Posted Nov 9, 2011
TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, provides these tips about how to promote wellness and nutrition at home, and how to get involved with the PTA Healthy Lifestyles initiative:
Physical activity
1. Get moving as a family and demonstrate to kids the necessity of exercise, which can also boost self-esteem and confidence and reduce stress.
2. Take a group walk or bike ride around the neighborhood after dinner.
3. Find free or low-cost physical activity areas in your community, such as a playground, bike trail, tennis court or park.
4. Take on active chores as a family, like raking leaves or shoveling snow.
5. Use pedometers and have a contest to see who takes the most steps in a given week.
6. Go to the gym as a family. Many fitness centers offer discounted memberships.
Nutrition
While parents typically decide what their children eat, kids will often eat what is available to them. Surround kids with healthy snacks and homemade meals to ensure that they’re making good choices.
2. Serve fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables. Consider more unique snack ideas like homemade smoothies, a fruit salad or vegetables and hummus dip.
3. Offer water, fat-free milk or 100 percent fruit juice with no sugar added.
4. Since nuts and trail mix are often high in calories, serve them in small portions along with another healthy snack.
5. Don’t force kids to clean their plates if they are full.
Before going to the store, make a list of groceries your family needs. Explain to the kids that you will only buy what’s on the list to avoid unhealthy options slipping into the cart. When making your way through the store, focus on the perimeters. These areas contain healthier options, such as produce and dairy. Also, never shop with an empty stomach, so you aren’t vulnerable to buying extra foods.
Get involved at school
There are numerous ways to become engaged at your child’s school. Joining your local PTA can help you and other parents impact what’s served at lunch, emphasize the importance of physical activity during the school day, and plan activities to promote health and wellness. Here are some PTA program and activity ideas that will keep families moving and promote wellness:
Create a document for parents about physical activity areas and resources within the community.
Host a fundraiser for new fitness equipment. Skip the candy bars and cookies and sell services, magazines, candles, cookbooks, or other alternatives to sweets.
3. Plan a 5K run/walk or walk-a-thon event for the school district and encourage families to participate.
4. Hang up posters and other educational materials in the cafeteria to make students aware of the importance of a nutritious meal.
5. Hold a seminar for parents with a health and wellness expert.
6. Organize a healthy Family Fun Night with nutritious snacks, games in the gymnasium, such as basketball or kick ball, a dance, food trivia, and more.
7. It’s also important to find out if your local school district has a wellness policy. This should include nutrition education goals, physical activity objectives, guidelines for food available at school, opportunities for parents and students to get involved with the policy development and plans for evaluation. The best place to begin inquiring about a school wellness policy is at the district office.
The facts
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and adolescents should participate in 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Today, there are more video games, less homemade meals, and a reduction of physical education and sports programs at school