Take Back Control of What Your Family Eats

1.You are the parent. It all starts with you and how committed you are to stick to what you know is best for the health and safety of your children. Kids realize at a very young age how to manipulate their parents and “get away” things they probably shouldn’t be having. If you give in to junk food, fast food restaurants and sugary snacks, your children will know you are a push-over and you have lost your control.
2.Establish house rules. Establish rules at home, include your children in making the rules and stick to them.
3.Know your food. Be smart when it comes to feeding your family. We now know processed and refined foods have little to no nutritional value so why feed your family junk?
4.Eating out makes you fat and lazy. You have no control over the ingredients and portion control at a restaurant.
5.Cook at home. There are so many meals you can prepare at home that provide the essential nutrients your family needs on a daily basis and you have more control on portion control.
6.Teach your children to cook. Part of your job description as a parent is to teach your children,(yes boys especially!) to cook. They will someday move out on their own the food you teach them to cook now will be with them for life! Italian moms do a really good job with teaching their children to cook.
7.Remember why we eat. Food is fuel, your body needs fuel for energy, so fill your body with premium foods.
8.Eating at home feeds the soul. Pure joy comes from making family meals, it will feed body and your soul, try it!
9.Clean off your kitchen table and eat dinner as a family. Nothing can replace the power of a family meal. Cooking is a gift you give your family everyday, no matter how busy your lives can be, give yourself and your family the gift of a family meal around the family table.
10.Our children are only young once. Remember our children grow up too quickly, you will never get the memories of yesterday and today back, so make each moment memorable for you and your family.

Remember if you need help in planning the Healthiest Meals for your family, we can help click on Fit American Meals ...

10 Reasons To Teach Your Kids to Cook

I believe one of the most important things I taught my children was to
love and respect food, the people and the environment that brought
the food to our home. We hear so much about spending quality time
with our children, well here is one way to spend quality time with your
kids. Kids love to spend time with their parents and by combining
constructive lessons, exercise and conversation makes this time
quality time.

10 Reasons Why You Should Teach Your Children to Cook

1. Builds self-esteem in your child. When you spend one on one time
with your kids, it shows your kids that you love, value and respect
them, remember actions do speak louder than words!

2. Teach your children about nutrition and menu planning as well.
With 1 out of every 3 children in the U.S. being overweight, it is up to
families to teach our children about nutrition and exercise.

3. Calorie control and portion control. When you prepare meals from
home YOU are in control of the ingredients and how much your child
eats.

4. Take your kids to the grocery store and teach them how to shop.
Raising my children we always shopped the perimeter of the store
first, this is where all the healthier foods are located. Start in the
produce section, choose produce that are bright in colors, add variety
to your diet, try a new fruit or vegetable, show them the food labels on
packaged foods.

5. If you teach kids at an early age how to cook, they are more
inclined to cook as an adult.

6. Kids are more apt to eat foods that they have prepared.

7. Kids love to show off, let them share with the rest of the family how
they prepared the meal. They will feel like they are a major contributor
to the family.

8. Make a lesson out of how to cook. Go to a farmer’s market and
introduce your kids to the farmers who bring the food to the table. Pick

your own produce; check your local area for farms. Turn your cooking
lesson into a math or science experiment, bring out the measuring
cups!

9. Family meals together. Make your meal time, family time. Try to sit
down at the table at least one meal a day. Enjoy good conversation.

10.Make it a habit. Its quality time well spent and there is no
television, video games or computers to interfere with your time
together.

Enjoy your quality family time!

Food Safety

Just a reminder when you are cooking on your stove top to always be sure your pan handles are turned inward toward the stove top and not pointing out. I know of someone who walked by the stove and bumped into the saucepan handle and it spilled boiling water onto her dog. Her dog was in so much pain it had to be put down. Also, if your handles do not have an insulation surrounding the handle, keep oven mitts close by so you don’t burn your own hands!

