"It is no question that kids of all ages love to play and be active!  Choosing to play tag with a group of friends, swing from the monkey bars, or even kick around a soccer ball is all part of a healthy lifestyle that may lead to a lifetime of exercising!   Studies show that young children who are encouraged to participate in such activities in their early years are more likely to continue those healthy habits into adulthood.

Excerpted from DrDolgoff.com  (read the whole article)

To prevent a decrease in a child’s activity level, encourage exercise on a daily basis and have him choose an activity that he’ll enjoy.  Playing fun games or sports will increase a child’s willingness to exercise!

Exercise causes the brain to release chemicals called “Endorphins”, which naturally make us feel happy and healthy!

• Children with active lifestyles tend to excel in sports.

• Physically active kids tend to be academically motivated, alert, and successful.

• Healthy children have high self-esteem!

            Healthy eating habits and an exercise routine are fundamental parts of a child’s development.  Lead by example; your child will be more likely to exercise if YOU exercise.   Here are some ideas to encourage your child to engage in a fitness routine:

Give Plenty of Opportunity To Be Active:
Make sure your child has easy access to exercise.  Consider purchasing a piece of gym equipment or fitness DVD.  Another option is to take your child to a playground or sign him/her up for a sport.

Focus on Fun:
Pick activities that your child enjoys, like bicycle riding, swimming, roller blading, or playing a sport.  The goal is for your child to enjoy the activity so much that she don’t even realize she is exercising!

Pour on the Praise:          
Kids love to be praised.  A simple high-five or “way to go” encourages children to continue the activity!..."  (read the whole article)

You can learn much more from our book, Fit Family, which is on sale.

photo by respres

When author Heidi Hill was writing Fit Family, she received advice from many parent/athletes.  Two of the most helpful were Dave Blumenthal and his wife, Lexi Shear.  They provided stories of hiking and skiing and several photos which we used in the book.  Dave is the tall fellow in the photo below.

Dave was killed in a bike/truck collision in Colorado last week.  Dave was competing in the Tour Divide race  which runs the length of a 2,745-mile trail that crisscrosses the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains.  It has been described as the toughest mountain bike race in the world.  Here is a writeup from our local paper.

One of the ideas we used in the book was the Young Adventurers Club which was conceived by Dave and Lexi.  It's a wonderful example of how active parents can engage their kids in a variety of outdoor activities.

Dave and Lexi also shared with Heidi Hill some examples from their two-week hike in Austria when their daughter, Linnaea, was an infant. They noted that while they had to carry more because of lugging an infant, going hut-to-hut gave them many options.   Let me share a few of their thoughts:

 “We usually had breakfast and then Linnaea would just about jump in the pack. She’d fall asleep within ten minutes and we’d put our noses down and hike. She usually slept for about an hour and then would look around for another hour, totally content. We’d stop for an hour – some place useful for a stop. We usually hiked about seven hours a day, but it varied depending on when we arrived at a hut as we’d have to make a decision whether to stop or go on to the next one.

Linnaea is an aggressive eater and eats anything we’re interested in. This was fortunate since a lot of what was served at the huts wasn’t kid fare. In town, she was eager for fresh fruit and yogurt. We also carried the European equivalent of graham crackers. These were easy to feed her in the pack and they were handy if she was restless and we had another half hour before getting to the hut.

A challenge was that the sleep set-up was different every night. The huts varied from being like a cheap hotel room to haylofts of a barn to a rustic cabin. The best scenario was when there was a line of mattresses on the floor. We could move them into a corner and move furniture around so Linnaea didn’t flip into anything. We learned a lot about how she slept – how she flips around – which is typical for a child… We were worried about how she’d sleep in a new place every day, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Austria was a good location for hiking with kids for a couple of reasons. We didn’t need to bring extra equipment because we stayed in huts. Also, the hiking was pretty but it was never really remote. If the weather was too cold or she wasn’t into it, we could walk downhill a couple of hours and get to a bus or a train and go to a village. It was easy to bail out.”

A memorial service will be held at Green Mountain Club on July 10, 2010 at 3:30pm with a walk on the Short Trail (a one-mile loop) to follow. 

Have you got - or are you getting - a Kindle?  We have some of our titles available as eBooks through Amazon.com.  There's a money-back guarantee so take a look.  We'll be putting some of our vintage cycling titles up soon.

Save 30% off suggested retail price.

  Fit & Pregnant - Kindle ebook

Fit Family - Kindle ebook

Cycling Along the Canals of New York State - Kindle ebook

Canoe Racing - Kindle ebook

The Fall issue of Vermont Life has a nice review of Heidi Hill's Fit Family. 

The article says in part ...."Not only does her book encourage parents to stay active through the hectic child-rearing years, she recommends the benefits of exercising as a family for the kids, too, since it helps them learn healthy lifestyles at an early age and avoid childhood obesity, a major health problem..... Perhaps most helpful of all is Hill's positive, can-do attitude. Plan, be flexible but be sure to get out and exercise is her advice. Her book will help parents find feasible and creative ways of getting and staying healthy."

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

You've waited until your baby is old enough to transport and have decided whether to use a bike trailer or child carrier -- now here's some advice on routes and safety.

Picking A  Route (from Fit Family - Chapter 5)

• Speed limit
• Width of shoulder
• Condition of road – major cracks along the bike lane can be annoying and/or hazardous
• Traffic – roads that are busy during the commute hours may be quiet during off hours
• Places to stop along the way (a park, café, convenience store) – especially if you’re on a long ride and need to fuel up and get the kids out, diapers changed, etc.
• Shade – on hot summer days opt for shady routes that will keep everyone cooler and somewhat protected from the sun
• Prep time and energy required if you have to drive to your riding location (loading/unloading and assembly of bikes/equipment can be a chore)

Padding

"Trailer arrangements can be better if you support the child's head on both sides with padding so it cannot bobble around too much, particulary when they doze off and you are not aware of it. But seated upright or reclining in a trailer the baby also needs a pillow behind them to provide clearance for their helmet in the back. Without the pillow their chin is forced down toward the chest by the thickness of the back of the helmet. Even if you use a child carrier that keeps the baby perfectly stable, the child will be subjected to a rougher ride than you will be on your bicycle." (from Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)

Debris
"Unknown to riders sitting high above the ground, bike wheels throw up a surprising amount of dirt and grit, even on apparently dry pavement. On gravel, this becomes a veritable shower. Adding moisture makes it even worse. We've been amazed at the amount of crud plastered on the front and even the top of our trailer, despite having full fenders on the towing bicycle. All this debris will fly into the face of an infant in a [forward facing] trailer unless the front covers are in place. Infants may lack the communication skill to report this bombardment, and recognition of the problem may not come before the first eye injury. In addition, breathing swirling street dust cannot be healthy." (from Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)

photo by markwgallagher

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

  Bookmark this on Delicious