Take A Lap

A family bike ride can be a great way to spend time together and get some exercise, but with younger children, you often alternate between worrying about their safety on city streets and waiting for them to catch up. It can put a real damper on the whole event and ruin the outing. But before you scrap your plans, consider riding your bikes at a local school. We love to ride our bikes on the high school track a few blocks from our house. Always check to make sure there aren’t any rules against riding your bikes on the track, and that there are no events scheduled. And be extra courteous to anyone there to run/walk on the track. Our rule is that we give runners "two lanes" on either side, and always say "on your right" (or left) when we pass. The track is usually softer than the street—excellent if you have inexperienced riders who might wipe out—plus, there are no cars to worry about, and everyone can go safely at their own pace. You can make it even more fun by breaking into pairs and racing each other, even do a relay. It’s easy to keep track of how far you’ve gone, since four laps equal a mile. An added bonus of using the track is that it usually surrounds a football field. If the younger kids get tired of riding, they can run around on the football field or bleachers and you can still keep an eye on them. Be sure to pack plenty of water, load up on sunscreen, and of course, ALWAYS wear your helmet!

Games & Grooves

Looking for something fun to do this Friday or Saturday night? Maybe you’d like to plan a get-together but are feeling the pinch in this economy. You’re not alone. One of our favorite activities is to hold a Games & Grooves party. It’s fun with just the four of us, but even more fun with friends over. The format is really simple: food, games, dancing.

We start with dinner, usually a selection of cold cuts and cheeses, a sliced baguette, and loads of fresh fruit and veggies. Everyone can bring something to share, just make sure it’s simple. If you want to be decadent, add dessert. I like to make truffles—I know, wait! They’re high fat and high calorie, BUT, they’re small and I only make a few. Just enough for that little something sweet at the end of the meal, but not the same as eating a giant slab of three-layer chocolate cake! It usually comes out to one or two per person and no leftovers to wolf down after the party.

The great thing about this type of “dinner” is that you can grab a little something and then go back to the main activities: games and grooves. If we have a crowd, there’s usually a football game going on outside. Or baseball. Or Frisbee. In cold weather, we might skip this part and gather for dominoes or cards. But one of the highlights of Games & Grooves is the old school Atari that I grew up with. We love to play arcade games, and they’re fun for all ages.
Again, I know—wait! No, it’s not just an excuse to sit and play video games. Only two people can play Atari at the same time, so I also put on some mix CDs and if you’re not playing Atari, you’re dancing to the music. Hence, the Grooves part.

See how it all works together? This is a really fun way for everyone to come together, enjoy each other’s company, burn off some energy and just have a good time. I use a lot of music from when I taught aerobics and I love trying to teach my kids the steps. (Seriously, is any song better than Madonna’s “Holiday” for doing the Grapevine? My kids hear it come on and line up behind me.) And I love watching them to see their dance moves.

Now, most people don’t have an old Atari gaming system lying around. A lot of you might have a PlayStation, Nintendo or a Wii. And that’s fine. You can still integrate those games into your healthier lifestyle with no problem, especially Rock Band or Wii Fit. Just make sure you’re still getting plenty of physical activity and everyone keeps moving.

I almost forgot to mention the BEST part of Games & Grooves: you will spend most of the night LAUGHING your head off. They say it’s the best medicine. In any economy. So make some memories this weekend and have fun with your own Games & Grooves party!

Safety First!!

The weather is finally warm and you’re ready to head outdoors and have some family fun. Did you lock the house before you left? Turn off the stove? Buckle up when you got in the car? Great, but before you head out to the park or a nature trail, you’ll also want to make sure that everyone has the proper safety equipment for whatever activities you’re planning to do. So plan a trip to your local sporting goods store first to check out what’s new.

If you’re looking to save some money and don’t mind buying something used, try http://www.playitagainsports.com/, or look online at http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites or http://www.freecycle.org/.

Safety equipment includes helmets if you’re going to be cycling or skateboarding, knee and elbow pads for skating, shin guards for soccer, life vests and water wings for aquatic activities, mouth guards for various sports, and don’t forget a cup for your boy if he’s playing contact sports. (Pretty sure you’ll want to buy mouth guards and cups new, though!)

You can always ask the sales staff about each product to ensure that you’re getting the proper equipment for each family member. But in case you’re looking to save a little money and buy something used, some good general guidelines include choosing equipment that fits snugly, but not so tight that it is uncomfortable, and replacing equipment as it is outgrown or begins to show signs of wear.

With bike helmets, look for a seal of approval from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Be sure they sit flat on your head and don’t scoot back, and that you have proper visibility. You can adjust the fit with the foam sizing pads that come with the helmet. And parents: be a good example and make sure you wear your helmet, too!

Just a little preparation ahead of time can save you a lot of hurt down the road and keep everyone in the game.

Let It Grow

I started out last week with a flurry of new ideas for blog posts, and then mid-week I came down with a case of the cruds: sore throat, achy head and neck, fatigue. With a busy schedule, blog posts had to wait until I could recover. But it’s a new week and I’m feeling much better, so here we go.

