News Category: News

It’s the last and final post in our three part series from Dr. Ratey. He’ll be joining us again soon, but for now we’d like to leave you with the last four tips to keep kids moving!

This week Dr. Ratey provides tips surrounding kids as they start to get a little older and determine what kind of play or physical activity they prefer.

7. We are all worried about our children falling into the world of video games. When kids become friends with others who are active it helps them stay away from this temptation. Studies also show that schools who emphasize more physical activity have children who are healthier, better behaved, do better on standardized tests and have higher grade point averages. The US Institute of Medicine in fact, recommends an hour of day of vigorous activity in school not just to help avoid obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other physical ailments but to raise test scores.

8. There is not one specific activity that is best for children but instead kids should engage in all exercise that demands endurance, strength, flexibility and is fun as well as goal oriented (competition with oneself and others). Thus basketball, soccer, volleyball, fencing, table tennis, badminton, any form of dance, martial arts, gymnastics, tennis, squash and of course BOKS demand endurance, strength and flexibility. Getting children engaged in an array of sports and activities early on in life has the most beneficial effect to keep children stay active throughout their life.

9. When a child begins to show a preference and skill at a certain sport, this should be followed rather than forced. Joining a team or group that offers coaching and instruction at this point in time, can be an important step. Feeling the sense of mastery in one activity will help the child become more confident and expect more from themselves in other activities such as school work and studying.

10. Children and parents need to be aware of the many benefits of play, exercise, and sport. Most think activity is just for the body, but we are encouraging people to learn of the effects on the brain, the personality and the ability to socialize.

Physical activity has many benefits and hopefully after reading these great tips from Dr. John Ratey you have a better sense of how truly important it is. And remember to always have fun doing it! Exercise is medicine.

Back with more from Dr. John Ratey, one of our expert bloggers, who is here to give you an additional three tips to keep kids moving! 

This week Dr. Ratey provides us with tips about the general activities of pre-school aged children as well as kindergarteners.

4. At 2-3 years of age kids should be running, jumping, and developing future skills like hand eye coordination by catching a ball or playing games like ping pong, with parents and friends. An hour per day is recommended to focus on this coordination.

5. The more activity that can be done outdoors the better! We know that there are many bonuses to being active outdoors including the simple positive effect that nature has on the brain, a sense of well-being as well as intellectual development.

6. When kids reach the age 3, and especially when they are in Kindergarten, structured play or games should be introduced like soccer, swimming, racket games, skating and of course BOKS! At this stage kids begin to learn the basics of good exercise like sit ups, push ups, knee bends, jumping jacks, and much more. They should also be encouraged to engage in free play like tag, chasing games, and made up games in order to learn from the other children they are interacting with.

Join us next week for more tips from Dr. John Ratey!

Are you looking for tips to help your children prosper using physical activity and exercise? Well, look no further. Dr. John Ratey, one of our expert bloggers, is here to give you a few more reasons to get kids moving!

Exercise for kids is first and foremost all about playing and having fun. It helps them develop physically (keeps them from being obese and diabetic), emotionally (decreases anxiety, bad behavior and poor mood) and is necessary for proper brain development (makes them smarter, more motivated, and helps their brains grow properly). Physically the goals for children are to develop endurance, strength and flexibility. Emotionally play and vigorous activity will help them more easily deal with stress, provides better attention span, helps to fit in with their peers, as well as be more resilient.

Here are the 3 Tips of the Day:

1. Parents should play with their children starting at early as possible in their lives. On the floor as the child is beginning to crawl, parents should encourage them to move correctly to a target (favorite toy or the parent themselves), and to just enjoy moving. Eventually the goal is to encourage them to chase the parent or grandparent as well as have the child engage and laugh with them. Make a game of it and everyone will enjoy it. Our infants come out of the womb expecting to move and if they do not move or play they will have smaller brains, be more inappropriately aggressive, achieve less academically, and be less socialized later in life.

2. As children age have them interact with other children and play as soon as possible, typically at 1-2 years old, but they should be involved with other kids as soon as feasible at 6 months or earlier.

3. Motivation is often a problem in getting kids to exercise and stay with it. Parent involvement in their own exercise is a big predictor of children picking up the habit and being motivated to move. Surprisingly this is especially true for the father’s exercise habits, they have a great effect on children developing their own physical activity habits. Hiking, walking, jogging, is often a good way to start having your child develop the exercise and activity habit alongside parents. Parents using a pedometer and encouraging a child to do the same often increases the amount of steps per day in both parents and children.

Join us next week for more tips from Dr. John Ratey!

October’s here and fall as well.  Keep up the healthy eating and physical activity and don’t “fall” back into unhealthy habits!

Trees are showing their fall colors and food is too. Get your orange on with sweet potatoes instead of white ones for extra flavor and vitamins. Speaking of vitamins, Columbus Day is the 13th and Vitamin C helped sailors stay healthy on long voyages. Grab an orange as you navigate your day or add a citrus splash to your water with an orange or lemon.

You can’t think of October and not think of pumpkins!  But remember they aren’t just for decorations – they’re full of nutrition. Roast the seeds and sprinkle with salt for a super snack.

October of course ends with Halloween.  Trick or treating is awesome, but try to plan non-candy activities too, like pumpkin carving, haunted hayrides, or “stay dry” apple bobbing—suspend those super crunchy apples from a string instead of in a bucket of water.

Have a super October and don’t be “scared” to try some of the orange foods mentioned or other colorful fruits and veggies. Check out this handout from some creative new ideas!