Fit for Life: Back to School – Two Ways to Get It Right

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Matt Espeut, GoLocalProv Health + Lifestyle Contributor

 

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It’s that time of the year for parents to rejoice. Back to school for the young ones! You get to watch them get all excited about new clothes, sneakers, and being back with their friends. But there are a couple things that kids don’t care about but you should: 1) their nutrition and, 2) if they play sports, their training.  Realistically, most school lunches contain nothing but processed garbage or extremely poor quality food, and most kids that play sports, do not get enough organized training to prepare them for their specific activity. Here are a few tips on how to combat both dilemmas.

First, Nutrition

Start with a fundamental question: What will I absolutely not include in their lunch bags? This is an important question. Folks will find their own way, but many of the items advertised for lunch boxes are processed crap masquerading as sustenance. We know that it’s unhealthy; we know it’s addictive, yet we still see these items marketed at us. It may have “as much calcium as an 8 oz. glass of milk,” but Kraft doesn’t trumpet the trans fats, artificial dyes and other nasty stuff in the ingredients. Here’s what is in that cheese:  Nonfat Milk, Water, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, less than 2% of: Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.  That isn’t the nutrition you want your kids gobbling, so you should not be including anything like this in their menu. Once we have that framework down of what we will not feed them, then we discuss what we will include. I ask two questions: Will it make you proud when you’ve packed it all up that you’ve done your job of giving them a great lunch and snacks?  And here’s an important question - will they eat them? I understand the balance between healthy and convenient, flexible and diligent, aware and open. You can pack the world’s healthiest lunch, but it does no good if your kids won’t eat it. Even if you have to make peanut butter and jelly, purchase the highest quality bread that your child will eat, but without those “no chance” items like high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, etc.  Always get a jelly that’s mostly fruit and as natural organic a peanut butter as possible. But even high quality PB & J only takes us so far. To really plan out a menu, before school starts, have a family meeting. Ask your kids what they would like to see in their lunches this year? If you can’t get a straight answer you need to go straight to the grocery store and walk up and down the aisles together. This way you can make informed decisions together, and it won’t feel like you are forcing good healthy food on them. Get them excited about fresh fruits, tasty vegetables like carrots, healthy trail mixes, and quality deli meats, and breads. This will make them happy and you will be satisfied that you are doing a good job as a parent, and that your kids are really eating healthier. 

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Athletics & Training

Now that we’ve addressed some nutrition issues, lets talk about athletics. Think on the pro level. What do the pros do in the off-season? They train. Not only for strength and performance, but also for conditioning and injury prevention. Why treat kids differently. When an untrained athlete takes the field, they are doubling their chance of injury, as well as getting their ego, and self-esteem get pummeled, because they can’t compete. You don’t need to send them off to some expensive showcase, or training camp; just a few workout sessions per week, will help improve their overall conditioning. Beware if they hit the gym with their friends, usually they will grab a suggested workout exercise out of a magazine and attempt it on their own.  Not only will they increase their odds of getting injured, they may gain absolutely nothing from improper technique. The best advice I can give to a parent is to hire a trained professional, with experience in sports training. When I train my youth athletes, my number one concern is weakness in their core, and my second concern is that they are still growing and developing, so many are extremely awkward. Special attention needs to be paid, because an adolescent should develop their core before loading the body. Movement patterns need to be perfected, before speed work is implemented. Progressions need to be strategically planned, so imbalances, dysfunction and injury do not occur. I am not a parent, but every parent wants their child to excel, and all will cringe, and feel the pain when their kid gets hurt. These issues can be solved by implementing a simple training program, so if you want to have your child be competitive, and injury free, include some good nutrition and training to that back to school schedule. It’ll keep everyone happy all year through, and have you feeling that success that you felt on their first day back.

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Matt Espeut has worked as a personal trainer for almost 20 years with clients ranging in age from 14 to 86. His focus is on overall health, strength, and functional conditioning. Holistic health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all his programs. Matt works in private and small group training available at your home or office location or at gym facilities. Matt offers his services to everyone wanting to be more fit and healthy, overweight young people, youth/collegiate athletes, and seniors. Matt has worked and trained at several facilities in the Providence area. In September, Matt will open PROVIDENCE FIT BODY BOOT CAMP, at 1284 North Main St., Providence. Email Matt: [email protected]; check out his website at http://www.fitnessprofiles.net or on Facebook at Matt Espeut or on Twitter @MattEspeut. Call 401-453-3200 for pre-opening information.

 

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