Back to School: Staying Active

Once you have your children's lunch routine established, it's time to focus on their after-school activities. With access to computers, video games and television, it's easy to understand why childhood obesity has become an epidemic.

Unlike most adults, children don't associate foods with calories or exercise intentionally to burn excess calories. To combat this, it very important to find activities that are fun, yet keep them moving.

Establish play-dates. Meet with neighboring families and the parents of your child's friends to see when their kids are available to play after school or on weekends. Set weekly or bi-weekly times for the children to interact, which will help keep them active and allow for peer-to-peer social engagement.

Be active during family time. Visit your local health club to play tennis, swim or play racquetball. Go for a walk around the neighborhood or visit a local park. Illustrating your dedication to health and wellness to your child can help encourage them to be active, even in your absence.

Support your child's interests. If your son or daughter has an avid love for the arts, sports or dance, support them by finding an outlet for their interests. Look for art classes, league sports or dance studios in your area. By expanding their interests in athletics or the arts, your children will spend less time in front of the television or playing video games.

Research after-school programs. Some schools offer after-school programs for children, allowing them to stay on campus after school ends. These programs can provide students access to the school's playground or gym, while some offer onsite tutors to assist with homework. With homework completed immediately following school, your children will have time to join you for a walk or another family activity after dinner.

For additional ideas, don't miss our earlier post about keeping kids active!

Back to School: Help Your Child Make Healthier Choices

Kids are heading back to school all over the country this month. Translation: they'll be relying on the school's cafeteria for lunch. While traditional tray lunches are still offered, many schools have increased the a la carte selections, tempting students away from the more nutritionally balanced lunches.

Although recent guidelines have limited soda and high-fat selections offered in school cafeterias to help curb the problem of adolescent obesity, not every school has been impacted. It's a parent's responsibility to teach his/her children how to make good meal choices.

Here are a few tips to help you:

Make breakfast: Make sure your kids eat a filling and healthy breakfast every day. It will help them focus during morning classes and prevent them from making poor lunch choices in the cafeteria.

Set a budget: Give a set amount of lunch money each day, which will limit the amount of a la carte items your child can purchase. Dole out the money on a daily basis instead of weekly, so they can't spend it all on one or two unhealthy lunches.

Plan: Find out what the cafeteria is offering and sit down with your child to plan lunches for the week. Help them pick foods they enjoy, but that are also nutritious. Allow them to have one free day per week to eat whatever they want.

Pack a lunch: There might not be time to send a prepared lunch with your child each day, but packing a lunch once or twice a week will help ensure healthy eating on those days. On alternate days, they can eat from the cafeteria.

Be a role model: If your children see you eating only fast food and drinking soda, why would they want to eat healthier? Eat a diet rich in vegetables, healthy grains and lean protein. When children eat healthier at home, they're more likely to make better food choices when you aren't around.

Contact the school: Talk to the administrators or board members in your school district to find out what they are doing to provide healthier options for students. Initiate change in the cafeteria menu for your child's school.

Dancing for a Cause!

On July 31, DAC Southaven celebrated National Dance Day by hosting a Dance-a-Thon event benefiting St. Jude Children's Hospital. Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and judge on the popular show, "So You Think You Can Dance," spearheaded the effort to establish National Dance Day.

Participants at DAC Southaven prepare for the Dance-a-Thon to begin.

More than 40 people of all ages attended the hour-long event led by DAC's Elizabeth Apodaca, Heather Nichols and Brooke Wilson-White, who taught Latin and hip-hop dance routines to participants.

Elizabeth, Heather and Brooke run through the choreography.

Guests run through the dance steps.

The lights are dimmed and the dancing begins!

The group raised $250 for St. Jude Children's Hospital and filmed a choreographed routine to enter to win a spot during an upcoming episode of "So You Think You Can Dance."

Click here to view the video entry.

Health + Fitness Cover Shoot

Don't miss DAC's very own Brooke Wilson-White and Daniel Crawley on the cover of this month's Memphis Health + Fitness Magazine!

Photos courtesy of Marci Lambert {Photography}.

Employee Spotlight

Gene Perepichay at DAC Southaven

DAC has promoted Gene Perepichay to head trainer at its Southaven club.

