STAYING FIT

Fit Kids: A Conversation with Park’s Resident Fitness Expert

BY PAM MATHEWS, Park Parent Editorial Board

’Tis the season to be thinking about getting outside and into shape. I recently sat down with Steve Savage, Park’s resident fitness expert, to chat about fitness at Park and what parents can do at home to help their kids get and stay fit. In addition to being a Physical Education (P.E.) teacher and track and cross country coach at Park for the last 10 years, Steve is a certified muscular therapist and works as a professional personal trainer with both kids and adults. Typically, colleges are the first to incorporate the latest fitness practices, followed by high schools and then (eventually) elementary schools. Steve is proud to be an early adopter of the newest fitness practices described below and has helped Park’s cadre of six

P.E. teachers do the same.

Warming Up

Steve has seen lots of changes in fitness since high school in the 1960s, particularly in the area of warming up for physical activity. We adults started with calisthenics (remember jumping jacks and squat thrusts?), moved to static stretching (remember sitting in a circle doing stretches?), and now, based on improving muscle-quality research, find ourselves back to dynamic stretching (examples: high knee skips, walking lunges, and side-to-side lateral slides). As a result, Park’s P.E. classes and sports teams are fully incorporating dynamic stretching into their warm-up and conditioning routines.

Building Up

Until quite recently, many adults believed that conditioning – particularly in the form of distance running – was not good for kids, fearing both physical damage to growing bodies (specifically growth plates) and psychic damage from being pushed too hard. That thinking has changed, as experts have become increasingly concerned about physical inactivity among young people and also have embraced the concept that “distance” does not need to mean a marathon.

Park’s P.E. department introduces conditioning as early as Grade III, with children building up their running based on time. The key, Steve finds, is three-fold: Use interval training (example: Run 25 yards 4 times with short rests in between; repeat with 50 yards, then 100 yards), build up to longer distances gradually, and arrange for kids to run on soft ground as much as possible. Park’s P.E. department encourages conditioning with care: Growth spurts can cause an imbalance of muscle and skeletal systems that result in fairly common diseases such as Sever ’s and OsgoodSchlatter. These typically cause heel and knee pain, and periods of limited activity may be recommended.

Pumping Up

In terms of strength training, Steve and his P.E. colleagues focus on training the body’ s core, which consists of the shoulders, abdominals, full back, and hips. Kids learn how to avoid the traditional “ crunches” that can hurt the lower back and how to do

Steve Savage helps Upper Division students perfect their curls in Park’s fitness room.

continued on next page

Steve Savage’s Tips for Parenting Fit Kids

PROMOTE PARTICIPATION

n Create time for unstructured group play (“recess at home”). n Help kids choose team and/or individual sports they enjoy.

Park’s after-school sports programs start in Grade IV and accommodate a range of athletic skills. n Reluctant athlete? Expose your child to a variety of life sports: swimming, biking, racquet sports, skating, and jogging. Attend live games and competitions to spark interest. Join a local YMCA or recreation center. Try some short clinics. Speak with Park P.E. staff and coaches for ideas and encouragement.

PROVIDE PROTEIN (AND OTHER NUTRITION TIPS)

n Start out the day with a protein-filled breakfast; consider eggs, lean meats, tofu, and fortified breads, whole grain breads, and cereals. n An afternoon snack provides energy for after-school activities: Try high-protein foods and add carbohydrates such as pasta and fruit. Steve also recommends Fig Newtons and

Clif bars. n More do’s: Lots of water during the day, fruits and vegetables as snacks, home-cooked meals, and portion control (eat until satisfied, not stuffed!). Also, teach children how to read food labels. n Some don’ts: High-sugar sports drinks and candy bars (empty calories), fast-food meals, and huge pasta dinners (unless training for a marathon or planning an hour-and-a-half of constant activity!). n Don’t forget vitamin D: The recommended level for children and adolescents was recently doubled to 400 International

Units a day. Sources include dairy products, fatty fish such as salmon, vitamin D supplements, and sunshine in moderation.

