All Categories - LET'S MOVE STL

Kid's Corner #9

6/9/2020

Food Safety

It is exciting that businesses like the St. Louis Zoo and the St. Louis Aquarium have started opening, allowing lots of opportunities for children to still have a fun and educational summer. However, it is very important to keep your family healthy and safe especially given that COVID-19 is still a major public health concern. Proper handwashing is very important in reducing the spread of germs. Singing the “Happy Birthday” song or the “ABC’s” while you wash is a great way to remember how long the recommended 20 seconds of handwashing is. Food safety is another important part of keeping your family safe and healthy. Check out the following video made by SLU Dietetic Intern Victoria Wannemuehler for a virtual nutrition education where she discussed the steps to keep your food safe to eat

Kid's Corner #8

5/4/2020

COVID-19 has changed our world significantly. To reduce the spread, regional leaders closed parks on April 2. While many parks remain closed, several parks reopened on April 28. This reopening may relieve cabin-fever, but it is still important to be cautious to prevent spreading the virus further. Here are a few helpful tips to keep your family safe and healthy as parks, and the world, begin to reopen.

Continue to practice social distancing! Remind yourself and your families to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. The virus can spread when people are close together, so think of staying at least 2-3 arm distance length’s away from others. If you feel like people are not practicing social distancing, you can reach out to Park Rangers or call the Park Watch Hotline if you need to report a lack of social distancing – (314) 615-4733.
Bring your own hand sanitizers/cleaning supplies! According to the CDC, COVID-19 is able to live on surfaces for hours to days depending on the material. And, while the parks may be reopening, the plan is not to reopen bathrooms. Therefore, it is that much more important to bring your own supplies to prevent the spread.
Have fun for your health! Physical activity has been found to improve immune health in a variety of ways, but especially in improving antibody and white blood cell count and reducing stress. Therefore, being active right now is going to be helpful. So, do your favorite activity as a family, whether it be kicking a ball around, bike riding, or hiking along a favorite trail. Just make sure to stay alert as to what is going on around you.

Stay safe and well as parks and businesses begin to reopen. For more information about keeping your families safe during this time, check out the CDC website dedicated to COVID-19.

Kid's Corner #7

4/6/2020

Staying Happy And Healthy Through COVID-19

In this time of COVID-19 uncertainty, the one thing that is certain is that our children are not able to go to school right now. This definitely comes with the complexities of working from home or figuring out childcare for essential employees while educating children and keeping them from bouncing off the walls. This time doesn’t have to be daunting, though. Think of it as an exciting time to start new activities together as a family! Below are some ways to live this “new normal” while teaching the little ones important lessons:

Cook together! As Registered Dietitians, we typically recommend at least 3 nutritious meals and 2 quality snacks a day. Preparing these meals and snacks does not have to be a job for one person – include the whole family. Feature one family member each day or for each meal. Some of my boys’ favorites are banana pancakes and tortilla pizzas! Share pictures of your family preparing your favorite dishes!

Brain break together! Did you know that physical activity improves your memory and retention? Plus, getting blood moving around your body will get you energized and focused on the mental tasks of working from home and schoolwork. You can download the Go Noodle app and listen to some silly songs while moving your body. Or, get ready for the May 1st virtual Let’s Move! STL Move Your Body Flash Mob by practicing these dances.

Practice your calming skills! This time can be very trying for the whole family. With stress and anxiety levels high, relaxation techniques are so important to incorporate into the family’s routine. Yoga is a great way to be physically active while relaxing the body. You can find some fun videos like Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube to get the whole family involved in yoga! In addition to relaxation exercises, simply talking about your fears and anxieties is helpful in reducing these fears and anxieties. Think the “name it to tame it” approach.

Whatever circumstances you are going through, we recognize that this time of uncertainty can bring about many fears and anxieties. Keeping the kids happy and content can be hard, but know that you are doing your best, and they will benefit from these tips that promote ways you can all work together. Feel free to share your pictures or ideas with us – we would love to know what you are doing!

Kid's Corner Tip #6

3/18/2020

Stuck At Home?

With spring break or any break from school, it can be easy to throw your feet up on the couch and binge watch your favorite shows or movies. However, breaks from normal routines can also include breaks from sitting on the couch! Have fun being active as a family with the following tips:

1. Take a walk around the block – jazz up a family stroll by allowing every member of the family to choose a way to move around the block for 20 seconds at a time. Some ways to move can be to walk backwards, dance (like salsa dancing), or skip. Make it fun and show your community your moves!

2. Come together for a spring clean – did you know that you can burn between 150-200 calories per hour doing housework? Everyone can take a job and work together to make your house sparkle! Vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing baseboards tend to burn more calories, but even light dusting gets your body moving and burning calories!

3. Make some healthy recipes – pick out recipes as a family and prepare them together. Even kids as young as one can help mix everything. This break in routine can give you lots of time to pre-make meals full of fruits and vegetables. Portion out and freeze leftovers for healthy meals when the routines get busy again. Check out the Let’s Move! STL recipe page for some tasty dishes!

Breaks in schools can allow for some great opportunities to keep your family healthy! Have fun and share the active and healthy things your families have done!

