Each year, kids become heavier and unhealthier, many kids are even dealing with health issues like Type 2 Diabetes and chronic knee and back pain. We can’t change the situation over night but there are things we can do to get kids moving and making fitness fun.
Here are just 3 ways that we can get kids moving and on the right track to fight obesity and avoid health issues.

1) Make Learning an Activity
Forget sitting at a desk or staring at a computer – make games up to use for teaching tools. Try something like jumproping while saying the alphabet or practicing multiplication tables.

2)Make Play Time Fun Again
Earn outside play points, reward the family with hikes, biking and even fundraising events – lead by example showing kids that its a big active world if they just leave the couch!

3)Education of Parents and Kids
We have to find a way to teach parents and kids how to eat healthy and serve proper portions. I’m not sure how exactly you do that but if it could become common knowledge then so many of the health and weight issues for kids and adults will diminish.

These are just 3 of my suggestions for how to get kids moving and on the right track to fight obesity but What Do YOU Think? Make sure to leave comments or send me your suggestions -amy@withamymac.com .

WithAmyMac.com

Best Back Exercises: 

Reverse Crunch - The reverse crunch, or cobra, works to strengthen and stretch the upper back muscles.

Deadlift – Lower back pain plagues most people at some point in their lives. Doing this exercise to strengthen the lower back can save you lots of pain and pills in the future.

Bent over rows – A great way to work the back muscles, this move can be done by anyone at any level with any size weight – so no excuses!

Health and fitness tips and exercise videos at WithAmyMac.com 

No one wants to be the stinky kid! This is especially true when it comes to stinky breath! As a person that talks a lot, on camera and off, it’s one of those things that I’m always paranoid about. Ever since I was a teenager wearing braces and a retainer, I’ve been using CloSYS mouthwash to make sure the bacteria and the stink are not something I have to worry about!

Most people don’t even realize that having healthy habits are as simple as your dental hygiene. Did you know that the state of cleanliness and health of your mouth has actually been linked to cardiovascular issues? I’m not saying that brushing and flossing will prevent a heart attack but it’s a simple step to eliminate bacteria and infection and keep it from entering the bloodstream. What an easy win for your body!

Brushing, flossing and using mouthwash are things that we incorporate into our daily activities… well, most of those things – most of the time! When was the last time you flossed? Well, no fear, you can start today! And if you think mouthwash has to be that stinging, chemical tasting stuff that you swish around for a total of 4 seconds before spitting it out, then you are wrong! I’m excited to give you a quick pointer about CloSYS oral rinse. It eliminates 99.9% of harmful bacteria in 10 seconds, doesn’t sting, doesn’t have a terrible taste and it works!  I was recently sent a sample of their products and loved the toothpaste just as much as the rinse!

Even if you don’t have time to fit in the gym today, you can still do something healthy for yourself! I encourage you to give the CloSYS rinse and toothpaste a try and let me know what you think! Don’t forget to like CloSYS on Facebook too!

I’ve always had a habit of physically organizing something whenever my head was cluttered because it just makes everything seem more manageable.

Once again, after a kitchen revamp (I’m amazed!) and some simple cleaning (allergens have been killing me!) the place is looking and feeling better! After cleaning last night – I even slept through the night without waking up, coincidence?!

At the end of the day, I know things will get crazy again this week and I won’t be able to find anything and there will be dog hair tumbleweeds rolling down the hallway (Roomba is broken, again!!) and we’ll go yet another year without being the Container Store dream house but I try to focus on the joy and pride that we LIVE in every square inch of our home and love it.

WithAmyMac.com 

Juicing fruits and vegetables has been around for a long time- I’m sure you saw late night infomercials with Jack Lalanne and his juicer at some point. Well this year – it is the hot ticket to looking and feeling great so I tried it!

