Fitness, Family and the Future Health of our Youth

This weekend iHealthchic will help sponsor a youth triathlon put on locally by the Girls in Motion organization. Girls in Motion has the following mission:

“Girls in Motion is a not-for-profit organization that trains college age women to mentor preadolescent girls with the goal of promoting positive body image and preventing obesity and eating disorders.”

At iHealthchic.com, we support this important mission and think this group is doing a tremendous job in making a difference in the lives of Dallas area youth, one person at a time. That’s why we’re looking forward to volunteering at their “Trick or Treat” youth triathlon this weekend, October 26, 2008, at Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. 

Exercising together with your children and training for a race is a wonderful family activity that gets you moving, enjoying the outdoors and setting/achieving goals.  This weekend, my friends and I participated in a youth and adult triathlon. There were close to 500 children and over 500 adults who participated–in all shapes and sizes!  It was loads of fun and the camaraderie and support was contagious.

My 13 year old recently did some research for a school project on the obesity epidemic in America. What he learned is that in 20-30 years, it is estimated that only 10% of our population will be at normal weight. The remaining 90% will be split between overweight and obese. It isn’t too late to turn this epidemic around, however it will take a united effort at the family level, the school level, and at the government level. For more information and ideas on healthy eating, school lunches and family fitness, you can visit these sites: 

• Experience Life Magazine-A Better Bag Lunch

• Experience Life Magazine-Tracking Childhood Obesity

• Mayo Clinic- Childhood Obesity

• KidSource-Childhood Obesity

• ShapeUp-Tips for Family Fitness

According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the best ways to positively impact your family’s health is to be a positive role model yourself. Here are their “Cliff Note” recommendations:

• Eat nutritious foods.
• Don’t bring junk food into the house.
• Control your portion sizes.
• Save treats and high-calorie snacks for special occasions.
• Turn off the TV.
• Be physically active every day.
• Stress the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, rather than a number on the scale.

That’s it, short and simple. This is what our local Girls In Motion organization is trying to achieve through their mentoring program. There are programs like this all over the US. Search online to find a similar organization nearby–or better yet–lead by example at home and in your neighborhoods. The statistics are astounding. It’s time to make a difference NOW.

Be the change you want to see.  And, have a GREAT week.

By now you know that “serendipity” is one of my favorite words…and that a great day is one that begins with no alarm clock, a cup of green tea sipped leisurely, followed by a nice long run with my ipod. 

I am really enjoying the new “genius” feature on itunes which puts together songs I haven’t listened to in a while. I enjoy music. All kinds of it. It can be so moving and powerful.  Today’s compilation was  “serendipitous”! I THOUGHT I had selected one of the saved “genius” compilations.  By mistake I had pressed songs to play in alpha order begining with  “O’s”…what I heard for that hour or so was a wonderful, odd mix! Usually I pick moods or certain tempo music. Today was one surprise after another and ALL “perfect” for various reasons.  Right in the middle of my run, I even heard a version of Pachelbel Canon with the sound of ocean waves in the background. It was beautiful fall morning. I almost felt like I was getting my beach fix!   Then, as I headed down the last stretch into my neighborhood, “Perfect Day” (Josh Bates) came on. It was a perfect end to a perfect run. 

Here are a few of the “P” songs I heard:

Pachelbel Canon 

Paradise (Ana Serrano)

Peaches & Cream (John Butler Trio)

Perfect Day (Josh Bates)

And the “O” song I started with?  Jason Castro’s version of “Over the Rainbow” with his ukulele.

Happy Saturday. Stay strong.

If you are able, then TRY. 

That’s it.  Just a thought to ponder the next time you are tempted to pass on an opportunity before you.   These wonderful moments of serendipity, opportunity, coincidence or fate–ask yourself, “Why not?” And then enjoy the ride. 

And while experiencing your life journey, don’t forget to look up, give thanks, and view the beauty of the sun setting each day.

As I sit here typing, I am thankful for so much in this life…at the top of the list are my friends and family.

Happy Friday!

Ok, well maybe not exactly…although I do often find other “pearls of wisdom” and humor in the FeMail Creations catalog (www.femailcreations.com ) .  Here are a couple more of my favorites:

“I only have a kitchen because it came with the house!”  (That one resonates with me!)

