In case you were wondering, there are many websites dedicated to informing our society about childhood obesity and the efforts being done to eliminate it. My personal favorite website is for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. This campaign is seriously incredible. If you have not had a chance to browse through it, or have never heard about it before now is the perfect time to check it out. There are links to other government websites like the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with a blog about upcoming events and section dedicated to health tips. Viewing this website for the first time is what made me interested in childhood obesity. Prior to viewing this website, I understood that childhood obesity is a problem affecting America’s youth and that the First Lady is the leader of a campaign to end it, but I honestly never felt too concerned by the issue. I did not see that I could make an impact on youth. I am a sophomore in college with a sibling in college so I felt that dealing with childhood obesity should be left in the hands of adults, especially ones who interact with children on a regular basis. From reading articles and viewing websites, I realized that children see role models in anyone older than they are. One of my favorite videos on the Let’s Move Campaign’s website involves Michelle Obama and the Miami Heat basketball team. The video is somewhat of an interactive interview with the Heat players talking about how how eating well makes them better athletes. As they speak, they are shown drinking plenty of water and snacking on apples. To view the video click HERE! This video really struck me because I never thought about how impactful celebrities are on youth, which got me thinking about how not only do we need our parents involved in this movement, but also our young adults, celebrities, and athletes. Children look up to more than just their parents. Isn’t every child’s dream to be an Olympian or professional athlete? If we get these types of individuals involved, it will make our youth feel like they need to eat like their favorite stars in order to BECOME them. For other government supported websites like the Center for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services, click on the links that will take you straight to the source.

 

 

Hi Hi Hi! My Pinterest is open for all of your eyes to see!

Hello my lovely followers!

I just wanted to post the link to my Pinterest page and encourage all of you Pinterest addicts to follow me (I promise I will follow you back!). I pin a lot of healthy food recipes (a lot of unhealthy food too, sorry guys I am human). What I really encourage you to do is browse through my Health Nut board. I pin a lot of easy exercises, at home workouts, and a lot of yoga sequences. I believe a number of them are easy enough that your children can join too and honestly I find doing a little yoga after 8 pm not only helps me sleep better at night, but also relieves a lot of stress. I don’t know about you guys but when I am stressed cookies, especially Oreos, are my best friend and worst enemy. I encourage you to do a little yoga to ease your mind after a long day at work or school and have everyone in your family join. So get off my blog, go to my Pinterest, follow my Health Nut board, and do some yoga! Namaste.

Fun Recipes Everyone Should Try!

Guess what? Spring has finally arrived which means I am craving ice cream and all of those delicious, yet unhealthy summer foods. That being said I have been doing a lot of snooping through Pinterest to find healthier alternatives to my favorite fat and sugar filled, high calorie treats. I thought this would be a fun post for both parents and children because everyone can look through the links to recipes I have found and find one you can make together this weekend or maybe even tonight.

Here’s a recipe for one of my favorite healthy food websites, FitSugar, for frozen yogurt cupcakes that look incredibly delicious:

Reese’s Cups are probably my favorite candy. Chocolate+Peanut Butter= the most perfect combination. What is even better than Reese’s Cups? Healthier versions like Skinny Peanut Butter Balls and Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars!

The Skinny Peanut Butter Balls are made with Oat Bran Cereal, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. They take 15 minutes to prepare so they are easy to make and obviously delicious, yet healthy alternatives to kids’ favorite chocolate and peanut butter treats!

Now onto the Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars! Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in reality many Americans rarely consume an adequate meal prior to beginning their days at work or school. According to Harvard’s School of Public Health (July 2013), skipping out on breakfast can lead to heart problems later in life. There are many causes of heart problems but one that can be prevented is by consuming a healthy diet. According to this article, skipping breakfast tended to make the people in the study feel hungrier later in the day which caused metabolic changes in their bodies overnight. These changes are not the ones that boost the metabolism to assist in losing weight so skipping breakfast can be linked to an increase in weight gain. I decided to post this recipe because I feel that many times children skip breakfast because they don’t have time to sit down and eat a balanced meal before school. I feel that this recipe is the perfect on the go meal that will keep them full until lunch time. The recipe is also extremely versatile so you can throw in whatever you have in your kitchen (HEALTHY ITEMS!) like raisins, shredded coconut, or some flax and chia seeds. Another awesome part of this recipe is that is completely vegan! Would you have ever thought that something this delicious could also be vegan? ENJOY!

How Beautiful is this Ohio Weather? Why Stay Inside When the Sunshine Awaits You?

So I just wanted to say how excited I am for this amazing weather that has graced central Ohio. If I have not mentioned this before, I am a student at The Ohio State University. This winter really struck campus hard and personally I am tired of the snow and cold weather. This sunshine has come at the best time and I am so happy to see students taking advantage of the nice weather by playing frisbee and throwing a football around. Although I noticed a significant increase in bodies taking over various areas of campus, I still witnessed a multitude of students hanging out in buildings. Granted there are exams and final projects coming up, but why not take an hour break and go for a run along High Street or the gorgeous trail along the Olentangy River and have those gossip sessions while doing great things for your bodies and minds? I woke up this morning for class and could not wait to put my pink Mizunos for an easy 5 mile run. That being said, I thought about how much our childhood experiences set the tone for how we will behave in our early adult years. I do not think that very child needs to follow in my footsteps and spend 25 hours a week all year training for a sport during his or her elementary school years. However, I do believe that every child should spend at least an hour outside, enjoying nature and socializing with peers by playing a fun game of baseball or old school games like tag and hide-and-seek. These habits clearly start at a young age and solidify as we associate them in positive ways. As a young adult, I feel that I am becoming more and more responsible for causing an impact on younger children. I remember looking up to my older cousins as role models, so I feel that in order to get kids moving and enjoying the weather rather than staying inside playing video games, we as the role models in their lives need to quit these habits as well. If they see us enjoying being active, they will have no choice but to join us since everything older kids do is significantly cooler to younger children.