Children, from a young age, learn by observing. If they grow up seeing their parents leading healthy, active lifestyles, exercising and eating the right foods, they are much more likely

Help reverse the trend of childhood obesity by teaching kids to exercise and eat the right foods.

to do the same. On the  , if parents tend to be sedentary and rely on fast foods, and unhealthy cooking habits, their kids are probably going to end up following in their footsteps since that is all they know. It is our jobs, as mothers and fathers of tomorrow’s generation to help reverse the trend of Type 2 Diabetes, premature aging, cardiovascular disease, stress-induced health problems, heart attacks, and perhaps even cancer (which researchers say may also be triggered by prolonged unhealthy eating habits).

How do we do this? Well, the answer is simple, although making changes to our current way of parenting may be difficult. Below are some guidelines for parents to try implementing at home.

1. Make exercise part of your daily life. Everyone, no matter how busy, can take at least 30 minutes out of the day to get some physical activity in. Make it a family affair by going to the park with your kids, for a family bike ride or jog, or by heading to the beach or pool for some fun in the sun.

2. Make home cooked meals. Now this is a big one. If you usually order take out or fast food you may be leading your kids (and yourself) down a very dangerous road. Learn some low-fat cooking techniques (like poaching, broiling, or grilling) and be sure to serve up controlled portions of balanced meals that include lean protein, fiber, complex carbs and low amounts of fat. Make dinner time sacred. Turn off the television and have the family sit down for the meal. Encourage family discussions which will help you bond and allows you to savor your food and eat at a controlled pace.

3. Teach your kids to drink LOTS of water. Most of us do not consume enough water throughout the day. this can lead to build upo of toxins in our bodies, dehydration, fatigue, and several other conditions that can be dangerous to our health.

4. ELIMINATE junk food from your house. If you know your kids dive into a bag of chips the minute they get home from school-why buy them? They are eating themselves into an early grave to say the least. Instead, buy fresh fruits and veggies, and have plenty healthy snacks in the fridge for your kids.

5. Brown bag your lunch and your kids’ lunches. Not only will you save money, but you will also be sure you and your family are eating right.

6. Teach your kids about the importance of MODERATION. Teach kids that an occasional, small treat every once in a while is o.k., so long as they exercise and eat the right foods on a regular basis. The problem comes when “once in a while” turns into “everyday” treats.

If you do these things already, congratulations! And if not, don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s never too late to be better than you were before. By becoming healthier individuals ourselves, we can in turn be better role models for our children.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

So what is the answer? Below are a few tips to help keep you on track:

1. For one, I always recommend having your plan beforehand. Prepare your mind BEFORE you go to the party. Yes, there will be food, and beer, and that great homemade potato

Don't let the Labor Day weekend keep you from eating the right foods or exercising.

salad. BUT, that doesn’t mean you have to l”stuff your face”. Go ahead and enjoy yourself! But before doing so, put in your mind that you will limit yourself to one small serving of those oh so delicious, yet fattening side dishes.

2. Be sure to eat before heading to the party. That’s right. Usually labor day consists of an afternoon of barbecuing for many of us for example. Well, be sure to eat a healthy breakfast, and a small, yet satisfying, high-protein snack before heading over to the party. This will help keep hunger pangs at bay and prevent you from over-eating.

3. Head for the grill. Barbecue is actually a really healthy way of cooking lean meat. Stock up on lean chicken breast, steak, and even pork chops, rather than over-doing it on that tempting potato salad…again. Stay away from the chicken wings and be sure to take off any skin from your chicken since these are quite high in saturated fats.

4. Drink lots of water. Not too long ago, I outlined the importance of staying hydrated. One of the benefits is that drinking waater also helps control appetite!

5. Watch the alcohol. Remember that alcohol always affects different people in different ways. Body mass, tolerance, and whether or not you have eaten before drinking will determine how severely alcohol will affect you. So, to keep yourself in check, be sure to eat while-or before drinking any alcoholic beverages. Also, give yourself a limit before drinking. If you know 2 is your max, stick to that number and please be responsible when deciding who will drive home.

6. Bring along a Frisbee-or rollerblades or a bike or a soccer ball! Whatever you think may be a fun activity, make it part of your day! Engaging in physical activity helps burn those excess calories and can be a fun bonding experience for you and your buddies or family members.

And lastly, if you do happen to go a little overboard and don’t exactly eat the right foods, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just pick upo where you left off and maybe do a little “damage control” by fitting in a little extra exercise the next day.

Have fun and be fit! Happy Labor Day everyone!

