Deciding to take control of your health is a big step, but it’s not a journey you have to go through alone.  That’s why we make sure you’re surrounded with a supportive team of experts who help build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.  We’ve got all the tools you need to meet your goals through wellness sessions, meetings with a nutritionist, prevention programs, personal training and group exercise.

Here’s how you can reach your goals:

1. After you sign up for your Y membership, make an appointment at our wellness desk.  New members get two free wellness appointments.  The wellness appointments help us determine your goals, show you the equipment and set you up with a free FitLinxx or ActiveTrax account so you can log your workouts each time you visit.
2. Meet with our registered dietitian.  It’s important you’re eating the appropriate number of calories.  Our registered dietitian will discuss your goals and help design a meal plan conducive to your lifestyle.
3. Does someone you know have diabetes?  Are you at risk for developing diabetes? Learn more about the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program. We can help individuals reduce their risk for Type 2 Diabetes through weight loss, eating healthier, and increasing physical activity.
4. Join a group exercise class! We can help you maintain your motivation through our wide variety of classes. We offer cycle classes, Zumba, turbo kick and more.
5. Work with a personal trainer.  A personal trainer will design a workout plan just for you and help you stay motivated to reaching your goals.
6. Stick with it.  A healthier lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, it can help you to feel better, sleep better and have more energy.  A healthier lifestyle is not always easy, but you’re worth it and the Y can help you every step of the way.

For more information on the Y’s programs visit www.indymca.org.

And then this morning, I open my Facebook page to an opportunity that isn’t so hard. The Jump Rope Challenge 2012 is fairly straight-forward. You jump rope every day for as long as you want. You count your jumps/skips. You report them on the Facebook page, listing your daily and your cumulative total.

Milo Bryant, fitness expert and creator of the Jump Rope Challenge 2012

I learned about the Jump Rope Challenge 2012 from fellow FitCity Mom Kelly Young. A friend of hers from high school, Milo Bryant, is the mastermind behind it. Wanting to learn a little more, I contacted Milo to ask a few questions. My questions and his responses are listed below:

What made you decide to create this challenge?
I tend to do something crazy/challenging every year. Not enough of us move our bodies with impact as part of the process. Jumping rope is a low-grade plyometric exercise. So, it’s something that virtually everybody has done before and can do again. Plus it’s pretty cheap to get a rope.

How long have you been jumping rope?
Wow. Off and on for 35 years. My earliest jump rope memories were when I was five. So, yes, 35 years worth. But the past 15 or so have been pretty serious. I probably own 45-55 ropes of varying grades.

What makes jumping rope a good addition or start to someone’s fitness regimen?

Jumping rope is a self-limiting exercise. That means it is an exercise that is nearly impossible to do with bad form and bad technique. If a person has poor technique or movement quality, an inability to perform the exercise is a plus because it doesn’t allow the reinforcement of poor movement. As a point of reference, people can and do sprint all the time with poor movement mechanics. But, because the times are fast, the poor movement mechanics are overlooked. Poor movement mechanics lead to injury – the last thing we want when exercising.

Any advice about finding the right rope? How do you know if it’s long enough/too long, etc?
There is no exact method for this. What’s standard is stepping in the middle of the rope, placing the handles together and making sure they reach the armpits. However, the longer the rope, the more arm action that’s required AND the slower the rope turns. The shorter the rope the faster it can turn, and less the arms are needed.

I just measured a couple of my ropes and they come just above my belly button. I’m a shade over 6-feet tall.

What’s the most consecutive jumps you’ve ever done without missing?
That a tough one. I don’t know that I know. I’ll hit my foot sometimes but keep jumping. Just because you hit your foot doesn’t mean the exercise has to stop so you can adjust the rope. We’re dexterous enough to work the rope back to normal even while we’re jumping. The longest I’ve jumped is 59 minutes. I got sweat in one eye at about the 45 minute mark. Then sweat got in the other eye. So I stopped, looked at the clock and got mad because I could’ve gotten that hour! During that 59 minutes I might have hit my feet five or six times.

So there you have it, from the expert. What I, a definite non-expert, like about this challenge is this:

1. It’s simple. All you need is a jump rope. If you want to get kind of fancy, the American Heart Association has some jump rope skills that you can work on to mix things up.
2. It’s not expensive. Again, all you need is a jump rope.
3. It doesn’t require lots of scheduling. Have jump rope, will travel. Waiting in the pick-up line at school? Get out the rope and do your jumping next to the car. Sure, other parents will look at you funny, but who knows? Maybe they’ll decide to join you.
4. It’s something the whole family can do. Create a mini-competition in your family. The one with the most jumps at the end of the week gets to choose the movie for family movie night.

