Lions and Tigers and Calories, Oh My!

With Halloween quickly approaching, strolling through Target sipping our pumpkin lattes inevitably leads us to the colorful aisles of costumes, decorations, and ROWS of candy. Along with all the new fragrances of Glade PlugIns in our carts, fall just seems the perfect time to buy an XL bag of mini Snickers, right? It's getting cooler (sweaters), there's excitement in the air (holidays are coming!), and it's on sale (who doesn't love a sale?). Americans actually bought about 600 MILLION POUNDS and spent over 2 BILLION DOLLARS on Halloween candy last year. So before you stock up for yourself, err, the trick-or-treaters, read on for the reasons you may want to steer clear of the aisle all together.

Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt

There was a time when I relied on my blissful state of self-induced ignorance to get me through the pumpkin muffins and mini-candy bars (those teeny little guys can't be too bad) of the season. But as I was looking up the calories in a Panera Chai Tea Latte (200) I dared to look at the info for the pumpkin muffin that had fulfilled my "fall" flavor craving a time or two. 590 Calories. Needless to say I now steer clear of them, or at least split one for the love of pete, and I learned to move my joy of blissful ignorance to alcohol. ;)

Back away from the candy!

For those of you, who like me, would never buy a regular-sized Snickers (271 cals) but can saw through six or seven minis (426+) without blinking an eye, check out this handy visual from Fit Sugar of what 100 calories looks like for some of your fave treats this Halloween. Yes, it's harder to sit down with a bag of Reeces when you know just one of the cups will nab 100 calories off your daily total. While it is fun to pretend that all those little things here and there surely can't add up to much, it's also a bummer when you all of the sudden can't button your jeans. Before Thanksgiving.

We all know the mini versions don't list the nutritional info on each little package, so be true to yourself and keep the big bag. Enjoy a 100 or 200-cal portion, and tell your kids to hide the rest of the bag from you. In a good spot, in case Mommy goes on a tear through the house in desperation. Remember, next month we celebrate stuffing ourselves to the point of having to nap for 30 minutes to make room for pie, and the next month is FULL of parties, snacks, baking, treats, dinners, and hiding underneath winter clothes! And who wants to struggle through January anyway? You will want to make New Year's resolutions about reading more, volunteering more, or doing something other than losing the 10 pounds you packed on from now until then, I promise.

Temptation Is Not An Excuse

Feeling tempted by the bowls of candy at the office, the kids' treats you signed up to bring to the Halloween party, and the commercial madness in stores with neon lights pointing to chocolate? Take a step back and remind yourself of these things before you splurge every time:

* Being healthy requires dedication and sacrifice. Any sort of goal does, for that matter. People train for marathons, study for exams and work like mad for that promotion; they don't simply get there one day without hard work. The same goes for losing weight or toning your abs or whatever health goal you have your sights set on. Yes it sucks, but there is a limit to the amount of candy-nibbling we can do without stepping backwards, or...forwards, on the scale. You know that saying from Weight Watchers, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." Yep, annoying. And true.

* The hour you spent sweating like a maniac at Fusion was hard, and felt good. Sometimes it truly helps to think back to the morning when you were blasting out star jumps like a champ--is a couple minutes of eating sweets worth negating all that hard work? Turn on the radio to hear a song you normally sweat to, close your eyes, and take yourself back to the studio, dripping in sweat and heart pounding. That you can do without the candy, right? And the next time you're contemplating that cupcake at the school party, imagine how it got there: bought three days ago at the store, left in the car so not to be forgotten, dropped by little brother on the way in, and displayed in the back of the classroom for the kids (and you) to drool over. Save your cals for something more worth the woman you are!

