Whether you are a homeschooling family, or annoyed that your kids only get PE for a quarter of the school year, or PE has been cut entirely from your curriculum due to budget cuts, it becomes necessary to supplement their physical education at home!  There are 3 components of fitness that children should be involved in:

Strength: Using monkey bars, playing tug of war, climbing, sit ups, or handstands (At Erica’s soccer game on Saturday, she was apparently getting bored as the goalie.  The ball was coming down the field toward her goal, and we had to yell at her to stop doing handstands!  Real competitive one, that girl!)

Endurance: Playing tag, jumping on a trampoline, riding their bikes, soccer

Flexibility: tying their shoes, cartwheels.

The Utah education curriculum website has lesson plans and ideas for physical education.  I found two on there I thought were fun:

Scavenger hunt- it’s a website that pops up differnet things to search for in your house.  You can play with one or two players, click the button, and search for the item that it tells you.  You have to run to get the item and run back to the computer to see the next item.  Lot’s of running!

Fitness Challenge This one presents different challenges the kids can do like push ups, sit ups etc.

I wanted to introduce you to Annett Davis, an Olympic volleyball player that home schools her two children.  Her website is Fitmomsfitkids!

Anyway- I asked Annett about homeschooling and exercise.   I’ve pasted what she told me about how her family handles it:

I am a part of 2 homeschool support groups.  Both offer PE classes for homeschooled kids, both are better than our public school programs.  In CA the PE and music programs are being cut, cut, cut!  Both of my homeschool groups also have hiking clubs once a week.  We go on 1 1/2- 2 hour hikes with a guide whose climbed just about every major mountain in the world.  She is very knowledgeable, so they get exercise and are educated along the way.   Plus, homeschooled children can join sports teams in their cities just like any other child.  My kids do track, swimming, football, baseball, and dance throughout the year.  Last year my son via my homeschool group also took an 8 week fencing class!  We have about 15-20 homeschoolers in that class!  Homeschooling should not be an excuse, it actually should be a plus to get out and exercise as a family.

THANKS ANNETT!! Check out her website and take her challenge. to get fit!

Researches have found that kids whose parents set screen time limits (TV, video, computer, etc), those children are more physically active.

The research article came out of July’s Journal of Pediatrics.  I’ll break it down into the parts I think are interesting!

• Recommended screen time limits are less than 2 hours per day
• Of kids 9-14, 27% exceeded recommended limits.
• Kids whose parents had limits within the recommended guidelines were more likely to be physically active.
• The more active kids were one week, the less screen time they used the following week.
• 76.9% of homes with cable had more children going over the limits.
• While almost 50% of parents said in a survey they set screen time limits, only 37% of those kids said there were limits in their home.  LOL!

We are not a family that eliminates screen time altogether.  My husband and I enjoy some television shows, and we both obviously use computers.  I think it’s important for kids to have rules and limits, so they will eventually self-regulate their own screen time and not become zombies as teenagers, or worse- video game addicted husbands!

We definitely have screen time rules at our house.  They get 30 minutes of video games per day. Also, they watch TV in the morning and then the TV get’s turned off at 9AM (sometimes it’s 9:30AM if I’m distracted).  I bought a small timer they set by the computer or the Wii that they set for 30 minutes when they are playing video games.  Once it beeps, they know their time is up.  Then it’s pleading of “Can I win or Die” scenario from there.

What are your screen time rules?

Update on our Japanese friends.   After an 18 mile run (my friend and I are getting ready for a marathon), they decided they wanted to hike to Timp Caves (3 miles round trip)!!   I am so sore today!

Kids need to play outside! That’s obvious to my readers, I know.  But we are always looking for ideas.  This is what we did to get outside this week.

Last summer my husband bought some inflatable rafts.  I had no idea when he spent $20 on them, how much we would use them.  I thought they were overpriced and would spend too much time, deflated in our garage.

However, with the kids super bored yesterday, he took the kids to a pond behind our house.  Generally, we don’t even get near this pond.  It’s simply a drainage ditch for irrigation water.  But with the park area being literally deserted, we set out to put our rafts on the water.

  So, don’t be picky! Don’t think you have to spend the day at the lake for some good outdoor time.  See what opportunities are literally in your backyard!

I’ve been thinking about the importance of getting outside after seeing an article in the paper on Sunday.  And also, checking out the book from our library titled:   Last Child in the Woods, Saving our children from Nature Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.  Such a great book! He explores the psychological and social problems associated with children NOT being outside!

The newspaper article also pointed to a website where you can Sign the pledge with the National Wildlife association, and they will email you a "Summer Survival Guide" full of things to do outside.

From the Deseret News article:

Equally important is what the outdoors can do for the mind, she says. "We cite research that shows that the attention span is increased in kids who spend a lot of time outdoors." … Research that shows outdoor activities can help reduce stress, can encourage social behaviors. And let’s not forget that it’s fun.

