Be A Fit Kid
There’s a lot of discussion these days about fit kids. People who care (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more fit.
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’re fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around with your friends.
Some steps only parents can take — such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. But kids can take charge, too, when it comes to health.
Here are five rules to live by, if you’re a kid who wants to be fit. The trick is to follow these rules most of the time, knowing that some days (like your birthday) might call for cake and ice cream.
1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. If you eat different foods, you’re more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Taste new foods and old ones you haven’t tried for a while. Some foods, such as green veggies, are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — two fruits and three vegetables. Here’s one combination that might work for you:
at breakfast: ½ cup (about 4 large) strawberries on your cereal
with lunch: 6 baby carrots
for a snack: an apple
with dinner: ½ cup broccoli (about 2 big spears) and 1 cup of salad
2. Drink water and milk most often. When you’re really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. And there’s a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? Aim for 3 cups of milk per day, or its equivalent. You can mix it up by having milk and some other calcium-rich dairy foods. Here’s one combination:
2 cups (about half a liter) of low-fat or nonfat milk
1 slice cheddar cheese
½ cup (small container) of yogurt
You probably will want something other than milk or water once in a while, so it’s OK to have 100% juice, too. But try to limit sugary drinks, like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches. They contain a lot of added sugar. Sugar just adds calories, not important nutrients.
3. Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When you’re 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, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.
4. Limit screen time. Limit screen time. What’s screen time? It’s the amount of time you spend watching TV or DVDs, playing video games (console systems or handheld games), and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding, and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time, not counting computer use related to school.
5. Be active. One job you have as a kid — and it’s a fun one — is that you get to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is karate, or kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day. You might even write down a list of fun stuff to do, so you can refer to it when your mom or dad says it’s time to stop watching TV or playing computer games!
Speaking of parents, they can be a big help if you want to be a fit kid. For instance, they can stock the house with healthy foods and plan physical activities for the family. Tell your parents about these five steps you want to take and maybe you can teach them a thing or two. If you’re a fit kid, why shouldn’t you have a fit mom and a fit dad?
Kuwa Mtoto Mwenye Afya Kuna majadiliano mengi siku hizi kuhusu watoto wenye afya. Watu wanaojali (wazazi, madaktari, walimu, na wengineo) wanataka kujua jinsi ya kuwasaidia watoto wawe na afya bora. Kuwa na afya ni njia ya kusema mtu anakula vizuri, anapata shughuli nyingi za kimwili (mazoezi), na ana uzito mzuri. Ikiwa wewe ni mzuri, mwili wako hufanya kazi vizuri, huhisi vizuri, na unaweza kufanya mambo yote unayotaka kufanya, kama kukimbia-kimbia na marafiki wako. Baadhi ya hatua wazazi tu wanaweza kuchukua <unk> kama vile kuwahudumia chakula chenye afya au kuamua kuchukua familia kwenye kutembea kwa asili. Lakini watoto wanaweza kuchukua jukumu, pia, linapokuja afya. Hapa ni sheria tano za kuishi kwa, kama wewe ni mtoto ambaye anataka kuwa sahihi. Ujanja ni kufuata sheria hizi wakati mwingi, ukijua kwamba siku fulani (kama siku yako ya kuzaliwa) inaweza kuhitaji keki na aiskrimu. