store and she wanted a snack.  So I said go ahead, grab something you like.  She picks up a bag of chips and as we continued to walk she begins to read the food label out loud.  "Total Fat = 17 grams...mom this is kind of high, don't you think?" Oh, such a proud moment.  So I said, well what do you think?  She agreed.  She continued to read the label, now as she ate the chips.  She read all the way down to the vitamins and then she said, "wow, there aren't very many vitamins in this bag of chips huh?" Nope, not many at all.  Her response, "well I guess I'll have to jump on the WiiFit when we get home so I can work this off doing the hula hoop."  She was listening :-)

Kids listen. They learn even when we think they're not hearing us.  They hear us even when they roll their eyes. As frustrating as it might be at the time, talk to your kids about the benefits of self care, nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc. Because all these GOOD habits can only lead to living a healthier lifestyle by making smart choices.  And when they do decide to speak... shhhhh, just LISTEN :-)

Stay well,