Plus: 52 Great Outdoor Activities

This is the perfect weekend to get outside and celebrate Independence Day!  Happy 4th of July to all in The United States!!

I love studies that conclude that exercise does more than improve your physical health, but also your mental health!  For me, its just as important that my kids are well physically as mentally.  And that they have all the academic advantages available to them!

This recent article by the NIH (National Institute of Health)  looked at a study of 1.2 million people!  The study determined:

fit teens were more likely to obtain a university degree later in life. Fitness at age 18 was likewise linked to landing better jobs, with higher pay or management responsibilities, up to 36 years later.

One explanation about the connection is:

"Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen," says study coauthor Dr. Michael Nilsson of the University of Gothenburg. "This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength."

So, do your teens like to be active? Or do they prefer laziness?  Movies? Video Games?  Texting?  Here are some ideas I think may help teenagers get busy!

• Provide a fun activity!   Take them sledding, water skiing… get them a ski pass… sign them up for sports…
• INVITE THEIR FRIENDS!!! Are you going sledding and your kids don’t feel like going.. let them bring a friend.  This works in our house every time. 
• If they want a dog, offer to get one on the condition they take the dog for walks each day.
• Get them new sports equipment, or exercise clothes.  New things are fun to try out and even help me to get to the gym
• Gift certificates to bowling, ice skating, a dance class etc.   If they’ve been wanting to just try out something new, this is a good way to let them experiment.
• Take them to an athletic event.  Even though you are spectators, often it will ignite the desire to play the game yourself.
• Get a wii with active games. (we Like Dance Dance Revolution)
• Play night games… my husband loves to do this with the kids and their friends, and I’m still trying to get him to write a post about it for me. 
• Use Exercise VIDEOS!!

Do you need some exercise videos?  One of our blog sponsors, 45pounds.com is offering an exercise video to giveaway.  Check out 45pounds.com and check out my post about them!

I can’t take credit for some of my best ideas on this blog (like Today). I have my family, friends, and neighbors to thank for that.

This Idea came from my sister in law. Last Sunday we were at her house when I noticed a chart on her wall for tracking push-ups and sit-ups. So, I had her give me all the details. These are her words:

I’m glad you asked because it’s been a really awesome experience for me!

I like working out with a partner, but Joel isn’t so much into the working out. He mostly likes basketball and soccer, which I suck at. So I’m trying to lose my baby weight and I always try and set goals for myself.

So I thought if I had my kids do exercise with me it would help me stay on track. Here’s how I set it up: We do our exercise smack-down, as we call it, everyday during the week that we have to do our other chores. My kids know they need to do it before they can play with friends for the day. It doesn’t matter how many pushups or sit-ups we do and we mark on our chart graph how many we did that day. Each day that one of us beats our personal record we earn $.25 to be paid out at the end of the month. We watch/spot each other doing the exercises and cheer each other on. If there is ever a day that they say they’re too tired or don’t want to do it, we deduct $.50 from the money they’ve earned. So, if they’re feeling tired and can only do one pushup, they won’t lose any money. But even when my kids have expressed feeling tired, once they start doing their exercises they usually still work to beat their record.

So far it’s worked great.

Here’s our beginning stats (6/1/10):

• Me – sit-ups: 25 pushups: 3
• Lincoln- sit-ups: 23 pushups: 0
• Asher – sit-ups: 20 pushups: 17

Stats as of today (6/16/10):

• Me – sit-ups: 58 pushups: 14
• Lincoln – sit-ups: 217!!! pushups: 11
• Asher- sit-ups: 115!!! pushups: 24

Even my daughter does our exercises with us, sometimes, and I’ve been amazed at how much we can increase each day. It’s been a positive opportunity for us to learn how to exercise together and I’m so proud of my kids for their hard work!!
The best is that Lincoln couldn’t do any boy-style pushups when we started and now he’s up to 11! I’ve loved helping them beat their personal bests and to see them working so hard each time!
I kind of didn’t know we’d progress so much in such a short time. I’m thinking about changing up our exercises for next month to work different muscle groups. I was thinking for July we could work on lunges and triceps or back work.

So, that’s it.

So, here is TJ, strutting his stuff.  Beth’s chart was pretty big… so, here is my ghetto version of her awesome chart.

Related Posts: Our 2008 summer family run project.

I was so excited to get these family pictures back from Natalie- Utah County Photographer! I couldn’t be more happy with them, and wanted to share them!

So, if you need some pictures, call Natalie! She’s awesome!!

How do you get kids to exercise?  Make it fun, right?  My husband found some fun activities for Pack Meeting the other night (he’s the cub master).  The kids had so much fun.  TJ (not a cub scout yet) wanted to re-create the events at home because they looked so fun.

EVENT #1 (Most Popular)

Newspaper boy- We set up a bowling pin (Yes, we own ONE bowling pin), a basket, and a tin container.  The kids would ride by on their bike, take a newspaper out of their bag, and try to hit the targets.

