Family Time

I had a ton of fun on Friday evening playing racquetball at the Maplewood Community Center with my daughter. Racquetball with an 11 year-old requires a little patience and a lot of energy spent chasing the ball as it rolls across the floor. There's definitely a lot less volley than serve. Nonetheless, she enjoys the game, and I love spending time with her.

I've been focusing myopically on my own health over the past few months. Even though I haven't reached my goal weight, I've become a more positive role model for my kids. Up until now, I've taken a back seat failing to drive my kids toward improving their physical fitness. While my entire family follows a pescatarian diet it's not always balanced, and the buck stops here. I fill the cupboards and refrigerator with food. I routinely plan the menu and prepare meals.

I know it's my job as a parent to help my kids lead healthy lives, but until recently encouraging my family to watch portion sizes and find time to workout seemed hypocritical. I plead guilty of plopping myself in a chair, watching too much television and snacking right from the bag. After punishing my body for the past 22 years, I'm slowly making amends. Now, I'm worried about my kids. I don't want them to struggle with obesity.

With computers, internet, cable/satellite television and video games making it so easy to sit all day, my family is guilty of a fairly sedentary lifestyle. It's definitely time to make a change. We need to find ways to get moving and make it fun. Committing to one family night a week at the Community Center might be a great option for all of us.

After racquetball my daughter and I headed to the facility's pool. I swam 30 laps missing a mile by only 3 laps when the pool closing whistle blew. I'm concerned about the loose skin under my arms due to weight loss, and I think swimming laps will tone my arms. Besides, I enjoy swimming and so does my daughter. She swam a couple laps alongside me then opted to play on the giant water slide. We both got some exercise and genuinely enjoyed it!