TEACHER TIPS
Staying
HEALTHY FIT & ACTIVE By Bev Zwick, Physical Education Teacher at Dysart Middle School
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et’s face it, the past few years have really changed how we operate as a family. We were told to stay home and stay apart even from family and friends outside of our house. This has resulted in a change in our family dynamics. At the time of this writing we are almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and we may continue to see the impacts for the foreseeable future. How do we as parents and guardians help our children stay healthy, fit and active during this time? Let’s first look at the definition of healthy: • Physical and mental well-being; freedom from disease or pain. • Soundness, especially of body or mind. • A condition of optimal well-being. Why is it important for parents and guardians to develop this in our children? There are many reasons to be healthy. The top ones include: you can live longer, feel better about yourself, and build your selfesteem. And of course, you will be leading by example! The pandemic has increased screen time for our children more than ever before. Prepandemic, students were way more active. They got out and played with their friends. Now it takes a lot of motivation to get our children up and moving. This can start at home. There are many benefits of working toward being healthy, fit and active. If you are regularly physically active, you may improve academic performance and 16 APRIL 2022
concentration, improve “brain health” and reduce the risk of depression, improve muscular and bone strength, strengthen your heart and lungs, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce the risk of some chronic diseases WOW! These are all great reasons to implement this lifestyle change at home. How do we get started? First of all, you want to establish some “norms” or expectations. It’s important to have an open mind. Everyone in the house MUST participate. Everyone should get to share or have his/her turn to speak and comment. Remember to be a respectful listener. Everyone should agree on how decisions will be made. After that it’s time to make a plan. Be intentional and write the plan down, adding the dates to the calendar. Start small and build on it. It’s okay if your plan doesn’t work, but don’t give up. “If at first you don’t succeed, try again!” Also be consistent – if what you planned isn’t working, revisit to make a new plan you can actually implement. I would start with a family meeting. Let the family know what you have in mind. Get input from everyone. What do they want to do together–make family meals? Do family activities? Once you decide this, talk through what this will look like. Are you going to plan and cook healthy family meals two times a week (remember–start small and build on it)? When you do this, set some ground rules. No devices - this is family time. Research what should be included in a healthy meal. The USDA My Food Plate is a great resource for this. Actually sit down at the dinner table together at meals and talk about the