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

Researchers now know that it’s usually more dangerous to not stay active, no matter how old you are. And you don’t

Becoming more physically active and eating the right foods is beneficial at any age. In fact, as we get older, a healthy diet and regular exercise can help fight disease and the effects of osteoporosis.

need to buy special clothes or belong to a gym to become more physical. Most people don’t get enough physical activity. Here are some reasons why they should:

1. Lack of physical activity and not eating the right foods, taken together, are the second greatest inherent cause of death in the United States. (Smoking is the number one cause.)

2. Physical exercise can help people feel right and enjoy life more. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are known as the “feel good” hormones because they do just that. Just give it a try-do a 30 minute-long walk or other type of physicalactivity you enjoy and I can assure you that you will feel more eneretic and optimistic than you did before.

3. Regular exercise can halt or put off some diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It can also perk up your mood as I mentioned before, and can help people suffering from depression.

4. Being active can help people stay independent and able to keep doing things like getting around or dressing themselves as they get older.

So how do you get started to get yourself in better shape? Well first and foremost, always consult with your doctor or healthcare provider before starting an exercise program. Below are some other guidelines to help get you started:

1. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most or all days of the week. With time, increase your intensity so as to challenge yourself and help make your heart and muscles stronger. If you are a very busy person (as most of us are) You don’t have to be active for 30 minutes all at once. Ten minutes of endurance activity at a time is fine. Just make sure those 10-minute sessions add up to at least a total of 30 minutes most days. As you increase intensity, you can also increase the amount of time you spend doing exercise.

2. How hard do you need to exercise? The right level of effort is described this way: If you can talk while exercising without any trouble at all, you’re not working hard enough. If you can’t talk at all, it’s way too hard. Shoot for somewhere in-between. And again, as you get stronger and build your endurance, you can push yourself a bit harder.

3. Keep using your muscles. When muscles aren’t used, they waste away at any age; this is know as muscle “atrophy”. How important is it to have “enough” muscle? Extremely important. Muscles step-up your metabolism, allowing you to burn off more calories during the day when your body is at rest. Using your muscles also make your bones stronger helping ward off osteoporosis (a condition where bones become more brittle and porous and are more prone to breaking).

4. Do things to help your balance. Good balance is a major asset at any age, but especially as we get older since we are more prone to falls.

5. Stretch. Stretching can help keep you flexible and will be able to move more freely. Stretch when your muscles have warmed up and never stretch so far that it hurts.

Now this is by no means a “complete” list, but it’s a quick guide that I hope will encourage all of you to be more active. Remember that taking care of your health is something that you owe not only to yourself, but also to your kids, family and friends that only want the best for you. Don’t wait another day-today is the perfect day to get started.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

But don’t get “taken” by the unnecessary products that play on the emotions of those who wish to look young. Being

Fueling your body with the right foods and regular, enjoyable physical activity is the best anti-aging remedy.

healthy, energetic, and in turn, looking and feeling great, do not come in a bottle. Rather, aging with grace and remaining healthy and energetic come from the things we do to our bodies throughout our lives. That’s why I have said time and again that “dieting” in a sense-doesn’t work. What you need to be healthy is a positive change in “lifestyle”.

Your body, at it’s current state, is a product of what you have done and put into it throughout the course of your life. So how can you improve your current state? How can you feel and look healthier, younger, and more vibrant than before? The following are three secrets and tips that will allow you to avoid the risks of buying certain products that are not needed.

Secret Tip #1: Feed Your Face. If you “feed your face” with the right foods-anti-aging food- on a consistent basis, you’ll find it easier to stay young. Another way to say this is to just make sure you’re not feeding your body full of junk that is sure to perpetuate the aging process. Also, know that if you try to escape the eating step, you’ll grow older faster. The body knows what it needs. Just give it to your body. The right foods will fuel the process and journey to where you want to go as far as fitness.

Secret Tip #2: Pick Something or Go Somewhere. In other words, get up off the couch, turn the TV off and do some anti-aging activities. This doesn’t have to be work either. Find an activity or two that you enjoy. Walk, run, weight train, ride a bike, get on a pogo stick. Do anything that causes your body to move and exert some activity. This will allow your body to stay young by stretching muscles and keeping you limber at the same time. When you exercise, your body also secretes  “feel good” hormones called “endorphins” which will cause you to eventually WANT to keep exercising and feeling good!

Secret Tip #3: Don’t Be A Party Pooper. Mentioned above for the #2 Anti-Aging Secret Tip was finding something you enjoy. That’s the whole secret of this entire article. Find something you have fun doing. Just know this: if drinking alcohol into a drunken stupor is the one thing you enjoy, you are not going stay young-or healthy for that matter-for very long. In fact, if you’re older in age and you’re doing this you may not even enjoy staying old for much longer. There’s only so much abuse a body can take before giving out.

