Start healthy habits when kids are young. Credit: hoyasmeg

This post on the topic of talking about weight with kids was part of our first Active Kids Week on Fit Bottomed Mamas. For all of the special content, click here! 

All parents want happy, healthy kids. But with childhood obesity at high levels, odds are that not every kiddo is as healthy as possible. So how can you go about helping your child lose weight if it’s truly necessary? How can you be supportive? And how can you broach this sensitive subject with a kid? Today, nutrition and weight management expert Dr. David Katz shares his top tips for talking about weight with children.

8 Tips for Talking About Weight

1. Put the focus squarely on health and off weight. Whether by default or by design, each family has a health and wellness “culture.” This includes the types of food that are kept in the house, how heavily physical activity is emphasized, what sleep patterns are encouraged, how much health information is available and more. As a parent, you should emphasize each aspect of this health culture, not just your child’s weight. Remember, healthy weight follows good lifestyle behaviors, but good lifestyle behaviors typically don’t follow weight-loss diets.

2. Recognize that you spend too much time focusing on weight. Most people don’t realize how much they use weight as a way to measure their overall quality of life as well as their worth. For example, how many times have you asked about a piece of clothing, “Does this make me look fat?”—with the understanding that if the answer is “yes,” you’ve somehow failed? That’s why, when broaching the subject of weight with your child (and in your own life), it’s important to stop talking about weight—and even, to some extent, appearance—and emphasize other characteristics. For example, talk about how an unhealthy lifestyle influences your child’s self-esteem and thus demeanor, as well as how he expresses himself and the impression he makes on other people.

Want all eight tips? Click here to read more about talking about weight with kids! —Erin

Running is a great workout, but make sure you round it out with strength and flexibility training! Credit: lululemon athletica

Today we’re featuring an Ask the FBGs post. This feature allows readers like you to ask the FBGs for advice. Nothing is off limits, although we do prefer that it’s fitness or nutrition related, so send your undying health questions to AsktheFBGs@fitbottomedgirls.com. You just might see them posted on the site in the future!

Hi FBGs,

I am starting to get into running but I have a question…Since you are a runner yourself, what other workouts do you do? Is running sufficient by itself? Or should I do Jillian workouts DVDs and such?

XOXO,

—Helen

Hi Helen,

Glad to hear you’ve found an exercise to do in addition to your yoga! Any good well-rounded workout plan needs to have three components to it: strength, cardio and flexibility. Now, running covers the cardio dang well. And your yoga? Well, that helps with your flexibility. So, at this point, you just need to add some strength training into your weekly workout routine. You can get strength training by lifting weights at the gym, working out to a strength DVD (they aren’t all as hard as Jillian’s), doing this circuit workout that requires just your body weight or trying this special workout for 2012, which gives you cardio and strength training in just 20 minutes.

Do three types of workouts seem like a lot? Well, it doesn’t have to be. A sample workout schedule could be something like this, where your yoga makes for three easier active-recovery days:

Monday: 30 minutes running
Tuesday: 30 minutes yoga
Wednesday: 30 minutes strength training
Thursday: 30 minutes yoga
Friday: 30 minutes yoga
Saturday: 30 minutes strength training, 30 minutes running or cross-training
Sunday: Rest day

Just remember that no matter how your weekly exercise schedule works, you should have one to two days off a week to just recover and chill. Also, be sure to not lift weights on back-to-back days—and always listen to your body! Follow these general guidelines and you’re less likely to get injured, be stronger overall and even improve your running workouts.

Let us know how it goes, Helen!

—Jenn

Yep, that would be my pantry. A somewhat chaotic mix of this, that and everything in between, it’s where I go for cooking inspiration and, well, storage. (Hey, the organization makes sense to me…)

Similar to an earlier Question of the Week where we peeked into each FBG’s fridge, this week we’re showing you what our pantries look like. (Funny how removing one little letter in “pantries” could make this question totally different.) But, wait, there’s a twist! In addition to just showing our kitchen cabinets off, we’ve also shown them to nutritionist Keri Glassman, who is working with Arnold/Orowheat Sandwich Thins for its Smart Eating campaign, to get her opinion on what’s good and what could be made just a bit better.

