New Activity + Outside = Family Fun & Energy Balance

Some of my best childhood memories were of my brother and I going on day long outdoor explorations.  We'd pack ourselves sack lunches and just head out with no real plans other than to play and discover.  Many times we'd head to a nearby lake and watch fish, catch garter snakes or even go visit our pet rock.  What is your favorite outdoor memory as a child?

Let's Move, the child obesity initiative started by First Lady Michelle Obama, is promoting Let's Move Outside!.  Let's Move Outside! encourages parents to move outside with their children in order for them to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of active and vigorous activity each day.  Many children are not meeting this minimum recommendation, which is one of the many contributors of the child obesity epidemic.  The Let's Move website provides tons of ideas for families, including links to local activities depending on where the family lives.

One outdoor activity that I learned from a patient of mine last year is geocaching.  It's basically a high-tech treasure hunt that families anywhere in the world can enjoy.  Started by a man named Dave Ulmer in May of 2000, it was originally geared toward only the GPS user community that utilized that very new technology at the time.  Today, there are over 1 million "caches" all over the world that that can be found.  One may be just yards away from where you are sitting at this very moment!  Now mobile devices come with GPS technology, and there are applications that can pull up all the geocaches in your area on one screen.

Remember, simply stated, ENERGY IN (food) - ENERGY OUT (activity) = Weight Maintenance OR Weight Loss OR Weight Gain. It's all about energy balance, which is what dietitians specialize in. Although we talk much about the energy in part, we also need to discuss energy out. How are you balancing your energy?  How are you promoting energy balance in the life of your children?

Summertime is the perfect time of year to try a new family activity to promote good energy balance.  And at the same time, you are helping your build memories that they will eventually look back and remember with great happiness.  Learn about all the great outdoor activities in your area by going to the Let's Move website or, even try some geocaching!  What a way to spend quality time together, improve your health and be a great role model for your children.  For everything you need to know about geocaching including how to get started go to http://www.geocaching.com/.  In our next post, we will discuss proper hydration for children and adults while enjoying those great outdoor activities.  Stay tuned!

Reinvigorating the Exercise

I love running. It's something I can do to get away from everything and just totally zone out with my iPod on. Back in my single days, I lived in Valley Ranch where I would get up at 4:30 a.m. every morning and jog 5-7 miles several times per week. It wasn't something that I saw as something I "had" to do to stay healthy; it was something I looked forward to doing. Only runners understand the addiction. It's like adrenalin is your drug, and I had to get my fix.

Flash forward to today, some 11 years later and I am married, a business owner and a mother of a 5 and 2 year old. Things have changed! Don't get me wrong, I still love running. But life is constantly getting in the way of my running and other workout efforts. And I will be honest - the love has waned due to my daily "to do" lists; the responsibilities of life like caring for my husband and children, helping others in the health arena and managing our household. The single life afforded me endless amount of time to care for myself. [Did I mention that I would go to bed between 8-8:30 p.m. for the 4:30 a.m. workouts??!] Now, time for myself is a luxury, and my workouts have become something I have to be consciously purposeful in doing. I teach this stuff, and yet I deal with the same struggles of prioritizing workouts. I know firsthand the endless amount of energy I get from regular workouts and how that gives me the boost I need to maximize my life's efforts. I know I sleep deeper, I feel more optimistic about things and my mind works better when I workout. Our bodies were made to move. But yet I still struggle to get out the door sometimes!

What about you? I know many can identify because I see it everyday in the clients that I coach. What helps me is to decide in advance which days of the week that I will workout - the key is being very realistic to what I really think I can accomplish - and then do it just like it was a task on my list. Do this, and don't let yourself decide based on how you "feel" [except for illness]. That's where so many people go wrong. Just do it! Have you ever regretted a workout? Me neither. The other thing I can suggest to do is to maximize your activities of daily living. If you look at people around you that naturally manage their weight well, they are probably active just in their daily tasks. Your body doesn't know the difference between a brisk walk outside and you vacuuming the house. They both raise your heart rate for an extended period of time and both provide the cardiovascular benefit. [Maybe this will help you think of housecleaning differently now!] Minimize sedentary activites and maximize movement - even in your activities of daily living. This will help in-between your workouts. My next blog will be a discussion about pedometers. Do you have one? Which one is best? I will share my thoughts on that next time. Here's to getting ALL of our bodies moving!! Set those personal goals for yourself today.