Ready, Set, Move: 2015 Fit Family Challenge Spotlight Families | Part III
The McMasters and Bacon families have shared their everyday challenges and successes to healthier lifestyles throughout the 2015 Fit Family Challenge. Both families jumped into their new routines with help from nutrition, exercise and wellness experts. Read on to see how far they've come and what they plan to keep doing after the challenge. We hope you take away some strategies to help your family, too.
The McMasters: Embracing Change
Motivated by the Fit Family Challenge, Jessica and Tim McMasters' fast-paced and full schedule involving a home business, outside jobs and 6- and 3-year-old boys keep them busy. The Fit Family Challenge pushed them to step back and analyze their lives with the help of health experts. With a few small adjustments to their everyday living, the McMasters came out with big gains.
Instead of skipping meals and gorging on fast food, they now snack throughout the day, and eat breakfast and lunch. Tim and Jessica also cut out the gallon of sweet tea they had been drinking each day. "Sweet tea is a treat and not an everyday drink anymore," Tim says. The result of the changes: "I have lost five pounds and between 4 and 5 inches overall," Jessica says.
Time management played a large role in the McMasters new way of living healthy. With the help of wellness coach Maureen Carlomagno, they know how to better prioritize responsibilities. "We have learned to limit what we are doing and focus our time on the things we need to accomplish right now," Tim says.
And the best accomplishment in the family: Micah, their eldest son, has been outside riding his bicycle so much that he is ready to take off his training wheels.
The Bacons: Moving More Together
The Bacon family's experience has been a series of yes's. Tracey and Rob are saying yes to going to the park, playing in the yard and biking in the neighborhood with their children Dannika, 9; and Nikolas, 8. Dannika and Nikolas are saying yes to dinners at home, fruits and vegetables for snacks, and healthy drink options.
"Everyone is going with this new flow," Tracey says. "The old ways with fast food and soda are not missed. Kids are enjoying spending more time with us and are initiating activities too."
Tracey's meal prep begins in the morning, thinking ahead to what activities are going to affect the dinner hour. Since starting the challenge, the Bacons eat six to seven dinners at home each week, and the kitchen is closed after 7 p.m. to curb late snacking.
"When my kids do not eat later in the evening, they wind down faster," she says.
Tracey has taken advantage of Charlotte's fitness scene, trying everything from Flywheel to Paddleboard Yoga.
"Tracey is taking full advantage of the challenge that is offered and doing everything she can to create healthy habits from this experience," says Devan Kline of Burn Boot Camp and the Bacon's fitness expert.
The results: Tracey lost 9 percent body fat and Rob lost 4 percent. Their biggest takeaway, however, has been spending more time with the family doing fun outdoor activities.
Vanessa Infanzon is a Charlotte mom with three boys. Since covering the Fit Family Challenge, she has stopped purchasing processed snacks and increased fruits and veggies in her family's diet. Vanessa writes at www.especiallyben.com.