But before we share what Ms. Glassman thought of my pantry (I’ll admit this was a bit eek-inducing for me!), let’s look at this mess, shelf by shelf. We’ll start bottom left because that section seems the least cluttered. We’ve got almond milk, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joe’s (how did that get in there?!), tuna, salmon, almonds, corn meal, and two flours that were left over from my gluten-free baking adventure—quinoa and coconut.

Next shelf up, things get a little spicy. (Get it? I kill myself.) There are you usual spice standbys like chili powder, marjoram and basil, but fun stuff like Garam Masala and my favorite cajun-spice blend, Slap Ya Mama. Also co-mingling on this shelf are honey, bread crumbs and rice paper wrappers. I have no idea why.

The two top shelves are pretty boring, so I’m leaving out a photo: sugar, flour, vanilla, baking spices—nothing exciting and mostly stuff that stays up there and out of reach for a reason. But the bottom right shelf? Well, there’s a bevy of tasty. Tamarind paste for when I make pad thai, mango butter (love this stuff on sandwiches and even burgers!), jams, that weird yet incredibly convenient low-sodium chicken broth paste, mushroom powder (for the vitamin D, baby), sea salt, dried beans, barley, couscous, pasta and seaweed for my occasional sushi-making endeavors.

And lastly, there’s the middle-right shelf, which is a cornucopia of more exotic spices. There’s some dry rub for that good barbecue that Kansas City is known for, more sea salt (this kind is for sprinkling on, the other kind is for grinding—common sense would put them on the same shelf, but logic doesn’t always apply in my kitchen), and then a bunch of spices I bought in bulk and on the cheap at a local Indian market. You can see a sliver of the Tandoori powder at the bottom left, and then there are bags filled with curry powder, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, ground cumin and ginger powder. Behind all that is a little sushi rice for previously mentioned sushi-making.

So just what did the nutritionist have to say about my pantry? Well, some good suggestions. In Glassman’s own words…

• You have a lot of good things in there! I see quinoa, pumpkin, herbs and spices and it’s great that you have the mango butter, sea salt, salmon, seaweed and barley!
• Great job with the almonds—let’s add in other nuts for variety like pecans and walnuts. You can also add in more ancient grains like amaranth. I see you have chickpeas, so you might like lentils as well.
• Whole-wheat bread crumbs are hard to find, but you can use wheat germ mixed with flax seeds to coat chicken or fish.

Dude, such great advice! (And I didn’t seem to do too bad, eh? Hooray!) I’m definitely planning to round-out my nut buying (wow, there are a lot of jokes to be made there), work lentils into dishes (she’s right—I love ‘em) and try that wheat-germ-flax-seed combo for coating chicken and fish. Yum, yum, yum. A big thanks to Glassman for the expertise!

What do you think a nutritionist would say about your pantry? Any items that stand out as something Glassman might love—or want to swap out? Dish! —Jenn

Here on FBG, we review workout DVDs almost weekly, so we’re kind of like experts when it comes to separating the good workout DVDs from the not-so-good ones. And what makes a really good workout DVD for one person does not mean that it’ll be a fit for someone else. So with all of that in mind, we’ve put together a video with five tips to help you buy a good workout DVD for you.

Can’t see the video? Click here for tips to buy a good workout DVD.

Would you add any tips to ours? Have you ever bought a workout DVD that just wasn’t a fit? Or a really good workout DVD that seemed like it was made just for you? Tell us all about it, chicas! —Jenn

Charlize Theron rocks the red carpet. She's kind of my style idol. Credit: HFPA

I might be the sporty tomboy type a good bit of the time, but good grief, do I love watching red carpet arrivals at big award shows. I love picking my best and worst dressed of the evening (from the comfort of my couch, where I’m very likely wearing yoga pants and a tank top, but whatever—the TV only goes one way).

