Kids Fitness

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s no secret childhood obesity is at an epidemic level.  Physical education in our schools are becoming a victim of budget cuts and our kids are more and more looking to their computer or tv for entertainment.

So some of our kids are in sports so staying active and busy is NOT a problem.  But what a bout the kids who are not interested in sports?  I remember when I was young – ya, ya a long time ago :-)  we played outside, rode our bikes and had no problem staying in shape.  Today, as a parent, I’m concerned about the safety of our children as they play outside and the options for those not in sports are somewhat limited.

Instead of complaining about the problem, I decided to do something about it.  We have started a fitness program specifically for kids.  Our initial group has kids that range in age from 12-14 and the one thing they have in common is that they really don’t play sports, not very interested in sports and consequently not very interested in fitness.  I thought that it would be difficult to keep the kids involved long term but I was wrong.  The kids really enjoy the program, look forward to their workout and more importantly are getting great results – my daughter has lost over 10 pounds.

The workouts are designed to keep the kids moving the entire hour and provide an opportunity to PLAY!!!!   Obstacle courses, modified kickball games as well as numerous other combinations keep the kids laughing and motivated to return for the next workout.

So this sounds like a big sales pitch right?  NO!  I mention this to remind us all that we need to get back to basics, get active and have FUN doing it.  Take the kids out and throw the frisbee for an hour, chase the dog, play tag… most importantly just have fun.

Healthy snack options for your kids

July 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

            Exercise generally is easier for kids and teenagers to engage in since activities are usually sports-based and more fun. Activities such as baseball, bicycle riding, roller blading, shooting hoops, and soccer are great ways to stay fit and are fun for kids. However, getting kids to eat healthy is a whole different story. Here at The Hit Center we believe that exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand. In just a few weeks we will be offering a new nutritional service at a small charge for our clients. With this program, the staff at The Hit Center can help you plan out weekly meals and make healthier food choices. In this day and age when kids’ snacks are filled with high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy ingredients, it’s important to serve up alternative, healthy snack options. In anticipation for the unveiling of our new nutrition service here are some healthy snack options for your kids:

Apple slices (1 medium apple) with 1 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter (176 calories, 4.3g protein, 28.5g carbohydrates, 6.5g fat)

1 rice cake with 1 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter (130 calories, 4.8g protein, 14.6g carbohydrates, 6.3g fat)

8 oz low-fat yogurt and 1 slice of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered (240 calories, 8.4g protein, 44.8g carbohydrates, 3.8g fat)

English muffin pizza (Toast 1 whole wheat English muffin and top with 1 tbsp pizza sauce and 1 oz part skim mozzarella cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds.)    (219 calories, 13.3g protein, 30.7g carbohydrates, 5.94g fat)

Celery sticks with 1 tbsp peanut butter (105 calories, 4.5g protein, 9.5g carbohydrates, 6.0g fat)

1 oz whole wheat crackers with 2 oz of organic turkey lunch meat slices and 1 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese (316 calories, 30g protein, 20.7g carbohydrates, 14.2g fat)

20 baked corn chips with 6 tbsp of salsa (112 calories, 2g protein, 24g carbohydrates, 1g fat)

1 cup 1% fat cottage cheese and 5 oz fresh strawberries (about 4-6 medium strawberries) (173 calories, 28g protein, 8g carbohydrates, 2.4g fat)

1 oz dry roasted almonds and 1 medium orange (239 calories, 7g protein, 23.4g carbohydrates, 15.3g fat)

1 cup skim milk and ½ whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp almond butter (307 calories, 14.9g protein, 37.4g carbohydrates, 9.4g fat)

All nutritional information referenced from DietMaster Pro (copyright 1997-2009)