BOKS Blog Archives | Page 9 of 9 | Active Kids Active Minds

Why Gratitude Needs to be Practiced All Year Long – Not Just on Thanksgiving

In the age of technology, it can be easy to take things for granted. Information is quickly accessible through a screen, an Uber gets you from point A to point B, and we stay connected with our friends through social media. If anything, the ease of access to the things we need lulls us into going through life at lightning speed. But it often isn’t until we are without the things we take for granted that we become thankful.

When your child is sick, you may feel thankful for the days they’re healthy. When your phone battery dies, you may realize how much you depend on it. But by only feeling thankful in times of loss or difficulty, we can forget that thankfulness is even more powerful in times of abundance.

Thanksgiving Gratitude

On Thanksgiving this year, note the traditions your family and friends cling to. This could include a hearty dinner together, going around the table and expressing what each person is thankful for, or even just noting five things that you are thankful for. Traditions many times are also centered around being active (which we love)!

This could include your family’s touch football game in the backyard, a nature walk after turkey dinner, running a local Turkey Trot, or even a little family friendly dance competition. But here’s what is most important; instead of practicing these traditions and recognizing your gratitude once a year, repeat them weekly. Remind your children, loved ones, and yourself of everything you feel grateful for and engage in activities that get your body moving with friends and family as much as possible.

Turkey Trot

If you need further proof that practicing gratitude is important, being thankful has been proven to increase the production of dopamine, decrease symptoms of depression, and lead to better sleep. From this evidence on brain activity, it starts to become clear how improvements in gratitude could have such wide-ranging effects from increased exercise. This is particularly true in times of stress, as the brain struggles to focus on both positive and negative stimuli. But similar to physical fitness, practicing gratitude must become part of your everyday life before you can reap the rewards. So as wonderful as Thanksgiving is, it’s important to ensure that you’re thankful every day. Here are four tips for practicing gratitude right now:

Fuel your endorphins. It’s easier to be grateful when you’re happy, and it’s easier to be happy when your endorphins are flowing. So get active by taking a walk, going for a run, or playing a physical game.
Practice as a family. If you want your children to learn and practice gratitude, start by asking them to talk about something they’re thankful for every night at bedtime. Turn it into a bedtime story of its own, and after they’ve shared their gratitude, express your own.
Journal. Once a day, write down three things you’re thankful for. Keeping a journal by your bedside makes this easy to do in the morning or before going to bed. Reread once a month.
Volunteer. According to UPenn Professor Martin Seligman, giving back has been shown to be the most efficient and reliable way to increase your well-being in the moment. If you want to make the most out of volunteering, find a cause you care passionately about and add routine weekly volunteering to your schedule.

Have your own way to practice gratitude with your family or friends? Tag @bokskids on Instagram or Twitter and show us how you take thankfulness beyond Thanksgiving!

Source: Forbes

How to Utilize iPhone’s New Screen Time Feature

According to a study conducted in 2018 by PEW Research Center, 95% of Americans own a cell phone of some sort and 77% specifically own a smart phone. In addition, almost 75% of Americans also own additional digital devices such as a desktop or laptop computer. One thing is clear – technology is everywhere, all the time! Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that digital addiction is a hot topic, especially with today’s youth. For the past few years, many individuals, especially parents and educators, have expressed concern over youth’s addiction to their devices. In fact, our own BOKS Founder & Executive Director Kathleen Tullie likened today’s digital addiction to previous generations’ cigarette addiction in both her blog post & LinkedIn article earlier this year.

However, over the past few months, tech companies have taken a step up to combat this addiction. In August, Facebook & Instagram launched app upgrades to limit the time spent on those apps. Just a few weeks ago, Apple released iOS 12, unveiling a new Screen Time feature, debatably the biggest improvement within the operating system and undoubtedly an incredible tool for parents to manage their family’s screen time. While not an ultimate solution, this new iOS feature finally gives parents a tool to curve their children’s screen time, or even restrict usage to certain categories apps. (Note: If you aren’t familiar with Screen Time, check out an overview of its functionality here.)

After using the feature a few weeks ourselves, we’d like to share some advice to those looking to utilize this new iPhone functionality:

Lead by example: All apps might not be created equal, but screen time is screen time and kids are very observant. To them, replying to your important emails is the same as sending a snapchat back to their bestie. Set goals and restrictions for yourself at the same time as you do so for your kids, and explain to them that you are all in this together (and mean it!).
Offer an enticing alternative to Screen Time: Try coordinating your family’s official “downtime” and spend the time doing something as a family. These activities can be anything from cooking a meal together, playing a game, going for a family walk, or doing a family BOKS Burst (these are free – sign up to receive via email here).
Start small and be patient: While turning the Screen Time functionality on might just take a few clicks, actual behavior change in your child’s (or your) habits isn’t nearly as quick. Start with small, attainable goals and reward yourselves for meeting them.

Good luck, you got this – now put whatever device you’re reading this on down and go do something active!

