Posts Tagged ‘family’
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Whether at the park, on the beach or in your own back yard, a family picnic is a great way to spend time together while bonding over the food you eat. Unfortunately, traditional picnic foods like fried chicken, dips, and mayonnaise-based salads can wreak havoc on anyone’s health. With a little modification, you can enjoy a picnic while keeping your family happy and healthy.
Fresh and Crisp Produce:
Go raw! Summer picnics occur at the height of the fresh produce season. The more colorful produce you add to your menu, the healthier the meal. Get your picnics off to a ‘fruitful’ start by packing your cooler with a wide variety of colorful fruits. If they are in season, there is nothing quite like a juicy watermelon to finish the meal. Sliced apples, berries, and dried fruit like raisins, dried apricots are perfect travel snacks without the mess of fruits you have to peel. Pack a nutritional punch by filling your cooler with colorful vegetables, thereby providing your family picnic with antioxidants and vital vitamins and minerals. Try baby carrots, slices of celery, cucumbers and peppers, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli- all perfect for dipping. Pack low- fat or fat- free dressings for a fun and nutritious snack. Be sure to keep uncooked meats and fresh produce separate in your coolers to avoid potential food-borne illness.
Chips and Dips:
Greasy fried potato chips with onion dip is loaded with saturated and trans fats. Instead, help your heart and cholesterol by switching to baked chips, like Stacy’s Pita Chips or Tostitos Scoops, and pair it with a nutritious dip, such as hummus, salsa, fat-free bean dip, or low-fat yogurt with herbs and spices. Your kids will love all the dipping!
Protein:
There are so many delicious ways to pack healthy protein into your picnic basket. Take slices of lean, chicken, turkey, ham or roast beef and top them on a salad or sandwich for a delicious, healthy meal. Nuts can also boost your protein and fiber intake when sprinkled onto salads, but note to self, watch your portions because although they are high in healthy fat, the calories can quickly add up.
Hearty Whole Grains:
Refined breads, rolls, and starchy pasta salads can pile on lots of calories and little fiber. Choose whole grain products like 100% whole wheat rolls or whole wheat pita bread, for an added boost of fiber and nutritional value without sacrificing taste. Bring along whole wheat tortillas—kids love the fun shape of a rolled up sandwich. Turkey and veggies, lean ham and low fat cheese, and reduced fat peanut butter and jelly, are all great options for fillings. Another kid tip-use a potato chip bag clip to keep the healthy fillings from falling out!
Switch up your Salads:
Resist the temptation to load your picnic basket with high-calorie salads that are mixed with mayonnaise. Mayonnaise-based salads are providing you with artery clogging fats. Instead opt for low-fat or fat- free mayo and split it with non- fat yogurts, which will save you loads of calories and fat and give you an added perk of protein.
Best Beverages:
It’s so easy to become dehydrated without even knowing it, especially when you are outdoors playing in the sun, hiking or tanning. Kids are especially prone to losing fluids, and often don’t want to interrupt their fun to drink. Beat the heat with plenty of ice water, sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, and an assortment of low-calorie beverages. You can freeze water bottles the night before and use as cold packs to keep food and drinks cold.
Get Up and Move:
Whether you’re soaking up the sun on the beach or enjoying the relaxing air in the park, there are so many activities to do to get your heart pumping! Searching for sea shells, pitching tents, climbing, and hiking are all fantastic nature filled activities, providing good exercise without feeling like a workout. Depending on what location you pick there are many fun, vigorous activities you can find.
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Tags: family, fruits, health, pack, picnic, vegetables
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Monday, May 9th, 2011
Homework, late workdays, long commutes, after-school activities — it’s no wonder few families eat dinner together. Yet studies show that the family dinner hour is an important part of healthy living. In fact, a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children and adolescents who share meals with their families at least three times per week are less likely to be overweight, be at risk for eating disorders, or eat unhealthy foods, such as soda, fast food, fried food and sweets or candy.
