empowerme

Dance Your Heart Out! Pick any music you like, crank it up and then dance away! March, box step, bounce, spin, shake it. Dancing is a great way to burn calories and have fun at the same time!

Stretch it. Start your day off right with stretches or yoga to loosen up your muscles.

Try Smoothies. Smoothies are a great way to increase the amount of fruit you eat and are really easy to make. A basic smoothie is just frozen fruit, some low-fat or fat-free milk and/or yogurt, and 100% fruit juice all processed together in a blender until smooth. Experiment with different fruits to find out what you really like.

For a delicious after dinner treat, bake apples or pears.

Have your family add fruits and vegetables to your favorite cooked or baked dishes. Add veggies in pasta sauce, lasagna, casseroles, soups, and omelets. Mix fresh or frozen berries into pancakes, waffles or muffins.

Breakfast On-the-Go. Don't have time to eat breakfast at home? Try whole-grain mini bagels or muffins, nuts and dried and fresh fruits that can be taken in the car (apple slices and bananas are also easy and not too messy!).

Try All-Fruit Spreads. Instead of butter or margarine on toast, try all-fruit spreads, fruit butters, or even sliced bananas or strawberries.

Stay clear of eating too much salty food. Some soups, lunch meats, sauces, and frozen meals contain a lot of salt.

Eat fat-free (skim) or low-fat dairy products every day. 1% or skim milk, yogurt, and cheese will give you the calcium you need to make your bones stronger.

Choose your favorite shows and games and make a plan to only watch them – keeping it all to 1-2 hours a day.

Reach for the Sky. Grab a small textbook. Bend your arm up with palm facing up. Place the textbook in your hand grasping the spine of the book. Raise your arm up to the sky - extending your arm up.  Then return to the bent armed position.  Repeat 10 times then switch arms.

When you go shopping with your family, pick a new fruit or vegetable (or several!) to try.    

Put your green thumb on. If the weather is nice, help out with the yard work. Mowing the grass and gardening can be fun exercise.

Twist it. Play games that get you moving, twisting and running. Organize the kids on your block to play a huge game of capture the flag!

From squash to green beans, colorful low-cal veggies make awesome side dishes.

Turkey is a great source of lean protein! Skip the skin and if you like dark meat, just mix small slices of it with white meat to keep that great flavor without adding too much fat.

Need a satisfyIng snack! Reach for crunchy vegetables like carrot sticks, broccoli florets, or red pepper strips.

Sometimes packaging can be misleading! Just because a product has a fruit image on the package does not mean it is healthy! Make sure to read the label and see what is really in the foods you are buying.

Thanksgiving dinner is a great time to enjoy the foods you love! Fill up with lean turkey and veggies first and take smaller amounts of casseroles and desserts (high calorie foods).

Create a Cook Book. Have all your friends get their favorite healthy recipe from their parents and then put them together. Have copies made of all the recipes for your friends to try. Try having a potluck dinner at your house and have everyone bring the dish made from the recipe they gave for the cookbook.