* You have the ability to focus your attention elsewhere. Craving sweets? Have a piece of gum. Just in the mood to put something in your mouth? Grab a cup of tea or coffee, read a book, or go for a walk. Health Magazine suggests, "if you can identify the emotions behind the craving (i.e. boredom, anxiety, etc.), you can try to find ways to fulfill those needs that are more productive than sinking your teeth into a 500-calorie sugar bomb." The next time your co-workers' candy bowl is singing to you like Homer's mermaids, remember this craving will pass and find a distraction. Those mermaids lured sailors in to destroy them!

An Occasional Spurge Does Not a Failure Make

 

Once in a while, you might look down and gasp at the pile of wrappers on your lap. Jot it down in the "whoops" column and move on. "I have this conversation all the time with my clients," says Sadie, the Fusion instructor with twin boys who can almost make you cry. "Just because you have one bad day doesn't mean you've sabotaged your diet and now you're fat. Continuing down that path can lead in that direction though, so just work out a little harder the next day, watch what you eat, and you'll be back on track."

If you really feel the need to eat an entire package of Halloween Oreos, beef up the exercise the next couple days in your workouts but also in the little things that add up, such as taking the stairs, parking at the back of the lot, or alternating squats and crunches each time you feel the urge to splurge. Beating yourself up for the slip up will only lead to guilt, feelings of failure, and a possible "well this week is blown, I'll try again next Monday" attitude on a Tuesday night. Don't do it!

Find Other Activities Besides Eating

 

Yes it's fun to make caramel apples, pumpkin cookies, candy houses, etc. The mom guilt especially kicks in when you see all the things you can make and eat with your kids to celebrate Halloween when all you want to do is sit at Starbucks with your pumpkin latte, alone. BUT, choose a treat or two, then get out and enjoy the rest of what fall has to offer! There are plenty of crafts to satisfy the kids, and the weather is still beautiful enough to read in the park, play football with the kids, or stroll through nature with your coffee rather than through the florescent lights of Target. Take a walk and enjoy the leaves sailing on the wind and crunching under your feet. Visit the pumpkin patch or find your way through a good ol' Kansas corn maze. Spend time relaxing and raking the leaves, then jump in the big pile and throw them in the air like you're in a Norman Rockwell painting. There are so many things to do to satisfy the itch for fall.

 

Enjoy and Destroy

Yes this is the one holiday where kids are allowed to eat insane amounts of candy and run around until way past their bedtime. But many kids (and adults) eat their leftovers for days and weeks after the big night, leading to excess calories, high blood sugar, decreased attention span and cavities. Set a good example for the kids by letting them enjoy the big day, and then getting rid of the excess. Send it with dad to work the next day, hide it from the kids in the trash, or check out this great program, Halloween Candy Buyback. Local dentists buy the leftovers from your kids and send tons of candy to troops overseas--smiles all around.

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Whatever ways you get through the upcoming months of eating, drinking, eating, and drinking, empower yourself with nutritional knowledge, resist temptations as best you can, and give yourself some slack. Everything in moderation. But remember, this beautiful, peaceful season doesn't have to be muddled by our culture of junk food; fall is full of ripening veggies like sweet potatoes, squash, eggplants and brussel sprouts, bursting with fresh flavors and nutrients ready to be made into new recipes. Rustling through the leaves on an evening walk and coming home to a delicious bowl of warm soup (like these recipes) sounds a lot more appealing than eating chocolate until your teeth hurt, right?

Autum Chicken Stew from Eating Well Magazine

 

Why Do You Go to Fusion, Mom?

Here at Fusion we all know the many benefits of keeping fitness a priority. Weight loss, building lean muscle, and those sweet, sweet endorphins keep us coming back for more even when we sweat more in an hour than during the rest of the 106 degree days we’ve been having. 

But what about our kids? While they play happily in the childcare room as we get our hourly dose of increased heart rate every day, it’s important to remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children six to seventeen years of age get at least an hour of moderate-intensity exercise per day too. I know the three tantrums, hourly sibling wrestling matches, and the time(s) you had to chase her down the Target aisle seem like plenty of movement for them since we collapse into an exhausted heap each night. But they still need a period of time specifically devoted to getting their little hearts pumping.

