New Year's Resolution

It is important to set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely goals when starting a new routine. What exactly does this mean though?

A specific goal is more than just "I want to lose weight" or "I want to be healthy". It is important to set a specific weight loss number or a specific healthy lifestyle change.
Example: lose 20lbs. or to quit smoking is a specific goal.

A measurable goal means making it easy to track progress. You can use a scale and tape measure for weight loss goals or keep track of how many cigarettes you have/have not had while trying to quit smoking as a way to measure your progress.

Attainable and Realistic go hand in hand when setting goals. As a fitness professional, I want you to reach for the stars, but not set yourself up for failure! Set weekly and monthly goals to attain your overall year-end resolution.
Remember, its ok to start over if you have a set-back...we are human and these may be lifelong habits we are trying to change. It won't be an overnight miracle. It will take great dedication and motivation! Be real and honest with yourself :)

Finally, a timely goal will keep you involved! These weekly goals (even daily if you must) are going to make you less likely to quit. If you say you are going to lose 30lbs in 2013 and never measure, track or check-in along the way, you will never reach your goal. It will end up on the back burner and be burried under all of the others things going on in your life. 
Keep it short, sweet and real!

Be S.M.A.R.T. this new year.
You are worth every effort! Wishing you all great sucess and a happy 2013! 

Liz Burns is a certified personal trainer, certified yoga and prenatal yoga instructor. She is part of the Wellness team at One.

It is a town like any other, a town like this......how do I know?
I was raised 8 miles from where this tragedy unfolded.

How do you talk to your children about what happened in a little town in Connecticut today?

There is a fine balance between wanting your kids to feel safe in their environment and having them be aware of how quickly their environment can change around them.

It is hard to know how much information to tell your children. It is on the news, people talking about it at school, in the grocery store, around your neighborhood or children seeing the reactions on their parent's faces.

I like to let children help us know where to start by asking them what they have heard or what they know. Do they have any questions about it?

Children never ask questions they are not emotionally ready to hear the answers to. 

We as adults want our children to understand and so we tend to over explain situations. 

Be honest, every child is different, you as the parent know how your kids can handle information and what parts they are mature enough to process through.

If your child is of appropriate age it is important to give them basic, vague facts with not too many details.

Than ask your child if they have any questions. Children generally will guide you on what is important for them to hear, what type of reassurance they need and how much comfort they require to feel safe.

How do you help them feel safe?

When there is panic, fear or extreme stress it is easy to freeze, shut down or disconnect from what is happening around you.

The best defense against something that is out of your control is to be as prepared as you can.
What that means for children is practice. Practice what to do in the event something happens in school, in your home, when you are out in public.

There will always be factors that you don't take into consideration, factors that you may never think of.
Giving children a clear set of instructions (not too many, high light the important ones) will help them feel a small sense of control when the environment becomes out of control around them.

From time to time it is important to review these plans with children. What do you do when your school has a code red? Where is our family meeting place in the event of a emergency? What should you do if you ever get separated from you parents in a public place? Talking about it is one piece but it is important to have your child physically go through the steps of what to do in emergency situation.

Last but not least, follow up with your children. It takes children longer to process situations. Some children may seem unaffected but than begin asking questions a few weeks later. Following up with your children allows you to keep communication open and give them space to think about the situation on their own time line. Following up can be as simple as "Do you have any questions on what we talked about?"

Talking to them about the situation, teaching them how to be prepared and letting them process at their own pace allows children the best opportunity for resiliency.



Jori Sparry is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her expertise includes working with traumatic life events, post traumatic stress disorder, marital and family issues, blended family issues, divorce, infertility, families with multiples, depression, anxiety, and with military service members and their families.

Pumpkin Time

Time for little Pumpkin

October and November is the month you start thinking about Halloween and off course lots of pumpkins. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin ice cream and the list continues. 

Pumpkins originated in Central America and the history of pumpkin pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was nasalized by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion. American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."

It is evident with the bright orange color, that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals as the natural by-product of normal cell processes. Free radicals are molecules with incomplete electron shells which make them more chemically reactive than those with complete electron shells. Exposure to various environmental factors, including tobacco smoke and radiation, can also lead to free radical formation. In humans, the most common form of free radicals is oxygen. When an oxygen molecule (O2) becomes electrically charged or “radicalized” it tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA and other molecules. Over time, such damage may become irreversible and lead to disease including cancer. Antioxidants are often described as “mopping up” free radicals, meaning they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules.

Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts
(1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt)

Calories- 49 Kcal Protein -2 grams Carbohydrate -12 grams Dietary Fiber- 3 grams Calcium -37 mg Iron -1.4 mg Magnesium-22 mg Potassium -564 mg Zinc -1 mg Selenium-50 mg Vitamin C- 12 mg Niacin -1 mg Folate -21 mcg Vitamin A- 2650 IU Vitamin E- 3 mg Pumpkin recipes to try this season: Spiced Pumpkin Soup (From Sparkpeople.com) Serves 6.  Ingredient:  1 Tbsp Butter 1 cup chopped Onion 3 tbsp Whole Wheatflour ½ tsp Curry powder ¼ tsp Ground  nutmeg 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed  1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato ¼ tsp salt 2-14oz Cans of low sodium chicken broth  1 -15oz Can of pumpkin/ or fresh half cooked pumpkin 1 cup 1% milk 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice Method:  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion for 3-4 minutes then add, flour, curry, garlic, cumin and nutmeg and sauté for 1 minute.  Add sweet potato, salt, chicken broth and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered for about 20-25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked through and softened. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes to cool.  Place half of the pumpkin mixture in a blender and process until smooth. Using a strainer, pour soup back into pan. Repeat with rest of soup. Raise heat to medium then stir in milk and cook for 5 minutes or until soup is heated through.  Remove from heat and add lime juice. By : Mayuri Rangdal, MS, RD, LDN Sources: Sparkpeople.com Cancer.gov University of Illinois extension.