Safe from SIGG

what’s in the news

BPA, the chemical you love to hate...

5 years ago most of us wouldn’t even have known what BPA was.  Bisphenol A is a compound found in polycarbonate plastics such as those commonly used in hard, reusable water bottles (NOT the disposable bottles you purchase at the grocery or convenience store – those are safe!) and baby bottles, and epoxy resins which are normally used to line metal containers to provide a layer between the food being contained and the steel or aluminum of the can or container.  BPA can be transferred from the epoxy or plastic into your foods and beverages, particularly at high heats.  So, for example, leaving a plastic water bottle in the car all day in the sunshine and then gulping it on your drive home (gross – warm water…)?  Not such a good idea.  How about heating up a tin of beans over the campfire?  Yum!  Cancer!  Well, not exactly…

Health Canada issued a release in 2008 (supported by other governments’ examining bodies) stating that: The current dietary exposure to

Reusable hard plastic bottles like these from Nalgene are now BPA-free...

BPA through food packaging is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and young children.

But this doesn’t mean you don’t want to limit your exposure to the stuff.  Plastics are associated with a higher incidence of hormone-related cancers like those of the breast and prostate.  And we love a health advisory, now don’t we?  BPA has been in the news more than that other nasty acronym, DDT.  As an aside, I’ll take a helping of BPA anyday over DDT… When news about BPA got big in 2008, manufacturers like SIGG and Klean Kanteen cashed in on the new consumer awareness by offering a safer alternative to the hard, reusable plastic bottles that were previously popular.

Here’s why SIGG is in trouble.  While they never actually stated that their water bottles were free of BPA, they did imply it.  Many of my clients use SIGG bottles and chose them, along with competing products like Klean Kanteen, specifically because they believed they were purchasing a product that was free of Bisphenol A and the associated health risks.  Here’s what SIGG originally stated with regard to BPA (or an implied lack thereof) in their bottles:

The proprietary SIGG bottle lining is a water-based, non-toxic coating that is baked into the interior walls and remains flexible and crack resistant for the life of the bottle. This special SIGG lining is not plastic – it is a micro-thin epoxy…Unlike common Lexan plastic water bottles (polycarbonate #7), which studies have shown over time may leach harmful chemicals like bisphenol – A (BPA), SIGGs have been thoroughly tested to ensure they are 100% leach-free and 100% safe! (SIGG 2007 Product Catalog)

And what does SIGG have to say now that the truth has come out about their bottle liner?  SIGG CEO Steve Wasik published a letter of apology earlier this week, claiming:

I learned that many of you purchased SIGG bottles – not just because they were free from leaching and safe – but because you believed that SIGGs contained no BPA. I learned that, although SIGG never marketed the former liner as “BPA Free” we should have done a better job of both clearly communicating about our liner as well as policing others who may have misunderstood the SIGG message.

So they don’t leach BPA.  But that doesn’t mean they don’t contain BPA.  And they do – in trace amounts.  This doesn’t mean your SIGG bottle is giving you cancer.  But it does mean you can do better.  If you use a stainless steel bottle not just for the convenience, cost savings and environmentally friendliness BUT to protect you from the harmless chemicals found in plastic and other bottles, you might be just a little bit annoyed.

Do you have a SIGG water bottle? The company is offering a replacement program so you can trade in your old bottle for a new SIGG bottle with a lining that is 100% free of BPA.  Visit the SIGG website to download the necessary shipping label and form.

fit family goes green

journey to the green side

Beth Beauchemin, green & happy

Hi!  I’m the newest addition to the Fit Family team!  You may have met me in one of your rocking Belly Bootcamp classes, or maybe you have met my evil twin (the personal trainer!) who “lunges” you to within an inch of your life, maybe you’ve never met me, but are intrigued by the name of my blog!  Regardless of why you are here, I’m very excited to be a part of Fit Family and Belly Bootcamp…. and now to have my own blog!

I have been reading mommy blogs since I became a mommy almost 2 years ago.  I’ve always thought the blog was a very interesting phenomenon:  random people deciding to open up and share their lives with strangers for informational, but mostly entertainment, purposes.  That being said, getting a glimpse into other mom’s crazy lives made me feel somewhat better about my own.  I was often inspired to make my life better in some (small or large) way, shape, or form…. or just to relax and let things go!    Fast forward 2 years and here I am excited (and NERVOUS!) about my foray into the world of blogging.  This is scarier than my first day of high school.  Will people like me?  Will they think I’m funny?  Smart?  Even worse, will no one care what I have to say?   My mom always told me “you will never find out unless you try”, so here it goes…. Welcome to my journey to the green side!