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Kula vyakula mbalimbali, hasa matunda na mboga. Unaweza kuwa na chakula unachokipenda, lakini ni bora kula vyakula mbalimbali. Ukila vyakula tofauti-tofauti, huenda ukapata virutubisho ambavyo mwili wako huhitaji. Jaribu vyakula vipya na vya zamani ambavyo hujawahi kuonja kwa muda. Vyakula fulani, kama vile mboga za kijani, vinakufurahisha zaidi unapozeeka. Jaribu kula angalau matunda na mboga tano kwa siku - matunda mawili na mboga tatu. Hapa ni mchanganyiko mmoja ambao unaweza kufanya kazi kwa ajili yenu: katika kiamsha kinywa: 1⁄2 kikombe (karibu 4 kubwa) jordgubbar juu ya nafaka yako na chakula cha mchana: 6 mtoto karoti kwa vitafunio: apulo na chakula cha jioni: 1⁄2 kikombe broccoli (karibu 2 mikuki kubwa) na 1 kikombe cha saladi 2. Nyakati nyingi kunywa maji na maziwa. Unapokuwa na kiu sana, maji baridi ni laana. 1 kiamsha kiu Na kuna sababu cafeteria ya shule yako inatoa katoni za maziwa. Watoto wanahitaji kalsiamu ili mifupa yao iwe na nguvu, na maziwa ni chanzo kizuri cha madini hayo. Watoto wanahitaji kiasi gani cha pesa? Tumia kikombe cha maziwa 3 kwa siku au kiasi chake. Unaweza kuunganisha maziwa na vyakula vingine vyenye kalsiamu. Hapa ni mchanganyiko mmoja: 2 kikombe (karibu nusu lita) ya maziwa ya mafuta au yasiyo na mafuta 1 kipande cha jibini cheddar 1⁄2 kikombe (kifurushi kidogo) ya yoghurt Labda utataka kitu kingine zaidi ya maziwa au maji mara kwa mara, kwa hivyo ni sawa kuwa na 100% juisi, pia. Lakini jaribu kupunguza vinywaji vyenye sukari, kama vile soda, vinywaji vyenye maji mengi, na vinywaji vyenye matunda. Zina sukari nyingi iliyoongezwa. Sukari huongeza tu kalori, si virutubisho muhimu. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Sikiliza mwili wako. Unahisije unapokuwa na chakula kingi? Unapokula, angalia jinsi mwili wako unavyohisi na wakati tumbo lako linapojihisi limejaa vizuri. Nyakati nyingine, watu hula kupita kiasi kwa sababu hawatambui ni wakati gani wanahitaji kuacha kula. Kula kupita kiasi kunaweza kukusababisha usijihisi vizuri na, kwa muda, kunaweza kusababisha kuongezeka kwa uzito. 4. Uwe na uhakika Punguza muda wa kutazama televisheni. Punguza muda wa kutazama televisheni. Ni muda gani wa kutazama sinema? Ni kiasi cha muda wewe kutumia kuangalia TV au DVDs, kucheza michezo ya video (mfumo console au michezo ya mkono), na kutumia kompyuta. Kadiri unavyofanya mazoezi ya kukaa, ndivyo unavyopunguza muda wa kufanya mambo kama vile kucheza mpira wa kikapu, kuendesha baiskeli, na kuogelea. Jitahidi kutumia saa mbili au zaidi kwa siku kwenye skrini, bila kuhesabu matumizi ya kompyuta yanayohusiana na shule. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Uwe mwenye bidii. Kazi moja una kama mtoto <unk> na ni <unk> moja ya furaha <unk> ni kwamba wewe kupata kufikiri ambayo shughuli wewe kama bora. Si kila mtu anayependa besiboli au mpira wa miguu. Labda shauku yako ni karate, au mpira wa miguu, au kucheza dansi. Waulize wazazi wako wakusaidie kufanya mambo unayopenda kwa ukawaida. Tafuta njia za kuwa na shughuli nyingi kila siku. Unaweza hata kuandika orodha ya mambo ya kufurahisha ya kufanya, ili uweze kuyaangalia mama au baba yako anapokuambia ni wakati wa kuacha kutazama televisheni au kucheza michezo ya kompyuta! Kwa kuongea na wazazi, wanaweza kukusaidia sana ikiwa unataka kuwa mtoto mwenye afya. Kwa mfano, wanaweza kuweka chakula kizuri nyumbani na kupanga shughuli za kimwili kwa ajili ya familia. Waambie wazazi wako kuhusu hatua hizi tano ambazo unataka kuchukua na labda unaweza kuwafundisha kitu au mbili. Kama wewe ni mtoto mzuri, kwa nini usiwe na mama mzuri na baba mzuri?