The 8th season of The Biggest Loser has started and I could not be more excited! This show is a perfect example of the struggle our nation is facing in this fight against obesity. In a nut shell it is simple: There is a mass number of people out there who are living their lives without caring what harm they may be causing to their bodies. Yet the solution is not as simple as eat less and exercise more. When speaking about obesity, it is more than just being overweight. It is more than just not exercising and over eating. As Jillian Micheals said last night, "There is a story going through [her] mind." Many people who are dealing with obesity are also dealing with very serious issues in their personal life.
As most of us are aware, life can be very stressful. When it rains it pours. How we cope with these stresses is a sign of our character. Some of us cry, yell, hide out, talk, eat, exercise, watch TV, read a book, the list goes on. There are many ways to deal with the issues in our lives. The hard part is is making the choice on how we cope.
I was raised in a household with a lot of yelling. I yell and bitch when I am stressed. It is a learned behavior. Now I have the choice to change that behavior...I just find it is a lot easier said than done. I find I repeat the same actions, even though I am aware they need to be changed.
Making the decision to face obesity head on is not easy. When one is considered obese their percentage of body fat is over 35%. This is a serious amount of fat, this means your body is 35% or more of fat. Gaining this kind of weight does not happen over night. It is an accumulation of years and years of dealing with weight, nutrition, being motivated to exercise and eat well to be disappointed or weak willed. Struggling with obesity is also a struggle with body image, self esteem, self confidence, and self love. Once it is in our minds that this is our story: we are not worth it, don't deserve it, who will love me anyways?, their motivation to change is nil to none. One can be their own worse enemy by telling themselves things like this.
As I watched The Biggest Loser last night, I was moved by Jillian's and Bob's words. We know the saying that if you always do what you have always done, you will always be what your always were. By deciding to make the change and face your anxieties and phobias; deciding to change your story, you can be a hero. A hero for others, a hero for your family, but most importantly a hero in your own story. This is so powerful and why I love this show!

And one last note... anyone on the show who has children understands how important it is for them to make these changes so they can become better parents to their children; it is a motivating factor in their desire to be on the show. This is, I believe, the best way we can help our children. If we can't help ourselves how can we take care of our children? If we don't have self love how can we teach our children to have self love? We need to learn and conquer these things first so that we may be able pass our good health and knowledge to our children and make our country a healthier place to live!!

USA, UK and Australia Need to Re-think their Strategies

In the news today research was published that the strategies the USA, UK and Australia are using to combat childhood obesity are not working. The research was led by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Lead author, Professor Melissa Wake of the Royal Children's Hospital and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne carried out a trial that recorded the effectiveness of this approach in overweight and obese children.
Basically the study was a flop. A few parents were recorded saying their children drank less soda throughout the day, however they did not eat more fruit or vegetables. There were no drastic changes in Body Mass Index (BMI)
Well of course not! The children have a choice how much soda they drink and what junk they eat? Growing up I was not permitted to have soda, except on special occasions. We drank milk with dinner and had juice or water throughout the day. I had to ask permission for a snack. I was not allowed to just go eating all day every day. I was limited on the amount of TV I watched and my parents made sure I was active.
Parents of obese children need to look in the mirror and try to recognize the bad habits their children are learning. It may be them self that is the teacher. If it is that simple, than imagine the influence parents can have over their children if they take the challenge to get healthy seriously! Parents love their children unconditionally we need to help parents understand what steps to take to live a healthier lifestyle.
Until as a nation we are practicing healthy habits, our children will still be exposed to all of our unhealthy habits and practice those habits them self.

5 Ways to Stay Moving

One of the biggest contributing factors of childhood obesity is living a sedentary lifestyle. This means living a life with very little movement. Today you can go through all whole day and barely get up. You sit in your car to drive to work, you sit in front of your computer all day while you are at work, and then you sit and dirve home, go home and sit and eat dinner and watch TV, then lie down and go to sleep. With a busy schedule how can you make sure you and your family are able to get a move on it?

1 .Go for walks after dinner and watch the sun go down.

2. Play games that get you moving as a family instead of watching TV every night. Games such as Sherades,Pictionary, Wii, or even Twister.

3. In the mornings get up and stretch before starting your day, warm your muscles and get the blood flowing.

4. On the weekends make a day of going to the park, bring a basketball, baseball gloves, tennis raquets etc, bring a picnic lunch, and plenty of water. Spend time playing each activity you bring and stop halfway through to eat lunch. Then play some more!

5. While you are watching TV you and your family can do exercises such as crunches, bicep curls, and squats. During each commercial do a different set of exercises!

Doing these 5 little things will help you and your family not only spend more time togetherm but burn calories while you are at it! Get up and get moving! Take your life back in your own control!

The Importance of Fiber

Childhood obesity continues to be a concern for the children of the United States. Unfortunately, there is no quick solution for the issue. At this time there is no medication approved for treating childhood obesity. What is the best solution then?
To change our children's diet. By changing and monitoring what our children are eating, as parents, we can make sure they are getting all the proper nutrients they need. It is suggested that instead of focusing on weight loss, it is healthier for obese kids to maintain weight while they still have growing and developing to do. It is in no way healthy for children to start eating a diet that is low in calories and nutrients. Although the short term results of a low calorie diet are successful; the success is short term. Weight is easily gained back once more calories are obtained. A low calorie diet can also inhibit growth and development.
Research suggests the best solution is a diet full of vitamins and nutrients. Especially one important nutrient: Fiber. A diet high in fiber has many positive effects on assisting in weight loss and maintaining a healthy life style. Fiber can be found in many foods.
There are two different types of fiber. There is soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can be found in apples, bananas, pears, plums, prunes, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions. Insoluble fiber can be found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, wheat and flax seed. Both insoluble and soluble fiber are necessary for a healthy diet.
For those who don't have a diet high in fiber, they can use fiber supplements. Most Americans do not meet the recommended dosage. For adults is is recommended to consume at least 20-35 grams/day of fiber. For children glucoomannan is a healthy fiber supplement to assist with maintaining a healthy weight.

