Keeping Kids Fit: A Family Plan for Raising Active, Healthy Children

Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 14
Introduction......Page 18
Acknowledgments......Page 26
PART ONE: Getting Kids Active and Healthy… and Keeping Them That Way!......Page 28
CHAPTER ONE: The Childhood Health Crisis......Page 30
Len’s Top Ten Surefire Tips for Keeping Kids Fit......Page 37
CHAPTER TWO: Motivating Kids to Be Active......Page 40
Is Competition Good for Children?......Page 41
Healthy Competition......Page 43
Individualized Competition......Page 44
Len’s Top Ten Tips to Motivate Kids to Be Active......Page 46
A Word about Stress Management......Page 49
Len’s Top Ten Ways to Manage Your Child’s Stress and Anxiety......Page 50
CHAPTER THREE: Getting in the Habit of Being Active......Page 52
Preventing a Habit from Starting......Page 53
Communicate at All Times......Page 54
Get Involved in Your Child’s Life......Page 55
Praise Works!......Page 56
Dealing with Peer Pressure......Page 57
Exercise 1—Image Imagination......Page 58
Exercise 4—Friend or No Friend......Page 59
Exercise 5—The Benefits and Costs of Peer Pressure......Page 60
CHAPTER FOUR: Go Offline: Reducing Technology......Page 62
Len’s Top Ten Strategies for Reducing Technology......Page 63
PART TWO: The Action Plan for Keeping Kids Fit......Page 70
CHAPTER FIVE: Get Moving: The Benefits of Exercise......Page 72
Cardiovascular Endurance......Page 73
Muscle Strength......Page 74
Specificity of Training......Page 76
Muscle Endurance......Page 77
Flexibility......Page 79
Len’s Top Ten Warm-Up and Stretch Exercises......Page 82
Sunday is for Calisthenics......Page 90
A Monday Walk......Page 105
Basic Walking Tips......Page 107
Don’t Forget to Cool Down......Page 108
Len’s Top Ten Walking Activities......Page 109
Sports on Wednesday......Page 110
Thursday is Recreation Day......Page 111
For Saturday Make Up Your Own Activity!......Page 112
CHAPTER EIGHT: Get in the Game: Kids and Sports......Page 114
The Pros......Page 115
The Cons......Page 116
The Parents’ Role in Sports......Page 117
Sportsmanship......Page 118
A Word about Age-Appropriate Activities......Page 119
Len’s Top Ten Sports Activities for Kids......Page 120
CHAPTER NINE: The World Is My Workout Buddy: School and Family Exercise Programs......Page 124
Len’s Top Ten Exercise Programs......Page 125
Example 1: Fun and Simple Movement Activities......Page 127
Example 2: A Health and Fitness Fair......Page 128
Project ACES Clubs......Page 129
Examples of What You Can Do During an Exercise U.S. Event......Page 134
How Does J Day Work?......Page 136
Organizing a J Day at Home with Your Family......Page 138
Level 1: Non-Competitive Level at Home......Page 142
Level 2: Competitive Level at Home......Page 143
Level 4: Competitive Level at School......Page 144
The Benefits of a School Assembly......Page 146
How 3EC Works......Page 148
Types of Competition......Page 149
Moving From East Coast to West Coast......Page 151
Organizing Fitness Pen Pals......Page 154
Pen Pal Method 2: The Post Office Path......Page 155
Pen Pal Method 4: The Friends and Family Route......Page 156
Monitoring......Page 157
CHAPTER TEN: Make a Rainy Day an Active Day......Page 160
PART THREE: Your Child’s Inner Fitness: Nutrition, Hydration and Sleep......Page 168
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Fuel for Fitness: Proper Nutrition and Healthy Snacking......Page 170
Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats......Page 171
Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy Products......Page 175
Len’s Top Ten Tips for Healthy Snacking......Page 177
Easy Recipes for Healthy Snacks......Page 178
Breakfast Samples......Page 185
Lunch Samples......Page 186
Dinner Samples......Page 188
CHAPTER TWELVE: To Diet or Not to Diet......Page 190
Activity Level Definitions......Page 193
Len’s Top 40 Tips for Healthier Eating......Page 194
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Water: The Key to Good Health......Page 200
The Body Weight Approach......Page 202
The Input/Output Approach......Page 203
The Drink Throughout the Day Approach......Page 204
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: A Good Night’s Sleep Is a Very Good Thing......Page 206
The Stages of Sleep......Page 208
The Benefits of Sleep......Page 209
Nighttime Routines......Page 211
Sleepwalking......Page 214
Childhood Insomnia......Page 215
Obstructive Sleep Apnea......Page 216
Sleep: A Powerful Friend......Page 217
AFTERWORD: Looking Ahead......Page 218
Index......Page 220
About the Author......Page 228