HEALTH / FITNESS

Information about fitness, health, nutrition and weight loss

Do you know of a new diet or fitness routine that you'd like us to review? Or perhaps you want to write a review yourself and see it in print! Got a great recipe you want to share? Let us know at submissions@ssbbw-magazine.com.

In this Section....

September Recipes
September's Exercise
Daily Diet Tip
Back To School Nutrition
Overcoming Oneself

September Recipes - Click Here

September is back-to-school month, so we thought we would put together a lunchtime meal for you and your kids that they will enjoy and you can even get them to help prepare! It's loaded with lots of vegetables and stuffed into a cool little pocket that your kids will enjoy eating. We also loaded up on the fruit in the drinks and dessert, so we thought we give them some 'fries' to go with their meal, and they don't have to know that they're healthier versions of the real thing. Sitting down to a meal with your kids is a good time to go over school lunches and the healthy choices they should be making. What better way to do that than with a meal you'll both enjoy? Happy September!!!

We'd love to feature one of your favorite recipes in any one of our monthly issues, just send them on to us at recipes@ssbbw-magazine.com. Hope to hear from all of you in the following months!

New Feature! Each month we will feature a simple exercise you can do at home and without buying fancy expensive equipment. Click here to view this month's exercise.

Back To School Nutrition

As a new school year approaches, I want to remind parents of the important role nutrition plays in assuring kids a successful school year. I will also offer a few tips suggested by the American Dietetic Association on practical easy ways to help ensure both proper nutrition and a successful school year, and explain why kids hate vegetables.

Nutrition and learning go hand in hand. Kids who are nutritionally fit are more likely to have the energy, stamina and self-esteem that enhance their ability to learn. Running out the door with thoughts of seeing old classmates, joining new clubs, participating in school sports and (hopefully!) getting good grades, kids will not be paying much attention to the proper nutrition needed to accomplish all of this.

We have often heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet 35-40 percent of all Americans skip breakfast. For many children, breakfast is a trip to a convenience store or a vending machine for a soda and a high-fat, high-sugar pastry. Definitely, not the best choice for the nutrients they need nor is it cheap. Parents can help by considering the following tips.

Start with a healthy breakfast. For children and teens a morning meal is especially important to prepare them to meet the challenges of learning. Many studies have shown that those who eat a morning meal tend to perform better in school, score higher on tests, have higher school attendance, less tardiness, better concentration and muscle coordination.and kids who eat breakfast have fewer hunger induced stomachaches and are less likely to be overweight.

Having said all that, are you wondering how to get a child to eat breakfast and where the extra time needed for a morning meal will come from? You can make breakfast fun by planning it with your child. Decide who prepares what and work together to get it done. If your child doesn't like traditional breakfast foods, don't worry - breakfast foods can be any food they like, even a slice of pizza. Keep quick-to-fix foods on hand or get breakfast foods ready the night before, such as mixing a pitcher of juice. If kids say they are not hungry, start them out with something light like juice or toast and send them off with a nutritious mid-morning snack such as yogurt, cheese or a bagel.

Some children believe skipping breakfast may help them lose weight. Just the opposite is true. Skipping meals often leads to overeating later in the day. This can result in consuming more calories than if you had eaten an appropriate breakfast.

As for lunch, meals served at school contribute significantly to kids' overall nutrient and energy needs. Do you know what they are eating? School meals are usually regulated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through USDA guidance many schools are improving the nutritional quality of lunch and designing the meals to supply about one-third of a child's nutrition needs.

Parents can help a child choose healthful meals in several ways. Keep the school lunch menu in your kitchen, go over it with your child, and talk with your child about making good choices in the cafeteria line.

If your child prefers to brown bag it to school, let your child help plan and prepare school lunches. When they're involved, chances are they will resist trading their carrots for cookies. Pack meals that are easy to prepare and fun to eat as well as nutritious. A few examples are sandwiches, raw veggies, crackers, string cheese, whole fruit and yogurt or pudding.

Finally, for after-school snacks choose foods that supply needed nutrients that can be missed in meal choices. Stock up with ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, animal crackers, popcorn and cereal. Your child will appreciate the availability of quick healthy snacks.

