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Teens and Fitness by Maggie Ayre

July 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Safest and Most Effective Way for a Teen to Get Fit This Summer

From about the age of 14 we begin to think about our bodies and become body conscious. From this age many teens start wanting to look fit.

As a teenager I always felt fat and went from one diet to the next trying to lose weight. Now when I look at photos of myself as a teen I can’t believe how skinny I was. It’s lucky I was never any good at sticking to diets because I really didn’t have any excess weight to lose. Now that you’ve heard that, you may be thinking I’m crazy giving girls, many of whom are in the same situation, tips to lose body fat. But, that’s the great thing about my approach, if you’re slim/skinny and you follow them nothing will happen, you’re not going to get too thin following these tips like you may do following a calorie controlled diet, your energy levels wont drop, you wont get poorly, you won’t become grey and withdrawn in your complexion. In fact, the worst that will happen is that you will get healthier! Having said that, if you do have excess fat that you should really be shifting for health then these tips will be highly effective in helping you achieve your aims.

Getting a fit body comes down to a combination of healthy diet and exercise. Some diets encourage you to starve yourself to lose a few inches from your waist line, but this is counterproductive – starvation actually encourages the body to store fat. Instead learn to listen to your body and eat when you are hungry – but eat healthily.

Let’s educate our teens on the healthy and sustainable way to a fit AND healthy body! Start to include the following seven ingredients in your diet:

Nuts and seeds – a great filling snack, especially when combined with grapes, raisins, apricots or other fruit.

Berries and citrus fruit – bursting with Vitamin C which helps our bodies burn fat when we exercise. In fact research suggests that consuming insufficient quantities of vitamin C can severely hamper any efforts to lose weight.

Eggs – packed full of nutrients eggs at breakfast will leave you feeling fuller for longer.

Fish – the omega-3 in fish improves insulin sensitivity which helps build muscle and decrease belly fat.

Lentils – high in proteins and soluble fibre lentils are a proven belly flattener!

Yoghurt – natural live Greek yoghurt can boost your body’s fat burning mechanism, speed weight loss and trim your belly. But don’t be tempted by fat free or flavoured versions with lots of added ingredients instead flavour your own yoghurt with honey, raspberries or other fruit.

Water – if you want a fit body you must drink plenty of water. Eight glasses a day, every day is about right.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon. For more information go to www.maggieayre.com or www.femalefitnessrevolution.com

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Motivating Teens by Maggie Ayre

July 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

What Motivates Teen Girls to be Active and Eat Well?

The Top 4 Questions They Should Be Asking Themselves

The UK Government and NHS recommend that teenagers and kids should do a minimum 60 minutes exercise every day.  Nutritionists recommend a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry, meat, fish and plenty of water.  Some teenagers seem to manage this easily enjoying a healthy diet at home and limiting treats to an occasional indulgence. However, for some teen girls being active and eating well doesn’t come so easily.  This can be for a variety of different reasons:-

1.    They have decided that they’re too old to “play”
2.    They don’t feel confident in their ability
3.    They don’t feel comfortable with their (ever changing) body shape
4.    They prefer to do inside activities
5.    They don’t see the point of exercise and activity
6.    They like chocolate, sweets, crisps, pizza, chips etc
7.    It’s easier to eat fast food

We know the benefits of being active and eating well, but that’s often not enough for your teen.  Instead of telling them to do more exercise see if you can turn things around and get them thinking of all the benefits.

Encourage them to sit down with a pen and paper and answer the following questions:-

Q1.  What results would you like to see from exercise and healthy eating?
There’s no doubting that the ultimate cure for lack of motivation is results.  Most people will start to see the results from exercising and eating healthily in less than 2 weeks.  They then become excited by the changes they see and feel.  Having a happier, healthier life and watching the body you have always wanted develop right before your eyes is both motivating and empowering.  When your teen decides what results she wants to get from exercise and healthy eating encourage her to find a plan tailored to those results. A great way to reinforce this motivational tool is for them to put a picture of how they currently look and put it somewhere they will see it regularly.  Add a new picture every four weeks and celebrate the changes they are seeing – this can be used for muscle definition, an improvement in complexion etc just as well as for fat loss. Another way to reinforce the results is to track their progress daily in a journal including the exercises, weights used, and sets and repetitions. They will quickly see all the progress they are making and how fast it is happening.  Nothing gives you motivation to exercise like results and you will see them in your journal even before your picture looks any different.

