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Snow and Charming know what’s up…
Love this.
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The final Stefon sketch from Saturday Night Live.
The Stefon bit was one of my favorites. I’m gonna miss him
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Me for the past three days!
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Paleo Banana Bread
After starting the paleo diet, I started craving the exact foods I wasn’t allowed to eat. This is my first...
Connecticut Shooting: Sandy Hook Elementary Teacher Kaitlin Roig Protected Her Students
“So I said to them… I need you to know that I love you very much and that it is going to be ok….I wanted them to know someone loved them, and I wanted that to be one of the last things they heard, not the gunfire in the hallway.”
Ahhhhhh, cartwheels! A forgotten fav!
These were SOOOO much fun to add into my workout PLAYout today! Still got it too! By the end I was busting out some seriously gorgeous round offs! #tootingmyownhorn
Note: not for everyone! Use your judgment (& crash mats) if it’s been awhile!
As I was laboriously flipping about today, I couldn’t help thinking how EASY IT WAS to spend hours ‘playing’ when I was a kid. Hours running, jumping, flipping, skipping etc. 100 cartwheels at age 8 was nothing. 100 cartwheels at almost 30? A FEAT OF EPIC PROPORTIONS, lol.
I like to play when I workout, as much as possible (I play HARD y’all). Finding things that are fun to do, turning it into a game and letting loose are MY keys to staying fit and enjoying what I do so much.
Came up with a few ideas from my childhood that can help you have more fun with your workouts this summer!
Childhood ‘Play’ ideas to help you have more fun with your workouts.
1. Skip its. I made my own D.I.Y model after a dollar store version crapped out on me (you get what you pay for!). Used an old pair of tights, stretched them out and knotted them with a loop for my ankle. Put a hole through a rubber ball (bigger than a tennis ball and about 1-2lbs) and threaded the fabric through, tying it on the end. Kinda genius. You can also find cheap quasi-versions here
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2. Hop Scotch. Got chalk? Agility drills, speed work, footwork etc. Plus, ya know, FUN. See games & patterns here.
3. Jump rope. Still working on getting back to my 8 year old skipping level, but getting a great workout even when I mess up. I used to jump ropeall the time and it NEVER felt as hard as it does now. How long has it been since you’ve payed double dutch? Grab a few friends (or tie one end to a tree) and play.
4. Hula Hoopin’. Making your own? The hoops need to be weighted slightly, but a little sand and some duct tape can turn a cheap hoop into a fun tool. Around the legs & arms is a great way to add some resistance training too! You can also opt to buy a weighted hula hoopfor an extra burn this summer!
5. Red Light, Green light. Such a fun game! Speed intervals anyone? (Once we get outside, this is gonna be WICKED with my bootcamp. Instructors - try ‘red light’ in a squat hold). Never played? Instructions here.
6. Monkey bars. Easy, right? Not so much! Trying to get from one end to the other is tough stuff when you’re big. Great upper body work. If you just wanna hang there, some leg raises can help that core too!
The SKY’s the limit when you pull out your inner child!
Any other ideas for how to add a little more PLAY into your workout?
If you follow my blog, you know that I do my best to try and promote positive body-image (with a little self-love 101). I also try to discourage negative self-talk & body shaming which seems to be making so many of us miserable. It’s a freaking epidemic.
Aside from media pressure, there are a LOT of ways we inadvertently encourage body shaming in our daily lives. Here are just a few.
For one, we use physical appearance as a way to compliment each other and to lift someone’s spirits (You look great! Have you lost weight? New haircut? Love it!). We also criticize each other’s bodies at alarming levels (she’s too skinny, she’s too fat, she shouldn’t wear that, look at her cellulite). Little girls get messages from everything around them: we simultaneously tell them that looks shouldn’t matter, yet emphasize looks all the time. We try to tell little girls to love their bodies, yet criticize ours in the mirror while we dress for work (they’re watching & listening to every conversation you have with your girlfriends about which body parts you hate also).
Every girl learns to hate her body by watching other women hate theirs or hate on each other’s.
We tell little girls how pretty they are, over any other attribute they may have. It’s usually the first thing out of our mouths when we see a little girl, or get a chance to say howdy. Look how pretty you are...
Stop the bad body talk… and body talk all together.