How to Manage Your Kid’s Candy Consumption: Top 10 Tips!

Halloween is a highlight for many kids, excited to dress up as their favorite character and eat endless amounts of candy. However, it can be more of a nightmare for parents concerned with their child’s nutrition and sugar intake.

We know that most types of food enjoyed in moderation, with the occasional over indulgence, are acceptable, and this is especially true on Halloween. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet treat or chocolate bar? While Halloween is the time to treat yourself to classic Halloween candy, it is important to try and balance your child’s candy intake while still allowing them to enjoy the holiday.

As a parent, creating a balance between keeping your child active and allowing them to devour their hard-earned candy collection can be stressful. That’s where BOKS can help!

First, we suggest visiting our Play of the Day page to access fun daily exercises, so you can get your kids moving before the sugar overload. Or sign up for our Burst Activity Breaks delivered right to your email box every week! What can you do with these tools? One idea is that you could create a game with your kids: 1 completed Burst = your child has won a piece of candy!

Below you can find more tips on how to help monitor and limit your child’s candy intake:

Have children pick up to 10 of their favorite treats to have the night of Halloween, and then put the bag out of sight. Following Halloween, set a limit of how many pieces they can have in a day.
Eat a filling, healthy meal before trick or treating. This will prevent children from eating all of their candy in one sitting.
Exercise prior to eating the candy to get the body moving so the sugar overload doesn’t make them off the wall hyper!
Offer non-candy alternatives such as bags of popcorn, pretzels, trail mix, or small toys to trick-or-treaters that come to your door.
Only purchase large bags of treats the night before Halloween to avoid having them in the cupboard weeks prior to Halloween.
Consider buying back some candy from your child. For example, a Kit Kat bar could be worth $0.25 and a Snickers is $0.50. This way your child doesn’t feel like anything is being taken away and still provides a little treat for them.
Offer a trip to the movies or tickets to a sporting event in exchange for 10 pieces of candy
If your child is begging for more candy, try and appease them with fruit which is natural sugar.
Encourage your kids to share their candy with others who may not have as much.
Use Jimmy Kimmel’s famous method and tell your kids you ate all their Halloween Candy: https://www.tvguide.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-halloween-candy-prank-1088667/

Let us know on Facebook what you do to create a healthy balance between exercise and sugar intake during the Halloween holiday season!

BOKS and the Importance of Volunteering

BOKS has got it all: the squats, the burpees, the games, the nutrition bits, and so much more. But everyone knows that kids of the 21^stcentury don’t necessarily respond to programs just because they are backed by science, or just because they are told it’s good for them. The most important part of BOKS, that makes the program what it is, is the human connection that exists between volunteer trainers and students.

BOKS Kids Class

BOKS trainers should be prepared to take on not only the role of a fitness motivator, but also a role model. The concept of monkey see, monkey do could not be more true in this setting. Yes, during the program the kids are physically copying the movements of the adults at the front of the room. But the most important part of volunteering in the program is the imitation that happens after the 60 minutes. What are the kids going to bring home with them to implement in their everyday life? Whether positive or negative, it’s going to come from what they see in BOKS trainers. It might be a simple smile, “great job”, or conversation that resonates with a student and causes them to be inspired by fitness. And we all know how life changing fitness can be in and of itself.

Volunteer Trainers

With fitness as their tool, BOKS trainers enter an environment that is commonly associated with boredom, homework, etc. and shatter that negative school stereotype. Think about the impact a BOKS trainer has when a student is more engaged in their studies after their BOKS class that morning. The impact they have when kids retain more information, get higher test scores, and are better prepared to enter high school. BOKS as a program has a ripple effect that extends further into the lives of kids than fitness alone; but it is through the volunteers that this impact is made deeper and more meaningful.

As leaders build the relationships and facilitate the activities that inspire students in BOKS, no one can ignore that the positive impact of volunteering is a two-way street. Getting involved not only with BOKS, but with your community in general, is fulfilling in a personal sense. Most volunteer trainers say it’s their BOKS visits that are a highlight of their day – the kids are fun and it feels good to make them smile. Being able to see the growth of students in a class over time, whether it be in their attitude or physical abilities, is something that cannot be put into words or valued in numbers.

The simple effort of a volunteer coming into school to teach fitness goes a long way as well. Students are seeing adults take time out of their work day to do some burpees, play some games, get their blood pumping. It communicates a message that this is probably something to pay attention to and take seriously! As volunteers facilitate this personal connection, the possibility for inspiration in kids across the country, they are championing the “Be More Human” message of Reebok more than ever. It’s not a question of what is going to motivate kids to take control of their health and embrace fitness, it’s a question of who.

Gym Class Trauma Leads to Future Health Problems

By Kathleen Tullie, Senior Director of Social Purpose Reebok and founder & executive director, BOKS

A recent article published in the Daily Mail details a new research study which found children who were picked last or excluded in gym class were more likely to exercise less as adults.