Kid's Corner Tip #5

2/5/2020

Heart Health for the Family

Since February is American Heart Month and full of heart-shaped goodies everywhere you look, it is also a great time to teach your young ones of the importance of keeping the heart healthy! Here are some fun and colorful ways to add increase your family’s fruit and veggie intake and make everyone’s heart smile this month.

1. Look for the Heart! Strawberries, raspberries, and even cherries are naturally heart-shaped. They also contain powerful antioxidants that will help keep your family’s heart healthy. And, letting your child dip them into melted dark chocolate will add some additional antioxidants while adding the fun.

2. Make a Colorful Heart. Allow your child to choose different colored fruits and vegetables and create a heart on their plate. Cut up red peppers, orange or yellow carrots, green grapes, blueberries, and purple cabbage and let your child put the food together to create a ROY G BIV heart!

3. Shapes for the Heart. Let your child play with their food and make some fun shapes! What about a fruit and vegetable flower arrangement? Set a celery stalk on a plate and place cut up apple slices and clementine oranges around the top to design a tasty flower! Or, make fruit and vegetable bugs as a family by using this easy recipe! Another favorite of ours is making apple donuts with this recipe:

Ingredients:

Apples of choice
Spread of choice: low-fat cream cheese, peanut butter, sun butter, or Greek yogurt
Sprinkles
Food coloring

Supplies:

Sheet Pan
Sharp knife for cutting
Butter knife for spreading

Instructions:

Cut up apples in circle pieces starting from the top
Once all cut into circles, take knife and cut out centers of apple pieces, getting rid of seeds and hard parts
If using a spread that can be colored with food coloring, divide spread into several little bowls, add food coloring, and mix
Spread the spread of choice onto one side of the apple pieces
Sprinkle the sprinkles onto the top of the spread
Eat & enjoy!

Whatever you choose to do, just adding more fruits and veggies to your family’s diet will help keep your hearts healthy. Feel free to share the fun ways you and your family have incorporated more fruits and veggies into your diet on our social media accounts!

Kid's Corner Tip #4

1/6/2020

As you set your New Year’s Goals, don’t forget the young ones in your home. Be an awesome role model, and don’t forget to include them in your activities! We have included a couple of ideas of “achievable New Year’s Goals” for 2020 as reported by Good Housekeeping:

Goal 1: Cook a new thing each week. Let everyone in the household pick the new recipe for the week and work on the dish together. Not only will this be a fun bonding activity, but kids that help make food are more likely to eat it, so less waste!
Goal 2: Do one new exercise move. Physical activity is a great way to bond as a family. Have everyone pick their favorite exercise move and do it as a family. Why not take it a step further and pick an activity like going to a jump park or starting up an exercise class at your local gym together.
Goal 3: Drink up! This is an easy way to be a great role model – drink less soda and drink more water! Show the kids how easy and refreshing water can be. And, if you are looking for ways to spruce it up, add your favorite fruit or even cucumber to add some extra flavor without the calories.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/g985/achievable-new-year-resolutions/

Kid's Corner Tip #3

12/11/2019

Break From School, Not Fitness

With the low temperatures and break from school, it can be easy to curl up with a blanket and watch hours of Disney+ as a family. However, just because there is a change in the normal daily routine, there doesn’t need to be a break in the fitness regime! We have included some fun ways to stay active during this winter break!

Spend time outside – even though it is cold, there is no reason not to explore the outdoors. Just make sure to dress the part – layering clothes, bundling up with coats and hats, and wearing the right shoes. Plus, there are so many fun places to go this winter break. From holiday light displays to ice skating rink pop ups, you are sure to find something fun for the family to do outdoors! Check out this link for some fun light displays.
Find an indoor activity center – there are lots of fun indoor activity centers where the whole family can be active together. There are several bounce houses, trampoline parks, and indoor aquatic centers around the St. Louis region in addition to the City Museum and even indoor malls to walk around. Plus, the St. Louis Aquarium at Union station is set to open on December 25! Make sure to take advantage of all that St. Louis has to offer!
Exercise inside – you don’t even have to go anywhere to get in a workout. Think of your home as a great place to start the exercise. Plan an activity like toe touches and jumping jacks for commercial breaks. Turn on some music and start a dance party in the house. Set non-food-related prizes for the best moves or most reps of the activities, and your family will surely compete for winner of the “School Break/Not Fitness Break Challenge”!

There are many more things that you can do as a family. If you need even more ideas, check out our movement board on Pinterest!Try any of these items or come up with your own and post a picture or leave a message for us on Facebook or Instagram to showcase how you and your family made this the most active winter break yet!

Kid's Corner Tip #2:

11/12/2019

Thanksgiving is a time where food is often more plentiful than usual. Meals may include many more side dish options and lots of tasty desserts. With all the excess food, it is important to remember that children have little tummies. They need smaller portions to start.

A good rule of thumb is 1 Tbsp for every year of age. Encourage kids to try the main parts of the meal before moving onto dessert, but avoid rules around eating vegetables to get to dessert. Save beverages for after the meal and keep the choices healthy. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Kid's Corner Tip #1:

11/7/2019

#ICYMI: With Halloween coming to a close, the Halloween and holiday season can seem difficult to keep your family’s health goals in mind. Halloween is a fun holiday meant to be enjoyed, not feared (well, not always). Let’s Move! STL is brought you our best tips to keep this Halloween safe and healthy. Take a look at our Halloween tips to prepare for next year!