Fitness for HIS Witness™ Nuggets
Godly fitness
for Spirit, Soul and Body
Home PraiseMoves
(The Christian ALTERNATIVE to Yoga) BIO
PowerMoves Kids Program (for schools)
Health Nutrition Weight Loss Children Exercise Spiritual Fitness
Children (from BASIC Steps to Godly
Fitness, by Laurette
Willis – Harvest House Publishers
And The Busy Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness, by Laurette Willis –
Harvest House Publishers )
1. Kids’
Fitness – leading by example
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child
in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Just as
we train them to be spiritually fit, let’s help our children be physically fit,
too.
Teach by
example: Eat breakfast every day. Don't let your child learn the habit of
skipping meals, which leads to overeating later in the day.
Reduce the
amount of fast food you eat as a family.
Don't
promise dessert if your child eats their vegetables. Using dessert as a reward
for eating vegetables causes kids to favor
the food you’re placing more value on – the dessert.
And
instead of filling their plate, give your child small servings and encourage
them to ask for more if they’re still hungry. This helps children recognize
their natural hunger cues.
Engage in
activities as a family: Put away the video games and television, and take a
walk, bike ride, trip to the park, or other activity
instead – and when they are old, they will not depart from it!
2.
Disguising Vegetables in Kids’ Food
“Help! My Kids hate vegetables!” No problem! Disguise
them (the vegetables that is, not the kids!).
Here are some
savvy chef ideas: Finely dice carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers into spaghetti
sauce. Make muffins adding shredded pieces of zucchini and carrots. Sauté diced
vegetables to soften them and add to meatballs or turkey burgers. Add chopped
broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to pizza and cover with grated cheese and
sauce.
You can
puree veggies and add to soup or stew—it will look just like part of the broth.
Mix grated or pureed vegetables into their pancakes or peanut
butter—even macaroni and cheese or lasagna.
Increase the
fiber content of meals by adding brown rice or barley to sauces, soups, salads
and casseroles.
Disguise
nutrition in what your children already enjoy and you’ll be adding important
vitamins to help them grow.
3. The Snack Zone
Welcome to “The Snack Zone!” Snacks don’t have to be bad for you
and your children. Take control! Label a section on your kitchen counter and a
shelf in your refrigerator “The Snack Zone.” Remember to make healthful foods
convenient (instead of going for pre-packaged “convenience foods”).
Keep a big bowl of fresh and dried fruits on the kitchen
counter. Place a bowl of fresh fruit in the refrigerator. Go for seasonal
favorites: cut up fresh cantaloupe, honeydew and strawberries one week, then
watermelon, grapes and apples the next. Keep low-fat yogurt handy. Make the
good drinks easily accessible: bottled water, herbal teas and homemade lemonade
(with real lemons and good-for-you sweeteners like agave nectar or stevia).
And have you been developing the fruit of the Spirit lately?
Check out Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – against such there is no law!
4. Family Meal time to fight
eating disorders
You can help your children avoid developing an eating disorder by having
sit-down family meals on a regular basis.
A study by
the
Researchers said having meals together as a family helps children learn
healthful eating habits—parents can also keep an eye out for early signs of problems.
If you have a hard time getting everyone together for dinner because of
busy schedules, start having breakfast together instead. It doesn’t seem
to matter which meal the family has together. What makes the biggest difference
is that the family meals take place on a regular basis. We also know
that prayer and fellowship around the table make a big difference, too!
5. Hard
Facts About Soft Drinks
Here are some hard facts about soft drinks. Americans drink over
13 billion gallons of carbonated drinks a year.
One can of
regular soda pop has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150
calories, caffeine plus artificial food colors and sulfites. But you say, “I
drink diet soda.” Well, some experts say
artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar, and make us crave more sweets and
fattening foods. And many now link the chemicals in soft drinks to
osteoporosis.
Obesity rates in children also seem
connected to soft drinks. A British study found that for every soda a child drinks per
day, their obesity risk jumps 60%. As a former overweight
six-pack-of-soda-a-day girl, I believe it.
Instead of
soda pop, drink water—or try sparkling
water – add lemon or flavored stevia.
To answer
another kind of thirst, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”