3 Tricks to Keep Snacking Healthy and Portable

What is a Healthy Snack?

Cookbook writer Anna Thomas said it best when she stated that, "we all eat, and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly”¹. We’ve all heard the old saying about spoiling our appetite with a snack. It can be a daunting task to create the correctly portioned and nutritious snack that we desire our children to eat. Some people might think that snacking is even a bad thing for children to do throughout the day.

This isn’t true though!

§  A University of Florida study shows that “healthy snack choices can provide children with some of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and calories they need for growth, energy, and overall good health. In fact, healthy snacks can satisfy nutrient gaps and provide up to one-quarter of a child's daily energy needs (USDA, “Daily Food Plan,” n.d.). Healthy snacking satisfies hunger between meals, improves concentration, and prevents overeating at mealtime”².

Three Keys to Providing Healthy Snacks

1.     Make sure that you fill a nutrient gap for the day. (Ex: If you’re having pizza for dinner, provide a snack with carrots to fill the vegetable void.)

2.     Space snacks out so that the timing doesn’t get in the way of a main course.

3.     Review and replace what you have available for them to eat. If you have a cookie jar always full, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’re constantly choosing the unhealthy alternative.

WARNING: Avoid providing food as a way of calming or rewarding children for something. If you do this, they might get into the habit of acting in certain ways to receive a snack, and this could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

3 Tricks to Keep Snacking Healthy and Portable

1. Brown Bag It

Never doubt the original way of doing things. These bags can be fun because you can easily customize them with drawings or notes for your kids. They’re also inexpensive and easily portable. And on top of all that, they’re big enough to hold all the healthy snack items your kids enjoy.

2. Make It Fun

One of my favorite snacks growing up was, “Ants on a Log”. All that you needed was celery topped with peanut butter or cream cheese.  My mom would line up raisins to make the “ants”. Alone, I wouldn’t have enjoyed these foods, but when they were all combined to make a fun, creative snack, I was all in. Fun and creative snacks make replacing sugary, high-fat foods much easier. There are all kinds of neat ideas online for creative healthy foods like trail mix or even DIY protein bars. 

3. Reuse It

Tupperware is portable, and most of us use it for leftovers anyway. If you have a little bit of leftovers from the day before that your child liked, you can save money and time by repacking it for their snack. This can be a healthy alternative to throwing a few different junk food items in their backpack.

¹Thomson, J. (2013, January 16). The Most Famous And Greatest Food Quotes Of All Time. Retrieved June 11, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/food-quotes-famous-eating_n_2481583.html

²Martinez, J., & Shelnutt, K. (2013, July 1). Raising Healthy Children: The Role of Snacking1. Retrieved June 11, 2015, from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1154

The Benefits of Rest: Rest On Purpose For Greater Effectiveness

Rev. Solomon Reyes said it best when he wrote, 

“The lazy make rest an excuse not to work, but the diligent see rest as a means to be more productive. The lazy see rest as the end of work, but the diligent see rest as a necessity to attain greater fruitfulness.” 

In other words, rest on purpose for greater effectiveness.

 

The Benefits of Rest

One of the most prominent and interesting studies on resting comes from Harvard medical professor, Dr. Herbert Benson. He saw the benefits of resting through meditation and decided to do further research on how relaxing can help the body and mind. Through his research, he noticed several beneficial changes taking place, and said,

“The relaxation response is a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress, and is the opposite of the fight or flight response.”

 
When your mind rests, you can return to work with clear thoughts. With a calm mind, you’ll be able to refocus on your tasks and create progress. Rest will also leave you in a state of peace with far less anxiety which can make you much happier and less agitated, sad, or overwhelmed.

Amazingly, Dr. Benson's team also discovered anti-inflammatory responses during rest that reduced stress and relaxed muscles. The body doesn’t have to take in as much oxygen during rest because there is no hyperventilating due to stress, blood pressure is much lower, and muscles relax.

 

Consequences of Not Taking a Breather

Per Dr. Benson, the immediate side effects of not resting include, 

“Irritability, memory loss, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, blurry vision, impaired judgment… and reduced glucose metabolism.” 

It becomes increasingly difficult to do jobs correctly if you try to work straight through and not take breaks.

The long-term problems associated with overworking are even worse, and include, 

“Raised blood pressure, suppressed immune system, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, infertility, and a sped-up aging process. Long-term stress can rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.”

6 Ways to Rest Productively 

Author Tony Schwartz recommends active or passive renewal (rest) after every 90 minutes of focused and productive work.

1. Meditation 

Taking some deep breaths while you close your eyes can be a quick and simple recovery method. You will slow your heart rate and clear your mind. Maybe count back from 10 slowly, or let your mind drift somewhere else to reach a state of calmness. For a simple, guided meditation, click here.

2. Naps 

Naps may seem like the ultimate, lazy way to get out of work, but they’re one of the healthiest things that you can do for yourself. When you take a nap, you increase your metabolism, retain more information, and get an extra boost to recharge your battery or make up for lost sleep.

3. Music 

Several studies have shown that listening to music can be beneficial to your overall psychological health. A good tune can change your mood and take your mind away from something that is worrying you.

4. Read 

Excerpts from a text or poem can take you to a positive state of mind. Books and stories let your imagination flow. Non-fiction can be a great way to increase literacy, and get your mind of your daily tasks.

