Sometimes, making everything that you eat just isn't an option. On days like this, you need some healthy snacks that are easy to just pick up at the grocery store. If you keep these on hand, staying on track for you and the kids will come so much more easily. These are also great for packed lunches that actually taste amazing and have some variety. Be the coolest parent in the cafeteria with some of these tasty, and healthy, snacks!
 Soy gets mixed reviews in the health world and many people who are trying to love their bodies do not really know whether to use soy or run from it. I, personally, avoid soy. But, I am going to give you my researched facts and leave the decision to you.
Risks: Almost all modern soy (in the US especially) is a GMO product. Soy is very heavily modified and the very make up is no longer natural. It is always a risk to ingest something that is so modified that your body is no longer receiving the good benefits of the food. (Check out the no-gmo movement, if you are unsure what I mean). Soy is VERY high in phytoestrogens. These look and act like the hormone estrogen in your body and interact with the estrogen receptors to have increase the estrogen effect on your system. This is very bad for those of reproductive age (both male and female). Your body is attempting to maintain hormonal homeostasis and, unless you have other health issues, extra "hormone" will be negative for your system. Benefits: Soy in its ancient and natural state before gmos can help arthrosclerosis. It also acts as a perfect protein (great for vegetarians if you can find the non-gmo version). Soy, because of its phytoestrogens, has also been shown to be a helpful home treatment for post-menopausal symptoms. It also has been shown to decrease polyp size in colon cancer. Research for yourself on pubmed using the keywords "soy benefits and risks". http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0022127/  Did you know that there are companies that specifically create fitness and wellness vacations? You can basically sign up for a trip that fuels you full of healthy food and gets you working out in fun ways and in beautiful places. This seems like an absolute dream vacation to me. Some are tailored to you liking and others seem very specific to certain kinds of training.
Spartan Race Cruise: This sounds amazing for all of those people out there who love obstacle courses, races, marathons, and high-intensity training... mixed with a cruise, of course! The Spartan race has taken on a tropical vibe and March 6-9, 2015 they are offering an all-inclusive cruise with a race destination to be held on a private island in the Caribbean. WHAT? That sounds awesome. Check this out through the Reebok Spartan Race website. There are many companies that also offer fitness retreats all over the world. You can find surf retreats, biggest loser hotels, yoga get-aways, hiking and spa resorts, and just about any kind of fitness get-away that strikes your fancy. You can even take this idea and do it yourself! Take the family to a resort or a local hotel that has a great view, a beach, a spa, or even just a stellar fitness center and create special meal plans and workout schedules that include awesome activities. Get creative in the training by having one day be full of rock climbing, another include laps in the pool or running on the beach, or even have family sporting events in the sand. There are so many ways to get everyone involved and healthy while enjoying the escape of a vacation.  As a health advocate and lover of all things fitness, I love writing for ThemeTrip and encouraging families to love fitness with me! Now that you have read some of my favorite "Family Fitness" ideas, I thought I would share a little bit about myself so that you can understand my ideas and love for all things fitness. I love speaking to and working with families that struggle to get their kids excited to train and to get the children off of the video games and out of the house. This is such a common struggle, that it has become an exciting task for which I work to figure out solutions.
I am an upcoming third year medical student (only 2 more years until I can put that M.D. behind my name and I can't wait!). I spend most of my time between the library and the gym, but it is worth it to gain knowledge in helping people and to maintain my own sanity. I also work as a fitness instructor at the campus recreation center in order to continue my love of encouraging others to become and remain fit. I enjoy that I have access to information and research that can explain the intricacies of how the body reacts to foods, diets, and certain forms of exercise (and I must say that I research all of that more than I have time for because it is so interesting!). I not only love working out for the sake of helping others, I love it because of my history as an athlete. Much of my life has been focused around sports including martial arts, soccer, and softball (and a few others as well!). I have been able to combine the knowledge of being on teams with my understanding of fitness through sport-focused training. This has helped me understand better how the body works and the stresses it is able to handle. I LOVE SPORTS and I think they are great for families to participate in together. My family all did martial arts together my entire life as well as helped me train in each sport I was involved in. I can truly say that a family that trains together stays together :). Now that you know a little more about my background, I wanted to share a few things that I have learned in my process of mixing fitness blogging and medical school. 1. Exercise DIRECTLY affects your mental health and ability to learn. The hormones released when you exercise actually increase the connections between the neurons of your brain and give them food for growth. You actually learn better and retain your mental capacity longer if you are active. 2. Sugar is addictive. Like cocaine-level addictive! After reading all of the research on sugar (and loving sweets so very much), I did a sugar detox. You go through withdrawals for a bit and then your body and your brain start working better than ever. It is crazy what we put into our bodies that we know nothing about. 3. Everything must be done in moderation. The good and the bad all have limits. For example: Growth hormone burns fat and builds muscle. Low blood sugars increase growth hormone. Exercise increases growth hormone. Growth hormone sounds awesome right? Well, it is, in certain quantities. Too much growth hormone also creates insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes. The point: everything in moderation :) 4. When they talk about needing sunlight to get vitamin D, you think, "Let's tan!". In reality, it only takes 10-15 minutes outside 3 or so times a week to get the max vitamin D that your body needs. Don't over do it and risk skin cancer! (And wear sunscreen when you walk out of the house... shameless plug for preventive medicine). 5. Enjoy yourself! Whether it be work, family, or fitness, keeping your stress levels low and your happiness high is the key to your health. Stress makes you gain weight, lose your hair, break out and be frustrated. Take some time for yourself and consider it a preventive medicine measure to help you protect yourself from getting sick. You do not want to end up wasting all of that gym time have endured only to counteract it with stress hormones! Hope everyone has a great week enjoying life and training with the family :) If you have any fitness or wellness questions that you want answered in detail and based in medical research, feel free to comment and ask! I love helping people with their real concerns. Maybe your question will even be the topic of a future post. |
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