FamilyInShape

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, 

Fitness on vacation

Photo by Santosh_b_s

Do you ever plan to exercise in some form or another while on vacation? Yeah, most of us do.  Many of us have have every good intention to exercise, even if only a little bit, while on vacation with the family or visiting family. Generally, anytime we go out of town we plan to use the facilities or engage in some form of physical activity that does not include the consumption of food or opening of beer bottles.  Visiting family adds another dimension to our overall health program because they will all cook and expect us to eat or they will be offended if we don't; our old friends want to get together, usually over a meal, and lets not forget the snacks in the car and the unexpected stops in places we would never visit otherwise.  

We were visiting family last week and going to a college orientation and catching up with friends along the way-- we were driving...driving...driving up and down interstate 95, and dealing with heavy traffic at times, etc.  My plan was  to seize the moment and spend some quality time with ME involved in some form of physical activity either on the road or in the local fitness center.  

I remember feeling pumped up the day before our drive North on I-95.  I packed my gym clothes and shoes, water bottle, and my iPod too.  I was prepared, no excuses.  I looked up fitness centers near each of my locations, was glad that the College had a gym on site which we were allowed (encouraged) to use, and even mapped out where I could go for a walk or run if a fitness center was not available to me.  

First night we arrived in Pennsylvania very late.  The toddler was a little hyper and a little out of sorts.  He fell asleep after  1:00 AM.  By the time I fell asleep it was well after 2:00 AM.  I was not about to get up early to go to the gym or walking or running or anything physical.  But, that's OK.  I went to the gym the day before and worked extra hard.  Missing a day was really no big deal.  (excuse #1)

The next evening we were visiting family  in New Jersey, stayed up late playing Rock Band on the Wii, got up at 6:00 AM to begin 2 days of college orientation for the Musician in the family who is attending Westminster Choir College in the fall.  We were shuffled from one room to the next, across campus and back, each time providing a mini buffet of snacks and drinks not necessarily fit for the sedentary lifestyle we were following these two days.  I know, I didn't have to eat but hey it was free and my excuse was either "the last thing I ate was bad for me so I'll eat this because it's good" OR "I can afford to eat this because the last thing I ate was pretty healthy" (excuses #2 & 3)-- we can be so good at making excuses sometimes.  

Needless to say, we were kept up late by presentations, chatty parents and the accommodations, well they were less than pleasant...those rooms were hot!  So once again, waking up early was not going to happen...UGH.  Now on day three and heading into another day of orientations I was really beginning to feel like I was dragging, bloated, and lethargic.  I figured I was just tired from lack of sleep and being fed so much information in such a short period of time.  Besides, we were walking around a lot, doesn't that count? (excuse #4) Not really.

Back in Pennsylvania, day four, I was really feeling fatigued and did not have the energy to even attempt a trip to the gym.  So I packed up the kids and we headed to the King of Prussia Mall Plaza and Court.  This is a really big mall, there was a lot of walking to be done here.  We made a few stops in some kids stores and looked through some other "me" stores, but for the most part we walked all over the place.  That did not help how I was feeling probably because we made a trip to the candy factory and the pizza shop but it was better than sitting at home AND eating. (excuse #5)

On the ride over to Delaware I really began to feel like CRAP!! I mean that, I just felt like I was retaining more water than the local dam, I was ready to throw in the towel and just forget exercising until I returned home.  However, I knew there would be a price to pay for that AND most important, my clothes were starting to feel uncomfortable...UGH!! What the heck happened? I felt so out of control and so tired.  It wasn't long before I realized I needed to get back in the game.  

Moment of truth:  I got up on day six at 6:30 am, got dressed, drank some orange juice and headed out the door with my iPod and my cell phone.  I had no idea where I was going but Delaware is pretty flat so I knew that at the very least I could go on a brisk walk but my goal was to go for a run.

After a quick warm up and stretch I started jogging.  Slowly I took my speed from a slow, almost walking, jog to a moderate pace--moderate for me, the non-runner.  I realized after the first five minutes that my breathing wasn't labored, but my legs felt tight and heavy; the music was a huge help.  I took note of the fact that I wold have to come back on foot so I mentally planned to run for about 15 minutes in one direction.  I ran 20 minutes, stopped and forced out 30 push ups, then started running back.  Upon my arrival I worked on abs with some Pilate moves, right on the wet, prickly lawn.  Fifty-five minutes after getting out of bed and I felt fantastic.  