“The time to be happy is now.”

“Some days are not even worth chewing through the restraints!”

“You have everything you need to be everything you want.”

“Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy!”

“Where there is great love, there are great miracles.”

“If you stumble, make it part of your dance.”

But back to the subject at hand…I came across a CCN article about why some women stay well.  For everyone who appreciates “Cliff-Note” versions, it boils down to these 7 things:

1.) Get a massage. (I got one last night…mmmmmmm…even better than chocolate!)

2.) Take a cold shower.  (OK, I tried the whole 10 minutes thing and it was a tad too long –and cold–for me but I was able to do the 2 minutes at the END of my shower and hope it reaps similar benefits!)

3.) Treat your GI problems “gingerly”.

4.) Lather up…a lot. (See last week’s post!)

5.) Try a cold-blasting cocktail. (I was hoping this was where the wine came in…)

6.) Eat more garlic.

7.) Stay positive.

Have a wonderful weekend. I know I will. My son becomes an “official” teen this weekend.

P.S. Good luck to my tri-chicas racing this weekend.  JA, no more dark runs for you. T, see you next week.

And, to the most important man in my life….HAPPY BIRTHDAY, son!  You make me proud.  I love who you are and the man you are becoming.

Seriously, it is. And brought to you by the Soap & Detergents Association, of course…!  Kidding aside, their bottom line message is important– especially as we roll into cooler weather, more time spent indoors and the the advent of the cold and flu season.  According to the SDA telephone study, Americans get a C- on their hygiene.  Yuck.  Close to 40% of Americans don’t wash their hands after coughing or sneezing into them. And fewer of us THIS year are washing our hands after we use the restroom. Seriously, yuck.   Don’t you think? Except for teachers who understand the importance and proper “protocol” for maximum results.  Figures the teachers get an “A”–I’m glad they will be reminding our youth!  So, just to brush up on your “Hygiene IQ” here is what the SDA suggests:

The SDA outlined how to wash hands to effectively remove germs:

• • Wet hands with warm running water before applying soap.
  • Rub hands together to make a lather. Do this away from running water so the lather isn’t washed away.
  • Wash the front and back of your hands, between your fingers and under the nails. Wash for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Rinse hands well under warm running water.
  • Dry hands thoroughly with a clean towel or air dryer.
  • Hand sanitizers or hand wipes are useful alternatives if soap and water aren’t available for washing your hands.

If you’d like to share this info with a youngster, they even have a site available: http://www.cleaning101.com/sdakids/ !  And if you are really, REALLY interested in all the facts about how and why washing makes good health sense, you can learn more at the Center for Disease & Control.

Just remember wash well, dry thoroughly, cover your mouth when you cough and STAY HOME when you are sick!  Add in a good night’s rest, a nutritious diet filled with real food iwith a variety of color, good fats, and lean protein and you are SET!

Have a wonderful weekend and happy hand washing!

Folks often get confused  regarding the carb-no carb issue.  Carbohydrates play an important role in your body.  It’s the MANUFACTURING process of foods that is not so good. You see, when foods are manufactured, that process manipulates the biological integrity of the foods. This usually means the glycemic response is affected. And that’s not a good thing.  Once the biochemical complexity is reduced and the glycemic index goes up, the food becomes a more simplified food source. In other words, THESE types of carbs are more quickly digested and absorbed into the blood at a faster rate.  I don’t know too many of us that can afford to have extra blood sugar (blood glucose) circulating around because that just leads to increased fat storage. 

Along those lines, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup can also wreak havoc on blood sugar levels. If you consume high amounts of simple sugars, the body has to work extra hard to remove glucose from the blood. Once your glycogen stores are filled, the body metabolizes sugar for fuel or converts it into triglyerides.  Triglycerides are stored as FAT.  Insulin is lipogeneic (increases fat storage). So, if you raise blood sugar, insulin gets released to try and remove it.  And that, my friends, causes an increased potential for fat gain.  

Your challenge this week: think before you eat. Rarely does anything taste as good as healthy and energetic feels!

Stay strong!

