Make Exercise A Family Priority

Studies have indicated that children are 40% less active than they were just 30 years ago. This has negative effects for kids in physical, psychological, and social areas. So, being an active family needs to become a priority.  Fortunately, it’s actually easier than you may think. With a little planning, you can find ways to incorporate workouts into the time you spend with your children. Regardless of your children’s age, there’s a way to find time to workout (often even with your kids)! Here are some tips organized by age, which will add to your family time together and help to keep the whole family active!  

• Play a game of keep-away or tag. Occupy them for even 15 minutes with a video or toy while you do some toning exercises like squats and triceps dips. 
• Grab your stroller and go for a brisk walk. Or, buy a jogging stroller for more flexibility. With a jogging stroller, you can walk faster, jog or even run at a fast pace. And, for veteran rollerbladers, you can even use the stroller for some skating time. Don’t forget the kid helmets. 
• For younger children, you can use a back carrier to transport them while walking. This can burn even more calories as the extra weight makes it more challenging. Turn on some music and dance together. Toddlers love dancing, especially when their parents join in. 
• Play hopscotch – yes, you will work up a sweat. 
• Push your kid on a swing. And, after every push complete one squat. 
• Use an infant carrier or bike trailer to enjoy a bike ride together. 
• Try rollerblading or skating together. 
• Spend an afternoon at a park with a playground, but don’t spend the whole time relaxing on the sidelines – join in on the fun. 
• Spend some time swinging to help work out your legs. 
• Try making it across the monkey bars – even just once (it’s a great upper body workout and you’ll be amazed that your kid does it with such little ease). 
• Try some pull-ups using a bar on the playset. 
• Do some triceps dips on a nearby park bench. 
• Get a small group together for a kickball or softball game. 
• If your child can ride a bicycle at a moderate pace, jog alongside them. 
• Involve your kids while you strength train. Let them count your reps out loud for you and/or clock your rest time in-between sets.
• Try a game of marble pick-up. Set up a circle (or more than one) of marbles. Compete with each other to see who can pick them quicker following certain rules (e.g. not being able to bend from the waist but instead using a squatting technique to grab them). Adults will get an extra workout if they squat while balancing on just one foot.
• On rainy days that force you inside, walk or run up and down the stairs. You might even make it a contest to see who can finish 5 complete rounds first. 
• Register for a fun run (or walk) event and spend time together training for the event. 
• Set up an obstacle course in your backyard. Then try such things as quick sprints back and forth between two objects, hopping over a line of sticks, and running zig-zags around a line of cones. 
• Play tennis or basketball together. Consider joining a community volleyball or softball team that includes enthusiasts of all ages. 
• Don’t just sit and cheer your kids at their sporting events. Every few minutes do some walking or jumping jacks or squats. 
• Learn how to do strength training exercises that require partners. There are dozens of options that work both individuals’ bodies. For example, partner squats where two people stand facing each other, grasp each other around their forearms and squat simultaneously as if sitting in a chair. 
• Implement a daily family walk each day before or after dinner. 
• Work together in the yard raking leaves, planting flowers, trimming trees. 
• Sure, you may have a full plate but isn’t it time to throw out the “I’m a parent – I don’t have time to workout” excuse. 
• Don’t focus on the frequency or irregularity of your workouts. 
• Take the opportunities for physical activity when they arise. I
• f you implement these above activities for just 30 minutes three times per week, you can easily burn an extra 450 calories or more! 
• Plus, working out sets a great example for your children that will teach them at an early age how important (and easy) it is to make physical fitness a part of daily life. 
• Exercising with your kids also provides the extra bonus of spending quality time together.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Coconut Oil

Summary:

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

1. Coconut oil doesn't turn to fat in your body.

Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn, coconut oil won't make you fat. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT's are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.

People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. They consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter, it helps them stay healthy, lean and trim. When they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils, they develop obesity and the health problems that our modern society faces.

Some other people who have known this truth for a long time are people who are in the animal feed business. When livestock are fed vegetable oils, they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. When they are fed coconut oil, they become very lean.

2. Coconut oil increases your metabolism.

Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, it increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.

Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCT's burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCT's.

The February 15, 2005 issue of Woman's World magazine stated that coconut oil is the "underground high-metabolism secret."

This is great news for people who have thyroid problems, since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Most other common oils, like vegetable (soy) and corn have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.

3. Coconut oil has omega 3 fatty acids.

Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

4. Coconut oil gives you energy.

Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism, most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy. Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet was helpful to them.

5. One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.

Coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes. It aids in healing and restoring skin to a younger appearance. It has also been known to help with people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin, as well as many other skin problems.

Not only does is soften and smooth your skin, coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil makes excellent massage oil too.

6. Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.

Evidence is mounting that coconut oil has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects when both consumed and used topically on the skin.

Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage is thought to be responsible for many ailments in our body from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.

Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively, such as Vitamin E.

7. Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which means it can take higher temperatures better. There are several healthy omega 3 oils we can choose to consume, such as flax and olive oil, but they don't do well under the high heat we use for cooking. Coconut oil can be used in higher cooking temperatures.

It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid, unlike other cooking oils, which are usually rancid long before you even bring them home. Rancid oils cause free radical damage in the body, which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.

Because of the misinformation we have been given for years, we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective, it won't be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted, but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!