Walking In Beauty Katie Sharpton

Walking in Beauty

April Is Move More Month

How can you move more during the month of April? First off, what are your favorite activities? The American Heart Association is encouraging Americans to move more and commit to being physically active. “About 69% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese—and this number continues to grow. At the same time, about 27% report participating in no leisure time physical activity.”

Make a list of what you want to achieve and set your goals for the day, week, or month. A general goal is 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity plus strength training, or 150 minutes of physical activity a week. Another goal would be to start a virtual group to get help with your training plan and have accountability. The best way to reduce stress in kids and adults is to get your daily dose of endorphins. Exercise is important because it keeps our bodies and minds healthy. There are three types of exercise: aerobic, flexibility, and strength. Aerobic exercise is great for the heart and lungs. Experts recommend exercising 3-5 days a week for 30-60 minutes with aerobic activities. This activity involves your large muscles for long periods of time. Examples of aerobic activities you can do at home include jogging, dancing, jump roping, bicycling, skipping, playing basketball, and yard work. Most children are flexible, which means they can bend and stretch their bodies without too much trouble. By maintaining flexibility, a person can be more active without worry of injuries, such as sprains or strain muscles. Your muscles should be warmed up before doing any deep stretching. Flexibility activities include yoga, ballet, and even karate. You also need to keep your muscles strong by doing some type of strength training. Building strength also helps build strong bones. Children should not be working with heavy weights, but can build strength with sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, resistance bands, and crab walks.

Resistance bands are a great at-home exercise. Resistance bands may come in different colors, which represents light to heavy weights. Lateral Band Steps: strengthen the hip abductor muscles and quads. Place band around both legs and position just above knees (easier) or around the ankles (harder). Squat and alternate steps side to side. If you do not have resistance bands at home, check out BOKS! It is a physical activity program designed to increase exercise for kids. BOKS provides a free, physical activity curriculum, training, and support to communities looking to establish and maintain impactful fitness and nutrition programs, serving the whole individual. As of right now, BOKS is sharing many games and activities for you to do at home to keep your kids active and happy during this time. Check out their Facebook for live or past workouts: www.facebook. com/boks/ .

Katie Sharpton, FCS/4-H Agent ksharp@nmsu.edu Facebook: NMSU McKinley CES