June 2008

Keeping your eyes on the prize

Get moving this summer

Celebrate National Dairy Month this June

Making lifelong health changes for families: Southwest NEW Kids at the Y Program

Keeping your eyes on the prize

By Brian Fidlin, PsyD, program director, NEW Kids Program

Addressing a person's weight status means addressing his or her health habits, too. While it may be easy to determine which areas need improvement, making and maintaining those changes is a completely different story. In many cases, the behaviors that may contribute to a weight problem actually are supported by a person's environment.

Parents often support a child's inactive lifestyle by providing him or her with new video game systems, cell phones and televisions in the bedrooms. Sometimes, parents also support unhealthy eating habits by offering kids sweetened beverages, over processed foods and meals that are different from what the rest of the family is eating. Far too often, parents come to medical providers wanting to improve their child's weight but struggle to implement these changes without conflict.

Creating a reward system is an effective tool used to help reinforce healthy behaviors. Parents often set up reward systems for homework: "You can play video games after you complete your homework." But, many parents find it unusual to suggest that their child go for a walk or play outside for a half-hour before watching television or playing video games. Parents who implement these simple strategies are surprised to find kids often prefer activities that keep them moving.

The same concept holds true when it comes to changing eating habits. As an example, parents could reward a child with a later bedtime for trying the vegetable served at dinner.

It is much more effective if the parent and child work together to develop the goal than if the parent develops the goal on his or her own. Tracking progress toward a goal on a daily or weekly calendar provides incentive for kids to push forward. This also helps a child learn to delay immediate gratification.

Often, parents develop these expectations but give in if the child throws a tantrum. Parents need to be prepared for this and support one another if they truly want to create change.

Get moving this summer

By Stacy Stolzman, MPT, physical therapist, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Summer is a time to get moving! Warm weather provides many outdoor opportunities to be active. Summer breaks allow families to have more time together. Family vacations often are a highlight of childrens' summer breaks. Here are a few ideas for keeping families moving this summer.

Check out activities available in your area
Park and recreation departments provide access to new physical activities. Swimming lessons, sports teams, outings to theme parks and dance classes are some of the options that most recreation departments offer. Registrations fill up quickly, so encourage families to pursue activities before summer kicks into high gear.

Keep routines established during the school year
Summer can lead to many opportunities for lounging around. Parents should keep structure in summer days so kids continue moving. Maintaining normal sleep and wake times helps a child's metabolism and encourages necessary growth and repair of the body. Normal sleep and wake schedules also help prevent the habit of skipping meals.

Limit screen time
TV, video games, computer and phone use are easy temptations that may prevent kids from moving during the summer. These activities are commonly referred to as "screen time." The Centers for Disease Control recommends less than two hours of screen time per day for all children and adults. This can be difficult to monitor while parents are at work. Some computer systems have features including timers that limit online access for each user. Video game systems can be placed in inaccessible locations while parents are unable to monitor usage. Planning swimming lessons, summer school and recreation department activities throughout the day can break up and limit screen time.

Take advantage of family vacations
Summer vacations create time to be physically active as a family. Talk with families about trips that center around different physical activities that they do not do on a regular basis. Hiking, canoeing, biking, exploring state and national parks, camping and visiting water parks are just some ideas. Families can use www.mapmyrun.com to calculate walking, hiking or biking distances in new cities. In addition, most state and national parks provide maps to track distances and plan routes for the day.

Safety first
Encourage families to regularly check outdoor equipment such as bicycles, skateboards and scooters to ensure they work properly. Repair equipment as necessary to prevent injury. A good family rule to follow is if you are moving faster than running, you should always wear protective helmets and gear! Learn more about staying safe here.

Celebrate National Dairy Month this June

Michelle Smith-Beckley, RD, CD, clinical dietitian, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

June is National Dairy Month and a good reminder to make sure your patients are meeting their calcium needs. Dietitians often find children are at one extreme or the other when it comes to their intake of dairy products. You want to make sure they are getting enough calcium but not taking in too much, which could potentially exclude other food groups.

The best sources of calcium-rich dairy foods are milk, yogurt and cheese.

• Milk will provide about 300 milligrams of calcium per 8-ounce serving.
• Yogurt will provide about 250 milligrams of calcium in a 6-ounce serving or 350 milligrams in an 8-ounce serving.
• Cheese provides approximately 200 to 250 milligrams of calcium per 1-ounce serving.

Calcium intake recommendations for children based on age

Parents often ask about alternative food sources of calcium for children who do not like milk, yogurt or cheese. It can be very difficult to meet calcium needs through other food choices due to the much smaller quantity of calcium included in other foods. This especially is true for younger children. Examples of foods and the amounts you would need to consume to equal 300 milligrams of calcium from an 8-ounce glass of milk are:

• Two and a half cups of cooked broccoli.
• Five cups of red beans.
• Eight cups of spinach.

Caregivers also ask how flavored milk can fit within a healthy diet. First, consider the current health status and dairy intake habits for the child. If it is a child of a healthy weight and he or she is not regularly consuming dairy products, using flavored milks can be a starting point for regular consumption. Parents should avoid the regular use of flavored milk with children who are overweight. As an alternative, families may want to use sugar-free varieties of powders or syrups to add flavor to fat-free milk.

Dairy products provide more than just calcium. An 8-ounce glass of milk also provides the following percentage of recommended daily values (for a 2,000-calorie diet) of these nutrients:

The National Dairy Council provides additional information for health professionals, parents and children.

Download our snacking handout to learn more about adding calcium and other nutrients to children's diets.

Lydia Witkiewicz (left) and Michele Vogt lead the Southwest YMCA NEW Kids program.

Making lifelong health changes for families: Southwest NEW Kids at the Y Program

By Susan Haas and Sydney Hofer, Southwest YMCA

The Southwest YMCA, located in Greenfield, Wis., is involved with the NEW Kids at the Y program in collaboration with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Meet the staff members who keep this program moving.

Lydia Witkiewicz, NEW Kids at the Y coordinator, manages the Southwest YMCA program. Lydia has a bachelor's degree in community health education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Witkiewicz has been in the fitness field for more than 20 years. She is certified by the American Council on Exercise and is a YMCA-certified personal trainer. This expertise is especially important in teaching children and their families how to achieve their goals in the NEW Kids at the Y program.

Michele Vogt is the NEW Kids at the Y group facilitator. She holds a bachelor's degree in recreation therapy from Winona State University and is a YMCA-certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She works closely with families in the program to design plans that can fit their busy schedules.

Jessica Brown is the activity leader for the program. She leads the Parent-Child Super Circuit class, which is a favorite of many NEW Kids at the Y families. The class combines cardiovascular and strength training intervals. It's a great way for kids and parents to get active together.

Ken Allord and his 15-year-old son, Jacob, are part of the NEW Kids at the Y Program at the Southwest YMCA. "I looked at my kids. They were growing in size and sitting around playing video games," said Ken. So they joined the YMCA and now Ken and Jacob push each other to work out and get in shape.

Jacob really enjoys the NEW Kids at the Y program. "It helps me with my eating choices. Like now I'm actually conscious about what's on the cereal boxes," said Jacob. The program has helped Jacob change his body, increase his energy level and improve his self-confidence.

The program recently was featured on WTMJ-TV Ch. 4's Live at 10. View the story.

For more information about the Southwest NEW Kids at the Y program, call (414) 266-2851.