Posts Tagged ‘kids’
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
Originally the brainchild of a non-profit environmental and anti-consumerist firm in British Columbia, Screen-Free Week later came under the wing of another organization urging people to use electronic screen media responsibly.* The movement has undergone a few name changes to keep up with the changing face of our media, but “screen-free” seems to capture it for the foreseeable future.
In 2010, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) became the home of Screen-Free Week at the request of the Board of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), which ran the initiative since 1994 (first as TV-Free America). CCFC launched a new website and developed a new Organizer’s Kit, fact sheets, and other materials for Screen-Free Week 2011 and beyond. The Screen-Free Week Organizer’s Kit is available as a free download.*
Over 70 other organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the YMCA, support Screen-Free Week and multiple countries thoughout the world participate annually.* The White House supports limiting screen time via its Task Force on Childhood Obesity and the “Let’s Move” initiative. And the CCFC has a free, handy organizer’s kit.
Now you have the background on it — what will you DO about it?
What are your current boundaries around screen time for yourself and/or your family? Exactly how many screens do you have in your family? Um, YES, smartphones count — as do tvs, readers, tablets, laptops, monitors, and all the rest. If it lights up and shows you a picture, it counts. (Bet the number will surprise you! We have only 1 tv, but a total of SIX screens! Whaaaaat?? That’s nuts, y’all.)
Your brain is still reeling just from counting the number of screens you own.
You need ideas about how to turn them off without losing your mind, and you’ve come to the right place.
Yes, of course I have suggestions — and of course, they involve getting up and moving. You wouldn’t recognize this as my writing if I didn’t throw those in, right?! Try these on for size:
1. Play Spin-Fit instead of sitting on the sofa! It’s springtime, and there’s no more perfect time to be outside!
2. Get the family involved in making dinner. Even moving around the kitchen is still more MOVING than sitting on the couch.
3. Turn the music up and dance it out! Remember the main characters’ “therapy” on Grey’s Anatomy? A good ol’ fashioned dance-off really will cure what ails you.
4. Play charades. Bonus points for depicting ACTIVE scenes! Try Twister, Flippity Frogs, Cat In the Hat’s I Can Do That, or Don’t Scramble The Egg too!
5. Go for a walk. Walk to school. Walk to your after-school stuff. Or just walk around the block. Bonus points for a follow-the-leader “wacky walk” game while you’re out!
6. Take a new class! You can even do it at a discount (in the Atlanta area) if you check out ClickAClass.com!
7. Let your kids be the boss for a change. Let them be “Simon” in Simon Says and see if you can keep up with their crazy antics. They’ll love getting to order you around, and you’ll get a workout without feeling like it. Or, get together and try these dare-you-to-keep-a-straight-face challenges!
8. Head down to the park — and don’t just sit there, play along!
9. Check out some other ideas from my friends at Nourish Interactive.
I could go on, but now it’s YOUR turn! Tell us in the comments below how YOU will approach Screen-Free Week.
Will you participate at all, and if not, why not?
If so, what will you do differently — and do you think it’s sustainable for more than just a week?
*Wikipedia on Screen-Free Week
Note: this post contains some affiliate links from people/products I know personally and trust with complete comfort to recommend to you!
Tags: active, child, children, commercial, couch, digital detox, exercise, family, fitness, free, fun, health, kids, let's move, obese, obesity, play, screen, screen-free, shape, television, turnoff, tv, tv turnoff, walk, week
Posted in Family, Health and Fitness, Workout Routines | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
Have you ever noticed that so much of what we think of as “healthy advice” or “fitness tips” or “weight loss tricks” involve subtraction? Delete this, eliminate that, never touch so-and-so again.
What if it didn’t have to be that way?
What if, instead of depriving ourselves and taking things away, we used springtime as a springboard to add loving, supportive habits to our lives?
I’m inviting you to join me in looking at things from a fresh perspective. Here are some ideas off the top of my head, and I’ll ask you to add some of your own before you leave here to share with others.
photo, Ecosalon(dot)com
Plant some seeds — and eat some, too! In case you hadn’t heard, 2013 is the year of the chia seed, and one in particular is proving to be nutritionally superior. Since chia is heat-stable, it’s way more versatile than flax, too. A great recipe I just tried (and loved): “breading” chicken cutlets with a mixture of half breadcrumbs, half Mila, and a little shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until they’re done. Yum!