Fish Taco's

I had my first fish taco 5 years ago in Huntington Beach California, I absolutely love these! The great thing about fish taco’s is you can be creative with this dish. Here is an easy and yummy version;

Fish Taco’s
Any type of white fish, I prefer tilapia. I recommend about one fish per person.

Blackened Seasoning *tortilla’s corn or flour* salsa*avocado*lettuce*shredded cheese ( your choice)

Season each piece of fish with your blackened seasoning, place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in a 375* oven for approximately 7 minutes per side.

Prepare and assemble the tortilla, if you want to warm the tortilla, place in oven for 15 second, they get crispy quickly. Add cheese, lettuce, avocado, and any items of your choice, place the warm fish in each tortilla wrap and enjoy!

Yoga for Kids

How can yoga benefit children?

Research on the benefits of yoga for kids is limited. Anecdotal reports suggest that yoga can calm children, reduce obesity, enhance concentration and help children manage certain health conditions, such as headaches and irritable bowel syndrome. Studies suggest that yoga may also benefit children who have various mental and physical disabilities. Yoga may even help children who have eating disorders lessen their preoccupation with food. More studies, however, are needed to confirm the positive health effects of yoga for kids.

At the least, yoga can be a gentle method for your child to get more physical activity and enhance his or her well-being.

Fall Produce

At Cooking Lessons from Home we prepare our menu’s based upon the season. Just a few of the benefits of eating in season are;
Food is fresher, it doesn’t have to be transported 1000 miles away.
Better for the environment.
Fresh food delivers more health benefits to your body.
In a research study conducted in 1997 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in London, England, significant differences were found in the nutrient content of pasteurized milk in summer versus winter. Iodine was higher in the winter; beta-carotene was higher in the summer. The Ministry discovered that these differences in milk composition were primarily due to differences in the diets of the cows. With more salt-preserved foods in winter and more fresh plants in the summer, cows ended up producing nutritionally different milks during the two seasons. Similarly, researchers in Japan found three-fold differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter.

Here are some of the foods that will be on your meal plan from Cooking Lessons from Home…


Apples are the fruits people have forgotten have a season. But they do, and in the Northern Hemisphere they're harvested late summer through fall.

Artichokes produce a second, smaller crop in the fall (the first go-around is in the spring) that tends to produce small to medium artichokes.
Arugula is a cool weather peppery green harvested at different times in different places (winter in warm climates, summer in cool ones) but grows in many places during autumn.

Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else. Fresh beets are often sold with their greens still attached.

Belgian Endive are mostly "forced" to grow in artificial conditions. Their traditional season (when grown in fields and covered with sand to keep out the light), like that of all chicories, is late fall and winter.

Broccoli can be grown year-round in temperate climates so we've forgotten it even has a season. It is more sweet, less bitter and sharp when harvested in the cooler temperatures of fall in most climates.
Broccoli raabe, rapini is a more bitter, leafier vegetable than its cousin, broccoli, but likes similar cool growing conditions.

Brussels sprouts grow on a stalk, and if you see them for sale that way snap them up - they'll last quite a bit longer than once they're cut.

Cabbage is bright and crisp when raw and mellows and sweetens the longer it's cooked. The cooler the weather when it's harvested, the sweeter it tends to taste (this effect is called "frost kissed").

Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. Unusual varieties are harvested during the carrot's natural season, which is late summer and fall. True baby carrots - not the milled down versions of regular carrots sold as "baby carrots" in bags at grocery stores - are available in the spring and early summer. Locally grown carrots are often available from storage through early winter even in colder climates.

Cauliflower may be grown, harvested, and sold year-round, but it is by nature a cool weather crop and at its best in fall and winter and into early spring.

Celeriac/celery root is at its best in the cooler months of fall, winter, and early spring (except in cold climates, where you'll find it during the summer and early fall).

Celery is at its best in the fall, with its harvest continuing through winter in warm and temperate climates.