On December 31, 2012 the jumper with the highest jump count in the official challenge will win $3,000 to donate to a fitness related charity. But the real win, I imagine, will come in the increased fitness and the sense of accomplishment of watching your jump count grow on a daily basis.

At Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, we recognize that feeling healthy often goes beyond eating a balanced diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Many times how we feel about our bodies affects our understanding of health, especially among girls, and it’s important to recognize that families influence the way girls feel about their bodies.

My daughter is six. At this age, she is amazingly comfortable in her body. She inherited a long-legged, athletic body from her father and she puts it to good use. I am in awe of her unaffected grace as she leaps around the room in ballet class or sprints down the side walk, beating her brother and me by a good half-a-block. She likes to express herself by draping her body in bold fashion choices that aren’t dependent on what her friends are wearing, but rather reflect an artist’s love of fabric and texture and color. If you ask her if there is anything she dislikes about her body or the way she looks, she will give you a funny look and say, “No!”

As a mom, I want her to always feel this way, but I know there are challenges ahead that threaten her positive self-esteem. According to Dr. Anita Gurian, professor of child psychiatry at NYU, girls’ self-esteem “plummets” after age nine as “self-esteem becomes too closely tied to physical attributes.” Consider the following statistics:

• Eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression are the most common mental health problems in girls.
• 59% of 5-12th grade girls in one survey were dissatisfied with their body shape.
• 20-40% of girls begin dieting at age 10.
• By 15, girls are twice as likely to become depressed as boys.
• Among 5-12th graders, 47% said they wanted to lose weight because of magazine pictures.

At Girls Inc., we work to address these disturbing trends and advocate for a culture that values women and girls for what they do, not how they look. Programs such as Girls Inc. Media Literacy^® and Redefining Beauty educate girls about the unrealistic images they encounter in the media and encourage them to define beauty on their own terms. Through hands-on activities, girls are able to purge negative body thoughts in a safe environment and gain the support of other girls who feel the same pressures they do.

I also know there is a lot I can do at home to foster my daughter’s positive self-esteem. I’ll talk about health, not weight, and encourage our family to eat real food and exercise.  I will talk about my own body in positive terms. I will make a point of calling out images of women that are unrealistic or harmful so she understands what the media is selling. Together, we will get through the tough years ahead with our self-esteem intact. And, maybe we can inspire a few other women and girls along the way.

What will you do to inspire a girl in your life to have positive self-esteem?

Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis provides hands-on programs that address the challenges girls face today, including self-esteem and body image. We want all girls to be healthy, educated, and independent. Learn more at www.girlsincindy.org.

What we liked about the program — the participants keep it real and they have fun too. The next Lite N Up Program  is scheduled to start in spring 2012, but you can check here for NIFS other  upcoming nutrition and wellness programs.

Enjoy this week’s pictures!

Photos by Barbara Epperson

By day, I work at an agency where I manage about eight people and I sit. No movement. By night, I have my own nonprofit, which does keep me busy but mostly just going from meeting to meeting. Recent studies have confirmed what we already know – sitting too much is not good for you.

I noticed that I stopped scheduling in workouts and gained and gained. I and a co-worker looked up and wondered where all of the extra beauty came from! I realized it was finally time to make the change I keep talking about.

What has been very helpful is working out with a trainer three times per week. At 7 a.m., I’m with my trainer and I’m sweating and moving. He talks to me about nutrition and pushing myself through the workouts and to keep my eyes on the prize.

The best thing is really the accountability factor. To have someone send me text messages about drinking enough water and making healthy food choices throughout the day has been great! It has kept me on my toes. It has made me want to push myself. I truly want to be healthier and give a good report to my trainer when I see him. I needed the big ole PUSH!

Something I also like about my trainer is that he shows me how to use what I have at home to workout. Using chairs, stairs, and other household items to get me moving or to help with strength training has been interesting to discover. We also review workout DVDs.

I’ve given myself a year to reach all of my health goals, and it’s a great to have a partner there to help me.

Who are you accountable to?

