Yomagination

Almost everything is better with friends! Taking on a new activity or project seems more appealing when it’s done with friends. Deciding to start an exercise schedule or even shopping at the local farmers’ market is more…palatable (excuse the pun), when you are together with friends!

So, talk with some friends, discuss setting some goals personally and for your family. Plan to meet at the park after school or Saturdays to walk, bike ride or hike together…..it can be loads of fun. Everyone decide what healthy foods they will bring for snack and or a picnic lunch and then start!

It is so much easier to get yourself and family motivated when it’s an activity that can also be a social opportunity. Everyone agreeing to bring healthy foods is super important too! There is nothing more aggravating than being out with a group of families and you pull out the fruit, pretzels and water, while they pull out bags of chips, candy and sodas. Needless to say, your kids take one look at those choices and the whining begins…..!

So, talk with some friends, agree on some fun, healthy activities and menu items! Remember, we’re all in this together. You can do it…with a little help from your friends!

Have you ever heard, we’re just big boned….it runs in the family, it’s genetic?! Well, an extensive study done by the University of Michigan on a significant number of 6th graders, just put that “excuse” to bed.

“For the extremely overweight child, genetic screening may be a consideration,” says study senior author Kim A. Eagle, M.D., a cardiologist and a director of the U-M Cardiovascular Center. “For the rest, increasing physical activity, reducing recreational screen time and improving the nutritional value of school lunches offers great promise to begin a reversal of current childhood obesity trends.”

There you have it friends, it’s not rocket science, but it makes sense…These are fundamental components of the YoMedics programs and part of the answer to giving your kids the gift of health for a lifetime! Kids develop these habits as they grow up, make sure you are helping to shape their future.

Surely, you want your kids to have a bright, successful life, now and in the future. Make some decisions now that will have huge benefits for them immediately, as well as later. Make sure your children exercise everyday, make it fun and play! Be sure to limit their recreational screen time, tell them to read a book or draw, seriously!!! And pack a healthy lunch for your kids to take to school!! Although efforts are being made by the Obama administration and other groups to improve the quality of school lunches, we are not there, yet. These 3 healthy choices can have big benefits for your children, that’s YoPoweR-ful!

Remember, you are the adult, you purchase the food and “toys” in your home. Decide to give your children the best you can, that means making choices that will truly benefit your children and showering them with love…..not food or toys!

Let us know what you think, what’s working for you and what’s not….We’re all in this together!

It’s Friday, so make today all about play! Keep things light and fun. We can get so caught up in responsibilities and chores, we forget to just have fun and play.

Whether you’re at work, home or a classroom….you can have fun. Remember the golden rule…listen to others, use kind words and take nothing personally.

If you approach your day this way, it will be a lot more fun, guaranteed!

So, smile often, give genuine compliments frequently and offer to help others. You will find yourself enjoying your day…..so have fun and play!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up? If you are like most people, you think about what needs to be done today, what’s on your to do list, how busy your schedule is for the day.

Simple tip for a joyful day…….think gratitude! When you wake up, before even getting out of bed, say…thank you! Now, really mean it, feel grateful.

Think of at least three reasons to be grateful in your life. You will find yourself smiling before you even get up.

This may sound kind of silly, just give it a try. You will set the tone for your day and you will bring that focus and energy to those around you, too! Hooray!

We can choose to be grateful and welcome warm, happy feelings to our lives. It is something that takes practice, sounds a bit odd, but true.

As with most things that are really worthwhile, it takes effort on your part. You can decide to find reasons to be grateful everyday and intentionally focus your thoughts on gratitude and happiness.

You attract to your life what you focus your attention on, really! By thinking of reasons to be grateful, you attract more things to be grateful for to your life.

Give it a try, you’ll be amazed at what wonderful things will come your way. Be open, patient and invite good things to yourself and those around you.

Great news, you can start getting healthier today! It is easy as 1,2,3! Keep it simple, fun and just get moving, really!

The American Heart Association conference, sponsored by Nintendo in San Francisco on The Power of Play, has been an “exercise” in creativity and fun. The conversation and activities here only confirm what we all know to be true…… get moving and make it fun!

Gateway activities and choices are exactly what we talk about at YoMagination Wellness & Education. The idea is to just get started with small steps! Decide to walk for 10 minutes a day, three times a week. Chances are that 10 minutes will become 15, 20, 30 minutes. The number of times a week will turn into 4 or 5 a week. This will also become a gateway to other activities and choices! With increased energy and focus on your walking, you may decide to add yoga or bike riding to your activities!

Chances are you will begin to make healthier food choices too. This was consistently referred to as “gateway” opportunities. I have always referred to it as the snowball effect, going one way or the other.

When you start making healthy choices, they seem to multiply and build momentum. That’s YoPoweR-ful! So the important message is to just get started!

Remember the old saying, a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step! So get going on your journey of good health and just get started! that’sYoPoweR-ful!