Do You Know Who Is Watching Your Every Move?

They say you are what you eat and yeah, that’s pretty accurate. You may not like to keep a food journal, but your body is a diary of everything you eat. Your body is 80% what you eat, and 20% how you work out. This is nothing new – we’ve talked about it before.

But what we haven’t talked about is: WHO IS WATCHING YOU? Do you have kids? Young kids, grown adults – doesn’t matter. Your kids watch and learn from you.  As much as we’d like to say to our kids “do as I say, not as I do,” we know that is not always going to be the case.

Because of the not-so-healthy choices we make as adults regarding our eating habits, our children are learning from us and therefore picking up some of the same unfavorable habits. As a result childhood obesity has increased over the past 20 years. Here are some scary facts from the Centers for Disease Control: (http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/facts.htm)

• Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.^{1, 2}
• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.^{1, 2}
• In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.¹
• Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors.³ Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.⁴
• Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors

So how can we as adults help reverse this epidemic and not only help ourselves, but help our children? A first step is to accept the Project10 Challenge – for every adult who sets a goal, picks a kit and accepts the challenge to lose 10 lbs., Vi (Visalus) will donate meals to a child in need for 90 days! So if you go and lose 10 lbs. and start on a healthier lifestyle for yourself, WE will donate healthy meals to kids. It really is that simple. To learn more and sign up for the challenge go to www.devonmtaylor.project10kids.com

Not up for the Challenge? No worries – you can actually donate just $24 and VI will match it and donate 30 meals to a kid who is fighting childhood obesity or is undernourished.

In addition to these options, you should also be talking with your kids about healthier choices – especially as they get older and will be out with friends or on their own. Try to steer them away from the unhealthier option of fast food and try for more fresh foods. Yes I know many people think it’s more difficult, and sometimes it can be more difficult when a McDonalds on every corner is simple and fast, but it can be done!

Just remember that children are always watching what their parents or older siblings are doing. Be sure that in addition to teaching them good family values, social skills, work ethic and the like, that you are also teaching them about better nutrition and a healthier way of eating. If you are unsure of how to educate them, because you are unaware yourself (don’t worry – most are), then please feel free to ask!

We need to help reverse this problem with our kids and the first step is helping ourselves!

 

 

New Year, New You...How to Survive This Month

Everyone has made or is making their new year’s resolutions. Most started yesterday right?  Let’s be honest, because of the long weekend for many people, very few people actually started on January 1st with their resolutions – we all waited until Monday, January 5th.

If you started yesterday, chances are many of you have already slipped up! I know I have. I said I wasn’t going to drink until my birthday (two weeks away), but I had an open bottle of wine that I just couldn’t waste, so I finished it last night and “restarted” today.  So I’m just as guilty as everyone else.

Now if YESTERDAY, a Monday, was the day you decided to go to the gym, chances are it was crazy packed; too many people all walking around aimlessly not knowing where to start on day 1 of their new year’s resolutions. Here’s the good news: over 50% of the people who start in January will be out of the gym by the end of the month so don’t get discouraged by the overcrowded gyms! They will start to empty out. Here’s the key: don’t be part of the crowd that quits before the end of the month!!

Here’s how to get through the month:

-Don’t go to the gym on Mondays! I know, seems weird coming from a trainer telling you NOT to go to the gym on a Monday. But Monday is the busiest day of any gym because everyone wants to “start over” after falling off the wagon over the weekend. It’s busy; you’ll get frustrated and end up cutting your workout short because you just want to get out of there.

-The mornings at the gym are typically less busy. Not a morning person? Well, try!  New Year, New You, right? Going to the gym in the AM has many more benefits than going at night when you get frustrated or not at all. Give it a try. It takes up to seven repetitions of an act to create a new habit. So try it for a week! Get up an hour earlier than normal, hit the gym or do an at home workout before work, and you’ll be amazed at the energy you have throughout the day!

-If your gym has classes, try them all out! Even if some gyms charge for their classes, tell them you want to try it out one-two times before paying for a special class. They will (or should) let you! See what classes you like best and try to make it a point to hit that same class and instructor each week. And don’t stand in the back! Stand right up front so the instructor can see you; ask questions about form and make sure you do the exercises properly.

-Pick days and times that are least busy at the gym: early mornings, lunchtime (if you can break away and there is a shower at your gym), Saturday afternoons/evenings and Sunday mornings.  You do NOT have to only workout on the weekdays! My best, most productive workouts are on Sunday mornings.

-Gyms still too intimidating? Then contact me for a customized at-home workout plan!  I will write you a plan to do at home with your current equipment (or none at all) so you can keep on track with whatever your new year’s resolution goals are!  Doesn’t matter where you are – Skype sessions are a great way to get together, catch up and still get a good workout in even if we are not together in person.

Bottom line is be smart about your gym attendance – especially for the next month. If the gym LOOKS too crowded and you can’t get on equipment you want, then see where you can tweak your schedule a bit so you can find a less crowded time to go! Just stick with it through this month and I guarantee all those who WON’T stick to their weight loss and fitness goals for 2015 will quit, but NOT YOU, right?!

Happy 2015!