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Weekly Health & Wellness Article

Child Wellness
May 29, 2009
By: Nathalie Kuffer

As parents, we naturally want the best for our kids. The ultimate goal for us is to see that they turn out to be happy and healthy adults. Right? Then why are we loading them up with preservatives, sugars, toxins, growth hormones and a slew of other detrimental junk?

It’s because most of the products on the market are deemed ‘safe’ for them to eat, but in the long run, what we feed our kids could kill them.

It is no surprise that today’s children are in the middle of an epidemic that has to change. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) states the number of overweight children has more than doubled in the past three decades, with the most increase occurring during the last ten years. This dramatic obesity rise is catastrophic to the future of our nation.

What can we do to begin the process of necessary change? Implement a healthy lifestyle for our children…starting now. We as parents know better and are responsible for their wellness. No one else.

This may seem ‘easier said than done’. Kids like their mac and cheese, pizza, candy and juice. The key is not to deprive but to offer wise choices beforehand and reward with the less nutritious option. Then, remove calorie rich temptations and discuss the importance of treating our bodies well.

Kids are curious by nature. Explain why it is important to make wise choices about nutrition. By providing an explanation as to why you make them go outside and play; why you make them brush their teeth; why you make them eat their vegetables…they will soon realize it is for their overall well-being. You demonstrate that you love them by teaching them to love themselves. And a large part of loving themselves is taking care of their bodies.

This change won’t happen overnight. The process of teaching them right from wrong is a life long habit that begins at home, when they are young. Be prepared; they will put up a fight. Negotiate, compromise and stick to your guns! Consistency and persistence is essential. Sooner or later, they’ll get it. And before long, you’ll get the thanks you always wanted.

For more tips on how to teach your child to lead a healthy lifestyle, go to www.funnfit.us and click on ‘nathalie’s blog’.

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Expert Bio's

Nathalie Kuffer

Bio:

Can Fit Pro Certified
Personal Trainer Specialist (PTS)
Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS)
Nutritional & Wellness Specialist (NWS)
Mobile Wellness Directory Developer

Nathalie is an internationally experienced Fitness Expert who has a passion for helping people find their personal fitness solutions in a busy world. She has a versatile combination of experience, qualifications and innovation that excludes her from the rest.

This Canadian born former gymnast graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in both Sociology and Leisure Studies from the University of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. Shortly after graduating college, she pursued her dream of traveling and embarked on a journey to study various forms of message therapy. Her voyage began in Japan, where she taught English to fund her education in the ancient form of massage therapy called Shiatsu. She continued her travels to Thailand to further expand her knowledge of health and wellness. There, she studied another form of message therapy called Thai massage. She went on to Australia where she began exploring a variety of forms of other holistic health practices.

Her travels continued another two years when she was employed with Club Med in Mexico, then sailing the Caribbean aboard a Cruise Ship and lastly, in the Bahamas. It was in the resort city of Cancun that she began attending and then teaching aerobic classes to visiting tourists. Upon her return to Canada, she went back to school for yet another year and became a Certified Personal Trainer Specialist (PTS), Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS) and Pilates Matwork Instructor. A few years later, she added the certification of Nutritional & Wellness Specialist (NWS).

In 1999, she founded the company Fun ‘n Fit, a mobile fitness service with a mission statement of “…creat[ing] an environment which encourages and facilitates individuals to incorporate holistic health into their daily routine by providing a variety of mobile and online fitness and wellness services to people of all ages and fitness levels in order to foster a healthier lifestyle.

In 2007, she founded a subsidiary company, called WellnessToYou which has become the #1 resource for locating and advertising mobile wellness services. WellnessToYou has a mission of: …provid[ing] a variety of mobile wellness services to clients through a network of certified wellness professional who will conveniently deliver their services at the location of choice in order to assist Americans complete holistic health.

Her many skills, work ethic, dedication and commitment to the fitness industry led the Canadian Government to sponsor her endeavors, sending her to school (for business management and marketing) and financing a 2 month trip to Cameroon (Western Africa) with a non-profit organization to instruct local Fitness Instructors and Personal Trainers new fitness techniques, teach physical education classes to school children as well as conduct Health Consultations and Wellness Seminars in rural villages. Soon thereafter, she relocated to beautiful Bermuda when she accepted a position at a leading fitness club. It was there that she met and married her husband of 9 years.

Nathalie currently resides in Ellwood City with her husband Luke, a high school Physics teacher at North Allegheny High School and their two beautiful children, Chloe (8) and Max (6).

Barbara Russo

Bio:

Barbara Russo is the manager and fitness technician at the Ellwood City Curves, a position she has held since the club’s opening on January 19, 2004. Barbara is certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise and received Cooper Institute Circuit Training and Weight Management Certification with special emphasis on nutrition and kinesiology. She regularly attends ACE council continuing education courses. Her mission at Curves is to provide her guests with the safest, most effective, most inspired workout every visit. Barbara is the mother of two daughters and resides in Shenango Twp. with her husband, Michael. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her awesome grandsons, knitting, and “changing stations now”.

Kristen R. Warzynski

Bio:

Kristen R. Warzynski is a licensed Physical Therapist with Keystone Rehabilitation Systems in Ellwood City. Kristen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Gannon University. She specializes in gait and balance training, back injuries and dysfunction, sports injuries, and home care. She particularly enjoys treating patients who are having difficulty with gait and balance, which affect every aspect of a patient’s life. She believes helping to improve a person’s balance and ambulation can really make a positive impact in their overall function and safety.

Kristen believes in a treatment program that involves hands on therapeutic techniques with strong patient communication and education. She feels each patient is an individual with unique issues and should be treated as such. Kristen has been active in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and enjoys reading, sports, and swimming.

Dan Zelch

Bio:

Dan Zelch, a licensed physical therapist, is the owner of AIR Physical Therapy & Fitness on Lawrence Avenue in Ellwood City. He has been a resident of the Ellwood City Area for 11 years, originally from the south hills of Pittsburgh. Dan received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Penn State University in 1990 with emphasis on physiology, he then received his masters degree in physical therapy from Duquesne University in 1993. Since then Dan has been practicing physical therapy as an inpatient and outpatient physical therapist treating primarily neurological and orthopedic diseases and injuries for rehabilitation. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ “Campaign of steps to a Healthier US”, and APTA’s Orthopedic section. He has been appointed Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Duquesne University Department of Physical Therapy’s Rangos School of Health Sciences. He is Ellwood City's only Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS). Dan is Direct Access Certified (DAC) - allowing Dan to see patients without referral from a physician. He has clinical special interest, and has developed programs in fall prevention for the elderly as well as treatment of peripheral neuropathy. He has certificates of completion in “Integrating Pilates into Physical Therapy”, “Improving Balance and Decreasing Fall Risk Using T’ai Chi”, “Job Analysis and Ergonomic Assessment”, “Examination and Intervention: Balance Disorders in the Elderly”, “Anatomical Perspective of Management of Common Shoulder Pathologies” and “Manipulation/Manual Therapy of the Spine”.

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