Fit family finds comfort in staying active
WASHINGTON — For the holidays, your family probably sits around and eats. I know mine does. But the Weiss clan of suburban McLean, Va., has a different tradition. Every year, personal trainer Margie Weiss puts her six grandchildren in elf ears and reindeer hats and has them assist her in leading a weight-pumping workout to holiday tunes.
Instead of comfort food, Margie has taught her family to dig into what she calls “comfort activity.” “You like what you're used to,” says Margie, 61, a former competitive gymnast. “It's just what we do.”
The result is something we all hope for: a healthy family. Too often, spending time with our loved ones during this time of year translates into lazy days and decadent dinners. But these gatherings are also opportunities for a winter warmup and a chance to pass on active habits to the next generation.
Chances are you've heard of Margie's son, Michael Weiss, 34, a two-time Olympic figure skater who has turned pro. Daughters Geremi, 37, also an accomplished skater, and Genna, 38, a former world junior diving champ, have both joined the family training business, Body By Weiss.
Even great-grandpa Lewis Sims, who's 101 and lives in an assisted-living facility, lifts weights. Margie proudly notes that when her dad turned 98, he complained that his 2-pounders were too light. So these days, he hoists 3-pound dumbbells. And I can only imagine how prepared the youngest Weiss, Geremi's 5-month-old, is for a life of sport. Margie is already monitoring his flexibility by stretching his legs every time she changes a diaper.
The key to getting kids to move, Michael explains, is to do it with them.
“I never say, ‘You go do this.' It's always, ‘Let's go do this,'” says Michael, who often joins his 11-year-old son, Christopher, for his team's off-ice hockey workouts, which include trail runs and agility drills. An evening in front of the TV with his wife and two children always features group stretching. Even the family dog, Varly, learned to run on the treadmill so he can get in on the action when the whole gang's in their home gym.
That kind of environment is what makes a born athlete, Margie says. Genetics and raw talent play a factor, of course, but having a supportive network that values healthy living can make a major difference in how kids view activity for the rest of their lives.
It made a difference for the Humphries family of Washington. Mom Dana, 42, daughter Caprice, 12, and son Clifton, 11, recently beat out folks from across the country to be named the winners of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's first Triple Play Fit Family Challenge.
The two-month competition required them to overhaul their diet, incorporate daily fitness and spend more time building their relationships.
Dana had the goals in mind long before signing up. “But I couldn't wrap my head around what to do,” says the single mom, who was grabbing takeout meals and having difficulty motivating herself to exercise. And though Clifton had always been a basketball and baseball player, Caprice was starting to follow in her mom's sedentary footsteps.
Once they had a plan to follow, however, the family's transformation was speedy. Caprice joined indoor track at school and soon had a baggy wardrobe. Dana, who suspected the knee pain she had when climbing up steps was a sign of arthritis, suddenly didn't feel it anymore. “Now I can run up,” she says.
They incorporated changes gradually. One week, they tried new fruits and vegetables. (Kiwi was a hit, but eggplant didn't get much love.) Another week, they stormed the Mall to hoof it around the monuments and museums.
“My kids love learning about history, so we used that to do exercise walking. It makes it fun,” Dana says.
And this year, they've won quite a remarkable present. Grand prize for the Triple Play Fit Family Challenge is a vacation for the three of them to a U.S. Olympic training facility. Maybe one day, Dana's future grandchildren will be headed back there to go for the gold.