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healthy kids
Back-to-School Wellness
Tips to Keep Kids Healthy
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by Ronica O’Hara
drobot dean/AdobeStock.com
After a year dealing with the ups and downs of pandemic-era schooling, many parents are anticipating their children’s return to school with mixed emotions. “Families indeed have had a rough time in the pandemic, resulting in increased food insecurity, weakened social skills, splintered attention spans due to constant multitasking and arguments over screen time, yet many families also feel that they grew closer together as they coped with the adversity,” says Jenifer Joy Madden, author of How To Be a Durable Human.
As we wave our children off to classes, we can draw on those hard-won, deeper ties by taking steps to ensure our children’s health and well-being. Here are some suggested strategies:
HOLD A FAMILY SIT-DOWN
Meet as a group to talk about schedules and logistics to make sure everyone’s commitments will work together, recommends Erika Beckles Camez, Ph.D., a licensed family therapist in Temecula, California. “Talk as a family about how everyone feels about going back to school and intentionally tell your student that throughout the year if they are needing support or are feeling overwhelmed or concerned, they can always talk to you to work through the issue together,” she says.
RESET BEDTIME CREEP
“During the summer, bedtime tends to creep later and later. Two weeks before school starts, begin to reset bedtime by reversing the creep by 15 minutes every few nights,” suggests Amber Trueblood, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Culver City, California, and author of Stretch Marks. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 6 to 12 years of age sleep nine to 12 hours a night and teenagers 13 to 18 sleep eight to 10 hours. Getting enough sleep, it advises, leads to “improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and mental and physical health.” Sleep experts recommend not allowing kids to be on device screens beginning an hour before bedtime, and perhaps storing devices in another room.
BUOY THEM WITH BREAKFAST
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, children that eat a complete breakfast have been shown to work faster, make fewer math mistakes and show improved concentration, alertness, comprehension and memory. “Get in the habit of a healthy breakfast that contains a mix of lean proteins, healthy fats and unrefined carbohydrates and fiber,” advises Amy Spindel, a functional holistic nutritionist in Plano, Texas. “That might be something like eggs scrambled with spinach in olive oil; a smoothie with greens, coconut milk,
nut butter, cherries and steamed cauliflower; or a small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with berries and almond butter alongside some turkey sausage. These types of combinations help promote stable blood sugar until lunchtime, which means your child will be able to focus on learning and social interactions instead of their tummies.”
SATISFY THEM WITH HEALTHY SNACKS
There’s a metabolic reason students head straight for the fridge when they get home—but it’s best if they can’t grab sweets. “Children need healthy, whole-food, nutritious snacks after school to fuel both their bodies and their brain,” says Uma Naidoo, M.D., a Harvard-based nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef and author of This Is Your Brain on Food. To support optimal brain development and help lower kids’ anxiety and hyperactivity levels, she suggests snacks rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, B12 and D, and iron and folate, such as: n “Fries” cooked in an air fryer to crisp up zucchini, carrots or green beans n Veggie dips or hummus made with chickpeas, carrots, beets or spinach n Almond butter on celery sticks, or seed butter for dipping sweet peppers or apple slices n Homemade fish sticks made by heating salmon pieces in an air fryer n Granola that includes walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds
TAKE ALLERGY PRECAUTIONS
About one in 14 U.S. children has a food allergy. Anisha Angella, an early childhood specialist and author of Easing Allergy Anxiety in Children, recommends taking special precautions with an allergy-prone child, including frequent handwashing; carrying an EpiPen for sudden, severe reactions that require an epinephrine injection; and not sharing foods. “Connect with their teachers,” she advises. “They want to help in any way, too. When a child sees an adult that supports their allergy safety in all environments, they feel comfortable, and that lessens anxiety.”
“Readjusting from the pandemic will take patience and perseverance on the part of parents,” says Madden. “Having the family start simple wellness habits can help.”
Health writer Ronica O’Hara can be contacted at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.
Post-workout, pre-workout, or because you’re not working out.
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FITNESS THROUGH play
by Cheryl Natusch
We live in an age in which the phrase “screen time” is a common theme in every household. With the rise in clocked screen time hours comes the steady decline in movement and outdoor play time for children. Unless a child is actively involved in organized sports, there’s a severe lack in physical movement in the average child’s daily routine. It’s recommended that children 6 to 12 years of age get at least one full hour of moderate to strong activity per day to maintain good health and to combat the ever-rising childhood obesity epidemic. This means engaging in large muscle movements that increase heart rate levels at a steady rate. Rather than take this suggestion to a formal level, children can benefit from simply turning to play to reach this minimum daily physical activity requirement. A formal fitness and/or weight training program is not necessary for elementary school-age children. Children can gain all the muscular and bone strength they need through running, jumping and dancing around. Along with physical benefits, play also helps to promote healthy socio-emotional growth when involved in group games. Playing together as a group can help teach children social lessons such as collaboration, sharing and taking turns. It also helps to develop important gross motor skills such as balance, coordination and body awareness. Fitness through play is a great way to encourage a healthy level of moderate activity without having to push the idea of fitness onto a possibly reluctant child. Introducing fun activities and games done outdoors can inspire any child to get moving no matter how much they may resist the word exercise. Not only are games and creative fitness activities motivating for the children, but it also gives parents an opportunity to engage with them more to encourage this healthy movement. Some of our favorite kids’ fitness through play ideas that anyone can incorporate at home:
n Build a creative obstacle course using discount/dollar store items like agility cones, small plastic hurdles and hula hoops (which also can be used to jump in when flat). Be creative with the objects. Make sure the course incorporates jumping, balancing, crawling, and running as circuit. Put on some fun music and the kids will enjoy it for quite a long time. n Bring back the jump rope and jump rope games. Kids love to do it and it’s incredible cardiovascular exercise.
n Keep it simple by teaching kids how to Frisbee, hula hoop and play hopscotch—timeless games and activities that never go out of style and are fun as well as physically beneficial. n Keep plenty of sports equipment on hand for free play time such as balls, a small trampoline, a bicycle or a simple basketball hoop attached to a garage or a free-standing one.
Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels
n When weather calls for indoor play, try a game of freeze dance or have a dance party. Our studio favorite game is called "Night at the Museum." It is the same as freeze dance except someone is chosen as the night guard and when the music stops, the night guard walks around and sees if anyone moves.
No matter which activity is chosen, free play time is extremely important in the growth and development of a child. As childhood obesity rates continue to steadily climb, it’s important to get kids inspired to move through play and adopt healthy habits at a young age.
Source: Cheryl Natusch is a certified fitness trainer and owner of Laughing Hearts Yoga & Movement, at 912 W. Kings Hwy., Haddon Heights. For more information about their kids’ movement classes and all other programs, call 856-520-7581 or visit LaughingHeartsYoga.com.
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