About Melanie Jordan

Healthy Lombard Partner and Certified Health and Wellness Coach Melanie Jordan specializes in helping others get back to their dream weight for good without gimmicks or deprivation. Weight Loss Coach Melanie really “gets” those who are challenged with losing and maintaining their weight as she has successfully overcome her own weight struggles and kept off 48 pounds. Melanie is also an ACE Certified Group Exercise Instructor and Silver Sneakers FLEX Instructor specializing in Senior Fitness (Zumba Gold® Licensed, Certified Ageless Grace® Educator and Silver Sneakers® Classic Exercise and Circuit Certifiied

5 Healthy Back to School Tips

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

Making back to school time healthy can be handled with ease when you incorporate these five healthy back to school tips into your children’s daily routine.

1. Don’t Short-Change Your Kids’ Sleep

According to the National Institute of Health, school-aged children and teens need at least 9 hours of sleep a night. You know how you feel when you sleep less than the 7-8 hours we as adults are supposed to get on average. So be sure to have an established bedtime that lets your kids get the proper rest so they are mentally and physically ready to take on the day at school.

2. Exercise Rocks!

Sadly, many schools have eliminated or reduced physical education classes. However, just because physical activity may be lacking during school hours, it doesn’t mean your child should skip it. If possible, have your child walk or bike to and from school, go to the local playground after school as weather permits, join a kid-friendly family gym or join a children’s sports or dance program. Studies show that at least 60 minutes of exercise a day helps children maintain a healthy weight, build strength, stamina and self-confidence, reduce stress and sleep better.

Want your kids to be more active? Take the lead by exercising and setting a good example! Or add some quality time by doing something active together each day.

3. A Great Day of Learning Starts with a Good Healthy Breakfast

A solid breakfast helps your children do well in school helping to support brain function, concentration and energy, and it also helps with maintaining a healthy weight.

An ideal healthy breakfast includes high quality protein like smoothies with whey protein, eggs (more egg white in proportion to whole eggs to balance cholesterol if they have them frequently) which can be made to go in a whole wheat pita, tortilla or English Muffin, turkey bacon (nitrate free if possible) or a quality energy bar like Quest Nutrition Protein Bars made from whey and milk protein (they have a cookies and cream bar that’s unbelievable).

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Free Ageless Grace® Demo Classes in Lombard - Anti-Aging Fitness for Body and Brain

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

Certified Ageless Grace® Educator Melanie Jordan will be offering three free demo classes of the Ageless Grace Anti-Aging Fitness Program for body and brain in Lombard the week of July 21st.

What is Ageless Grace?

It’s an anti-aging fitness program for body AND brain based on the science of neuroplasticity. Each of the 21 simple tools focus on the healthy longevity of the body, mind, emotions and spirit. It’s a creative, lively chair-based class set to upbeat popular music with natural moves (no choreography to learn).

It’s for baby boomers, all ages and abilities of seniors and those with weight, joint, diabetes, MS and other challenges, as well as those in wheelchairs or with other physical limitations love it! This class is for anyone at any age who is interested in aging gracefully using timeless anti-aging techniques for the body and brain that almost anyone can do!™

When and Where are the FREE Ageless Grace Demo Classes?

Monday July 21st 1 - 1:45 PM, Helen Plum Library, 110 W. Maple St. in Lombard Register at: http://helenplum.org/adults-50-plus or call (630) 627-0316. This is the July Senior Social Program.

Tuesday July 22nd and Thursday July 24th 10:15 - 10:45 AM, York Center Park District, 1609 S. Luther Ave in Lombard, just up from Meyers Rd, call or text Melanie to reserve your spot at (949) 285-7770 Cell.

These three free demo classes are a great opportunity to see what Ageless Grace is all about and how much fun you can have!

Those who are interested in taking Ageless Grace with Melanie Jordan ongoing can register for one of her 6-week classes at York Center Park District. The next ones start on Tuesday 7/29 and Thursday 7/31 10:15 - 10:45 AM for just $20 per 6-week class, $35 for both Tuesday and Thursday. The classes are also Silver Sneakers FLEX Program approved and are free to Silver Sneakers members with their current membership card. To register online go to: www.ycpdfun.com or call (630) 629-0886.

Melanie Jordan is an ACE® Group Fitness Certified and Silver Sneakers FLEX Program Instructor and Wellcoaches® and ACE Certified Health and Wellness Coach and Healthy Lombard Partner who specializes in senior fitness and teaches Zumba Gold at York Senior Center in Lombard and Mayslake Village Senior Center in Oak Brook and Ageless Grace and Senior Strength and Circuit Training at York Center Park District in Lombard.