In this new role, Gene oversees and maintains all aspects of the training department and will report to Kristen Cook, Southaven's Operations Director, and John Evans, Fitness Director for the Southaven and Collierville locations.

Gene has been with DAC for more than four years as a fitness coach, assisting members with equipment, conducting fitness consultations and assisting clients with workout routines based on their specific needs.

He is currently certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist, and holds a certification through the National Council of Certified Personal Trainers (NCCPT) and is Special Populations Certified. Gene is an avid racquetball player, leading DAC's Super Splat racquetball tournament for two consecutive years, and enjoys spending time with family, competing in sporting events, traveling and staying aware of health and fitness trends.

Are You Drinking Too Many Calories?

By now, we're all familiar with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) joint publication with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), entitled Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which outlines the recommended daily caloric intake based on body type. What you may not know is these estimates don't account for calories you may be drinking, so you may not be including them in your daily calorie count either.

Unlike calories consumed from food, beverages usually don't provide our bodies with a sense of satisfaction or fullness. If you don't feel full, you may forget to compromise by eating a lighter meal later.

To help keep you in check, here are a few common, calorie-laden beverages and easy replacements:

Juice: It's likely that apple or cranberry juice is not as pure as it may seem. Most juice-based beverages are commonly referred to as juice cocktails, which means there's more than just whole fruit in the ingredient list. Instead of juice, opt for a piece of whole fruit, which provides filling fiber and more nutrients than its liquid counterpart.

Coffee: Be careful of that oversized latte or mocha with whipped cream. Some coffee-based beverages can pack more calories than you're allotted for an entire day and the caffeine and high-sugar content will do nothing more than make you hungrier. Enjoy a cup of plain coffee or green tea, which is considered an antioxidant powerhouse.

Sports Drinks: While sports drinks are ideal for active athletes following an intense workout, they can pack unnecessary calories if consumed throughout the day. Drink water to stay hydrated and if needed, look for a low-sugar version of your favorite sports drink.

Alcohol: While it's okay to occasionally enjoy a beer or glass of wine, it's important to monitor your alcohol intake. When inhibitions are lowered, we tend to overindulge. To prevent this during a night out, try to drink a glass of water between every beverage and remember to eat something prior to or while you're drinking. Or skip the alcohol and try a guilt-free soda water or seltzer with a wedge of lime.

Strongman Competition Results

Attendees during the Parisi Speed School's Children and Teen Strongman Contest at DAC Southaven.

In late July, DAC hosted a free Children and Teen Strongman Contest at the Parisi Speed School at DAC Southaven.

The Parisi Speed School's Ronnie Black, Lionel Pieh and Austin McMeans explain competition rules to participants.

More than 40 children and teens participated within their age groups in a variety of athletic skill tests, including sled pulls, medicine ball tosses, car pushes, plate pushes, rope pulls and a farmer's walk.

Winners, who received certificates and t-shirts, include:

Parisi's Lionel Pieh, Ronnie Black, Austin McMeans and Lennie Cantrell celebrate with the six to 10 age group winners, including Jordan Tyson, Devyn Payne, Taylor Smith, Colby Crocker, Ethan Perepichay and Anthony Zarlingo.

The Parisi staff poses with age 11+ winners, including Bo Carroll, Dalton Crozier, Corey Meadors, Zach Mahon, Sean Evans, Dalton Smith and Nathan Cole.

Ages 6-8 in the boys and girls divisions, respectively: Anthony Zarlingo and Jordan Tyson, sled pull; Ethan Perepichay and Taylor Smith, plate push; Anthony Zarlingo and Jordan Tyson, ball toss, farmer's walk and rope pull/tug of war; Jordan Tyson, overall winner.

Ages 9-10, boys division only: Colby Crocker, plate push; Devyn Payne, sled pull, ball toss, farmer's walk, rope pull/tug of war and overall winner.

Ages 11-14, boys division only: Sean Evans, farmer's walk and rope pull/tug of war; Dalton Crozier, tire flip and ball toss; Dalton Smith, plate push; Corey Meadors, car push. No overall winner.

Ages 15-18: Bo Carroll, first place; Zach Mahon, second place; Nathan Cole, third place.

For more information on this event, read the DeSoto Appeal's article.