Now that your kids are getting back into the swing of school schedules and routines, it is important to pay attention to how they are maintaining good health. Kids need plenty of sleep, healthy breakfasts, balanced nutrition, and activity to make sure their health is staying on the right track. But when your kids head off to school and out-of-sight … it can be hard knowing if they are getting all these essentials.

Being proactive about the health of your kids is one way to make sure your kids are staying healthy. Just like you teach them the importance of cleaning their rooms, it is a good idea to teach them about the importance of eating healthy and being physically active. Check out some of these resources if you need help introducing nutrition, fitness, and overall wellness to your children.

Food Guide Pyramid

This is one of my favorite resources. The Food Guide Pyramid has been updated, and this site helps people actually create customized plans for their specific lifestyles.
www.mypyramid.gov

Here are some more nutrition resources that you can try out and introduce to your family:

www.mealsmatter.org
www.kidshealth.org
www.familyfun.com
www.feedourkidswell.com
www.nutritionexplorations.org

“Breakfast helps improve memory and positively affects the tasks that require the retention of
new information. Conversely, a hungry child can be apathetic, disinterested, and irritable when
confronted with difficult tasks. Breakfast is the key.”

From Breakfast and Learning in Children study done by the USDA in 1999.

A good breakfast is essential for better concentration and productivity in school. Here are some fun, non-cereal breakfast ideas you might want to try!

• banana dog (peanut butter, a banana, and raisins in a long whole-grain bun)
• breakfast taco (shredded cheese on a tortilla, folded in half and microwaved; top with salsa)
• country cottage cheese (apple butter mixed with cottage cheese)
• fruit and cream cheese sandwich (use strawberries or other fresh fruit)
• sandwich - grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or another favorite
• leftovers (they’re not just for dinner anymore!)

Physical activity is becoming less accessible to children while in school, so here are some resources that will help your kids learn about activity and get excited about exercise!

www.marathonkids.org
www.kidfitnesstv.com
www.kidsfitnesscentral.com

If you are interested in getting more involved in helping your kids grow with a healthier generation, here are some resources that can get you started.

www.healthiergeneration.org
www.pe4life.org
www.aahperd.org
www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth
www.actionforhealthykids.org

Fitness is often associated with high-priced gym memberships and fancy equipment—but trust me—that is just a myth! Exercise is available to everyone and many times it is FREE if you choose to use it!

There is plenty of information out there to help you get started and continue a fitness program that will help you achieve life-long wellness. You will have to find the time for exercise and stay motivated to keep up with your program—but with these helpful programs by your side, you will feel strong and healthy in no time!

Go-To Websites
www.webmd.com This is a truly trusted website for everything healthy. Their Daily and Weekly Newsletters are great!
www.revolutionhealth.com I visit this site often for great health and wellness articles!
www.yogatoday.com Free Yoga exercises every day.
www.iTunes.com Fitness Podcasts you can take wherever you go!
www.google.com/health Manage your health information online and get plenty of resources! (plus search for doctors)
www.fitday.com Free diet and exercise tracking with great information analyzers.
www.bioweblogic.com Another software that helps you track your diet and exercise.

On-line Magazines
www.womenshealthmag.com Women’s Health Magazine is great!
www.prevention.com One of the FIRST health and wellness magazines!

Help from the USA!
http://www.cdc.gov/ Center for Disease Control and Prevention make it their mission to give you trusted health information.
www.fitness.gov President’s Council of Physical Fitness and Sports

Free Fitness tools:
http://exercise.about.com/od/fitnesstoolscalculators/Fitness_Tools_Calculators.htm A variety of health and fitness tools and calculators!
http://www.prevention.com/mywalkingmaps/ MAP YOUR WALKS!!
www.mapmyrun.com MAP YOUR RUNS AND WALKS!!
http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/ Take the Adult Fitness Test! See where you stand.

Local FREE Fitness
http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPR/home.htm Indy Parks Programs
http://www.indymca.org/ YMCA of Greater Indianapolis

My new favorite!

www.exercisetv.tv

FREE exercise videos!

I will continue to add to this list as often as I can. Feel free to email me at erin@rtv6blogs.com if you know of any programs or sites that should be included! J

Last week, I parked myself at McAlister’s Deli with my new lap-top (Thank you, Mom!) and some iced tea to work on a few projects.  After a few hours, I was getting ready to leave when the manager-in-training, Ty Meriweather, walked over to me and mentioned that he recognized me from RTV6 Morning News.  He told me he loved waking up and listening to Grace, Dan, and the whole crew!

