“Children are like sponges and all they really want to do is latch on to someone that inspires them to learn.”
― Gwen Ro

Stacy D. Fehlinger Certified Health Coach Owner ofHealthy 4 Life, LLC(678) 719-2283 LongevityCoachStacy@gmail.com Register for a complimentary 30 minute consultation with Stacy at Healthy Habits Strategy Session.

The Play 60 Challenge Are your kids’ couch potatoes that love their TV and video games? Just as with adults, children need exercise too and for the greatest health benefits they should be active for 60 minutes on most days.  There are several benefits for active kids: It makes their muscles and bones strong; It releases those feel good hormones and makes them happy; It helps them sleep better; and It boosts their immune system so they are sick less often. Not all kids like playing team sports, but if they do this is an excellent way to keep them active and to meet all of their activity needs weekly! Some other suggestions for keeping the kids active include the following: Go for  a family walk after dinner Encourage your children to play tag, kickball or other outdoor activities Have a family rule that play time equals screen time Have a family pedometer challenge – each family member competes daily for the most steps and the person with the most steps each week wins a prize. Keep it active by having the prize as skating, bowling, or playing mini-golf on the weekend If you are trying to get your kids to be more active, it’s best to tell them they are “playing” instead of exercising. Who doesn’t love to play? There are some organizations that have great references and other suggestions for keeping your kids active.  The First Lady’s Let’s Move! Campaign is one such resource.  Visit the website at www.letsmovegov/get-active. Another helpful website is www.nflrush.com/play60/;  This is the NFL’s campaign to get kids active for 60 minutes a day. As a final note, just as with adults and exercise even small increments add up to the daily recommend fitness requirement. If your child plays tag for 20 minutes, walks with the family after dinner for 20 minutes, and gets another 20 minutes riding their bike before getting ready for bed that’s still a total of 60 minutes of activity.  It will have the same health benefits as getting their 60 minutes of play time all at once. Happy playing! Stacy

“Eating habits are learned behaviors; they’re not intuitive. So what your children learn to eat at home early in life sticks with them well into adulthood.”
~Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes

Stacy D. Fehlinger Certified Health Coach Owner ofHealthy 4 Life, LLC(678) 719-2283 LongevityCoachStacy@gmail.comRegister for a complimentary 30 minute consultation with Stacy at Healthy Habits Strategy Session.

Is Your Child’s Cardiovascular Health at Risk?

I recently heard an alarming report while watching Good Morning America stating that our youth is at risk of cardiovascular disease. An article published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation states that about 91% of American children have poor diets.  Dr. Julia Steinberger states, “Instead of taking a wait-and-see approach by treating disease later in adulthood, we should help children maintain the standards of ideal cardiovascular health that most children are born with.”

Data from a 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey found that children in the U.S. were not meeting most of the American Heart Association’s definition of ideal cardiovascular health. Dr. Steinberger further states, “A primary reason for so few children having ideal cardiovascular health is poor nutrition – children are eating high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and not eating enough healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other foods strongly associated with good heart health and a healthy body weight.”

The study also found that children ages 2 to 19 get the bulk of their daily calories from simple carbohydrates such as sugary desserts and beverages. Physical activity was also not enough to protect their hearts. Among children ages 6 to 11, half of the boys and just over a third of the girls were active for the recommended 60 minutes or more per day.  Children 16-19 years of age, the percentage meeting the recommended amount of physical activity decreased even further to 10% in boys and 5% in girls.

With all of these grim statistics, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as there are several things we can do as parents to make sure our children remain at a healthy weight to lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease in our children’s future.  I list a few ideas below:

1. Know your child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) number.
You only need your child’s age, gender, height and weight.

• For children and teens ages 2 to 19 visit the CDC’s BMI calculator  at http://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpadmi/Calculator.aspx
• Take notice if your child scores in the 85th percentile as he or she is likely overweight. If the BMI is above the 95th percentile, he or she may be considered obese. The next step would be to talk to your family doctor for weight reduction recommendations.

