Kaia F.I.T. Blog - Minden

Kaia's 10 Keys to being FIT inside and out
What is your Triple Crown? In the next six weeks, Kaia F.I.T. is challenging you to do three things you've never done before. Do something you are afraid of. Whether you are in the Kaia F.I.T. Triple Crown Camp or just on your own.  Take the challenge!  Here's a few tips for being FIT inside and out.  

I Kan Love Myself

I Kan be Clear and Focused 

I Kan achieve my Goals

I Kan be Grateful

I Kan GIVE to others

I Kan DO IT NOW

I Kan Be HOT

I Kan Enjoy the Climb

I Kan Live Clean

I Kan Be Brave

Food Matters!  "Eating every time you feel hunger is the equivalent to sleeping every time you feel tired"
Food Matters by Mark Bittman is an enlightening book on the importance of your food choices, not only for your health but also for the environment. Embrace moderation and you will lose weight and tread more lightly on the planet.  Did you know that spinach has more than twice as much protein per calorie as a cheeseburger?  Make eating healthy a Triple Crown Goal and you will not only feel great but you will sleep better and be a happier person.

Eat Kaia Klean
Organic Apples. Are high in fiber and contain pectin which reduces risk of cancer and lowers cholesterol.  They have a low GI, help with digestion and are YUMMIE.
Dark GREEN leafy veggies. Try arugula, chard, chicory, kale, & spinach. They are full of vitamin A, C, calcium and lots of FIBER. These leafy lovelies also contain many vitamin B's which are incredible for your metabolism.
Running Food (black Chia Seed). A rich source of omega 3's, high in fiver, 30% more antioxidants than blueberries, vitamin C equal to 12 oranges, a complete protein and has 15x more magnesium than broccoli. (on sale at Minden & Carson Kaia locations).
Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries. They contain lots of fiber, so much that they can be classified as "negative calories", which means your body burns more calories digesting them than it stores. They are also high in antioxidants, which again lowers cholesterol & regulates blood pressure. Let's eat these little treasures for breakfast and speed up our metabolism for the day:))

Eating these vitamin packed foods are necessary to produce the enzymes for metabolism.  Most veggies are high in fiber and low in calories.  By eating mostly veggies and fruits you are doing wonders for your beautiful body and our planet!!!  I always tell my little guy Kai "if you want to be strong like Popeye you have to eat your spinach!" 

Let's work together to eat, live and thrive naturally!

Try A Local Run - If you’re looking for a great way to get motivated towards some tangible goal, and have fun while supporting a cause, then sign up for a local run and train for it, even get a group of your friends to run it with you. People spend a lot of time by themselves just going out for a jog or hitting the gym. Why not participate in something like a local run? You would be surprised to find how many there are in your area if you look for them. Go to the running shoe store in your area and there will be all sorts of runs and races ranging from 5k to half marathons. You will be surprised to find that if you do sign up for one, suddenly you reach a new level of motivation as the excitement and anticipation of the run approaches.

10 Foods Not To Feed Your Kids or Your - Being a gymnastic coach and working with children my whole life, has brought me to be very passionate about children and health.  Do you know most elementary school children today get only 15 minutes a WEEK of P.E. in school? Physicians recommend 45 minutes a day of rigorous activity.  With the producers of unhealthy food (making food that looks like toys) aiming their marketing strategies at our children you would understand why childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past two decades, and most signs point to the next generation being the first whose life expectancy will be shorter than their parents'. We as parents have a big battle to fight, not only being conscious of our health, weight and food chooses but creating habits for our children that will last a lifetime.  Do not give in to social pressures, remember that we are the boss and do know what is best for our children.  So stay strong and never let our children or ourselves eat something that will harm or should be in the toy box. As parents, you can foster a love for healthy eating and exercise that will help your child to thrive and last a lifetime!  As our kids grow up, we are inclined to over feed and encourage eating whatever they want because of their fast metabolism.  This fast metabolism will slow down with the decrease in physical activity and increase in processed foods; we are creating a life full of weight struggles and obesity.  Please start now with installing a love for veggies, fruits and natural eating habits that your children will not only live longer but have the energy they need to succeed in school and life. 

Listed below are foods that should be avoided and replaced with health alternatives.
1. Snacks that look like toys.  Processed snacks are loaded with food dye, sugar and artificial preservatives which reek havoc on our delicate systems.  Replace these quick snacks with cut organic apples and almond butter, celery with peanut butter (organic) or veggies and hummus.
2. Lunch meat, hot dogs and chicken nuggets.  These popular "kids" items are loaded with saturated fat, sodium, potentially carcinogenic nitrates and nitrites, and artificial colors and fillers.  A study in Los Angeles found that kids who ate 12 hot dogs a month had nine times the risk of developing leukemia and more health risks are being discovered all the time. Replacements are cooking at home, veggie meats, veggie hot dogs, organic chicken breast, organic turkey and tuna low in mercury.
3. Yogurt and Sugary cereal.   Read labels!  Yogurt and sugar cereal are full of sugar, food dyes and empty calories.  Yogurt can have up to 40grams of sugar in one serving.  Replacements are plain organic yogurt sweetened with fresh berries and agave syrup, cereal should be whole grain with fiber.  Watch for high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, hydrogenated oils and chemical preservatives.
4. Soda, Juice and juice-flavored drinks.  Soda is the demise of our society, DO NOT drink soda or give it to your children!  Juice is loaded with sugar and sometimes has additives in it like high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors.  Replace juice, juice boxes and soda with water.  Teach your children to love refreshing water.  Buy them their own cool stainless steel water bottle.  Make fresh squeezed juice with seasonal fruit.  Have your kids create their own Kaia Koctails.
5. French fries and potato chips. Are high in calories, high in fat, and high in sodium also potatoes (not organic) have a very high percentage of pesticides.  Sad that statistics show that potatoes are the most popular veggie among kids.  French fries and potato chips have virtually no nutrients and are often fried in trans fat, the unhealthiest kind of fat for our hearts.  Studies show that cancer causing properties from acryl amide a property that is created when starchy foods are heated to extreme temperatures are 300 to 600 times higher than the EPA allows.  Replace chips and French fries with diced and baked potatoes, use ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup, celery sticks, baby carrots, thinly slice cauliflower with a small amount of olive oil and sea salt, bake for 15 minutes.   Yummie!