As for vegetables, we all know that most kids will turn their noses up at broccoli, but beg for ice cream. A recent study shows that it may be genetic. A study done by researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia shows that a gene called TAS2R38 may be responsible for children's aversion to bitter tastes. There are two different versions of this gene, with one being more sensitive to bitter tastes than the other. If one or both of those bitter-sensitive genes are present, we are more likely to dislike bitter tastes. If this study holds true, then about 80% of children aren't going to be thrilled about eating broccoli and cauliflower. It may be difficult to convince your children to eat more vegetables if they are over-sensitive to bitter flavors. But there are solutions. You can disguise the bitter taste, or choose sweeter vegetables. Over time, your children's aversion to bitter tastes will ease.

Try these tips:
Serve sweet glazed carrots.
Add sweet and sour sauce to cooked broccoli.
Sprinkle shredded cheese or cheese sauce on your green beans.

While this study may help us understand why kids don't like vegetables, remember that vegetables are an important part of our diet. Keep serving them; just add a side dish of patience. Proper nutrition is crucial for social, emotional and psychological development. Teaching children how to eat healthy will enable them to establish a foundation of good nutrition and healthful lifestyle habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Source: http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren

Submitted by: Maria Albus

Overcoming Oneself

We all 'stall' out. It may be the dreaded diet, it may be exercise, or it may be putting off work around the house that needs to be done, but you just can't get the 'motivation' to do it.

When we lack this 'motivation' usually our thoughts are something like this; "It's just too much work, I can't cope with it. It's getting me down." So, what has happened?

There are situations that most of us can cope with quite well and others not so well. If we would only apply the same thought processes we used for coping successfully to those situations with which we feel we cannot cope, we would be able to convert our failures to successes.

We cannot allow our thoughts to look at something as 'overwhelming' or 'hard' or 'impossible.' We must occupy our time by contemplating only success. Using thoughts such as, "I can cope with anything" will more likely empower you to find a solution to the barrier impeding your progress. Whatever situation has you stalled, you must grab hold of it and start to deal with it. Don't indecisively and vaguely fool around with it, but deal with it forthrightly and at once. If night snacks are your difficulty, write down exactly how much and what you might eat (within reason) and stick to your plan. If you "hope" you will go for a walk, write down in your journal that you will go for a 20 minute walk right after work no matter how tired you feel.

Always ask yourself "how am I going to overcome this problem?" Take it apart into its component sections and plan how you are going to deal with each of them ("one day at a time"). Smaller segments are much easier to handle than one big problem.

Use the power of words: terrific, great challenge, fantastic problem, exciting experience, etc. Also, keep hammering away at it. Become a 'marathoner' not a 'sprinter' with your situation. You will win simply with endurance. As you make small strides into your situation, your confidence will increase. You will realize you can work through the barrier, and you will be on track and the negative thoughts will settle for awhile.

Our own thoughts are the barrier to success, so work on changing them. Don't catastrophize any situation, it is never as big or as hard as our mind thinks it is. Most of the time when I watch people off track after a holiday, or after a major life crisis, get back on track it is inspiring. But what I notice is that they don't dwell on any aspect of 'personal failure', they simply get back to concentrating on what they have to do to reverse their issue of snacking or lack of exercise. Meditate on this; go for a walk, relax with some music and truly think about the barrier you face and how you might conquer it. The solution is there, and the solution is you.

Never give up. Lifestyle change is a lifelong challenge. Be an endurance athlete. Never give up. You can do it.

Submitted by: Dr. Doug

Weight Loss Surgery can be scary words or they can be words of hope. Most SSBBWs have thought of or had someone mention weight loss surgery. It's obviously not for everyone. There are SSBBWs who have accepted that they are large and always will be. There are some who like being large and don't want to change. And there are others who live day to day with pain, both physical and emotional, of carrying the extra weight that have various reasons for wanting to do something about it.

Everyone has a view on weight loss surgery be it good or bad or even neutral. Which is perfectly fine as we are all entitled to our opinions. One reader has made the decision to have weight loss surgery and will take us on her journey. What are your thoughts on weight loss surgery? Have you had weight loss surgery? Our forums are available for you to discuss and give your views on this topic.