The researchers examined 17 previous studies, which involved 182,836 children aged 2 to 17 and found that three or more family meals per week were associated with a 12% reduction in the odds for being overweight, a 20% drop in the odds of eating unhealthy foods regularly and a 35% reduction in disordered eating- including purging, the use of diet pills, skipping meals or the use of smoking cigarettes as a way to control weight. In addition, the kids were 24% more likely to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, breakfast and also more likely to take a multivitamin.
Although the studies yielded mixed results and weren’t easy to compare, overall they show regular family meals are tied to better nutrition. Basically, by simply having family dinners and engaging themselves in their kids’ lives, parents can significantly benefit their child’s health and well-being. How awesome is that?! Also, as Amber Hammons, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the lead study author, points out, it’s possible that parents may influence and monitor their kids more during shared meals.
Remember, the goal is to get everyone to the dinner table and to spend quality time together – not to force Mom into Carol Brady mode. Here are tips on pulling it off:
- Keep it simple. Family meals don’t have to be elaborate. Work salads and vegetables into meals. Focus on familiar favorites, like chili or frittatas.
- Get the family involved. Let kids help prepare meals and set the table.
- Use the crock-pot. Put everything together before leaving for work in the morning. You’ll come home to the delicious smell of a cooked meal.
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Tags: children, dinner, eat, family, healthy, meals, overweight
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Monday, April 27th, 2009
What is the best way to ensure that your child sticks with an exercise regimen? Make it fun! It is best to disguise exercise in the form of playing. And there is a calorie-burning superstar just sitting in your garage, waiting to be used! You probably bought it for about $4.95- much less than any other type of exercise equipment. It is time to look at the jump rope in a whole new light.
Read on for a great jump rope exercise routine for your child.
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How many calories will we burn?
Jumping rope is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise around. Jumping rope burns about 10 calories per minute- that’s 300 calories in a half hour and 450 calories in a 45 minute sweat session. Few exercises allow children to burn quite so many calories.
But jumping rope doesn’t only burn calories; it is also an effective way to burn fat, increase stamina, improve coordination and firm muscles.
Where can we jump rope?
Jump ropes are both affordable and transportable. Prices range from $5 to $25. And since jump ropes easily fit in your child’s backpack, exercise can happen at any time, on the spur of the moment. Kids can jump rope outdoors or inside. All you need is a high enough ceiling and enough space to turn the rope without knocking anything over.
What type of rope should I buy?
There are a few different types of jump ropes. Your best bet is a rope made of plastic. Cloth ropes are pretty flimsy and leather ropes take a long time to break in. Try to find a rope with soft foam handles and a swivel-like turning action for best comfort. Adolescents can try a weighted rope once they have mastered the regular jump rope.
Jump ropes are not one-size-fits-all. When picking a rope, lie the rope along the ground. Have your child put one foot on the center of the rope and pull the rope straight up along the side of the body. Ideally, the handles should reach up to your child’s armpit.
What moves do we need to know?
The routine will incorporate a few different moves.
Forward Hop-Overs: Place the rope on the ground in a straight line. Have your child face the rope and jump back and forth over the rope.
Side Hop-Overs: Place the rope on the ground in a straight line. Have your child stand with the rope to his/her right side. Your child should jump side-to-side over the rope.
The Workout
Each step should be done for two minutes. The length of the routine depends on how long you want to exercise. The ideal length of the workout is between 30 and 45 minutes.
Warm Up:
March in place for 2 minutes and then jog in place for two minutes.
1. Jumping Jacks
2. Jump Rope
3. Forward Hopovers
4. Jump Rope
5. Side Hopovers
6. Jump Rope
Repeat steps 1-6 as desired.
Cool down:
Cool down by jogging in place for 2 minutes and then marching in place for 2 minutes.
Tips to increase the “fun” in the workout:
1. Make it into a “Simon Says” game.
2. Invite friends to join.
3. Exercise with your child.
4. Let your child pick which move comes next.
5. Make up your own moves!
Remember: Exercise is fun!
