KIT Fx - Week 5 Vegetables - Dark Green

Week 5 – Vegetables-Dark Green

http://kidsintraining.com/kitfx.htm

Through all the years I have helped others lead a healthier lifestyle the most confusion has come from what qualifies as a vegetable and how much should we eat. Every region of the country has its own variety of local favorites and what is popular in one area can be relatively unknown in another. I was raised in Southern California and until I visited the south I never tasted turnip or collard greens but I had either romaine, bok choy or spinach almost every day. There is such a variety of wonderful vegetables, especially fresh local ones that we should look into expanding our diet in this very healthy way.

According to the government standards most kids should get about 1-3 cups of vegetables per day, adults about 2-3 cups per day. From their website http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables.html
The amount of vegetables you need to eat depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Recommended total daily amounts are shown in the first chart.

This chart shows the amounts of various kinds of vegetables that qualify as a “cup”.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_amount_table.html

Furthermore, they recommend this daily intake should be comprised of a variety of vegetables.
Vegetable subgroup recommendations are given as amounts to eat WEEKLY. It is not necessary to eat vegetables from each subgroup daily. However, over a week, try to consume the amounts listed from each subgroup as a way to reach your daily intake recommendation.

The same link has a second chart that shows the amounts of recommended various kinds of vegetables in each of the 5 subgroups – Dark Green, Orange, Dry Beans & Peas, Starchy and Other.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_amount_table.html

Out of the 5 subgroups it is my experience that Starchy and Other vegetables are the most commonly eaten. The first three, Dark Green, Orange & Dry Beans & Peas are less popular and where we will be concentrating on the next 3 weeks.

KIT Fx - Week 5: Eat the recommended amount of Dark Green Vegetables

Based on this recommendation most kids should get about 1-3 cups of dark green vegetables per week, adults about 3 cups per week.

Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins (including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins).

Examples of Dark Green Vegetables - bok choy (Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!), broccoli, collard/mustard/turnip greens, dark green leafy lettuce, kale, mesclun, romaine lettuce, spinach, and watercress. Remember not to overcook them!

Pick 2-3 vegetables you and your family will enjoy and incorporate them into your daily diet. Divide the recommended intake for each of you over the week. Here is an example using Spinach, Broccoli and Romaine:

Monday – (dinner) Spinach salad
Wednesday – (dinner) Steamed Broccoli
Friday – (lunch) Romaine salad
Saturday – (dinner) Stir Fry w/Broccoli

Remember that every week builds upon the work done in previous weeks so keep up all that progress and let’s keep moving. Thanks to those of you who have emailed me how your family is doing. Share that communication with others such as what your family is liking/accepting, helpful hints and other information by posting a comment below.
maylene

KIT Fx - Week 4 Vegetables

Week 4 - Vegetables

http://kidsintraining.com/kitfx.htm

By now you have incorporated your daily intake of water, working your way to 30-60 minutes of activity per day (keep on adding 10% or less each week until then) and have an accurate knowledge of any deficiencies in your daily routine and diet you want to address. This is right where you should be. If you are having trouble in any one spot just hang back and address that issue until it is incorporated into your lifestyle in a way that it has not created a hardship but a routine that is easily sustained. If you are there, keep all this up and lets continue to week 4.

Vegetables. For some it is the hardest item to incorporate in the right amount into our diets and this is why we will address it here. Again, I am not introducing a new idea here but the following are some reasons why vegetables should be a large part of our daily diet:
• May reduce your risk to many diseases and cancers
• Low in fat and calories but high in fiber which is helpful in lowering caloric intake and aiding in proper digestion
• Contains many nutrients that create a stronger body and healthier skin including protein, potassium and vitamins A, C and E.

More information can be found at http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables.html

KIT Fx - Week 4: Increase your daily intake by 1 vegetable this week

Your daily intake of vegetables is dependent on many factors such as age, sex and level of activity. The link above will help you figure out which vegetables, and how much, should be eaten for everyone in your family. If you are deficient in the number or variety of vegetables this challenge is for you.

