What does a parent do if their tween or teen isn’t on a team, isn’t into sports, and is starting an unhealthy lifestyle of inactivity and poor eating habits? Jessica Smith, nationally known exercise trainer with a list of DVD’s and videos on the market, knows exactly how that feels. “I had a weight problem in my teens, and my mom did everything she could to encourage me, she’d make comments like, ‘do you really want to eat that?’ and drag me down to Jenny Craig.” All that did, Smith remembers, is to make her rebel, and nothing really changed, that is, until one day.
“I was 17, and debating whether to have ice cream one afternoon, but something clicked and I went on my dad’s old stationary bike instead. I told myself that I’d just do 10 minutes and if I wanted to still have the ice cream I would. I read a whole PEOPLE magazine, and after 10 minutes, I felt great, and I didn’t have the ice cream. From then on, I just made these decisions that involved 10 minutes here and there.” Smith is of the mind that making positive changes doesn’t have to a total overhaul, but rather conscious decisions to do something positive for 10 minutes a day.
Jessica's tips for getting our kids to move
For parents with teens who have an inactive, unhealthy eating lifestyle, Smith suggests that parents back-off. “It will click in,” she says. And she adds that parents can do things like leave out articles about healthy eating that may feature their favorite musician,or only store healthy foods in the house, and best of all, “be a good example. If you’re an active parent who tries to eat right, your children will follow.”
Education is the key to good nutrition!
Meet Jessica, along with other health celebrities including the winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser (Season 12), Jennifer Rumple, and Dr. Marie Pasinski, Harvard neurologist who can help those of us who suffer from “mommy brain” – all will be at the 12th annual Women’s Health & Fitness Expo, May 19th from 8:30 – 5 pm at Miller Middle School, Lake Katrine. Guests will come away with some great information, and be able to try out some of top spa treatments and holistic therapies. Physicians from a variety of health fields will be on hand for private consultations.
Photo by David Plakke
For ticket information, visit the Women's Health Expo on the web. Tickets are just $7.00