Teenage Depression

It's a very sad day today because my 13 year old son just got a call that his friend (same age) just killed himself. This was a good looking, very athletic boy, whom everyone liked. I wasn't sure who he was when my son tried telling me until he mentioned "the really good one on my basketball team". Then I realized that his mom reached out to me a while back about training her and a friend. I knew who she was because she was always there to cheer on her son at the games...probably more than I was. It's just so heart-breaking and unfair.
Although it's only been hours since the tragedy, and there are a few rumors as to what happened, I heard he was taking an acne medication, which apparently has adverse effects on teenagers. I've been told that Prozac and Lexapro can cause "suicidal thoughts" in teens. Having been an 18 year old with suicidal thoughts myself, I really don't know if anti-depressants would've helped or hurt my condition at that time. I just know as a parent, I would do whatever I thought would help my child feel better and would do what I could to prevent him/her from EVER comitting suicide, even if that meant taking an anti-depressant. How are we to know what is right for our children? Here are some symptoms to look for in adolescents that may be depressed:

• acting out (missed curfews, defiance, etc...)
• depressed or irritable moods
• eating pattern changes
• criminal behavior
• difficulty concentrating or memory loss
• excessive sleepiness
• excessively irresponsible pattern behaviors
• failing relationships with family or friends
• inappropriate feelings of guilt
• feelings of self-loathing, self-hatred, sadness
• consistent difficulty sleeping
• preoccupied with suicide or attempted suicide
• reduced pleasure in daily activities
• obsessive fears about death or suicide
• drastic change in weight

If these symptoms last at least 2 weeks and show signs of distress, take your child or loved one to get some counseling or psychiatric help. If medication is suggested, read up on it and get a second opinion. We can't be inside the head of another person to know how desperate he/she is, but we can try to keep the lines of communication open and keep educated on what might be able to prevent a tragedy. I pray for this family and thank God for having my family safe as I'm typing this.

Time to Shed the Layers!

I attended my annual AAAI/ISMA Fitness Conference last weekend in Atlantic City, where I go to renew my current certifications and obtain new ones. It was was a great weekend; beautiful weather, I took a few great classes, picked up a new spin CD and some fitness apparel, and got to bond with a few of my fellow group fitness instructors. I even got to enjoy some "alone" time, which is a rarity as a mother of three who runs around like a "chicken without a head" most of the day.
After taking an aerobic class with Petra Kolba and an awesome kickbox class with Janis Saffell, I decided I would take a break and hit the beach. Now I realize most people do NOT go to A. C. for the beaches, but there's a spot in front of Bally's Hotel and Casino that has a Tiki Bar right on the beach where you can enjoy the music, have something to eat, and even bring a drink onto the beach if you want. I personally, was going for the "liquid" diet so my belly didn't look "puffy" on the beach. Here's my first tip: working out for two hours, not eating afterwards, sitting in the sun, and drinking alcohol=DEHYDRATION=MASSIVE HEADACHE!
This was all due to my not feeling good about the way I looked in my bikini. So I decided the next day that I would do something about it the right way...eat properly and exercise more. For those of you living in the southern states, where "bathing suit" season all year, maybe there's more pressure to maintain a good routine all year around. Here in New Jersey, 3/4 of the year we are covered up and it's much easier to "slack off" a bit. So for all of us "four-seasons" people, it's time to shed the layers!
I know we all want to lose the body fat by next weekend, but trust me (after 20 years of trying every trick in the book), CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY! If you follow these few suggestions I'm going to give you (which is what I'm doing, too) I can at least guarantee you'll feel better about yourself more each weekend. Hopefully, after doing this during the summer months, you'll have formed some good habits to maintain through the winter.

• Increase your cardiovascular activity by 30-50%. If you normally walk/run 30 mins. per day, increase it to 40-45 mins. If you're currently doing nothing, start with 15-20 mins. and increase it each week.
• If you're already doing 45-60 mins. of cardio. per day or more and your body fat is still too hight, you probably need to cut back on your caloric intake. Take notice of approx. how many calories you've been consuming and start by cutting out 300 of them per day and re-evaluate after the first week.
• If you are totally clueless as to what or how much you shoul be eating, consult a nutritionist; it would be worth it! For a great online/phone consult e-mail me at info@cindyfoxfitness.com and I'll hook you up
• For starters, cut out sugar from your diet (reg. soda, sweet snacks, most fruit juices), which also means starches your body doesn't burn off that get converted to sugar, like white bread, pasta, and white rice. Substitute your bagel for oatmeal, your sandwich for a whole wheat wrap, and you white potato for green veggies.
• For all of you love cardio and do NO weight-training, start with a 30-minute weight workout per week. If you're not sure what to do or how, go to www.cindyfoxfitness.com and order my NO EXCUSES! Shape Up Workout available on DVD. It's 30 mins. and great for ALL FITNESS LEVELS.

Don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions you may have. This is what I love to do, so now there are NO EXCUSES!!!!!