Summer 2009
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for
Exercise is a key ingredient in the recipe for good
health. When your child is active, she's more likely to
sleep well, build strong muscles, have better self-esteem,
avoid illnesses-and maintain a healthy weight.
Use these ideas to motivate your teen or tween to
get moving. And better yet, join her!
BACKYARD BONANZA
Fitness is more fun with friends and
family. Suggest that your child gather
the whole gang together in a backyard
or at a park for group games.
Ingredients: bandanas, broom, flour,
scarf or pillowcase, heavy rope
• Kick off the fun and boost heart rates
with Bandana Tag. Each person rucks
a bandana into a back pocket or waist­
band so that it hangs out like a tail. On
the count of three, players race around
trying to collect as many bandanas as
possible without losing their own. When
all the bandanas have been snatched,
the person with the most wins.
Jackson County School District
Mrs. Lark Christian,Food Service Director
___
shoulder height The other players
must lean backward and walk under the
broom without touching it If a player
touches the broom, he is out After
everyone has passed under, the broom is
lowered a few inches, and a new round
begins. Repeat until nobody can pass
under the broom without touching it
The last person who cleared the broom
wins. Tip: Play music to keep the
game lively.
• Build strength with a game of
tug-of-war. Pour a line of flour on
the grass to divide the "court" into
two halves. Then, tie a cloth
"flag" (a scarf or pillowcase) to
the center of a sturdy rope. Split
players into two teams, and have each
team hold onto one end of the rope
with the flag above the center line. On
the count of three, each team tries to
pull the flag across the center line. The
first team to succeed wins.
HOME WORKOUTS
Working out at home is easy and
convenient Help your teen put together
a workout routine with these ideas.
• Increase flexibility, balance, and core
strength by doing the limbo. Have two
people hold a broom between them at
Ingredients: jump rope, clock with a
second hand, 3-lb. or S-lb. weights (or
soup cans)
• Warm up and build endurance by
alternating vigorous activities with gen­
tler ones. For example, your youngster
can jump rope for 30 seconds and then
walk in place for 30 seconds. (If space
is tight, she can pretend to jump rope
instead.) Challenge her to alternate
between walking and jumping 10 times,
increasing her speed a little each time.
• Use a "plank pose" to strengthen core
muscles and improve balance. Show
your child how to lie facedown and
clasp her hands together so her forearms
are on the floor. Have her push up off
the floor onto her toes, keeping her
elbows on the floor. She should keep
her back flat in a straight line (like a
plank of wood), tighten her stomach
muscles, and hold the pose for as long
as possible. Then, she can lower to the
floor and relax. Have her repeat the
exercise five times. Variation: Challenge
her to raise her left leg five times and
then her right leg five times while she's
in the plank pose.
continued
© 2009 Resources lor Educators. adivision 01 Aspen Publishers, Inc
Recites for FITNESS
Page 2
• Combine squats and bicep curls to
strengthen arms and legs. Have your
teen stand with her feet hip-width apart.
She should hold a dumbbell (or a soup
can) in each hand with her arms at her
sides, palms facing forward. To squat,
have her keep her weight on her heels
while slowly bending her knees like she
is going to sit in a chair. As she squats,
she should bend her elbows and lift the
weights slowly toward her shoulders. As
she stands, she can slowly lower the
weights back to the starting position.
Repeat 10 times, and work up to three
sets.
FAMILY FUN
Being active together gives parents
and children a chance to play and bond.
Plus, when you make physical activity a
priority, you set a good example for your
teen.
play or an improved report card with a
trip to the skateboard park or a family
bike trip. Is your child's birthday com­
ing up? Think about a swim party at the
community pool or an ice-skating event
at the local rink.
Ingredients: squirt guns, ball, kite,
trail map or city tour guide, healthy
snacks, picnic lunch, skateboards, bikes
• Try spontaneous family activities that
fit the season. For example, have squirt­
gun games in the heat of
summer, play kickball
in the fall, build a
snowman or snow
fort in winter, or
fly a kite in the
spring.
• Combine learn­
ing and fitness
with a walking
adventure. You
might explore a nature
trail or your town as if
you're a tourist. Use trail
guides from the parks department or
city maps from the visitors center. Stock
a backpack with water, healthy snacks
(trail mix, fruit), and a picnic lunch.
Idea: Have your teen lead the family
on a field trip he enjoyed in school (a
museum, zoo, or historical site).
• Plan family celebrations that encour­
age fitness. Celebrate a successful school
Dancing builds
balance and coordina­
tion-and offers a
great cardio workout.
Encourage your teen
to start a weekly dance
club with her friends.
Ingredients: music,
dance videos, space
to move
• Suggest that your
teen and her friends
warm up with stretches.
To find out how, they can
get a book like One Hundred Stretches
by Jim Brown, ask a coach at school for
suggestions, or download an exercise
podcast (go to www.podcastgo.com.
click on "Dance," and select "Edwaard
Liang-Core Exercises for Dancers").
Then, have them put on music and
work through a routine that stretches
arm, leg, back, and stomach muscles.
• Use an instructional video from the
library to learn a new dance routine.
Encourage your child to try a different
style of dance each time her group
meets- hip-hop one week, ballet the
next, for example. Idea: Ask them to
show you what they've learned with a
monthly "performance" for friends and
family.
• Suggest an arabesque contest to work
on balance and cool down after dancing.
Each dancer stands with feet together
and arms outstretched at shoulder
height like airplane wings. Then, she
leans forward, raises her right leg behind
her, and reaches forward with her left
arm. When a dancer loses balance or
puts her foot down, she is "out." The
last one to stay balanced wins. Have a
second contest, balancing on the oppo­
site foot.
Editor's Note: Teen Food & Fitness T • is reviewed by
a registered dietitian. Consult a physician before
beginning any major change in diet or exercise.
Resources for Educators, a division of Aspen Publishers, Inc. - 128 N. Royal Avenue, Front Royal, VA 22630 - 540-636-4280
© 2009 Resources lor Educalors, a division 01 Aspen Publishers, Inc
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