Turn Off The TV To Lose Weight

Worried that your family watches too much TV?  You should be.  According to a MSNBC.com article, kids are seeing double the number of commercials for junk food compared to what they saw 30 years ago.

Moreover, other studies have suggested that time in front of the TV leads to weight gain for both kids and adults.

So turn off the television if you want to keep your family healthy!  Here are some other fun activities that can replace your TV time:

Play active video games:  Games such as Dance Dance Revolution let kids feel like they’re playing video games.  But they’ll also be burning calories and boosting their levels of fitness!

Play active outdoor games:  Take advantage of warm summer evenings with a family game of basketball, baseball or Capture the Flag. 

Have a dance:  Crank up the tunes and shake your booty in the living room!  Kids of all ages love to dance, and it’s lots of fun for adults, too.

Play board games:  Sure, you won’t burn a lot of extra calories.  But at least board games aren’t littered with ads for potato chips, fast food and candy!  If you want to keep your bodies moving, try a more active board game like Twister.

Plan a menu: Kids are a lot more likely to eat healthy foods if they take part in preparing the menu.  Read cookbooks together and plan a future meal that’s chock-full of nutrients.

Need some more suggestions?  Try…

•    Reading together
•    Playing cards
•    Watching a DVD (no commercials!)
•    Doing a craft
•    Playing with a favorite toy
•    Redecorating your child’s room
•    Drawing or painting
•    Knitting or crocheting

For more ideas, check out www.familyfun.com.

Set Personal Exercise Goals For Fitness Success

Many exercise regimes begin with unabashed enthusiasm, only to taper down to an occasional, half-hearted walk as the weeks progress.  And, in some cases, within a month or so our sneakers lay lonely and neglected in the corner of our closet.

But a recent study reported by The NY Times suggests that a walking exercise routine may be more effective and successful if it’s tailored to your individual needs.

One way to personalize your fitness program is to simply create goals that are meaningful to you and your specific health needs.  Here are some examples.

Do you exercise to improve your health?
Set goals that measure health indicators, such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels.  If your current blood pressure is through the roof, for example, set a goal of obtaining a blood pressure of 180/20 by your next doctor appointment.

Do you exercise to boost fitness?
Choose goals that measure athletic performance.  You might set the goal of running a 5k, or you might strive to run a 5k in a certain amount of time.  You may even set a goal of achieving a certain resting heart rate, which can be a general measure of fitness.

Do you exercise to lose weight?
Measurable weight loss milestones include losing a certain number of pounds or a certain percentage of body fat.  You might also choose a clothing size or a certain BMI as your goal.

Do you exercise for many reasons?
You don’t have to limit yourself to one goal!  As long as a goal is meaningful to you, it will help keep you motivated to stick with your exercise routine.

The Weekly Tip

Play ball!  Today’s a great day for father’s and kids to be active together!  Play basketball, toss a football or just take a walk!  Even mental exercises–like card games or checkers–will help improve your health.

Health Tidbits

•    Be safe when you mow your lawn.  Link 

•    Exercise can help keep high blood pressure under control.  Link 

•    Diabetes shaves 8 years off your life.  Link 

•    Heart disease may be linked to Alzheimer’s.  Link 

•    Kellogg promises to make kids’ food healthier.  Link 

•    How does your state rank when it comes to health care?  Link 

Health Tidbits

•    Be safe when you mow your lawn.  Link 

•    Exercise can help keep high blood pressure under control.  Link 

•    Diabetes shaves 8 years off your life.  Link 

•    Heart disease may be linked to Alzheimer’s.  Link 

•    Kellogg promises to make kids’ food healthier.  Link 

•    How does your state rank when it comes to health care?  Link 

Health Tidbits

•    Be safe when you mow your lawn.  Link 

•    Exercise can help keep high blood pressure under control.  Link 

•    Diabetes shaves 8 years off your life.  Link 

•    Heart disease may be linked to Alzheimer’s.  Link 

•    Kellogg promises to make kids’ food healthier.  Link 

•    How does your state rank when it comes to health care?  Link 

Healthy Summertime Treats For Kids

Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, they’re probably clamoring for summertime treats like ice cream, popsicles and hot dogs.  But all those extra calories, chemicals and sugar can be unhealthy for growing children!

A recent NY Times article offered some book suggestions and tips for feeding your kids a healthy diet during summer months.  Here are a few ideas for healthy and kid-friendly hot weather treats:

•    Serve fruit smoothies instead of milkshakes.
•    Keep fresh fruit clean and chopped so it’s easy to grab as a snack.
•    Sweeten veggies like celery and carrots with a dab of all-natural peanut butter.
•    Make naturally sweet peach crisp by baking sliced peaches topped with oatmeal, cinnamon and a dash of sugar.
•    Mix fresh blueberries with yogurt for a creamy snack.
•    Add black beans to hamburgers for a healthier picnic.
•    Serve salsa instead of sour cream with tacos and burritos.
•    Cucumbers dipped in hummus make a fun and tasty snack.
•    Dip bananas in melted chocolate and freeze for a "monkey popsicle."
•    Make salads interesting with an Asian-inspired ginger sesame dressing.
•    Cut apple slices or sweet potato slices into fun, kid-friendly shapes.
•    Add extra fruit to gelatin desserts.

