Children and outside time, how to make it happen in fall....

An after school gathering with influencing your health on a cool, sunny, fall afternoon. What is possible?

10.11.12

Directly after work/school we had many options for being outside and after narrowing it down to two, it was between riding bikes together or hiking for some quality leaf collecting (we are pressing the leaves this weekend with a art project for Grandma’s B-day :).

Tryon Park in Rochester, NY was the chosen ground and it was a beautiful afternoon.  The beautiful foliage is just around peak and the colors dance against the blue sky.  We set off with running & jumping in the “soup bowl” of trails that are shared by both mountain bikers (which are cool to see with a 4 year young) & hikers alike.  We have stomped the ground on these trails several times before and they yield some great up and down elevation gains. 
 

The exploring of the woods can be a very rewarding experience.  Good habits to keep in mind are stopping to listen to all the fall noises & watching in silence as the leaves dance through the air and allow gravity to bring them to Earth.  Fallen trees are unique opportunities as well.  The lessons that can be simply added to a conversation or just asking the little one questions to engage in the moment.  Being on the trail, surround by nature changes the way one can think, just by being in a different environment.  Mindfulness of being more aware plays huge dividends on your mental health.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Many mixed colors and shapes filled my pockets as we crunched many leaves under our feet.  We explored tire and animal tracks while very much loved kicking the fallen leafs covering the trail at times.  After an hour the sun was low in the fall sky and times to head off to witness the sunset, this is a high energy point and is best shared with someone.....Cobbs Hill Park, Rochester, NY provides a spectacular view.......

Parents, regardless of your feelings of Fall time, try this time toldcraft..

Just a day during the week of a father & son enjoying the special moments of the season...



The pumpkin was a special one, it started as a seed in the hands of my lil man on a brisk afternoon during the early parts of May.  We charted out the garden for the best plot and spacing possible, the idea was to pack it in, but be able to tell y’all this story...

We harvested his pumpkin in a ceremonial event last week, he just loved that he got to hold a knife too!  Growing his pumpkin has been more then a rewarding experience on so many levels. I would encourage all parents to try this in the spring time, of course none of this would have been possible for two reasons.  One, my mom had a garden when I was a child & I remember growing our own one year; two, the BEES!  Without them busy bees pollinating the flowers, the harvest would not have been.  Thank you bees!!!

The carving activity was set up with him drawing (using his shapes & numbers) his Jack-o-Lantern face (as he described it) into a circle on a blank piece of paper.  After his idea, we cut the top off & began the slimy experience of removing the inside parts and separating the seeds. 

Now the seeds add the nutrition piece, because they grew that way and are an amazing natural source of protein.  So the carving was a huge success, the seeds still delicious, and hearing him tell that story to others just warms my heart.  The candle lighting ceremony is also an exciting event on those spooky fall nights......

How can a father & son have an amazing day?

Single Parenting 101, have a plan, practice supporting local organizations, smile, modify & adjust your plan all the time :)

Just a day in the weekend adventure of a father & son enjoying the moments...


10.1.12

Reflecting on the last weekend of Sept and it being a lil man weekend too, the foundation for what I find to be pure happiness was put into motion.  I plan the day around food.  The idea is it should grow that way, the food itself is the ingredient.

    Almonds, peanuts, pistachios are all big favorites as power snacks, he doesn’t even know we are having an “organized snack,” most of the time because we are out and about on the go.  The natural source of protein is great, fiber, and fat (the good kind), just have it in a baggy and was perfect to take on the trail with our water bottles.  Simple veggies make a great take along too.  Of course it takes time to develop a child's pallet to want the natural stuff (you too ADULTS!!), but food has been my medicine for many years now, so I listen to my MOM and eat more vegetables now then ever before.

We ended up at some nature trails (with a rich history as the signs & markers were fun to read along the way) and discovered a new water fall on our hike, we ended up exploring, collecting leaves, listening to the natural sounds, and also making fun on the North American Grey Squirrel along the way!  One almost dropped a black walnut on my head, so we turned that moment into a comical report for the remainder of the 3 mile hike. 

We ate breakfast, took some snacks, headed out on a local trail, only to be outside on a crisp fall afternoon.  The quality of time and uniqueness of the conversations are endless, especially engaging in the new season that the autumnal equinox has brought us.

Bowling with Papa followed and that great three generations of boys enjoying more physical activity with family time continue the flow of another amazing day.  It also yielded a much needed HEALTHY nap by a 4.5 & 35 year young boys :)

Young adults, kids, & childern......

My passion is to guide you to be well                    9.28.12

As I continue to channel health & wellness content to all those interested, a shift from my approach is being applied.  The shift is in the direction of training.  I look at everyday as we are training for life, are you practicing quality sleep, nutrition dense eating patterns, moving that body optimally each day?  Life is practice, each day is another opportunity to do what we want with our individual choices.

The mission is to be the best single daddy I can by choosing to share my life experience with my son.  This experience just so happens to be a way of life that supports being human.  I still will be blogging about health & wellness, but more so directed to ANY parent out there that wants to incorporate more quality experiences with their family, not to just spend time, but to teach basic fundamental principles of exercise, nutrition, and basically WELLNESS into day to day occurrences.