In the article below, the author provides an example of how to take ‘looks’ out of the equation when speaking with little girls. It’s challenging (I mean, they really ARE cute sometimes), but if we truly want ‘looks’ not to matter, we need to stop emphasizing how important they are.
Signs Your Child Has a Negative Body Image
Knowing the warning signs of an unhealthy body image in children can help parents identify problems early. What to watch for:
- Signals that a girl views herself only in terms of her physical appearance.
- The language your daughter uses to describe herself and her physical development and attractiveness.
- Excessive dieting
- Frequent comments about the weight of other girls
- Worries about sexual attractiveness
- Depression and low self-esteem
Parents can help boost a poor body image by:
- Helping children understand that their bodies will change and grow
- Helping children understand that there is not one “ideal” body shape
- Watching what they say about their own bodies and the comments they make about other people’s bodies
- Avoiding stereotypes, prejudices, and words like ugly and fat
- Helping children focus on their abilities and personalities rather than their physical appearance
- Promoting physical activity and exercise. Girls who play sports tend to have higher levels of self-esteem and healthier body images. “Be fit, not necessarily thin, and you will be healthy for life,” is an excellent motto.
- Discouraging children from weighing themselves too often
via WebMD
Girl power! This is nuts!
While the verdict is still out as to whether or not children should be weight lifting (there are possible growth hindering side effects for some kids and the safety of the sport has been called into question), this seems to be an indication that it may be rising in popuarity! Children who do engage in weight lifting as sport should always be supervised & coached by a professional trainer, one who’s aware of the possible risks in training still growing bodies.
Controversy aside, this is still pretty bad ass. I get giddy seeing young girls break stereotypes & pursue sports that aren’t traditionally female dominated. Love this!
Congrats to Naomi! Won’t be the last we hear from her, I’m sure of it! Thanks Tasie for sending me the link!
Via Daily Mail
Naomi Kutin, 10, claimed the astonishing achievement after squatting 215 pounds - despite weighing just under 93 pounds herself.
She lifted the staggering amount - which weighs the same as Mike Tyson in his prime - in front of a packed crowd in Texas, USA.
‘She broke it on her second lift of three and didn’t waste her opportunity.
‘She went out there, took her chance and won the right to be a world record holder.’
Naomi - who was just nine-years-old when she broke her first world record - has been dubbed ‘supergirl’ by astonished powerlifters.
She has legions of fans around the world who track her progress through the internet.
And thousands of fans were present to witness the moment she broke her second record at the RAW Unity event - an invitational for elite powerlifters - held in Texas in January 2012.
Naomi, who only began powerlifting in April 2010, reclaimed the record taken from her by experienced pro Ana Geitner, 44, from Germany, in the 97 pounds weight category.
Does shaming kids work when it comes to ending childhood obesity?
The above ad is one of several from Strong4LifeGA, a Georgia based initiative to end childhood obesity. The slogan “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid” is one of several: others include “It’s hard being a little girl if you’re not” & “Big bones didn’t make me this way. Big meals did”.
While it’s true that some parents may need a stronger, more shocking wake up call, the well intentioned ads simply rub me the wrong way. Instead of addressing the benefits of moving more and eating better, the ads use shaming, mentions of bullying & play on stigmas about the overweight to make their points. Ads like these can be dangerous to children struggling with their weight, and they carry a strong body shaming message to everyone.
They do nothing to promote health, activity or self-confidence: if anything they play on insecurity. They do nothing to inform or educate (although the organization itself does, these ads do not). They seemingly do nothing to promote body love or tolerance, and may even inadvertently make it okay to bully overweight kids (slogans and all).
Ads like these make me nervous. As well intentioned as they are, I think they miss the mark.
Excerpt from ‘Tease Out: Being Mean Won’t Solve Childhood Obesity’ by Sarah Parsons
The ads gave me flashbacks to my seventh-grade cafeteria, so I was surprised to discover that they are actually part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Hospital’s Strong4Life campaign, a $25 million, five-year initiative designed to curb childhood obesity in Georgia. The ads seek to address a real problem—Georgia is America’s second-fattest state, with nearly 1 million overweight or obese kids. But will these shock ads provide parents and kids with a wakeup call, or merely serve up a big helping of mean with a side of shame?
