My
first meeting with the Saad’s was one of the most pleasurable experiences I
have had in a while. They all welcomed
me into their home to meet Jonathan (dad), Amanda (mom), Sonny (age 13), Anna
(daughter age 4), and Joseph (son age 2). I learned a little about this family’s dynamic
and their current lifestyle. Jonathan is
currently a stay-at-home dad while Amanda works full time. Amanda loves to cook and actually attends a
fitness class a couple days a week.
However, Jonathan has fallen into the habit of drinking about 32 ounces
of sugary soda and hitting the drive-thru on a daily basis. His habits have been passed on to Sonny who
follows in his dad’s footsteps. Both
parents and Sonny also have high blood pressure. Also, Jonathan fights occasional joint pain
and stiffness and Sonny experiences symptoms of ADD.
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| I enjoy coaching the Uphoff family! (courtesy of Parent Magazine) |
I
was also very excited to meet the Uphoff’s!
They are Brad (dad), Lindsay (mom), Nick (son age 8), Madisyn (daughter
age 6), and Gage (son age 1). The kids
were high-energy and excited to get started.
I could tell Brad and Lindsay were a little nervous, but also very eager
to begin. As we talked about the
Uphoff’s current lifestyle, I found they are like many typical families. With work and school schedules, they fell
into the habit of skipping breakfast, grabbing fast food and convenience meals
and snacks, and taking little time to exercise.
The Saad and Uphoff
families have made huge steps towards a healthier lifestyle and I have seen
some real changes. But I have also
started to see excuses crop up. So many
times when we don’t reach a specific goal or fall short of an intention, we are
all too quick to make an excuse. It’s
easier to reason away setbacks and give wordy explanations about not getting
enough exercise or not eating as healthily as we should be.
Change is never easy and
when we don’t meet expectations we have set for ourselves, it is much easier to
make an excuse. A few excuses I have
heard recently – I was too busy with work, the baby was up all night, I have
allergies, the baby threw up in the car.
Or we will come up with a reason to put off making a change. A few of the put-off excuses I have heard –
his work schedule should get better soon, it will be easier when the babies are
out of diapers, it’s that time of the month.
No matter what excuse we try to make to ourselves or others, life will
always be there to keep us on our toes.
When the kids are out of diapers, they will be into soccer and
cheerleading. When allergy season is
over, it will be cold season. When you
get the car cleaned up, the dog will have chewed up the couch. Life never stops.
I continue to meet with
the Saad’s and Uphoff’s and check in regularly.
They are doing a great job and making changes they can keep for
life. I look forward to continued work
and progress. I am happy to share the
steps we take toward getting this family healthy and allowing them to inspire
you and other families to take this Fit Family Challenge! Go to http://www.nashvilleparent.com/family-matters/fit-family-challenge/
to read all of our
blogs and to sign up for the Challenge.
There
is no more time for excuses. There is no
time left to say “I’ll start tomorrow”.
We have to start making changes today.
And now is your time. Whether you
need to lose ten pounds or 100 pounds, together we will transform your
life. Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com to see all the ways I can help you and those
you love. Obesity is 100% preventable and it starts by challenging
yourself today!
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