While not a surprise, this is cause for great concern, as standard gym class structure is centered around the idea of competition and being graded on participation. If young children are being turned off by gym class and physical fitness at an early age, they will be far less likely to be active as an adult and therefore more susceptible to becoming obese, put at risk for heart disease, and have a shorter life expectancy.

Recent study results from the World Health Organization validates this research, showing that one in four people worldwide are physically inactive. Despite increased efforts to educate on the topic these stark numbers released in 2018 have remained unchanged since 2001.

Results derived from study author Dr. Panteleimom Ekkekakis of Iowa State University suggest that a person’s memory of PE class has “some degree of influence on their self-perception and the degree of their sedentariness.” Experts suggest that PE classes should shift focus onto team work versus an individual’s performance, in order to strengthen a child’s happiness and/or future health.

Standard gym class, can pose more of a stress on children than a way to release built up energy. Many gym classes feature ‘elimination games’ where some students are ultimately picked last or left out, driving children to be unhappy and unmotivated to participate in physical activity. The study also found that 34% of participants felt embarrassed by their PE experience due to being chosen last for sports team, with one woman adding, “the day the doctor excused me from gym was the best day of my life.”

Beyond what researchers say, we’ve spoken to a number of our BOKS trainers who have shared their traumatizing gym class experiences with us. One of our all-star trainers Jesse Farren James told us, “growing up, I was heavy, so for me gym class was horrible. I never saw physical activity as fun – I saw it as something that was very embarrassing and uncomfortable.”

Here at BOKS, we are addressing this very issue. Our curriculum centers around fun, noncompetitive, inclusive play, that aims to get children moving without the stress of these ‘elimination games.’ The BOKS curriculum provides children a safe environment to practice skills through play, while building confidence and developing lifelong healthy habits.

Understanding that the pre-teen age is pivotal in a child’s development; we are also excited to announce that we have recently enhanced our BOKS Middle School Curriculum. This curriculum originally included a traditional full 12-week BOKS session, and now has an additional session that combines functional and fundamental fitness that better aligns with the National PE Standards.

At the end of the day, we need to get more kids moving. However, we want to ensure that the kids are enjoying the experience so that they continue to be active throughout their lives. By implementing the BOKS program into your school, you are helping children develop a healthy relationship with being active and therefore setting them up for a healthier, happier, more active life.

If you, or someone you know, would like to bring BOKS to a community near you, click here to enroll your school!

Trainer Spotlight: Abby McPherson

For this week’s trainer spotlight we had the chance to speak with Abby McPherson, BOKS trainer and PE teacher at Turner Elementary in Washington, DC. Abby was first exposed to BOKS while she was working at Playworks and began volunteering at BOKS in the mornings for volunteer service hours. As time went on, Abby began enjoying BOKS more and more, and when she was hired by Turner Elementary school she brought the program along.

“It’s been a joy to have another place to work with kids,” Abby remarks.

The program has been successfully running for several years now and has brought an increased sense of community and growth to the school

“I love seeing my students of all grade levels interacting with each other outside of their BOKS class. They talk in the hallways, they interact outside of school, the older kids care for the younger ones,” Abby notes. These relationships have yielded an “increased sense of community and closeness that can sometimes be missing in our schools.”

Trainer Spotlight

Parents and teachers have also noticed a transformation in students and overall school cohesion since the BOKS program started running at Turner. Parents have told Abby they love the extra time that their kids get to spend at school, and that some children with attention or behavioral issues have found relief in the program.

Teachers have also expressed their approval of the program noting that sometimes kids need to bring extra shirts to school because they are moving so much in their BOKS class!

Abby will be leaving next year and hopes the program will continue on without her. The work that trainers like Abby put in every day is cumulative in nature and inspires us to continue to make small differences every day here at BOKS!

The 2018 CrossFit Games BOKS Kids Area Experience

This past week, our BOKS team had the incredible opportunity to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the 2018 CrossFit Games!

The CrossFit Games brings together some of the fittest people on earth including fit families and kids.

A large part of our visit entailed talking to parents and the general CrossFit community about BOKS’ mission and how we aim to bring more opportunities for movement to kids across the globe. We were able to share our message with almost 500 families, and as a result, get more schools enrolled in our program!

During the games kids got the opportunity to try BOKS classes first-hand and run through obstacle courses designed to bring more physical activity into their day. We also held daily burpee challenges, encouraging kids to try and beat the week’s record of 35 burpees in one minute.

Not only did we have a great experience spreading awareness about the BOKS program but we lovedwatching the CrossFit athletes compete. We were especially inspired by the athletes in both the Teen and Masters age group divisions. These individuals truly showed that fitness has no age limit. We hope that more people take a page out of their book and don’t see age as a limiting factor, but rather, a motivator to be fit for life.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in bringing the BOKS program to your school, follow this link to get started! Also be sure to check out our Instagram and Twitter for highlights of the Games!