Today’s Guest – Jen Brewer
1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?
Jen Brewer, RD (Registered Dietitian). Age 38. I do nutrition counseling and coaching for individuals and groups, as well as speaking across the country. I recently authored a book: Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight.
2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?
My dad.
3. What did they do to inspire you?
He did it mostly through example. From the time I was little, I can remember him getting up in the wee hours of the morning to go for a run, or to go play basketball. He would often take us with him to go to the church and play early morning basketball. I remember him asking the night before if we would want to go, and then ask how much we really wanted to go (we would be getting up before 6:00 am!). One night I was so gung ho to go that I told him, “no matter what I say in the morning, I really want to go, so don’t let me sleep in!” Sure enough, when morning came around, I begged him to let me just stay in my bed and sleep, but true to his word, he flipped the light on, threw the covers off, and made sure I made it to basketball. As I look back, those were some of the funnest memories I had. Our daddy-child dates were mostly on the ski slopes. This was the one time he actually let us miss school and go on a special ski date with him. We got to do it once a year, and it was always an amazing day to spend with him. We would also go on many family ski days together. In the summers, our family time was spent water skiing or shooting baskets out in the drive way.
With regard to eating healthy, one comment that he made when I was visiting home from college has stuck with me ever since, and even formed an entire section in my new book. We were talking about cheese cake. It is a food that my mother absolutely loves. I asked him if he loved it as well. He said, “well, I like it alright, but not enough to spend the calories on it.”
4. How did their lesson change your life?
His comment about spending calories on cheesecake has served me ever since. I formulated a whole philosophy around it that I have used with many clients called “cash calories” teaching people to view calories as a cash budget that they have, and when they look at a food, to really decide if they want to spend their ‘cash calories’ on that food. It really helps people get in tune with what they love, versus something that they just want to throw in their mouth.
5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?
I am now the mother of 6, and we have used his example on countless occasions. My husband and I are very proactive in making our family activities be activity related. In the summers, we go on family bike rides. During the winter, we go skiing as a family (yes, even down to the 2 year old!).
6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?
Start from wherever you are and just focus on adding one tiny step. Get up and get moving at any opportunity! From a nutrition standpoint, I would say, eat to live, don’t live to eat. Start now to make healthy eating a part of who you are and you will have a body that will stay strong and healthy to be able to do so much in life!
7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?