I felt empowered, strong, full of life and ready to tackle the day's events.  

I asked myself why I didn't just go, even after not getting enough sleep, in fact I think a short run or walk would have been good for me.  All the excuses I came up with could have been easily overcome if I had given myself the opportunity.  There really was no reason to skip out on a good dose of physical fitness during my vacation from the Gym.  Physical fitness should not be left out of any schedule, it should not be something you  have to work at, it should be a part of our lives as much as food and sleep.  

  

We should consider physical fitness a vital part of our everyday lives, because it is.  

My tips to those of you vacationing or preparing for a vacation in the near future:

1.  Pack your workout gear just the same way you would pack your toiletries, make up, and clothes.

2.  Look into the facilities that may already be available to you.  Most hotels have fitness centers on site, some better than others, however, you don't need much to get a good workout.

3.  Using google maps you can search near your location for health centers, fitness centers, exercise, or gym.  Use a combination of words to find them, then call and ask what they charge for a guest fee.  It's a small price to pay, maybe 2 or 3 days during your vacation.  Also, check with your current membership at your local gym.  Many fitness centers allow members from other areas to use their facilities at no cost.

4.  Go for free.  Running, walking, push ups, sit ups, playing sand games costs nothing.  Bike rentals in beach areas can be a ton of fun for the entire family as well.

5.  Plan to exercise everyday.  If no one wants to go along, that's OK.  Bring your music or downloaded books and just get up a little bit earlier so that your activity doesn't interfere with the plans for the day.

6.  Every little bit helps.  Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you ignore your nutrition.  Continue to drink lots of water and eat as healthy as possible while rewarding yourself with the fun treats we all love to enjoy.  Don't deprive yourself, Moderate yourself!

I hope everyone can learn a little something from my experience.  I would love to hear yours too.  Leave a comment with your "fit on vacation" attempt and how you worked through to make a change during or after your trip.  Thanks everyone for visiting.

Don't forget to fill the tank...eat breakfast!

Photo by sweeteats

Imagine a teenager waking up just 20 minutes before running out to catch the school bus.  If you have one of these creatures you'll know that in their list of priorities, breakfast is not near the top. There are other, more important things topping that list like clothes, hair, make up, shoes and if time allows maybe, something to eat. If I was a junk food mom that's exactly what they would eat for breakfast. In my dream world my kids would get up earlier giving themselves time to eat a hot breakfast or even a cold breakfast full of all the good stuff nature has to offer.  You know, eggs, fruits, whole wheat toast, jam, hot cocoa, yogurt, oatmeal, etc...mm-mm.  That's not happening as often as I would like.  

Personally, I rarely, if ever, skip out on breakfast.  I make it a priority because I know it is one of many important meals of the day.  I'd like to say that it is THE MOST important meal of the day, however, I believe every meal to be important for different reasons.  Breakfast, however, is the one that gets me started and thus I plan to start my day off right, every single day, whether I'm in a morning rush or sitting back sipping green tea.  I do occasionally fall off the wagon and here's what happens:

The other day I decided to take some time off from my usual daily routine to stay home with my little Bear, catch up on chores and organize something that needs to be organized.  Well, I was in such a high to get started with whatever multi-tasking activity I had planned for the day that I went right to work.  Every so often reminding myself that I needed to eat and drink my tea which was steeping in the kitchen.  Every time I would say to myself, "well when I go in the kitchen to do the dishes I will eat, but let me finish this first."  Yeah...3 hours later, my tea was still steeping and my stomach was screaming at me.  Funny thing is that I took the time to feed, play with and entertain the toddler, clean out a closet, reorganize my pantry, make 6 scented candles and organize two other kitchen cabinets...all without eating a darn thing.

Bad move.  I was shaky, fatigued, felt exhausted and weak.  I could feel my glucose had dropped, I was completely out of whack.  It took about 3 hours to get myself back to normal and in the end, I had a pretty bad headache.  Of course I know better, but I got carried away.  In my job I often hear my clients tell me that they just don't have time to eat breakfast or they just aren't hungry so they don't eat until lunch time.  It's very easy to get up and get busy right away, every day and go on without thinking about eating.   Kids do the same and probably feel the same, they just don't know it.  One of my teens will get a migraine, usually by the end of the day; the others get irritable and cranky when they don't eat a nutritious breakfast. Of course, they would never admit that the lack of food had anything to do with their issues.