The key to the entire process of anti-aging is to treat your body right and have fun doing it. Enjoy life, stay young mentally, emotionally, physically and you’ll see an anti-aging process that you’ll be happy about. That will give you the motivation and momentum to continue the positive lifestyle you have created.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

If you were dieting, how long could you last, knowing that these great tasting foods were there for you to eat whenever

By allowing a break from always eating the "right foods" we can better maintain weigh loss by not depriving ourselves of the things we love.

you wanted, but that you could not eat them because they weren’t the “right foods” on your diet? Forever? 6 months? 3 months? 1 week? In reality, there is a way to eat these “forbidden” foods, and still achieve a level of physical excellence that would seem impossible had they been a regular part of your diet. Though I cannot take credit for this excellent way of conquering two very important hurdles in everyone’s quest for the perfect body, I mention the reward system because it is a very powerful physical and psychological support system for continued success.

Bill Phillips, the creator of the Body For Life™ system and the book of the same name (I highly recommend that you read this book and apply its principles), came up with the idea of allowing one day to “let down your guard” and indulge in whatever food or drink you happened to be craving (as part of a maintenance program, and not in the initial 12 weeks of your transformation). You may be thinking to yourself that you don’t need to “cheat” and will be completely strict forever because you want the best results. This is a big mistake. In fact there are several reasons why you actually need to indulge every once in a while.

The first reason is physiological. As explained earlier, our metabolic system is the result of millions of years of evolution. It has developed coping and survival mechanisms that enable us to survive the inevitable periods of famine: the primary objective for your body is to survive – everything else is secondary. And, in order to survive the many eras in human history when food was scarce, human metabolism developed into a self-regulating mechanism. When food supplies were limited for extended periods of time, metabolic rates slowed – this was (and is) a crucial process for survival. It works when the body detects a reduced calorie intake and downward adjusts the rate at which it burns calories.

And, while this is an excellent survival mechanism that works well in times of famine, it works against us when we go on a diet. Since most diets call for a reduction of calories, over a period of time our metabolic rate naturally slows. This makes it harder for us to lose fat. Consequently, if we continue to diet, we have to continually lower our calories: the longer we diet, the fewer the calories. And, of course, the body compensates for this with another powerful signal – hunger. This usually leads to the end of the diet because it becomes unbearable. The all-powerful urge to eat is too strong for us to resist and we give in, usually in a big way.

On the other hand, by eating more calories than you need – in essence telling the body that there is plenty of food around – you are much less likely to reduce your metabolic rate. And, your chances for continued fat burning are increased indefinitely. But if you eat more calories than you need on a regular basis,then you won’t burn any fat: you will store it, and this is not the goal. So, the Max Fat Loss plan – one variation of calls for twice weekly “carb loading” days, where you eat more calories than during the rest of the week.

The second reason for rewarding yourself regularly is psychological. Consider two scenarios. In the first scenario, you are put on a diet program that is strict, and where you can only eat certain, approved foods. You will follow this program for life and never be allowed to eat any of your favorite foods ever again. In the second scenario, you are put on a diet program that is strict, and where you can only eat certain, approved foods. You will follow this program for life, but once a week you can eat whatever you desire. Can you feel the difference when thinking of the two programs? In one you will never be allowed to eat your favorite foods again. In the second, all you have to do is be strict for one week, and then you can eat your favorite foods. In terms of being able to keep mentally focused on the program, the second program is much easier to follow: nearly everyone can be strict for one week at a time.

That is the what it is all about – taking one step at a time, one week at a time, to achieve physical excellence. And, with the reward day concept, you can continue to stay in shape, have your cake and eat it, too.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

It was very instructional… and eye-opening.

I might need your help… again…

No, I’m not going to ask you to pick sides, but to offer suggestions for us.

Christian chooses the right foods with his healthy morning smoothie

You see, we were talking about Christian, our son, and food. Namely, how do we go about giving him the right foods in spite of the negative programming going on all around him. In the face of all the brainwashing from television commercials peddling their “foods”, his schoolmates and the incredibly bad food choices their parents have made for them, even the teachers, all of whom really just do not know any better, how do we teach him the right foods from the bad foods, allow him to see those right foods choices as good, and not rebel one day?

