Family Fitness Fun

On Saturday, May 30 Team Xcelerate offered a FREE FitFunCamp (adult) and Youth Athletic Development class in Destrehan, LA at the East Bank Bridge Park.

Coach Phillip Glotser had the kids working out in one area learning how to jump and land, cartwheels, hops to cones and several other fun activities.

While the kids were having fun the adults were on and around the basketball court going through a rigorous workout which included a circuit of Squats, Lunges and Reverse Lunges all 10 times each followed by Core exercises which included Front Pillar Holds, Reverse Pillar Holds, Pushups and running in place in between each Core exercise. They also performed wall push-ups and tricep dips using benches at the picnic tables.

The program ended with the adults and kids enjoying some group activities using color patterns. Each adult paired up with one or two children and hopped, skipped or ran to various colored cones on command.

It was a great way to start our Saturday. Keep an eye out for more FREE Saturday classes from Team Xcelerate and/or join our 7 week Summer Fitness program starting on Sunday, June 7, 2009. FitFunCamp and Youth Athletic Development programs will be offered. Contact teamxyg@gmail.com to learn more.

6 Healthy Food Switches for Weight-Loss Success

Making good food substitutions rather than going to extremes will ensure your weight-loss and healthy food changes results last beyond two weeks. Forget rigid, elimination diets; here are six ways to lose weight and make a healthier lifestyle change without feeling deprived.

Milk
Use fat-free or low-fat milk instead, and look for flavored coffees or sugar-free syrups to improve that cup of java.

Make smoothies by blending fat-free milk with low-fat or fat-free yogurt, a banana, frozen strawberries and honey to taste.

Use low-fat milk when making mashed potatoes.

Bread
Instead of serving bread with soup, add a tablespoon of bulgar wheat or a 1/2 cup of brown rice to your homemade recipe.

As a change-up from bread sandwiches, generously fill whole-wheat tortilla wraps with chunks of fresh-cooked chicken, coriander, lettuce and red pepper, adding a teaspoon of low-fat mayonnaise.

Potatoes
Switch to sweet potatoes or yams. Cut up the sweet potatoes and roast in a hot oven for 30 minutes, sprinkled with sea salt and a little olive oil, or lightly boil and mash with a small amount of butter.

Boil some couscous to fluff up and serve with grilled fish or meat.

Filling Fruits
Dried fruits come into their own in the winter months and make excellent after-dinner desserts. Put dried apricots, prunes and pineapple chunks in a pan and cover with a little orange juice. Bring to a boil, then let stand for 20 minutes so the fruit can absorb the juices. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve with spoonful of low-fat yogurt.

Cheese
Get into the habit of buying low-fat varieties. Keep a tub of low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese on hand to mix in with fresh fruit or sprinkle with Splenda and cinnamon for a sweet treat.

Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of freshly grated Parmesan over your pasta, a little of its big-hitting flavor goes a long way.

Poultry and Meat
Trim off fat before cooking.

Always roast chicken on a rack in a roasting tin, so the saturated fat drains off.

If you plan to marinate the meat, use lean strips of pork or beef.

Anybody who wants more information can contact TEAM XCELERATE the IYCA Certified professionals in New Orleans and the River Parishes.

Team Xcelerate welcomes parents and family members to participate in the Youth Athletic Development program or FitFunCamp for adults. Try the program, for FREE, today. Parents can also get involved in our FitFunCamp and experience an whole new way to get and stay fit.

Follow us on TWITTER

Top 10 Youth Nutrition Tips

It is our responsibility as parents to start developing good habits for our children in all aspects of life. Nutrition is no different. We need to start building a solid foundation of habits that lead to higher levels of performance and health. Below I have put together 10 simple tips that you can use immediately to get your kids eating better.

1. Breakfast. A good breakfast includes eggs, cheese, meat, whole wheat toast or English muffin, juice (100% variety) and some water. Notice that a good breakfast does NOT include Pop Tarts, Cereal, Toaster Strudels, Donuts, Muffins, or any other processed garbage. This tip is number 1 for a reason. We need to start getting our athletes used to eating a large healthy breakfast.

2. More water, less sugary stuff. Kids need to get used to drinking water as the main beverage. Read the labels of Gatorade or Powerade. It is not a good idea to have them downing that much sugar. Same goes for soda. Would you want them eating 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar at one sitting?

3. Less Drive Thru. This goes for all drive through. If you can get it at a drive thru, you probably don't want it in your body or your child's. If you are in a pinch for time, go to a sub shop and order something that looks like grilled chicken, or steak wrap accompanied by a small bag of chips and some water.

4. Fruits and Vegetables. Try to find a couple of each that your kid likes and start putting them in lunches and dinners immediately. Don't send a granola bar to school, send a baggie of fresh berries or a banana. Start small so they are not overwhelmed.

5. Home cooked meals. These should make up the majority of the kids' diet. This is where they will get the most nutrients that will fuel their active lives. Look for recipes on Team Xcelerate and in future e-newsletters.



6. Get rid of big pasta dinners before games. The old carb loading feasts that often accompany a team dinner are a waste of time. Overloading on starchy pasta that isn't really good for you in the first place is a bad idea. The kids will have better results from a normal healthy meal.

7. Cell Phones/Video Games. While not really a nutrition tip, I thought this was a good opportunity to sneak this in. I have no problem with giving them a phone for emergency purposes or when they are going to need to be picked up, but kids should be interacting with each other, not with a screen and key pad. Video games are fine as long as they are limited and reminded to get up and go play.

8. Candy Bars. Candy bars are filled with crap. If kids really like them, try to trade them for Clif Bars, ProGrade Cravers or other healthy alternatives. These things are delicious and are made from mostly organic ingredients and would be a much better snack.

9. Meal Size. Kids are at an important age where portion control is crucial. They shouldn't be eating until they can't move; this only cements habits of overeating in the future and keeps our obesity problem in American going. Teach them to eat until satisfied not stuffed. I hate seeing obese kids; it is usually not their fault.

10. Don't become restrictive. Just because I have given you these tips doesn't mean you need to restrict everything and make their diets strict. Use them as guidelines and remember that they are still kids. What is going overboard? Drive thru more than once every 10 days is no good, but neither is counting their calories or grams of protein consumed. Find a happy medium and start building good habits.