3 Steps to Healthy Eating For Teens

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

Between media messages (including social media) and commercials that distort ideas of acceptable body images, glorify junk food and fast food and hype crazy fad diets that are all too accessible for impressionable teens, it’s vital for parents to take extra steps to ensure their teen maintains healthy eating habits that can make it easy to maintain a healthy weight and good health for life. The following are some important steps to healthy eating for teens.

1. Breakfast is a Must

Many teens skip breakfast, but it’s not a good idea because breakfast helps teens (and everyone else in the household for that matter), with doing well in school through its impact on brain function, concentration and energy, and it helps with maintaining a healthy weight.

2. A Clean Plate is Not Always a Good Thing

Many of the weight loss coaching clients I work with today who struggle with weight issues can trace the messages of “clean your plate” drilled into them as a child, and often with the addition of “don’t you know there are children starving in the world” to magnify the guilt of leaving the table without finishing everything. While you want your kids to have sufficient nutrition, it’s really beneficial to help them develop the good habit of using their own body cues to tell them when they have had enough food.

3. Don’t Stigmatize Food

Don’t tell your teens that a food is “bad” or “good.” All food is fuel, of course some fuel is a better choice than others, and what we have is simply a matter of choice. You want to refer to foods in a context like “everyday” or “always” instead of “good,” and “sometimes” or “every now and then” foods instead of “bad.”

This is another common thing I have to work on with my coaching clients who have weight challenges that’s been ingrained since they were very little who often refer to themselves as “being bad” or “being good” when they consume certain foods. When a food is dubbed as “bad” teens can end up with guilty feelings about it which could lead to eating disorders. It also can become more desirable as something forbidden or rebellious and can foster cravings that lead to overindulgence or even bingeing that would not be the case if the food was not given special status.

Healthy Lombard Partner and Certified Health and Wellness Coach Melanie Jordan specializes in helping others get back to their dream weight for good without gimmicks or deprivation. Weight Loss Coach Melanie really “gets” those who are challenged with losing and maintaining their weight as she has successfully overcome her own weight struggles and kept off 48 pounds. Melanie is also an ACE Certified Group Exercise Instructor and Silver Sneakers FLEX Instructor specializing in Senior Fitness (Zumba Gold® Licensed, Ageless Grace® Certified Educator and Silver Sneakers® Classic Exercise and Circuit Training Certified).

Childhood Obesity - Half of Parents With Obese Kids Don’t Consider Them Obese

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

A new study just published in the March issue of Pediatrics says that half the time parents are turning a blind eye to childhood obesity-they simply don’t see, or want to see, that their child is severely overweight, and consider him/her to be normal weight.

The review of 16,000 children ages 2-18 across 69 studies also shared that parents of children aged 2-5 were more likely to underestimate the weight of children who are overweight in elementary school or beyond.

So why the disconnect regarding childhood obesity? Some parents think kids just have baby fat, or that they’ll grow out of it. In addition, parents that have have not yet faced up to their own weight problems are going to be less likely to see their kids as having one.

Currently, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), one-third of children are overweight or obese, and this puts them at risk for all the health problems that impact overweight adults-Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep apnea and more-but at a much earlier age.

So how does a parent know if their kid is overweight or obese? Numbers don’t lie. A child who is in the 85th - 95th percentile of a BMI chart is overweight, and above that, they are considered obese. While there are deficiencies in BMI charts, it’s usually only thrown off by a very athletic child with lots of muscle mass, and that’s an obvious exception.

The lesson here is to be honest about your child’s weight situation and work with your medical professional to help him/her healthfully lose the weight so they can grow up to be healthy adults without health issues. The time to act is now, as another study recently documented that children who are overweight in kindergarten, are four times more likely to be obese by the time they hit 8th grade.

Some easy fixes include:

Limit TV and video game time and get your child to move more and be more active
Don’t let them drink their calories in the form of juices and sodas
Makeover favorite junk foods and comfort foods to their healthiest versions or find an equally acceptable healthier alternative
Limit junk foods to be real treats-not everyday items
Teach your child about proper portions
Make fruits and vegetables fun
Help your child make better choices when eating school lunches and eating out

Healthy Lombard Partner and Certified Health and Wellness Coach Melanie Jordan specializes in helping others get back to their dream weight for good without gimmicks or deprivation. Weight Loss Coach Melanie really “gets” those who are challenged with losing and maintaining their weight as she has successfully overcome her own weight struggles and kept off 48 pounds. Melanie is also an ACE Certified Group Exercise Instructor and Silver Sneakers FLEX Instructor specializing in Senior Fitness (Zumba Gold® Licensed with Ageless Grace® and Silver Sneakers® Strength Training Certifications pending).