Whittle Your Waistline By Eating MORE Food!

Imagine someone told you that you can lose your extra weight while eating more food than you do right now.  Well, the "Volumetrics" diet, created by Barbara Rolls, claims to do just that.  And research recently reported by WebMD.com suggests that these claims are true.

The foods that are eaten in the "Volumetrics" diet tend to be low calorie because they’re rich in water and fiber.  Dieters can eat larger portions for fewer calories, which helps curb cravings and satisfy the appetite–but without damaging their low calorie diet!

So what kind of foods should you add to your diet if you want to eat more and still lose weight?  Try…

Fruit: Packed with water and fiber, fruit can also satisfy a sweet tooth.  Great choices include apples, watermelon and kiwi.

Vegetables:  Many veggies are loaded with nutrients but low on calories, so they’re a great addition to any diet.  Good choices are raw spinach, cucumbers and green beans.

Beans:  Chock full of fiber, these antioxidant powerhouses may even help reduce your risk of some cancers.  Try eating more black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas.

Whole grains: Although not always low-calorie, whole grains are a healthy way to get some added fiber in your diet.  Try brown rice, oatmeal and quinoa.

Soup: Broth-based soups–especially when they’re packed with veggies–are both satisfying and low calorie.  But avoid creamy soups, which are loaded with calories.

Weightlifting On Any Budget

We’ve all heard that walking 30 or so minutes a day can improve our health.  And it can!  But all that emphasis on cardio exercise causes many of us to overlook another important component of any fitness routine: strength training.

In fact, a recent Washington Post column suggested that general fitness guidelines are now beginning to include recommendations for regular resistance exercises.

Strength training has many benefits, including:

•    Builds muscle
•    Prevents bone loss
•    Improves appearance
•    Develops self-esteem
•    Increases strength

And you don’t need thousands of dollars in weight lifting equipment to get started with a resistance routine.  You can start strength training on any budget:

$0
For no cost at all you can perform multiple bodyweight exercises, such as squats, lunges, stomach crunches, push-ups, leg lifts, tricep dips and more.  If you own a single, sturdy chair, you can increase your variety with other exercises (such as incline or decline pushups).

$20
A pair of inexpensive 10-pound dumbbells costs about $10.  Or, if you prefer, you can get a variety of resistance bands for that price.  Pair with a secondhand strength training DVD for a complete routine.

$50
At this price you can afford a few sets of dumbbells, a workout DVD, and a stability ball.  The ball is useful for core exercises, and it can also double as a bench for exercises like chest presses or back rows.

$100
Buy a few basic pieces of weight training equipment, and hire a personal trainer to show you proper form.  For about $30 you’ll get an hour of training, which will be enough time for the trainer to guide you through a basic routine.

$200+
At this point you may want to consider joining a gym, where you have access to a variety of equipment plus professional personal trainers.  If you want to train at home, however, we still recommend that you hire a pro to show you proper technique on the exercises you want to perform.

Healthy Breakfast “To Go”

You’ve probably heard that a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  But our busy schedules don’t always give us time to whip up–and eat–scrambled egg whites, fresh grapefruit and a bowl of oatmeal.  In fact, a WebMD.com feature offered a few suggestions for healthy, on-the-go breakfast foods.

And if you’re willing to do a little prep work on less busy days–such as Sunday evening–you can have lots of breakfasts ready to go on the run.  Just try some of these options, which can all be eaten during a commute:

Muffins:  For a complete meal, make them with whole grain flours, nuts and bits of dried fruit.  Bake ahead of time and then freeze.  Pull one out of the freezer the night before to defrost.

Breakfast burritos:  Use a whole grain tortilla to wrap scrambled egg whites, veggies and even some crumbled turkey bacon.  Wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze.  Put in refrigerator the night before to defrost, then microwave to heat.

Granola bars:  The store bought ones tend to be full of sugar and preservatives, so consider making your own.  Toast oats in the oven, then mix with goodies like coconut, seeds, nuts and dried fruit.  Then just stir with some peanut butter, spread into a pan and cut into squares.

Wholegrain pancakes:  Use your favorite recipe and then freeze individually (place layers of wax paper between cakes to avoid sticking).  Toast them in the toaster oven in the morning, and then spread with peanut butter for some healthy protein.

Baked oatmeal:  This classic recipe can be made in muffin cups for easier transportation.  You simply bake oatmeal with a few other ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, etc.) and eggs for added protein (and to act as a binder).  Find a recipe here or here.   

Hard boiled eggs:  You probably don’t have time to boil eggs in the morning.  But make a few on Sunday, and you can eat them for breakfast all week long.  Pair it up with some fruit or whole grain toast for a simple and easy meal.