Living life each day is a gift, but with adult responsibilities, sometimes we get distracted from what truly is important in life.  I find my family and health are most vital to my experience on EARTH and my smile correlates with how I feel.  I want to smile, I choose to smile, my smile is supported by daily choices that allow my body to thrive.  Everyone wants happiness and no one wants to suffer.

My intention is to guide others with activities, ideas, and openness to thinking differently about who you are and what you do.  We can all shift our minds to new experiences.  How many parents out there want to do more, but feel a bit overwhelmed to do so?  Let me support you and be your guide.  I have been developing many health and wellness concepts to be applied into a simpler approach that can allow YOU to smile :) everyday!

A healthy how to guide to lose weight. Start HERE!

Physical Activity of LIFE!                                         9.14.12

Taking care of your inside parts is what counts the most, health is an internal thing and when we exercise we truly are impacting our guts more then you may think. 
 No matter where your starting point is with your life and condition of the body, these are the first steps to identify healthy habits to build a foundation for a healthy lifestyle. 

1.  How much sleep do you get each night out of seven days?  To maintain an ideal body weight an adult should accomplish at least 7 hours each night.....SLEEP is a vital variable to maintaining & achieving an ideal body weight.

2.  Start a food journal with writing down EVERYTHING you eat over 7 days  A specific focus on food consumption (diet is anything a person eats) with looking into how many calories each day, while identifying Protein, Carbs, Fats in grams for each category.   Not a bad idea to eliminate both Alcohol & Sugar from the diet.  Drink WATER, you cannot consume to much of this!!!!!

3.   Physical activity is a MUST for everyone.  The idea is to balance your movements into something you enjoy participating in, basically the rule is 60 min. a day on most days of the week.  Look into measure your heart rate during exercise/physical activity, as this is the best tool for driven results.  Find your target heart rate & put your heart in it!!!!

4. Set a goal that is both reasonable and specific (results can be measured).  Actually write it down and check daily what have you done to accomplish it. 
Get educated on moving smarter, not harder.  The idea is to be effective, safe, and results driven.  Seek out knowledge on you own through several different mediums.  Ask questions to a dietitian, personal trainer, wellness coach, or other fitness professional.  Be aggressive with your health and being in the know is a great way to be effective. 

5. A base assessment of body fat should be conducted in the beginning, this measurement (NO SCALE for WEIGHT, bad reference point) should give a fat to everything else ratio & that number will decrease over the course of becoming more physically active.  This is also the reference point for results for the future.  For body weight their is no quick fixes, truly the solution is a lifestyle that supports as much movement as possible.  Making daily choices that have positive outcomes will continue the habits necessary to live well.  

How can the heart be monitored?

That helps my heart feel better.......

What you NEED to know about your Heart...                 9.12.12

The lub dub in your chest is a major player for personal health, so if you want to be healthy in the least amount of time (truly its a lifestyle) or lose fat off your body, well its time to start paying attention to that HEART!  Understanding the science about the inside parts of what makes us human is important to being successful with accomplishment of any health related goal. 

Fat burning Zone, Training Zone, Aerobic Zone, well they are all the same and make up a person’s specific Target Heart Rate Zone. I should also mention it is the most effective way to train the body during aerobic physical activity.  Your heart rate matters and should be monitored to maximize your workout so you know when to kick in the intensity and when to pull back & allow your beats per minute to slow down (yeah, its ok to walk & be training effectively).

Its all about the numbers here, keep that in mind when training for anything (just maintaing a healthy life, running a 5K, or when trying to lose weight).  I train my clients to be smarter and move more effectively.  The first lesson is to use a heart rate monitor for training, especially for burning body fat because it provides immediate feedback for results driven training.

A simple HR Monitor (I recommend Polar Brand) can be purchased for under $35 & can be used in a pool too!  Playing games with your heart can lead to a more rewarding workout, as you become smarter about what is taking place inside your body, your results will start happening much faster!

Healthy body weight MAGIC!

How to lose weight, healthy style.....                                   9.7.12

As a Wellness Coach & certified Personal Trainer I am constantly assessing a persons body fat % which is 1 of 5 components of a persons’ health-related fitness.  To achieve an ideal body weight through balancing your body composition (fat to muscle ratio, again 1 of the 5 parts of health-related fitness) try combination training with your other components of fitness every time your workout, exercise, or perform physical activity.
Many variables factor into a persons ideal body weight or more importantly body fat %.  I have identified 4 MAJOR players in the role to improve body weight to be in a healthy range... these are the first steps to identify the number one way to lose weight, influence your metabolism in a health concsious way!! 
 SLEEP - the idea is to regulate your metabolism through patterns or regular doses of zzz
Hydration - think water, water, water for everything you drink!  Its that simple.
Physical Activity - Diversify & practice Muscular strength & endurance, flexibility,& cardio
Nutrition - Ideally eating 5-7 feedings will have the greatest impact on your metabolism & 1/2 o                what you eat should be fruits & veggies.
The best way to fire up your calorie burning furnace is through balance with a patterns & routines that encourage maximum results.  With physical activity, combination style exercises that take you from training cardio, to strength & endurance.    By focusing on 3 of your 5 components your body has nothing to do but increase that heart rate to fire up that METABOLISM during each time you exercise. 
For body weight their is no quick fixes, truly the solution is a lifestyle that supports as much movement as possible.  Making daily choices that have positive outcomes will continue the habits necessary to live well.