Chard like all cooking greens, chard turns bitter when it gets too hot. Chard grows year-round in temperate areas, is best harvested in late summer or early fall in colder areas, and fall through spring in warmer regions.

Chicories are cool weather crops that come into season in late fall (and last in temperate climates through early spring).
Chiles are best at the end of summer and into fall. Dried chiles are, of course, available year-round.

Cranberries, native to North America, and are harvested in New England and the Upper Midwest in the fall.

Curly Endive (Frisée) is a chicory, at its best in fall and winter.

Edamame are fresh soy beans - look for them in late summer and fall.

Eggplant (early fall) comes into season towards the end of summer, but bright shiny heavy-feeling specimens stay in season well into fall.

Escarole is another chicory at its best in fall and winter.

Fennel's natural season is from fall through early spring. Like most cool weather crops, the plant bolts and turns bitter in warmer weather.

Figs have a short second season in late fall (the first harvest comes in summer) just in time for Thanksgiving.

Garlic is another produce item that we forget has a season; fresh garlic is at its plump, sweetest best in late summer and fall.

Grapes (early fall) ripen towards the end of summer where they grow best; the harvest continues into fall.

Green beans tend to be sweetest and most tender during their natural season, from mid-summer into fall in most regions.

Green Onions/Scallions are cultivated year-round in temperate climates.

Herbs of hearty sorts are available fresh in fall - look for bundles of rosemary, parsley, thyme, and sage.

Horseradish is at its best in fall and winter. Like so many other root vegetables, however, it stores well and is often available in decent shape well into spring.

Jerusalem artichokes/Sunchokes are brown nubs, that look a bit like small pieces of fresh ginger. Look for firm tubers with smooth, tan skins in fall and winter.

Kale is like all hearty cooking greens - cooler weather keeps it sweet.

Kohlrabi (late fall) comes into season by the end of fall, but stays at its sweet best into winter.
Leeks more than about 1 1/2 inches wide tend to have tough inner cores. The top green leaves should look fresh - avoid leeks with wilted tops.

Lemongrass grows in warm and tropical areas and is usually available fresh in the U.S. towards mid-fall.

Lettuce (in warmer climates), like other greens bolt and turn bitter when the weather gets too warm, making it in-season somewhere in the U.S. year-round. It can also be grown in low-energy greenhouses in colder climates through the winter.

Limes are harvested in semi-tropical and tropical areas in summer and fall.

Mushrooms (wild) have different seasons throughout the U.S. Most wild mushrooms other than morels are in-season in summer through fall.

Okra (early fall) needs heat to grow, so a nice long, hot summer in warmer climates brings out its best. Look for firm, plump pods in late summer and early fall.

Onions come from storage all year round but most onions are harvested in late summer through the fall.

Parsnips look like white carrots and have a great nutty flavor. Look for thinner parsnips, since fatter ones tend to have a thick, woody core you need to cut out.

Pears have a season that runs from mid-summer well into winter, depending on the variety and region.

Peppers (early fall) - both sweet and spicy- are harvested in late summer and early fall.

Persimmons are available for a short window in the fall and early winter - look for bright, heavy-feeling fruits.

Pomegranates only ripen in warmer climates. They are in season starting in October and are usually available fresh through December.

Potatoes are excellent storage vegetables, but most varieties are harvested in the fall.

Pumpkins are the most common winter squash and come into season in September in most areas.

Quinces area most under-appreciated fruit. Bright and tart, quince jellies and desserts are a fall and early winter favorite.

Radicchio, like all chicories, radicchio is more sweet and less bitter when the weather is cool.

Radishes (all types) are so fast-growing that they can be sown several times during the growing season in most climates. Fall marks the end of the season for small red radishes and the beginning of the season for larger daikon-type radishes.

Rutabagas also known as "yellow turnips" and "Swedes" are a sweet, nutty root vegetables perfect in stews, roasted, or mashed with plenty of butter.

