Motivating Your Little Couch Potatoes

During the winter months we find ourselves less active and our children spending more time in front of their computer and television. As a result, more children are less fit or weigh more than they used to. Exercise helps children control their weight, strengthen bones and reduce their heart risks later in life.

Here are a few suggestions that may motivate your children to be more active:

• Limit television to two hours a day and take evening walks or bike rides as a family.
• Encourage your children to walk their pet, do yard work and other chores around the home.
• Buy toys that keep your children active.
• If the weather is keeping you inside do an exerices video together.
• Instead of driving your children to the neighbors home, have them ride their bike or walk.
• Plan an activity to go swim, bowl, play volleyball or visit a local gym.
• Organize a play group with your friends.
• Encourage your children to participate in team sports or learn a new skill.

Helping your children find their strengths and encouraging them to develope them to their full potential, will bring life long benefits to their well-being. Set those goals together!

Happy New Year!

Gina

Finding Calm in the Chaos

It is the season of service as you work to display love for the people in your life. With the hectic pace of the holiday season, you may have forgotten to make time for your own self-care. The holiday season can also bring memories of a painful past or emphasize the loneliness you may be feeling. Don't let another day pass without nurturing yourself.

It may be the perfect time to try meditation and find the inner peace that you long for. Studies have found long term health benefits from individuals that practice meditation regularly.

• A Heathly Heart: Meditation has been found to lower your blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin.
• Increased Alertness: Individuals who meditate for 40 minutes daily surpassed others in mental alertness testing who had taken a nap for 40 minutes.
• Better Sleep: The brain waves of people who meditate are similar to those sleeping.
• More Brainpower: Meditators have a increased thickness in their brain in the areas of attention and processing sensory input.
• Less Bingeing: Obese women who practiced mindfulness meditation had an average of four fewer binge eating episodes per week than before practicing meditation.
• Happiness: The prefrontal cortexes in the brain that are responsible for happiness and pleasure lit up even when individuals were not meditating.

So think about finding a quiet moment to still your mind and let peace enter your soul for the holiday.

Best wishes

Gina

Tis the Season to Volunteer

During this time of year the needs of other people are highly publicized on the news. It lets the general public know that there are many families in our community that need our assistance to survive the winter and holiday season. Volunteering your family through your church or school is a wonderful way to have your family look outside of themselves. It also allows you to count your blessings as you work to serve others.

Studies report that children who volunteer do better in school, feel more positive about themselves, and avoid risky behaviors like drugs and alcohol. Children that have participated in service activities are more likely to vote, have a positive work ethic, and live a socially responsible life. Learning to make a difference in your community can make a lifelong impression on your children and family as you work together to serve the less fortunate.

Have a blessed season.
Gina

Tis the Season for Shoplifting to Occur

Parents the holiday season will bring out the "wants" in your children. This is an opportune time to teach your children the difference between "wants and needs" by doing a service for others. It helps children identify how fortunate they are to have their needs met in a loving environment.

If you have teenagers they are going to want to venture to the mall with friends to do a little shopping. One role of the parent is to prepare children for the new environments that they will encounter. Going to the mall alone or with a friend will be a new experience for you child. Prepare you child by discussing safety, store security systems, and the legal consequences of stealing.

Some teens will steal because it is a statement of rebellion, thrill seeking or their parents just won't let them buy the item. Try and teach your children the concept of working for items they want and to resist the notion of instant gratification.

If your child has been caught shoplifting, studies report there are approximately 23 million shoplifters and about one-quarter of them are teenagers. Most businesses will press charges against shoplifters. If this happen, support your child but have your child take responsibility for their choices. If the business gives your child a warning, decide on a community service project your child can do to pay restitution for their behavior. If shoplifting becomes a persistent problem with your child you will need to seek professional help.

Best wishes.

Gina

New Study Reports TV Doesn't Cause ADHD Symptoms

Previous studies have reported that children watching television would develop attention problems. A new study in the March issue of Pediatrics failed to find a connection between ADHD and TV viewing habits.

The researchers looked at children's behavior during their first year of kindergarten and then again at the end of first grade. They monitored information such as television exposure, limits placed on television viewing, parental involvement, socioeconomic status and symptoms of ADHD. They found no association between television and symptoms of ADHD.

Dr. Jess Shatkin, director and training of New York University Child Study Center, said that he didn't feel there was enough data to support the new findings. He then stated that moderation in all activities and interests are best for the developing brain.

Until next week.

Gina

Family Dinners Are Not Just For Thanksgiving

This week across America families will gather to share their Thanksgiving meal together. Research has found that, like other forms of parental involvement, families that eat at least one meal together daily will create positive outcomes for their teenagers. Teens who eat regularly with their family are less likely than other teens to get into fights, think about suicide, smoke, and drink. They also do better academically in school and will detour from sexual activity at an early age.

So as your family shares this special day try and discuss how you can all arrange your schedules to eat more meals together. Assign each child a job to help prepare and clean up the meal. That way it doesn't become a burden for any one person and the meal becomes an emotional bonding time for your family. You can also make it fun by having an ethnic theme for each evening meal like Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and of course American. Your children might even surprise you some evening with your favorite meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gina

Building Healthy Realtionships

Everyone wants to have healthy relationships with the people that they care about. At times this seems a very difficult task, especially with your life partner. There are several areas of your relationship that you must be attentive to, when nurturing your relationship and partner.

• Commitment of the couple is one of the most important ingredients to the relationship. It represents a focus on the couple and the partner - not the self.
• Satisfaction to each person within the partnership is important to a healthy relationship and must be openly discussed as it will effect the commitment each person displays.
• Positive Communication that is respectful and has been characterized as involving humor and compromise will keep all relationships healthy.
• Conflict resolution that couples face together to determine how to successfully problem solve the issue is a characteristic of a healthy marriage.
• Fidelity or being faithful to your spouse is very important for a healthy relationship, as many relationships do not survive this betrayal of trust.
• Time together or positive interaction is an important display of enjoying the company of each other.
• Intimacy and emotional support will bond your relationship with feelings of trust, caring, love, and physical affection which are all an important dimension of a healthy relationship.
• Commitment to children and their development and well-being within a healthy relationship creates a strong family bond and marriage.

All relationships take work and there will always be times that they will make you feel frustrated and you will wonder if it is worth all the effort. If you stop and think of the joy that your relationships bring you I am sure you will say, "Yes" . Tomorrow will always bring the opportunity to try again.

I'll write again next week.

Gina