What You Should Teach Your Kids About Nutrition
Anyone that’s struggled with extra pounds often found out the problem came from poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. As a mom, I want my children to get the best start in life that’s possible and I know most of my clients that are mothers feel the same. Knowing what to teach your kids about nutrition is often one of the problems parents face. But it’s one that’s easily solved.
Set a good example for the kids.
Kids learn to eat by what they’re served at home. Sure you’ve always got the picky eater who won’t touch the broccoli and tries to feed his or her Brussels sprouts to the dog, but with so many healthy recipes and healthy choices, you’re bound to find something that fits their palate as well as yours and is low in calories and high in nutrition. We tend to eat what we know, so make sure all snacks and meals are healthy and they’ll not only get a healthy start, it will probably continue the rest of their life.
Make it a rainbow and unicorn meal.
Okay, maybe unicorns aren’t part of the meal—especially not the meat part! The plates can be filled with a rainbow of color that will provide a wealth of nutrition. Choosing a fruits and vegetables in a wide variety of colors is a simple way to not only create a great looking plate of food, but one that’s packed with loads of different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
Make eating healthy a game.
You can make it like a scavenger hunt, collecting and eating different vegetables and fruit. Keep a scoreboard listing the different vegetables each child that ate during the week and/or day. Creating fun displays like a whale from a watermelon stuffed with a mix of watermelon and other fresh fruit in its mouth. A pineapple porcupine and vegetable flowers make eating healthy more fun.
Have healthy snacks ready and in the refrigerator. It’s easier to eat healthy when there’s no effort involved. If it’s all ready to eat, the kids will help themselves.
Have them help you cook and make healthy meals. There are some simple tasks that don’t require knives or have anything to do with fire that young children can do. Older children can even find recipes and help create new delights for the meal.
Grow a garden. Even if you don’t have yard space, many vegetables can be grown in pots. Those will be more desirable to eat than store bought food. Find a U-pick and take the kids along if you’re just getting started and a garden is out of the question.
Take the kids to the grocery to help you shop. Show them how to pick healthy food. Teach them to read labels for ingredients and if they can’t pronounce the words or it sounds like a bad science experiment, it’s time to find something else to eat.
Fruits That Are A Sweet Treat
Once you develop the habit of eating healthy, you’ll look forward to fruits that are a sweet treat, rather than the baked goods composed mostly of sugar and lard. They leave you more refreshed and actually have flavor, unlike some of the cardboard tasting treats you were used to eating. When you need a boost in the afternoon and a sweet snack sounds like it would hit the spot, try a medjool date stuffed with a teaspoon of organic unsalted almond butter. Medjool dates are large and super sweet. The combination will boost your energy level without spiking it, then suddenly dropping.
Get a cool summer frozen treat that’s both healthy and yummy.
How does a frozen chocolate banana sound? Pretty delicious, but also pretty fattening. Don’t worry these are made with dark chocolate, and each one is less than 100 calories. These are the perfect summer snack and made by cutting a banana in half. On the cut side, slip a Popsicle stick into the center to create your banana pop and freeze. When it’s frozen, it’s time to melt mini dark chocolate chips. Hold the banana over the bowl and spoon two teaspoons on each banana half. It should harden immediately and create this delicious treat you’ll want to have ready when hunger hits.
Fruit is getting a bad rap.
You hear lots of celebrities talk about cutting out the fruit from their diet because of the sugar, but it’s still a great diet choice in my book. You’ll be more apt to eat an apple rather than celery if you’re hungry for a candy bar and find it fills the bill. A sugary sweet slice of watermelon will keep your sweet tooth satisfied. While it’s true, there’s sugar in fruit, it comes in a package that contains other benefits, such as fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Blueberries contain anthocyanins to help prevent colon cancer and mangoes have a substance that prevents, slows and stops the growth of both breast and colon cancer cells.
Fruit is great for a snack before working out.
You’ll get plenty of fuel and energize your body when you have a fruit snack before you exercise. A study that compared sports drinks to eating a banana before cycling at top speed, found the banana superior in several ways. It triggered the release of dopamine faster and provided far more nutrition than the sports drink. Raisins, the grandmother of grapes—actually, it’s more like the reverse, but grapes are so shriveled!—did just as well as bananas, but had even more minerals and the prebiotic inulin.