Make sure your child drinks plenty of water before, during and after the workout. And always consult a doctor before starting your child on an exercise regimen.
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Tags: activity, child, children, exercise, family, fitness, obese, overweight, parenting, weight loss
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Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
I have turned my kids into exercise aficionados. I didn’t realize I was doing it at first. But suddenly, my kids wanted to join me in my activities. You too can introduce your children to the love of movement. Here’s how…
Step One: Let your children see you enjoying exercise.
Friday nights are my husband’s and my active date night. We either take a long bike ride or go for a hike in one of the nature preserves in our area. After we work up a sweat, we stop for a quick dinner. It is some of our favorite time of the week and are kids know how much we look forward to it!
When I first had children, I worried that my fitness was selfish. Shouldn’t I be home, playing with my kids? I felt like I was stealing every minute of my exercise time. It wasn’t until my children were a little older that I got to see the benefits of these weekend rituals.
Step Two: When your child is old enough (around age 3), allow them to participate in very small amounts. You don’t want to overwhelm them.
A few summers ago, I came back from a particularly spectacular run to find my 3 year old son sitting on the front steps, waiting for me, sneakers tied. “Mommy,” he said. “I was waiting for you to come back because I wanted to go for a run too!” I suppressed my giggle at the thought of my little peanut “going for a run” and said, “Well, let’s go right now!” We slowly jogged once around the block. “Wow! That was great!” I told him. The huge smile on his face told me that he agreed. He wanted to do a little more but I wouldn’t allow it. I really wanted his first experience with exercise to be positive.
The next time he wanted to go running, I made it into a game. We went on a slightly longer (but still short) route. “Let’s run to the lamp.” “Now let’s walk to the bench.” “Race you to the stop sign.” Instead of focusing on getting all the way around the loop, I broke it up into smaller goals. Each time he got to the appropriate landmark, he felt proud of himself. Running is great exercise for kids. Not only does it burn lots of calories but it builds muscle and strengthens the entire cardiovascular system.
STEP THREE: Don’t say no!
A few months later, Zachary wanted to ride his bike. I was exhausted and it was chilly outside. My first instinct was to say no. But then I thought about how I really did want to cultivate his love of exercise and saying no really wouldn’t further that goal. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.” And we went and had a blast.
STEP FOUR: Step it up!
Now that your child enjoys physical activity, it is time to take it up a notch. As I have said many times before, it isn’t exercise unless your heart is pounding, you are dripping with sweat, and unable to speak in full sentences.
To get Zachary to that level, the next year, I played into his competitive nature. “I bet I can beat you in a race,” I taunted. “You ride your bike and I will run.” He smiled and started sprinting ahead. Around the track we went until, quite frankly, I couldn’t take it anymore. A runner really doesn’t stand a chance against a bicycle- even if it is a four year old on the bicycle. He wins every time. And he loves that he wins every time. It is super for his self-confidence. But I do give him some competition. He has to really pump his legs to get going. It’s been two years since we started these races and he still loves them.
And now my 3 year old daughter is getting in on it too! Last week, we all went to the botanical gardens to get some fresh air. Zachary brought his bicycle and Danielle brought her tricycle. While she wasn’t quite ready for a race, she was thrilled that she could “bike like a big girl”. We went along a 3 mile loop. Every time we tried to get her to take a break, she refused! She wanted to keep up with her brother!
STEP FIVE: Keep it up!
Suddenly, fitness has become something our family can do together. Instead of having to take time away from the kids to work out, exercise has become our favorite time to spend with them! And they feel so grown up now that they can join in what used to be just a ‘mommy and daddy’ activity. The key is to constantly be looking for ways to fit the exercise in. I went to a birthday party this weekend where there was a mini-trampoline and my kids loved it. Great idea! I immediately ordered one from Amazon.com. It cost $100 but is a great way for the kids to move around on a rainy day.
Love of exercise needs to be instilled from the beginning. If you resent exercise or avoid it altogether, your child will do the same. However, if you follow these simple tips, your child will learn a love of exercise that will last a lifetime.
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