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Kids are Eating a Wheelbarrow full of Sugar….

I just can’t resist passing on this TED talk with chef Jamie Oliver.  He became an inspiration for me after he did the TV series on changing the food served in school cafeterias (watch to around the 10 minute mark for Oliver’s rant on this topic).

But one of the most jaw dropping part comes around the 11:30 mark where kids try to identify common vegetables – and get most of them wrong.

And the wheelbarrow full of sugar is just from the MILK kids drink at school over five years.

Take a moment and watch the video and find out how all these problems are treatable!

Today’s kids are expected to live 10 years less than we are expected to live.  All because of unhealthy eating and living.  The future of kids yoga needs to include Yogic eating.  This will help teachers develop a healthy yoga business and a healthy lifestyle. We can educate kids, parents, and even other teachers about yogic eating.  It includes healthy foods, snacks, and how to cook healthy meals (especially vegetarian).

Once you know how, cooking at home is less expensive, taste better, and according to Jamie Oliver, helps you live longer.

Jamie Oliver and a thousand smiling yogis agree!

Chocolate Covered Swiss Chard – An Important Classroom Yoga Tip

A Valentine’s Yoga Mismatch

Mmmmmm,  Chocolate!  Oh so euphoric, bittersweet goodness that melts on the tongue.

Swiss Chard, my tender green friend.  Proudly named the Valedictorian of Vegetables.

Valentine’s Day is the time of Romance and sometimes surprising coupling.  Let’s follow up on my last post about the Romance between the head and the heart and the coming together of the Olympics and Valentine’s Day with this lesson learned in my three classes last Friday:

Like Chocolate and Swiss Chard, just because two things are great separately – it doesn’t mean they will make a good couple!

Kids Yoga at the Valentine’s Party

This first Valentine’s class at 9:15 am went off beautifully.  We discussed everything in the last post and for thirty minutes we hit the Moguls, went down the luge, and did some ski jumping (like in the Wii Fit game – for those who have it).  We finished with figure skating.  Warrior and Dancer gliding across the ice.   Then struck a pose to mark the end of the routine, smiling for the judges and feeling the victory of completion.

However for future Valentine’s Day and every other holiday that involves sugary celebration I want to be honest about what happened.  The next two classes had the excitement level of an Olympic athlete competing in front of their home country.  An energy that gives an extra push.

There was a table filled with the EXTRA cupcakes, cookies, and chocolates.

There were kids still sporting a chin smeared with icing,

Usually quiet children were wrestling each other on the carpet and speed skating to the door to greet me.

Be Ready to Change Your yoga Lesson Plan

We tried talking about the Olympics but these sugar filled youth could not raise their hand or wait for their turn.  Nor could they imagine a ski hill or focus on balancing.  After about 10 minutes of doing poses that would set records for fastest times, I dropped the lesson plan and pulled out my trusty iPod.

For the next 15 minutes we did every dance, move, shake, and wiggle song in my collection.  For the last 5 minutes, the kids actually relaxed and/or meditated with me.  We sweated that cupcake party out of their systems.

Even though I love both Chocolate and Swiss Chard, it doesn’t mean I’d put them together. Its the same with Yoga and sugar.  Whenever you can, put the yoga first and keep the cupcakes far away.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all my Fellow Yoga Lovers!