One of the problems with this time of day is that many people think they have to sit down to eat breakfast; others feel hat they need to cook or do some time-consuming task.  While sitting down to eat is best because it gives you the time to really enjoy your meal and slow down while you eat, that is not always possible.  Everyone is busy and many rushing out the door. 

There are many ways to fuel your body quickly and effectively with little preparation. Here are some easy ideas for the entire family:

Yogurt with Granola----or your kids favorite cereal

Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar ----- any fruit will do

Whole grain/whole wheat toast with peanut butter

Banana, Strawberry (or any fruit combination), yogurt, orange juice & protein Smoothie

High fiber/high protein cereal with 1% or 2% milk---add any fruit with this meal

Apple with Peanut butter

Banana with Peanut butter

Egg whites with cheese & toast

Cottage cheese & fruit

Frozen waffles with peanut butter & fruit

Protein bars

ZonePerfect: 210 cal, 7g fat, 3g fiber, 13g sugar, 14g protein

Balance: 200 cal, 7g fat, <1g fiber, 17g sugar, 15g protein

SouthBeachLiving: 140 cal, 5g fat, 3g fiber, 7g sugar, 10g protein

Granola bars

Nature Valley: 180 cal, 6g fat, 2g fiber, 11g sugar, 4g protein

NutriGrain: 130 cal, 3g fat, 2g fiber, 12g sugar, 2g protein

There are many, many, many other options for quick and sit down meals out there.  Think nutritious, think energizing, think brain power.  I usually make my kids drink at least 100% pure orange juice, apple juice or milk even if they don't have time to eat a thing.  Generally, when they are rushing out the door I'm handing them something to eat as well.  The granola bars are OK options, not the most nutritious but not terribly bad either.  A banana and a granola bar is more powerful than nothing at all and sometimes it's difficult to please picky, cranky, morning teens.

For us adults, we need to take control of our nutrition if we are going to teach our children well.  Lead by example.  It may require you to get up a little earlier or do some prep work the night before but be prepared to fuel your family with easy to prepare, portable, or sit down breakfast every morning.

Stay well,

Crossposted at BlogHer

Re-evaluating fitness and setting goals

Photo credit Tizzalicious

(cross posted at BlogHer)

I think everyone can agree that we all get in a workout rut every once in a while. I realized that I'm there and that I've been doing is just not giving me the results I want. I think I'm doing plenty, but it is obviously not the quantity of my workouts that's holding me back but the quality and so I need to make some changes. For a little while there I used my Little Bear as my excuse, "I have some baby fat to burn off, but he's only six months old, I have time" I recall telling myself. It is a really bad idea to even START using the pregnancy and the birth of a baby as a crutch or as a reason why we hold on to excess body fat. Soon the child is getting ready to graduate High School and we're still claiming baby fat. Well, Little Bear is now 2.5 years old and the oldest is 18 with a 15 and a 6 year old in between. Luckily, I kept off most of whatever I gained during pregnancy. My focus is now on losing body fat and trimming down the inches and not so much on the number on that cranky scale. I'm not a good friend of the scale so I will stick with a tape measure instead.

My fitness routine on most weeks includes Boot Camp, Muscle Conditioning, Spinning®, Turbo Kickboxing, and Pilates. I say most weeks because when I don't teach or train someone I CHOOSE to stay home and catch up on my chores, homework, sleep, etc… And there it is, the culprit and the reason I'm not getting results. Did you catch the operative words—MOST WEEKS. I have to commit to go workout on days when I don't have to teach, regardless of what else needs to be done at home. Chances are the chores will still be there waiting. Besides, if I had to teach or meet a client I would have to go, right? Right!!

My other issues are that I sometimes go off track with my eating habits, I stay up late and get up early, and lately, I have not been writing anything down as I should. Did I mention stress? I have a few things that add unnecessary stress to my life. Let's see now, we are a military family expecting orders to move mid-school year – no, not crazy about that; we have a house to sell; I'm taking classes online (what was I thinking?); our oldest is going AWAY to college and did I mention we have a 15 year old girl? Yikes! What happened to my little girl? It can all be handled, I just have to get organized, re-evaluate and set some realistic goals. Here are some things I know I need to do:

