FitSugar

Shaq's Big Challenge: Episode Six

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:30:00 -0700

Last night on Shaq's Big Challenge we finally got to see the kids after all their hard work and for most of them, it really paid off.

Did you guys watch the finale? Chris (pictured before and after above), the child who lost the most weight, was truly inspiring. He looked so much healthier -- I only wish that his parents, who are obese as well, would have joined him in his health endeavors. ABC asked him what the hardest part of the program was and he replied:

"Getting into a habit of working out. I never used to do that. I would never do exercise all in a row. I would just run around outside. I didn't know how to exercise."

Incredibly wise, I must say. He speaks the truth not just for kids, but for adults as well, one of the hardest parts is getting into the habit. Once you cross that hurdle, it becomes something that is a part of who you are.

Want to see all the kids results? Then read more

Here are their results:

	Weight at Start	Weight at End
James Pistocchi, 11	182 pounds	157 pounds (lost 25 pounds)
Chris Britto, 11	206 pounds	129 pounds (lost 77 pounds)
Ariel Pittsinger, 14	211 pounds	171 pounds (lost 40 pounds)
Kevin Evans, 13	230 pounds	178 pounds (lost 52 pounds)
Kit Maldanado, 14	263 pounds	236 pounds (lost 27 pounds)
Walter Holleger, 14	285 pounds	221 pounds (lost 64 pounds)

Unfortunately I could not find any "after" pictures, but I will continue to scour the internet for them. Overall, the show was successful, I do wish they offered more tips for obese children but I do think that the message was loud and clear. It will be interesting to see if the Governor of Florida keeps to his decision to make PE in schools mandatory for kids K-5. What'd you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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President's Physical Fitness Test

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:15:00 -0700

In preparation for Shaq's Big Challenge season finale tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to join in the fitness games and see how you measure up by taking the, duh duh dum, President's Physical Fitness Test.

You're going to need to time yourself (or have someone else time you). If you don't know how to do any of the moves, download a description here.

The Move	The Challenge	What the Kids Can Do? (ages 10-17)
Curl-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 30-35/Boys: 35-45
1-Mile Run/Walk	How fast did you do it?	Girls: 10-11 mins/Boys: 7-8 mins
Pull-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 1/Boys: 2-8
Push-Ups	How many did you do in one minute?	Girls: 10-16/Boys: 14-37
Shuttle Run	How fast did you do it?	Girls: 11-12 secs/Boys: 9-12 secs
The V-Sit	What mark did you reach?	Girls: 3-5.5 inches/Boys: 0.5-3 inches

Try it out -- If nothing else you'll get a mini workout in the middle of the day. I got 37 curl-ups, 20 push-ups and 11 seconds for the shuttle run! There's not enough space in here to test my skills at the others, but I am pretty sure I'd be getting an A+ in gym class. So what did you get?

Shaq's Big Challenge: Episode Five

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Shaq's Big Challenge continues to keep my attention, five episodes in and I can't wait for next week's season finale!

Last night the kids were looking good. I am officially loving Chris, the eleven year old that has lost 40 pounds so far -- His spirit is really uplifting and that much weight loss is pretty substantial for such a little guy! All the kids continue to amaze me with their support for others as they invited friends to participate in the program and a lot of kids showed up. One mother mentioned that this 'after school program' is a fabulous idea since her overweight son does not use gym class to exercise due to being embarrassed. However, in an after school program for overweight kids, much like what Shaq was promoting, he feels like he fits in and actually enjoys working out with other kids who have the same goals in mind. What a great idea! Other communities should put together similar programs to encourage exercise for overweight kids.

Another interesting part of the show was the Shaquille O'Neal's Wellness Wheel, which is a comprehensive program where kids learn about how to cook healthy meals (home economics), how the foods affects their bodies (health) and then how to burn if off (gym). I love it! In fact, it kind of reminds me of what we're doing over here at FitSugar! I actually got my hands on a tasty little recipe from the program and I thought it would be great for anyone trying to eat healthy, not just the little ones. To learn about it for yourself, just read more

“Omelets – In – A – Bag”

Ingredients:
• 3 egg whites
• Chopped fresh veggies of your choice
• Zip lock Bag

Directions:
• Dump all ingredients into the bag
• Seal, taking as much air as possible out of the bag
• Drop bag into a large pot of boiling water for 11 min.

Serves:
• 1 to 2

How easy is that? I am going to try it out this weekend, if you try it, let me know what you think in the comments section below.

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Shaq's Big Challenge: Episode Four

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Last night on Shaq's Big Challenge there was a lot of talk about a horror that most kids in America have to deal with: School Lunches.

If you take one good look at school lunches, you'd be shocked at the absolute lack in nutritional value. From pizza, to fries, to chicken tenders, most kids are eating unhealthy at school. I was absolutely stunned at the 'salads' the kids were offered, which was basically a few piece of lettuce in a Dixie Cup (no joke). So Shaq got celebrity chef Tyler Florence involved in the show too. Tyler's main goal was to revamp the school lunch at the kids' cafeteria and while he did have a few qualms dealing with the lunch ladies at the school, he came up with some tasty sounding meals. Problem is, while they were tasty to me, I am not sure the kids agreed. The real challenge for the future is to prepare healthy food that the kids will actually eat and not just throw straight into the garbage. Moral of the story? Pack your kids lunch. Work with them to create lunches they will enjoy that are also nutritional too.

