January 2006 Newsletter

An Inspirational Quote

"Small things with great love... It’s not how much we do, but how much love we put into the doing. And it is not how much we give, but how much we put into the giving. To God there is nothing small.."

Mother Theresa

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO FOR OBESE CHILDREN?
By Nina Lynn, Nina@totalfitness.net

The Challenge

The prevalence of obesity in America today is approximately 30 percent. For me, the most frightening part of this crisis is that we see that same 30 percent of American children are now obese.

Why are so many children in this country overweight? Poor eating habits and lack of exercise are the two major causes of childhood obesity.

With the Standard American Diet (SAD) consisting mostly of processed and fast foods, it is no wonder obesity has become endemic. Not only is junk food readily available to kids, with a McDonalds or Burger King on every corner, but unfortunately this is the type of food being served in schools, through programs designed by dieticians and nutritionists. What are they thinking?

The lack of physical exercise also is a huge contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. An unbelievably low 4 to 6 percent of Americans are on a regular exercise program. What kind of message are we sending our kids? Both children and adults spend far too much time on the computer and watching T.V. Physical education programs that once were a regular part of school curriculum now are optional or non-existent! So who is teaching our children to enjoy physical activity? No one. Who should? Parents and the schools.

What YOU Can Do To Fight Childhood Obesity

Parents can start by creating an active environment. Engage in physical activities with your children. Ride bikes, hike, walk, play catch. Even a game of tag or hide and seek outdoors brings the family together for active and creative fun. Enroll your child in an organized team activity like basketball, baseball (or T-ball if very young), tennis, gymnastics, martial arts...use your imagination. And what ever happened to just playing outdoors? Riding bikes with friends, climbing trees, or playing imaginative "make believe" games in the yard are all fun ways for kids to exercise. I have heard parents say, "But Johnny doesn't want to ride his bike, he only wants to watch TV." Well someone has to encourage Johnny to enjoy riding his bike, and that someone is you.

Healthy eating habits must be taught as well. When given a choice, children (and most adults) will grab sweets before vegetables. It is up to parents to fill the house with fruits, (nature's candy) and vegetables as healthy snack choices for their kids. And eat them yourself! Mealtime should be well planned and enjoyed in a calm setting with family conversation and no TV. Include the kids in the meal preparation and setting of the table. This is a great way to teach them about healthy foods and share quality time. Keep portion size reasonable and do not force your child to overeat if he or she is full. And please do not use food as a reward! This not only causes an addiction to sweets, but also sets up an unhealthy relationship to food that will carry over into adulthood.

To reduce the level of child obesity in America, parents need to teach healthy eating habits and encourage their children to be more physically active. And of coarse, lead by example.

Thank You, Listeners!

Because of you, our loyal listeners, Total Fitness radio show is now No. 3 out of 33 programs on the VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel! That's according to Melinda Upton, executive producer of www.voiceamerica.com.The two shows with a larger audience broadcast more often - one comes on three days a week and the other five days a week.

James Williams and Catherine Carrigan invite YOU to participate. You can have your fitness, nutrition and healing questions answered for free by calling in live every Friday at 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST/3 p.m. GST. If you are inside the U.S., your call is toll-free, 1-866-369- 3742. Outside the U.S., you can call 480-643-5429.

We also welcome your healthy recipes. Become a famous chef and share our mission of inspiring thousands of people around the world to cook and eat healthier. Email your healthy recipes to Catherine Carrigan or James Williams.

Delicious Food For You!

Sue Mae's Nut Muffin Recipe

Toast almonds in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Grind into flour when cool or buy almond flour.

In your food processor put: 21/2 cups ground almonds ¼ cup melted butter ½ cup honey ½ tsp baking soda 3 eggs.

Mix all together and pour into muffin pan with paper lining-1/2 full only. Bake at 325 for 15 to 20 minutes. They are done when they spring back when touched. For variation add bananas or other fruit to the recipe.

The reason Sue believes this recipe is so great is that so many people have wheat or gluten allergies. These muffins can be made quickly and easily in a food processor all at once for a delicious bread substitute.

Sue Maes shared this recipe with Catherine and James on the Jan. 3 radio show. Listen to her views about how to keep your New Year's resolutions at http://www.totalfitness.net/radio_show_p ast_shows.htm.

Total Fitness Radio Show

Listen to new topics each week on our live show every Friday at www.health.voiceamerica.com, 10am EST (7am PST, 3pm GMT).

You can catch the encore performance 12 hours later, or listen at your convenience by visiting our archives at www.totalfitness.net. If you have a question or comment call in FREE at 1-866-369-3742.

You can look forward to these upcoming Total Fitness Radio Shows in February 2005

Our guests for February:

Feb. 3: Robert Maurer, Ph.D., How Small Steps Can Change Your Life, the Kaizen Way.
Robert Maurer is an associate clinical professor of U.C.L.A. School of Medicine, a behavioral health instructor at Canyon Ranch Health Spa and operates the Science of Excellence, a consulting firm.

Feb. 10: Ann Louise Gittleman - The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet.
Ann Louise is the award-winning author of over 20 books, including The New York Times bestsellers Before The Change and The Fat Flush Plan.

Feb. 17: Len Kravitz, Ph.D. - The Truth About What Really Works In Exercise.
Len is a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. His numerous awards including UNM's teacher of the year, IDEA fitness instructor of the year and recognition for his exercise videos.

Feb. 24: Paul Schiele - Genius Body, Genius Mind. Paul is co-founder, chairman, and director of curriculum & instruction for Learning Strategies Corporation.

Look out for more very special guests each week on the Total Fitness Radio Show.

Regular Classes

Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 4465 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA. $15 per class or $65 per calendar month.

Qi Gong Class: Every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. 1951 Northside Dr, Atlanta, GA. $15 per class.

Booking Appointments With Total Fitness

To schedule an appointment to find out about a personalized fitness, nutrition or healing program that will help you get results, please contact us at:

Nina Lynn: Nina@TotalFitness.net

Catherine Carrigan: Catherine@TotalFitness.net

James Williams: James@TotalFitness.net

Or visit us on the web at: www.TotalFitness.net