Try a new kind of after-dinner treat. Rather than hunkering down with an oversized bowl of confection, get out and take a walk! We went to all the trouble of changing the clocks and adjusting to the new schedule, so you may as well take advantage of the extra daylight hours. If that sounds too daunting on a family schedule, consider the advice of two of my favorite parenting authors (Lenore Skenazy and Dr. Christine Carter). They both suggest, for different reasons, that even young kids can help with dinner-clean-up chores. My kids (6 and 4) alternate either wiping the table or vacuuming the floor after a meal. Each one loads their own dishes in the dishwasher, too.
To market, to market! Stop by your nearest farmers’ market to check out what’s in season. Don’t be afraid to pick up something unfamiliar, either. Nowadays, it’s easy to find recipes by searching for any particular ingredient. (This also works great for tried-and-true produce that needs a new spin!)
Treat yo’ self. But I don’t mean with food — I mean with new gear! Once you reach a goal, promise yourself a new toy or coveted piece of clothing. If your whole family reaches a goal, make it something you can all get in on, like Zamzee for the whole crew, or a Spin-Fit toy.
Grab a fresh read. Sure, I’m going to suggest reading something related to health and fitness (try The Aztec Diet - you will LOVE it!), but it doesn’t have to be. Just switching up your usual M.O. is enough to kick-start your brain into a new frame of mind.
Make hay play while the sun shines. In the gorgeous springtime weather, the kids want to go to a park, but you want a workout. Why not have both? Take the Spin-Fit you treated yourself to (above) and turn it into a game. Invite your friends and kids’ friends along for a park playdate! Here’s what I do: I take ours to the park, and just start throwing it without saying a word to anybody — nobody’s even on the other end to catch. Pretty soon, curious little ones are all over it, wanting to know what it is and whether they can play. The tool has several exercises labeled on it, so whichever one it lands on is what we do. Before I know it, the whole park — kids AND adults — are playing togther (and completely unaware that they’re EXERCISING!). Another park idea: use whatever equipment is there to get your own workout going. Intersperse things like pull-ups, tricep dips and pushups with Tabata intervals of nearly anything. (This piece will shet more light on park workouts and this one will fill you in on Tabata.)
So what will you add for your spring reNEWal?
Some of the links in this post are affiliates – only because I love and trust them enough to recommend them to you.
Tags: chia, children, cook. light, diet, eat right, exercise, family, fit, fitness, food, habit, health, healthy, kids, lose, loss, park, playground, recipe, renew, spring, Tabata, train, weight, well, wellness, workout
Posted in Family, Health and Fitness, Workout Routines | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
Do you use food to show that you love your family?
If you do — what form does that take?
- Do you shower them with sweets?
- Do you pay special attention to the presentation and appearance of each dish?
- Do you cook with the intention of love and trust that the feeling imbues the food with your caring?
…Or have you tried this:
A food psychology (yes, there IS such a thing!) researcher named Adam Brumberg says that when a meal is prepared with a variety of fruits and vegetables, the lucky diner perceives that the cook cares about his/her health. So, think about all those times Mama said, “Eat your vegetables!” Were you really hearing, “I love you!”? Apparently, Cornell University agrees — they say that kids appreciate having a colorful variety on their plates.
These are a couple of terrific reminders, smack in the middle of National Nutrition Month, don’t you think?
So, how will you show some love on your plates today?
*Source: Family Circle Magazine, April 2013
Tags: affection, balance, care, children, cook, Cornell, diet, eat right, feed, fitness, food, food psychology, fruit, good food, health, healthy, kids, love, mama, mom, mother, National Nutrition Month, nutrition, nutritious, prepare, vegetables, veggies, wellness
Posted in Family, Health and Fitness | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
It’s National Nutrition Month, and I’m going straight to the source: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)!
Making broad, sweeping changes to your habits and lifestyle can be daunting for anyone, let alone anyone who’s busy in a business or caring for a family. The key is making small changes that lead to big results — and then keep taking baby steps in that way, rather than making a few changes and calling it “done.” And if you can inject a little fun into the mix as well, all the better!
When asked “are you doing all that you can to achieve balanced nutrition and a healthy diet?” nearly half of Americans say “yes!” But the AND says otherwise, since the rates of obesity, diabetes and other nutrition-related health concerns continue to rise steadily.
