Hey Kids! There have been plenty of snow days going around as of late. What activities have you been doing to pass these Winter days? Have you been out playing in the snow? I just learned by doing a simple web search that a 4′8″ tall 10 year-old male who weighs about 85 pounds burns around 268 calories for 1 hour’s worth of sledding. You can enter your information and find out about how many calories you can burn by activity here. The more a person weighs, the more calories he or she will burn. Have you been sitting in front of the TV playing a wii? “A small study of 13 children conducted by a professor at Liverpool John Moores University in Britain in February 2007 found that participants burn about 150 calories per hour playing Wii.” [source: BBC] Now, that is if you are playing one of the sports/fitness games.
From Sekusi's photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/ofurando/ / CC BY 2.0
You burn approximately 39 calories/hour by watching TV, reading, and playing on your PlayStation. [Side note: Reading is a great way to take a break from exercising.] You can also help your family by cleaning the house, which burns about 204 calories/hour. You are always burning calories. But getting that heart rate up, which you do not do while watching TV, is the best way to burn calories and stay fit and healthy.
If you are trying to lose weight, it is good to know that 1 lb. of weight = 3500 calories. That sounds like a lot, but if you do 1 hour of high impact aerobic exercise each day for 6 days, you can burn approximately 3,500 calories! Now, that doesn’t mean you will lose a pound. You have to take in account the amount of calories you are consuming each day. Still, that’s pretty good! Plus, muscle weighs more than fat. Having strong muscles also increases your metabolism so your body burns more calories. Exercising is very important to staying healthy, living longer, and being happy. A lifelong fitness program will keep you feeling better and give you more energy to do all those fun things you want to do. Grab a friend and get started! It’s really a lot more fun when you are working out with others. Stay committed to your goals, too! If you are already dedicated to a regular fitness routine or active lifestyle, keep it up! You already know the benefits.
Did you know that KET has some fun ideas for getting and staying fit?
If you are in grades K-6, when you go back to school, ask your teachers to go to KET ED On Demand and search for Fit Kids Classroom Workout. Fit Kids programs consist of fun, contemporary dance routines that can be used in any school space, any time, any day. The series includes four 5-minute and two 10-minute workouts, plus a brief “healthy message” at the end of each exercise segment. Two 10-minute choreographed workouts link moves taught in shorter workouts. It also includes variety of genre: funk, African, Latin, and aerobic. Teachers and you can stream these workouts in the Kentucky public school classroom! I have worked out to these and they are fun, quick, and effective.
If you are in middle school, you can also stream Dancing Threads from your classroom, as long as you are in a Kentucky public school. Dancing Threads is a KET-produced series about folk dances and play party games from Appalachian, African American, and Native American cultures. Each of the four programs includes complete instructions and demonstrations of the featured folk dance. They are fun and you can learn a lot about local dances and cultures. You may already know some of these! It’s fun to dance, isn’t it?
If you don’t already have a KET EncycloMedia student account, and would like to get one, ask your teacher to help you get an account. This is a great site that is full of fun, educational, and active videos, images, activities, sound effects, and many other great multimedia for you to use. There are also some good fitness programs on this site. Students from all grades can get some helpful information about how to eat healthy, the benefits of staying fit, and how to improve your lifestyle. Some of the Fit Kids and Dancing Threads videos mentioned above can be accessed from this service. KET EncycloMedia can be accessed by you at home, once you get your account.
All of these are free! My friend and colleague, Missi Baker, has posted an entire list of KET’s fitness and health resources for you and your teachers on Scribd. You will find that we have so much information that can help you set reasonable goals and develop a fitness/health plan that works for you. Check out Missi’s blog, too!
I know I am much older, but I can tell you from experience that lifelong fitness is crucial to keeping up with life. It may seem ages away to you. It did to me, too, when I was your age. But when I turned 36, it hit me hard that I had gotten out of shape. I hadn’t exercised regularly since I was 28 years old. I thought it would never happen to me, but it did. So, I started exercising by going to jazzercise and practicing yoga and pilates at home. Two years later, and I feel much better, stronger, and content on many levels. This also shows that no matter what age one is, it is never too late to exercise and to get into the habit. Get the adults in your life exercising, too! It’s your life. Might as well make the most of it.
Now, bundle up and go get on that sled! Oh, that reminds me of something. My roommate and I lived in an old house when we were in college. There was an old green, vinyl sofa in the basement. It snowed really hard one winter and we didn’t have a sled, so we used the cushions from that sofa. It was one of the best sleds I have ever had!
Disclaimer: Don’t go grabbing the sofa cushions from your family room. I will not be held accountable for any missing cushions or other necessary goods. A large piece of cardboard works just fine.
d concepts about the biology and environmental benefits of trees. I got married on Arbor Day. So it’s a pretty special day to me.
