What’s My Plan

Hey, New Yorkers! MetroPlusHealth is here to help you lead a healthy life in the city you love. We’re visiting our members at home to share health smarts for New Yorkers, by New Yorkers.

What’s your health challenge? Whatever it is, we can help. Tweet us your health challenge using #WhatsMyPlan, and we just may show up with a local expert to tackle the problem.

We asked New York City actors to kickstart this video series and inspire you to send your real-life healthy living challenges! The experts are real and the solutions are real.

Check them out below and for more practical solutions, tweet your real health-life challenges to us at #WhatsMyPlan.

This recent transplant to New York is bummed that he can’t afford a gym membership, and he doesn’t know how to workout in his tiny New York apartment. We visited him with Cindy, a Manhattan-based personal trainer, to show him how to work out in a small space. Watch the video for quiet apartment-friendly workout tips.

A Big Workout for a Small Space

Ready to break a sweat without breaking the bank? Check out more of Cindy’s moves that you can do right at home.

Once you’ve mastered the moves, it’s time to incorporate them into a regular fitness routine. Cindy recommends following one of these workout plans up to three times a week.

Race the Clock (20 minutes)

You’ve got 20 minutes on the clock. Spend 3 minutes on each move. Fit in as many repetitions as you can. Take 2 minutes of rest between each move. Pace yourself and drink water when needed!

• The Kickboxer
• The Spider
• The Breakdancer
• The Speedskater

Tabata Circuit (15 minutes)

Think you can’t log a serious workout in just 15 minutes? Think again. This plan adds moves like wall-sits and planks to the exercises above.
Do each exercise for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Give yourself a full minute’s rest at the end then repeat the circuit 3 more times.

• Jog in place
• The kickboxer
• The spider
• Jumping jacks
• The speedskater
• The breakdancer
• Wall-sits
• Plank

This New York City dad knows how healthy fish is, but he can’t get his daughter Olivia to eat a bite. We show up with Chef Shai—and fresh fish—to cook a kid-friendly fish dish. Watch the video for tips on getting kids to eat fish

Kid-Friendly Fish Taco Recipe

Below is Chef Shai’s recipe for fish tacos. Serve this kid-friendly dish with yummy dipping sauces like pico de gallo or chipotle crema for a fun hands-on dinner.

Dip Into This

Pico de gallo:

• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• ½ red onion, diced
• ½ a jalapeno, diced
• 2 T. chopped cilantro
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• extra virgin olive oil

Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Season to taste with citrus juices, olive oil and salt and pepper.

Chipotle crema:

• ½ cup sour cream
• canned chipotle peppers

Put the sour cream in a blender. Blend in as much chipotle as needed to create your desired level of spice.

More Ways to Feed Your Kids Fish

Do you have a picky eater at home? Combining favorite dishes, like tacos, with unfamiliar foods, like fish, is a smart way to get your kids to try new meals. Here are four more kid-friendly fish dinners to try:

1. If your kids love chicken fingers, cook homemade fish sticks.
2. If your kids love spaghetti, mix chunks of fresh salmon into their favorite sauce.
3. If your kids love grilled cheese, make no-mayo tuna melts instead.
4. If your kids love quesadillas, add strips of tilapia along with the cheese.

4 Steps to Filleting a Fish

You may be tempted to let the fishmonger do the dirty work for you, but the truth is that filleting fish by yourself is the absolute freshest way to prepare your dish. Plus, filleting a fish is surprisingly simple. Follow our four steps to fresh, filleted fish. (Can you say that four times fast?) You’ll need:

• A filleting knife
• Kitchen scissors
• A cutting board

1. Place your fresh fish on a cutting board, and use the scissors to snip off any fins from both sides.
2. Use your knife to slice the fish’s underside from tail to head. Rinse the fish under cold water to remove anything inside the belly.
3. Return the fish to the cutting board and use the knife to slice off the head just below the gills. Angle the knife toward the head of the fish so that you are preserving as much of the flesh as possible.
4. Gently slice the fish along the spine, starting where the head used to be and working towards the tail. Carefully separate the bones from the flesh until you can lift the filleted piece of fish. Filleting knives are long and slightly flexible, so you should be able to easily maneuver the blade along the bones. Set the filleted piece aside, then cut the other side in the same manner.

This mom knows her son Niles is being bullied at school—but she doesn’t know how to help him. We bring in martial arts champ Adonis who knows a thing or two about being tough. (Hint: You don’t need muscles to stand up to a bully!) Watch the video for a solid plan to stop a bully.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Bullying

It’s time to have the talk—the bully talk. Find a good time to sit down with your children to have an open conversation about bullying. Follow these tips from StopBullying to get ready for your talk.

• Make sure your kids know that bullying is never okay.
• Work together to identify a few trusted adults that your children could talk to if they see bullying at school.
• Talk about how to stand up to bullies. Teach your kids to be confident, tell the bully to stop, and then walk away.
• Explain why fighting back isn’t the right approach.
• Discuss ways to prevent a bully’s attacks, such as staying near teachers or other groups of kids.
• Involve your kids in activities they love to help them make friends and feel confident.
• Encourage your kids to be kind and helpful to others who are being bullied.
• Keep talking. Keep listening. This isn’t a one-time topic. Check in from time to time so that your kids know you can always discuss this sensitive topic together.

The Cyberbully versus the Schoolyard Bully

Make no mistake about it—bullying is wrong, whether it’s happening on social media or in the school hallway. The cyberbully may not be able to rely on physical intimidation, but this modern-era bully has plenty of other tactics to tease, taunt and threaten.

Why Cyberbullying Can Be Worse

It may feel like there is no escape from a cyberbully. Hallway bullies are only at school, but social media, texts and emails work 24/7. Kids can run away from playground bullies, but there may not be a way to avoid the attacks of a cyberbully. Even if your children learn to stand up to a bully in person, there’s a possibility that they won’t even know the identity of a cyberbully.

Get Involved—Online

You can help prevent cyberbullying by monitoring your child’s online behavior. Know which sites and platforms they are using and with whom they are interacting. Chances are that you’ve paid for any computer, table or smartphone they are using, so make it a condition of their usage that you must know their passwords. Parental control software is available, but these systems aren’t foolproof, so you’ll still need to be actively involved in your child’s online life.

Above all, keep the lines of communication open, and be understanding and approachable. Encourage your kids to report any instances of cyberbullying to you immediately.

Learn more tips for handling cyberbullying at StopBullying.