A Note from Jen

I was asked to speak to my sons’ high school PTSA which was both and honor and an opportunity to educate and hopefully wake up parents. Unless you cocoon yourself away from all the media you will have heard that our nation’s youths are getting more and more unhealthy. I read an article about a study that was presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association that found that 16.3% of us children and teenagers are obese and that a separate 15.6% are overweight – that’s 31.9% of our nation’s youths who are headed for some serious health problems. The study found that the arteries of many of the youths in the study were as thick and stiff as those of 45 year olds. Unless things change these kids will be having heart attacks and strokes in their 20’s and 30’s.

The conclusion that most people jump to is that it is the fault of the video game industry. I challenge that. After all who buys the games and gaming systems? Who allows these kids to play these games and who does all the food shopping? As a parent of two teenage sons I will be the first to admit that it is WAY easier to just let them zone out with electronics however easier is not better. In order to start raising a nation of fit kids we as parents have to start a family fitness habit. Kids’ watch what we adults do and don’t do and then they follow in our footsteps.

It’s not just parents who can make a difference ALL of us can make a difference in the lives of children. Take walks with family members, go to the public pool to swim, give the gift a fitness class or activity at the local community center that gets the children in our lives engaged in something other than electronics. Make a conscious decision to reduce the amount of unhealthy food that comes into the home and do your best to increase overall activity. We all love our kids and want the very best for them and sometimes that means saying no. What can you do to help create a healthier life for the children in your life?

Here’s to you in health,

Jennifer Malocha CEOF – Chief Executive Officer of Fun!

Fitness

Did you know that exercise is cumulative? What on earth do you mean by that Jen? The American College of Sports Medicine published a study which states that the physiological benefits of three (3) ten minute (10) bouts of exercise that elevate your heart rate is similar to thirty (30) minutes of continuous exercise. In plain English this means that you can break up a 30 minute workout into three (3) ten (10) minute segments to do throughout the course of your day and gain similar health benefits as if you did a 30 minute cardio workout. Another way to fit fitness in is to get up and move around during the commercials. A one hour show has up 20 minutes of commercials which means that if you watch an hour of TV a day you could get in a 20 minute workout. If you are ‘strapped’ to your desk all day just set an alarm on your calendar to get up and get moving for 10 minutes. This will actually help you be more productive when you start working again. Exercise has been shown to help increase mental clarity which increases your ability to focus – all good things!

Nutrition

Years ago during one of my nutrition classes our teacher had us measure out a single serving to see what it really looked like. To say that I was amazed is an understatement. I think that it is super informative and powerful when you actually see what a serving looks like. After that assignment I really started to read nutrition labels and discovered that many things that I assumed were single serving sizes were actually two and even three servings! What an eye opener. It is amazing to me how powerful seeing something in black and white can be which is why I not only have my clients log what they eat for a few days but start reading food labels as well. We can’t change behavior patterns if we don’t know a behavior exists. When we take the time to track what we eat and when we eat then we can decide if we need to make some changes. Maybe we need to eat more often, maybe we need to eat more fruits and veggies, maybe we are eating more fatty foods than we realized. When we see it in writing and we are armed with the facts then we can decide if where it makes the most sense to make changes. As I always say little changes over time yield HUGE results.

Just Say No

One of the most rewarding things we can do in our lives can also be one of the most difficult – saying no. Have you ever agreed to do something because you didn’t want to upset or let down the person asking only to find that you became more and more resentful at doing what you agreed to do? When we say yes to something that we really don’t want to do then we really aren’t doing anyone any favors. I have known many a serial volunteer mom, a ‘stay at home’ mom who is so stressed out that she is always on the verge of tears. She says yes to everyone who asks her to do something and because she doesn’t want to let anyone down she is taking on more and more. She ends up not having time to do anything well and the ones who suffer the most are her family.

It’s not easy to break this cycle but it is imperative that the cycle be broken. The simplest way to start saying no is to say that you need to think about it – say 24 hours. During those 24 hours ask yourself if you really want to be involved in the project? Will it enhance the quality of your family life? Is there someone else that can be asked? Do you really have the time to invest in the project? Is it a project that you are passionate about? It’s OKAY to say no – in fact when you say no you are giving someone else the opportunity to be asked.

When all is said and done our family is our most important responsibility and they deserve to always get the best that we have to give not what’s left. By focusing on the needs of our family and our own needs we are able to distress and become much clearer on what it is that we want and not worry so much about what other want from us. What is it that YOU want?

Wuhoo For You Inspiration

This past week my client Diane and her 3 year old granddaughter Emma were heading into Seattle. As they were crossing the I-90 bridge Emma said “this is where Grammy does her triathlons.” to which Diane replied “it sure is”. Emma went on to say that she wanted to do triathlons too and be a workout lady just like her Grammy. When I first suggested to Diane that she should do her first triathlon she was convinced that I had lost my mind. She argued that she was in her fifties and ‘wasn’t very athletic’. I continued to encourage her, she signed up for the Danskin and my training group and now 5 years later at the age of 58 she has completed 6 triathlons and numerous 5k’s. Most importantly she is an amazing role model for her granddaughter Emma who is already training for her first triathlon when she is 6. With the love and support of such a strong role model I wonder what Miss Emma will achieve in the course of her life and what kind of role model she’ll be.....

Wuhoo Specials for January

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