How To Protect Our Children From Obesity in 2009

When we were children we grew up worrying about getting on the bicycle and riding with our friends or playing baseball and football. We always had plenty of choices to get the exercise that we needed and didn’t even know we were getting it. But, today you can see that things have changed. We used to have to go to our friends house to talk to them and now they have cell phones and internet to communicate. Meaning they don’t have to move or walk anymore. They also have video games to play instead which also means less exercise.

I read not to long ago that by 2012 80% of America is going to be over weight or obese. I also read the Dept. of health in NY State says that 10% of 4 to 5 year olds are overweight and as they age one in 5 boys ( ages 6 - 11 ) are overweight. This is a frightening fact because being overweight also leads to many health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, and even possibly some cancers. The bad part is when children gain weight their fat cells stay there and when they loose weight they shrink. Then when children start eating more again those cells remain hungry and start getting bigger again. That is why it is so important to start young in educating your children about the risks of obesity.

There are things we can do to teach our children to be aware of their eating habits. Lets face it children do not do the shopping for our homes, we do. So we can start by buying the right groceries. Then get rid of the bad foods and start showing them that this is how you need to eat to have a healthy life. Just think how this will help you as well. If we start our children at a young age to eat fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks you would be surprised at how they really do like them. There are other foods that are healthy as well such as yogurt, sugar free pudding, juice pops, or even whole grain cereal with skim milk. A lot of times it is the parents who don’t eat enough of these and then our children follow. I know what you're thinking: children love the fast food, well then work on getting rid of the fatty sauces that go on the burgers and / or even smaller burgers.

This is the most important part, teach them to be active again! Children need at least an hour of play to burn all that stored up energy. Children need after school activities like any sport they are interested in. It doesn’t even have to be school associated. It can be you playing catch with them or chasing them. Imagine what this extra activity would do for you as well. The point is parents have to be involved or they will never learn how to take care of themselves when they need to. If you’re a parent who goes to the health club see if you can find a way to involve your children. Try to set up a workout plan for them and monitor their results. It does not have to be great results but it teaches them the rewards of exercising and the knowledge to do so. Children follow what their parents do and if you smoke and drink chances are they will too.

Beachbody offers some great progams also that are tailored for children age 3 and up. Click on the image to find out more about these great programs!


So get out there and start your kids off with a healthy 2009. It is a new year, a fresh start, and we want the children of the future to be as happy and healthy as they can be. Say no to child obesity!

You Do The Sharing, Beachbody Does The Rest

From Carl's Blog~

An acquaintance asked me what she would have to do to be a Beachbody coach:

I said "Play, shake, and share."

She said; "Right, but what about running the business and all that stuff?"

I said: "For the price of a coach kit, here's what happens: We build a website for you, we take orders you get on your website and handle the inventory, billing, shipping, and customer service."

She said: "So what do I do?"

I said: "Play, shake and share... Use a fitness program that suits you, and replace at least one meal a day with a meal replacement shake. The results will be visible very fast and you can still eat the rest of your meals with real food, with the rest of the family. Share means to tell some people what you are doing every day via email, message boards, blogs, in the line at the grocery store. People you talk to will start see you're serious. They will see you drinking your shake. You tell them how easy it is to stay motivated because you're going deep on this one. And they will soon understand that the motivation to turn your weight loss into a profit is HELPING YOU STAY CONSISTENT."

She said: "How will that turn into income for me?"

I said: "We spend over $1 million a week advertising these products. Other network marketing companies don't do that. That means people you "share" with likely know about Turbo Jam, P90X, Ten Minute Trainer, etc. Tell them when they're ready to lose the weight they should buy them through you and join the club, and they will save 10% off the TV price. And to conquer the food problem, replace a meal a day with a substantial meal replacement shake. They might not buy today, but eventually they will see a product from Beachbody that sparks their interest, and they'll remember you were the one who made it sound easy. They'll want to buy from you and get the best price."

She said: "But how do I recruit other coaches?"

I said: "You've told my how frustrated you are that you can never stay with a program. When I asked you if having a money motivation attached to getting fit and eating right would help you stay with it, you said it would. We didn't talk about you getting rich, or buying a new car. We talked about how the slightest hint of an extra income would be that extra ingredient to help you exercise and eat better. And you told me you know a couple other people who could use an extra income and to lose twenty or so pounds. That is the start of an organization, and the path to also getting a couple customers from Beachbody."

She said: "You do the advertising. You set up the website. I don't have to buy a bunch of product to sell. And I don't have to ship it and bill people. I just follow your program to exercise, eat better, and talk to people about it. How can I be sure it will work?"

I said: "There's only one way this will work: If you do it. If you finally get consistent with Play, Shake and Share it will absolutely work. Our walls are lined with pictures of proof. But you have to want it seriously. This can't be another light foray into a lame "diet of the day". Once and for all, you have to want to do what works. Do you think you really want it?"

She said: "I so want to feel better about my body. And I need to find a way out of this debt."

I said: "What's the one thing standing in your way?"

She said: "Me?"

