Children's Wellness Update

Last fall, the editors of Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazine premiered Children’s Health into their family of wellness resources. According to their Editor’s Note:

The editors of MEN’S HEALTH and WOMEN’S HEALTH have spent years teaching our readers how to improve their lives and the lives of the people they love. So when our editorial teams got together to create a joint project, the result could be only one thing: Children’s Health. We brought all of our knowledge, talents, and resources into this magazine.

 Children’s Health is on newsstands now and more information is located at www.healthmag.com. 

Weekend Family Fun

The weekend has arrived…now what? January isn’t the most appealing month to get outside and play because most of us are inside hiding from the cold, winter weather. Instead of sitting around this weekend, DKWIO has some great ideas to get your family off the couch and moving …

1. Get a jump-start on the Olympics – makeover your living room (or other large room) into an obstacle course. Designate certain areas for jumping jacks, push-up and sit-ups. Let your kids help with the course and help keep track of the times.
2. Bust a move! Kids love dancing – and they will especially love dancing silly with you. Make up fun dances to perform for each other – just don’t forget the camera!
3. Visit your local pool – who says you can’t go swimming in January?
4. Rent a kid-friendly workout or yoga DVD and get moving.
5. Go roller-skating.

Visit Metro Parent for more family-friendly ideas to get your family moving and healthy!

DKWIO At-Home Series

The DKWIO "Empowering Kids for Health" at-home blog series will kick-off next Wednesday in conjunction with DKWIO's 2010 winter session launch. The at-home series will include information from our traditional program as well as online resources, at-home tips and suggestions for children’s nutrition, yoga practice, recipes, and much more!

What is DKWIO?

Danialle Karmanos’ Work It Out (DKWIO) is a childhood obesity preventative health program consisting of nutritional education and yoga practice.

DKWIO programming establishes a necessary foundation for children for learn and develop healthy ways of living. During the 10-week sessions, concepts covered include the food pyramid, portion control, foods for energy, strength, and growth, nutrition for the brain, and making healthy food choices.

Children gain enormous benefits from yoga. Physically, it enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination and body awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calmness and relaxation improves.  When children learn techniques for self-health, relaxation, and inner fulfillment, then can navigate life’s challenges with a little more ease. Yoga also plays an instrumental role in keeping children’s bodies fit and healthy. 

Please join us HERE on Wednesday, January 20^th for week one of our at-home series.  

Weekend Family Fun

Now that the holidays are over, the kids might be getting a little restless and need to get outdoors to work off some of that extra energy! Fortunately in Michigan, we are surrounded by year-round outdoor family fun opportunities.

For those DKWIO blog followers who live in Oakland County, visit the Oakland County Parks & Rec website for tons of family-friendly outdoor activities. Click on the ‘things to do” to learn where you can go ice-skating, cross-country skiing, and hiking in an area near you.

Wayne County blog follows can visit the Wayne County Parks site to find local outdoor ice-skating and sledding locations.

 Enjoy your time outdoors with your family…just don’t forget the warm hats and gloves!

Healthy Resources for Children

Every now and then, we come across awesome websites that offer fun and healthy resources for kids. The latest find: kidnetic.com.

This interactive website helps kids learn about how their bodies work, how eating right helps them play better and feel good, and how staying active is lots of fun.  Kids can navigate through topics about movement and activity – they can play games like Wet Head, Move Mixer, Scavenger Hunt, and Inner G.

The site also offers a section called Recipe Roundup that lists kid-friendly recipes that are healthy for the whole family. Here’s a sample recipe from the site:

Sloppy Turkey Joes - Makes 4 serving(s)

WHAT'S IN IT?

1-pound lean ground turkey breast meat
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped

Sloppy Sauce: 
3/4 cup ketchup,1 tablespoon brown sugar,1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 whole-wheat hamburger buns

STUFF YOU NEED

This is a family recipe. Kids and Parents: you'll need each other to make it!

HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER

1.     In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the ground turkey breast, onion and green pepper until the turkey is cooked through and no pink remains.

2.     For Kids: While the turkey is being sautéed, make the Sloppy Sauce: Mix the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl with a spoon.

3.     Stir the Sloppy Sauce into the cooked turkey mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

4.     For Kids: Scoop about 3/4 cup of filling onto each bun.

5.     Enjoy—and make sure you have a napkin or two handy!

WHY IT'S GOOD FOR YOU

380 Calories, 5 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 70 mg Cholesterol, 930 mg Sodium, 49 g Total Carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 13 g Sugars, 35 g Protein, 10% Vitamin A, 40% Vitamin C, 10% Calcium, 25% Iron

DKWIO's Healthy New Year's Resolutions (for Families)

Did you know…Each year 40% - 45% of adults make one or more resolutions or goals for themselves. Research shows that 75% make it past the first week, and 46% make it past 6 months. Although a lot of people break their resolutions, statistics on New Year's resolutions show that setting goals for yourself is still good because you are 10 times more likely to attain your goal, rather than people who don't explicitly make goals.

