Dr. Susan's Fit and Fun Family Action Plan: 301 Things You Can Do Today

Kiwi Magazine Review: I had a chance to speak to the ebullient Dr. Susan Bartell about her latest book and I was convinced that she not only knows her stuff, but really has the right approach to instilling lifelong lessons for making fitness a permanent part of family life. The advice is sound and grounded, eschewing fads for lifelong sensible solutions to eating right and exercising. The information in the book is presented in well-organized and very digestible bites so parents can quickly track down specific, age-appropriate information for their kids. The best part about the book is that Dr. Susan uses real situations to provide guidance for parents. I read with vigor the section about the child who races through a meal, only to say she's hungry 5 minutes after the dishes are cleaned up. Everything from teaching kids about portions to making it easy to fit exercise into a busy schedule. For example, keeping a Frisbee in the car and taking the route that goes by the park make it easy to have an impromptu romp to have fun and get bodies moving. Word of caution to parents: you actually have to set a good example by exercising and eating right, too! You'll need to tune up, too, in order to keep up with your fit and fun family!