The benefits of juicing as opposed to eating lots of fruits and vegetables is that:

1) when the juice is broken down, your body can start absorbing the nutrients almost immediately
2) you use a lot of veggies to make a glass of juice – its possible to put 2 lbs into a glass of juice! not even i would eat that much otherwise
3) because juice doesn’t have to be processed or broken down by the body, your body gets to heal and cleanse itself – think of it as a reset for all ofyour systems.

Now we did a 5 day all juice only diet and it was tough because we wanted to eat. We weren’t hungry or weak or confused, we just wanted to chew! After those 5 days, we decided to keep drinking juice but add small meals back into our diets.  It allowed us to cut calories and processed foods and also gave us tons of energy from all the nutrients. Even if you don’t go extreme, you can still make smoothies in the blender or add juices to your day.  It takes a bit of prep work, but in the end, the benefits made this dieting fad a keeper!

Here’s a quick recipe to get you started: amazing fresh lemonade

3 apples, 2 carrots, 1 lemon (taste will vary on vegetable sizes)

This is our juicer and we love it. It does exactly what we need it to do and it’s under $100!

Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain

Why am I telling you this story? I’m using it as an example for knowing and anticipating what people really need out of their workout. This is something that I do instinctively after years as a trainer. A little family bike ride instead of watching a movie is almost always a great thing. But sometimes, everyone going out on their own and really pushing themselves is really what they need. Chris did 11 miles in 40 minutes on the bike, Nik did a few hundred meters in the pool and I was able to do 25 minutes of cardio for the first time in a few weeks. I’m even a bit sore today – feels great to be back! :)

Working out isn’t always about the calorie burn but instead about the mental and emotional benefits that exercise and working out can provide as well.

Sexy Shoulders Exercises:

• Standard shoulder press
• Modified side raises
• Arnold press

All of these shoulder exercises are excellent for men as well so don’t think I’m only talking to the ladies out there! Strapless shirts or just rocking the tshirt, sexy shoulders are in!

WithAmyMac.com

Tired of lame 5Ks? Ready to challenge your body and have a great time doing it? A new type of race is popping up all over and it’s time for you to show your extreme self. Who doesn’t want to be hardcore?

On their website, Spartan Race.com, they say “It’s an event of pure primitive craziness that you’ll never forget!” and after watching the video on their homepage, I believe it!

I’ve always said that fitness should be fun and challenging and that you should find a buddy or two to make your workouts less work and more effective. The Spartan race is a great example of how you can do this. You can finally put all those boring jogs to good use as you climb ropes, low crawl, split logs, leap over fire and more! We did a race similar to this last year and had an absolute blast. I’m pretty sure my team is going to ONLY want to do these ‘extreme’ races going forward. We are even talking about making some road trips to do some of these awesome races!

One of the best things about the Spartan Race as opposed to so many other ‘extreme’ races is that they have different levels of races, courses and obstacles so everyone in the family can participate. This is such a great way to get people of all levels to feel challenged and yet, keep realistic within their abilities.

Whether you train to look good in your skinny jeans, out run potential zombies or just to look and feel great, we all have that desire to put our fitness level to the test. Doing an event like the Spartan Race gives you motivation to push a bit harder in training and gives you something to look forward to with your workout buddies. The best part is, you are going to have fun, tons of stories and a finisher’s medal at the end to prove you are hardcore!

Learn more about the Spartan Race and when it will be in your area!

Got questions? Check out their Frequently Asked Questions page: http://www.spartanrace.com//spartan-race-obstacle-course-faq.html

In this Fit Life, we are talking about sculpting the butt. The butt is one of the most targeted trouble zones (2nd only to abs!) and usually you just do squats or lunges to target it.

• Squat Jumps
• Side Lunges
• Plie Squat
• Whale Tail

Kale is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet! You can enjoy it in salads and smoothies, but when was the last time enjoyed this green as a tasty, crispy snack? In this episode of Fit Life, I’m going to show you how to make kale chips! A few ingredients and 9 minutes in the oven and you’ll be ready to indulge and rack in the nutrients!