Case in point:

1. A few weeks ago, after I’d dropped one kid off at soccer and another at play practice, I asked Kid #3 what kind of activity he thought he might be interested in. “Do you want to play soccer? Gymnastics? Swimming?” “No. No. Nope” was the response. “Well, what kind of activity do you want to do?” His answer: “Sit on the couch and watch TV.”  His very honest answer reminded me that I need to encourage him to go outside and play and to engage in physical activity, even if it’s not an organized sport.
2. My very theatrical, but not athletically inclined daughter, has mentioned a couple of times recently that she really likes to run. Maybe now would be a good time to sign us up for a 5k and find a training program online to get us prepared for it.
3. One of my kids was practically born wearing a pair of cleats. He’s never met a sport he didn’t like and has asked if he can play lacrosse, rugby and run cross country all next spring. Tonight, he came home from school, sprawled out on the couch and said “I think I want to skip soccer practice tonight. I’m tired.” In the 7 years he’s been playing sports, I can count on one hand the number of times he’s wanted to skip any kind of practice. I could have given him a pep talk and told him how he’d be glad he was there once he got out on the field. But instead, my husband and I decided that he knows his own body and everyone needs a break from time to time.

I don’t think my kids are trying to tell me something all the time. Sometimes they really are just babbling for the sake of hearing their own voices.  And sometimes, I won’t go along with what they are telling me because it’s not in their best interest. But by tuning in, I can listen for clues that can help me help them lead healthy lives.

It’s been the best 2 ½ weeks of being a “YaYa” and watching my daughter learn the basics of motherhood and learn about her new son. It’s been 20 years since a baby was in the house.  When I had my daughter, I decided not to breastfeed.  I’ve regretted that decision tremendously.  A month after having my daughter, I went back to school and work.

The past few weeks have been an adventure.  This biggest issue we’re facing is making sure my daughter eats. We all remember being a new mom and eating sometimes doesn’t make it on the schedule.  I’m the food scheduler. I’m always checking in and making sure she’s eating healthy foods. It’s easy for her to run to a fast food restaurant to get something in her body, but I am not having that.

Getting her to drink a lot of water, fruits and veggies has been the goal. It’s more about having a healthy nutrition plan for HER than just focusing on the baby and his needs alone. My daughter Sydney has always been a very healthy person, but she is very focused on motherhood.  I have to do little reminders to say she’s still important and she needs to EAT. Eating nutrient-rich foods like the ones suggested in this article is good for moms and their babies.

I help by keeping my daughter’s favorites in the house like grapes, bananas and lots of fresh juices.  Because I have a soy allergy, I make sure I cook healthy meals.  This is VERY new for our household because I hate cooking!

I believe being a great support to my daughter will continue to help her be a healthy young woman and now young mom.

That’s when I decided to hire a personal trainer to come to my house. It’s a workout with accountability, consistency and nowhere to drive. I will admit it also came with a big price tag.  Personal trainers can cost anywhere from $50 an hour and up. But after three months, I can say my training hours are more than worth the loss of lunches out, drycleaning, new clothes and my iced Venti chai lattes.

I have learned so much about how my body works, what it needs, and how to take better care of myself – mentally as well as physically. Because, as I said, a personal trainer is expensive, I asked Brandon if I could share a few of his lessons here to give others some free motivation. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Know your goals. Before you start, assess why you want to work out. Is it because “everybody” is telling you to? Because you want to lose weight? You have to fit into a dress for the reunion? Because you want to feel better? If you understand what you want to accomplish, you will better understand your chances for success.
2. Stretch every day. I start each day with a wall stretch. You can too. Put your feet 16 inches away from the wall and lean your bum back onto the wall. Keep your knees loose and bend over to stretch your legs and your back. It feels so good!
3. Almonds are the best snack. Ever. Brandon has taught me that exercise alone isn’t enough to get healthy. I also am learning how to make sure my body gets enough energy foods to keep me going all day. One tip? Raw almonds. 23 at a time, twice a day. I don’t know what is magical about 23 but I can tell you I get a burst of energy after eating them. Plus they are crunchy and yummy, so my taste buds are happy too.
4. Blueberries are good too. I eat blueberries every morning with my breakfast. I’m not sure what I’m going to eat when they are out of season and expensive, but for now I am enjoying the tart, sweet taste of blueberries. It is a better way to get natural sugars (and antioxidants) and a burst of that energy in the mornings plus it takes longer to eat too, which helps me mentally feel full.
5. Mix up your workouts. Today Brandon told me he’d like it if I did a different workout every day of the year. Some days I do Pilates-like core workouts, other days I kickbox. Today, it was strength training with low weights and lots (and lots) of repetition. I’m always challenging my muscles and focusing my brain.
6. Understand your body. Before the first workout, Brandon spent a few days learning me, my routines and measuring my body fat, metabolism, and heart rate. You may not have a trainer to help with that, but you can ask your doctor at your next check-up to run some of those tests before you start any new workout routine.
7. Water. Water. Water. Since I’ve been working out regularly, I am drinking 48 – 64 ounces of water easily. I crave water. I think part of the reason it is so hard for us to drink the water we are told to is because we are not using it. Again, exercise more and you will put that water to use and crave more.