He went on to share that my segment had been an inspiration for him and his wife to start exercising more to stay healthy.  He mentioned that he has lost 18 lbs now that he and his wife take long walks and stay active!  He explained how much he enjoyed my morning segment and how much he has learned from the tips and exercises I share daily.  I was so touched by his story—it was one of the best gifts I could receive! 

I am so proud of Ty and his family’s efforts to make exercise a priority (he mentioned they walk even when the weather is not at its best!)…and I will never forget his glowing excitement when he talked about his goals of good health.

A couple weeks ago passed my 1 year anniversary with RTV6, and I feel very blessed that I have been able to share my knowledge and passion with our viewers.  Educating people about good health and exercise is personally rewarding to me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to do it!

Although my segments are short (and easy to miss if you step away from the television!!)—I feel that I have been able to reach many people.  Many of my family members and friends, as well as the wonderful RTV6 crew, have given me a lot of ideas, hope, and positive feedback throughout the year.  I believe that you measure your success by how many people you bless, and each time someone shares their successes with me makes me feel successful as well!  :) 

And so all this talk about sharing successful stories got me thinking about how much I enjoy reaching out to our viewers and hearing their stories.  I know we all have stories of success—and I want to hear yours!  If you (or someone you know) has overcome a challenge to fitness or accomplished a goal that has helped you live a healthier lifestyle, I would love to hear the story.  You can send me an email at erin@rtv6blogs.com or just comment on this blog. 

And remember—YOU are an inspiration to everyone!

I apologize if it seems like I am “in hiding” when it comes to this blog!  I am most definitely around and always thinking of ways to bring you more healthy information that you can use in your everyday lives.  I would have written sooner, but I have been keeping myself busy with a lot of different projects—and I know everyone can relate.  Nowadays, it seems we take on so many duties, jobs, projects, engagements, etc…that even spare time is spent just catching up!

I have discovered that our ambitions can sometimes leave little room for a consistent exercise program, because we are always trying to do more with the same 24 hour day we have always had.  Don’t worry, I am very guilty of this too!

Most of us know the infinite amount of health benefits that exercise brings to our minds and bodies—so it is important to find solutions to this certain “time barrier” that we place in front of ourselves.  It might take putting together a bag o’ tricks to help you fit in a workout OR you might just have to suit up and jump right in each day!  But it is important that we find ways to fit exercise into even the busiest schedules…because it is important to maintain life-long health.

Here are a few tips that might help you:

• Keep a set of dumbbells or resistance band in your car, at your desk, or at home so you can workout during a 5-10  minute break.
• Make your quality time with your family based around activity and exercise.
• Wake up a little bit earlier a couple days a week to go on a nice walk (the weather right now is great for this!)
• Inquire about your workplace wellness and/or fitness programs to find ways you can exercise before you even get home!
• Take advantage of pool time right now!
• Workout during commericals of favorite TV shows or while you are waiting for a pot to boil (take advantage of your “wait” times—it will add up!)

As you flip through your appointment calendar (or Blackberry, iPhone, Palm, etc.), set a new re-occuring appointment to stay active and exercise.  That way you will be less likely to forget about it and more likely to accept it as a part of you daily schedule.  Just remember:  Even though we are busy with many wonderful activities, it is important to keep up the BEST activity for your health…exercise!

A new kind of exercise has strolled into the Indianapolis area that will help moms and caretakers get a workout while keeping their children right in front of them. 

Stroller Strides is the nation’s fastest-growing fitness program for new moms and just opened up in Carmel last month.  It is a total exercise program that moms can do while their babies are in their strollers–and moms actually get a chance to use the strollers in their workouts.  The classes are 60 minutes long and include power walking, body toning, and cardio intervals.  The class incorporates fun activities like singing nursery rhymes to the children, so they are actively engaged as well.  Tiffany Sabens, the owner of Stroller Strides in Carmel, also promotes this as a valuable experience to show your children that exercise is important and fun!

Stroller Strides extends its services beyond exercise, which is drawing new mothers to this kind of community experience.  In addition to exercise classes, Stroller Strides offers playdates and mom’s night out opportunities to help them meet other people with the same age children. 

“We provide the outlet that moms need to enjoy time with other moms, while also focusing on the much needed exercise to fuel their demanding lives,” Sabens said. “You can make new friends, get into shape and enjoy time with your baby.”

Classes are held Mondays–Wednesdays–Fridays at 9:30am.  The class location is Coxhall Gardens in Carmel, Indiana.  For more information about Stroller Strides, please contact:

Tiffany Sabens
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Cell: 317.919.7258
phone | fax | vm: 888.704.3501
866.FIT.4.MOM / 866.348.4666
tiffanysabens@strollerstrides.net
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Helping Moms Make Strides In Fitness, Motherhood, and Life™

http://www.strollerstrides.com