Kale Chip Recipe Ingredients:

• 4 cups of kale
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. lemon
• Dash of sea salt

Did you know?
1 cup of cooked kale has 36 calories and is packed with protein, fiber, calcium, potassium, vit a, c, k, iron, omega 3s and more! This stuff is crazy good for you and know you can enjoy it as chips!

Find more health and fitness tips and exercise moves at WithAmyMac.com

Guest Blogger Post:

One of the biggest areas of debate with fitness experts is the type of cardio which is best for weight loss. You’ll hear some trainers advocating steady-state aerobic routines while others insist high-intensity interval training is the only way to go. So which type of cardio training really is best for weight loss? The answer is both! While people love to make an argument for one method being superior to the other, the reality is no one way for cardio would be optimal to do all the time. As it is with fitness in general, variety is the real secret to achieving maximum results.

The pitfall that a lot of exercisers get into is staying stuck with doing one type of cardio. A perfect example would be doing repetitive bouts of long-slow-distance, steady state routines on a treadmill or elliptical trainer. The idea is that the longer you go, the more calories you’ll burn and therefore it’s best for fat loss. This isn’t necessarily true over the long-haul. While lower-intensity aerobic routines will burn more calories during the workout, they don’t have the ability to stimulate a hormonal response like high-intensity interval training routines.

The edge that high-intensity, short-duration interval training workouts have is the release in powerful fat burning catalysts like growth hormone, adrenaline, and nor-adrenaline. When the central nervous system is stimulated with short bursts of all-out effort it triggers these hormonal responses.  This means your ability to burn fat post-workout is significantly increased.

As a certified Charleston personal trainer, I’m a big proponent of interval training routines for fat loss. But I’ll be the first to admit, it’s merely a piece of the puzzle and not the total answer. For starters, it would be extremely counter-productive to attempt high intensity interval training any more than 2-3 times a week. To do interval training correctly requires the exerciser to push him or herself with maximum effort. Recovery time would not be adequate to do interval training every day and cortisol levels would quickly rise in an over-trained state. Increased cortisol levels would negate all the benefits of interval training and bring fat loss to a halt.

Secondly, for optimal results you want to work the body across all the energy systems. There are three distinct energy systems the body uses to support physical activity: aerobic, anaerobic, and glycolytic. Without boring you with the details the body adjusts to using different energy systems depending on the intensity and length of the activity. When the body is able to bring in enough oxygen to support energy production it uses the aerobic energy system. When it can’t bring in oxygen fast enough, it uses the anaerobic or glycolytic energy systems.

The ideal cardio training routine would incorporate workouts that work all the above mentioned energy systems. This simply means you’d want to combine longer duration, steady-state aerobic routines with shorter, high-intensity interval routines. You’ll get the best of both worlds and avoid over-training or adapting to one particular workout routine.

For maximum results a balanced fitness routine would include resistance training, steady-state aerobic work, high-intensity interval training, and stretching/flexibility training.  Mix up your routines and don’t get bogged down doing the same workouts over and over. Incorporate variety and I ensure you that you won’t be disappointed with the results.

Shane Doll is a certified Charleston personal trainer, fat loss expert, speaker, and founder of Shaping Concepts Personal Training Studios. He specializes in helping middle age adults transform their bodies using his “Lean Code Method” fitness and nutrition strategies. 

WithAmyMac.com

I wanted to see how healthy they were for you so I went in to their site and found the option to calculate YOUR sandwich on the nutrition pages. I love this! You never think about it but when you pick your bread, add cheese, condiments and maybe even bacon, the calories and fat can really go up and then your healthy option turns in to a not so healthy option. I encourage you to take a look at their site and calculate your sandwich to make sure you are making the right choices when you order! Plus, be careful about over-adding to your meal – chips, cookies and soda can all add up. Thanks to Subway for the gift cards to try their new sandwiches. You should check them out or ask them yourself!

• Subway Nutrition
• Subway Twitter: @subwayfreshbuzz

WithAmyMac.com health and fitness tips and videos.

