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Shaq Big Family Challenge |
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Introduction & Overview |
It is hard to start a diet when you have a family, especially if you are the only one on the diet. There are countess distractions and temptations, especially in our current cultural climate in which fast food is the norm. Many of us don’t have the time or the support to create healthy meal plans for ourselves, while also giving our families the food they want to eat. It is often easier to just give in.
However, with obesity on the rise in both children and adults, it is more important than ever before to get our own, and our families weight and fitness in hand. This is especially true with the revelation that childhood obesity sets the stage for a lifetime of health and weight related woes. This is where the Shaq Big Family Challenge comes into play. We find it offers families a fun, yet effective way to lose weight and get fit.
Fun and family togetherness are the key points of the Shaq Big Family Challenge. Most of us know that Shaq is a star on the basketball court, but many of us may not know that he is committed to supporting families, and especially children, get into shape, by teaching them to use the “team” approach to losing weight, and keeping it off, while giving them skills that will enable them to be successful in sports, school and life.
Shaq has created an affordable and extremely successful program, which is loaded with kid-friendly tools, recipes and expert support. He is also offering an opportunity to get a free “family fitness report card” on his website. It’s really easy to use, and well worth checking out.
To get your own personalized family fitness report card, click here
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| Pros |
• Promotes kids heath and fitness
• Comprehensive and fun exercise component
• Provides effective tools for eating right
• Brings families together
• Moderately priced
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| Cons |
• Must adapt to keeping a food log for only two weeks
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| The Challenge In Focus |
Lets take a look a the challenge. Right now the 6 kids that Shaq is working with attend a middle school in Broward County, Florida. His team of experts have been incredibly effective in keeping them motivated and on track, supporting them in eating healthier, exercising and changing their unhealthy habits. The motivational techniques and tools on his website have been particularly valuable to families. We know this because we have seen their experiences written about on a variety of outside websites. This is important, because these sites are known for their neutrality, so when they say something works – we listen.
Basketball has clearly been on the forefront of Shaq's mind in the past, but in 2006, Shaq turned his attention to childhood obesity, by choosing six overweight kids and making a commitment to helping them “lose weight, get healthy, and change their lives”. This evolved into his very successful TV show, “Shaq's Big Challenge”, as well as his online program. It’s always great to see celebrities, such as Shaq, make a commitment to kids and families, and follow through with a comprehensive plan that provides doable and kid-friendly tools.
Click here for an in depth overview of the Shaq Big Family Challenge
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| A Closer Look at the Shaq Challenge |
We appreciated that before starting this plan, Shaq would like the whole family to make a “commitment” to keep “four simple promises”, and we believe that these “promises” are the keys to his program. These promises are:
• Keep a food log for the initial two weeks to get an idea of your eating habits
• Engage in 30 minutes of physical activity daily
• Fast food limited to one time per week
• Set specific goals and exercise
Exercise and fitness are a big part of Shaq’s plan, and kids and their parents report that Shaq’s techniques keep it fun, which a huge part of the battle where kids are concerned. This system only requires individuals engage in 30 minutes of physical activity a day, which is manageable. This exercise can be as simple as walking instead of driving, swimming in the pool, or bike riding together.
When you’re at the mall, do you take the escalator or the stairs? Well, Shaq says “take the stairs”. In many ways, this plan is about making small changes and different choices, which translate into good health. The site provides families with tools to expedite the fitness learning curve, such as an Activity Calculator, Physical Fitness Scorecard, Family Fitness Log, Kids' Daily Workout and a 25-Minute Workout for adults.
Shaq has also incorporated his team approach and skills into his website, by pulling together a team of experts from fields that will maximize fitness and weight loss - nutrition, cooking and fitness. This plan also comes with a variety of tools to support you in eating better and staying on track. It is really hard to get kids who are used to eating a lot of “junk” food to eat right, so we are glad to see that this website provides parents with hundreds of kid-friendly recipes, daily meal suggestions, Fast-Food Cheat Sheets and tips for feeding picky eaters.
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| Conclusion |
Getting the whole family to start eating better and exercising can seem like an arduous task, especially with the complexity of modern life. But, with the rates of childhood and adult obesity growing every day, doing nothing is putting our family’s health on the line. This is why we are glad to see that Shaq has put as much energy into his “Big Family Challenge” as he has into his basketball career.
This system offers families a way to get off the fast food circuit, lose weight, make healthier choices and get fit, as well as give kids confidence and skills, which may be applied to any aspect of day to day life. However, this kind of plan is not any good if it doesn’t hold kids’ attention, and Shaq has designed this plan to include one really important aspect - fun.
From an adult perspective, fun is great, but a weight loss and exercise plan is hard to manage if it doesn’t come with support and tools that make the day to day management easier. We are glad to see that these mechanisms are firmly in place in Shaq’s Big Family Challenge. Nevertheless, not all families need to get fit or lose weight, so Shaq is giving them an opportunity to see if his plan is right for them by offering a free “family fitness report card” on his site. It’s a really great tool to see where you and your family are at in terms of health and fitness.
Click here to visit the official website and get your free family fitness report card
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