Vitality - Fall 2012 - (Page 12)

heart smart Get Your Kids off the Couch how to keep young hearts pumping when you’re stuck indoors Some days, getting kids to exercise for the recommended 60 minutes is as easy as, well, a day at the beach. On a nice summer day your kids might be swimming and diving, playing catch at the park and coming home to a flashlight tag marathon that lasts well into evening. But when the weather doesn’t cooperate, it’s easy to turn to a movie marathon for the day’s activities. “Sixty minutes can become a daunting task,” says Juris Simanis, M.D., FAAFP, a board-certified physician with the CMH Sports and Occupational Medicine Clinic in Bolivar. But kids don’t look at exercise as a chunk of time that’s separate from the rest of their day, as adults do. “Children want to move. If you go to a birthday party, they’re running everywhere. But they don’t run for 30 minutes. They run in short bursts with rest periods as needed. That’s important,” says Simanis. Look for blocks of five, 10 or 15 minutes where you can squeeze in a bit of active play. “Focus less on the aerobic stuff and more on fundamental movement skills. Research shows that children who develop these skills— kicking, throwing, balancing, jumping, running, hopping, skipping—tend to be more active in adolescence and adulthood,” Simanis says. Here are ideas to try, based on your child’s age. For Toddlers and Preschoolers They have plenty of energy, that’s for sure. With these open-ended suggestions and some adult participation, they will build motor skills and have fun: Bring on the Balloons. Kids will play all kinds of games with balloons. “You can keep them engaged for a long time,” says Simanis. Challenge them to not let the balloon touch the floor or, using static electricity, see who can get their balloon to stick the highest on the wall by jumping. try the classics. Simon Says has all kinds of opportunities for exercise. Or try Copycat, where children have to mimic your movements. When they get older, upgrade to Magnet—they have to do the opposite of whatever you do. imitate an animal. Give kids animals to imitate and you’ll have them squirming like fish, hopping like frogs or scrambling like crabs. 2 12 | Fa L L 2 0 1 2 hours max The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to one to two hours daily. Screen time keeps kids away from the physical activity they need.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vitality - Fall 2012

Vitality - Fall 2012
Contents
CMH News
Health Beat
The Right Tools
Who Has the Time?
Heart Smart
Q+A
Get Back to Life—Fast
Calendar of Events

Vitality - Fall 2012