Just because fruit is good for you, it doesn’t mean you can go overboard. Try to stick with just two servings a day, but when you have a huge work load that requires a little more energy, one more piece of won’t hurt and may really help.
You’ll get antioxidants from fruit that can keep your skin looking younger and keep you healthier by protecting the cells from damage, including sun exposure and pollution.
If you’re counting carbs, the number vary from fruit to fruit. Bananas and grapes are on the high end with cantaloupe and berries on the low side.
The best way to have fruit is whole fruit. Juice doesn’t fill you as much and has less fiber. A cup of juice has far more calories than a cup of the fruit it came from.
It Will Be Worth It Tomorrow
No matter how tired I get during a workout, I keep one thought in mind, “It will be worth it tomorrow!” In today’s world where everyone wants instant results, it’s hard to keep going when something takes more perseverance and dedication. Getting fit isn’t a one time shot or even an easy goal to accomplish. It takes dedication and continual striving to reach a goal. That isn’t to say you won’t see results within a few weeks, because you will. Just not the final goal or results you want…but it will be good indication of what is coming.
When you’re ready to quit before you’ve finished a workout or skip the workout entirely, keep tomorrow in mind.
You’re never going to have this day again, so make it count. Push yourself to accomplish what you wanted from this day, whether it’s working out in the gym or cleaning out a closet, and tomorrow you’ll be happy you did. Goals are accomplished one day at a time and unfortunately if you skip one day, it often becomes too easy to skip another and then another. Before you know it, that beautiful goal you created is no longer.
Do something toward your goals each day.
Each goal deserves some attention every day. If you want to lose weight, exercise, shop for healthy foods, remove unhealthy foods from your home and get moving. Even if it isn’t a day for the gym, turn on some music and dance through the house to burn a few extra calories. This is true for all goals, not just fitness. If a clean closet is the goal and you don’t have a lot of time, find one or two outfits that you no longer want or do one other small job that takes only a few minutes and before you know it, that huge job will be a lot easier.
Learn to appreciate everything you do to reach the goals.
Sometimes our goals are huge and it seems like we’ll never hit them. When I run up against that, I create smaller mini-goals that stair-step me to larger ones. I’ve learned to appreciate both the larger and smaller steps that take me where I ultimately want to be. While you need to remember how much you’ll appreciate your actions tomorrow, sometimes, you also need to appreciate what you did today.
When you need a little motivation, reach deeply for more resolve. If that doesn’t work, we’re always here for you to believe in you until you can believe in yourself.
Before you order that burger and fries, think about all the hard work you’ve already done. Wait and get a healthier meal or better yet, have healthy snacks and meals ready so you won’t be tempted.
You won’t fall off the wagon forever. One indiscretion does not negate all the hard work you’ve put into getting fit. If you’ve missed a workout or ate far more junk food than you should, it shouldn’t end everything. Get right back to work on your road to fitness the next day.
Have fun with your workout and support those around you. That comradery adds to your resolve to succeed. Getting fit may be hard, but it still can be fun.
How to Strengthen Your Will-Power
Wilting Will-power? Strengthen That Muscle!
Has your will-power muscle been getting a worXout? Had this conversation with a client and thought I’d share…
Have you been neglecting your will-power muscle without realizing it? What do I mean by that? Well, your will-power is just like a muscle. You have to put it to work in order to strengthen it but not too often because it does need to recover.
If you’ve been letting your will-power take a rest too often lately, saying yes to ice cream more nights than you should or yes to that extra drink, too many chips or bread before dinner…
If you don’t have that uncomfortable feeling of saying “No Thank You” on a regular basis and training yourself to get comfortable being uncomfortable (and you aren’t where you want to be physically yet!) then think about this…
• Every time you say no thank you when you really want to indulge in eating or drinking something you are strengthening your will-power muscle.
• Every time you show up for your worXout even when you are tired and don’t feel like it you are strengthening your will-power muscle.
• Realize you may have had to use your will-power muscle throughout your day and by the end of the day your will power muscle is sapped. Which makes sense why you are more likely to blow off your workout at the end of the day and indulge in something you hadn’t planned.