EVENT #2

Weaving- We set up cones for the kids to ride in and out of, weaving through the cones.

EVENT #3

Slow bike race- This one was hilarious.  It’s so hard to ride a bike AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE!  The last one to make it to the finish line was the winner.  It takes quite a lot of balance to ride SLOW!  I thought this one was hilarious to watch.

So, grab your kids, grab their bikes, set up a course, and spend some time outside this holiday weekend! 

First, I’m so excited to offer this giveaway! CASH! Seriously, what could be better?  One day only to enter! I’m giving away FIVE, $50 cash cards from Western Union.  Head to the giveaway page to enter. 

But first, while I’ve got your attention, let’s talk about an outdoor activity idea.  CAR WASHING   Great exercise, right? You know, wax on…. wax off.  Danny taught us long ago we can get work done AND learn Karate at the same time!!  The new Karate Kid looks pretty good, don’t you think?

Plus, kids actually enjoy this activity!  What kid doesn’t love to spray the hose, or dip a big sponge in a bucket of sudsy water?

As they get older, the incentives may need to go up.  But this guy was happy to do the job for a dollar.

Hi there loyal readers! I’m hanging by a thread here as I move into the last 3 weeks of this semester and try to get ready for finals.  So, until May, when I’m totally going to rock this blog with awesome ideas, I’m going to try to post small (maybe not always awesome) tips and ideas each day.

Today’s idea comes from Nate, my 11 year old.  He’s been “competing” with his friends to see who could do a ‘wall sit’ the longest!   One friend he has can literally do it for 45 minutes!

Bringing it home: Try it with your kids.  Be in the competition yourselves!  I bet your kids can beat you. 

Prize for the winner:  I gave a quarter to the winner! The kids were highly motivated.

This was our contribution to the 1st grade Easter party. Easter ring toss. Since we like to do ACTIVE games.

I had Wade (my husband) who knows his way around a saw.. cut out some Easter Eggs.  Then, because I can’t paint, I purchased craft paper to glue to it.   He drilled a hole, I stuck in a dowel.  Then I got some pool rings (that you dive for) at the store.

And of course TJ had to practice before we took them to school.

The kids had a great time! And trust me, if I can make something crafty, literally.. anyone could do this!

Yesterday, a reader, Amy, sent me this question:

My boys are 9 and 12 and I am interested in sports nutrition for kids. Do you know of any good sources? These would need to fit along with our clean eating, no HFCS, etc.
Specifically, my question boils down to this. Right now, my 12 year old is starting track. He has track right after school, from 2:50-4:30. After a long day of school, and lunch around noon, I really want to send him with a snack for before practice. What are a few things that he can take for a quick snack before practice that will satisfy his hunger and energy requirements? 
Thanks,
Amy

Energy for muscle activity comes from both glucose and fat. We are constantly using our fat stores for energy at rest.  However, glucose is the main source of energy for high intense activities.  But the storage form of glucose (glycogen) runs out quickly and needs to continually be replaced.  To increase glycogen stores just before intense activities, we look to carbohydrates.    Carbohydrates stay in the stomach a shorter time than protein or fat and are easily digested.  The glucose then enters the bloodstream quickly for energy to exercise.

Eating more carbohydrates applies to just prior to, or during activity.  Studies have shown, “Athletes who train while consuming relatively high fat diets may increase their body’s ability to use fatty acids for energy formation during prolonged exercise.  So, bottom line…. The rest of your child’s diet needs to be balanced!  Carbohydrates do not provide a sufficient amount of zinc, iron, vitamin B 12 or other nutrients.   Balance is necessary to build up the storage of fat for energy, as well as provide adequate protein for muscles building and repair.

Here are some ideas from my nutrition textbook under “Nutrition for Physical Performance”

PRE-EVENT MEALS:

Meal #1

• Orange Juice
• Cold Cereal
• Skim Milk
• Toast with Jam
• Water

Meal #2

• Apple Juice
• pasta with tomato sauce
• Italian bread
• Water

Meal #3

• Pineapple juice
• pancakes
• honey
• skim milk
• water

Between events:

• Apples
• crackers
• fruit juice
• banana
• applesauce
• oranges
• pears
• whole wheat bagels
• corn bread
• bread
• canned fruit

And of course, Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

So Amy, I wouldn’t hesitate to send a bag of cereal, to school with your kids to eat afterward, or even a few pancakes. The pancakes wouldn’t be so bad even eaten dry and cold!

Anyone else have ideas of transportable high energy snacks, resources, websites or books on sports nutrition??

Information in today’s post taken from the textbook, “Nutrition Now”.

• www.eatright.org (pdf on Eating right during exercise!!) AND Eating right BEFORE exericse)
• International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise.
• Exercise and sports nutrition review (full article is available with section on General nutrition strategies for optimal performance.