Shallots are harvested in late summer and into fall, and are at their sweetest when fresh.

Shelling beans are those beans that can become dried beans but are briefly available fresh, as shelling beans, in mid-summer to early fall depending on your climate.


Spinach, indeed, has a season. It varies with your climate - year-round in temperate areas, summer and fall in cooler areas, fall through spring in warmers regions.

Sweet potatoes are often sold as "yams." They store well and are available from local sources year-round in warmer areas; from late summer through winter other places.

Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with a light green papery husk.

Turnips have a sharp but bright and sweet flavor. Look for turnips that feel heavy for their size.

Winter squash of all sorts comes into season in early fall and usually last well into winter.

Zucchini have a harvest season from summer into fall in most climates.

It's a Processed World

As Americans we eat too many ‘industrial foods.” – food that is made within a food lab and not by Mother Nature. Two things that I think are most lacking in the American diet are good, healthy fiber and good, healthy green foods. As a country we need to shift our mindset from quick, cheap and easy foods to foods that are healthy for our body on a cellular level, foods that can reduce our chances of cancers and other diseases, and provide us with energy.

What’s Causing the Increase?
The Associated Press’s Greg Keller reports, “Franco Sassi, the senior health economist who authored the report, blamed the usual suspects for the increase. ‘Food is much cheaper than in the past, in particular food that is not particularly healthy, and people are changing their lifestyles, they have less time to prepare meals and are eating out more in restaurants,’ That plus the fact that people are much less physically active than in the past means that the ranks of the overweight have swelled to nearly 70 percent in the U.S.

60 Minutes a day

Children, teenagers, and adults need to accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate activity each day. However, it's estimated that only one in three American children participate in daily physical activity. And about one-fourth of all adults and young people from the ages of 12 to 21 are getting no vigorous exercise at all.

The Culture of Fit American Families

The culture, in which a family lives, strongly influences the health of all family members and establishes a pattern of health for future generations. Every family is unique, because every family has its’ own culture. What are the habits, beliefs, and physical activities you bring to your family? Can your family culture be healthier?
Our mission at Fit American Families and Cooking Lessons from Home is to inspire and motivate parents to create their own unique family culture that supports eating healthy foods, being physically active as a family and making the most of your time together. In five years, you won't remember much about the day to day events of work, school, and activities. But your family will remember "traditions" that kept you close. And they will probably plan those kinds of family nights for their families in the future. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking and each day we come closer to our children heading off to college, getting married, and having their own responsibilities. Looking back on family activities will be a great memory for everyone. Not to mention the impact it will have today, to bring your family in a little closer and enjoy each other's company now, while you are all under the same roof.

The story of a person’s life begins and ends with family.

What does it take to “Live a healthy lifestyle?”
Living a healthy lifestyle means you are willing to take charge of your health and make changes that can affect your overall health now and in the future. It means that if you uphold such a lifestyle, you can reduce your chances of developing diseases like high blood pressure, type two diabetes, stroke, early dementia, heart diseases, high cholesterol levels, other diseases and have a positive outlook in life. This is a gift that keeps on giving because your children will pass their healthy lifestyle to their own children.

My family could use some help eating healthier and exercising more, where do I begin?

The Healthy Lifestyle Package

We offer a Healthy Lifestyle package, which includes our Weekly Healthful Meal Plan Service and our Weekly Family Fitness Challenge, it’s a one two punch to activate a healthy lifestyle in your family.

We want to make this program affordable to everyone so we offer this package for only $4.16 per month, that’s it; it’s less than 14¢ per day!

1. Cooking Lessons from Home Meal Plan: Make family mealtime an opportunity for better health.
Preparing meals at home is a great way to exert control over the nutritional quality of your family’s diet. Family mealtimes are also a chance for parents to serve as role models, encourage healthy eating habits, and establish family traditions. Other things happen during mealtimes as well, including: socialization of children; establishment of family unity, safety, and security for children; and increased literacy and language development. Let us plan the healthiest and tastiest meals for your family. Read More about Cooking Lessons from Home Meal Plan.