Do you think you’re doing all you can? Here are some ideas to help you, your family and your clients improve nutrition every day, just one baby-bite at a time.
Food Rainbow
To encourage my kids to eat more colorfully, I made a rainbow of construction paper, laminated for wear and tear. Each time they BOTH eat a color at any meal, they earn that strip of the rainbow. It’s important in my family to make it a team effort – but do what works in your world. A full rainbow earns a special NON-FOOD treat.
Get Culture
Plan your menus around various cultural traditions. If the kids are studying ancient Rome in school, have an Italian night! Maybe there’s a particular ethnicity in your background — research the recipes! You can even make a game of it by letting each person spin a globe with eyes closed, then stop it and point to any spot. Wherever it lands, cook up a recipe from that country’s tradition. Who knows what you can discover that way?
Fit Wit
Making your food choices fit your lifestyle is critical. It makes no sense at all for someone who’s crazy busy to expect himself/herself to whip up a gourmet 4-course meal every evening. Get realistic about your limits first, and then figure out how to make healthy choices in that framework.
- Strapped for time? Look for bagged salad mixes with all the fixings included (watch that dressing, though!). Find single-serve packs of hummus, veggie sticks, tuna, or mixed nuts. Of course, fresh fruits and veggies are nature’s original convenience foods, neatly wrapped and all. Make up a few healthy things when you have time, and pack them in small containers that are ready to go at a moment’s notice.
- More time than cash? Think old-fashioned — the kind of foods your grandparents might have liked. Dried beans are a nutritional powerhouse for pennies per serving. Throw them in the crock pot and you’ve solved two issues at once — it takes no time and very little money. Again, fresh fruits and veggies come into play. Look around the produce section for things that catch your eye, look fresh, and spark your imagination. Then do a quick search-by-ingredient for recipes to use it.
- Too many cooks in the kitchen? If you’re cooking for a family/group with many different preferences, aim to have one main dish plus a side item that suits each. Then — here’s what’s easier said than done — don’t back down when the whining starts. Call a team huddle and explain that healthy eating means trying new things, so the expectation is for everyone to try everything (at least one “no thank you” bite). It will be tough at first, but if you stick to your new rule, everyone will get used to it in a few days. And remind them that they’re getting at least one favorite on their plates!
Now, you know I can’t resist a little reminder to get up and move in addition to all the great foods you’re eating, right? With springtime on the way in our part of the world, it’s a perfect time to start taking a short walk after a meal. It doesn’t have to be after dinner, either — consider breakfast, lunch, or a snack as your cue to take a lap around the block! Or, again, make a game of it and get everyone playing. Have you seen Spin-Fit yet?
How are you making small changes for big results?
What have you learned so far?
Tags: academy of nutrition and dietetics, busy, change, children, diet, eat, eat better, eat right, family, fit, fitness, fitness professional, food, food rainbow, health, healthy, instructor, kids, march, march to nutrition, mom, mother, nutrition, spin-fit, teacher, time, trainer
Posted in Admin/Misc, Family, Health and Fitness | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
(No, this is not actually my daughter or my shopping cart, but look at those eyes: she believes the ‘yes’!)
Photo courtesy of www.moms.today.com
In the grocery store yesterday, I had to stop shopping and thank my 3-year old daughter for the epiphany she laid down on me right in the middle of the cookie aisle. (I know….please don’t tell anyone else I was there. I’ve already destroyed the store video.)
Have you ever noticed how a 3-year old asks for something?
S/he asks:
Fervently, with all her heart and passion for the desired thing or condition.
Often, and for ANYthing she wants, no matter how outlandish it might seem.
Repeatedly, sometimes changing the tone or content of the question.
Fully believing the answer is “yes!”.
I was on the verge of an epic Mommie Dearest moment. You know the kind — the truly unflattering ”what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?” mothering tantrum that will surely be showcased in my childrens’ future tell-all book.
“Really!?,” I thought. “REALLY?! What if I behaved this way? Would I get to have everything that I want?”
And that’s when it hit me: what would happen if I behaved this way?
- What if I asked fervently, often, repeatedly and fully believing the “yes” when I contact a new fitness trainer about expanding his/her business through ClickAClass.com?
- What if I asked this way when I need my kids to clean up their toys, or when I want my husband (or friend or mother or sister) to make some behavioral change?
