How Much Exercise Does My Child Really Need?

This question comes up a lot when I work with families. 

How much exercise do our kids really need?

Here are the National Guidelines:

Children and adolescents should have 60 minutes =(1 hour) 

or more of physical activity DAILY!

•  Aerobic: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week
• Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.
• Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2008.

The bottom line is that we want our kids moving EVERY DAY - more than what they do at school. As parents, it is easy for us to say that our kids exercise enough at school but the reality is that they don't. Unfortunately, PE is not yet a priority in schools so it is our responsibility to provide additional opportunities for our kids to move.

When I work with families, I ask them to focus on increasing the amount of physical activity outside of the school day. Here are some ideas:

• Walk or bike to school
• If school is too far, drive part way and walk the rest of the way
• Enroll in organized sport programs (there are so many levels now from non-competitive to highly competitive)
• City Parks and Recreation departments have great programs that are reasonable priced! This is great way to try something new...
• Talk to your school PTA about a walking or running club that takes place before school. Incentive kids for every lap or mile.
• Make family time ACTIVE! Go for a hike, bike ride or walk in the neighborhood.
• Suggest non-traditional sports like fencing, rock climbing, ice skating and hockey.
• Consider buying an inexpensive pedometer that records step and encourage them to work up to 10,000 steps a day.

Reminders: 
1) 60 minutes a day is the goal. It is okay if you child is not htere yet - encourage them to start at 20 minutes a day for 7 days, then 30, then 40 etc.
Also, exercise can take place in 10 minute increments. This makes it easier to achieve a goal

2) Exercise is not an option. This is what I say to my kids and my students "Which activity are you going to do" or "What are you going to do to get your exercise today?"

Empowering Your Kids to Make Healthy Choices: Budgeting 101

I was talking with a good friend who is very concerned about her child's weight and does not know what to do. They are fighting a lot over food and she is very upset about how this is affecting their relationship. She has tried all of the typical avenues to get help: physicians (several), dietitian (many), more sports, but nothing is working.

Although she knows my program is successful, like many families, the cost and time commitment are daunting but now she feels desperate. This is a typical pattern for many families that I see. Many other solutions are sought before finally participating in the weight control program where I teach.

But I digress... here is a very valuable tool that will help kids make healthy choices:

BUDGETING 101
In this particular case, the child really wanted a certain special treat and the mom was saying no -  it became a constant battle. I suggested she talk to her daughter about budgeting her treats and let her decide when and what her treat would be. Although very difficult, Mom could not say a word as long it is in her daughter's weekly budget for treats (red light foods).

How to budget:
1) To budget treats most effectively, it helps to have a baseline or an understanding of  how many treats (or red light foods) your child eats in a week. If your child is overweight, they should really try to eat fewer treats (red light foods).

2) After you and your child figure out how many treats they are eating each week, try to set a goal to eat fewer the following week. For example, perhaps your child eats 5 treats a day or 35 a week. Ask them if they can eat 4 a day instead of 5 - then they are at 28 a week.

3) Next, set aside 28 pennies (or beads, erasers etc). There are couple of ways to do this. One is to put 28 pennies in a jar and each time you eat a treat, move it to another jar. Then all week you can see how many are left. BUT, if there is a particular treat you want on Friday night, or you are going to a party on the weekend, you may want to set aside a certain # of pennies AHEAD of time. You are budgeting and planning ahead  for that treat.

In this case, my friend's child wanted a special treat that is the equivalent of at least 3 red lights. I told her that if her child budgets for it, eats fewer treat the other days, and plans for this one treat, the child can have it, AND mom can't say a word...

Do you know what the child did? She decided to split the red light treat with her mom instead of eating the entire thing herself:)

Trick #1: To track the treats (Red Light Foods):  Buy a 7 day pill box

Kids like to put the # of treats (pennies or beads) they plan to have in each day - if they have a special event, they can move them around and add extra to Saturday if there is a big party planned.

This tool is very empowering for the child and it is very liberating for the parent!

Good Luck. Let me know how it goes!

Advocating for a Healthier Environment for our Kids!

My small victories...

• "No Food Birthday" guidelines adopted at 3/6 schools in school district! (those of you who know schools, know that this is a huge accomplishment!)
• Implementation of Stoplight Nutrition at many grade levels in a K-8 school district to teach kids how to make healthy choices.
• Invitations to talk to coaches and parents involved in organized youth sport programs about healthy snacks (or no snacks) at games! Fruit and Water Only!
• City based conversations about community health fairs and farmers markets to increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Providing more PE in schools!
• Presentations to camp counselors to reduce their consumption of sugary drinks, encourage healthy snacks, and be a good role model for their campers! 
• Staff Wellness - Desk to 5K (a teacher lost 50 lbs!)
• School Assemblies local private and public schools that encourage healthy choices.
• Safe Routes to School - encouraging walking and biking to school

Supporting Your Overweight Child: Healthy Lifestyle Checklist for Families

Healthy Lifestyle Checklist for Families 

□ Do something active every day.

□ Limit TV, computer/video game time to 2 hours/per day

□ Eat dinner as a family at a regular time as often as possible

□ Drink lots of water

□ Limit candy, chips, soda and juice

□ Drink non-fat milk

□ Limit fast food to once a month

□ Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. Don’t skip meals!

□ Don’t reward with food

□ Offer a variety of different foods

□ Avoid scheduling activities around mealtimes

□ Be a healthy role model!