Inevitably, I start trying to determine which dresses I would want to wear. Like, at the Golden Globes, although I thought Charlize Theron looked incredible (full disclosure—she’s pretty much my favorite person to watch on the red carpet EVER), I could not pull that off. However, my other favorites, Paula Patton and Sarah Michelle Gellar? How can I get those dresses in my closet right now? Can anyone tell me? Spectacular.

But! This is a fitness site, not a forum for discussing celebrity fashion—isn’t that what Twitter is for? So what’s my point?

I’m curious whether the rest of you imagine yourselves strutting your stuff down the red carpet, and, if so, what type of dress are you wearing? What body parts are you showing off, and which are you hiding?

FITNESS magazine and Yahoo! Shine teamed up to poll readers about their body confidence and found that thighs are commonly our least favorite body part, while we tend to like showing off our cleavage and our booties. FITNESS also looked at which celebs had the most rockin’ bodies at the Golden Globes, naming Kate Beckinsale the best body, Sofia Vergara best cleavage (surprise, surprise), and Jessica Alba was the best body after baby, among other super-hot stars.

(For the record, the best quote of the night came from Vergara, who answered a question about reports that she’d been doing two-a-days at the gym to get ready for awards season. She credited her sleek and strong arms to Gunnar Peterson, but her boobs to cake. I can get behind that workout program.)

Apparently I’m like most other women—I’m not shy about showing a little cleavage when it’s appropriate, but I also don’t mind showing a little leg. Now it’s your turn to chime in. What body parts would you like to flaunt on the red carpet? What kind of dress would you like to wear? —Kristen

These FitLinks are making tracks! Credit: Éamonn

Whether you’re braving the snow for a jog or are staying indoors to work out or cook a healthy meal, these fit links will help you do just that!

HIIT it at home with this workout! —Diets in Review

Rally with your buds for your health and fitness. Neat! —Health Rally

Yep, we’re dancing the night away to this workout playlist! —Brooklyn Fit Chick

Five easy snack ideas from the queen of fitness, Jillian Michaels. —The Fit Stop

About 36 percent of exercisers skip their workout once a week or more? Say it ain’t so! —Fitness Reloaded

Gear for your next winter workout! —HuffPost Healthy Living

Eight solid reasons why you should pick up the heavier weights at the gym. —Shape magazine

Embrace the mind-muscle connection for better results! —MizFitOnline

Dinner’s ready! And it’s less than 400 delicious calories… —DailySpark

We’re honored to be included on this best health and fitness bloggers’ list! —Greatist

How many of these superfoods are in your diet? —FitFluential

What caught your eye this week? —Jenn

The following is a post sponsored by Egg Beaters. For our sponsored post policy, click here.

Whether it’s a leisurely breakfast on a Saturday morning or brinner on a weeknight, it’s hard not to love pancakes. And this recipe for light, fluffy and sweet Banana Walnut Pancakes is so delicious and easy to make. It takes just 35 minutes to whip up this recipe, and it makes four 3-pancake servings. Made with real bananas, crunchy walnuts and Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites (our favorite low-cal protein!), it’s healthy, too. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients
1 c Eagle Mills® All-Purpose Unbleached Flour with Ultragrain®
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c fat-free milk
1 medium ripe banana, mashed (1 med = about 1/2 cup)
1/4 c Egg Beaters® Original or Egg Beaters® 100% Egg Whites
2 tbsp Fleischmann’s® Original-stick, melted
1/4 c chopped walnuts, toasted
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
Sliced banana, cinnamon and honey, optional

Directions
1. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside. Mix milk, mashed banana, Egg Beaters and Fleischmann’s in separate bowl until well blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until blended. (Do not overmix. Batter should still be slightly lumpy.) Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in chopped walnuts.

2. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Ladle batter into skillet, using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top; turn and cook 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

3. Serve topped with more sliced banana, cinnamon and honey, if desired.

Nutritional Information
4 servings (3 pancakes each) Calories 283; Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 2 g); Cholesterol 1 mg; Sodium 475 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; (Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sugars 14 g); Protein 9 g; Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet: Vitamin A 12%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 29%; Iron 9%

Cook’s Tips
Toasting walnuts adds to their taste and texture. To have these on hand, buy a large bag and toast all at once. Spread evenly on baking sheet. Toast about 10 minutes in a 350°F preheated oven or until fragrant and golden brown. Cool; place in a resealable plastic bag. Store in freezer.

They sound and look great, right? You can actually use Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites for pretty much any recipe that calls for eggs for a protein-power punch that is lower calorie and lower fat than regular eggs. Totally versatile! (And just one of the things we’re talking about on Twitter with the hashtag #EBProteinPower.)

Do you like your pancakes a little fruity like this Banana Walnut Pancakes recipe calls for or do you like yours plain? Tell us in the comments! —Jenn

*SPOILER ALERT* This Biggest Loser 13 recap reveals details from last night’s episode. So if you don’t want to know the dramatic details and who was voted off of Biggest Loser 2012, click away, my friend, click away!

I know this season of The Biggest Loser is titled “No Excuses,” but maybe it should have been named “I’d Like to Give Up a Huge Opportunity.”

While there are a number of people on the show who are motivated, positive and doing the dang thing, there are a few contestants on season 13 that certainly don’t seem to have their hearts in it. After the walk-off last week, Conda’s bad attitude continued and Mrs. Clause lost her ish and wanted to go home. Talk about frustrating—and annoying to watch when there are so many people who really, really want to be on the show but aren’t selected. Thankfully, Conda pulled her bad attitude back (Dolvett certainly had his work cut out for him there, but he did it!) and dropped a huge number—10 pounds—and Bob got Mrs. Clause’s head screwed back on and recommitted to herself. Whew.

Other notable happenings from last night’s episode was the muddy trivia challenge (loved that!) and what Twitter was calling “BL13 on Speed.” The show was just an hour due to the State of the Union, so they crammed a full two hours into just 60 minutes with a super-speedy weigh-in and elimination. Those are usually my two least favorite parts of the show (lots of scale-beeping and drama, in my opinion), so I kind of enjoyed the fast format for this week.

Finally, the black team ended up losing the weigh-in and decided to send Gail home. Not sure that was the best idea since Mrs. Clause wasn’t 100 percent on sticking around. Gail has had some challenges in the past (the bit about Bob commenting on her crying was hilarious), but it really seems like she is focused. Thankfully, she’s rocking it at home…

Can’t see the video? Click here to see how Gail is doing at home.

Did you watch last night’s The Biggest Loser? Did you like the fast format? Disagree with who went home? Let’s discuss, shall we? —Jenn

Well, when iRenew contacted us to see if we wanted to review one of the bracelets, our curiosity got the best of us. So, they sent us one of their pink breast cancer awareness bracelets (15 percent of the proceeds benefit the 26.2 Marathon with Donna to Finish Breast Cancer—which is cool) and their more svelte-looking black iRenew Wellness bracelet. Because I figured two opinions were better than one, I wore the pink one most hours of the day for about a week, and my husband wore the black one. Over that time, we did what we normally do—ate healthy foods, worked out and had a couple of extra glasses of wine on a leisurely Friday night.

So what did we think of these “power bracelets” that are said to use “Selective Frequency Technology” (yeah, I don’t really know what that means either, but it sounds fancy)? Well, not much. People asked about them (like the commercial says they will), and they were comfortable to wear, but neither one of us felt any different. Workouts felt the same; energy was good but nothing out of the ordinary; and I couldn’t hold crow pose any longer than I could pre-iRenew bracelet.

Now, I know the power of placebo is great, so if these make you feel like the lyrics of a Kanye song (harder, better, faster, stronger), then have at it. But in my experience they were just, well, a fun bracelet. With a price tag of about $15 with “processing and handling” (or way cheaper on Amazon), they’re not expensive though if you want to test it out yourself.

Have you ever bought anything that was “as seen on TV”? Did you like the product? Wish you’d saved your money? Tell us! —Jenn