Colebrook Consolidated School

                                               Keeping Fit

          Have you ever heard someone talking about "fit kids?"  People who care about you (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more "fit".  What does that mean?  According to the Kids Health Network, being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activity (exercise), and has a healthy weight. If you are fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things that you want to do, like run around with your friends.

          There are some easy steps that you can do to help get your body fit or to stay fit.   If you want to be fit, you should follow these rules most of the time.  Of course, there are some days (like your birthday) that you will eat cake and ice cream and you may not follow all the rules.  That's ok, too.  The trick is to follow these simple guidelines most of the time.

1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables.  By eating a variety of foods, you are more likely to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs to be healthy.  Taste new foods and some old ones that you haven't tried for awhile.  Some foods, such as green vegetables, are more pleasing the older you get.  Shoot for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

2. Drink water and milk most often.  When you are really thirsty, cold water is the number 1 thirst-quencher.  Milk is also really important because it is full of calcium.  Calcium is needed by your bones and teeth to help make them strong.  That's why your school cafeteria serves milk with your meals.  It's really important!  Sometimes you will want to drink something other than milk and water.  It's ok to have some juice sometimes.  But, you should limit your sugary drinks, like soda and fruit punches, because they contain a lot of sugar and not much in the way of important nutrients.

3. Listen to your body.  What does it feel like to be full?  When you are eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full.  Sometimes, people eat too much because they don't notice when they need to stop eating.  Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable, and over a period of time, it can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

4. Limit screen time.  What is screen time?  It's the amount of time you spend watching TV, DVDs and videos, playing video games or handheld computer games, and using the computer.  The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time you have for physical activity.

5. Be active.  This is really important.  Figure out what activities you like and then do them!  Maybe you like basketball, hiking, and dancing, but don't like baseball or soccer.  That's ok.  Whatever your interests are, just do them.  Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day.  Physical activity helps keep your whole body feeling good.

         Your family can be very helpful to you if you want to be a fit kid.  Your parents can stock your house with healthy foods and snacks.  They can also plan physical activities for the whole family.  Your brothers and sisters can go outside and play games with you.  Tell your parents about these 5 steps that you want to take and incorporate into your life and maybe you can teach them a thing or two.  If you're a fit kid, why shouldn't the rest of your family be fit, too?

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