Isn’t it interesting how much we take our bodies for granted until something happens to remind us of the importance of good health?  Take bone health, for example. Hypocalcemia, or low blood calcium, can lead to a number of problems including muscle spasms and neuromuscular excitability.  Whereas hypercalcaemia, or high blood calcium, can lead to high deposits of calcium phosphate in your tissues and that can actually lead to organ failure or disfunction. Calcium plays an important role in your muscles responding properly. So, if you aren’t taking in enough calcium, after a while you begin to lose bone mineral density. And that, my friends, is not so good.  See, us ladies lose 8% of our bone mass a decade due to aging and hormones. For the guys, it’s 3%. When we lose levels of circulatory estrogen, we are at risk for developing osteoporosis.  The places that experience the biggest decline? The ends of our long bones–so that means the vertebral column, our hips and jaws. Translation: those spots are at greater risk for fracture.  The sad facts are that 1 out of 2 women and 1 out of 4 men will get a osteoporotic fracture after age 50. And worse yet, is that 1 out of 4 hip fracture patients die within a year afterwards. This is usually from pulmonary thrombosis due to lack of movement.  Did you know that a person loses about a year of bone mass in just 1 week of bed confinement? Wow…! But take heart, the good news about all of this is that bones regnerate quickly. (Our bodies truly are AMAZING.) What helps?  You guessed it: physical activity and resistance /weight bearing movements. Hit the gym or do some plyometrics at home, my friends. It will do your body good. Add a healthy diet to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for healthy and longevity.  And if you are have nutrional Qs, seek the counsel of a good nutritionist or dietician.

Be healthy,

Lisa

It’s that time of the year again…and I have to tell you, I am READY!  Ready for a more normal schedule again. Earlier to bed, earlier to rise.  I love the summers, but as a single mom, it’s a more difficult juggle to stay on top of things and keep balanced in the summer when the kids are up later and sleeping in, swimming and racing. It’s all fun, but I am READY for school to start back.

A subject that is near and dear to my heart is kids’ health. You’ve read the stories, seen the headlines.  The % of kids overweight has more than TRIPLED (yeah, you read that right) since the mid 1970’s. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Awful, huh?) It’s tough as a parent to fight the marketing and the taste of junk food.  Did you know the government began setting standards for school lunches after World War II because too many young men failed their physicals due to malnutrition?!  But, as you and I both know, our school lunches leave much to be desired. Those programs are trying to balance budgets with demand. That’s why 20% of our Jr. and Sr. High Schools have started bringing in McDonalds and Pizza Hut! It sells and the schools get money. Another loophole in the school lunch program involves the ala carte options which are not required to follow the “standards” set by the government.

As a parent what can you do? Expose your kids to as many healthy foods as possible. Involve them in the meal creation. I allow my kids to add ANY food to the grocery list as long as it is healthy. Also, at my house, if you COOK the meal, you don’t have to do the dishes. So, my kids have actually started cooking meals. That way they cook what THEY want and don’t have to do the dishes. Works for me. Long ago, I took a paper plate and drew a cross on it. I explained 1/4 of the plate should be protein, 1/4 starchy carb (rice/potato/whole grain roll) and half should be covered in colorful vegetables–the more color the better. I encourage them to enjoy a wonderful fruit for dessert and I always try to have some washed on hand so fruit is an easy option when they are hungry.  And, I holler, “Eat REAL!” when they are heading out the door with friends. They probably roll their eyes, however it’s my reminder to choose real food vs. the artifical stuff when they have the option.

I also send lunches to school and incorporate my kids into that planning process. They can select one day a week to eat at school for their “junk” day. (I know, it makes me cringe, but it helps with the balance and buy in!)  Recently I came across a wonderful, easy recipe that my kids LOVE and it gets GREEN into their lives. It is so simple, even my 10 year old makes it!  However it’s best eaten as soon as it is cooked, so it’s not really an option for school lunches.  It’s called “kale crunch” and I hope you enjoy it!

Take one bunch of kale, wash it, shake or blot the water off, and remove the center stalk. I just pull it off by hand. Then line or spray a cookie sheet with pam or olive oil. Fill it with kale, lightly mist with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt, garlic salt, parmesan cheese, or Ms. Dash Chipotle (we’ve tried all of these!).  Bake it for 10 minutes at 375 and voila! You have a light, crunchy GREEN snack for your family to enjoy.