Another point I found interesting was the idea of making working out fun for the kids. Shaq had them do things like play dodge ball and chase a chicken (seriously, he had those kids run after a chicken) as alternatives to just spending hours on end on the treadmill. This theory is not only applicable to kids but adults as well. It is important to keep working out fun and interesting so that you enjoy it rather than dread it. Maybe chasing a chicken around the yard is not for you, but there are plenty of other ways to get moving. So dig deep and channel your inner child for ideas for your next fun workout.

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Shaq's Big Challenge: Episode Three

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:30:00 -0700

Last night on Shaq's Big Challenge, we saw the trials and tribulations of working with kids.

This episode illustrated that kids are difficult to focus and are mainly interested in only doing "fun" things -- Sounds like a few adults I know. Shaq lead the students of Broward County School in a round of morning exercises (a 20 min morning exercise program he was trying to implement in schools). I was amazed and saddened by how uninterested the kids were to have Shaq at their school, half of them did not take the exercises seriously and the other half looked absolutely miserable.

Me? I would have been so excited to have Shaq at my school, that I would have been excited to touch my toes 20 times. Yet, a lot of people, adult and kids, find exercise so off - putting. Even my husband remarked that having to do exercises first thing in the morning at school "would suck." I really think this is because physical education has been put to the bottom of the list of importance. It's even proven in the fact that the school Shaq was working with decided to drop his exercise program out of fear they would look bad. Look bad for what? Emphasizing exercise and education?

On the plus side, we started to see the kids losing weight. Nothing too drastic, but 3-15 pounds each. I am so excited to see the kids in the end and it's nice to see them supporting each other in their weight loss efforts. Until next week...

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Shaq's Big Challenge: Episode One

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Raise your hand if you watched Shaq's Big Challenge last night on ABC? You know my hand is raised -- In fact, I tivo'd it! I have been a bit apprehensive about the whole show from the beginning with my fears that they would exploit overweight children for Shaq's fame, but that was not the case at all.

Last night we met the team (Shaq, Joy Bauer and Dr. Carlon) as well as all the kids enrolled in the program (two 11 year old boys, a 13 year old boy, two 14 year old girls and another 14 year old boy). The ultimate goal? Getting those kids fit by the end of six months.

The team's first task was to assess the kids' current level of fitness, which was not good. The average girl 10-14 should be able to complete 30-37 curl-ups and 10-15 push-ups in one of minute each. The average boy aged 10-14 should be able to complete 35-45 curl-ups and 14-30 push-ups in one minute of each. The majority of the kids on the program could not even complete one single rep of either exercise.

The thing I found most interesting about it all was the role that the parents played. Most of them enabled these children to become extremely overweight whether it is from being overweight themselves, seeing it as a cultural norm or because it is was just easier to feed the kinds junk food or let them play video games 24/7 rather than face the music. We can only hope that other parents in the same boat watching the program may realize that overweight children are a family problem, not just something that falls only on the kid's shoulders.

These kids amazed me with how supportive they were of each other and themselves -- I am definitely anxious to watch the next five episodes (only 6 total). Shaq did a good job of balancing humor with seriousness. While it was strange that his massive Miami mansion got about as much airtime as the kids, I am still impressed with the show overall.

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Shaq's Taking on Childhood Obesity - Kazaam!!!

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:30:00 -0800

It is being reported that NBA basketball player, Shaquille O'Neal, has been shooting more than just hoops recently.

Shaq is currently in Florida shooting his first reality TV show (yet to be named) that will focus on childhood obesity and health. The new ABC reality show, airing sometime this summer, will track the lives of several children and O'Neal will be on hand to coach them through a weight loss program. He will also try his hand at lobbying politicians on causes including school nutrition. Further than just having Shaq as the star, the new show will also focus on the children's lives outside of school and examine the reasons behind their eating habits.

Despite the over abundance of reality TV shows these days, I am sure I'll be watching. Shaq is definitely one entertaining guy and you guys know that I am all for supporting any efforts against childhood obesity.

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Jen Runs Into A Gentle Shaq Giant

Molly — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:45:29 -0700

Jennifer ran into what looks like an old friend in Shaquille O'Neal at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons yesterday afternoon. Awwww, how great would a hug from Shaq be? After putting in some hard time at the gym, Jen was looking ultra fit even though her gorgeous Louboutins are a little worse for the wear. Shaq, a Miami resident, was in town for last night's ESPY Awards fun. Hopefully at the show he had a chance to plug Shaq's Big Challenge, his reality series helping kids deal with childhood obesity. Considering how much his weight fluctuates from off-season to the playoffs every year, he definitely knows a thing or two about fitness. Gotta love the big man.

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