Tracking Your Exercising and Eating Habits

If you're looking for a way for your family to exercise more and eat healthier, try tracking your activities on a daily basis with a focus on these goals. We did this with our preschooler, Ava, thanks to her participation in the Governor’s Fit and Healthy Kids Winter Challenge, "Stretch Your Limits." 

The program encourages school age children to exercise more, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and turn off the TV by tracking their activities on a chart for six weeks. (We just celebrated Ava's participation in the program this week with a ceremony on the statehouse lawn.)

Since Ava can't write much yet, I filled in her chart but she was the doer. The daily tracking made me more aware of some of our habits. Though Ava got in a variety of fitness activities (cross country skiing, yoga, dance, walking), getting in lots of different fruits and vegetables was more of a challenge. The chart was on the refrigerator so we looked at it often and the days that were blank stood out. I know that other parents were motivated by the chart as well. 

Active Reward

As a reward for putting the 50th sticker on their Following Directions Chart, my girls could choose to do anything they wanted (well, within reason). They decided on riding bikes on the playground. I was surprised. I was sure they would think of some adventure for candy or chocolate or ice cream. Bike riding. Wow. What a great choice.

So, off we went to the playground today. (I should mention that our elementary school has a natural playground so the trees and boulders and hillside are the basis for play.) Ava was enticed by a swerving gravel path. She saw a boy go cruising down it last year and I said that she'd have to wait until she got her training wheels off to give it a go. Today was the day that Ava got to do her free wheeling and she was pretty confident, except on a few of the sharp turns. 

Her little sister brought out the old tricycle for the event since her training wheels can't handle the gravel.

The actual riding took about five minutes. No, this was not an exercise outing, it was an act of accomplishment. These girls tried out something new. Instead of our parking lot practice sessions, there were some new elements combined together: a slope, sharp turns, and gravel. Once they could say that they did it, they ditched the bikes and climbed a tree.

Modeling Behavior

My five year old's attire today includes: a running shirt, running sneakers, an antique dress, and decorative tights. The outfit clashes horribly, but that doesn't matter to me today. I know that she is a runner today. She dressed the part (for her) and she is running all over the place, racing down the halls and across the yard.

Her little sister is running in her sneaks, too, but they were moving too fast to get them in the same picture.

From the time the girls were early toddlers (they're now 3 and 5), they would dress up like their parents donning running sneakers, ski boots or bike helmets. They looked silly wearing our active wear, but now they have their own. They're even competing in fun runs and lollipop ski events. They're growing up so quickly and being active with their mom and dad is a natural habit now.

So, the next time your little one grabs for your cycling shoes or your daypack, let him or her do some modeling. That's what modeling behavior is all about.

Wagon Ride

I grew up in the era of the little red wagon. So, it was with some nostalgia that my kids hopped into Grammy's wagon today for a ride/walk. Who needs a fancy jogging stroller when you've got a wagon that can be used in the yard and on the street? Well, a parent who wants to cruise along and have a child (or two) buckled in.

Yes, the jogger has made life easier for parents, but kids sure have a good time in a wagon. My kids took turns pulling each other and then got out and raced Grammy while I pulled an empty wagon. When they got tired, they hopped back in. 

The best thing about this particular wagon is that it is actually a garden cart. It has big, off road wheels and a base that will never rust in the rain. And when the kids get too big for a ride, it can collect leaves instead of dust.

Moms' Run

I ran twelve miles this morning with five other ladies, four of whom are moms. The non-mom has to put up with a lot of kid talk and parental venting.  The run is part of our schedule. On Sunday morning, from 7:30-9:30 am, we run and we talk. Someone else watches the kids, usually a spouse, but occasionally a teenager who lives nearby and is willing to rise early.

The roads are quiet on a Sunday morning, so we can run two abreast or three abreast and be part of a giant conversation or carry on several discussions. The pace is moderate, about 8:30 minute miles, so it is easy to talk and run. We switch who we are next to when someone stops for a pee break, to tie a shoe, or when a passing car squeezes us to single file and changes our formation. 

I had been on a five-month hiatus from these ladies' runs after taking the winter off to cross-country ski and today was my first day back. My legs felt great and I was eager to rejoin this comraderie. As much as I love exercising with my kids, I recognize the importance of getting in my own exercise and getting a break from parenting for a couple of hours.

And in the afternoon, Ava had her own chance to exercise and socialize while biking with a friend while the dads ran alongside. As for Julia, she had a rest day, initiating her own afternoon nap on the porch. 

Stretching Session

Ava and I spent nearly an hour stretching together this morning. Sounds boring, I know. And surprising that a five-year-old would be interested for so long. But our stretching session was an active show-and-tell.  I showed her a stretch from my yoga core class, which we both performed. Then, she showed me a stretch from her pre-primary ballet class. We arched our backs like a cat, wagged our "tail," and rested in Child's Pose. We rocked back and forth on our spine, which Ava called "rocking chair," and tried several balancing poses.

When I went out for a run on my own later, up a long, steep hill, I felt great. Nice and loose. 

Stretching is often one of those things that I don't get to often enough and my tight limbs pay. With young kids in the house, I usually dread stretching because I become a human jungle gym. Today was different. My older daughter taught me stretches.  I told her that maybe she could be a dance or yoga instructor someday, that is when she isn't busy being a doctor, cheerleader, or President of the United States.

Bike Chase

It's hard to believe that I now have a three year old and a five year old. We celebrated birthday #3 for Julia on the weekend. Sometimes she seems like a baby still, sucking that thumb and holding her blankie, but she has bumped up to the preschooler category and is gaining some independence.

I admit that I report most often on Ava's fitness endeavors... she is older and so is the first to bike and ski and hike and dance. She also has tremendous focus and so picks up skills due to a lot of practicing and determination. But I think that little sister, Julia, may possess the natural talent. The trick with her is keeping her interested.

I had a lucky breakthrough with Julia the other day. It wasn't intentional. Ava was flying around an empty parking lot on her bike and I was trying to get Julia to focus on her steering. She wasn't interested. She kept going in circles. Then she'd hop off and run around and hop back on the bike. She started biking right at me. I was about to yell at her when instead I ran. Julia was in gleeful hysterics. Chase down mommy. What a great game. I swerved this way and that and sure enough Julia kept right up, steering perfectly. 

Sometimes it takes some fun and games to get those not-so-focused kids going.