1. WRITE IT DOWN! A goal has to be on a paper, on the calendar, journal, or on the fridge door. Once it's written down I am accountable and more likely to stick with it.
2. It is important to set realistic goals. In other words, I can't just write that I want to lose 15 pounds by next Friday and expect it to happen, at least not following a healthy routine. I am willing to trim down at a much slower pace because I want it to stay off. I also don't want to lose muscle mass just body fat and inches.
3. I will be prepared to succeed every day. This means, don't leave home without my water and healthy snacks such as a fruit, protein bar, nuts, etc. I will pack my gym bag and have my workout clothes ready every day. Sometimes I wait to the last minute (procrastinate) then I end up stressing if I can't find my shorts or my shoes.
4. Use my calendar to keep track of what I am doing to reach my goal – sleep, nutrition, exercise, relaxation, etc.
5. Re-visit the fridge, freezer and pantry. There are some pesky snacks left over from a party that need to go. I must eliminate the temptation and replace them with healthy snacks—again!

This is my week to evaluate my fitness, nutrition, stress, and sleep. To reach my goals I have to get them down on paper, give myself the time it takes to get there, eliminate some of the stressors in my life, and get some well-needed sleep. I'm excited and energized by seeing my plan on paper or on screen in this case. I hope this list will give you a boost to get started on your goals as well, try mine or tell me about yours…I'd like to know what you are doing or plan to do to reach your fitness goals.

Stay well,

I left my healthy habits at home, now what?

Photo: Coffee and Cake by reya

This has been a crazy month in my house. Our oldest son (the musician) is auditioning and interviewing at various colleges looking for that perfect fit (and a scholarship of course.)  What this means for everyone else in the family is a well coordinated schedule of things and people to make sure the trips and life at home continue on a smooth course.  The second to oldest (the artist) is reaping the benefits of paid babysitting services this week and Dad is getting to do some of what I normally do while trying to get to work on time.  There were no complaints and I refuse to ask. 

My fitness schedule, however, is pretty much....well, let's just say that schedule stayed home along with my healthy eating habits.  For me, going to the gym once a week does not provide enough endorphins to keep me happy.  I get cranky, tired, and crave everything and anything because after all, "I'm on the road for hours and gosh darn it I deserve it all!" 

In general, my "normal" life is filled  with chasing the toddler, walks to the bus stop and my hard core fitness program at the gym.  Instead I get 2 days of spinning, 1 day of some lite interval workout and a swim lesson.  That's it!  There are 28 days in the month of February and in the first 21 days I worked out 4 times and ate pretty much what my little heart desired.  Needless to say, I'm not stepping on the scale any time soon.  

Good News--all the stress of driving for hours, not sleeping well, not exercising and eating all the wrong foods paid off.  We got a letter of acceptance from my school of choice and his second; that's part one, the second and best part is the scholarship offer.  

Oh sweet!! His hard work and my sacrifice paid off!   Woohoo!!  OK I can get back to my health and fitness track now that I'm back home and I know where my kid will be come August 2009.  One less thing to worry about.  

Just because life throws you curve balls that interfere with your daily routine doesn't mean that you have to give up completely.  Although I probably could have planned my trips better and taken advantage of opportunities to walk or use the hotel gym, I am not feeling the least bit guilty or upset that I did not do these things. I am proud to say that we sat down to eat most of the time and we did not visit any fast food restaurants, not one.  AND no, I don't consider getting coffee fast food.

Now I am putting my energy on what I know I need to do now.  Live in the here and now for a better tomorrow.  That said, I started back at the gym and got back on track with my nutritional goals.  

Here's my scheduled routine

• Monday/Friday: Total Body Conditioning class, basically, Boot Camp
• Tuesday/Thursday: Muscle Conditioning - Total Body (swimming at night)
• Wednesday/Saturday: Spinning

Nutrition:

• Water was never an issue on the road, well, actually it was only an issue because we had to make lots of stops--anyway, that remains the same - lots of it throughout the day.
• More, lots more vegetables and fruit
• Protein smoothies after my workout
• Add in Whole Grain bread, pasta, cereal, brown rice, sweet potato and nuts
• Yogurt, fat free milk, and green tea
• Most important...Eat all day! 

Sleep:

• This is still a bit of an issue because my toddler sometimes wakes me up, however, I can take a short power nap when he goes down for a nap and still get my chores and other things done around the house.  I might not always do it but I do have that option so I will try to either take a power nap or simply take some time to just sit and relax. 

I hope you know that you don't have to wait 'till Monday to get back on track, do it today, Do It Now!

Stay Well,