Over the last 25 years, there have been numerous contributors to this new environment. Among them: For example:

• Fewer children walk to school.

• Greater amounts of homework lead to sedentary lifestyles.

• Technology now entices children more than physical activity.

• The availability of 24/7 T.V. shows for kids encourages increased sedentary time.

• Parents work longer hours, causing kids to make unhealthy food choices in their absence.

• Kids increasingly eat heavily processed foods.

Here are nine points to consider when helping children embark on a healthier lifestyle:

1. Baby steps: Rome was not built in a day, and losing weight doesn't occur overnight. If a child has long-term expectations right from the start, he or she won't be discouraged as easily.

2. Watch the liquid: Many children consume too much "liquid candy" throughout the day. Sugary drinks can easily make up 20 percent of a child's daily calories. According to the Mayo Clinic, cutting 100 calories a day from liquids can help one lose about half a pound after six months.

3. Increase physical activity: Yes, it's obvious, but often, it just doesn't happen. Squeezing in a 30-minute brisk walk each day is a giant leap in the right direction.

4. Offer healthy choices: Often, kids can grab whatever they want from the pantry. Try clearing the shelves of processed, fatty foods, and stock up on healthy choices. If they're hungry, they will eat it.

5. Plan family activities: Parents are children's primary role models. If a parent is sedentary or eats junk food all day, his or her children will likely follow suit. If mom and dad are active and follow a nutritious diet, children will likewise emulate their behavior.

6. Cut back on technology: It's wonderful—it's helped us with advancements in medicine, communication, and entertainment—but it's also contributing to a generation of couch potatoes.

7. Increase fruits and veggies: Make them part of every meal. Fruit is nature's candy, and eating vegetables can actually be fun. You can encourage a reluctant child by dipping veggies into low-fat chocolate pudding or yogurt. Slowly wean him or her off of this strategy over time. Veggies are important because they're rich in vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and water content. They also help school performance, by improving memory, focus, and concentration.

8. Control portion sizes: Remember, children aren't mini-adults. Give them meal portions appropriate for their size.

9. Get enough sleep: Research shows that getting adequate sleep each night helps stabilize the hormones related to appetite so the body knows when it's full at meal time.

A little effort goes a long way. Change doesn't happen overnight—but with love, support, and guidance, the current generation of children will lead long, healthy lives. Children who maintain a healthy weight not only have less risk for obesity-related problems, but are more likely to avoid obesity later in life. Just as you put money in the bank to invest in your child's financial future, put a nutritious diet and physical activity into your child's life to invest in his or her health.

And yes Herbalife is safe for children to take. See here: http://herbal-nutrition.net/products/show/id/127/distributor/herbaljunkie

You may or may not have noticed that holiday season has arrived. Not too long from now, the never ending parties with never ending treats will come as well. For some, this may mean the start of a vicious cycle. You may know to which one I refer. The “I’m enjoying the holidays, so I’ll have eight Christmas cookies! but then I’ll drink hot tea and eat a carrot stick for dinner to balance it out!” cycle. Okay. Maybe not that drastic. Nonetheless, I have witnessed (and, in previous years, participated myself) in this general type of thinking.

How to stop it? I believe we approach this type of behavior as a habit. It won’t take reading a quick blog post and a slap of the ole will power to suddenly free ourselves. However, with careful planning we can aim to make more balanced decisions in our every day meals. Quite frankly, we should try NOT to overthink things and aim to live with balance. Make smart decisions with our everyday meals, so the tendency to EAT ALL THE HOLIDAY COOKIES doesn’t overtake our senses.

With that in mind, I suggest aiming for the following 5 daily goals in our meals. By simply doing these things, and not overthinking the rest, I believe we can come out with more balanced decisions and a healthier overall diet during this holiday season.

Eat fiber! Bulk up on this good stuff that will help keep your blood sugars stable and your stomach feeling full to ward off the cravings to raid the holiday office sweets mid afternoon. Aim for 25 grams per day.

Eat protein! Fat and sugars abound in holiday baking. Balance out the rest of your intake by choosing protein rich foods. Just like the fiber, protein will help you feel full longer. Be sure to choose lean options with little fat – things like beans/legumes, lean cuts of meat, low fat and low sugar yogurts, protein powder supplements, etc.

Produce with every main meal. Don’t worry about counting servings – just have some produce (fruit or vegetable) with every meal. I personally aim for this and it helps keep me on track whether the holidays or not. I will have some fruit with breakfast, then vegetables with lunch and dinner. Add some fruit to oatmeal. Make a large salad for lunch. Roast some vegetables for dinner. You can almost always find raw crudité veggies at a party to keep that goal on track.

Keep coffee and tea clean. Hot coffee and tea hold great appeal during the chilly months. They also hold great appeal to coffee shops alluring holiday shoppers in with their peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes and other such sugary concoctions. Drink up the coffee and tea (along with 64 ounces of plain water), just aim to keep the sugar, milks, creamers, and other add-ins out. Or at least minimize as much as possible. Drink Herbal Concentrate Tea whenever possible. Taste great warmed up. 