Rebecca Puhl, director of research at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, thinks it’s the latter. “While these kinds of campaigns may have good intentions, they’re very misguided,” Puhl says. “There’s a legitimate concern that these ads are shaming and stigmatizing children and parents. What we know from research is that this can actually make the problem worse.”
Hear that, overbearing parents everywhere? Guilting people into change can actually make undesirable behaviors worse. Puhl, who has been researching weight bias for the past 12 years, says studies show that when children or adults feel shamed, blamed, or stigmatized for being overweight, they can eat more—even binge eat—and exercise less. All that blaming and stigmatizing also creates negative thoughts, making people susceptible to anxiety, depression, suicidal behaviors, and a generally decreased quality of life.
Thoughts?
LOVED this. :)
Alie arrived at our 1st-grade classroom wearing a sweatshirt with a hood. I asked her to take off her hood, and she refused. I thought she was just being difficult and ignored it. After breakfast we got in line for art, and I noticed that she still had not removed her hood. When we arrived at the art room, I said: “Allie, I’m not playing. It’s time for art. The rule is no hoods or hats in school.”
She looked up with tears in her eyes and I realized there was something wrong. Her classmates went into the art room and we moved to the art storage area so her classmates wouldn’t hear our conversation. I softened my tone and asked her if she’d like to tell me what was wrong.
“My ponytail,” she cried.
“Can I see?” I asked.
She nodded and pulled down her hood. Allie’s braids had come undone overnight and there hadn’t been time to redo them in the morning, so they had to be put back in a ponytail. It was high up on the back of her head like those of many girls in our class, but I could see that to Allie it just felt wrong. With Allie’s permission, I took the elastic out and re-braided her hair so it could hang down.
“How’s that?” I asked.
She smiled. “Good,” she said and skipped off to join her friends in art.
‘Why Do You Look Like a Boy?’
Awww…Two year old doing what she loves. Dancing.
As a former dancer (who still dances every single day for her sanity), I shed a few nostalgic tears over this video! Too adorbs. (I’m starting to share too many kid/animal videos, but this one at least has SOMETHING to do with movement/fitness. Plus, I mean… she’s too presh.!)
Thanks to Lissa Rankin for sharing!
It’s official! Record broken: enter Michelle into the record books!
Congrats to the fittest first lady EVER!
WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama now holds part of a world record.
The first lady announced in an email Monday that her October bid to break the record for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period succeeded. Mrs. Obama says 300,265 people participated, shattering the old record.
In order to achieve her goal, Mrs. Obama led about 400 elementary and middle-school students from Washington in jumping jacks on the South Lawn of the White House. Other jumping jacks events were held around the world on Oct. 11.
The effort was organized by National Geographic Kids magazine in support of the first lady’s Let’s Move! initiative to promote physical fitness and healthy eating for children.
As a third grader is removed from his home due to his size (and failed attempts to get it under control), the question of whether or not obesity is on par with neglect/abuse has come to the forefront.
Innnnteresting discussion and great points being made on my wall if you want to join in!
Zach Wahls Speaks About Family
Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.
I love this speech: his mothers would be proud. So well spoken, so loving and great messages on love and character. Can’t believe he’s only 19.
Wow.
Just wanted to give a shout-out to my bad-ass nephew and his awesome attitude this Halloween.
This was the first year my nephew went out for Halloween as a diabetic. As some parents know, with all the candy it can be daunting for first time diabetics to head out trick or treating. It’s hard to tell a 7 year old what he can and can’t eat on the daily, let alone on Halloween: the sugar holiday of the year. But to keep him at home while all his friends headed out is just cruel. So out he went, with some rules in place. My sister was nervous, I was nervous, but there was no need.
He went out. Had a great time. He got tons and tons of candy. He came home. He chose the 10 candies he was allowed to keep, then packed the rest in loot bags for his friends and teachers. He then took his bag, went up to my sister… and sold her the rest. For a rather nice profit.
Ah-mazing. :)
Not only was it a great way for him to enjoy his holiday, but he also became Mr. Popular with the candy he handed out the next day. Plus, he’s rolling in it. Entrepreneur at 7 years old.
In case you needed a little motivation to stay away from YOUR candy (or your kids candy), use his example. It’s not easy for a 7 year old to give away his Halloween candy, but he did. Because it was what was best for him.
