Keep Kids Active, Focused During School Year

With the start of school, many parents may find it hard to juggle their children's school – and after-school – responsibilities with healthy lifestyle habits, but these tips should help you accomplish both. 

Being healthy is about making a lifestyle choice. One of the keys to keeping kids active and healthy as the weather gets cold is to empower and motivate them, as parents. Set a good example. Be a good role model. Encourage your children to challenge you.

• Be a "Fun-Fit" Family: Kids love challenges. After getting the mail, have a "race" back to the house. Play a game of tag in the backyard. Have a jump-rope contest. Play catch. Go bowling, ice skating or roller-blading. Go for a family bike-ride. Shoot hoops. See who can dribble the longest. Who can kick the soccer ball the farthest? Who can keep the Hoola-Hoop spinning the longest? See who can fill up a bag of leaves the fastest. Set goals . The winner gets to stay up 20 minutes longer or gets 15 extra minutes of TV or computer time. Or, the winner gets a chance at Go-Carting ,batting cages or driving range with mom or dad. Avoid food rewards!
• Don't criticize: Let the kids develop at their own pace. Give them encouragement and support. If your child makes a mistake let them know its okay, move forward.
• Make physical activity a priority in your own life: Walk the dog together after dinner. Revive those old classic movement games like red light-green light, or Simon Says. Ask your child to get up and "act-out" something that happened at school that day to promote movement. Bike or walk to school with your children in the morning.
• Work with them, play to their interests: If your child enjoys reading, bike to the library together. If your child is an artist, go on a nature hike and collect rocks, sticks and other things to use to create something. If your child enjoys video games, encourage those that require movement. Challenge them to DDR or Wii.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 1-2 hours per day of "screen -time". Researchers have found that, the more active the lifestyle, the better the kids do in school. The more exercise, the more brain activity. Children and teens should accumulate a minimum of one hour of fitness per day.

Elyse Indelicato is a certified personal trainer and holds several certifications through the International Sports Science Association, including one in youth fitness. Her experience with the needs of teens in relation to healthy living also comes from her personal experience of being a mother of three. Indelicato's personal gym – Fit 4 Teens – is open after school until 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays during the school year.