Vote EverydayBetter.com for Best Membership site! 

Thank you! ~amy

WithAmyMac.com

Where:  Evbe Facebook Page

When: TODAY – 2pm ET/ 1pm CT

What: Topic is Holiday Weight and Winter Workout Tips

Who: Everyone is welcome! I will try to answer your questions as fast as I can!

Prizes:

• FREE evbe 10 Pound Cut Down 30 day memberships
• $10 Subway Gift Card
• $250 Human Trainer – home workout system
• and… surprises!

WithAmyMac.com

Now. My vegetable juicing journey.

I’ve been drinking ONLY vegetable juice for the past 5 days and I’m hoping to go another 5… we’ll see. Many people do it to lose weight and others use it to give their bodies a break from all the processed, pre-packaged or difficult to digest foods (dairy, meat) that we typically ingest. Yes, many people call it ‘detoxing’ but it’s not that your body is getting rid of toxins, it’s that you aren’t taking them in during this time. Therefore, your system can take a breather and get realigned. Let’s call it a’Reset’ instead of ‘cleansing’ or ‘detoxing’ because those terms are overused. The idea behind juicing is that you are only consuming raw vegetables and some fruits in its simplest form so that the body can absorb all the available nutrients as quickly as possible.

I did this whole crazy experiment because 1) some friends wanted to try it for weight loss and I was curious and 2) I watched the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” and was curious. After doing lots of research and purchasing an affordable kickass juicer, we set out on our journey.

The Goal: 5-10 days of only vegetable juice.

According to what we’ve read, your body is adjusting for the first 5 days and then in tip-top shape for the last 5 days. Everyone seems to struggle with Day 3. The claims are weight loss, mental clarity, better skin, more energy, happy digestive system, etc.

My Experience:

Pre-Juice: Instead of easing into the juicing thing, I went out with a bang eating everything I wanted because I knew I’d be deprived for 10 days. This was probably not my best idea because it made Day 1 harder. However, it did cause me to gain weight, which was then easily lost in the first couple of days – a mental boost!

Day 1: This was an OK day. No, I was not running to the bathroom, but I didn’t feel awesome either. I was extremely tired (maybe just a tough weekend?) and then became light-headed and very yucky. We later attributed this to taking all of my usual allergy and asthma medications on an essentially empty stomach. I slept most of the afternoon and then felt better. Weight: 109 (usually 105-6 but thinking the junk food and carb-alicious weekend did me in!)

Day 2: Felt a little flu-ish. Might just be the lack of allergy medication in my system (plus the withdrawal of meds and hot tea)! Every time I was hungry, I drank a juice. They really seemed to taste like lawn clippings on this day. Ugh. 10 days is a long time but somehow I felt good at the same time. Weird. (Don’t stop taking your meds unless you speak to your Dr. first!) Weight: 105.6

Day 3: I was expecting to be yucky on this day. However, surprised to find that I felt pretty good. Of course, I did end up sleeping for 10 hours the night before, crazy! My body needed the rest, I guess! Not hungry. Pretty energized. Did manual labor for a few hours and this was better than having to think. My brain does seem to have adjusted though and the flu symptoms have subsided. This isn’t so bad after all. The biggest thing is that it’s annoying not to eat food. I’m not tempted to cheat, I just want to eat very specific, fresh, delicious foods. Weight: 104.8

Day 4: I’ve been working out pretty hard this week and yes, was able to even on juice alone! However, I was hungry on this day. I thought I was drinking enough but at the last count, I didn’t take in enough, especially for as much as I was burning. Thinking I need to do a schedule instead of waiting to be hungry. My brain is back to working although I do go in and out of focus with the hunger. Weight: 103.8