My first topic this week is the physical and nutritional benefits of gardening. Now that most of us are enjoying spring weather, the time is right to think about planting a garden. You don’t have to sacrifice a large portion of your yard. Even if you live in an apartment or condo, you can still use containers to grow your plants, or look for a community garden in your area. Tending a garden as a family accomplishes several things: First, it provides wholesome food to feed your family, which can also save time, money and gas, since you don’t have to make that trip to the store when you need a few tomatoes for a recipe. Second, it can be a great workout. Pulling weeds and digging in the soil can increase your heart rate and strengthen yoru arms and back. And finally, it gives each member of the family a chance to contribute to a group project.

Homegrown produce always tastes best! By growing your own, you will know exactly which products were used on your fruits and vegetables. Kids love to “get dirty” and can help by putting plants in the ground and watering. And don't forget the physical benefits: A 150-pound person can burn 286 calories by gardening for an hour.

A garden can also be a source of pride. Even young children can literally see the fruits (or veggies, or even flowers) of their labors and say, “I helped create that!” Taking care of something and watching it grow and prosper carries over to other lessons in life. Besides, at the end of a warm summer day, there is nothing like sitting on the back porch and enjoying a bowl of homegrown strawberries with your family.

National Turnoff Week

I've blogged about the benefits and drawbacks of TV in the past. It can be entertaining, inspiring, and informative. It can also be a convenient excuse to sit on your bottom and do nothing. And when your kids see you doing that, it's all they want to do, too. This week, April 20th - 26th, is Turnoff Week, promoted by the Center for Screen-Time Awareness (CSTA). It is intended to help people "take control of the electronic media in their lives and not allow it to control them." Sounds like something that could benefit all of us. It started as an environmental campaign, but it can certainly provide help to families looking to cut the cords to TVs, music players, gaming devices, computers, cell phones, and other things that encourage inacivity. So this week, families are challenged to find out what it's like to turn these devices off. Instead, plan a family hike or picnic, head to your local roller skating palace, go on a family bike ride to the nearest school and then play on the playground. There are so many things you can do. In the evening, plan a family game night, complete with old fashioned popcorn made on the stove--not the microwave! Do you like to watch sports? Gather up the neighbors for a baseball game. Go fishing. Addicted to home improvement shows? Plant a garden. Clean out the attic. Restain the fence. If cooking shows are more your style, plan an outing to your local farmer's market and buy all the ingredients you need for an organic feast. You will hardly miss those things you gave up.

For more information, click here: http://www.tvturnoff.org/

Spring Is Here -- Time to Head Outdoors!

I don't know about you, but where I live, temperatures are finally beginning to climb and all I want to do is head outside. After months of hibernating on my couch, it feels great to finally get out and get moving. Seize the opportunity to go for a family bike ride, or just take a walk through your neighborhood to see whose crocuses are sprouting up. Got a few errands to do? Why not walk or ride your bike to the market, post office or library? Or how about riding a skateboard or roller blading? This is the perfect time to do it! Or just grab a ball and go out and play catch, start up a baseball game, see if you can kick a soccer ball past your kids and make a goal. Possibilities are endless and you will feel refreshed and renewed in no time. Goodbye, harsh winter! Let's hear it for SPRING!!!

Make Family Time Fitness Time

One of our family's favorite weekly activities is gathering to watch The Biggest Loser. Each season we have cheered at our favorite contestants' triumphs, and cried at their lack of success. I think it helps the kids understand that fitness is a commitment each of us must make, and take it seriously. We have followed the show on NBC and in reruns on other networks. Even though we know who's going to be eliminated, we still find the reruns just as inspiring as the new shows. In our time zone, TBL airs from 7 to 9 pm. Usually, I like to have the kids in bed around 8:30, but on Tuesday nights, we make an exception. For the first hour, we exercise during the commercials. Our son loves to do pushups on the medicine ball, rolling it back and forth between hands. Our daughter has her own version of pushups. Not quite the same, but she's only six. I think that at this stage, it's more important for her to get the idea that exercise can be fun, rather than crack down on proper form. She'll figure it out eventually. My husband and I might lift weights or use resistance bands. When the show comes back on, we finish our set. After 8, the kids know they are done exercising for the day. We like them to have the opportunity to wind down. Sometimes we'll pair up and let one team be the "trainers," while the other team follows their directions. My daughter and I might ask the boys to do stair laps or crunches, and then on the next commercial, it's the boys' turn to train us. Everyone works at their own pace, and it's fun.

Making the Best of It

One of the biggest challenges of healthy living is the dreaded “change of plans.” If we had time to plan every single meal and activity, we’d always make good choices. But sometimes things don’t go quite the way we anticipate and we can be tempted to chuck our diet or exercise plan for the day, which can lead to a binge or a long period of inactivity, derailing our carefully thought-out routine.

But it doesn’t have to be that way if you prepare. I want to share with you something that happened today. In 48 hours, we are leaving for vacation. As usual, I have a million things to do, three writing assignments to finish, and my husband is working every night (and therefore sleeping every day) until we leave.

