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Health & Wellness
Kids’ Sport Nutrition by Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD Baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, fun-runs and more are keeping your family busy and moving this summer. Proper nutrition for your child is important to keep him or her active! As a parent and/or coach it is your job to help keep these youngsters hydrated, healthy, growing and strong. Sports nutrition for children is important, especially during those all-day tournaments and long training periods. Children’s nutrition needs are different than adults, based on their rapid growth, increasing muscle mass, and hormone changes. A good rule of thumb is: Since your child is growing, he or she should not be losing weight. Try to help them maintain or gain weight if they are involved in a training program. Try to avoid fast food and junk food in attempts to help them gain weight; instead turn to highcalorie items such as nut butters, cottage cheese, full-fat Greek
yogurt, avocados, hummus, protein powders and milk to add to your child’s meals for a boost in calories. Adding a snack between meals such as a homemade trail mix can also help children meet their calorie needs. Try a healthy dip with crackers, veggies and fruit, Greek yogurt cream cheese on a bagel, or check out hy-vee.com for an avocado smoothie recipe! Always, always, always keep your child hydrated. Children should be drinking fluid before, during and after activities. What type of fluid is best? Water is the desired hydration source if activity is less than an hour. Sports drinks are an acceptable source of fluid if activity totals more than 60 minutes. Alternating between water and sports drinks is helpful for multiple game days or all-day tournaments. If your child prefers something flavored, try watering down sports drinks; the amount of sugar in these drinks is not necessary for hydration. A great recovery drink for
kids and adults is 8 ounces of chocolate milk. Always discourage energy drinks, as they are much too high in caffeine for a child’s diet. It is recommended by Physical
Activity Guidelines for Americans that children ages 6 through 17 get at least 60 minutes of exercise per day. Don’t hold your kids back; encourage them to play a game of knockout after dinner or make your own obstacle course in the yard. Let your children know that health and fitness is a family affair and participate in exercise activities as a team! Try this tasty kid-friendly recipe for a boost in protein and calories!
Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD is a registered dietitian at the Blue Springs Hy-Vee. She can be reached tshaffer@hy-vee.com. The at information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.
Kids’ Bar Serves 16 Ingredients: 2 cups brown rice cereal 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder 1 cup wheat germ 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 cup raisins 1 cup natural peanut butter ¾ cup honey Directions: Mix all ingredients together using an electric mixer. Press evenly into an 8- or 9-inch pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Refrigerate until firm.
5 Ways to 5K by Sally Whitaker 5k races were once small events considered to be for runners only. In recent years those races have multiplied and blossomed into large community events that bring people together, raise money for charities and inspire individuals to try a new form of fitness. With the first Grain Valley Fair 5K approaching, it is a great opportunity to try one out, even if running is not your thing or you are brand-new to the sport. Allowing 4-6 weeks for training is ideal. Below are 5 ways to 5K. Walk A common misconception is that all participants will be running. There will be many people walking the entire 5k distance. This is a great option if you don’t like to run or are physically unable to run due to joint or other health issues. Keep a steady pace and walk for the health of it, or grab some friends and make it a fun, walking tour of your town. Run There are many great training options available to train for a 5K. Whether you look online or head to the library, you will be able to find a
program that suits your fitness level. Couch to 5K is a well-known training module that will give you a sensible, easy-to-implement program. Intervals If you enjoy running but are unsure if you can run the entire 3.1 mile course, use a timer to run and walk. A few examples that will get you to the finish line and feeling great: Mile 1: Run 1 minute; walk 2 minutes. Mile 2: Run 1 minute; walk 1 minute. Mile 3: Run 90 seconds, walk 1 minute. These are just examples. The great thing about interval training is that you can adjust it for how you are feeling the day of the race. It will give you time to recover while keeping a good pace. Form a Team Everything is better with family and friends! Grab a couple friends, make a plan to meet up each week and walk, jog, or run. Sign up for the 5K together and you will be able to motivate each other during training as well as the day of the event.
Use Music Whether you walk, run, or both, pacing is important. You may choose to keep a steady pace the whole 5K or gradually increase until the end. Both are great options. Using music can help you to maintain your pace. With beats per minute training there are also multiple resources available online for what tempo to choose, along with using Spotify or a similar app to search for those songs. Typing “beats per minute” into your search bar will bring up many choices. A general idea of BPM training: For a stroll with a pace of 3 miles per hour, music should be at 115-120 BPM; for power walking going 4-4.5 miles per hour the BPM count should be 135-140; while a running pace will have BPM’s of 145-160. Make sure to create a playlist prior to heading out for your run, use only one ear bud to remain aware of your surroundings, and try out the beats per minute of songs several times before race day.
You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately. Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence, MO. During the summer months you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley.