We talked about how to approach the right foods choices with our son. How to keep him on “our side”. How to keep him honest with some of the wrong foods he’s undoubtedly tried at school, yet might not have told us. Like the oreo cookie he had today. He told us there were oreo cookies at school today and knew they were bad… yet he had them anyway. At first he said he didn’t have one, then my ex gently coaxed him to admit to having it. Instead of scolding him, which we never do with regards to food anyway, she said it’s ok to have one of them every once in a while. But not all the time. And there were better right foods for him to eat so that he could grow bigger and stronger. Unlike oreos and other foods with lots of sugar in them that could prevent him from growing up as big and strong as he could.

We’re always trying to educate Christian on the “why’s” of one food choice vs. another.

I was saddened by this when she told me. Both from the poor food choice, and the fact he lied to her. Obviously she handled it as well as she could. But I feel like I’m blasted from all sides with poor food choices for him that, unfortunately, taste great to a kid that doesn’t know any better.

Did you know that children’s sensitivity to sweet foods is 300% greater than adults? It’s a survival reflex designed to allow them to detect the minutest of harmful substances in food that are “off”, and help prevent them from eating things that might be poisonous. This means when they do taste something that is sweet, all of the “triggers” go off in their brain saying “eat it!… eat it!”

Here’s the problem…

In nature, where “natural” foods are found, there are rarely any really “sweet” things out there. Honey maybe, but other than the inherent sweet nature found in fruits, not much. Yet we’re so “smart”(sic) as humans that we’ve designed an almost infinite amount of these incredibly tasty foods that light up a kids tastes buds like a New York switchboard. Most loaded with sugar, and all being foods are bodies were NOT designed to handle or process properly. Especially in the amounts our kids, collectively as a Nation, are eating them.

Check out this statistic from the NIH (National Institute of Health):

2 year old eating a donut. Is this a right foods choice?

“After 10 years of age, type 2 diabetes becomes increasingly common, especially in minority populations, representing 14.9% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in non-Hispanic whites, 46.1% in Hispanic youth, 57.8% in African Americans, 69.7 % in Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 86.2% in American Indian youth.”

Most of the research out there does not give a clear reason why this epidemic in our children is happening. But my God man, if you have even half a brain (not talking to you, but to the “establishment”), you can see that the MASSIVE amounts of processed foods our kids are eating are killing the little pancreas’s of our children. Wearing them out before their time by years and years of massive sugar loads dumped into their systems with only a “not yet developed” pancreas to deal with it. Something has got to give. And the body’s cells and pancreas are the ones to pay the price… along with the child’s health. It is estimated that this early type 2 diagnosis can reduce their life span by 22 years!!! Imagine the wonderful train ride this child, now man, will endure his adult life with the secondary diseases that type 2 diabetes brings on? What kind of quality of life does this child have to look forward to?

Has this child, or his parents, made the right foods choices?

Here’s a key point… this chronic and massive sugar ingestion our kids take in on a daily basis is very sneaky – yet it happens nonetheless. Here’s what I mean.

ALMOST ALL PROCESSED FOODS “ACT” LIKE SUGAR IN YOUR CHILD’S, OR YOUR, BODY. For example, when bread is eaten, it causes your body to react to it’s ingestion in a manner “worse” than when you eat even pure table sugar.

Will your child make the right foods choice?

Get ready to have your world awakened…

Check out this list. It lists common foods and how they “react” in your body by the amount they raise your blood sugar levels after you eat them. It is based on the common 0-100 scale, with 100 being pure Glucose.

I’ll start with table sugar, which is sucrose = 65.

The following common foods are listed that are either above the reading for table sugar, or pretty darn close.
Whole Wheat Bread = 69
Croissant = 67
Rye Bread = 76
White Bread = 70
Donut = 76
Waffles = 76
Kellog’s Cornflakes = 84
Kellog’s Rice Crispies = 82
Shredded Wheat = 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat = 67
Bagel = 72
Water crackers = 78
Graham crackers = 74
Rice cakes = 82
Soda crackers = 72
Wheat thins = 67
Melba toast = 70
Shortbread cookies = 64
Baked potato (plain) = 93
Mashed potatoes = 86
French Fries = 75
Corn Chips = 72
Jelly Beans = 80
Pretzels = 83

This is not even close to being an all-encompassing list either…

Were you surprised by some of these foods? How many of these are you or your children eating on a regular basis?

HERE’S THE KICKER… If you or your child is eating food that comes in a box, or has a manufacturer’s label on it, it likely will raise your blood sugar levels significantly.

God and nature intended we eat foods that are “green and colorful”, not brown, white, and beige. I don’t make the rules for the foods our bodies need to function optimally. I’m just trying to help better interpret them for you.

So hopefully I’ve opened up your eyes a bit as to the insidious nature of processed foods, and manufacturer’s Machiavellian ways to line their pockets at your health expense.

It’s amazing how much we can learn every day… and how much there is yet to learn.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.