Search Results for: blog honey were killing the kids

Kids Need Brain Fitness, Too

The old motto of use or lose it applies to our brain as much as it does our body. We know that if we don’t exercise our bodies regularly, they won’t stay in tip-top shape. The same thought applies to our minds, especially the growing and developing minds of our children. Their brains are constantly developing, learning, growing and changing. We need to help them tone and strengthen it and this isn’t just about education and going to school. There are plenty of ways we can promote brain fitness in our homes and with our children. The following are a … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Getting Your Kids off the Sofa

Fall is cold and flu season and there’s nothing that puts kids and parents down quicker than a nasty flu virus or head cold. The problem isn’t just the virus, it’s the secondary conditions you can develop including sinus infections, bronchitis and more. It’s important to keep your kids fit during this time of year. The following tips are good for adults to follow as well because all a cold needs is one foot hold in a household to get everyone else ill. Washing your hands regularly Get a flu shot Exercise regularly Drink plenty of fluids Take a daily … Continue reading →

Is My Pet Overweight?

I’m not a vet, and I don’t play one on TV. But I do work with cats, live with dogs and cats, and read and write a lot about animals. One question that comes up over and over is this: “Is my pet overweight?” I get asked that at least once a week at the cats-only boarding facility. And I worry about it for my own pets, too! My dog Lally regulates her eating well — she only eats when she’s hungry. If I left food out all the time, she probably wouldn’t gain a pound. My dog Moose, on … Continue reading →

Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars

Do you have a sweet tooth? I sure do! But… there’s a long history in my family of diabetes. I do worry about how much sugar I get in my diet — both added sugar and natural sugar. Naturally sweet produce like fruits and some veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, etc) make up a big part of my diet. There is a big difference between natural sugars and added sugars. The sugars in fruits and vegetables certainly aren’t as dangerous as added sugars. In fact, nutrition experts say that natural sugars don’t raise your diabetes risk the same way added sugars … Continue reading →

Your Success in Exercise May Rest In Our Genes

Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief, your success or failure in exercise and how your body responds to it may rest squarely on the shoulders of your parents. According to recent research by the American College of Sports Medicine, researchers have discovered certain genes that reflect on our fitness and physical performance. Naturally Gifted There are people who seem like they are just naturally gifted. They workout and their bodies show tremendous results. They have strength, body composition, flexibility and endurance. They workout and their results are just phenomenal. You may have always thought that these people were … Continue reading →

Fit Family – Miami Moms Take Action

I love Moms – have I mentioned that? When faced with a need, Maria Sanz, a mother of four, decided to create the fitness magazine she wanted for her kids. Their fitness magazine is called Be Fit Kids and it offers a bimonthly issue with articles of interest for children ages 8 to 14. Sanz’s goal was a magazine that encouraged kids and their parents to live healthy, smart lives. Hero Worship The magazine offers to supplement the hero worship that some kids feel with interviews and features on high profile athletes and interviews with some that are done by … Continue reading →

Family Fitness: Get Back Up

We have special exercise needs. Our families and our children have special exercise needs. Our teenagers have very specific exercise needs and we need to keep this in mind as they develop. They can be far more susceptible to damage from overuse of their joints, bones and muscles during exercise. How many of us have injuries relating back to our teenage years? (I do! I have a bad knee.) Too many of our kids are spending way too much time in front of the television or playing video games online or off. They are not getting the time to run, … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Red Light, Green Light

Have you ever played red light, green light with your little ones? The principle of the game is pretty straightforward. You say red light and your kids stop. You say green light and they start racing around or moving. Red light, stop. Green light, go. We started playing this particular game with our daughter when she was just 2 years old and by the time she was three, she knew what it meant. Red Light: Stop. Green Light: Go. This system can be applied to our activity levels, our eating choices and more. We teach our kids what’s good and … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: A Guide for Physical Activity

So how much activity should you child engage in regularly? How much is enough? How much is too much? How do you weigh one activity against another? With childhood obesity the rising concern of many parents, it’s important to understand how to engage your kids in activity and what the definitions of activity and inactivity are. Everyday Activities Everyday activities are the kinds of activities where our children should be spending most of their activity time. So what is included in everyday activities? The following are a sampling, though they are going to be different from child to child: Riding … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness: Flexing The Mind

We talked about stimulating your child’s mind earlier and why this is good for them. Here are a few more exercises designed to help stimulate the minds of older and younger children alike. You might try a few out for yourself as well. Observation Challenge – You perform this exercise by putting a few objects on a tray and giving the child about 10 to 20 seconds to look at it, then cover it up – ask them to name all the objects that are on the tray. You can add the number of items or reduce the observation window … Continue reading →