In a panic I called an off-cycle family meeting to discuss our healthy eating and exercise plan. I was headed to the grocery store to re-stock after returning home from vacation the day before and I felt it necessary to announce that I would not be bringing home any chips, junk or craziness. It was definitely time to snap out of vacation mode and get back to reality. It's not the first time we've talked about this as a family, but I definitely felt a sense of urgency in bringing it up again. We had just spent the prior week in the Bahamas for Spring break and the kids and my husband ate so much fast food, ice cream and fries that the running joke was that my husband was going to turn into a hamburger, my son was going to turn into a hot dog and my youngest daughter was going to turn into a chicken nugget. My oldest daughter ate a variety of equally unhealthy foods but she mixed it up more so she couldn't identify with just one dish. Being on vacation and eating almost every meal out for a week was not optimal and allowed the kids (and my husband) to get overly comfortable eating poorly and lounging. Some would argue that that's the purpose of a vacation, but I disagree. I think you can maintain healthy habits regardless of your circumstances. As a trainer and a health enthusiast I pretty much eat the same way when I travel as when I'm at home. I travel with my own snacks, stick to my exercise plan and make sure to drink my 96 ounces of water daily. So, I feel totally stressed out when I see my family "relaxing" their nutritional standards and eating junk food like there's no tomorrow. Now that we were home I wanted to remind them that our goal as Team Vincent is to take care of our bodies through healthy eating and daily movement. As soon as I announced the renewed emphasis on healthy eating and exercise my ten-year old and my eight-year old looked at each other and rolled their eyes and let out a groan. I actually felt bad for a hot minute because I don't like being the "health police", but I truly want them to be equipped to make healthy choices when I'm not around. As crazy as life can be the last thing I want them to worry about are preventable weight and health issues. As a parent I know that it is my responsibility to feed my kids healthy foods, insure that they get enough exercise and to generally lay the foundation for healthy lives, but at times they can lay the guilt on thick and make me feel as if I am too strict. Even my husband, who is very health conscious most of the time, can give me the puppy dog eyes when I'm on a roll, preaching the virtues of a healthy lifestyle. Realizing that not everyone is as enthusiastic as I am when it comes to nutrition and exercise I took a step back and suggested that we focus on a core group of priorities that everyone could stick with and incorporate into our daily lives. In an effort to keep it simple and to optimize compliance we decided to re-dedicate ourselves to the 5-point Team Vincent Health Plan, also known as the TVHP: 1) Eat breakfast every morning. This is a big one because study after study shows that people who eat breakfast are more alert, have more energy and eat fewer calories throughout the day. 2) Snack on fruits and veggies (e.g.carrot sticks, celery dipped in ranch dressing). We each try and eat 5-7 servings a day. 3) Watch our portions. Just because food is there and looks good doesn't mean we have to eat it. Learn your bodies hunger and fullness ques and feed it accordingly. 4) Spend time moving our bodies every day. This can be riding a bike, walking around the neighborhood or dancing to Radio Disney. 5) No juice rule. Drink water or milk unless there is a special occasion like attending a party. Our pediatrician told me about 3 years ago that the hidden calories in juice are the number one culprit in childhood obesity. So far we've done a pretty decent job at sticking to the plan. I would give our family an eight out of ten on the healthy eating scale. I realize it could be a lot worse, but I'm still shooting for the 10! I was really encouraged and really thrilled last week when my daughter declared that she wants to start running with me and that her goal was to be able to run five miles without stopping by the end of the summer. I smiled to myself and realized that children really do look to their parents for guidance and direction. I'm happy to play the role of health czar for Team Vincent and will continue to try and think of innovative ways to get my point across and make being healthy fun.