Fuel Your Body then Burn the Fuel.

2. Fit American Families, Family Fitness Challenge. Children learn by modeling the behavior of their parents. By maintaining a physically active lifestyle with your family you can improve the health of your child while preventing him or her from developing a lifestyle of sedentary behavior.
We create a unique approach to fitness that is fun for the whole family. Each week you will receive 5 fitness games that will challenge every member in your family. It’s so much fun, physically challenging and you are spending quality time as a family. Remember, in five years, you won't remember much about the day to day events of work, school, and activities. But your family will remember "traditions" that kept you close. And they will probably plan those kinds of family nights for their families in the future. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking and each day we come closer to our children heading off to college, getting married, and having their own responsibilities. Looking back on family time will be a great memory for everyone. Not to mention the impact it will have today, to bring your family in a little closer and enjoy each other's company now, while you are all under the same roof.
To find out more about our Family Fitness Challenge click here.

Why is this site called Fit American Families?
Overweight and obesity in the United States has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent decades. While many industrialized countries have experienced similar increases, obesity rates in the United States are among the highest in the world. The U.S. is ranked second behind Mexico, with 68 and 70 percent, in the proportion of adults who are overweight. The United States does, however, hold the dubious honor of fattest population of children, tied with Scotland, according to The New York Times’ Catherine Rampell. The rapidly increasing U.S. obesity rates have long been cause for concern, especially as health care costs skyrocket.

What’s Causing the Increase?
The Associated Press’s Greg Keller reports, “Franco Sassi, the OECD senior health economist who authored the report, blamed the usual suspects for the increase. ‘Food is much cheaper than in the past, in particular food that is not particularly healthy, and people are changing their lifestyles, they have less time to prepare meals and are eating out more in restaurants,’ said Sassi, a former London School of Economics lecturer who worked on the report for three years. That plus the fact that people are much less physically active than in the past means that the ranks of the overweight have swelled to nearly 70 percent in the U.S. this year from well under 50 percent in 1980, according to the OECD.”

• Poor Response From Governments USA Today’s Nanci Hellmich writes,”Neville Rigby, director of the European Obesity Forum, says the OECD report ‘is important because it provides clear evidence that the way most countries have been approaching obesity has been doomed to failure. … Obesity must be tackled by a multi-pronged approach that involves a combination of strong policy measures at the same time as individual management issues are addressed by physicians and their teams. … [The report] makes the case for a much more robust set of government and societal actions,’ Rigby says. If society waits for business and individuals to do what is really needed, ‘the obesity epidemic will simply get much, much worse.’”

Europeans are relatively skinny compared to Americans. But they don’t buy any more gym-memberships than Americans, as far as I know. A European lifestyle is naturally more active than an American one. Walking and biking are part of getting around. Physical activity is integrated into daily life as a necessity, not only as recreation.
But there is hope, and the best defense against the decline of Americans health starts at the home front. Each and every family must create a culture within their own family that cultivates proper nutrition and physical activity. That’s why this site is called Fit American Families and when has America ever backed away from any challenge or fight?

But this time our fight doesn’t start in The White House…it starts in YOUR HOUSE.

Our Philosophy

At Fit American Families and Cooking Lessons from Home we take the “Family Approach” in healthful eating, physical activity and wellness. Studies have shown the key to raising healthy children in to healthy adults is taking a whole-family approach. It’s the “practice what you preach” mentality. Most parents don’t recognize the power they have to model healthy behavior to their children. In addition while spending quality time together strong family relationships are formed and this is one of the cornerstones of health and well-being, and few relationships are as important as those between parents and children. Show through your participation and action your attitude about exercise, impacts your children. When parents and kids are active together, it gives them a common sense of purpose and a goal.
People in the same family tend to have similar:

• Eating patterns


• Maintain the same levels of physical activity


• Adopt the same attitudes toward a lifestyle they are accustomed to living

10 Benefits of Taking the Family Approach to Health and Wellness:

• Everyone eats healthier meals.