Q2.  What would your ultimate goal be from exercise and healthy eating?
Setting a goal can be incredibly motivating.  It’s got to be a specific goal with a deadline, and it needs to be a reasonable target. The deadline will push them to get the most out of their exercise and nutrition program and as long as the goal is reasonable (neither too easy nor unobtainable) it will keep them motivated.  When they reach their goal it will be time for a mini-celebration before setting a new, specific goal to take them to the next level.

Q3.  What are your reasons for exercise and healthy eating?
Ask them to sit down and write a list of all the reasons they are exercising and eating well along with their specific, reasonable goal and time-frame.  They could place this list beside their ‘before’ picture and read it regularly.  This will provide reinforcement and motivation to exercise and eat healthily – keeping the reasons for the hard work at the forefront of their mind.  Reasons could be anything; look good for a holiday, fit a particular dress, get rid of teenage acne, have more energy etc. They could add to this a list of all the benefits; increased energy, increased mental focus, increased self-esteem, increased sense of control over their life, reduced chances of heart attack, osteoporosis, breast cancer, increased strength and stamina, reduction of stress, etc.

Q4.  How do you like to exercise?
If they like roller blading or swimming or tennis or swimming or…(you get the idea), include it as part of their exercise plan. Make it fun and it won’t seem like a chore, but encourage them to do something everyday.  Meeting and working out regularly with a coach, friend or a team, especially one who is at about the same stage will really help to motivate!  Help and encourage each other, celebrate and commiserate together and enjoy the company.

After spending her teenage years as an international athlete Maggie Ayre qualified as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Adviser. For the last three years she has specialised in teenage girls working as a Fitness Coach for Teenage Girls. In 2012 Maggie will launched her Girls Nutrition Workshops and her 3G Program as well as continuing her work with individual girls and their mothers. She has just completed her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide.”  She is available to speak at schools, women’s groups and community events. More information about Maggie’s work with teenagers can be found at www.maggieayre.com or www.femalefitnessrevolution.com.

 

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Kids and Water by Maggie Ayre

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

How to Get Your Kids to Drink More Water

We all know our kids should drink plenty of water right?  After all our bodies are two thirds water, every cell in our body contains water and water is the second largest constituent of our brains. Research has shown that we should all be drinking at least 2 litres of water every day, which is approximately 8 glasses.  Research also tells us that many young people aren’t achieving this.

So, what can we do to encourage young people to drink more water? We must be a good role model and make sure we are drinking water every day ourselves, and secondly, we can work to make water as interesting as possible!

Very young children can refuse water because they prefer the taste of fruit juice and squash.  Limit these sugary drinks to special treats though as they have been closely linked to obesity and tooth decay.  Keep offering your child water, especially at meal times.  If you can help them build the habit of drinking regularly at this age they will find it far easier as they get older.

School age children should always go to school with a water bottle and this is actively encouraged at most schools.  There will be opportunities to drink at break times and lunch time, if your child’s water bottle comes home full every day talk to their teacher.
After school is an ideal time to get your child to eat a healthy snack, such as fruit, and have a glass of water as they are tired and hungry after a busy day.

Make sure you offer your child or teen a drink whenever you have one.  Let them see you regularly having a glass of water rather than a cup of coffee or sugary drink and they are more likely to follow your lead.

Make water more interesting by:
•    Keeping it in the fridge – many young people prefer the taste of ice cold water.
•    Adding fruit such as lemon juice, cucumber, strawberries, kiwi fruit or tangerine segments to a jug of water – if changes the flavour slightly and certainly looks more appealing!
•    Trying herbal teas if it’s a chilly day – you could even make your own hot drink by pouring boiling water over slices of lemon and fresh ginger – delicious.
•    Finding interesting water bottles – roll up bottles are ideal for older kids as they can be rolled up and stored in a pocket or bag when empty – younger kids love a water bottle with their favourite cartoon character or a reminder of a fun day out.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon. For more information, www.maggieayre.com

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Summer and Kids: How to Stay Organized by Coach Juli

May 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If you are a parent of a student-aged child you may not be as excited for school to end and summer to begin as your child. For kids it is a time for long lazy mornings, random meal times, playing outside in the middle of the day, and mid-week sleepovers, but for parents it’s another story all together!

For the adults in the equation, it’s days of interrupted routines, minimal structure, bored children, and often the need to work with children being left to their own devices during the weekdays.

Staying organized for the summer months takes a bit more planning because of the lack of structure when school isn’t in session. Start by finding out what activities your kids wish to do during the summer days. If they want to sit around and color pictures all day, that’s great, but if they want to do things that require you to drive them around everywhere you might need to work on that with them and come up with a reasonable schedule that works for everyone.

