So, at school we had a lecture in our pediatrics class on physical fitness for children. It was an awesome lecture. I think that this is one area of community health that I would love to get involved with. My teacher shared some great online resources, so I thought I would share them. Most include info about both physical fitness and general nutrition, health care, etc. I put a whole lot of resources here, so don't get overwhelmed. Just skim for what looks interesting and know that if you come to a point where you need resources, there are good ones available.
BAM- This website is designed to catch the attention of children. I think boys especially would be attracted to the layout because it's comic book style. It goes over the basics of physical activity, nutrition, safety and illnesses. It's published by the CDC so the information you receive will be quite reliable. It stays pretty basic- again the focus on kids. I'm not a huge fan because I feel slightly overstimulated by the site. It's made to look so exciting that for me to look at it information is lost, but again- if your kids are interested in learning about such things or if you want them to be more interested, this is a good resource.
Girl's Health- This is an AWESOME site. Obviously, it's focus is on girls- probably more pre-adolescent and adolescent than really young, but I haven't looked at all of it. It covers emotional and physical health, fitness, relationships, etc. etc. This site is also great because it connects you with other resources. Probably wouldn't be great for kids to browse through, though them might find some specific parts interesting, but could be helpful for teens looking for some of these answers. It's published by the Department of Health, so again- reliable information. This and the next link are my two favorites.
Kids Health- I LOVE this resource. Love it. It has three links on the home page- one that leads to a site for parents, one for children, and one for teens. Awesome, awesome resource. Again, it covers a huge span of topics about general health, specific health conditions, mental health, physical fitness and physical activity. The kids page has activities and videos about how the body works, quizzes etc. This one is not published by the government, but by a pediatric health system called Nemours. I hadn't heard of them before this, but the info on this site is legit and their company website looks pretty awesome, so I feel confident in offering this as a reliable source of information.
CDC Healthy Youth- This isn't nearly as exciting as the other websites, but it is a very important resource. The link leads you to the latest physical activity recommendations published by the CDC for children. Obesity, inactivity, and deconditioning has been a growing problem in our general population, but is now also greatly impacting the pediatric population. It's creating health issues at younger ages and will change the overall health in the population as these children emerge into adulthood with pre-existing health conditions. It's a health challenge we haven't dealt with before- anywhere. It's remarkably avoidable too, so help your kids be active. You won't regret it.
Preventing Osteoporosis- This site is specifically geared towards young girls/teens to encourage activities and health that will help prevent/delay osteoporosis in the future. I think it's awesome that there is such a site as this because once you are old enough to really start thinking about something like osteoporosis, the best time to take care of yourself has passed. The site that this is linked to is geared toward teenage girls. I don't like the actual web design. Yet again, over stimulating to me. Does that mean I'm getting old? But, it has good info, the "Parent" link is great and it's published by the Department of Health, so yet another reliable source.
And just so you don't feel left out as an adult...
Physical Fitness- This is the President's Council on Physical Fitness. The main page has a direct link to the most recent guidelines on physical activity in the adult population as well as a link to a test for physical fitness. It also gives some basic education on what fitness is. There are links to other resources as well. Not a super friendly-user or exciting website, but also the best basic info out there on physical fitness.
Center for Disease Control- this is just the link to the CDC's main website. I actually really like it. It will link you to all kinds of health information and you can find info on specific health conditions/diseases.
Healthy Living, CDC- This is the CDC's page on prevention and maintaining/improving overall health. It has a BMI calculator, info on smoking, weight, child development, general health for specific age groups/genders, nutrition, bone health, etc. etc. etc. A very awesome resource to see recommendations and learn your basics about overall health and to assess how you can improve. CDC is quite reliable (though they do over react or get things wrong sometimes, but I still like them!) and they have links to publications and the research where they get their info.
Food Pyramid- Also a site that I love. The most recent nutritional recommendations. Research based. I have to admit, I have a rather strong bias against most of the diets that are popular out there. A lot of them aren't really realistic or aren't exactly healthy. My personal opinion is that the best way to loose weight is to 1) decrease calorie intake and 2) increase physical activity. It doesn't really matter WHAT you eat, if you are eating more calories than your body burns, you will gain weight. If you eat fewer than your body burns, you will loose weight. Diets that completely cut out all the foods you love will probably cause more distress and frustration than help. To loose and maintain weight loss requires changing your overall lifestyle so in my opinion (and this is my opinion, I haven't done research) it should be done step by step and not necessarily dramatically (unless you have a health condition that requires the dramatic shift, then do it). Maybe I'm just speaking about myself because I absolutely reject the idea of cutting ice cream and brownies completely out of my diet, but it is possible to maintain a health weight and not hate everything you eat. Whew- sorry, that's a soap box. More than you wanted to know! This site gives you the basics of nutrition, serving sizes, calorie intake, setting up your own meals, nutrition for children and toddlers, nutrition for moms, and much much more. If you're trying to eat a healthier diet for you or your kids, I'm a fan. I also fully support the efforts to incorporate healthy diet/nutrition with physical activity.
These are just a hodge-podge of resources about physical activity that I like. A lot of them are linked out from one another so you can see where I found the main sources, and more specifics. Take your pick.
National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity- probably the resources link will be the most helpful to you.
Adding Physical Activity to your Daily Life
Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight
Bicycling
Trails for Health
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