• Kids are less likely to become overweight or obese.


• Kids more likely to stay away from cigarettes.


• They're less likely to drink alcohol.


• Learn new skills or sports together.


• They're less likely to use illicit drugs.


• Families become fit together.


• School grades will be better.


• You and your kids will talk more.


• You'll be more likely to hear about a serious problem.


• Kids will feel like you're proud of them.


• There will be less stress and tension at home.

In a new national study of preschool children, researchers at Ohio State University cited family meals as one of three behaviors that are associated with significantly reduced obesity among the youngsters — even in kids who have other risk factors. The other family lifestyles the researchers point to as having protective effects: watching less than two hours of TV a day, and getting enough sleep (for these 4-year-olds, that meant 10 1/2 hours a night). Each routine was linked to lower obesity; following more of them increased the benefit. In fact, when all three were practiced in a household, children had a 40 percent lower incidence of obesity than kids whose homes lacked any of the behaviors.
Cooking Lessons from Home Meal Plan has improved nutritional habits — less sugar, soda, fat and sodium intake, and greater amounts of fruit, vegetables, fiber and calcium-rich foods. These healthful eating habits help both children and adults reach and maintain healthy weights.
If the idea that parents who eat with their kids have an easier time getting healthy food down the hatch seems obvious, consider this: In new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, family meals have been linked to reduced anxiety in children with asthma; when these youngsters are less anxious, note the researchers, their lung function improves.
At Cooking Lessons from Home we have organized meal prep so you can have your family help prepare the meal. It has been shown that when meals are organized with specific roles and participation by all family members this creates a greatest sense of security and calm for kids.
Learning to do a sport or activity together can be an exciting time for both you and your child. Allow the child to express his or her creativity in the activity.

Spending quality time as a family is important not only when the children are young, it’s just as important as they got older. Teens want and need to spend time together as a family; it can be a time of re-connection for families, especially for busy teenagers. It can be a great time to ask questions about your child's day without interruption.

The love in our family flows deep and strong, leaving us special memories to treasure for a lifetime.

How Many Calories do you Burn in a Day?

How many calories should I consume in a day? Well the answer depends on the weight you want to be and the amount of calories your body needs just to function.

Here is a formula that will determine how many calories your body needs just at rest; ( This formula is good, the example came from Wikipedia Answers)

To determine the amount of calories you burn at rest, you need to know your: weight, height, and age. With this information, you can determine your BMR (amount of energy your body needs to function at rest). Use the formula below which only applies to adult females:

655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = ____ calories

Fill in your weight, height and age. This number will be your daily calorie intake (or how many calories your body needs) without any exercise. This calculation will tell you how many calories your body needs-or how much it 'burns.'

Example: A woman who is 25 years old, weighs 140lbs, and is 70 inches tall.

655 + (4.3 x 140lbs) + (4.7 x 70 inches) - (4.7 x 25) = 1469 calories

This woman would only need 1469 calories a day for her body to function at rest. Be sure to type this calculation into your calculator all at once, or else you might be getting answers close 9000 which is incorrect. To make sure you calculate your BMR correctly, try typing in the example above and see if you get the right answer.

For an easier calculation, I use the following formula:

Lets say you would like to weigh 120 pounds. Take that number and multiply by 10. So you should consume about 1200 calories per day. Please do not use this rule with children, it is best to discuss your childrens weight and BMI with your pediatrician.