I don’t know about you, but on my journey from pre-pregnancy all the way to post-post natal I obsessed more and more about “all-natural”, “organic”, and “non-toxic”.  From slowly switching to organic meets and dairy while pregnant (I was fine to eat conventionally raised foods, but nothing but organic good enough for my growing belly!), all the way to ridding my house of chemical cleaning products and buying the expensive “natural” alternatives – I’ve done pretty well everything I can to make our house as safe as possible for our son.    Funny enough, my husband also became a bit more obsessive through the same time frame.  Instead of worrying about pesticides and toxins, however, he worried about finances.  As I’m sure you know, “all natural living” in the big city (have you ever shopped at Whole Paycheque, I mean Whole Foods?  YIKES!) and financial belt-tightening typically don’t go hand in hand!

So the problem quickly became how do I balance my compulsion to avoid “bad” things with my husband’s budget?  To be honest I’m still not quite on target, and I doubt we will ever sleep in 100% organic cotton sheets (although cotton crops are sprayed with astounding amounts of poisonous and toxic pesticides that stays on them forever), but I have found a few, budget friendly ways to make “going green” more palatable for my husband, while letting me sleep at night knowing I am not pumping my child full of chemicals.   (I told you, it became a compulsion for me!!!)

1. While I LOVE the smell of the yummy, organic cleaning products out there, the honest to goodness, cross my heart, BEST cleaning products are white vingar, baking soda, water, and elbow grease.  A quick trip to the grocery store and practically pennies later, my house is sparkling clean.  OK, so the smell isn’t the best, but a few drops of lemon oil solves that! (a quick google search will turn up hundreds of cleaning “recipes”)
2. Go to ewg.org and find out what fruits and veggies have the highest and lowest pesticide loads.  Did you know peaches and apples are the highest?  Get those in the organic version!  Avocado and onion have practically none, so need to spend money on them!  (better yet – walk or cycle to the nearest farmers market!  Toronto has tons of options and choices, and there is no better way to spend an afternoon!)
3. Become a partial vegetarian.  I grew up on a farm outside of Calgary, so I don’t think I will ever give up meat, but there are so many amazing meatless options out there!  I try to limit animal protein to 1x/day, and the other 2 times I eat plant based proteins.  Not only am I reducing my saturated fat intake, but I also then can splurge on delicious organic meats.  (quick tip – toxins and poisons are stored in fat, so try to make organic “fatty” choices.  Meat, dairy, and nut products fall into this category.)
4. Buy in bulk.  It’s almost always less expensive, and then you aren’t creating as much garbage with all the packaging.
5. Less is more.  This is true for many things, but this resonates for me with children’s toys.  Does Max (my son) REALLY need the latest and greatest (and typically plastic) toy?  Probably not.  Am I a bad mom for not buying it for him?  No, in fact quite the opposite.  Time and time again I realize my son is happiest with the most simple things.  This morning he played with his friends for HOURS with 2 buckets of water, a few measuring cups, and a strainer.   Meanwhile, the battery operated toys that I had to have stayed in the basket in the house and not one thought was given to them.

That’s it – my top 5!  Now I’m off to green the house.  (yes, bad joke, but I bet you smiled!)

little kids with big problems

what’s in the news

You can’t go long these days without hearing another study about the obesity epidemic in North America.  Canadian and American adults and children are bigger than ever.  Last year, Statistics Canada announced that 16% of Canadian adults are medically obese and another 32% are overweight.  Bigger parents means bigger children, and now a staggering 26% of Canadian kids are overweight. If you’ve ever been teased (yes, you… shoved in a locker? called names? picked last for kickball?) you know that being perceived as different can be emotional torture for a child.  An overweight kid might as well have giant neon arrows surrounding her.  But what about the physical consequences of childhood overweight and obesity?