The key to building up your will-power muscle is to do it gradually just like any other muscle. You wouldn’t just start with lifting 300lbs. You start with 5-10lbs, then 20lbs, etc. progressing slowly over time.
As you go through your day today think about what kind of worXout your will- power muscle is getting and then exercise it at some point to say no thank you to something you normally would have said yes to…have one less drink or only 2 cookies or go for a walk or do something active when you least feel like it. You can do it!
When your friends say- “Stay for one more drink!” and you say “No Thank you not tonight” or you sit at dinner with the bread basket or chip basket in front of you untouched you can rest assured knowing I’m giving my will-power a worXout!
Gradually as you start to exercise your will-power muscle you’ll find that it’ll get stronger and easier to use more often rather than having to grit your way through the day. You got this!
If you’re serious about giving your will-power a good workout and really strengthen it and you are ready to build long term habits, join us at The WorX By Maia for a FREE week!
If you’ve been stuck in a rut, let us help you break out of it! Questions? Give us a call at 540-421-8527 or email info@theworxbymaia.com
Define Yourself
If someone asks you to define yourself, they might want a more explicit definition of what you’re saying or are asking you to tell them more about who you really are inside and what you think is important. In the gym, when we say “define yourself,” it can mean workout to add definition to your muscles and give them that rippled six pack look. It also means identify the type of person you are and prove your dedication to making your life better by accomplishing your fitness goals and encouraging others to do the same.
Actions speak louder than words.
If you really want to get fitter, taking action is the most important step. No matter how much you talk about getting fit and how many videos or books you read on the subject, nothing happens until you start working out and eating healthier. What you do to accomplish goals also affects all areas of your life. I like to think that the work we do at the Worx helps keep people motivated to do their best and accomplish those goals. Not only does the staff help encourage others, encouragement comes from other members of the team working toward their goals. Starting is the most important action you can take.
You’ll define yourself and become the person you want to be when you stick to your dream with persistence.
I don’t take a commitment lightly. When I make one, whether to another person or to myself. I do everything possible to stick to it. I believe that it’s what defines me as a person. While keeping a commitment to another is important, keeping a commitment to yourself is just as important. If you’ve made a commitment to fitness, I’ll back you a 100% to ensure that you can succeed. That’s my commitment to you. As you persevere each day, it builds the mental toughness to insure not only this goal and promise to yourself is accomplished, but also new goals down the road are reached.
You’ll define every muscle in your body on your path to reach your ultimate fitness goal.
There’s nothing more attractive than the sculptured lines of a healthy body, whether it’s on a man or woman. While women don’t bulk up like men do, they still build the sinewy muscles that toned and strong, while shedding extra pounds that hide that progress. When you define yourself mentally and take on the challenge of getting into shape, you’ll develop definition and strength in your muscles.
Take care of yourself. You define who you are by the way you care for yourself. Self neglect isn’t noble. In fact, it’s far from it. When you’re healthy and in good shape you have the strength to take care of others. When you’re not healthy, they have to take care of you.
You are what you eat. Of course, that’s figuratively said, but true. When you eat healthy, you are healthy. Choosing to say “no” to unhealthy food, defines you.
The body is about 50 to 75% water. When you workout, don’t forget to replenish your supply.
We believe in you and your ability to achieve anything. Let us help you make your dream come true.
Stay Mentally Motivated
If you’ve worked out before but found it almost impossible to stay mentally motivated, which ultimately led you to quit, you probably had the wrong workout program. While any program for getting into shape will help if you follow through diligently, it’s not always that easy. Having one that’s made specifically for your needs will give you the best results. It should be hard and challenge you, but not so hard that you get discouraged and give up in the process. That’s why using a personal trainer can be so helpful. Trainer’s make sure the program works for your level of fitness and fitness needs.
You should have fun with your workout.
One of the reasons I recommend group training is that it’s so much more fun than working out alone. You have the group energy that helps boost you up when you’re down and drives you harder when you’re feeling your best. Having fun while you workout makes you look forward to the next session and that’s a huge part of recipe for success.
Learn to do just one more.