Having a personal trainer really has changed my life as well as the shape of my body.  Most importantly, I am changing the way I feel about myself.  I feel empowered and mentally strong as well as physically fit.

Even if you can’t afford a personal trainer of your own, there are ways to get the benefits of a trainer. The YMCA and the Jewish Community Center offer free consultation to members on how to use their fitness equipment and can offer workout suggestions.  NIFS offers full fitness assessments with membership, and personal coaching for diet and exercise.

There also are online resources that can help you track your workouts and keep you accountable. Daily Mile even offers a forum so you can compete with friends.   You can join Anytime Health for free to create a personal profile, access a wellness library and participate in a Q&A forum. For $50 a year, you can add activity and diet trackers and create an online meal plan.

What resources do you use to stay motivated and feel empowered?

This week our guest blogger, Cindy Tow, mother of two, shares how her family takes advantage of neighborhood resources like the Garden on the Go truck, parks and greenways to keep her family moving.

Yesterday I was slicing a cucumber to put in a salad when my 3-year-old son asked, “Mommy, is that a cucumber or a zucchini?” I thought my job as a parent was done, my kids know about vegetables and they actually eat them too. I told him the answer and he immediately asked for some fruit snacks. I guess I still have some work to do. Luckily, we have a great resource in our neighborhood that my kids call the “fruit and vegetable truck.” It’s one of the things that give me a reason to be active and have a meaningful experience for my kids in the mean time.

Once a week, the IU Health Garden on the Go truck pulls onto Riverside Drive and gives me the opportunity to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.  Garden on the Go makes stops Wednesday through Saturday at various locations around Indy. Check here for their weekly schedule.

The best part about our weekly visit to the Garden on the Go truck is that my kids look forward to our outing each week because they get to pick the food right out of the bins.  They can eat their selections as a snack on our way to the park. I get a brisk walk pulling the kids in their wagon, and they get to eat a piece of fruit and run around the park. This is one of the ways that we stay active and healthy as a family.

It’s not always easy to fit exercise into our busy schedule, so I look for little ways to adjust our routine that allow us all to get moving. Finding parks, libraries and other kid-friendly places that we can walk or bike to is an important way for us to keep moving. I could easily drive to the Garden on the Go truck, pick up my food and then continue my errands (which I still do on occasion), but walking there and taking the kids to the park gives us all the opportunity to exercise.

We live close to the White River Trail so we use the Indy Greenways system to go many places.  We can bike to the Central Library for the kids to get their summer reading books and to the IMA’s 100 Acre park to have a picnic.  I love using all of these assets in our neighborhood to our advantage. They inspire me to get out and get moving.

What assets do you have in your neighborhood that can inspire you to get moving?

Read on . . .and then tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

Area’s health ranking falls for 3rd year in a row
Indystar.com
According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index, Indianapolis continues to fall in the ranks. Right now, we’re just above Detroit. Find out why we’re falling in the rankings and learn why Minneapolis may need to be our city’s fitness role model.

McDonald’s Under Pressure to Fire Ronald
Wsj.com
You probably heard about how some people want to put Ronald McDonald. They say Ronald is hawking junk foods to kids. What do you think?

Summer Safety: Riding Bikes
Wthr.com
School is almost out, and the temperatures are rising so kids will be out riding bikes. Follow these tips to keep your kids safe.

Get Your Copy of the 2011-2012 Indianapolis Food, Farm and Family Coalition’s Local Food Guide
Goinglocal-info.com
Download this 28-page guide to local farms, farmers markets and more in Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and other central Indiana Counties. A great resource!