Heavy kids are at risk for most of the same complications as heavy adults: depression, sleep problems, asthma, headaches, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic infections, fatty liver disease, gallstones, constipation, acid reflux, joint pain, fractures and a generally decreased quality of life.  Not the future you envisioned for your little one?  The good news is that simple lifestyle changes like increasing physical activity and improving family nutrition habits have a big impact on little bodies.  A recent study showed that overweight children can lose several pounds just by exercising 20 minutes per day.  Easier said than done, you say?  Well, the gestappo you are not.  If you want to change your kids’ attitudes toward exercise you must understand what’s stopping them from being active in the first place.  A 2003 study determined the top five perceived barriers to exercise among overweight and obese children.  Below are the top 5 reasons that overweight kids, especially girls, feel they can’t be active and five strategies to break down these barriers and get your kids moving:

Top 5 Perceived Barriers to Exercise… and Solutions for Parents

1. Barrier: too much homework and not enough time for physical activity.  Moms & Dads can: suggest short bursts of exercise as homework breaks and build exercise into the daily schedule by encouraging biking or walking to school and activities, if possible.

2. Barrier: Self conscious about looks and when doing physical activity.  Moms & Dads can: shift language to emphasize strength, health and fitness instead of appearance, and choose activities that encourage performance but don’t focus on how to make bodies look better.

3. Barrier: No one with whom to exercise.  Moms & Dads can: schedule family activities on weekends and evenings, and find age-appropriate group activity programs (perhaps not school-based if your child is being ridiculed or left out or feels self-conscious with classmates).

4. Barrier: Feel too overweight to do physical activity.  Moms & Dads can: show kids that work and play activities such as walking the dog, cleaning, frisbee and dancing are all activities of which they are capable and which can help improve their health and fitness.

5. Barrier: Chosen last for teams.  Moms & Dads can: introduce kids to individual sports or sports that are less focused on skill level such as biking, jogging and cross-country skiing.  Encourage strength training to help build coordination and focus; strength training may also help build self-esteem as overweight children are often quite strong.

Children are meant to be active.  In a gentle way, teach your children that exercise is not an option.  Daily activity is as mandatory as daily teeth brushing and exercise, in its absence, is a powerful threat to your child’s health, now and as an adult.  Understanding your child’s attitudes about her body and about exercise can start a conversation between you that will allow you to strategize and come up with solutions to get the whole family a lot healthier and happier.

a home gym for the rest of us

reviews & resources

I occasionally have the pleasure of working with a client who has a real home gym – like the home gyms you see on MTV Cribs (did I just inadvertently confess to watching brainless prepubescent entertainment?) minus the Swarovski crystal-encrusted stopwatches.  Most of the time, my clients do not have a whole room they can afford to designate solely to the pursuit of fitness.  Sometimes we work out in their bedrooms, sometimes we work out in their basements, sometimes it’s a corner of the living room and the attached staircase…

You don’t need a “gym” to work out at home.  You just need a bit of creativity and a couple of basic props.  Check out this video from the American College of Sports Medicine all about setting up your home “gym”:

I recommend the following inexpensive pieces of equipment.  Most of these items can be purchased at any good fitness store – Fitness Depot is my local favourite – or even found in the sporting goods section of a large department store.

• mat, padded or yoga-style
• dumbbells of increasing increments – 5, 10 & 15 pounds are a good start but a single set of 10-15 pounds will do well if you have the guidance of an experienced personal trainer to show you some creative uses
• a resistance band of medium tension
• a bench or chest that can hold your weight (a sturdy kitchen chair or step will do in a pinch)

Cardio at home can be tricky.  A staircase is a great way to inject some aerobic exercise into your home routine.  If you are planning to purchase a piece of cardiovascular equipment, I recommend a treadmill or a rowing ergometer (find out which types of cardio burn the most calories here).  DVDs are another great way to do cardio at home.  And, of course, nothing beats lacing up your sneakers and heading out the front door for a walk, jog or hike.  It doesn’t get much cheaper and easier than that!

For specific questions about setting up your own home gym or to have a program customized to your home equipment and your fitness needs, chat live with Fit Family or send me an e-mail.  Have fun!

children’s fitness tax credit

family fitness

Okay, it’s not the sexiest subject, but tax season is upon us.  The Canada Revenue Agency has offered a tax credit since 2007 to moms and dads who pay to enrol their children in programs of physical activity.   To read more about the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, visit the CRA website and find out how you can claim up to $500 per child per year.

Yet another reason to build regular blocks of physical activity into your child’s days and weeks….