Keeping your Kids HEALTHY and ACTIVE during summer and Keeping Yourself SANE

StressFUL Summer

StressFREE Sumer

When you hear the word “SUMMER” do you think:

A. Nice, long, warm days. Time at the pool or beach. Sipping on ice, cold lemonade. Ahhh the joys of Summer time….

OR

B. Hot, sticky drawn out days with bored children. Kids fighting over toys at the pool and getting sand in their eyes at the beach. Cleaning up sticky spilled lemonade . AHHHHH I have my kids all summer….

Don’t let having the kids at home during summer time stress you or make you cringe. Make some plans and schedule fun activities to prevent a house full of bored kids over the next two months. Here are some ideas on how to keep your child active and fit during summer break and avoid scenario B above:

1.    Try to create a schedule: During summer vacation your child will most likely begin complaining of boredom. They are used to a school schedule jam packed with activities. Now you do not need to plan every waking minute, but creating a schedule can be a good way to avoid boredom. Start by talking to your child the night before or in the morning about the schedule for the day. It takes a little bit of time and planning each day, but having some structure will make the day‘s activities flow better. Get kids involved in planning their activities. Have them come up with a list of their favorite activities and post it on the refrigerator. Have him or her check off an activity, each time it is done.

2.    Fitness fun: Remember when making plans, that your child needs at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day to be healthy! Plan a trip to the beach or the pool, head out for a hike in the beautiful Santa Barbara wilderness, go for a walk or bike ride along the waterfront pathway… the options are endless. Get outside, get moving and have fun! If you don’t feel like heading outside there are many options at home as well: build a fort, climb a tree, set up an obstacle course, play tag in the back yard, or turn on music and dance. The best option of course…. BRING “EM INTO CROSSFIT KIDS!

3.    Set up healthy summer habits: Set some rules over the summer break for watching TV, playing video games and spending time on the computer. It can be easy to allow kids tons of time relaxing in front of the TV or game station during summer, but it is important to avoid excess. Talk with your child and determine a time limit for each day. The current recommendation is up to 1-2 hours daily and no more than 8 hours per week. This will free up their time to be more active and play outside.

4.    Be a role model: You’ve heard it over and over that children are more likely to make healthy choices when their parents set a good example. Show them that you enjoy exercising and being healthy and they will be more willing to give it a try. Let your child show you how to play a game that they made up. Get moving yourself. If you do active things, chances are that your child will too.

5.    Eat healthy: "During summer, routines go hay wire, and with nothing to do after a few days in the pool, some kids head straight for the refrigerator or snack bar because they think they're hungry when they're actually just bored," says Dr. Sarah Armstrong, MD, a pediatrician at Duke University Medical center. Add in regular ice cream stops on a hot summer night, hot dogs at the ball park, and funnel cake at the fair, and you've got the recipe for a summer-long bad eating binge. Sweet treats are part of summer's fun, but only when eaten in moderation. Summer is the perfect time to get your little one in the kitchen and teach them how to cook up some healthy and fun meals (Article on Fun Summer Meals/Snacks to come in JUNE). Also make sure you check out the summer camp menu. Your child's summer camp may adhere to the same nutrition standards that are accepted by many public schools these days. Check ahead with the summer program where your child will be eating lunch to find out what types of meals and snacks are served. If you don't like what you find out, pack a healthy lunch including some lean lunch meats, raw vegetables, nuts or fruit.

6.    Get Enough Sleep: Summer is a time for late nights and sleeping in, which can wreak havoc on your child’s sleep schedule. It's okay for your child to stay up a little bit later during the shorter summer nights, but make sure your little one is getting plenty of rest.

Following some of these tips will do everyone's body and brain a whole lot of good over summer vacation.