So what exactly are they supposed to do? While most of their hour should be aerobic activity, it’s also beneficial to bring in muscle building (sit-ups, push-ups) and bone strengthening (jumping rope, running) activities into the mix a few times per week. Thank goodness for the soccer coach living vicariously through his first grade team, right? They love getting our kids to pump out more push-ups than we can even do, and running them in circles until they need to gulp down the huge green water bottles from Dick’s.

But aside from sports, which help kids with their athletic ability but even more so with their social skills and team player mentality, it’s also good for kids to live active lifestyles with their families. It’s one thing to show our kids how important exercise is by heading off to Fusion each morning, but how fun is it for the kids when the whole family gets together to play football or go on a long walk? We may tend to think the “monkey see monkey do” idea is all we need, but including them in physical activity is even better.

Family Fun Magazine is always full of games you can play to get everyone jumping around, from obstacle courses you can set up in the backyard to more ideas with water balloons than you'd care to read. They even get crafty, so before you head out to toss the football with dad, you can stitch it together from socks the kids have outgrown and mom’s old sit-upon from her fourth grade Girl Scout troop. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but check out this plethora of summer activities that sound like fun.

Since it’s pretty much too hot to really enjoy any outdoor activities right now, indoors is where its at for fitness. If you’ve already gone to Monkey Bizness twice this week, here are a couple of other ideas:

• Show your kids some of the Fusion poses you need to work on, and see if they can’t out-do you in a plank, push-up contest, or the ol’ football-run-for-10-seconds-into-a-burpee-move. If anything they’ll be impressed that their mom busts this out in class, and not wanting your 6 year old to do more reps than you can be great motivation to push it.

• Do an exercise DVD together. It’s always fun to watch them giggle through the moves, and since you’ve already been to Fusion for the day you can take it easy and play around. Grab Jane Fonda from the 80s and you can even play dress up and imitate the backgrounders.

• Tried and true games from childhood are always fun, especially if you have a nice big basement to play in. Jumping rope, football games played on your knees, and Simon Says can be fun, challenging, and keep the clock ticking much faster than plopping them in front of the TV.

• Check out this list of winter activities from the Obesity Action Coalition (yes, Kansas, we have to play winter activities in the middle of summer due to a lovely thing we get to call excessive heat warnings.)

• Don’t forget the dance party. Turn the tunes up and show your kids the reasons they will object any good intentions you have of chaperoning their next dance. 

Keeping kids healthy, we know, has as much to do with physical activity as it does the food give them. Here are a few facts to consider:

1. Over one third of American adolescents and children are overweight or obese, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)

Immediate Health Effects (listed on CDC website):

•Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

•Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.

•Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem. 

Long-term health effects:

•Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults.

•Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

2. American kids spend an average of 3-4 hours per day watching television, according to American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

3. One fourth of Americans eat fast food every day, with the total of $100 billion being spent in the US on fast food each year. Check out Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser for some really nasty details.

USDA's updated food pyramid

4. According to CDC, only 21% of American children eat their 5 or more recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. (No, school districts, the tomato sauce on pizza should NOT be counted!)

5. Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, and many other damaging and preventable diseases have risen drastically in the last 30 years here in America. Check out journalist Michael Pollan and his extensive research on our Western diet.

Not only is it important for us to keep our children healthy, but ourselves too. If we make our kids eat carrots while we sneak the entire bag of Pirate’s Booty (that’s...er...an example I heard from a friend) then we aren’t treating ourselves in the right way. Our kids are watching every move we make (just in case you needed another source of stress for motherhood) so we must set good examples ourselves if we want them to adopt a healthy lifestyle as they mature. Eating delicious and nutritious foods and being active makes such a huge difference in our physical as well as mental health, and just feels good all over. So enjoy the day, and eat (vegetables), drink (water), and be merry (go on a family walk)!