Club member Elizabeth told me about her favorite dish one day. After I discretely wiped my drool, I asked her how to make it. The variations are endless, one included corn, artichoke hearts & red peppers. I prepared a version last night after a long week. The kids had already eaten so they hovered around, patient like lions at a wildebeest watering hole, then pounced on the finished product. You can say it was a hit by the picture below. Attention carnivores- You won’t miss the meat. more »
Sign up for our 2nd club 5K. Cyndie, Elizabeth Russell, Liza and Dee where just some of the people who did it last spring and had a great time. Some even did it with their kids, like I did. What a great opportunity for the kids in our lives to see us do something healthy and fun while including them. Don’t hesitate, join us now.
It always confuses me when I see people eating delicious meals while they’re children eat french fries and fried chicken fingers of sub-quality. Some say, “That’s all they’ll eat”, or, “It’s just easier”. The good news is we can direct our children and families toward better choices with subtle persuasion and influence.
Dining out recently with my family I observed that we ordered 4 meals that were all healthy while in a pizzeria/cafe. They were:
Whole wheat penne with grilled chicken and broccoli with garlic and oil
California turkey club- whole wheat hero, turkey, avocado, lettuce, tomato with mustard
Cold seafood salad over lettuce with peppers and onions
Grilled shrimp and avocado salad over spinach with raspberry vinaigrette
We enjoyed delicious meals without sacrificing any flavor and subtly highlighted the good nutrition. Everyone was satisfied without any complaints and we walked out feeling good. We stopped next door and got frozen yogurt
Tune in live today, 1:30pm EST, or download later and listen as your health coach, Peter K, shares strategies to help kids get moving and more fit. Click here to listen >
This morning I experienced one of my proudest moments as a health coach, and more importantly, a father. My 3 kids are part of the FFR 5K training program and we started training last Sunday. Last night my girls said, “Daddy, wake us up at 6 so we can train with you.” This morning they got up by themselves, got dressed to workout and were ready to go by 5:50 am. I didn’t ask them to do it. This is why they said they did it:
Anna: “I wanted to train to be healthy and strong and I didn’t want to be late for school”
Emma: “I got up early to be with you and be healthy and strong”
Below is our training plan that you can use with your kids or for yourself to get ready for the 5K or just get fit:
Start with 5 minutes of running or combo of 1 minute walk, 1 minute run.
Next do a 5 minute circuit of resistance exercises. You can do my 5 Minutes to Fitness band workout or set up a circuit of squats, chin-ups, lunges, pushups or whatever exercises you like.
Next do 5 minutes of sprints. Walk the length of the field, have the kids do their favorite move, like a cartwheel, then race them to the end of the field, (I bribed them with a dollar if they beat me with a head start). Walk back to the other end of the field while telling them things like, how proud you are of them and how they are getting stronger hearts, legs and bodies and you can’t believe how fast they’ve become. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Finally, let them choose the activity for the last 5 minutes.
Optional: If you’re kids are used to running during sports you can run for longer periods with them.
What you end up with is a 20 minute workout that incorporates cardio and resistance training, creates a positive exercise experience, quality time with your kids to mold their perceptions of living a healthy lifestyle, and a chance to be a great role model to the people you love most in the world. Everyone wins.
Please send in your healthy family ideas. What works for you as a family? I’d love to hear from you!
One weekend I got my kids crazy about dinner with the magic words, “You guys want Pizza tonight?”. After they calmed down I said guess what, you get to make your own. They just about passed out from the excitement Check out my master chef team at work below.
You already know that we should be eating less sugar, especially kids, because it can lead to obesity, diabetes and a host of other diseases, right? So, you’re walking down the aisle looking for a “treat” for the kids and you see “sugar free” Kool Aid. “Great”, you think, “I can get this for the kids and not feel guilty”. But wait, first I want you to read the sugar free Kool Aid ingredient list. I don’t think I need to write anything else about it. Please share this with your friends and help them stop feeding their kids chemicals with artificial sweeteners. Thanks for spreading the word.
BTW- A better choice would be 100% fruit juice and the best choice would be water. Tell your friends, “don’t worry, they won’t die from drinking water ”.
My assistant chefs and I tried this variation on shish kebab in the 5 Minutes to Fitness+ test kitchen. We used fresh chicken sausage instead of lamb. They loved it so it passes the “kid” test! Remember, let them help and ignore the mess and imperfections while enjoying the smile on their faces
Ingredients:
4 links fresh chicken sausage (most food stores will carry this product)
Recipe: Cut chicken into cubes and vegetables into 1 inch squares. Place everything in a bowl and toss with seasonings. Place ingredients on skewers alternating meet and vegetables. Grill over medium heat for 10 minutes while rotating skewer 1/4 turn every few minutes. Take off grill, drizzle with olive oil & lemon juice and serve over brown rice or whole wheat couscous. Oh yea, keep track of who’s skewer is who’s otherwise you might have a minor melt down like we did