Most of the people I work with are happy when they’ve accomplished their goals, but some of the most successful people that get the biggest results are those with the “one more” attitude. Whether they’re struggling to achieve their goals or mastered a workout, they use the attitude of just one more. Before they give up they focus on doing just one more and do the same after that. Tackling the last few push-ups, weights or other exercise with the attitude of just one more gets you to your goal before you know it and then helps you surpass it.
Keep your exercise program varied.
One reason we vary the exercise programs so much is to prevent plateauing. Plateauing occurs when your body becomes too efficient at doing a specific movement. While efficiency is normally good, when you exercise it means you don’t burn as many calories. Of course, varying your workout also helps keep you mentally focused and prevents boredom that can occur from doing the same routine repeatedly.
When you workout, keep your mind focused on the movement of each muscle and muscle group. You’ll be amazed at how much command you start to develop over your body.
Have big goals, but also break them down to smaller ones. While your overall goal may be huge, having smaller, more easily accomplished goals can help keep your head in the game.
Check out your progress in other ways besides loss of inches or weight. When you realize you can workout five minutes longer than you did a week before without getting winded or are able to lift five more pounds, you’ll get a boost of satisfaction to keep you mentally focused.
Keep your eye on the prize. Always keep your goal in mind. It helps you stay more mentally motivated.
Is It Time To Get Back On The Fitness Wagon?
You can get back on the fitness wagon, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes. It’s not impossible, but don’t expect to pick up where you left off when it comes to fitness. Every week you don’t workout, your level of fitness goes backward. A study at the University of Copenhagen tested not only how much muscle mass was lost by inactivity, but also how long it took to regain it. After having one leg immobilized for two weeks in a knee brace, men in their 20s lost between 22 percent and 34 percent of the muscle strength, while those in their 60s and 70s lost between 20 and 26 percent. It took six weeks of regular exercise to regain muscle mass, but their leg strength was still 5 percent to ten percent lower than when the study began.
It may take a little longer than planned but you can do it.
Don’t expect to hop of the couch and run a marathon, but do expect to see results quickly with the right program. As a personal trainer, I create programs that help people maximize the time they spend working out and get the most from each session at the gym. You’ll build muscle mass while you shed pounds. The longer you workout, the better your results will be.
Losing weight is easier with a program of regular exercise.
One of the reasons that exercise is so beneficial to weight loss is that it builds muscle tissue. Increasing muscle tissue not only tones your body, it also burns calories faster. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue does, so you’ll be boosting your metabolism and burning extra calories 24/7. You’ll look slimmer too, even if you never lost a pound. One cubic inch of muscle tissue weighs far more than a cubic inch of fat, so it takes up less space. It’s like comparing the container for a pound of metal to one for a pound of feathers. The feather container will be much larger.
Find out that working out can be fun.
You may start out dreading your new journey back to fitness, but you shouldn’t. It actually can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be all calisthenics and push-ups. There are many new ways of exercising that you’ll enjoy and even look forward to doing. Working out with a group also increases the fun and motivation. Everyone supports one another and cheers each other on to victory.
You’ll burn off the hormones created by stress. That clears your head and leaves you feeling far better. One of the hormones, cortisol, is associated with the accumulation of abdominal fat, so you’ll shed fat there too.
You’ll improve your posture quickly. That improved posture also makes you look thinner and more confident.
When you combine a healthy diet with regular exercise, you’ll see dramatic results quickly and watch pounds seem to fall away.
No matter when you start a fitness program, it can help you live longer and healthier. One study noted that for every minute you workout, you’ll get seven minutes more of healthy life.
Stay Committed
You can accomplish anything in life, including weight loss and fitness, but you have to stay committed. That’s not always easy to do. There’s so much to tug you away from the gym and take your time, it’s no wonder people often start a weight loss or exercise program but fail to see it through to success. If you’ve found that was a problem of yours in your past, I want to help you. I want to help get you see results fast to help motivate you to stay on track. I’ll support you on your journey to good health and a fabulous looking body.
You’ll never have to worry about your weight when you eat a healthy diet.