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Dietary fiber functions & benefits

Functions	Benefits[25][26]
Adds bulk to your diet, making you feel full faster	May reduce appetite
Attracts water and turns to gel during digestion, trapping carbohydrates and slowing absorption of glucose[27]	Lowers variance in blood sugar levels
Lowers total and LDL cholesterol	Reduces risk of heart disease
Regulates blood sugar	May reduce onset risk or symptoms of metabolic syndrome and diabetes
Speed the passage of foods through the digestive system	Facilitates regularity
Adds bulk to the stool	Alleviates constipation
Balance intestinal pH[28] and stimulates intestinal fermentation production of short-chain fatty acids	May reduce risk of colorectal cancer[29]

-from Wikipedia.com

For more info on the amount of fiber in foods visit here.
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School Lunches

Today I pose this question: Is it healthier for our children to eat a brown bag lunch or to eat the hot lunches schools are serving?

I was reading an article over the weekend about such a topic. What I discovered was shocking!

When I think back to school lunches I remember sloopy joes, hamburger surprise, mixed fruit, milk and cookies. Today children are seeing pizza, soda, and ice cream as lunch choices. Children are being given very little choices to eat healthy. And if given the chance are our children going to choose a salad over a piece of pizza?

So why do our schools continue to serve foods with which they know have no nutritional value? The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to push more meat and cheese into lunch programs to keep the agribusiness lobbyists happy! As a nation we are jepordizing our children's health to keep lobbysist happy?!?! In the article I read they said that the Secretary of Agriculture just announced that the USDA is purchasing 75 million pounds of cheese, on top of the already purchased tons of cheese, butterfat and other dairy products purchased for school lunch purposes! ( to check out the related article visit: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-kscol-schools-m0823sbaug23,0,6280221.story )

This is a disgusting amount of carbs, fats and calories our children do not need. What they need is fruits, vegetables, and water! So, what is our Government going to do?

Obama has a legislation up for reauthorization called the Children Nutrition Act. This bill is to regulate and determine what our schools are serving for lunch. If this Act is updated and put to the test our children should have more healthier choices instead of so many un-healthy things to choose from. They should have more fruit, more vegetables, less fatty and fried foods and the chance to make only healthy decisions for lunch.

But who knows how long this will take to put into effect. So in answer to my own question: Children are better off eating a brown bagged lunch that parents can regulate themselves. As parents we can not depend on our governement to make sure our children eat healthy! I propose that as parents we learn how to prepare healthy lunches ourselves!


Below are 3 great resources on Children's Health and Nutrition and great ideas for healthy lunch habbits!


Lunch Box Menus For You by Janice A. Johnston


Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children by Ann Cooper and Lisa Holmes


The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox: Easy and Exciting Ideas for Your Child's Lunches ~ Nicola Graimes

Obesity Action Coalition

As I was doing my research today I came across a fantastic resource! The best part is they work right behind us at the office! I think this is pretty crazy! So at the Office Building where my mom's Senior Helpers Business is there is a company called the Obesity Action Coalition. I used to pass by it on my way to and from the restroom (and I was pregnant so I was always walking by the sign on the wall). I was always curious what it was they actually did with obesity. Today I got my answer! I stumbled across their website this morning and wouldn't you know they are dedicated to EDUCATING and helping fight against obesity. It is a great sight with great tools such as: BMI indicator, an Advocacy Program and tons of information. WWW.ObesityActionCoalition.ORG Check them out! They are a really neat site that is truly dedicated to helping those dealing with obesity. They are not only a site with information, but a site with a heart and passion to HELPING those dealing with obesity. It is not only affecting our children, it is affecting our families. Education is the key to beating this epidemic. Become a FREE member of the OAC and be a part of the voice.

You Are What You Eat

"You are what you eat." This is a saying we have all heard growing up. I know when I was younger I used to laugh at the idea. I used to try to imagine myself as a piece of pizza, a hot dog, or even an ice cream cone. It didn't make sense to me as a child, but now as an adult the picture is crystal clear. It is true we are what we eat! Scary isn't it?
The purpose of eating is to provide nutrients for our body so that our organs and muscles can perform their necessary duties. Our bodies need energy to operate and food is where we find that energy. The food we eat effects every organ and muscle in our body. Each nutrient, vitamin, or sugar does it's own job. Protein repairs muscles, calcium builds strong bones, vitamin B helps us fight off a cold, and carbs actually provides our bodies with the fuel it needs to perform it's daily tasks.
It seems simple doesn't it? Yet, so many people are unaware of what they are actually putting into their stomachs. They are unaware of what the by-product will do to their insides. This lack of knowledge is a huge contributing factor to the rise of childhood obesity.
In so many households everyone is so busy there is barely time for everyone to eat dinner together. Let alone having everyone eating a meal of all fresh food that is healthy and takes time to prepare.
I believe part of the issue (even for myself) is not knowing how to cook! That is why today I am offering an awesome deal on The Guide to Organic Cooking!!!! In this guide you will learn all you need to know about organic food and how to prepare it.
The Benefits of organic eating are huge! No more preservatives! No more Processed fast food! Instead know that what you are putting into your body! Know what you are putting into your children's bodies! Take care of you and your family today!! Cook a meal they won't forget! Help with this fight against childhood obesity! Make a difference for your loved ones today. Purchase your Guide To Organic Cooking: The Healthy Way of Living today!!