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| Health & Beauty |
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Interview with Celebrity Fitness Trainer Mark Jenkins
Jennifer Trent |
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 How do your children exercise and how often?
My 6 year old takes ballet once a week and Tae Kwon Do twice a week. They, the two girls, ages 6 and 2, are always running around the house playing physically and creatively to the point of fatigue.Do you have work out regimens they follow? I encourage creative play in the form of games: wrestling (with daddy only), chase, and hide and go seek. In addition we sometimes use the reaction ball and parachute sprints so that they can be a part of “daddy’s play.”
Do you think it is ever too early for children to exercise?
Definitely not! Even babies are encouraged to stretch and move about. My 2 year old emulates the students at Tae Kwon Do and has become a natural because her sister does it.
What types of exercises or activities do you suggest for young children under 10?
Play is the best activity. The reaction ball, hopscotch, jump rope, hiking, bike riding, skating, and of course the necessary safety requirements are a must.I was on your site and noticed you have a “Fit 4 Family” section.
Can you tell me about that?
It’s a medium to put out information that’s relevant to the health and well being of parents and their children. As a parent we are always on the look out for new and innovative techniques to keep myself, my wife, and my children stimulated. It shows how fitness and health is a lifestyle choice that is leading necessary change in society.
What types of supplements or vitamins do you recommend to parents to give to their children?
That’s a question that’s best left to dieticians and nutritionists. We try to make sure that the children eat whole meals and receive their servings from whole organic food. I like Veema because it is liquid and the children find it refreshing and look forward to their morning dose. I see that you give your children a super juice named Veema.
What vitamins in general do you suggest are necessary for a growing child?
I definitely suggest omega fatty acids for brain development among other things and Vitamin D if they do not receive enough from Vitamin D enriched foods.
What types of foods do you suggest to parents to feed their children?
We feed them organic foods only and complex carbohydrates along with a healthy protein source. |
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Also, if they are looking for natural sources of energy what would you opt for when thinking about your own girls?
We use naturally sweetened Owater as a soda and juice alternative and what makes it better is that I am on the label!
When should parents be concerned about their child’s health and fitness level?
With the current rate of obesity and the foods that are being served in the schools, it should be on your mind as soon as you find out your pregnant.
What projects are you involved in helping children and their parents more aware of the rising epidemic of obesity as well as fitness?
My wife and I are founders of a nonprofit I M Fit inc. and partners with the Latin American Youth Council both of which encourage moving and health as well as obesity prevention, treatment and education among young children and their parents.
What is one thing that you tell your children (and others) about being and staying healthy?
Make it a part of your life. Being healthy is integral to living your life to the fullest and manifesting all of your blessings.
Mark Jenkins is a well-known celebrity personal fitness trainer who has worked with Mary J. Blige, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Beyonce, Benny Medina, Johnny Cochran, Tyler Perry, Angie Martinez, Busta Rhymes, L.L. Cool J, Eve, Q-Tip, Anthony Hamilton, Susan Taylor, Missy Elliott, Brandy, D’Angelo and N.O.R.E. In 2004 he released his book, The Jump Off: 60 Days to a Hip Hop Hard Body (Harper Collins Publishing) with a forward by Mary J. Blige. In the book Jenkins narrates his life story and provides workout routines, high performance nutrition, motivational techniques and fitness tips from celebrity clientele including Beyonce, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Susan Taylor, Andre Harrell and Angie Martinez. Jenkins is the founder/co-owner of International Fitness, a fitness and wellness company that specializes in training performing artists. He developed his own limited edition supplement sold at GNC stores nationwide in 2004 and released a 90-Day Transformation DVD which will also be available overseas this Fall. He has lent his expertise to various networks including BET, VH-1 and MTV as well as shows such as Fit TV, E! Entertainment, EXTRA and recently appearing alongside Mary J. Blige on The Tyra Banks Show.
He currently resides with his wife and two children in Maryland and has started a nonprofit organization, Muscle and Music for Youth, to help kids learn about fitness and healthy living. Additionally he has established Wellness facilities in South Africa with plans to live there in the future.
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Flax Seed Oil: A Remedy for Eczema?
Jamie Faith Woods |
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 Gimme an “E,” Gimme an “F,” Gimme an “A!” What’s that spell? Beauty! I find it continuously shocking to have my finicky toddler ask for “more flax seed oil,” (the last word sounds more like “oy.YELL”) and yet, had she not had a bout of eczema we never would have known she’d find a straight tablespoon of this omega-6 rich oil so lip smacking delicious. In our household we often look to foods first, to cure or prevent our health problems, so it felt natural to read up on eczema before scheduling a doctor’s appointment. After only one week of one-tablespoon daily of pure flax seed oil, my daughter’s skin and hair went from icky and dry to noticeably gorgeous.
Chances are you’ve heard hype about the omega-3 essential fatty acids, but it can feel impossibly hard to keep up on what we’re supposed to be eating and feeding our kids! Take-away, anyone? Actually, about 99% of our population is seriously deficient in this area. Luckily, all of the foods that nourish our hair, skin, and nails, from the inside out also fall into other really healthy and nutritionally beneficial categories.
“After only one week of one-tablespoon daily of pure flax seed oil, my daughter’s skin and hair went from icky and dry to noticeably gorgeous.”