I never recommend dieting. Diets simply don’t work. They make you feel discouraged, deprived and always end–sometimes in success and sometimes in failure. Then you go back to old eating habits that put the weight on in the first place and the pounds start adding up again. When you’re on a diet, you often have to have special foods, so eating at a friend’s home, a restaurant or any special occasion is almost impossible. Rather than dieting, learning how to make smarter decisions about food is a better choice. It may involve simple substitutions such as brown rice instead of white rice or adding a healthy snack in the mid morning and afternoon so you aren’t ravenous at supper. All the minor changes add up to huge calorie savings and you can eat anything you want—just limit the frequency and amount of high calorie foods.
Don’t let the exhaustion or achy muscles stop you.
The first few days or weeks of exercise leave you exhausted and full of aches and pains. That won’t last long. I’ll help you get through those times and make sure that those aches and pains aren’t injuries, but just your muscles getting used to being worked harder. I’ll show you how to do each exercise correctly to help you avoid injury and maximize the results.
You won’t see the changes immediately, but you will feel them.
Your pants won’t immediately become too big, but you will feel energized rather quickly. I’ll help you through the toughest part, when you’re working hard and still not shedding pounds or inches. I may adjust your workout, help you with dietary needs or just supply loads of motivation to get you through the rough part.
Having a personal trainer is a huge benefit that might be just what you need. People who know they’re meeting with a trainer tend to show up at the gym even when they feel like skipping it, primarily because of the “appointment” with the trainer.
You’ll learn mental toughness and adapt it to other areas of your life. Mental toughness is the ability to continue long after others have given up. It’s a great attitude for all areas of your life.
Remember, even if you only accomplish part of a goal in the amount of time you allotted, you’re still further along than if you didn’t workout at all.
You’ll walk taller, have improved energy, better posture and a whole new attitude. Your outlook on life will improve as you workout each week, shedding pounds, stress hormones and sweating out the toxins in your body.
Do You?
You may think you’re maximizing every opportunity to get into shape and be healthy, but do you? Here are a few of the things you should be doing that will not only make you healthier, but boost your energy and your brainpower. Studies show there’s a huge connection between the body and the brain. When you exercise, you increase the number of neural connections and that improves your cognitive function. In fact, one study shows it can even delay dementia and Alzheimer’s. You’ll also be reducing the risk of serious conditions.
Are you eating healthy?
We’re all guilty of poor eating habits at one time or another. Sometimes, you just can’t wait for dinner and those pork rinds or candy bars look delicious. Rather than leave anything to chance, it’s good to plan ahead. Make sure you plan mid morning and mid afternoon snacks so you aren’t tempting to eat your way through the junk food counter at the gas station or load up on cookies that you immediately open and eat in the car after you leave the grocery. Learning to eat healthier doesn’t mean dieting.
Dieting doesn’t work and can be counterproductive.
Some people feel the need to constantly be on a diet, yet fail to shed pounds permanently. That’s because diets don’t work. Diets always end and then you go back to old eating habits. Even worse, extremely strict diets can put your body in starvation mode, which slows your metabolism and makes you regain the weight you lost faster—plus adding a few pounds. Eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love that you might consider being forbidden. Instead, you’ll simply eat less of it and less frequently.
Are you exercising regularly?
Regular exercise is so important to your overall health. It helps boost the immune system and stimulates the body to create antioxidants that protect your cells. It improves circulation that brings nutrients and oxygen rich blood to all parts of the body, so not only will you look better, you’ll actually be healthier. One study showed that for every minute you exercise, you’ll extend your life seven healthy minutes.
Are you getting adequate sleep? Sleep is important for a number of reasons. It allows the brain to rest and lets your body heal. Adequate sleep is important to heart health and mental functioning.
Do you drink enough water? I have yet to figure out why people don’t drink more water. Water flushes out the system and helps prevent dehydration. The older you are, the more prone you are to dehydration. In older people, it can lead to symptoms mimicking dementia or other serious conditions. Get in the habit now.
Get involved. People with a readily available social circle not only enjoy life more, they live longer.
Take time to give back and love. Showing love to another person or even loving a favorite furry friend enriches and extends your life. Doing good for others and having a pet project that gives you purpose also does. If you’re a parent, it’s probably the kids, but think beyond your family too.
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