Get Healthy as a Family, Dance!

Kathleen Thomas from Primrose Preschools asked me to share this fabulous post with you. The boys and are working on our dance moves so we can shoot our own video. My 4yo can really move it!

Dance can be a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into a child's life. As a provider of educational day care, Primrose Schools has recognized and is actively fighting against the childhood obesity epidemic. Childhood obesity is a critical issue for young children in America. The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

Through their annual Family Dance-off event, families are encouraged to record and submit a 30 second video of themselves dancing to promote fitness and strengthen family ties.

Participating in the Family Dance-off is easy:
1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2. Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19.

3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

What would a competition be without prizes? Primrose Schools is providing prizes that aren't only great for your family but for your whole community, with $65,000 in donations to local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:

• Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

• 2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

• 3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

• All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Visit The Family Dance-off site for details on how to take part in the fight against childhood obesity, participate in the competition, and view past competitors!

Headcase

This merry-go-round of trying to eat right is turning me into a headcase. I motor along for a few days being healthy and happy then I'm slammed with the need for chocolate. I tell myself I'll be satisfied by a square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate, but I end up eating the entire bar, then I start searching for ice cream or convince myself that baking cookies qualifies me for "Best Mom of the Year Club."
Sadly I talk myself into most of these transgressions. I justify: I worked hard today at the gym, I deserve a treat, or I excuse: I have no self-control. I really hate it when I convince myself that I have no self-control. I know it's not true, but it's an easy lie to believe, it excuses my chocolate snitches.
The best I can do when I get like this is to remove myself from the situation: go on a walk, call my sister for emotional support, go play with my boys, say a prayer for help. Eventually I can convince myself I do have self-control. It's amazing how empowering it is when I actually exercise that self-control rather than bury it with chocolate urgings.

I Want to be a Biggest Loser Too

I love The Biggest Loser. It's an inspiring show. A few months ago I posted about all the lessons I've learned the six times I've watched the show (which is a big deal for me as I don't love television).
The other night it hit me that The Biggest Loser is a lot like Extreme Home Makeover. I remember seeing that show when we were building our house. I got irate. They could build a house in one week. We couldn't get our countertops done in one week! But I had to face the facts: Extreme Home Makeover is not reality. The Biggest Loser isn't either. Very few of us are going to lose 17 pounds in one week.
I try to remember to concentrate on the important stuff, the scale is moving in the right direction and I'm making good choices every day. I will return to my pre-pregnancy weight just like our house finally did get finished. We enjoy those countertops every day.

Feel the Pain

Just because something hurts does not necessarily mean it's good for you. I love exercising hard and "feeling the pain" but you should always be careful not to push so hard you injure yourself. Also, there are some popular fitness moves that might hurt but don't give you much benefit. For example - lying on your side and doing leg lifts could make your outer thigh feel tired, but there's not much muscle in the outer thigh so you're not effectively strengthening a muscle or increasing your metabolism. Another example I see often at spin class is to squat down on the pedals and hold. The isometric contraction doesn't burn many calories or increase strength but it makes the legs feel tired so instructors love to do it.
Next time you're hurting find out if the hurt is beneficial. If not, don't do it no matter what kind of looks you get at spin class.

Top 10 Fitness Icons of All Time

Who really inspires you to get fit? Michael Colgan is my all-time favorite. "Nothing tastes as good as lean and mean feels." How can you not love someone like that?

Mastersinhealthcare.com published a great article "Top 10 Fitness Icons of All Time." Really fun to read and get inspired.

Every bite counts

I'm finally losing the last of my baby weight, only six pounds to go. It feels wonderful to fit into my clothes and workout hard again, but it's frustrating how strict I have to be with my eating to keep losing.
The difference between a normal weight and overweight person is 100 caloreis a day. Do you know how easy it is to snarf down an extra 100 calories? (For me at least) I read an article in Prevention about a lady who lost 120 pounds. She said, "You'll never feel bad about not eating something." Perfect counsel for me. Walk away from the kitchen. Very empowering stuff.

Unlearn Your Pain Book Review

I finished reading Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Howard Schubiner. If you have any kind of chronic pain (migraines, fibromyalgia, neck or back pain) you should read this book. For a complete review and more information please refer to my book blog.