Day 5: Might’ve been the worst day yet. Woke up hungry and whenever that happens, I can never catch up, especially on juice alone! Felt light-headed and almost caved in at lunchtime but had a stalk of celery with peanut butter and it helped immensely. Yes, it’s cheating but it wasn’t a burger and fries- it was a STALK OF CELERY WITH PEANUT BUTTER! Was still hungry most of the day. Been complaining a lot today and I’m sure everyone is tired of hearing it but I really didn’t feel awesome today. However, the one thing that kept me from bailing was the when I had some juice, I did feel awesome. So once again, we are thinking that I’m not drinking enough juice or water. Ugh, so still my fault. It’s so weird. I want to bail and yet, when I feel good, I feel REALLY GOOD. I skipped a workout today just because I think my body is repairing and doesn’t need any additional stress. Weight: 104

I won’t do another day like today. If I feel the same tomorrow, I’m done. However, maybe I’m really close to getting to the good stuff?! I don’t know but I do know that I’ll cave if I think it’s an actual health problem and not just my mental state dealing with my apparent food addiction! I’ve always said, “I eat to live, not live to eat.” After this week, I think that I’ve been lying to myself for a couple of years. I use to eat plain, boring, healthy foods to survive, but in the last few years, I’ve enjoyed excellent cuisine and gourmet ingredients and have really grown to appreciate them.

Everyone else seems to be feeling about the same. Some weight loss, some flu-ish symptoms, highs and lows for sure. I would strongly recommend teaming up for an experiment like this because the accountability is ridiculously awesome! We have an ongoing group text that has kept me off the ledge a few times!

Here’s my take so far:

I think juicing is powerful and awesome. I think that incorporating it into my daily life will up my energy, make me look and feel better and maybe even help me focus without caffeine. I might even juice all day for a day or 2 every now and then to reset myself and maybe drop a couple of pounds (holiday weight – never again!).  It would also be great before a photo shoot or special event! I’ll keep you posted on the rest of our journey. Now, someone cue Bon Jovi!

Update:

Day 6: It was a Saturday and I never realized how much eating has to do with our weekend! We had plans for dinner, a hockey game, after game drinks… and we were juicing. Depending on how you look at it, we cracked. Or maybe we just decided to live life, who knows. But, we decided to take 24 hrs off from the juice and enjoy our plans. It turns out, when you juice all the time, food tastes absolutely amazing. We had SMALL portions of everything, savored every bite and it was a complete win. We decided that we enjoyed juicing so much that we were going to do juices all day (when we can) and then eat a light dinner. I’m also having a small lunch. Then, when we eat out or have plans, it’s no big deal. We enjoy it and then get back to the plan.  Weight: 102.4

Day 10: While our house cracked on Day 6, our amazingly hardcore friends made it to Day 10 and we had the healthiest splurge meal I’ve ever seen to celebrate! Fish, kale salad, salad and tabouleh, with delicious energy bite no bakes for dessert. Everything was amazingly fresh and delicious. Weight: 104

Today is almost a week after our 1st splurge and I’m amazed at how we’ve incorporated ‘the vuice’ into our daily lives and yet still aren’t those weird people that can’t be social… you know who I’m talking about! :) We’ve continued our 2x day workouts, we’ve been eating a bit of food, me more than Nik because he really wants to lose more weight. I made an amazing vegan chili and we even broke down and ordered a pizza one night after a very thought-intensive brainstorming day! Overall, though, our bodies are nutrient happy and the lack of calories has Nik losing weight and me holding pretty steady at 102.6 – lower than I’ve been in years without being hungry! It’s just crazy. I think we are really going to just keep on with this as a lifestyle and I’m sure we’ll drop off for a week or two every now and then and have to reset ourselves so we can get back on track but we feel better, look better, sleep better and all food smells and tastes better so I just can’t find anything wrong with this scenario!

Find more health and fitness tips at WithAmyMac.com

We can all name the things we know we should or shouldn’t be doing, but creating a list of 50 items you want to accomplish this week in an effort to be healthy is simply not going to help.  It takes 21 days to make a habit, so it would seem like the best way to get on track would be to pick one item each month and focus on making sure you do it!

How to Beat the Fitness Slump:

Health and Fitness Tips at WithAmyMac.com