How Are They Doing Pt 2? Latest Update on Our Your Healthy Life Made Easy!™ Contest Winners

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

It’s been a few weeks since we last checked in on our Your Healthy Life Made Easy!™ Contest Winners, so here’s an update on how they’re doing, and we have some great stuff to shout out! For background on Cindy and Cheryl CLICK HERE

Contest Winner Cindy Musiel broke through an important weight loss benchmark in early December-getting back down to a weight she hadn’t seen since 2009! Since my last post on 12/3, Cindy is down another 14 pounds-21 since we started working together in early October and 69 since she started her overall weight loss journey in April 2013!

Cindy was a little frustrated when the scale refused to budge over the holidays despite her keeping her workouts up-only losing about half a pound-but as I tell all my weight loss coaching clients, if you can just maintain your weight over the holidays when most people gain weight, you’ve done an outstanding job! And in her case, like it is for most people, it’s just temporary as sometimes the body just needs a chance to catch up.

Getting close to the end of the 4th month of our work together (out of 6), now Cindy is focusing on increasing the intensity of her workouts as she’s lighter and more fit, increasing the speed on the treadmill and elliptical, doing some HIIT (high intensity interval training) using work-at-home videos that she’s modifying for some prior injuries to make them right for her and keeping up the resistance training she added when she joined a gym in November.

Interestingly, Cindy was using an app that she felt was giving her too low a daily calorie target for all the activity she was doing, and when I reviewed her records I agreed. So we actually had to adjust her consumption upwards to give her the proper amount of fuel to support all her activity. And the pounds are coming off steadily again. Yes, sometimes when you’re trying to lose weight, you actually have to increase your calories to strike a proper balance.

Contest Runner-Up Cheryl Behrens finished her 3 months of coaching with me earlier this month, and dropped a major surprise announcement on me during her final session. As you recall, while Cheryl had come to enter the contest for weight loss reasons, when we got to talking, she really wanted to focus on getting more energy, organization and a regular, healthy eating pattern into her life, reducing stress, get more work-life balance and maintaining her ability to do all the activities that she wants to in life as she gets older. So we put the weight loss aside…or so I thought.

By the end of our time together, Cheryl did achieve all that and more. She’s been feeling way less stressed, more positive as life’s challenges come her way, achieved greater work-life balance all on increased energy. Cheryl has learned to not try to take on too much at one time and scatter her focus, as well as to be creative in organization of her time and space so she feels more in control of her world-something we can all aspire to do.

She’s taken new measures based on ideas we’ve brainstormed together to ensure she eats regularly and healthfully even if she doesn’t want to cook for herself. And when it’s not snowing too badly and doesn’t feel like Siberia out (or CHIberia as my husband has been calling it), she gets to the gym.

So the BIG surprise from Cheryl, was that without even trying, by addressing all the other aspects of her health and wellness she wanted to work on together, she sneakily LOST 10 POUNDS during our 3 months together! She had told me that she wanted to surprise me with this happy, unexpected change, and she sure did!

It goes to show you that like I always believe, weight loss and weight management are intertwined with all other areas of wellness-nutrition, fitness, stress reduction, work-life balance and life satisfaction. Needing to lose weight is usually a sign that something else in your life is off, and until you get to what’s really getting in the way of being the happiest and healthiest you, it’s going to be a struggle to get to where you want to go. But once you do, it’s not as hard as you think to lose weight and keep it off for good.

I learned this lesson myself through my own weight loss journey that led to a 48-pound weight loss I’ve kept off for 4 years now, and I’m privileged that as a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I get to spend my days helping people like Cheryl and Cindy make their healthy lives easy and break down these barriers every single day

How Are They Doing? Update on Our Your Healthy Life Made Easy!™ Contest Winners

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Melanie Jordan

It’s been a little bit since Healthy Lombard Partner and Certified Health and Wellness Coach Melanie Jordan started working with the winner and runner-up of The Greater Lombard Area Weight Loss Transformation Contest, so let’s see how they’ve been doing! For background on Cindy and Cheryl CLICK HERE

Our Winner, Cindy Musiel is what Coach Melanie calls “an absolute rockstar!” As of 11/25-her last weigh-in, she’s lost seven more pounds. Cindy also smartly planned for the Winter weather by joining a gym and taking her workouts indoors, added water aerobics, and is now strength training and doing Zumba®-new experiences for her.

Another new achievement for Cindy was walking her first-ever 5K (The Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot in Elmhurst) to kick off her Thanksgiving celebration. Now she’s eager to do another one!

For runner-up, Cheryl Behrens, she’s decided to focus more on stress reduction and feeling more energized with Coach Melanie. So together, they’ve been working on time management, getting more organized and being more in control of situations where it’s possible. Cheryl has been making great strides in these areas, and is already reporting improved energy, feeling better and being more active.

Way to go Cindy and Cheryl!