Pick 2-3 vegetables you and your family will enjoy and add one serving each day. Best if you can pick a vegetable from each suggested group, here is an example:
Green Leafy – Sautéed Spinach, Mon/Weds/Sunday
Orange – Carrot sticks, Thurs/Saturday
Dry Beans & Peas – Lentils (see recipe below), Tues/Friday

I can eat the same vegetable every day but my kids need a little more variety, especially when it comes to cooked vegetables. Be careful not to buy a lot of fresh produce at once as it will quickly expire and that is a lot of money to waste.

Contact our nutritionist Tracy Owens (see week2 for contact info) if you need help. Start slow, as we are doing with everything here, so your body, and you, can get acclimated to your new healthier lifestyle and once again, so it can last. If you need a reminder of all that we are doing visit our KIT Fx page on our website, link at the top. Remember, baby steps. You will soon look back at where you started and be amazed at what you have accomplished.

I am always looking for the best values when it comes to feeding my family. This recipe is based on an old-time ethnic favorite and my kids, and everyone I have made it for, love it. And where else can you get a low fat satisfying dish that is high in fiber and protein for 25 cents?

Recipe for Lentils & Rice
1 c Dried Lentils
1 c Brown Rice
5 c Water or stock (I have used chicken stock but watch the sodium)
1 med Chopped Onion
2 c Chopped Spinach
1 T Chopped Garlic
1 T Chili powder
1 T Olive Oil
approx 8 - 1cup servings (150 cals, 2gFat, 30g Carbs, 7g Fiber, 7g Protein)

1. Saute onions until opaque, add spinach and stir
2. Rinse and check lentils & rice, add to mixture. Cook for a few minutes on med, stirring occasionally
3. Add water, stir, increase heat and bring to boil
4. Lower heat to low/med, partially cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes
5. Add chili powder or other seasonings to taste. I sometimes add a dollop of plain NF yogurt and/or lemon.
Notes: Water is variable and I think 5 cups will give you a moist mixture. Also, left overs don't dry out if you keep it a bit moist.
Super cheap, like $2 for 8 servings, and lots of fiber and protein, low in fat.
maylene

KIT Fx - Week 3 Activity

Week 3 - Activity

http://kidsintraining.com/kitfx.htm

Ok, so we are journaling and drinking the right amount of water. Noticed anything yet? At this point some of you may realize that even though our challenge has not tried to change your diet certain things have popped up such as being more thoughtful of eating or drinking something and maybe even pushing away certain things that you normally would not have questioned before. That is the idea, to become aware of what you would normally do, realize that some things need to change, and then slowly change them. Keep up the journaling and the right amount of water and we will now add activity.

I don’t think you need anyone to tell you that daily activity is crucial to being healthy so we will just jump into what our challenge is this week. Make sure you consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program, especially if you've been sedentary or you have any chronic medical conditions.

KIT Fx - Week 3: Add up to 10% amount of activity to your daily routine to 30-60 mins a day

Your journal should report how much activity you actually accomplished last week. If this was a pretty average week then use it as your base. If not, then average the last 3-4 weeks and that will be your starting point. If, for example, you went on 3 1-mile walks then this week you will go on 3 1.1 mile walks, or add 1 more walk of .3 miles. While this can also be done by measuring time (say 3 20-minute walks) I tend to use distance as much as possible as it accounts for extra effort. For example if I did use time I could say I walked 20 minutes, add 2 minutes and that would be fine IF I used the same effort as I used last week. What if I decided to speed walk where last week I only meandered? Then my 22 minutes this week would cover more distance making the effort actually more than 10% of last week. So whenever possible use distance especially since your efforts last week or this should be quite lower than your effort over time.

Your end goal will be between 30-60 minutes of daily activity. Get there slowly by adding only 10% or less per week.

For those of you that are just starting an activity program, I suggest you choose an activity that is considered “cardio” raising your heart rate over time, something that will make you sweat a little, and to try it outdoors. Make sure you will enjoy the activity because as we all know, if it's fun we will do it more often. Don’t over do it the first few weeks out. For example, try walking briskly, a hike through nature trails or a fun game of basketball, with the kids.