- What if I behaved this way when I’m chasing one of my life goals like eradicating obesity?
- What if I did this with my own body and mind when training for a fitness goal like a 10k?
I think the answer is that I’d eventually succeed in all these things.
Here’s your invitation (as if you didn’t see it coming):
Practice your best 3-year old ask.
In your life goals, your business, your relationships, your bodies & fitness goals – ask fervently; ask often; ask repeatedly in different ways, and truly BELIEVE in the “yes.”
Have you tried this? What happened? What do you THINK will happen when you try?
Tags: ask, Atlanta, believe, business, ClickAClass, covington, exercise, fitness, goals, health, jessica, kicking, kids, life, moms, parents, potatoes, relationships, results, sales, sell, tantrum, toddler, workout
Posted in Admin/Misc, Health and Fitness, Small business | 10 Comments »
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
This week, I’m excited and grateful to give you a guest spot from one of my favorite organizations, Fitbound. Based in the D.C. area, the coaches at Fitbound use sports, yoga, music/dance, and other activities to create fun and healthy opportunities for kids to move. It’s an incredible program, and I’m so excited that they’re working hard to spread it nationwide.
“I am sweating! …. Yes, you are!”
Maybe the 3 greatest words a coach can hear when running fitness or sports programs for little kids. ‘I am sweating’. You hope they mean it in a positive way, but you know how we will react regardless. ”Yeah you are,” followed by a “that means you are doing great! The minute kids realize that sweating isn’t bad is the day they realize that sitting on the couch and playing video games isn’t the only answer to the search for fun. Ok maybe not at 4 or 5 years old, but at least they won’t feel nervous when that first drop on sweat comes down their face.
When kids get positive reinforcement that they are doing a great job and becoming fit and healthy in the process, “sweating the little things” will no longer matter.
When we, as adults, workout, the idea is to burn calories, increase our endurance, or just stay fit and healthy, and we will, of course, break a sweat. So when did the concept of sweating become a negative connotation for kids. When did “Coach, I’m sweating, I have to stop,” become the end of the workout. Here’s our response, “Hey, little [one], now that you’re sweating we are going to play even more.”
Sweating is a good thing, and when we show kids that, then they will be more apt to want to not only work harder but want to sweat (like us). They will mirror our every move. If we are sitting on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a soda, then it’s quite obvious why sweating has a negative connotation. But if we go for a run, come back and pronounce to our kids, “I had a great workout, look at how much I’m sweating,” kids are going to want to sweat as well.
Share with us and our readers your thoughts on how to get your children to sweat or workout.
Or, if you don’t have kids, what messages do you remember from your childhood about sweating or exercising?
Tags: activity, Atlanta, cardio, ClickAClass, covington, exercise, family, Fitbound, fitness, health, jessica, kids, sweat, workout
Posted in Guest Posts, Health and Fitness | 10 Comments »
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
This week’s post is a generous guest offering from Kate Gardes, LCSW — the Atlanta Sleep Coach. She’s a mom of two and a licensed clinical social worker who discovered gentle sleep coaching while working with a foster family needing sleep help.
I met with Kate earlier this week, and we talked about the very close connection between good sleep and good health. Bodies and brains just work better with sufficient sleep. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter for whatever reason, and then tried to work out or puzzle through an issue the next day, you know what I’m talking about. Sleep deprivation is worse than just feeling terrible. It has been linked to depression, heart disease, fatigue-related accidents, excess weight (courtesy of crazy brain chemistry that makes you crave junk food), weakened immunity and heightened pain response – among other things.
So, how do you GET kids to sleep well? Kate’s Gentle Sleep Coaching method is certified by The Sleep Lady, Kim West, LCSW-C. Many of you know that I credit her method with saving my sanity in the early days of motherhood. Thanks to what I learned, I’m proud, grateful, and happy to have two solidly good sleepers! Read on for more on getting your kids to rest (yes, even older ones!) — which means you’ll sleep better too.
Back to School Sleep Tips
My daughter’s on a crazy school schedule, so she’s already been in school for 6 weeks and is looking forward to a week off. For most parents, however, this is the time of year when the novelty of the new school year wears off and it’s hard to get your kids out of bed in the morning. It’s still light outside in the evening, and kids can be so persuasive when trying to talk you out of a regular bedtime. Here are a few tips to make sure your child is well-rested for his/her school day.
