That's Fit

If you must allow your kids to watch TV, better to tune them into sports events than questionable programming. Even better? Turn off the boob tube and get them in the game.

Eighty percent of kids ages six to 18 surveyed by Weekly Reader said they'd rather play sports than watch them on television. This means you simply must offer your children the chance to join a team or league.

Here's what else these sports fans had to say:

• 50 percent said their parents urge them to play a team sport.

• 43 percent of six to nine-year-olds said they play their sport because they love it. Just 32 percent of 13 to 18-year olds said the same.

• 10 percent of 13 to 18-year old girls quit playing sports because a coach told them they weren't good enough.

• Girls attend practice in greater numbers than boys.

I love the mini lessons my kids get at school about health, nutrition, and fitness. What they learn is not abundant by any means but when words of wisdom come their way, I'm truly thankful for them.

Yesterday, my first grader came home with his February Weekly Reader. It happens to be Dental Health Week at many schools across the country and so this issue was all about Terrific Teeth. Here's what my grade schooler learned.

Brush
Brush your teeth at least two times a day. Brush the outside and the inside of your teeth. Gently brush your tongue too.

Floss
Floss your teeth once a day. Ask a grown-up to help you.

Get Checkups
Visit a dentist two times each year.

Eat Healthful Foods
Eat foods that are good for your teeth. Drink a lot of milk too.

My preschooler learned a thing or two as well. He even had a dentist visit his classroom and was gifted with a new toothbrush, floss, and a timer so he can monitor how long he brushes. Two minutes is the goal and already, my littlest guy is watching his pink sand drizzle to the bottom of its hourglass while he brushes and brushes and brushes.

If you find you can borrow from this elementary dental lesson, please do. If your kids would benefit from it, please pass it on.

Congratulations to our Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week, Russell Hay! Russell expanded his workouts to the Trapeze, Acrobatics and Acrobalance. Now Everlast is sending him a gorgeous tank top, so he can look hot while flying through the air!

The fitness equipment, apparel and boxing giant Everlast was so impressed with our That's Fit Fitzness Fiends that they've offered to reward our devoted readers! Not only am I proud of you all, but Everlast is proud of you too!

For the next two months (at minimum), Everlast will be rewarding an Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week with one of their hot new tank tops from their Spring collection. They're absolutely gorgeous, totally comfy, and of ridiculously high quality.

I'm thrilled with the grand response from those of you who've already participated as a Fiend, and even more excited to meet the rest of you! ...........

Ahhh. Just wanted to point you all in the right direction. This week I had the luxury of being a guest on Laura Lewis' That's Fit weekly podcast. Laura had the guts to ask me about my strategies for getting fitter and not fatter for the holidays. Not known for keeping my big mouth shut.......I let her have it.

Laura is the perfect radio host, and although I hate the sound of my own voice.........I encourage you to have a listen. It may just be the kick in the butt you need to survive this insane month of December.

When my oldest child's picky-eating nature sends my head spinning, I dump menu planning right in his lap. I figure if he picks the meals, he's likely to eat them. And that's usually how it works. The last time I delegated meal brainstorming to this finicky six-year-old, he chose some pretty good options. Of course, if he veers into junk-food territory, we steer him toward healthier options but overall, he knows what's good for him. And if it's good for him, it's good for us too.

Not only am I recommending you include your stubborn little eaters in mealtime decisions, I also suggest you, or someone in your family, plan meals in advance -- try to stay a week ahead of schedule and you'll save time on daily basis. You're also likely to end up with healthier meals.

Just pick a day of the week -- I say make it Sunday -- and jot down your meal items for the week. Be sure to include lean meats, veggies, fruits, and whole grains and keep to a bare minimum anything with too many calories, fats, and sugars. Then head to the store, stock your cart, and return home and pack that good stuff away. If you're ambitious, you can start prepping your meals ahead of time but at minimum, just get the goods so you're prepared to piece together your dishes on a daily basis.

Want more on this topic? Check out these tips for menu planning from organizedhome.com.

Exercise is fun! Exercise is an activity that makes your body strong. How can you exercise? You can play soccer. You can ride a bike. You can rake leaves. You can play football.

Sound a little elementary? It should -- because it comes straight from my first-grade kid's Weekly Reader. Written for your average grade school student, the Weekly Reader is a four-page magazine of sorts that pays special attention to a special topic. This week's topic: Fitness. In addition to the lesson I featured above, this little publication also includes a run-down on bones.

Your body has many bones. Exercise keeps those bones strong. Some bones hold up your body. Other bones protect the inside of your body. All your bones together make up your skeleton.

Mark over at Mark's Daily Apple recently posted a picture of his carb pyramid -- meaning he illustrated what kind of carbs he eats and how often. I really like the idea so I did my own. As you can see, I am no artist, but this should get across my carb intake in a typical week.

I think I'm doing pretty well -- I avoid the bad carbs, but I'm human so I haven't cut them out altogether. I stick to whole wheat carbs, except when I go for sushi -- my favourite place doesn't offer the choice of brown rice. And I try to get most of my carb intake from fruits and veggies.

What does your carb pyramid look like?