I know some of you may want to push it and increase by more but I want to remind you what happened last time you “pushed it”. Did it stick? If so, you wouldn’t be reading this  :)  What we are trying to accomplish here are small incremental changes that will easily fit within your existing schedule. The extra effort is barely noticeable and will incorporate into your daily routine easily, and over time, those efforts will show great rewards that can be sustained. Be patient and work with me here.
maylene

KIT Fx - Week 2 Water

Week 2 - Water

http://kidsintraining.com/kitfx.htm

It was nice to hear that many of you are on board and looking forward to some sustained change in your lives. Hopefully the journaling has brought forth some issues that need to be addressed, foods that need to be eaten or not eaten or a much needed activity boost. Keep the journaling up and let’s move on.

The following is information about the importance of water in our diet by our nutritionist Tracy Owens. Tracy and I have collaborated on many programs over the years and she always seems to have the best solutions to dietary issues not just because her information is correct but because it’s easy for the client to follow. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if it can’t fit in your lifestyle, once again, it’s not going to stick. So why would I pick water over say, eating vegetables or increasing activity? Because I feel it’s the one dietary thing you cannot do without and the thing that makes the biggest difference in a person’s lifestyle whether they are trying to lose weight, combat lethargy, gain strength, etc.

KIT Fx - Week 2: Drink the correct amount of water

This week we will keep up the journaling, as hopefully it is something you have gotten use to and figured out which type works best for you, and add keeping up with our water intake. The easiest way my family does this is to take a container and fill it with the amount of water you need to drink each day, and drink it. Mine is in a pretty jug which fills a glass I keep handy and I otherwise allow the water to be used for tea but nothing else. This keeps me from drinking other things such as soda or other beverages that we all know are not good for us. My son likes to keep his in a smaller container and he knows he needs to drink 3 of them, or more during his summer football sessions. Watch out for frequent trips to the restroom and know this will subside as your body gets used to the increase in water intake. Feel free to comment and have a great week!
maylene

Our bodies are made up of approximately 50-55% water. What do you know about water? Here are some facts:
• It is fat free, cholesterol free, calorie free and low in sodium
• Just a few days without water can compromise your health
• Water carries away waste products so toxins do not build up in your body
• Muscle tissue is approximately 73% water
• Sweat, which is comprised of water, transports heat from the muscle to the skin. Sweat also helps cool the body when you are feverish
• Blood is 90% water. Blood transports nutrients to cells and carries away waste products--if you don’t drink enough it hampers this process
• Water is lost every day through the simple act of breathing
• Water aids in the digestive and elimination process
• Even a small amount of dehydration can cause problems. Your body will steal water from cells and the blood stream
• Recent studies indicate that drinking sufficient amounts of water may lower colon cancer risk by 45% as compared to those who drink 2 or fewer glasses daily.

How much water should you drink???
• The best way to tell if you are getting enough water is the color of your urine--it should be light in color and large in volume. (However, if you take vitamin supplements your first trip to the bathroom you will notice that your urine will be a bright yellow)
• Another “rule” is to divide your weight by 2 and this is the number of ounces of fluid that you need every day. Keep in mind this includes the fluid in milk, juice, coffee, etc. You can actually take 20% away from this figure because it is presumed that 20% of your fluid needs are covered by what is naturally occurring in foods.
• If you are urinating more than once every 2-4 hours you are probably drinking more than you need so back off a little bit

So how much fluid do you need if you are an athlete and you spend a lot of time soaked in sweat?
• Drink 1 oz for every 10 pounds of weight 2-3 hours before competing or training. For example, a 150 pound person needs approximately 15 oz of fluid 2-3 hours before competition
• Drink another 7-10 oz 15-20 minutes before competing
• Drink 5-8 ounces of fluid every 15 -20 minutes during competition
• After competition, weigh yourself sometime to see how much weight you lose in sweat. Then drink 20 ounces of fluid for every pound that you lost.
• If, you are dehydrated, muscles lose strength and endurance and leg cramps will be likely to develop

What are the benefits of drinking water??? Just consider the following
Weight control - Water makes you feel fuller
Mental Performance - Dehydrated people perform worse on arithmetic tests than well-hydrated individuals
Physical Performance - When you are dehydrated, your heart beats faster, you slow down, and you lose strength, power and endurance.

