Start Off the New Year with Small Steps in Nutrition and Fitness

by Camille Moore

Taking walks around the neighborhood, eating daily fruits and vegetables and consuming less processed foods are steps that help your children live a life of longevity and wellness. It’s alarming that fewer than one-third of children ages 6-17 get a minimum of 20 minutes of daily exercise, much less than the recommended 60 minutes. “Motivation is the hardest part when it comes to being fit as a family, but the ‘why’ is the most important part,” says Mike Middleton, a certified personal trainer with Lifetime Fitness. “Start small and don’t get discouraged.”

Adhering to a nutritional, balanced diet is also difficult for most families. ‘“What’s one small step you can make in a positive direction?’ is our website (strong4life.com) philosophy when it comes to eating healthy,” Wendy Palmer, a licensed dietitian and manager of child wellness at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, says. “Eating healthy is what builds momentum for the future.”

Atlanta Parent spoke with Middleton and Palmer about fitness and nutrition and goals your family can set in the new year.

Better Fitness

AP: Why do you believe health and fitness is important to keep in a family’s daily routine?
Middleton: I always say the things we practice daily are a reflection of our vitality and health and things that we do on occasion are less meaningful, and often short-lived. Health and exercise should be a part of your family lifestyle. Plus, when kids see that exercise is important to mom and dad, it will become important to them as well. My children have become so involved in our weekly family fitness, that they will question me if we forget to do it one night. 

AP: What advice would you give to families who want to start to work out together?
Middleton: Start with the basics: Create a habit of walking the neighborhood daily, find a local park or trail that you can do bike rides, incorporate balls to play catch or dodge ball. Most importantly, do activities that are fun for the kids and they will be happier to participate and keep fitness for a lifetime! Also, timing is everything. Come up with a schedule that works for everyone and stick to it.

AP: How can families incorporate fitness into their lives if they are crunched for time?
Middleton: We will always have time for what is important to us. Out of 168 hours in a week, most people can find two or three hours per week to dedicate to exercise. The first step is ‘why’ behind the importance of exercise, then we must make the ‘how’ fun and exciting. Try different times during the day where you can be active, but usually aren’t. Get active during TV commercial breaks, park farther away from places to get those extra steps or take the stairs.

AP: What do you do as a family to stay fit?
Middleton: My wife, Teneka, and three kids; Mikayla, Madison and Michael, all enjoy our family workouts. There are a variety of workouts that we do; family dance-off, athletic events like freeze tag and racing and the favorite is athletic Simon Says. We have family exercise a minimum of three nights a week for one hour and on weekends we exercise at other locations like the park.

AP: Obesity in children is growing rapidly. How can parents motivate their children to stay active?
Middleton: Statistics show that the best way to combat obesity is through parents setting the example of healthy living habits. I encourage the use of activity monitors to measure how many steps our children get in on a daily or weekly basis. (The average steps for boys are between 12,000-16,000 steps a day and for girls are 10,000-13,000 a day). At the end of the week, have some type of reward in place that is still an active activity, like go-kart racing.

AP: What is your opinion on the electronic workout systems like Wii-Fit?
Middleton: I encourage any activity that will get people up and active. Even though video games consoles have earned a bad reputation for keeping kids sedentary, this is a huge step in the right direction! However, novelty of the product can wear off quickly, so you can’t rely on it to be the only option. It can be a tool in the plan, but the plan has to be part of the lifestyle.

Better Nutrition

AP: Why should families incorporate a healthy diet into their lifestyle?
Palmer: That’s a tough question for me because, why not! There are so many reasons to improve physical health and keeping long-lasting healthy ways to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. Families with young kids who incorporate a healthy diet are keeping their children well-nourished and students can perform better in school.

AP: What do you consider a “healthy diet?”
Palmer: A balanced plate is anything that has fruits, veggies, lean protein and whole grains. As parents, we’re always worried about what is my child going to like and how can I provide it to them? We have three meals a day and we want our children to have a well-balanced diet that consists of variety and its okay if that variety changes from day to day.

AP: How do you incorporate a healthy diet into your family’s diet?
Palmer: Well, I have two boys, 5 and 3, and it is not easy. As a dietitian, I am a little bit biased when it comes to providing my boys with a balanced meal. Both of my sons enjoy carrots, but they each have their style of how they like to eat them. One of my sons likes his carrots cooked and the other likes it raw. They are still getting the nutrients both ways.

AP: How can parents ease their children into eating healthier foods, fruits and vegetables, instead of sweets and chips?
Palmer: Of course, our children are going to want sweet and salty foods and that’s okay, but in moderation. I tell my families when introducing your children to foods like fruits and vegetables to keep offering it to them. It’s about the children consistently being familiar with different foods. There are a variety of tastes and textures and new things to try. If your child loves mac n’ cheese keep it, but then add one new item like broccoli. Don’t give in so easily. Kids are going to scream … and be picky eaters – that’s normal.

AP: Organic vs. nonorganic has been a hot topic. What is your opinion on the two?
Palmer: It all depends on your family’s personal preference and benefit. Usually the biggest factor between organic and nonorganic is the risk for pesticides with fruits and vegetables … On our website we have a section called, DirtyDozen, which talks about the difference when buying organic or nonorganic. Some of the families that I work will say they bought organic cookies and I think that’s great, but those cookies still have sugar and other ingredients that are not the healthiest.

AP: For families, who want to start eating healthier, where are the best places for them to shop?
Palmer: A traditional grocery store that has dairy and protein is the best. The best place to shop is along the perimeter of the grocery store where fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy are. Stay away from the processed foods which are located in the middle of the store – that’s how you get tricked from the food market. … The most important part is to get comfortable with your grocery store and where things are located. On strong4life.com we have an article on the tips and tricks for grocery store shopping.