Don’t panic! Here are three tips for staying organized for the summer:
1.    Keep easy to grab snacks and small meals for children so they can feed themselves when they are hungry. Family mealtimes may be a just a few weekly dinners, so for breakfasts and lunches they can learn to fend for themselves – with your providing good food in the cupboards & fridge.
2.    Make a list and post it on the fridge entitled: “Things I can do” that you compile with the children so you don’t have that constant “Mom, I’m bored!” whine coming from down the hall every few hours.
3.    If you have really young kids, you might want to secure a ‘mother’s helper’ over the summer to keep the kids safe and entertained while you are home or running errands. Jr. and Sr. high school students who can’t work out in the community yet often love these opportunities.

Attempt to keep some structure to the days as best as you can as children tend to do better with some routines.

Coach Juli is a Professional Certified Coach with a specialty in Productivity specifically those with ADHD. She works with individuals at any stage of life who find themselves stuck and wish assistance and skills to better organize their lives both in the workplace and at home. For more information, go to www.coachjuli.com.

 

 

 

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What NOT to say to your Teen! By Maggie Ayre

January 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

5 Things Never to Say to Your Teenager During their Sporting Event

Maggie is the UK leading Fitness Coach for Teens.  As a teenager she was a member of the British Sailing Team.
She is no stranger to competitive sport for teens and knows just how essential parental support is.

However, sometimes parents get it wrong and say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Here Maggie shares her top 5 things never to say to your teenager during their sporting event.

1.    Don’t Mention What Happened Last Time
So your teen’s been here before she’s in pole position going into the final event, or he’s finally off the subs bench and the teams in the lead.  Last time it all went wrong in the closing stages.  Whatever you do don’t mention last time.  Your teen doesn’t need reminding.  Instead stick to positive comments only – no negative comments allowed.

2.    Don’t Change the Plan
If your teen never eats during a cycle race now is not the time to suggest a snack.  Changes to routine should always be introduced during training.

3.    Don’t  Criticize the Competition
The most successful sports men and women tend to be friends with everyone involved in the sport.  This season’s main competition may be next seasons training partner.  Avoid making personal comments.

4.    Let Them Focus
Now is not the time to mention the maths homework that needs to be done by tomorrow morning.

5.    Stay in the Moment
There’s time for celebration after the event is finished and a podium position or personal best secured.  Now is not the time to be talking about the future.  Don’t ask “what will you do when you’ve won” or “what’s the next step now it didn’t go so well” until another day.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon.

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Introducing your Child to Running written by Hope Epton

December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Introducing Your Child to Running written by Hope Epton

It seems as if we are waiting forever for our little ones to crawl, walk and eventually run. Once they start, it’s almost impossible to keep them contained. I don’t know about you but there are still times when I see my 2-year-old running, and inside I am cringing, waiting to see if she stops without a face plant.

I started running when I joined the Army at 17, so for 20 years I’ve been pounding the pavement (and occasional trail) for both physical as well as mental health.  If you are passionate about running as I am, you may dream of the day your youngster wants to emulate you. If or when that day comes, you may, as I did, tear up when they ask you for a pair of shoes, specifically for running. About a year or so ago my now 17 year old told me he was going to go out for the track team. I was beyond excited, and still wondered – what took him so long?

So how do you get your child involved in running?

Set the Example: The first step in introducing your child to running can be a simple as being an example. If your child takes an interest in running, why not bring them along? A trip to the track or even a park with a running path, for a short distance run may be empowering and build confidence. Over time, if they stay interested, you can add to the distance. Now, not all kids are going to want to continue to run, some may try it and find it’s not for them, remember to encourage without pressuring.

Make it Fun:  This Thanksgiving I registered my two year old for her first “tot trot”. Sure, it was only 50 yards, but lets face it, that is about her attention span. The important thing at this stage is exposure. Remember the days of kickball or Red Light – Green Light? Most kids don’t realize how much they run just playing, which is where activity habits are formed.  Find a local race or create your own event in your neighborhood. Keeping the atmosphere light and playful may just bud their interest in running purposefully. My son and I did a mud run together, and that I believe is what sparked his interest in running.

Attend a Kids Clinic: If your child is between 4-12 perhaps your local running club/group has a kids running clinic. I helped coach a kid’s clinic two summers ago and it was a lot of fun. Your child can get the basics, building a foundation for safe running. It also helps them meet other children with the same interests.

This article is written by Hope Epton. ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist. Follow Hope on her blog at http://SportyMom.me. Or via her facebook page http://facebook.com/SportyMomme, twitter http://twitter.com/SportyMomme or pinterest, http://pinterest.com/SportyMomme

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