Tracy Owens, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, Board certified sports dietitian, provides nutrition counseling at the office of Triangle Nutrition Therapy www.trianglediet.com. She also provides sports specific nutritional expertise and programs for teams, local sports performance centers, gyms and clubs.

KIT Fx - Week 1 Goals

Week 1 - Goals  

  http://kidsintraining.com/kitfx.htm   

Every year I see my cousin Richard at the Holiday gatherings and, in unison, we look at each other with thumbs up and announce the following year, “2010! That’s my year!”. We have been doing this since the 80’s when staying in shape suddenly became… well…. difficult. Both of us were athletes throughout our childhood. Richard mostly played volleyball and football and I played volleyball and softball but we were always at the beach, water or snow skiing or playing tennis. I remember I could eat 2 Big Macs for lunch or share a Little Caesar’s Pizza Pizza with my best friend Christine (which means we each ate a whole large pizza) followed by a pint of Haagen-Dazs and never see the ill effects.

Then adulthood came and with it a much more sedentary lifestyle. Instead of daily exercise we may have squeezed in a couple of days a week of some sort of physical activity. And this is where the goal setting started. Richard would always have this certain amount of pounds he was going to lose and mine was usually just to be comfortable in my jeans again. Ok, maybe I had dreams of ripped abs too and looking skinny in my white jeans. The thing is we would almost always meet this goal at some point in the year, usually right before summer where we would have to be on that beach in little nothings that showed off our efforts. The problem was we always ended back at square one by years end.

I have the feeling many of you are nodding your heads as you too may have faced this problem as well. Why can’t we meet and keep our goals? Is it because they are not reasonable or we should not expect to have such goals as we get older? I believe we cannot keep our goals because we focused on the end result rather than the effort in attaining it. I believe it is better for us to focus on changing our lifestyles in a healthier way than to focus on the way we wanted to look in the end. If we focused on, say, eating more vegetables or cutting the amount of fat and sugars in our diet or getting daily exercise in a way where we accomplished the task at hand, I think we would have felt better and had found a way to keep the extra pounds off.

So that is my challenge for you all and we will call it the KIT Family Challenge or “KIT Fx”. Let’s set a goal to make our lives better in every way. That is our Big Goal; Where we want to be at the end of the year. But we need to make little goals as well, daily, weekly and monthly ones, in which we tackle the issues that block our ability to sustain a healthy lifestyle. I have a plan and invite you to try it. It will address issues with our nutrition, physical and lifestyle fitness. Each week we will tackle a goal and sustain it for the year. They may seem like small goals to some, huge challenges to others however you will need to conquer that goal before moving on to the next goal of its kind. That way you deal with one issue at a time in a manner that can be handled and therefore, sustained. You can start today, tomorrow or when you feel it’s best but make sure you start soon.
maylene

KIT Fx - Week 1: JOURNAL

We need to see where we are today, in the beginning, to appreciate what our efforts will change in the future.

The Task: Start a journal. It can be hand written, a homemade excel spreadsheet (sample here) or a software program. Keep it simple so that it takes no more than a few minutes each day.

Make sure it has the following basic information:

• Day 1 - Measurements. Can include health status, weight, size, mood, habits, level of activity, whatever you would like to see change in. Place this information on a back page and once it’s listed do not look at again until instructed to do so.

• Daily –
1. Nutrition Intake. List all that you and your family eat and drink, including time and approximate amount.
2. Physical movement. Did you take a walk, bike, play or go to the gym? List activity, level of intensity and measurement such as time or distance.
3. Lifestyle changes. What is your mood and what might have caused it? Did you try something new today and if so, how did you feel about it?