I said: "You can think about it. You can think about it some more. Or you can commit. The solution for your health and your income is right here. You pick the program, get the shake, and start to share it."

She said: "I do the sharing, Beachbody does the rest?"

I said: "Let's get started"

BEACHBODY REVOLUTION

With the Beachbody Revolution system you get everything to transform your body AND set up an online business. Just encourage people to use Beachbody's proven fitness and weightloss products and let them help you get the word out.

Nutrition Strategies to Turbo Charge Your Metabolism

Nutrition Strategies to Turbo Charge Your Metabolism

By Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC
Creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss
Author of "The Fit Chic" and "The Fit Bastard"
Co-Author of "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Health"


First of all this is not about a new miracle pill that melts the fat off your body. The best strategy of fat loss is to EARN IT.

The first step in earning a lean and tight body is to consume five to six small meals per day. It is something so simple yet many of us choose to ignore it. This alone is enough to kick-start your metabolism.

You should eat every 2 ½ to 3 hours. Each meal should be small and leave you feeling satisfied but not full. If you are not quite hungry 3 hours after you've consumed your meal, it's a sign that you ate too much. Basically, take what you would eat during your 3 meals each day and spread it out over 6 meals.

To get the most out of each meal and turn up your metabolic furnace it's best to combine a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate, vegetables, and essential fatty acids with most meals.

Eating carbohydrates alone will result in quick digestion and an insulin spike. Protein takes longer to digest and requires your body to burn more calories during the digestion process (thermic effect of food). Consuming proteins with your carbohydrates will cause the digestion of the carbohydrates to take longer and you will stay satisfied longer as well.

A common problem with the typical low calorie diet is the significant reduction in calories for extended periods of time. During the beginning stages of the diet you may lose a significant amount of weight but then you notice that your results start to decrease until eventually you are no longer losing weight even though your are still following the strict diet.

At this point you figure that you probably hit a plateau and you decrease your calories a little bit more so you can lose those last ten pounds. The plateau that you have experienced is due to your bodies 'defense mechanism' that is on red alert screaming, "We're starving!"

So what does your body do?

It releases more fat storing hormones and enzymes into the bloodstream and decreases the fat burning hormones and enzymes. Why? The answer is that your body is simply trying to protect itself so it stores whatever it can as fat in order to prepare for this famine that you are putting yourself through. The end result is a decrease in your metabolism. So what can we do to prevent this from happening?

The first strategy is called 'calorie cycling.' It goes by other names as well, but this pretty much sums it up. To lose weight you definitely need a caloric deficit, meaning that you need to burn more calories than you are taking in. You should never drastically reduce your calories. Aim for a 15% to 20% reduction in calories.

With calorie cycling you follow this deficit for 3 days and on the fourth day you go back to your maintenance caloric intake, which is the amount of calories that you could eat without gaining or losing any weight. You then repeat the cycle.

What this strategy does is just when your body starts to think that it better make some changes to lower your metabolism and store up some fat, you trick it by slightly increasing your calories. This also gives you a boost in energy and does not leave you feeling deprived.

The second strategy improves upon the calorie cycling and is called carbohydrate cycling. So if you reduce your calories by 15%, the reduction would come entirely from carbohydrates.

This is not your typical low carb diet. A 15% decrease is not an absurd amount, and you get to bring it back to normal on the fourth day, which will replenish your glycogen stores in your muscles to give you more energy and strength to get through your workouts.

The third strategy is called calorie tapering. In a five to six meals per day plan, you consume more calories in your first few meals of the day and reduce the amount of calories in each meal as the day goes on. For example at breakfast, mid morning and lunch you may consume 400 calories at each meal. Then for the next two meals you consume 300 calories and finally 200 calories at your last meal.

To improve this strategy you should consume your starchy carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice in the earlier meals and for the remaining two or three meals consume fibrous carbohydrates such as vegetables. The reason for this is that the starchy carbohydrates are more calorie dense meaning that a small portion of them would equal the same amount of calories as a large portion of vegetables. By consuming the starchy carbs in the morning it will provide you with the right amount of fuel to get you through your day.

This is not a quick fix weight loss strategy. Incorporating nutrition packed whole, natural foods into small frequent meals is not rocket science, but it definitely works. It will take some planning to prepare meals ahead of time, but the results will be worth it. Best of all, this is a program that you can follow for life. Eating frequent meals will leave you satisfied and the temptation to binge will be reduced.

Nutrition is a very large piece of the puzzle in your battle for fat loss and should be taken seriously. To truly ignite your metabolic furnace, it is absolutely necessary to include weight training, cardio, and the most important piece of the puzzle, which is developing a powerful mindset.

Your body will only go as far as your mind will take it.

About the author:

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss, "What separates the people who achieve fat loss success, from those who struggle to lose weight." Click here!


Scott has also authored 2 books that are transforming the bodies of people around the world. "The Fit Chic" and "The Fit Bastard" not only contain a FULL YEAR of workouts, they provide intense motivation to drive you to fat loss success. Click here!