PROTECT POSTURE

n Watch the time spent at the computer, where it’s tempting to hunch. n Avoid long-term wear of flip flops and slipper boots (like

Uggs). These promote “shuffling,” which throws off knee and hip alignment and can cause long-term aches and pain. n Encourage kids to lighten their backpack load (no more than 15 percent of total body weight) and to use both shoulder straps on longer treks; models with a cross strap provide the best support.

proper squats while maintaining a neutral spine position, which is important to many aspects of strength and conditioning. Conventional push-ups in a variety of styles remain a popular exercise at all grade levels. Students also learn a variety of plank exercises and use equipment such as AB Dollys to strengthen the core.

According to Steve (referencing fitness expert Wayne Westcott Ph.D.), “Children can begin using weights to improve strength as early as age 9.” Steve has observed in his personal training that, “Kids are proud when they get stronger, and that can help build confidence in sports and social situations, no matter what kind of kid you have.” He encourages parents to check out the fitness room near the small gym in Park’s Main Building and the variety of strength-training equipment and machines that are available. All Park Upper Division students may use the fitness room during P.E. classes, with staff supervision.

Family Fitness

I asked Steve how Park families can encourage and support their kids for fitness in elementary school and beyond. Check out the tip box above and help your family get fit for spring!

Parenting in the Age of Facebook

BY SHANNON FALKSON, Parents’ Association

Protecting our children from the pitfalls and perils of social media is just as important as protecting them from other potential dangers. That was the resounding message of the second Parent Forum of the year, “Facing Facebook: Social Networks and Our Children.” Approximately 40 parents attended the March 3 event to hear Park faculty members Tom Smith, Jorge Vega, Margo Smith, and Dr. Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter educate, answer questions, and begin a conversation about the widespread use of social media, using the popular site Facebook as a platform for discussion.

Tom gave an overview of how our children are using social networking and other technologies and how Park is teaching them skills to safely navigate these media. The School urges students to be honest in their communications and responsible for their own safety, with the hope that this message synchronizes with what parents are saying and doing at home. Park particularly emphasizes the lack of privacy of anything posted online and how digital media, once released, “ never goes away.”

Jorge created a Facebook page to demonstrate the power and pitfalls of social media. He walked the audience through the Facebook site and demonstrated the importance of fully understanding its privacy settings and other tools to protect the end user. In particular, Jorge recommends that parents make sure their children ’ s privacy settings allow them to share information with only their direct Facebook “friends” and not be set to the “friends of friends” or “ everyone ” settings. The Growth Education Department will be using the same page to teach students how to safely and responsibly use social media.

Margo, who chairs Growth Education, stressed that family rules are just as important for social networking as they are for drinking, driving, and other behaviors. She warned that the use of social media speeds up the rate at which a few careless comments or photos can spin out of control in a manner of hours, damaging friendships and reputations.

Margo advised parents to begin having conversations about social media and setting up family rules before their sons and daughters are actively using them. She observed that while children are quite technically savvy, they are not always responsible or aware of the consequences of thoughtless or insensitive communications. In addition, Margo recommended the book Facebook for Parents, with more information at www.facebookforparents.org.

Olivia commented that the Internet is a reality in our chil-

dren ’s lives, and at some point regulation of online activity leaves the parental realm. Given that, she advised parents to be actively involved in their children ’ s online activities while they still have some ability to set and enforce rules. Olivia recommended that parents emphasize that they do trust their children, but that they want to help them learn skills so they can be responsible online.

The social media discussion continued on March 5, during a “Second Cup of Coffee ” meeting at which parents, using laptop computers, had a chance to test their own skills on Facebook.

Dr. Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter and Margo Smith facilitate a conversation with parents about Facebook and responsible online behavior.

If you missed the Parent Forum in March, you can view videos of the presentation online at: www.parkschool.org/ technology/facebook.php. It’s the next best thing to being there. Thanks to the Parents’ Association for hosting, and to presenters Jorge Vega, Tom Smith, Margo Smith, and Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter.