Fat parents = fat kids?

It is very rare that I will use the ‘f’ word ‘FAT’. It’s not very PC in the world of diet and exercise and one that often causes offence. It’s a word we use on ourselves but not one we like people to use to describe us.

So how about ‘obese’? That is a much more offensive word, in my opinion, and one that we would never use to describe ourselves yet it is a word used every day in the media and by medical professionals. By way of definition, if you are about three stone overweight, you are probably obese.

So, whilst we are all only too ready to describe ourselves as ‘fat’, if someone describes us as ‘chunky’, ‘well built’, or ‘a bit overweight’ we take great offence. In fact I remember going for a medical when I was about 20 years old and considering taking out a life insurance policy. When the doctor left the room for around 20 minutes I couldn’t resist the temptation to read his notes detailing my medical status. He described me as ‘well covered’. I was deeply hurt. ‘That means I’m fat!’ I thought to myself. At the time I weighed 8st and was 5’ 2” tall – a very healthy weight – yet that remark switched a switch in my head that made me very conscious of food and over the next two or three years I gained two-and-a-half stone!

Whilst part of me is grateful to the doctor, for without gaining the weight and learning how to lose it again, I would not be in the situation I am in now, of helping people to get in shape with a healthy diet and exercise, but nevertheless, his words had a profound effect on my life and how I felt about myself.

So when the media talk about overweight parents being much more likely to produce overweight children, there will be some kids out there who are now seriously worried about their size. For some that may be completely counter-productive, as it was in my case. And it is for precisely that reason that we started Kids2 which helps to educate parents and children together toward a healthier lifestyle, irrespective of their size. Instead of making the children feel guilty, we should be encouraging children to eat healthier food and for the whole family to be more active.

Has Britain really got talent?

I have to admit that this is the first year I have watched Britain’s Got Talent. And the reason I watched it is simply because, quite by chance, I happened to be watching the programme six weeks ago when Susan Boyle walked on to the stage and sang unbelieveably beautifully. I talked about it at my classes, I made my colleagues watch her on YouTube in the office and every time I watched her sing ‘I Have a Dream’ from Les Miserables, I cried.

I obviously wasn’t alone. That performance has been watched over 100 million times on You Tube. Our lives have been enhanced by Susan’s innocent but beautiful performance.

On Sunday, she had us all on the edge of our seats as we felt the weight of the world’s expectation upon her. She faultered on her second note and we learned later that she had had a cold last week. But her brave and powerful rendition of a difficult song won her a worthy place in Saturday’s final and Susan certainly has set this year’s standard at a very high level.

Whilst Susan’s performance has shocked the nation in a beautifully, positive way, there has been another more surprising side. I am amazed at the very overweight folk who are perfectly happy to flaunt their flab in front of around 14 million folk. But perhaps this is a good thing. Many folk are in denial as to their size and maybe we needed to see what being seriously overweight really looks like. So when Piers Morgan, having just watched a vastly stomached drag queen perform on Monday evening, said that he would be off to the gym the next day, I think he was speaking for a great number of the male population. Let’s hope it worked as a prompt for all of us to eat less and do more!

But let’s look on the positive side. There have been some brilliant dance acts – Diversity and Flawless to name just two who have reached the final, and MD Showgroup ,who are youth campaigners as well as dancers, but who, sadly for them, didn’t get through from last night’s show. But how fantastic to see young folk of today being creative, active, dancing, working as a team and being focussed on a goal. Everyone who has participated will have worked their socks off and, as with all challenges, you win some and you lose some but I really hope that all of these youth dance groups will carry on setting an example to the youth of today. Let’s hope the media will be creating some positive headlines in the press, promoting the fact that young people can have fun keeping fit and entertained without resorting to crime.

And the shock of last evening’s show was the fact that Stavros Flatley, a Greek-style Riverdance parody performed by a 41-year-old dad and his 12-year-old son were voted straight through to the final. I do not believe that they earned the viewers’ vote because of their dancing skills. But when ‘dad’, Demetrios Demetriou, publicly thanked his son for inviting him to dance with him and tearfully explained to the nation that their relationship had blossomed as a result, I think a little tear must have filled a lot of eyes across the land and I bet there were more male voters last night than ever. We should not underestimate the value of ‘doing things together’ as families, helping family members to bond and get to know each other better. That is exactly why we have launched Kids 2 which are health and fitness courses for parents and children. The emotional and practical results are priceless. If we don’t have a Kids 2 course running near you yet, you could contact your local Rosemary Conley franchisee (please enter your postode to find your nearest franchise) and register your interest.

Is breakfast cereal good or bad for our kids?

Over the weekend there have been reports highlighting the high levels of sugar in breakfast cereals specifically targeted at children, plus another report highlighting biscuits for babies and toddlers that contain unhealthy fats and excess levels of sugar and salt. Cow & Gate have withdrawn some of their products and Heinz have defended their range of baby biscuits on the basis that they have a lower fat, lower sugar option available. I think there are two issues here.

Let’s look at breakfast cereals first. In my view, eating any cereal is better than none though I accept some are healthier than others. Research has proven that breakfast eaters are slimmer than those who skip it, and that our levels of concentration are increased if we start the day with this important meal. If we choose to eat cereal, we take it with milk which is a valuable source of protein which helps the growth and repair of our body – a fact which is particularly important in the case of growing children. The ideal is to select cereals with higher fibre content and you can check out the nutrition panel for sugar and salt content to discover which ones are better than others but in reality, I would rather a child ate a breakfast of any cereal, with some milk, than eating a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar on the way to school.

Now on to babies. Babies have tiny stomachs and need more energy-dense foods, which includes fat, to enable them to consume sufficient calories during their early lives as they grow so fast. That’s why, when I create any of my low fat diets, I always say that they are healthy for the whole family except for children under two years of age.

Once past that stage, I would question the wisdom of always giving toddlers biscuits to eat as snacks between meals. Why not introduce them to different fruits and vegetables to acclimatise their taste buds to healthier foods at an early age. It is not good that children are often only happy eating fish fingers and chips, chocolate biscuits and ice cream. I’m not against these foods being eaten occasionally, but if we are to help our children to be healthy into the future, we should help them to understand which foods are good for us and which ones should be classed as occasional treats. This is exactly what we are aiming to do by launching our Kids 2 programme. Check out our website for details.

Launch of Kids 2 – fitness classes for parents and children

Today sees the press launch of a fantastic initiative which we have undertaken to help educate children towards healthier eating and greater activity.

This initiative called Kids 2 involves a child and an adult (usually a parent) attending a course of 6 classes over a 6-week period. The pair will participate in fun activities which offer physical and nutritional games and quizzes along with practical and motivational advice, and learn about healthy meal planning and preparation. The emphasis is on everyone having lots of fun.

The classes will be run by Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs qualified franchisees who have attended a bespoke course to teach children between the ages of 10-14 alongside their parents the benefits of healthy eating and increased activity.

So successful have the pilot courses been that we have franchisees queuing up to go on the next available courses.

The initiative has been trialled for the last couple of years by a Rosemary Conley franchisee in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The parents and children who have already attended the pilot think it is fantastic fun and often come back for a second course with another child.

This is not a slimming club for children in fact it is purely about helping families to learn how to change their lifestyles to become healthier and fitter just by making a few simple changes.