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Fifty Tips/KR Style by Carol Goodrow
PRINTER FRIENDLY COPY
Here are fifty quick ideas for healthy eating and fitness activities. These are not only great for kids, but for moms and dads as well.
EAT AND DRINK
1. "Elephant's Trunk"
Bring a water bottle to class.
2. "Raccoon"
Eat lettuce and other veggies.
3. "Blue Jay"
Munch on berries and other fruits.
4. "Little Red Hen"
Eat whole grains instead of enriched processed grains.
5. "Chipmunk"
Eat peanuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts.
6. "Wolf"
Eat meat, but watch your portion size. 4-6 ounces for supper is great.
7. "Kitten"
Drink low-fat milk, or eat foods prepared with dairy: pudding, yogurt, and cottage cheese.
8. "Kangaroo"
Pack a healthy snack in your pocket. Tell everyone about the 'healthy' food you have with you. Bring some red pepper slices for the other boys and girls to try.
9. "Squirrel"
Dig a pit. Plant an apple tree. When it grows tall, climb it!
FITNESS JOURNAL
br>10. "Brown Bear"
Go fishing and eat your catch. Or go to the fish market and buy your supper.
RUN AND MOVE
11. "Colored Chalk"
Play Hop Scotch.
12."Mom's Game"
Play Mother May I.
13. "Stop and Go"
Play Red Light, Green Light.
14. "Treaure Island"
Make a list of 'treasures'. Make a map of the backyard. Hide your treasures. Run and find. Draw the treasures on the map as you find them.
15."Bobby Socks"
Have an outdoor party with an old fashioned Sock Hop.
16. "Deer"
Run like deer with your mom, dad, sister and brother. Run at the track. Run on the trail. Run down the road with your family.
17. "Fun Run"
Go to a fun run and come home with a medal!
18. "Walk to Breakfast"
Walk to the restaurant. Eat a good breakfast. Walk home.
19."Park the Car"
Walk to the post office, the corner store, and the bank.
20. "Cinderella, Dressed in Yellow"
Check out a book of jump rope rhymes from the library. Have fun with poetry, counting, and fitness at the same time.
21. "Be Mall Rats"
Go to the mall and shop for fitness clothing and equipment. Make sure that you park far away from the store and walk, walk, walk, so that your shopping trip is fitness fun.
22. "Lance"
Ride on a nearby bike trail. Read about the trails at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Plan a cycling vacation.
23. "Penguin"
Bundle up and go sledding or tobogganing. Have a cup of hot chocolate when you get home.
24. "Busy Bee"
Clean your room and exercise at the same time. Pick up the pace and clean it quickly.
BE KR ARTSY (KR'S FAVORITES)
25. "Run to Draw"
Art is everywhere! Buy a small sketch pad, pastels, and charcoal. Backpack your supplies. Find a spot to run or walk to, then sketch, and date your drawings. Return to the same spot often and draw the changes in nature.
26. "Run to Write"
Keep an fitness journal. Write all about your exercise for the day. Keep it private for now, but write neatly so you can pass it on to your child or grandchild someday.
27. "Run the Seasons"
Go for nature runs. On return, list or draw signs of the seasons such as color of leaves, clouds, temperature. Keep at it through the seasons and watch the seasons change.
28."Run to Shoot"
Go for a run with a small camera. Take pictures along the way.
DANCE
29. "Twist"
Put on some music and learn to do the twist.
30. "Go Dancing"
Sign up for some dance lessons; any kind.
31. "Rock and Roll"
Get out Grandma's old fashioned record player and a stack of 45's, straight from the fifties (CD's will do, too). Dance the night away.
FUN AND GAMES
32. "Animal Fun"
Write the names of 50 animals on cards. Draw a name and move like that animal for about 50m. Have others guess which animal you are.
33. "Fifty Seconds"
Use a stop watch. The caller yells, "Run, walk, hop, jump, or skip, etc. and everyone moves as directed. When fifty seconds are up the caller yells, "Stop!"
34. "White Rabbit"
Use a stopwatch. Run or walk 50m and time yourself. See how far you can run or walk in 50 seconds.
35. "Kid Fitness Trail"
Create a backyard fitness trail. Place signs with exercises at various spots in the yard and jog from sign to sign. Signs could say: do 10 crunches, 15 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, 4 hops, 6 spins, etc.
36. "Go Team, Go!"
Get together with some friends and make up the words and steps for a team cheer. Practice jumps.
37. "Roll Over, Rover"
Play fetch with your dog, then take him for a walk or run.
MUSCLE UP
38. "Get Strong"
Get an exercise video. Practice doing exercises with light weights.
39. "Crunch It"
Do 15 minutes of slow crunches and other ab exercises.
TRY NEW THINGS
40. "Pom-poms"
Go ice skating. Girls, wear a pom-pom hat or wear pom-poms on your skates.
41. "Swim Like a Fish"
Visit the beach in the summertime. Find an indoor pool in the winter. Don't know how to swim? Take lessons.
42. "Just Ducky"
Try a water sport: kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, or row boating. Like to fish? Pack your gear and walk to your local fishing spot.
43. "Wheels"
Try out a scooter or a kick bike. Ride a mountain bike or a road bike.
44. "Tumble"
Do somersaults, roll, cartwheel, (and with supervision) flip.
45. "Pass and Shoot"
Shoot a basketball, pass a softball or baseball, hit some tennis balls, and play Frisbee.
PLAN AND ORGANIZE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
46. "Family Goal"
Decide on a reward for the whole family upon reaching a fitness goal of fifty points. Put a chart on the refrigerator let each family member earn a point for an hour of fitness fun. Make sure that your family reward is healthy, in itself. Great rewards could be a trip to a ski lodge for cross-country ski lessons, a hike at a local park, or new pairs of snow shoes for each family member.
47. "Plan Ahead"
Get out the calendar and plan some family outings where all members will participate. Also let each family member schedule some solo activities or activities with friends.
48. "Brainstorm"
See if your family can think of fifty fitness activities, then have each member list their top 5. Find out if there are any matches. Challenge everyone to try something new.
49. "Fifty Fabulous and Fit Foods"
Make a list of fifty healthy foods. Write your name next to the food after you eat it. Your mom, dad, sister, brother and you can work on the same list together.
50. "Healthy Dining"
Find restaurants with healthy entrees and enjoy. When you find a restaurant without any healthy choices, write them a letter asking them to add heart smart selections to their menu. Make sure to list a few reasons why they should.
Divide your hour into 10, 20, 30 minute segments, or go for the full hour. Print and Use this Hour of Exercise Form to record your periods of exercise.NEW for 2003!
7 Day Chart, 7 Hours
Fitness University and the Hour of Exercise
Have you made a resolution to get fit for the new year? Please let me know. Email rwedit@rodale.com.
