Fit Family By Kimberly Carlson
Active Bodies Foster Active Minds Keeping Boredom at Bay The moment my kids have been waiting for is here: summertime! They’ve been planning for this for months. Their conversation usually starts with “I can’t wait to sleep in!” and usually progresses into “I want to spend all day playing Minecraft!” Now, I confess, the sleeping in part? I’m all for it. The playing video games all day part? Not so much. As a single mom of two, I am fully aware of the two-part problem summer creates. First and foremost: they are suddenly home. A lot. And we all know that it won’t take long for “I’m boooooored” to start in. At some point during the summer, they will become sedentary, lazy creatures that will only come to the surface for food and whatever icy-cold beverage I allow in the house. Which brings us to the second problem: this sedentary lifestyle tends to turn these otherwise-brilliant children’s bodies and brains into deep-fried blobs.
Mental Acuity We’ve all heard the recent statistics: according to the National Summer Learning Association, students who do not participate in enrichment and learning activities during the summer break can lose roughly 22 percent of the knowledge and skills they gained during the previous school year. Dr. Ashley Norris, Ph.D., assistant dean, college of education at the University of Phoenix, echoes what all educators have been saying for decades. “The first few months of school in the fall are catchup months to get the kids back on track and up to speed.”
Physical Fitness Coach James Cordova, P.E. teacher at Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City can always tell which students have been active all summer and which ones haven’t. “Those kids that have been active – burning calories and exploring the outdoors – those kids are ready to learn and start the school year out right.”
The Wrong Turn There has been a definite decline in children’s health over the past decade. And Coach James thinks he knows why. “From the moment the public school system started cutting out vital classes such as physical
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education due to a lack of funding, we’ve seen our kids just get bigger and more unhealthy.” George Starks, local creator of the Summer Fit series – a set of workbooks designed to keep children physically and mentally fit during the summer months – agrees with Coach James. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see the breakdown between physical activity and mental ability.”
Physical Health Aids Mental Health When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. According to Dr. Norris, endorphins do several positive things for our body. “When endorphins are released and fed into our frontal lobes – the part of your brain that houses critical thinking – our mental acuity increases, as does our positive sense of well-being.” In other words, the more active you are, the better your brain works. Coach James would agree. “Historically, the highly intelligent are usually highly active individuals. Our minds and bodies work so much better when they are active and active together.”
Parental Problem As much as we’d like to point the fingers elsewhere (schools, technology, etc), as parents we really need to own up to our share of the responsibility in this. Jay Jacobs, father and final four contestant on Biggest Loser (season 11), put it best: “As a father, I was the leader of the pack. My choices affected theirs. When I made poor lifestyle decisions, so did they.” Jacobs and his daughter participated together on the show, and since then have made a healthy lifestyle a family affair.
Permanent Solutions Fortunately, it’s never too late to turn the tides. Both Jay Jacobs and George Starks are hoping that this summer will be the “season of change” in how families get healthy and stay active. Their hope is that with a little bit of practice, all families will refocus and get back on track for a healthier body and a healthier mind. Check out the Summer Fit series at www.summerfitlearning.com for more ideas.
Tried and True Dr. Norris recommends “authentic activities” to get children going this summer. “Find out what your child’s interests are and turn them into authentic learning experiences.” If your child is into bugs, for example, send them out in the backyard or at the park with a digital camera and have them explore and take pictures of as many different bugs as possible. They will get a good hike out of the experience, and enjoy taking pictures. Once s/he is done, have your child hop on the internet and learn as much as possible about each bug. “It is experiential learning that all kids crave,” Dr. Norris advises.
Food as Friend, not Foe Jay Jacobs emphasizes that above all else, it’s our honest approach to food that will have the most impact. “Everyone is afraid of exercise, yet food is the pathway to participating in helpful habits.” Take your children with you to the Farmers’ Markets—or better yet, have them help grow food in your own garden – and let them choose which veggies they will help you prepare for dinner. Not only is this a worthy investment into their own (self-sufficient) futures, but it will get them