Trainer Chris Powell uses FREE BIRDS movie to encourage kids to be fit and healthy. - SahmReviews.com

Disclosure

When there’s an opportunity to encourage our kids to eat right and stay active, we embrace it. They realized how much they enjoyed swimming and running so we got them involved in teams or races and purchased the tools and equipment to help them succeed. Miss M qualified for the state meet last year. We also run as a family during the warmer months and the girls have participated in some kids’ road races!

We also encourage them to eat right. Yes, we eat pizza and fast food but we also offset it with a lot of vegetables, lean proteins and limited fats. We consistently have them try new foods and they have discovered that vegetables are not bad when prepared the right way.

Chris Powell - Free Birds - Nicole with Chris Powell - SahmReviews.com

Last year, I attended a conference where Chris Powell, trainer and host of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” was speaking. He was fantastic to listen to and his presentation was full of heart. After his presentation, I had an opportunity to meet him and boast about how active and healthy my kids are. His response was genuine and encouraging and I could understand how he has such an impact on the guests on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. When I recently heard he was using FREE BIRDS, a pop-culture kids’ movie as reference to drive home the idea (to kids) of being being fit, I was very excited and wanted to help spread his message.

Chris Powell - Free Birds - Watching Movie - SahmReviews.com

You see, FREE BIRDS’ main character, Reggie, had been granted a life of leisure filled with fluffy slippers, marathon TV viewing and more pizza than any turkey should be able to eat. Reggie crossed paths with his polar opposite, a very fit and healthy turkey, Jake. Using these characters as reference, Chris provided some great tips to being less sedentary like Reggie and more fit and healthy like Jake.

Tip #1: Eat Breakfast. Mom is right, it really IS the most important meal of the day! Eat something hearty that’s going to give you a lot of energy, like eggs and toast, or yogurt and granola. Start the day strong!

Tip#2: Get to school at least 15 minutes early for recess. Run, jump, climb, and play your favorite sports. You’ll get some extra time with your friends, you’ll get stronger and faster, and you’ll supercharge your body and mind for learning!

Tip #3: Eat fruit every chance you get! Fruit is nature’s dessert, and comes in all kinds of fun flavors. You can never go wrong with classics like apples, oranges, bananas, pears, grapes and pineapple. But also try exploring new and crazy fruits, like starfruit or kiwi, grapples or mangoes!

Tip#4: Cut the soda. Any way you look at it, it’s just not good for you! If you crave sweet beverages, try naturally sweetened waters! There are all kinds of new flavorings for water coming out with natural sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit – find one that you love, and hydrate!

Tip #5: Be a lean and mean gamer. When you’re done with your homework, instead of vegging out on the couch with your PS4 or Xbox 1, get up and try playing one of their MANY active games. Get off the couch and LIVE the game! Run, jump, balance, shoot…get involved in your video games and get fit in the process.

Getting kids off the couch and active is only half the battle. You need to get them to eat well also. In addition to Chris’ tips, I encourage you to try kid-friendly vegetable recipes like Sauteed Parmesan and Garlic Cauliflower.

Chris Powell - Free Birds - Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower - SahmReviews.com

If you haven’t seen FREE BIRDS yet, it is available on Blu-Ray and DVD for under $20 from Amazon! You can follow the inspirational words of Chris on Twitter; connect with FREE BIRDS on Facebook or Twitter or follow Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter.

Now… which turkey are you and your kids going to be?

27 thoughts on “Hey, Turkey! Get Fit!

  1. These are all fantastic tips! My daughter and I don’t drink soda, but my husband still does. I wish he would cut it out, it’s so unnecessary!

  2. We already follow them all (not 100% on the recess one since my son is only 5 and goes to Kinder). We only have fast food when we have to (as in when on a long road trip) but try to avoid it at all cost. Same thing comes with sodas/pops, we only have it on special occasions (i.e., Christmas).

    Thanks for all great tips!

  3. Those are great tips to help encourage kids to be healthy. My kids would just sit and be couch potatoes if I let them. This is one they fight me on, but I know how important it is that they get healthy food and exercise. What a fun way to encourage it all.

  4. We have yet to see the movie but we can’t wait to… I love that there is something to teach from the movie… healthy living is so important and is especially important to teach to little ones so that they can grow up making the right choices…

  5. Teaching kids while they are young about healthy eating is SO important! I haven’t seen the movie yet, neither have my little ones, so I don’t know which turkey we are yet, but we will have to go check it out!

  6. Awesome tips! A great way to make staying healthy relevant to kids. My teen loves to sit and play his games, so we’re trying to get more active as a family with Wii games that help you get up and move.

  7. First of all, we really enjoyed the movie Free Birds. I recommend it as a family movie. Second, I have to try your cauliflower recipe. That is one veggie that is difficult to get the kids to eat (although my youngest at times will eat it with ranch dressing, but it’s rare). Lastly, I especially loved the tip about getting to school early. Movement, is so important and children really aren’t getting as much natural exercise as they used to.

  8. I think breakfast is the favorite meal here in my house! We love pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs, toast, bagels, biscuits and gravy, you name it! Breakfast is wonderful!

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