2. Purchase healthy foods.

• Keep healthy fruits and veggies close for children to grab for a snack and prepare meals that include plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy.
• Leave the junk food at the supermarket.  It won’t be sitting in your pantry to temp the kids if it never makes it to your pantry. This may be a hard one if you as the parent love junk food too.  My kids know there are certain things I don’t buy at the store and they eat it only as a treat when we are on vacation.  It doesn’t make me very popular with them, but I’m sure one day when they are grown they will understand and thank me.
• Studies show that families that eat meals together stay lean together.  Include your kids in the decision making for meals and try to eat a few meals together as a family every week.
• Another way to help the kids stay lean and yourself for that matter is to watch portion size. Remember that an adults stomach and child’s stomach is only as big as their fist. Another portion control tip is to eat on smaller plates.

3. Keep the kids (and yourself) active.

• Ensure that your kids get the recommend 60 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity by encouraging a daily routine.  Go for a brisk walk after dinner or play outdoor games together.
• Enroll the kids in a sport they enjoy.  Between practice and game day they should be getting plenty of exercise.

If you are concerned about your child’s weight, I’m a big fan of making small lifestyle changes and not calling any weight loss attempt a diet.  The goal should not be to restrict certain foods until optimal weight is achieved, but to limit the types of food that caused the weight problem in the first place. Limiting junk food should become a way of life and not something that is only done until the goal weight is achieved.

I hope you find this information helpful and I wish much health and happiness to your family!

In good health,
Stacy

I’m curious! Please let me know… What strategies does your family use to get the kids to eat healthy?  Send your comments to Stacy at stacy@longevitycoachstacy.com or post on Facebook at Facebook/StacyFehlinger

Kid-Friendly Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs with Brown Rice Ingredients Marinade 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (at least 36 pieces), all visible fat discarded, cut into bite-size pieces 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce 20 oz. canned, unsweetened juice from pineapple chunks can 2 clove fresh garlic, minced OR 1 tsp. jarred, minced garlic Chicken Kebabs non-stick cooking spray 36 pineapple chunks, packed in their own juice 2 fresh, chopped bell peppers (chopped into 36 pieces) 1 pint grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes 12-15 wooden skewers 2 cup brown rice, cooked to package instructions OR 2 8.8- oz. packaged, cooked brown rice Directions Marinade In a plastic bag, add chicken chunks. Have kids add soy sauce, 1 cup pineapple juice, and garlic into the plastic bag. Seal and let chicken marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Chicken Kebabs Preheat oven to 400° F. Take chicken out of marinade and place in a bowl. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Have kids wash bell peppers and tomatoes before chopping peppers. For kid-friendly assembly, place the pineapple, chopped peppers, and tomatoes in 3 separate bowls. Let kids add 1 tomato to the bottom of 1 skewer. Top with pineapple, chicken and bell pepper 3 times, letting kids add everything but the raw chicken. Let kids add 1 more tomato to top. Repeat with the rest of skewers. After 12 skewers are made (and all the chicken has been used), have kids make their own skewers with any remaining pieces. Cook kabobs in oven until chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice. Additional Tips Cooking Tips: Pineapples have an enzyme called bromelain that helps to make meat tender, making pineapple juice an excellent quick marinade. Keep it Healthy: Skewering pieces of meat, vegetables, and fruit for dinner makes it fun for kids to eat, along with a having a meal with a quick cooking time. Cooking Tips: Grape tomatoes are smaller than cherry tomatoes, so more will fit in a pint container. If using grape tomatoes, there will be enough tomatoes to add 4 grape tomatoes per skewer. If using cherry tomatoes, just stick with 2 per skewer. Safety Tips: You can also cook these on the grill but first, you would need to soak the wooden skewers in cold water to prevent them from catching on fire. Serves 4   |  306 Calories  |  342 mg Sodium  |  $3.09 Per Serving

