ASK THE PLAYGROUND GURU

How much cardio should I be doing?
The amount of cardio you should do depends on your goals. Are you trying to lose weight, maintain it, or just improve cardio-respiratory health? These are the American College of Sports Medicine's general recommended guidelines: For weight loss, do 250 to 300 cardio minutes per week; to prevent weight gain, do 150 to 250 minutes a week; for cardiovascular health, do cardio between 3 and 5 times a week for 20 to 60 minutes. You can accumulate these cardio minutes in 10-minute workout bouts or more on most days of the week at somewhat hard intensity.

It is hard for us to find periods of time for regular physical activity. How can we increase our heart rates in a tightly scheduled routine?
Many families have a very busy schedule between work, school, extracurricular activities, and events. Call for a family huddle and talk about what is important to everyone in the home. You may be surprised to hear your family feels their health and yours is something they want to prioritize. Check in with each other and plan some time to be physically active on the way to or from one of the many scheduled activities, or better yet schedule time for physical activity. If your family can sneak 3 or 5 minutes of jumping jacks here and there, this could really add up. Go ahead and try it, three minutes of straight jumping jacks is a lot of work, and your heart rates will surely increase. As your family gets used to the activity increase the amount of time or how often you participate in these mini jumping jack breaks.

Play Every Day - Wear a pedometer (a gadget that counts your steps) and track your movement. Everyone in the family can wear them and compare steps at the end of the day. Set goals or have contests. You may decided to give out prizes for the most steps in one day or one week.

Is playing a recess game like hopscotch really helpful for my family’s physical health?
Absolutely! If your family is having fun while increasing their heart rate and challenging their muscles they will be more likely to continue to choose physical activity. Part of the struggle associated with creating a lifestyle that includes regular physical activity is the starting and stopping of routines due to boredom and lack of fun. Finding the fun in play is the key for many families and individuals to make time for physical activity. Playing a game of hopscotch can result in 15-20 minutes of hopping, bending, balancing, and coordination - all of which benefit the physical body, but the fun and excitement involved are also good for the spirit and mind.

Is all physical activity good for our hearts?
Yes physical activity is good for our hearts. In honor of American Heart Month, be creative on all the things your family can do to improve the health of their heart. Did you know the heart is a muscle and one of the strongest in our bodies? Your heart can beat as many as 100,000 times a day. Can you feel your heart beat? Check at your wrist using your index and middle finger or check at your neck (just slightly off to the side). Finding time for active play every day and activities that increase your heart rate are all ways to improve your heart’s health. Like other muscles in the body, your heart needs to be taken care of through strengthening, regular use and a diet that supports a healthy heart (fruits, vegetables, high fiber foods, low fat and low cholesterol).

EAT LIGHT AT NIGHT
Since eating revs up your metabolism, it isn’t the ideal activity just before you fall asleep. The typical recommendation is to eat your last meal three to four hours before bedtime. But if you find yourself very hungry close to bedtime, which can mean that you’re still very low on calories for the day, eat something with protein, healthy fats and a small amount of carbohydrates-be sure to limit the added sugar. Try a piece of fruit, some yogurt or a bowl of shredded wheat or oatmeal (or other no-sugar added cereal) with milk, almonds and a few raisins. These choices will keep you in rest-mode while satisfying your hunger. Keep in mind that you may be misreading your hunger for thirst. This is also a good time to get in an extra glass of water, tea or a cup of hot cocoa.

HOW TO EAT CLEAN ON LESS CASH
Plan ahead! When you have no food at home or you don’t know what to do with the ingredients you have, you tend to eat out and spend more money. What’s in season now and will help cut my grocery bill?

• Vegetables: Broccoli, snow peas, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, leeks, mushrooms and squash.

• Fruit: Kiwi, all citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, pomegranates, cranberries and apples.

What are some affordable snack ideas?

Vegetable sticks
Fresh fruit
Nuts and seeds
Oatmeal. You can spice it up with cinnamon, apple pieces, dried apricot, shredded coconut, raisins and dried cranberries. 
Whole grain cereal. Great for an on-the-go snack anytime.
Make your own banana and apple chips with a dehydrator.
Yogurt

The North Central Missouri YMCA encourages families to develop
New Year’s resolutions built upon a foundation of family connection...

BACKGROUND

• Each year, millions of Americans tackle the annual ritual of making New Year’s resolutions. Eat better, exercise more, lose weight, and quit smoking - these are among the perennial favorites. Some will succeed, some will stumble. What is the secret to New Year’s resolution success? Not going it alone!

• This year, The North Central Missouri YMCA is encouraging families to put a new twist on an old custom and make resolutions for 2007 together as a family. We have worked for more than 150 years to build strong families, and everyday, see first hand the power of a supportive community and family in achieving goals.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Making a commitment to a healthier lifestyle is more important now than ever and that doing it together as a family or supportive group greatly improves success. Supporting data may be alarming, but a turning of the tides is possible:

• Our nation is facing a dramatic lifestyle health crisis. Sixty million adults – about 30 percent of the U.S. adult population – and nine million children are obese or overweight; 16 percent of our children have Type II diabetes. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the current generation of American children could be the first to lead shorter lives than their parents.

• But even small changes can make a major impact. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that participating in moderate physical activity, such as walking for 30 minutes at least five times a week substantially lowered the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

• Introducing healthy habits early can have a lifetime benefit. Children who develop healthy exercise and eating habits while they are young are more likely to continue to lead healthy lifestyles through adulthood.

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