A Secret to Happiness, Life Fulfillment, and Weight Loss Parents Can Pass Down to their Children

In Exercising Values, we make a unique bridge between fitness and character training believing that by combining the two we get more success in each. There is a third pillar to the Exercising Values program and that is fun, family times. Research that has crossed my desk this week confirms the pivotal role this third pillar plays in your child's happiness,life fulfillment and in their fitness. It is also key to your own happiness,life fullfillment,fitness and weight loss. The research indicates that by combining these three we have the secret to reaching these goals in your family.

The first study came to my attention via Bill Phillips of Body for Life fame. In his blog at http://transformation.com he discusses a study published  Feb.26, 2009 by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine out of the Harvard School of Public Health  which looked at the results 800 overweight men and women ages 30-70 got from diets that were either low-fat and high protein,low-fat and moderate protein,high fat and high protein or high fat and average protein. These people were studied over a two year period.

I'll let you head to Bill's blog to see the results that were discussed but let you in on the secret buried in the research notes Bill discovered by digging through them himself. There was a 225% difference in weight loss achieved between two groups but they weren't the focus of the study. He found differences between the people who attended a support group during the study and those who did not! Support and the sense of belonging that goes with it was linked to increased weight loss in a way that no magic formula of macronutrient distribution could do.

Then I received an email from http://FTRnation.com  that referenced their research into what leads to happiness and life fulfillment and their conclusion that a sense of belonging out weighs money,safety,marital status, and geographical location. This is a new site so I don't know much about it but that conclusion certainly resonates with me. The first place all of us get our sense of belonging is in our family. Later we will add support from friends,school affiliations,church affiliations,political, etc. the list goes on. But initially we get our sense of self and our base of love and support from our families. We belong to a family and that sense of belonging can enable us to grow and feel happy and special. Without it we are at a keen disadvantage.

One of the perspectives of the Oceans of Mercy orphanage in Port Elizabeth that most impressed me was when they explained that if someone wants to sponsor or "adopt" a child from there they must understand that it is a life long commitment because none of us suddenly ceases to need our family and our sense of belonging the minute we turn eighteen. To learn more:http://oceans ofmercy.com .  We are part of a family for our entire life even when we grow and begin a family of our own. We have roots. They anchors us.

Exercising Values is advocating that parents be a bit intentional about this and think through what they want to teach their children by way of character and values and then to invest some time each day to do that while engaging in a fun, fitness activity. Children learn while they are on the move. Maybe they learn much better when they are relaxed and happy  and being active  with the other people in their family.

So a secret to happiness, life fulfillment, and even weight loss is a sense of belonging. Setting aside a consistent time each day to teach character to your children while doing a fun fitness activity will enhance their security and sense of belonging to your family. They will have something to look forward to and will know they can count on your undivided attention. There is so much to be gained by realizing how much you can give to your child in such a small amount of time. Consistency is key and a plan really helps. That is what Exercising Values is here to give you.