Just something to think about!
xo
162 school lunches, 1 teacher on a mission.
Very interesting!
I know Mrs Q.’s received criticism for being ‘elitist’, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking a look at the current situation and seeing how we can make cost effective and nutritious changes. This isn’t about impeding on personal choice, or imposing values on people: it’s about keeping our children healthy at a time when they are at their most vulnerable.
See more about her mission on her blog, Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project.
Excerpt from Huffington Post.
On January 2010, Mrs. Q, began a daunting task. An elementary teacher using “Mrs. Q” as a pen name to preserve her anonymity, decided to eat school lunch every day for one year.
Mrs. Q’s blog, “Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project,” describes her daily adventure eating $3 lunches at her desk with pictures and commentary. Mrs. Q’s first blog post details her mission:
I’m going to attempt to eat school lunch everyday in 2010. As a teacher it’s available to me as well for a few dollars. Most of the students at my school get free lunch or reduced. I’m going to take pictures of the school lunch and post them.With daily meal updates describing the chicken nuggets to the fruit cups, through the best and the worst of school lunches, Mrs. Q generated quite a following. Supporters include PTAs and nutritionists, critics include the School Nutrition Association. CNN reports:
Critics have argued her blog reads like a Whole Foods shopper judging the convenience foods purchased by people with less money. Mrs. Q has been accused of being a “snobby suburban mom” and bringing a socio-economic bias to the blog.
Read More.
Well, this is certainly more refreshing than Maggie Goes On A Diet…
Blogger, controversy stirrer, sometimes actor, and Lady Gaga bestie Perez Hilton has written a book for kids about tolerance.
I know, right? But I LOVE it!
The Boy With Pink Hair 
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I give all of those things mega high kicks and enthused fist pumps.
Says Perez:
“I am absolutely elated about this book, which comes from a very dear and genuine place within me. While I can identify in many ways with The Boy With Pink Hair, he represents so much more. This story is about every kid that’s ever had a dream, felt excluded, wanted to belong, and hoped that one day they could do what they loved and make a difference. Today, with this book, that’s exactly what I feel I have the opportunity to do. I hope everyone can share in the spirit of a boy that only wants to bring some happiness to the world around him.”
Not only do I think this is an IMPORTANT book for kids, but I’m kinda proud of Perez too. I am a fan of his blog, but at times it was hard to read (if you remember the old sperm squiggles, you might agree). In the last few years however, there’s been a change in Perez & his site, and this book highlights a ‘coming full circle’ moment that I’ve witnessed from afar. THAT’s inspiring in and of itself. And bad ass. (Plus, he’s looking GREAT, don’t ya think? Looking good BB!)
Well done on this book! You can pick up your copy (or a copy for your favorite kidlets) on Amazon
Psst - I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Fit Perez for fitness/celebrity news. It’s awesome fit candy & fun information. Would love to send them some of my body-love posts… I should really turn those into videos I think. :)
They say never to start a post with your opinion, but I can’t help it. Personally, I think this little girl is BAD ASS amazing. And the controversy? The by-product of a gender bias that says that little girls shouldn’t engage in aggressive behavior.
Excerpt from MNN.com
NBC’s Martin Fletcher reports on an Australian father who’s taking some heat after he put his daughter in a kickboxing ring with another girl, and encouraged the 8-year-old to continue fighting after being knocked down.
By the way, when they say ‘knocked-down’, they mean she fell. Then got back up. She cried a little (I would to). She wasn’t hurt. They kept fighting & it was a tie. She smiled. That was it. Sensational headline not so much.
Things have changed, and tomboy girls everywhere are free to play their sports, soccer, even baseball to their hearts content. But kickboxing? Too much apparently. We still prefer our girls on a ballet stage than a boxing ring.
We’re not talking about fight club here. We’re talking about age appropriate skills & rules, used with caution, in a supervised ring (take a look at the video below).
Here’s the thing…
Firstly, the girl clearly LOVES what she’s doing (skip ahead to watch her BAD-ASS pushups with a clap!). Her smile says it all.
Second, all children who participate in sports (including dancing) risk injury. In this case, the injury they refer to was not even remotely serious, and did not require more than a few seconds rest. I’ve seen children require more care on the playground than this little toughie needed in the ring.