To Your Good Health,

Kim Wechsler

Some of the Best Things in Life are Free

A good laugh is great for your body, mind and spirit.
When is the last time you had a good laugh, if you don't know you are long overdue! I love to laugh, especially in the morning, it keeps me in a great mood all day. Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Or until your cheeks hurt? Or you just couldn't stop yourself from laughing? If you haven't laughed lately, its about time you do for your health. Laughing can help strengthen your immune system, I read an online report that this person laughed away their cancer. I don't know if that can really happen but laughter is good for you. Laughter will boost your energy, diminish your pain and protect you from the dangerous effects of stress. Laughing releases endorphins throughout your body, thats the feel good chemical we love to receive. I think about the time, someone told my grandfather a joke about releasing gas, my grandfather laughed so hard his false teeth shot straight out of his mouth, that visual still makes me laugh. So have a good laugh today and everyday!

You are A Role Model

Like it or not...How do you get your kids to become more active? The answer is for you to become more active. You are your childs best role model, if your child see's you physically active, they will be too! Be active as a family, next time you sit down at the kitchen table for dinner as a family, ask your kids what sports they like. Then as a family decide on a sport, and get out and play. You don't have to be good at this game, just have fun.
Whether you take a positive role to your children or not this fact becmes a part of your family culture.Start today...be the role model for your kids!

Take A Stand Against Sitting

With so many distractions for kids not to exercise, from video games to computers and the fattening of American taking place at an ever increasing pace, kids are more unfit than any other time in our histroy. In major studies during the last ten years, children from the ages of six to 17 scored extremely low in areas of strength, flexibility and cardio respiratory edurance. Television watching, electronic games and inactive parents were implicated as a major sources of the lack of exercise. Join me each day while we discuss how your family can take a stand against sitting...

Exercising in Water

 

Benefits Of Water Aerobics
Provides Buoyancy & Support Do you want to feel how it feels to walk on the moon? Jump in the water! One of the major benefits of water aerobics is that it provides buoyancy and support for the body, making it less likely for the muscle, bone and joint to get injured. Water supports upto 80% of your weight, thereby causing less strain on the joints, back and torso, when compared to exercises performed on land.
Quick Muscular Endurance The high density of water, as compared to air, leads to increased resistance, thereby augmenting muscular endurance and tone. This means that water aerobics builds-up toned and endured muscle mass all around the body. Also, one tends to get quicker results exercising in the water, than on land.
Improved Flexibility The reduced effect of gravitational force in water leads to improved flexibility in the body. The joints can be easily moved through a wider range of motion, which makes water aerobics all the more beneficial as we age. Since there is no joint pain caused, you can perform the exercise without any kind of anxiety.
Improve Cardiovascular Conditioning Water aerobics exercises prove to be extremely beneficial in terms of cardiovascular conditioning. In such an exercise, the heart rate is maintained at a lower rate, when compared to cycling or running. The heart seems to work better when you indulge in water fitness.
Helps Keep Cool The 'cool' quotient cannot be ruled out when we talk about the benefits of water aerobics. It is refreshing activity and lifts up the mood instantly. It keeps the body temperature constant throughout the exercise. Also, water keeps you cool and comfortable, even when the mercury is rising.
Burn Calories We all know that exercising is the best way to get rid of those bulging fats and ever-increasing waistlines. However, do you know that water fitness are more effective, as compared to land exercises? Water fitness can burn about 450 to 700 calories per hour. So, if you want to shed those extra weight, jump right in to Water Fitness!

 

Check out my Book 101 Cool Pool Games * Kid's Splash Cards * Adult Splash Cards

See You Outdoors Today at 1 p.m.

Take a walk everyday between noon and 1 p.m. Even if it's a quick stroll around the block, here's why, "Around 1 p.m. there's a natural lull in you circadian rhythm that signals the body to release melatonin, which makes you drowsy," says sleep expert Michael Breus. You can prevent that dip by exposing your body to 10 minutes of sunlight at noon. See you outdoors at 1p.m.

Play Halfsies with Your Spouse

Do you know the average portion size of a typical restaurant meal can feed at least two people. When Jonathan and I go out for dinner or even if I go out with my parents or a girlfriend, we split an entree rather than order two entrees. Now I can order a side salad as an appetizer and we share the house special or a dish that we usually don't prepare at home. I enjoy every bite so much more.