For your omega 3’s, flax seeds, salmon, and walnuts are all excellent sources. If you’re thinking your child will never ever try flax seed oil, try it. Really. At least try it. She may not be into it straight, but then you can get creative or simply use it on your own salads. Flax seed oil can go undetected in milk, smoothies, or yogurt. Ground flax seeds are actually quite nice atop oatmeal or in cereal. There’s a lot of research out there that suggests flax seed oil helps boost our children’s immune systems, in addition to giving them enviable skin. You’ve probably been meaning to add fish to your child’s repertoire, and salmon’s a great one to start with. Because Alaska’s waters are the cleanest, try to buy Alaskan salmon if possible. Consider adding a marinade or making salmon burgers or patties if your child is really fussy. Eating fish once or twice a week is recommended, and eating salmon, mackerel, or sardines will help your children get some of their much needed omega 3’s. If you’re like me, you can’t stand the sight (ok, well, the taste) of walnuts, but maybe you’re not. And maybe you bake. And maybe your kid doesn’t have a nut allergy or go to a nut-free school, which would make serving your darling child a handful of walnuts an easy and healthy snack! Personally, we’ll stick to flax seed oil.
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Remember cod liver oil? Or hearing about the days of yore when parents gagged their kids by forcing them to drink it? It turns out they were on to something. There’s a lot of research out there about fish oil versus flax oil. You can google away and make the decision that’s best for your family. If our planet wasn’t so toxic and our waters were pure and clean, there’s no question that fish oil is the healthier choice. I have a girlfriend, who after months of dealing with her toddler’s ear infections and antibiotics, and who really scoffed at me when I suggested- yes, you guessed it- flax seed oil, now swears by a tonic she created that involves cod liver oil; she puts it in her child’s milk, which is certainly something you could try too.
Some of the more delicious foods are also great for our kids’ hair, skin, and nails. Brazil nuts are high in selenium, a powerful antioxidant, and luckily my kids find them very palatable. Foods high in vitamins A, C, and E generally help nourish the skin as well. Red peppers, strawberries, and kiwi are some of our favorites; these are all higher in vitamin C, surprisingly than the often-applauded orange. Red peppers are also high in vitamin A, along with sweet potatoes and butternut squash; mash up the latter two and you have the same stuff they sell in jars as baby food. Olive oil, almonds, spinach, and broccoli are high in vitamin E. Toss some olive oil into your children’s noodles. Give them almonds for a snack; almond butter, though not cheap, is a great alternative to peanut butter. And finishing their green vegetables isn’t just a matter of good health, but one of beauty as well.
After adding the fish and the oils into your child’s diet, you can take a deep sigh and know that although your fight for world peace will continue tomorrow, your child’s beautiful skin, hair, and nails are because you took the time to consider his health.
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Vitamins: To Eat, Chew, or Supplement?
Jamie Faith Woods |
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 I began by wondering if I should I give my toddler a multi-vitamin- and if so, are Flinstones really okay or is this one of those cases when spending a bit more will be so totally worth it? I ended up with what felt like a dizzying swamp-load of information that led me to even more questions, from: Should I just bring them outside in the sunshine to get their Vitamin D intake? (And if so with or without sun block? And if with, then should I buy the natural organic kind?) To: If my kids eat healthfully, what will their bodies do with the excess vitamins? (It actually turns out that many nutritionists refer to vitamin supplements as creating “expensive urine.” Indeed, reading up on nutritional needs, for any age, is exhausting and confusing, at best. But, when it comes to my babies (OK, they’re technically children now) I wanted to know everything. The more I read, the more questions I had because of my tendency to over think (literally) all of my choices. Every thing.
...our bodies are designed to get our vitamins from food sources, so going with an all-natural vitamin supplement derived from food-sources is far superior than one that simply claims to be plant-derived. Sometimes it’s not just what you eat, but what you eat with it that makes it work.
At fifteen months, my husband and I wrote a computer program (OK, it was in the form of an Excel spreadsheet) that helped us calculate our daughter’s daily and weekly nutritional intake, after our pediatrician suspected lactose intolerance due to loose stool; it turned out she was getting all her RDA. In fact, she was so healthy she was getting 400% her RDA of fiber! (This definitely explained the loose stool!) If you feed your child an incredibly well balanced diet, she does not need a vitamin supplement.
Our bodies are designed to eat our vitamins in the form of food. If you question how healthy your child eats, and that is by no means a judgment on your parenting or culinary style, considering giving her a multivitamin is simply a wise move. Are all vitamins made the same? Does adding high fructose corn syrup to a vitamin supplement make it bad? Well, it depends who you ask. If you ask the companies who add artificial sweeteners to their vitamins, I can assure you that they will assure you no amount of natural sugar would even fit into their vitamins.
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Every vitamin company can claim to be “plant-based,” which sounds really really nice. But our babies are our babies, even if they actually are children. And even if we’ve had a mad race home from work and the drive-through dinner is totally justified, their health actually is the most important thing to us. Skimping on vitamins is not the direction we should be heading in. Chain stores like Whole Foods or local natural health food stores have highly trained educated staff who can help us find the right vitamins for every age. And yes, if your child (or self) takes a vitamin at night, and her body does not absorb all of its nutrients while sleeping, that first pee of the morning will be very expensive!
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