Earlier today, while waiting for my car to be serviced, I took the opportunity to take a walk and get some exercise instead of sitting in the waiting room and watching TV and gorging on the free popcorn they offer their customers. (Besides, the combined smell of tires and hot popcorn is a bit nauseating!) The temperature was over 100, but I went slow and just concentrated on moving since I knew that my massive chore list would prevent me from getting in my regular workout.

Tonight’s dinner was supposed to be sandwiches, and for tomorrow night I planned to order pizza. (It’s a “sometimes” food, but I’ve learned that the trick is to order a smaller pizza so I’m not tempted to eat so much or have leftovers for lunch the next day.)

Unfortunately, because of the heat, the last few slices of bread I had carefully saved for tonight’s dinner had gone bad. Now what? My default response was to hit our local drive-thru, but I had planned pizza for tomorrow and didn’t want “sometimes” food two nights in a row. Well, I managed to convince my daughter she could have her sandwich on a leftover hamburger bun from our barbecue a few days ago. And I did find two pieces of bread in another bag, so my son got those for his sandwich.

Wonderful, now what about Mom? I poked through my nearly empty fridge and pulled together: one chicken Italian sausage, a handful of shredded mozzarella, and handful of shredded parmesan, some liquid egg whites, and some chopped tomatoes. The packages for these items were already opened, and nearly empty, and I probably would’ve wound up throwing them out before we left. But I scrambled it all up instead. The end result was delicious, filling and surprisingly healthy. Less than 300 calories, and to tell you the truth, it tasted even better than the sandwich I’d planned to make. What a victory.

Experiences like this teach us that it is possible to take a negative and turn it into a positive. All it takes is a little planning and creativity and you will be set up for success. By keeping those items in my fridge, I was able to make a good choice instead of caving in to the convenience and temptation of fast food. And it took me less time to make that healthy dinner than it would’ve taken to go through the drive-thru and come back.

Family Challenge Course

Kids home from school and bored? A family challenge course is a great way to get everyone moving, do some team building and encourage support, all while having fun. And it’s a perfect Saturday morning activity to kick off the weekend in an active, healthy way.

First, sit down and brainstorm for ideas. Write down your list of ideas and then tailor the exercises and the order to each family member. Not everyone is going to be good at everything, and that’s the beauty of it. Each family member has an opportunity to succeed, learn and grow, while receiving encouragement from others.

So what should that list include? Aim for activities that combine cardio, strength, and flexibility. Relax, no one’s going for a ten-mile run. These are easy conditioning exercises in short bursts that everyone can do. For example, we always start and end each challenge course with a sun salutation. It’s a great way to get yourself grounded as you prepare to start, and it’s also a good stretch and reward at the end of your course. Other ideas include push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and skipping rope. Again, remember to design each person’s course to suit his or her skill level. Your teenager might be able to do 50 jumping jacks, but your toddler might only be able to make it to 3. (Or is it the other way around?!) You will get a kick out of your older child rooting on your younger child to finish that third jumping jack, I promise.

You can use every day objects to make your challenge more interesting. How about setting up Mr. Potato Head at one end of the living room and making each person run to him, bend down and touch him, and then run back, say, 10 times in a row. If you really want to up the silliness quotient, add a piece to his face each time you reach him. And make sure everyone gets a big high-five when they complete their laps. You don’t have to be too serious, either. Think of the fun your kids will have watching you hula hoop, crab walk or juggle. Stack up plastic dishes and try to walk from one end of the room to the other without dropping any. Or walk with your kids’ favorite storybook on your head. Possibilities are endless. Look at your kids’ toys and the ideas will come.

Another handy fitness item you might have built into your house is a staircase. We like to do stair laps and stair steps. A lap is one time up and one time down the stairs. You can run up and walk down, or just walk. Be especially mindful that everyone is using caution, particularly little ones. Keep it safe. It’s more about endurance than speed. For stair steps, stand at the base of the stairs. Step onto the bottom stair with your left foot, then your right, then step down with your left and your right. That’s one rep. You might do ten starting on the left and then ten starting on the right. Even your littlest family member can do this. Don’t forget to switch feet.

If the weather’s nice, take it outside, set up an obstacle course on the grass, shoot some baskets, throw football passes, hit a golf ball, or whatever you like to do. Now have everyone try it while pushing a stroller. Don’t be afraid to improvise. You can impose a friendly “penalty” if someone breaks the pattern. My son and I like to go out front and play catch with a football or baseball. If one of us drops the ball after we get a good rally going, we both have to do ten jumping jacks.

Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best things about a family challenge course is that you get to cheer for each other. You don’t have to keep time or make it competitive. Some kids (and adults) do better if they don’t feel that pressure. Some thrive on competition. You know your family best, so just use your judgment. Even if you don’t keep track of time, try to make note of progress. Adjust the components to keep up with each person’s fitness level. If you try to do this challenge course once or twice a week, and you notice that your child has improved from barely able to do five push-ups to cruising through ten with ease, be sure to praise them for their accomplishment. It feels good to hear, “What a strong girl you’re getting to be!” Or, “Wow, look at how much you have improved!”

It may also surprise you to discover how good it feels to hear, “Come on, Mom, just three more push-ups! You can do it!” I think those are about the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.