Setting goals are an excellent way to begin the New Year and why not set some healthy goals for your family. Here are DKWIO’s top 5 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for the entire family:

1. Get active. The more you move the more your body, mind and spirit will thank you. You don’t need to join a gym or make the basketball team to get a nice workout; walking, dancing, and yoga are all great activities that require little equipment, are free, and you can do alone or with others.
2. Try new foods. Try to introduce new foods into your family’s diet. Have your kids try it at least three times before they decide whether or not they like it.
3. Drink plenty of water. Skip the sugary juices and sodas and reach for the H2O. There are a lot of sugar-free flavored mixes available to add to water if plain water is too boring.
4. Be realistic. There are no BAD foods just sometimes foods. It’s okay to have sometimes foods sometimes, just not all of the time. One easy trick to get unhealthy food out of the house is to not buy it. Skip the chips and ice cream at the store and opt for yogurt, fruit, apples and peanut butter. You might be surprised to learn that your kids like the healthy alternatives!
5. Learn something new. If you are new to DKWIO, check out our weekly blog and learn more about children’s health and wellness. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to offer healthy solutions year-round to your family.      

Family Fitness

Did you know: 

• The average child gets less than 15 minutes of vigorous activity a day  
• The average child spends 20% of their time watching TV 
• Obesity is up 36% over the past 20 years

--Fitness for Youth

Is your family in need of a fitness makeover? Fitness for Youth has a lot of great, family-friendly resources to encourage health. According to the website, “There is a strong need for such a cooperative effort. America’s youth are at risk for poor fitness, school failure, crime, drug use and disconnection from society. They are at danger of not being prepared for productive citizenship and employment. Seven million youth (one in four) are extremely vulnerable. Another seven million are at moderate risk. None of our youth are immune.” 

Parents, visit the Fitness for Youth website for great ideas to get you and your family moving toward health.

Celebrating 40 Years

Last week Sesame Street celebrated its 40^thanniversary and after 40 years, there was a lot to celebrate. The program, which originally aired on November 10, 1969, has featured a variety of shows with catchy children’s songs, number sand letters of the day, lovable Muppets, celebrities, and current event themed shows. Some of the most cutting-edge shows featured real-life subject matter such as death, AIDS, cultural tolerance, AND childhood obesity.

 

As childhood obesity reached epidemic levels in 2005, Sesame Street introduced a reformed Cookie Monster who traded in his enthusiastic love for cookies with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables.

 

An important note to mention: “A Cookie is a Sometimes Food” replaced Cookie Monster’s song, “C is for Cookie”. Sesame Street’s realistic emphasis on healthy living still leaves room for cookies – sometimes.

Well Child Visits

Most parents and kids dread any visit to the doctor’s office. Having a sick child can almost seem as if your world has come to a complete stop. As parents we would do anything to make our little one feel better.

Well child visits or (annual exams) are equally important even when children are healthy. Your child's doctor will evaluate your child's general health, growth and development. He or she also provide you with information and give your child needed medical services, such as:

·      Health exams

·      Tests, such as vision, hearing and lab services

·      Shots (vaccinations)

·      Lead screening (children under 3 years or as needed for older children)

·      Tracking growth and development

·      Medical referrals to specialists, if needed

It is recommended that children receive 6 well child visits birth to 15 months and annual visits from 3 years to 21 years. 

Remember, these visits are excellent opportunities to communicate with your child’s doctor – be sure to write down a list of your most important questions and concerns you have.  Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics for more information about children’s health.

Keep Your Kids Healthy

Last week Michigan officials reported 194 school closings in a single day due to illness. The Michigan Department of Community Health figures for these closings didn’t indicate what illness has been confirmed in the closings and unfortunately we are in the season of sickness – flu, H1N1, colds, allergies, etc. – and we are just at the beginning.

As parents, we are diligent about keeping our kids safe and healthy. We would do anything to prevent our children from becoming sick – but our children also has to learn how to keep themselves healthy.  According to What to Expect, here are the top-four healthy habits to learn.

#1 Wash Your Hands - Hand washing tops the list of healthy habits children should learn for one simple reason: Doing it often — and doing it right — can reduce the number of colds, flu, and other infections children get by 50 percent!

 #2 Sleeve Sneeze - When your kid feels a sneeze coming on and there’s no tissue in sight, show them how to sneeze into the inside of their elbow, rather than into their hand or the air. By doing this, germs won’t wind up on their fingers — 80 percent of germs are transferred through touch — or spewed out into the air. This healthy habit applies to coughs as well — and to you too, so be a good role model whenever you sneeze sans tissues. Also remember, some bacteria can live for two hours or more outside of the body so be sure to teach your children to throw away their tissues every time.

#3 Don’t Share – Of course we teach our children to share, but we also have to teach them that there are some things we do not share because germs can live on things like combs, brushes, hats, toothbrushes, cups, forks, drinking straws, and any other objects that you put in your mouth.

# 4 Shut, Flush & Flee – Keep stomach viruses at bay by explaining the importance of shutting the lid (carefully!) flushing, and leaving. Keeping the lid down before flushing helps minimize the amount of germ particles entering the air during flushing. The bathroom is an exciting place for toddlers, but they need to do their business and be on their way.