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!