Archive for February, 2010

TEENS!! HEADS UP!!

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

 

Here is a special article for young people, especially teenagers who are rapidly coming up to adulthood.  Many of you at this point have no trouble with your weight.  You can eat anything you like and not gain a pound.  Some of you laugh and joke about how you can eat whatever you want and still stay slim and trim.  You might even be a bit prideful, looking at overweight classmates with disgust because they are “fat” and you are not. 

Take heed, you who judge, because if you do not start taking care of yourselves RIGHT NOW, you too will be in trouble some day.  It usually hits the girls after you have a baby.  You will not know what or how to lose and control your weight because you have been so used to eating whatever, whenever, and how ever much you want. 

Consider how you feed your bodies.  Is your main diet junk foods?  Junk drinks?  Do you realize that even though you are not gaining weight what you are putting into your body is what is feeding your hair, skin, nails, mind, emotions and all internal as well as external parts of your body?  Living on a junk food diet makes me wonder how much of this plays into depression for young people.  And exercise?  Many of you balk at the thought of working your bodies.  I was out walking on my street one morning, and there were a group of girls walking past me.  They were in their p.j.’s so I figured they had just had a slumber party.  As they were walking up the street (and it was a hill) I head one girl say “I can’t make it”!  Yikes!  That’s scary!! 

This is the time NOW to start making positive changes in your lifestyles.  Start now to consider your diet and how you are feeding your body.  Look at the foods you eat.  How much are natural?  Fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, baked products, lean meats.  I’m not saying never to eat French fries and shakes.  Make those foods a treat, not a way of life.  And for exercise.  Instead of ignoring it, change your thinking on it.  Get into something you enjoy doing.  Dancing, bicycling, jogging, swimming, sports anything that gets your heart rate up and stretches and works your muscles.  Grab a friend and the two of you get a routine going.  No girl friend willing to commit?  Then do it yourself, for yourself.  It will pay over and over for you now, and surely in the future.   

Laurie Jones

Personal Fitness Trainer

For any questions or help needed, please visit my website at lauriesimplyfit.com

What can we do to train our kids so that they will make better food choices?

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

What can we do to train our kids so that they will make better food choices?   

#1. Show them how.  You are the one in control with what foods come into the home if you are the one doing the shopping.  Start buying foods that you know are good.  Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grain breads, butter instead of margarine, peanut butter that is just peanut butter (no added sugar)  cheeses that are real cheese and not processed, chips that are baked, dairy products that are low fat, oatmeal that takes time to cook instead of instant.  

#2.  Plan ahead and be ready.   Make a menu of 7 dinners.  Cook extra to have left overs for lunches.  Freeze up part of it for future dinners.  If your family likes oatmeal, cook up a batch that will last several days.  Each morning you can fix a bowl, and then add good things like honey, raisons, apples, cinnamon, ECT.  Scramble up enough eggs, veggies and meat for a few mornings.  In the morning, heat a tortilla and have an egg burrito.  These are fast morning meals that you can do without getting into frozen processed foods. 

#3.  Have good things ready that the kids can grab easily.  Are they hooked on those frozen burritos and corn dogs?  Make your own and freeze them up. Most anything you make from scratch is much safer than boxed and frozen foods.  Yes, a fairly decent kind of corn dog can be home made.   Cut up some fruit and put it in Tupperware. Add nuts or yogurt.  Peanut butter and those little cocktail breads would be fun for the kids.  

#4.  For the problem of inactivity.  Have the kids do jobs after home work.  Jobs that take time.  Kids need responsibilities and it is a help to you.  I know, they won’t do it like you. Train them and in just a bit they will do the job right.  Maybe even better than you! (I used to take my boys out on the lake during the week every summer.  Since their Dad was working, I learned to back the boat down the ramp, launch it, and get it started.  Then I trained the boys to do everything to the point that all I had to do was lay in the front of the boat relaxing!) Kids can get dinner started.  If they are not old enough to cook, they can do simple things like wash the lettuce for salad, set the table and put ice in glasses for drinks.  I have pictures of my oldest boy Nathan standing on a chair doing dishes since he was too short to reach the sink.  My second boy, Coleman was in Sunday school and the teacher had the kids tell of the chores they did at home.  On hearing and comparing what the other kid’s jobs were, Coleman came to the conclusion and announced to the class “Man!  I’m a slave!”

Changing bad habits to good habits happens quickly!

 

Laurie Jones

Personal Trainer offering in home training/nutritional help

Lauriesimplyfit.com

laurietmr@hotmail.com

370-8228