5. Journal 

A journal can be a way to get troubling thoughts out of your mind, and off your chest. You can vent about anything, and clear your worries by getting your concerns out of your head onto paper.

6. Exercise 

Any form of movement that gets your blood pumping will release endorphins and improve mental clarity. Try going for a walk or jog over your lunch break, or take a few minutes to do body-weight exercises between classes.

 

Not taking breaks from the tension that our daily activities bring can lead to some major problems, both now and down the road. To avoid the consequences of stress and fatigue, you’ve got to take a break! Create a relaxation strategy and get the recovery you need to be productive, happy, and healthy.

5 Ways To Keep Kids Fit & Active This Summer!

With Increased Technology Comes Decreased Activity

Children are spending more and more time on a tablet, in front of the television, or on a video game system. Kids love the newest devices, apps, movies, and television shows. These tools of entertainment can be a great source of fun and enjoyment. However, they have the potential to negatively affect a child’s health by limiting movement.

 
With summer around the bend, our students and youth are going to be less likely to be outside than 10 or 15 years ago because of these forms of entertainment. The National Summer Learning Association says that 

“Children gain weight two or three times faster during summer vacation than during the school year.” 

When children are in school they are constantly supervised, and their diet and activity are monitored. In the summer, it is easy for a student to slip into the routine of electronic entertainment and snacking while their physical health gets set aside. Here are 5 ideas for helping children stay fit and active.

 Alternatives to Summer-Time Sluggishness 

1.    Join a Club or Team

Children will not only have a reason to get fit, but they will also be learning valuable life lessons and building strong relationships along the way. Swim clubs are a huge hit in the summer, and baseball is in full swing along with many other camps and training. Through practices and games, students will get plenty of needed activity.

2. Summer Camps

Summer camps, like the ones offered through your local YMCA, provide supervision and criteria to keep children eating healthier and staying fit. They’ll build friendships, learn new skills, and build a stronger body to keep them healthy. A summer camp can be a great way to build memories and a strong foundation of physical health in a fun way.

3. Teach Healthy Eating

As well as minimizing the amounts of unhealthy snacks in the household, teach young children about healthy food alternatives. If your children know about the risks of eating unhealthy foods to excess, they will be more likely to make better snack choices. Make this a fun activity while shopping in the grocery store or through an educational program.

 

4. Limit Screen Time

Limiting the time children spend in front of electronic devices (phones, iPads, TV, Xbox, etc.) is key to keeping them entertained in healthier ways during the summer. Making time spent with electronics equal to the time they spend doing something active can be helpful. Show them that adventures are waiting to be discovered outside a screen, and connect with them through conversation and play.

 

5. Get Active with Children

If you lead with a positive example, children are more likely to follow in your footsteps. Show them that being active can be fun in various ways. Go for a hike, follow the leader, do chores together, play outdoor games like hide and seek, garden together, or go to the park and play. There are plenty of online sources that offer creative games that include no equipment and will get kids moving.

Make this a summer to remember for both you and the children in your care. With children's metabolisms potentially slowing over the summer, making physical activity fun again can be a major solution to the problem. Get students and children moving this summer so that they can return to a new school year feeling healthier and more confident than ever!

Should Kids Run Marathons?

In 2016, Charlie Westrip set the 6-year-old male record with his half marathon time of 2:06:51. In 2014, Heather Welsch set the 11-year-old female half marathon record with a time of 1:31:23.

These outlier feats of speed and endurance are impressive, unusual, and extreme. We do not want to dissuade children from running far and fast if that brings them joy. But we do want to emphasize the importance of moderation and personal enjoyment in the activity.

Moderation

Many children love to climb trees. Climbing trees is not a dangerous activity in and of itself, but it has the potential to be harmful if children climb high beyond the bounds of common sense.

The same is true for children running great distances. If a child loves to run that is wonderful! However, miles accrued must be sensible as they can affect growing bodies.

Running marathons at 6 will not necessarily prepare a child to compete in an Olympic Marathon at 20. In most cases, Fitness Finders® recommends accruing marathon distances over multiple running sessions, thereby achieving the accomplishment without the same physical toll.

Greg Meyer, a sub-four-minute miler who went on to win the Detroit, Boston, and Chicago Marathons in the 1980’s, says “Success does not have to be some big success that takes weeks to accomplish, but little successes every day; those that will give children a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and confidence.”

Personal Enjoyment

Douglas Finley, Editor, for the Center for Children’s Running, wrote, “Success will be different for each child. For some, it will be simply finishing a run. For others, it may be running farther or faster than last time or mastering some new skill like passing off a relay baton. For yet others, it is as simple as being recognized for their effort, for showing great determination, for just doing their best. If the child sets too lofty a goal, it is the responsibility of the parent/coach to suggest taking little steps to reach that goal, each step offering the child an opportunity to experience a level of personal accomplishment.”

Running should facilitate a love of physical activity in children, a love of movement. By encouraging youth to run for enjoyment and health, you set the stage for their life-long approach to exercise. And by setting attainable, individual, and appropriate goals, you can enable each young runner to shine.

So, should kids run marathons? Some will. Set attainable, sensible goals that all your students can work for and celebrate. Create those everyday successes that build accomplishment, satisfaction, and confidence.