by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Oct 23, 2018 | Getting Kids Moving
Exercise can be anywhere…Nathan loves to walk…when he's at church, at the library, park, and especially when he's watching buses or trains. So, we take advantage of that love and give him frequent opportunities to do just that–walk!
Studies show that even light walking has a positive effect on feelings of well-being, and increases feelings of calm. And doing something you love also helps, because you look forward to doing it.
How do you motivate your kiddos to move?
It doesn't have to be fancy or even “organized.” Just getting up and moving will make a difference, especially for a kiddo who is spending a lot of time on the computer or in their bedroom.
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Sep 29, 2018 | Getting Kids Moving
After a month of school, we are still plugging away at our Physical Education class. Though I have found that there are many exercises that Nathan doesn't like. "It's important to make it fun," they say! It takes Creativity!
I just asked my son which exercises are fun, and he said, "Ball." He has autism, so he is a boy of very few words. I am learning as I go...Fortunately, there is tons of information available on the internet to help with inspiration.
A couple of examples:
Ace Fitness' website, www.AceFitness.org and Idea Fitness, www.Ideafit.com, both have free resources available. We also have found The Exercise Buddy app for tablets (we have an Ipad, but it is also available for Android), to be extremely helpful. The Exercise Buddy can be found at www.ExerciseBuddy.com. They offer a free 14-day Trial that anyone is welcome to try.
Check out this latest article on "How to Motivate your Kid to Exercise."
8/3/2019 - Update - My husband is now home more and can help me with motivating Nathan to exercise. We have been taking him to the gym two times a week so that he can do some strength training. Plus, he is going out a couple times a week to watch harvesters, combines, buses and such. It takes Creativity is so true!
We are learning that exercise comes in so many forms...
Magnesium as Therapy
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Sep 8, 2018 | Homeschooling
First week of school! We made it!
It is officially the end of our first week of 8th grade and our first week of using the Stability Ball for PE. That went WAY better than expected! We had first used the stability ball when Nathan was maybe 4 years old. It lasted about two weeks and one of the cats punctured a hole into it. We didn't buy another one because of concerns it would happen again. But after spending all summer reviewing exercise ideas, I decided to try again. I am so glad I did! Nathan actually loves this tool. He didn't complain about anything I asked him to do. And now we are keeping it on the top rung of our cat tree where it is safe and sound.
This is the Stability Ball we use. We purchased it from Amazon for $17.99. It comes with an air pump, directions, and measuring tape to help make sure that you inflate it to just the right size. If you decide to purchase a Stability Ball, make sure you pick the size that matches your height. We got the Medium, which according to the American Council of Exercise, is appropriate for 5 ft. 1 inches to 5 ft. 8 inches of height. Nathan is 5 ft. 2 inches currently, so he will have room to grow.
First week of school is usually not so bad since we're rested from the nice long summer break. I will have to see how things go in the next few weeks.
1/1/2019 Update: We have been using the stability ball as much as possible, and Nathan is becoming more independent thanks to his Exercise Buddy App, though there are still a few bugs to work out with the app--things the manufacturer is working on. But it is very freeing to be able to assign him a workout and not have to be there with him the whole time. He is 13 years old, so he is becoming more independent. This too is a relief!