- How much sleep does your child need? Check out this chart to find out. Then count backwards from the time they have to wake up and that is what time they need to be asleep at night.
- Notice that I said that’s what time they need to be asleep. You’ll want them in bed about 15 minutes ahead of time so they have time to settle.
- Now that you know what time they should be in bed, figure out how much time they need for their bedtime routine, and set a reminder alarm on your phone so that the bedtime routine begins at the same time each night.
- For little ones, having a picture chart can help remind them what comes next. For older kids, try creating a playlist on your phone and timing it to the tasks they should be completing during each song. (Oh, that song means it’s time to brush your teeth!)
- End the bedtime routine with a book or song to help your child relax.
- Make sure that wake-up time stays consistent. Sleeping in on the weekends is so tempting! But if your child is having trouble waking up in time for school, this can make it much worse. In the early weeks of a new routine, try to keep wake-up at the same time everyday, regardless of your plans for the day. After your child has made the adjustment, you can allow him/her to sleep in about 30 minutes.
- Use blackout shades in the evening to keep the sun from tricking your child into thinking it’s still daytime. So many parents ask me if they really work. My answer? Yes, they really do work!!!
- Remember that quality sleep is crucial for your child to be at her/his best at school, and make it a family priority to get a good night’s sleep.
In upcoming posts, Kate’s blog will explore new research suggesting that for some children, a lack of sleep can cause attention and learning problems at school.
Did you enjoy this post? Find it helpful? Take issue with it? Let us know about it in the comments below! And while you’re at it, please show some Facebook love by liking and sharing Kate’s page and the ClickAClass page too!
Tags: Atlanta, babies, baby, back, bed, bedtime, body, brain, child, children, class, click, ClickAClass, coach, fitness, function, gentle, health, help, Jessica Covington, Kate Gardes, kid, kids, learn, learning, rest, school, sleep, wake
Posted in Guest Posts, Health and Fitness | 13 Comments »
Wednesday, September 12th, 2012
If you’ve been around here before, you know I’m a big fan of getting kids to exercise with you. Here are 5 easy, fun ways to get children moving — and I dare ya not to join in the fun!
1. Old-school hopscotch. You know the drill: get out the sidewalk chalk and mark out your blocks for hopping on one foot or two. Take it up a notch by curving the path or including new symbols and motions. Instead of a square for “hop on foot”, make it a triangle for “balance on one foot and touch here with your hand”. A circle can mean “do a jump-turn!” Have the kids come up with their own hopscotch language. Or draw disconnected shapes and jump from one to the other in a game of Hot Lava — the shapes are “safe spots”, and all other space is molten rock.
2. Dance party. Put on some of your favorite tunes from back in the day (obviously, review the lyrics first) and hang the imaginary disco ball. You might be amazed at some new common musical ground you find. Turn it into a game by making a “freeze dance”: dance while the music is on, freeze when either of you hits the pause button. Challenge your party to dance HIGH to the sky or looooooow to the ground. Dance on one foot! Spin and dance dizzy (in a safe place, of course)!
3. Get your stretch on. Introduce kids to yoga without even mentioning it’s good for them, simply by inviting them to enact different animals. How can you move like a giraffe? Stretch like a dog; arch like a cat. Flip over and do a crab-walk (on all fours with the tummy facing up). Or bear-walk on all fours without the knees touching the ground.
4. Good ol’ field day games. The three-legged race and wheelbarrow come to mind. For the former, strap one of your legs to your child’s (or theirs to each other) and try to get from start to finish without falling down laughing. To play wheelbarrow, one player assumes push-up position and the other takes his/her ankles in hand — player 1 walks the hands along the floor while player 2 follows behind.
5. Walk like an Egyptian. Or a dinosaur. Or a circus performer. Or any other creature that inspires you. Particularly useful is anything GIANT, so that you take long, lunging steps forward. Another goodie is a walk that requires balance, like a circus tightrope walker — lay out a strip of tape or a jump rope and get the kids to balance as they walk along it. Get creative and don’t restrict yourself to two feet — try one, three, or four as well! Then kick it up a notch by turning your funny walks into a game of tag.
What are your best tricks to get the kiddos up and moving –
for getting those adorable sweet potatoes off the couch?
