Doctors Nova Scotia

Michèle Raymond
Thursday October 1, 2009

A message from Doctors Nova Scotia

The beginning of the school year is an opportunity to start new healthy habits. The combination of a balanced diet and exercise is the best way to stay healthy through all stages of life. Below is Doctors Nova Scotia’s top ten ways you can help your child to have a healthy and fun school year.

10. Encourage your child to participate in intramurals

Intramurals are a great way to get active during a recess or lunch break. They are a fun and noncompetitive means to try new sports and games. If your child’s school doesn’t already have recess or lunch intramurals encourage your child to start them at his/her school.

9. Walk or bike to school with your child

If you feel your child lives close enough to walk or bike to school, encourage them to do so. Incorporating hysical activity into their daily routine is the best way for them to get and stay active. Try to walk with your child so you can get some exercise as well.

8. Play sports with your child

Being a member of a school team is another way to get active. Tryouts can be intimidating for youth so remind them that sports are supposed to be fun, not stressful. Practice a sport with your child so they’ll get extra physical activity and be more confident during tryouts.

7. Set a bedtime

Having a good night’s sleep is key to being productive. Your child needs sleep to stay healthy and keep developing. Youth between 7 and 12 years of age should get between 10 and 11 hours of sleep per day, while youth between 12 and 18 years of age need between 8 ¼ and 9 ½ hours of sleep per day. Developing bad sleeping habits in youth can lead to a lifetime of sleeping issues.

6. Spend less time watching TV

Encourage your child to spend one hour less a day watching TV or using the computer. There are lots of activities they can do outside such as basketball, skipping or flashlight tag. An hour a day could make a big difference in your child’s health.

5. Encourage them to eat a healthy breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Make sure your child always eats breakfast and try to incorporate dairy, grains and fruit into their morning routine.

4. Wash your hands frequently

With flu and H1N1 concerns this fall, make sure to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, as well as your child’s. Hand washing is an effective way to protect yourself and your family from contracting a variety of illnesses. If your child is unable to wash their hands frequently at school, send them with an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer to use throughout the day.

3. Start the Youth Running for Fun Program at their school

Doctors Nova Scotia offers a noncompetitive youth running program free to all interested schools. It’s a great way to get active and learn how to run. In the 2008-09 school year, more than 10,000 youth from over 170 schools took part in the program. If your child’s school doesn’t have the Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Running for Fun program, visit www.doctorsNS.com for more information.

2. Provide healthy drinks

Drinking healthy beverages is an important part of maintaining a balanced diet. A large portion of calories consumed by youth comes from fats, sugars and sweetened drinks. Avoid serving your children beverages with high quantities of dye and sugar. Most importantly encourage them to never drink highly caffeinated beverages. These
beverages, such as energy drinks and coffee, can have a negative impact on your child’s health and attentiveness
in school. If your child is thirsty, the best way for them to quench their thirst is by drinking water.

1. Encourage healthy eating

Your child’s body needs vitamins for optimal growth and performance. To maintain a healthy diet, they should
eat a variety of foods including cereals, grain products, vegetables, and fruit. Try to avoid serving your child foods with a high salt or fat content. Some easy snacks you can prepare for school are carrot sticks, a bag of cereal, and fruit.

Enjoy a healthy and safe school year!

Kindly reprinted with permission of www.doctorsns.com

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