Food Education: Protein and Green

Digesting high-fiber green vegetables is an easy way to make your metabolism work harder, and it can kill cravings for unhealthy foods. Likewise, your body burns twice as many calories by digesting proteins than it does when digesting carbs. Add more protein to your diet with two fish-based meals per week. Packed with protein, fish, such as halibut or salmon, also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which increase fat-burning enzymes in the body.

Food Education: Are you nuts?

Once a week I focus on power foods and share some recipes and tips that will help you incorporate these nutrient dense foods into your weekly menu planning on Cooking Lessons from Home.com. Power foods are the foods that have a proven track record of fighting diseases, and promoting good health, this weeks power foods, ...nuts.

Did you know nuts are sodium free? If your nuts have salt, it wasn't mother nature who added that bit of sodium, it was some guy at the plant. So if you are on a sodium free diet, just read the labels carefully. Okay, lets talk nuts. These are some of the best nuts for your health are, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts,peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio's and walnuts. Yes, I know you are thinking, but nuts are high in fat, well yes but its the good fat that lowers the bad cholesterol in our bodies. Now I am not saying to eat tons of nuts, just a handful daily that's all. By eating a handful of nuts daily it has been reported that you can reduce blood pressure, help keep bad cholesterol down, reduce chances of Alzheimer's, help in weight control, and help reduce your chances of diabetes 2.. Almonds contain vitamin E, peanuts contain folate, vitamin B and niacin, walnuts omega fatty acids. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts make you feel full so it is a good snack to munch on between meals. I think the best way to eat nuts is raw. By roasting nuts you lose some of the nuts natural oils and I do not add any salt either. The best way to start to add nuts to your diet is to add them in your yogurt, salad, cereal. You can chop the nuts and add them to pasta's or on top of vegetables. I keep small containers of nuts on my desk and in the pantry. So add nuts to this weeks grocery list. I prefer to buy the nuts in the bins in the organic section of the market. If you buy them in a sealed bag, check for the expiry date, nuts can go bad. The best way to store nuts at home is once you open the bag, place the unused portion in a tightly sealed plastic container.

Thinking about becoming a vegetarian?

I have just made the lifestyle change of becoming a vegetarian. I have thought about it in the past and then I saw the movie..you know which one I am talking about and if you don't and you want to know email me and I will send it to you, but I do respect the fact that each one of us has a choice, so I am not here to promote vegetarianism, I am here to provide you and your family only the healthiest of foods that fit your beliefs and lifestyle.

Vegetarian cuisine refers to food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products. For lacto-ovo vegetarianism (the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western world), eggs and dairy products such as milk and cheese are permitted. The strictest forms of vegetarianism are vegan-ism and fruitarianism, which exclude all animal products, including dairy products as well as honey, and even some refined sugars if filtered and whitened with bone char.

Vegetarian foods can be classified into several different types:
•Traditional foods that have always been vegetarian (cereals/grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.)
•Soy products including tofu and tempeh which are common protein sources
•Textured vegetable protein (TVP), made from defatted soy flour, often included in chili and burger recipes in place of ground meat
•Meat analogues, which mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meat and are often used in recipes that traditionally contained meat.
•Vegans may also use analogues for eggs and dairy products

Making the switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet can help cut saturated fat from your diet, but it may also reduce your iron intake. Vegetarian sources of iron (called nonheme iron) aren't as easily absorbed by the body. Whereas omnivorous premenopausal women need 18 mg per day of iron, vegetarians require 33 mg per day. Good vegetarian choices for iron include lentils, beans, oatmeal, spinach, tofu and small amounts of black strap molasses. You can increase the amount of iron that your body uses by including vitamin C-rich foods like citrus, tomatoes, broccoli and strawberries in your meal. Calcium, coffee and tea decrease iron absorption, so save your iron-rich dishes for after your morning brew or calcium supplement.