Get Up and Go This Weekend: Family Time

Each weekend, we feature a new way to Get Up and Go. You can try each week’s idea, do activities from past weeks, or just Get Up and Go on your own. Join us as we Get Up and Go this weekend!

Bicycling is a great way to get around town as a family.

It’s Labor Day weekend, which means most folks have an extra day off from school or work. It’s also a popular time for family picnics. That means it’s a great time to get your family moving together!

We asked one on-the-go Pennsylvania family to share their ideas. Their downtime is often spent together, taking bike rides, walking, hiking, making up dances, skating, or  playing basketball.

Wow! How do they do it all? One way to fit in that much active time together is to pick activities that everyone can enjoy and work into their schedules, says Sianna, 16.

Elise, 10, agrees. “You want to make it fun for everyone,” she says. So how do they make it work? One idea is something brothers and sisters have to do all the time: share! Elise suggests that each member of the family should come up with an activity for the family to do together. “Then they can take turns,” she says.

Some of the girls’ tips for making exercise more fun apply to everyone, whether you have siblings or not. Sianna suggests bringing along a camera and taking photos. Elise says it is fun to make up your own games. Some of her favorites involve the trampoline. Other times, the family will play a game, such as 20 Questions, while walking or hiking, Sianna says.

It doesn’t matter what you do, says Sianna, as long as you are doing it together. “Just try to get everyone involved,” she says.

Originally appeared in Current Health 1 and Current Health 2, December 2009

Need Labor Day plans? Give exercise a ‘tri’

Don’t forget! This weekend is the first-ever edition of America’s Tri For Health, organized by Maryland teen Hunter Lussi. He’s a triathlete (that means he runs, swims, and bikes, all in the same race!) and wants to form the largest group ever to do those three sports this Labor Day. Gather up some friends and family and split up the job: you can run, your mom can ride a bike, and your neighbor can take a swim.

Learn more about his effort and sign up on his Web site at www.americastriforhealth.com, and read more about Hunter’s plans in an interview with Current Health here.

Take the Pledge!

These students pledged to Get Up and Go!

Could your students use a boost when it comes to making exercise a part of every day? Encourage them to take the Get Up and Go Pledge! It will remind them that they can make this their healthiest school year yet.

Click here to download the printable pledge sheet or make copies of the version in the September 2010 Current Health Kids Teacher’s Guide. Students can then post their pledge in a spot, such as a locker, their bedroom wall, or a family bulletin board, where it will remind them to Get Up and Go more often.

These students took the pledge too!

Then, be sure and let us know how it goes! You can send information about the ways your students Get Up and Go to us via email at chkids@weeklyreader.com or by mail at Current Health Kids, 44 S. Broadway, 18th floor, White Plains, NY 10601-4425. Or just post your comments in the area below. We’d love to hear from you!

Get Up and Go This Weekend: Beach Paddleball

Each weekend we feature a new way to Get Up and Go. You can try each week’s idea, do activities from past weeks, or just Get Up and Go on your own. This week’s post, the second in our series, is by guest contributor Arielle Mellen.

What you’ll need: two rackets and a soft ball, such as a Koosh ball

My brother and I used to play this game every time we went to the beach. It’s great exercise because it requires running, jumping and leaping. Our set came with two red rackets that had a stretchy center made out of fabric and a soft rubber Koosh ball. (Similar sets may be called “paddleball,” “beach paddleball,” or “beach tennis” sets, or you can gather up the pieces to make your own set.)

It’s similar to tennis, but the object of this game is to rally back and forth for as long as possible. No sweat! Sounds simple, right? Trust me—my brother, who’s two years older than me, did not make it easy. He would hit the ball hard and most of the time right over my head. I ran back and forth trying to make it to the ball in time, while sinking deeper and deeper into the sand with every step.

If you’re not planning on going to the beach anytime soon, switch it up. Try playing two-person paddleball in the pool. You’ll work up a sweat, use different muscles as you move through the water, and get refreshed at the same time. No water? No problem! You can also play on dry land.

What are you waiting for? Grab a buddy, pick up a racket and a couple of balls, and head to the beach this weekend.
—By Arielle Mellen

Is That a Fact?

One article in September’s issue of Current Health Kids takes a look at some common fitness myths.

Before your students read the article (“Is That a Fact?,” page 13), ask them if they know of any fitness “facts” that are actually fiction. Then turn to the article for answers.

Here’s a sneak peek at one myth we debunk in the article:

Sports Drinks: A Smart Choice?
If professional football players guzzle brightly colored sports drinks during games, those beverages must be healthy, right? Nope. Sports drinks typically have a lot of calories in the form of sugars, such as sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup, says Dr. Kent Sasse, founder of the Obesity Prevention Foundation. Unless you are exercising hard in hot weather or for a very long time, sports drinks aren’t a good choice. What’s the best way to rehydrate your body? Sasse recommends plain water. Water has zero calories and no artificial sweeteners or other ingredients.

After reading the article, work with students to list some resources, or some people, they can turn to when they hear something about exercise or health that doesn’t sound right.

Originally appeared in Current Health Kids magazine, September 2010

Get Up and Go This Weekend: Letterboxing!

Each weekend, we’ll feature a new way to Get Up and Go. You can try each week’s idea, do activities from past weeks, or just Get Up and Go on your own. This is the first in our series. Join us as we Get Up and Go this weekend!

If you like to spend time outside, look into letterboxing. Letterboxing combines hiking and treasure hunting, and is a great way to get your whole family going. People
hide a small plastic box with a journal and a rubber stamp inside in parks or along hiking trails. Then they share clues online for how to find the box. When you go
letterboxing, bring a journal and stamp of your own. When you find a letterbox, stamp your journal and the journal in the box, and put the box back so others can find it. Learn more at www.letterboxing.org.

‘Tri’ for better health this Labor Day

Hunter Lussi wants you to do a triathlon!

Actually, the Maryland teen (at right) wants everybody in the U.S. to do his triathlon on Labor Day. America’s Fitness Tri will be held September 6. People from coast to coast will be swimming, paddling, floating, biking, spinning, running, walking, and rolling their way to better health.
You can sign up on Hunter’s Web site at www.americastriforhealth.com. “You don’t have to do all three events; you can do just one,” he explains. “You can swim, and get your mom to run, and you can get your friend or someone to ride the bike.” It’s like forming your own relay team, which also makes the event more fun, he says.
He says he wants it to be easy and fun for everyone. And you can do your share at a neighborhood pool, a local park, or your own backyard. “It doesn’t cost anything, and you don’t have to go anywhere,” Hunter says.
What are you waiting for? It’s not too late to form your America’s Fitness Tri team with people you know (or find fitness friends on Hunter’s Web site) and get started.

Originally appeared in Current Health 1, February 2010

Let’s Get Started!

Just getting started with exercise? Or do you want to start, but don’t know where to begin? Not sure what sort of a workout routine is best for you? Try taking our “What’s Your Exercise Personality?” quiz. Your answers to these 12 questions (don’t worry, there are no wrong answers!) will give you some ideas for what sorts of activities suit you best. Once you take the quiz, find your exercise type on our exercise personality chart. It will also give you a bunch of ideas for specific sports and activities to try. Then all you need to do is — you guessed it! — Get Up and Go!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Get Up and Go blog! Use it in addition to the Get Up and Go pages in the magazine Current Health Kids, or on its own. We hope it offers you and your students ideas for getting up, getting moving, and making exercise an important (and fun!) part of every day.

Ready? Great! Let’s Get Up and Go!