Check out this Shape.com article, These Celebrity Instagrams Prove You *Can* Stay Fit While Traveling. I love seeing how others “even celebrities” work in fitness while traveling on vacation.
These are great traveling fitness ideas for even us non-celebrities.
Happy & Safe Travels to all of you this summer! ~ Stacy

Suggestions for Eating Healthy & Exercising While Traveling This Summer

It’s almost summer break for the school age kids and many people will be traveling on their summer vacations. If you are trying to lose weight and/or trying to eat healthy, your vacation doesn’t have to wreck your health & wellness goals. Of course, you’ll splurge a bit on vacation, but I can offer a few tips to keep you on track while vacationing:

1. As you researched your vacation destination, also research the restaurants near where you are staying.  The majority of restaurants even those that aren’t major chain restaurants have a website where you can check out their menus for healthier fare.
2. Search for local farmers markets to purchase fresh produce to take on a picnic or to have on hand where you are staying.
3. Many restaurants serve meals that are actually two or three times an actual portion size. You can split the meal with your partner or child or ask for a to-go container and box up ½ of the meal when it arrives to eat the following day.  This will help you save money too.
4. When ordering dessert, share it with your partner or child and save ½ the amount of fat and calories and you won’t feel deprived as skipping it altogether.

Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t necessarily mean that you should stop your current exercise routine.  For example, if you have been losing weight and exercising 5 times a week, you can continue your exercise routine on vacation.  Depending on where your vacationing, the possibilities for exercise are endless!

1. If you’re at a beach destination, take a 30- minute brisk walk or run on the beach. If staying in a mountainous region, go on a 30-minute hike on a trail.
2. Many vacation destinations offer bike rentals as a way to explore the city.  Rent a bike for a day or a few hours and burn off those extra vacation calories.
3. If you prefer to exercise indoors instead of outside, bring along some lightweight easy to pack resistance bands and stretch bands. Then find an on-line quick workout or make up one of your own and exercise in the privacy of your hotel room.  Many exercises do not require much room.

Wherever your summer adventures take you, I hope you have fun and won’t be too upset when you hit the scale for the 1^st time after returning home.

In good health & safe travels,
Stacy

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from people that either (1) they do not have enough time to workout or (2) it’s too expensive to workout. Does this sound familiar to you too? Wait YOU don’t think this way do you?

Well, if you think it’s too expensive or that you do not have enough time to workout then I have a question for you. Have you ever considered that sickness is actually more expensive than wellness? Let me explain: First, we are all well aware of the rising healthcare costs in this country. Developing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even the dreaded “C” word cancer is VERY expensive to treat once diagnosed.

Sure, if you join a gym, hire a personal trainer, or pay for Zumba or CrossFit classes you will pay weekly or monthly fees. But, if you are consistent with exercising the payoff is that you are much less likely to develop a chronic illness than if you’re a couch potato. I’m also betting that your gym fees will be far less expensive than your healthcare costs for treating a major illness.

Okay, so I haven’t convinced you yet to run out and buy a gym membership or hire a personal trainer. There are still several other workout alternatives. When shopping at any major retailer, you’ll notice there are several workout DVD’s. Also, there are on-line programs and on-line DVD programs you can purchase that are less expensive than a gym membership. Another added benefit is you can workout in the privacy of your own home!

I realize I’ve yet to address the issue of having enough time to workout. I really challenge anyone reading this to tell me that they cannot carve out just 30 minutes most days of the week to fit in some type of exercise. Believe me I know how busy we all are 24/7, but fitting in a workout most days of the week for as little as 30 minutes a day is very beneficial for your overall health & wellness.

Another time factor to consider is that you can exercise in smaller increments throughout the day. If you have a dog and walk your dog for 15 minutes, three times a day, you have actually exercised a total of 45 minutes that day.

I will close with this thought. If there is something you like doing whether it’s playing tennis or any other sport, walking, running, swimming or dancing just do what you like and get out there and play – yes I just switched the word from exercise to “play”. Now, doesn’t that sound like something you want to fit in your daily schedule now?

In good health,

Stacy

Certified Health Coach & Owner ofHealthy 4 Life, LLC