Refresh Healthly Habits this School Year with the Y. September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and as children and families start their new school year routines, it’s a perfect time to reflect on and refresh your family’s healthy habits. This month, the YMCA of Klamath Falls is offering tips to help Klamath Basin families incorporate healthy eating and physical activity into their lives, promoting not just physical health, but also the overall well-being of your children.
• Eat & Drink Healthy: Make water the drink of choice and encourage everyone to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables by offering two or three servings at every meal. As parents, lead by example and choose a new fruit and veggie every week to taste together as a family. Place a full pitcher of water on the table during meals and allow children to pour their own water. Keep full water bottles available in cars and back packs.
• Play Every Day/Go Outside: Children should have at least an hour a day of unstructured play outside (when possible) and break a sweat at least three times a week by getting 20 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity. Join your children in games that get your hearts pumping and body moving.
• Get Together: Eat together as a family as often as you can. Get the kids involved in planning, preparing, and cleaning up meals. Also, take a break from electronics and spend quality one-on-one time together each day, enjoying each other's company.
• Reduce Recreational Screen Time: Time spent in front of a television, computer, tablet, cell phone or video games should be limited to two hours or less per day. Make a family plan to reduce screen time at home (i.e., turn off screens during meals, charge electronics/screens in the kitchen overnight, go for a walk after a meal, set a timer to remind you to power down the screen).
• Sleep Well: Kids and adults need to keep a regular sleep schedule; unwind together in the evenings by reading a book or listening to soft music to ensure your bodies are preparing for sleep. Kids are growing and need 10-12 hours of healthy sleep per night. Adults should aim for seven to eight hours nightly.
About the Y: Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening the community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at kfallsymca.org
