Guest blogger Jill Knapp from “Get up and Get Moving” has some wonderful tips to get your kids eating right and exercising to prevent obesity and other health risks. Jill is from Idaho, where she lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Today, she manages her diabetes with diet and exercise and without medication.

Childhood obesity is one of our nation’s leading health threats. Today about 25 million kids (ages 2-19) in the United States are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. That’s nearly one of every three kids. Overweight kids are more likely to become overweight adults.

You can’t lose by using this rule in your family life: Get in one hour or more of physical activity each day!  The wonderful news is that your kids’ 60 minutes of exercise does not need to happen at once. You just need to help them get active 10 or 15 minutes at a time, a few times a day.

Naturally, the best way to get your kids moving is to get up and go with them. You too can gain the health benefits from being active.

Here are a few ideas to help get your kids moving.

Chores and More:
Get your house in shape: Not only will they score points with you, but vacuuming, doing dishes or cleaning their bedrooms can also get your kids’ hearts pumping.

Get Out There
Go green! (Thumb, that is.) When it’s warm outside, gardening or mowing the lawn are wonderful forms of activity.

Get them Eating Right
What you keep healthy food in your pantry and refrigerator they will eat it. So fill them with healthy foods.  Cut up vegetables, fruit, and keep yogurt and string cheese on hand for other healthy snack choices.

It’s important to take the time to teach your kids about how important it is to eat right. Sending them to school with a healthy lunch is the way to go. If you choose to let them eat them at school, encourage them to grab from the veggie bar and to choose healthy drinks. Schools are getting better at serving healthier foods. It’s up to us as parents to teach our children to be active and eat right.

To really get your kids participating in their own health, have them make a pledge to become more active.   It just takes a few minutes, but the commitment they make to you and themselves will go a long way.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Healthier Snacks and More Activity Make for Healthier Children

The week of July 20 is Healthy Pregnancy Week at DietsInReview.com.

Joining us as guest blogger is Jill Knapp. Jill is from Idaho, where she lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant. Today, she manages her diabetes with diet and exercise and without medication. Jill’s goal is to keep generating awareness about Type 2 diabetes and encouraging others to “Get Up and Get Moving.” She competed in the Mrs. Idaho pageant, made the top 5 and the reason she competed was to continue spreading her message.

Gestational diabetes affects about 4% or all pregnant women. The cause of gestational diabetes is unknown all though there are some clues.

Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed in to energy.

Now although you cannot prevent gestational diabetes, it would help if you stay at a good weight during pregnancy and if you do end up with gestational diabetes you can follow doctor’s orders for a special meal plan and scheduled physical activity. Your doctor most likely will include daily blood glucose testing and possible insulin injections.

For the mother-to-be, treatment will help lower the risk of having a cesarean section birth that very large babies may require. If you do indeed get a diagnosis of gestational diabetes stick to your treatment plan and have a healthy pregnancy and birth and may also help your baby avoid future poor health.

For most cases gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy. However, there tends to be a link between having gestational diabetes and then ending up eventually with type 2 diabetes. They both involve insulin resistance. Basic lifestyle changes may prevent diabetes after gestational diabetes.

Losing Weight- Are you more than over your ideal weight? Losing even just a few pounds can help you avoid developing type 2 diabetes.

Making healthier food choices- follow simple daily guidelines, like eating a variety of food including fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting fat intake to 30% or less of your daily calories and really watch your portion size. Healthy eating habits can help prevent diabetes and other health problems

Exercising- Getting regular exercises allows your body to use glucose without extra insulin. This can help compact insulin resistance and is what makes exercise helpful to people with diabetes. Starting a good exercise plan now can aid in keeping diabetes at bay.

Remember to eat right, get a good amount of exercise and keep a positive attitude. This will help you have a healthy pregnancy.

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.

If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

What Pregnant Moms Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes

Jill Knapp: Before/After Losing 100 Pounds

Like many other pregnant mothers, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I had my last child at age 37. I was suffering from fatigue and headaches after childbirth. My son was born very ill and I thought my own health symptoms were just the result of taking care of a sick newborn. My husband encouraged me to go see my doctor to find out what was causing the headaches. After taking a few tests, I was confirmed as a Type 2 diabetic.

Like anyone else hearing this new for the first time, I was in shock.  It took about 24 hours for me to establish an action plan as I did not want this for myself nor for my family. So I gradually began to exercise and eat six small meals a day. Over time, I lost 100 pounds and successfully brought my diabetes under control.

Today, I am a diabetes advocate, speaking publicly at health fairs, schools, youth groups and gyms sharing my journey and encouraging others to lead a healthier lifestyle. I also established my own website to educate others about Type 2 diabetes as I find great joy in motivating others to reach their health goals. I am a strong advocate of making lifestyle changes rather than following fad diets and I strongly encourage others to “Get Up and Get Moving.”

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.

If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Idaho Mom Loses 100 Pounds and Manages Type 2 Diabetes