Active Body Active Minds

Review the fitness and activity lists with your children. Also, take the time to discuss nutrition, what it means to eat well, and the importance of eating healthy foods! Treats are great, but a balanced diet is the best way to ensure that they are healthy and have the energy to be active! Check in with them regularly and go outside and play. After all—everybody deserves a healthy body!

Healthy Halftime Snacks
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Hey Kids -
We know that you have different interests and like to do different things. There are all sorts of fun things to do this summer that will help you get in shape. The most important thing is to choose activities for your Fitness Challenge that you enjoy. Then, get moving!

Review the activity list and nutrition information (because healthy bodies need healthy food!). You can start the fitness challenge anytime to get a jump on your first month’s fitness goal, but make sure to log back on at the beginning of June, July, and August to print a fitness log. Each log is different, and you need to complete all three to qualify.

Fitness Challenge

The goal of a summer fitness program is to improve your overall physical fitness. Selecting a variety of activities will help you improve each of the three main components of fitness: strength, endurance, and flexibility.

To start your Fitness Challenge, choose some activities from the activity list that you think you’ll enjoy, or find an activity on your own. Talk to a parent or guardian about the activities that you’ve selected. If you’re just beginning a fitness program, it may be a good idea to visit your doctor first for a physical examination.

Set weekly and monthly fitness goals based on your current level of physical fitness. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, but remember to start out slow. Exercise is about improving your fitness over time, not about being a superhero from the very beginning.

Then, get moving! Write down the time that you spend exercising each day, and make your goals harder each week and each month. At the end of each month, tally the time you spent exercising. Did you meet (or beat!) your goals?

	DOWNLOAD JULY FITNESS LOG HERE
	DOWNLOAD JUNE FITNESS LOG HERE

Activity List
There are hundreds of ways to stay fit and active. Here are some examples:

• Aerobics
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bicycling
• Bowling
• Canoeing
• Dancing
• Downhill Skiing
• Figure Skating
• Gardening
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Hiking
• Hockey
• In line Skating
• Juggling
• Kayaking
• Mountain Biking

• Pilates
• Racquetball
• Rock Climbing
• Roller Skating
• Running
• Scuba Diving
• Skateboarding
• Sledding
• Snorkeling
• Snowboarding
• Soccer
• Softball
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Walking
• Water Skiing
• Yoga

Classic Outdoor Games

• Kickball
• Tag
• Hopscotch

• Simon Says
• Four Square
• Jump Rope

Choose one new activity every day for four weeks. Keep a journal about each activity telling what you did and did not like. Continue to participate in the activities you like to improve your physical fitness.

Presidential Fitness Test
The Presidential Physical Fitness Award Program was designed to help kids get into shape and have fun. To earn the award, you must complete five fitness tests. Teachers at school usually give these tests, but kids can train for them during the school year and summer. The Physical Fitness Test includes 5 events: curl-ups or partial curl-ups, shuttle run, endurance run/walk, pull-ups, and V-sit or sit and reach.

Visit www.presidentschallenge.org for descriptions of the tests and to learn more about the program.

Reading a Nutrition Label
Nutrition labels can make it fast and easy to choose foods that are healthy. Read the nutrition labels on all the foods you eat in one day. Add up the calories, calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, dietary fiber, sodium, and carbohydrates. Compare that to what you should take in each day. Visit www.cfsan.fda.gov for more information on reading a nutrition label.

Three Meals
Plan three balanced meals so that by the end of the day, you will have eaten all of the recommended amounts of food from each food group. Visit www.mypyramid.gov for more information.

Remember to include items from each of the food groups.

• Grains • Vegetables • Fruits • Milk • Meat and Beans

A Tall Glass of Water
Drinking enough water is essential to good health. Water flushes toxins from your vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells. Water is your body’s main component. Your body can be up to 75% water! Lack of water can lead to dehydration—a condition that occurs when you do not have enough water in your body to perform normal functions.

Every day you lose water when you breath, sweat, and use the restroom. When you exercise, you drink more to replenish the water you lose when you sweat. To replenish the water you lose, you should drink plenty of water (4–6 cups for children, 8–12 cups for adults). You should drink enough water so that you don’t feel thirsty and your urine is light yellow, or colorless, and odorless.

Track the amount of water you drink each day. You should drink 4–6 glasses a day. Are you drinking enough?

A Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Sleeping well helps you feel your best during the day. It affects how you feel, your ability to learn and obtain new information, your quality of life, and your mood. While you are sleeping, your brain is still working. It saves the day’s activities into memory and reenergizes the body. For more information on better sleep, visit www.bettersleep.org.

Developing good sleep habits will help you stay happy and healthy. Here are some points to remember when getting a good night’s sleep.

• Kids (3–5 years) need 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night to be productive.
• Kids (5–12 years) need 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night to be productive.
• Create a restful environment that is cool, quiet, and dark.
• Create a nighttime ritual to help your body and mind unwind.
• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day—even on weekends.

Fun and Healthy Recipes

Share these recipes with your family and friends and choose one to make and enjoy together.
Note: Before sharing snacks with other children, ask permission and inquire about
children’s food allergies and religious or other food preferences.

A Super Snack
This is a great snack for kids on the go!

Granola Balls
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 4 Tbsp. low-fat peanut (or other nut) butter
• 2 cups low-fat granola
• 2 to 4 Tbsp. low-fat milk or soymilk

Mix together the honey and peanut butter. Stir in the granola. Add enough milk to moisten. Form mixture into balls. Chill until ready to serve.

A Delicious Drink
Cool off with this delicious, healthy drink.

Apple Banana Smoothie
Makes 2 servings.

• 1 frozen banana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 juicy apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk or soy milk

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

A Yummy Dip
Cut-up veggies or fruits to go with this yummy dip.

Hummus

• Garlic salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor. Serve chilled with vegetables, fruit, or whole wheat pita bread.