Tags: Atlanta, balance, children, ClickAClass, core, covington, energy, enjoy, exercise, family, field day, fitness, games, health, hopscotch, jessica, kids, mom, mother, move, movement, parent, resistance, screen time, sedentary, strength, strong, wellness, workout, yoga
Posted in Health and Fitness | 10 Comments »
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Maybe it’s just me, but autumn seems to be the season of 5k’s, at least in the Southeast. And I read recently that September is the new January — a time to revisit goals and go at them again with renewed vigor.
I’m all for that!
Let’s jump right in, with a plan for learning (or RE-learning) how to run. First up: hire a coach like Sherry Oswalt at DivasRun, if you can. There are lots of do-it-yourself resources as well — places like Coolrunning‘s Couch to 5k Plan or Active.com have well-written plans. Don’t be afraid of going it alone — as the Bioenergetics and Human Performance Research Group at the University of Exeter in England recently learned, you CAN teach yourself to run and improve on your own. The New York Times wrote a great article about it here.
My advice* is to start small with interval training, and work up.
Tabata intervals are a great beginning — they’re short enough that anyone can do them but they pack one hell of a cardiovascular punch — check out this post on how to train Tabata-style and this one on intervals for new moms.
I also recommend getting social with your runs.
That can be something as simple as going for a run with a friend — or as high-tech as joining the online community at cMEcompete. Support is a key factor in continuing any workout program, so make sure you include others.
Speaking of including others, how about those kiddos? Get the whole family in on the action, for lots of reasons. It’s good for them! It’s good for you! It sets a great example for lifelong health! Kids can start just about the same way you do — try playing age-appropriate games in a Tabata format. Preschoolers can jump FAST for 20 seconds and rest for 10….can you keep up? Grade schoolers can sprint like crazy for 20-on and 10-off….can you beat them?
So, tell me: what are your fitness goals — is running included? How will you start?
*Who am I to give advice? Good question. I’m a double ACE-certified fitness professional (Group Exercise and Lifestyle-Weight Management Coaching) with 20+ years of experience. I’m a self-taught runner — started around age 34, after many years of thinking that I “couldn’t” run because my feet splayed out duck-style from so many years of ballet. And, just because I can’t get enough of this stuff, I’m specialty-certified in Muscle Management, Holistic Fitness, Perinatal Fitness, Golf Conditioning, Sports Nutrition, and soon to be certified in Youth Fitness.
(Phew! Yeah, I’m a bit of a fitness freak. I’m ok with that.)
Tags: 10k, 5k, begin, cardio, children, couch, exercise, family, fitness, health, interval, kids, new, potato, race, run, running, start, Tabata, train, workout
Posted in Health and Fitness | 14 Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Ever noticed how it’s easy to get stuck in a “holding pattern” of sorts — whether it’s with personal issues, family routines, the development of your kids, or with your own health?
And have you also noticed that at some point, you’re no longer coasting? That plateau you’ve been on begins to feel more like a foothill — or a steep grade, even. There’s turmoil, unrest, agitation. It makes you wonder if the quiet period has all been a big farce.
And THEN, suddenly, it’s like a ski lift comes along and sweeps you up the mountain to a gorgeous peak! You can look down at the plateau and see it for what it was: a temporary lull between rises. The view is gorgeous now, and you wonder why you were ever satisfied at that lower level.
I’m finding this right now in both my family life and my athletic life. My kids both have made amazing developmental leaps in the past few weeks, and it’s absolute (temporary!) bliss. They’re playing better together, doing more things independently, and learning tons. Plus, I’m breaking through some training barriers that I thought were beyond my reach.
The kids get all the credit for their strides, but I’m happy to own the leaps in my training — and I’ll even tell you how to get there.
When you’re feeling the foothill — the unrest, the agitation — in your own performance, it’s time to shake things up.
Do something completely different, or simply vary your current program. Up the intensity, take the weight up a notch. Look for the hills. Stretch your duration beyond what you think is possible. Change what goes into your body. Add intervals, and get crazy intense with it. Try a whole new program, like a bootcamp or yoga or a dance class. There are some good, concise ideas at Livestrong and FitDay, plus lots of others.
What works for you, when you’re feeling stagnant?
Tags: cardio, children, family, fitness, growth, health, kids, lose, loss, mom, mother, plateau, resistance, training, weight
Posted in Health and Fitness | 4 Comments »