Think it out ahead of time. This is probably the biggest suggestion I have. In the morning, think ahead to your day. I don’t think you have to food journal every last bite or plan out your meals day to day in a fancy spreadsheet. Just aim to be aware DAILY. Take things day by day and have the goal to  make the best decisions possible for that day – choosing to enjoy things you LOVE (not just like a little, but hey it’s there) and filling in the gaps with the previous 4 tips. Be proactive!

If you read health or fitness magazines, books, or blogs, then I bet  you have likely heard about it. That lovely “80/20 Rule” – the recommendation to focus on 80% of your food choices coming from wholesome and nutritious foods with 20% from the things you enjoy that might not be the best for your body. There is a lot of reasoning to support approaching healthy eating in this way. My big reasons?

• Don’t have to be perfect. I know that keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and like a “failure” if I enjoyed a dinner out on the weekend. In the past, one slip up on my “must be perfectly clean” meal plan would lead to binges for days.
• Promotes a lifestyle change. When I don’t feel the pressure, it’s a lot easier to remain consistent and do my best. And CONSISTENCY is what helps get results. When I don’t feel deprived, I can stick with things a lot longer. A lot lot longer.
• I can live without obsessing. Social gathering? Sure! Holiday dinner? Sure! Super duper craving that just won’t quit? I got you covered! I know those instances aren’t the majority of my food choices, so I can live a little and not feel guilty because I know I’ll go back to balance right away at the next meal.

I’m 100% on board with the 80/20 rule myself and do my best to put it into practice. However, I will admit that it took me awhile to figure out what that balance really looks like.

You see, a small daily treat plus a few large weekend splurges may feel like that 80/20 balance…but then those pants are fitting tighter and you’re questioning how it could happen because you’re living BALANCED! Just like “they” told me would work. Who’s been there? *raises hand*

When I first started applying this tip to my life, I admittedly went a bit overboard at first. It was probably more like 60/40…then maybe 70/30…then I figured out my balance.  thought some others out there may have felt the same frustrations, so let’s break it down together.What exactly does 80/20 look like?


I brought out the old math nerd and put together some scenarios to see how it plays out – Neat (aka clean eating meal) vs Treat (a not so nutritious option). PS – I picked those labels just for ease of terminology…let’s not get into the discussion on labeling foods as “cheats” and “splurges” and “good” vs “bad” and all that yada yada yada. Mmmmkay? Good.

• 3 square meals per day (shakes provide you the "square" meals): 21 meals per week. 80/20 = 17 Neat & 3 Treat meals over the week.
• 5 small meals per day: 35 small meals per week. 80/20 = 28 Neat & 7 Treat over the week.
• 2000 calories average per day (daily view): 2000 calories. 80/20 = 1600 Neat & 400 Treat calories per day.
• 2000 calories average per day (week view): 14,000 calories per week. 80/20 = 11,200 Neat & 2,800 Treat calories per week.

So this could cover those 1-2 times you ate out on the weekend (still within reason) and the bowl of ice-cream after that rough day at work. Or, hey! We can end each day with a small treat instead of another mini-meal. Or save up some of those calories to balance out for that celebratory lunch at work tomorrow.

Now, I don’t suggest you have to plan out all your meals to the tee for the week and then bring out your calculator to determine the exact percentage of your neat vs treat meals/calories to make sure you’re hitting a particular percentage each day/week/meal. Not at all! Heck, that would drive me bonkers.

I simply want to put out there that we DO have wiggle room in our eating habits and don’t have to be perfect, but that we also must remain mindful. We can’t just claim balance without really considering what we put into our bodies. And some days/weeks may be more like 60/40 or 90/10. Some people may thrive more on 95/5 and others do just fine and dandy with 75/25. Do what works for you, but remain mindful…so you can consistently give your body the best in a way you can do for life. 

1. Above all else, be assertive. Dining out is no time to be a meek consumer. You need to be an assertive consumer by asking for changes on the menu. For instance, if an item is fried, ask for it grilled. If it comes with french fries, ask for a side of veggies instead. Ask for a smaller portion of the meat and a larger portion of the salad; for salad instead of coleslaw; baked potato instead of fried. Just assume you can have the food prepared the way you want it, especially because YOU'RE a paying customer. Very often, the restaurant will cooperate. 

2. Ask your waiter to “triple the vegetables, please.” Often a side of vegetables in a restaurant is really like garnish — a carrot and a forkful of squash. When ordering, ask for three or four times the normal serving of veggies, and offer to pay extra. “I’ve never been charged, and I’ve never been disappointed. I get full, not fat.”

3. Ask how the food was prepared; don’t go by the menu. For instance, cholesterol-free does not mean fat-free; the dish could still be filled with calorie-dense oil. Neither does “lite” necessarily mean light in calories or fat.

4. Order from the “healthy, light, low fat” entrées on the menu. Most chains will even list the calories and nutritional content of such foods. Applebee’s, for instance, offers approved Weight Watchers options, Bennigan’s has its Health Club entrées (which it will serve in half portions), and Ruby Tuesday lists the nutritional information for its entire menu.