N0w that the school year has started again, more kids are involved in organized, active sports.
This is great! Organized sports are a great way for kids of all ages to get regular physical activity. At the same time, it’s important to remember that physical activity should also involve unstructured playtime. Our Live 5-2-1-0 guideline (and many doctors) recommends at least an hour of physical activity every day for every child.
Things you might not think of as “physical activity” can be great ways to get moving: activities that get your heart rate up for a sustained period of time, in or outside of the house, will help you and your family be healthy: Continue reading “The sky’s the limit for physical activity” »
Did you know that fewer and fewer children are walking to school every day?
In a time where physical activity is declining among school-aged children, walking to and from school offers a vital opportunity for physical activity. There are many reasons why kids don’t walk to school as much – safety, busy schedules and longer distances from school are some – but there are thousands of parents, kids and communities working to make walking to school easier for kids.
Congratulations to SCOPE community Abbotsford, one of five BC communities who won the Healthy Families BC Walking Challenge… and $10,000 towards a walking trail! Abbotsford was the community in the over 100,000 population category with the most entries (combined number of stories, videos, photos, and maps entered for that community), and qualifies for a further draw for a grand prize of $50,000 to be done this week!
Congratulations Abbotsford, great work to Healthy Abbotsford and SCOPE Coordinator Laura Loudon for her hard work in mobilizing the contributions of her community toward the goal of an upgraded walking trail that will provide lots of active fun for beautiful Abbotsford for years to come!
Check out Abbotsford’s contributions to the Walking Challenge website here, or this great article on walking 10,000 steps on Healthy Abbotsford’s website to get some great ideas on how to reach your Live 5-2-1-0 Guideline – walking is an excellent way to get at least 1 hour of physical activity every day!
Hosted by CBC and their Live Right Now campaign, Run Run Revolution is an inspiring tale of a group of 12 and 13 year olds who were chosen to be part of their schools running team. This group of kids was selected for their diversity and commonality of leading sedentary lifestyles, which makes them representative of many of their Canadian peers. The running team was challenged to a 5km race and team sprint to be raced at the Boston Marathon. Through a cold, snowy and dark winter these kids worked as a team to inspire each other to be the best that they can be.
If you are ready to take the next step and begin your own Run Run Revolution you can access both a physical training guide as well as nutritional information that was used on the show. Do it solo, create a neighborhood group or start your own school team…the possibilities are endless!
For more information, to view the video or to access the training program just visit the Run Run Revolution website.
Next week is BC’s Bike to Work Week! Both of SCOPE’s pilot communities, Prince George and Abbotsford, are participating along with other cities and communities across the province.
Biking to work (and school!) is a great way to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Biking burns calories not gas, which means biking is both cheaper and healthier than commuting by car. SCOPE’s community coordinators will be out and about next week, manning our SCOPE booths.
It’s not to late to get involved! If you’re interested in participating in the Fraser Valley, Prince George, or elsewhere in the province, visit the Bike to Work website to learn more or to register.
Well isn’t this just the coolest. Lets Move! has brought superstar Beyonce onboard their campaign. Beyonce has released a catchy workout tune, ‘Move Your Body’ that has kids busting moves across the United States. At 1:42 on Tuesday May 3rd, 2011, 600 schools across the country participated in this coordinated dance workout. The internet is scattered with youtube videos of the dances. With fun campaigns like this it’s easy to see why there is so much energy and momentum behind the Lets Move! intiative.
First Lady Michelle Obama drops by a D.C. School to watch students do the Let’s Move! Flash Workout.
Here, one lucky school receives a visit from Beyonce herself while they are doing their Flash Workout!
It is common for adults to meet with exercise professionals to discuss ways to increase their fitness, but how often do you see kids meeting with personal trainers? Continue reading “The playground is the new gym” »
Recently, the Gumz family of Lakewood, CO, USA, won the Primrose Schools(tm) Family Dance-Off in support of the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon. The Family Dance-Off is
“a national video contest that encourages families to step up the fight against childhood obesity by dancing for healthy, active lifestyles. In honor of the Gumz family’s victory, Primrose will donate $30,000 to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, as well as award the family a $5,000 cash prize for their efforts.” (PR Newswire)
We think this is an awesome way to encourage kids to get moving, and involve parents in physical activity in an easy way that’s suitable for all seasons. Yesterday I spotted a parent holding his year old baby up to the glass at the hockey game. When the thumping music would turn up, the baby would start bobbing up and down, moving her arms and giggling. Kids are naturals when it comes to dancing – let’s catch up with them by dancing for health this week! It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than turning up some good music and moving your body, and it can help you and your family on the way to getting at least one hour of physical activity!
Some resources for getting kids dancing and moving:
From LEAP BC, early childhood physical activity resources include Dance With Me, an activity sheet on dance with your 0-3 year old.
For 3-5 year olds, here’s Freeze Dance, also from Leap.
A list of action songs for kids, including actions and lyrics
Stressing over tax time? Well here’s one tidbit that may give you a smile. Parents can claim up to $500 of their child’s physical activity expenses in their tax returns! See here for the details.
We love that our government is on-board in encouraging families to enroll their kids in healthy extra-curriculars! It is also something to keep in mind when signing your kids up for activities in 2011.
I have one in front of me every day at work. I have one in my pocket each and every day, and another in my computer bag, and there’s even one on the Skytrain platform I wait on every day on my commute to work. I am surrounded by screens!
N0w that the school year has started again, more kids are involved in organized, active sports.
Did you know that fewer and fewer children are walking to school every day?
Check out Abbotsford’s contributions to the Walking Challenge website 
