BlubberBusters Tips from Lucy

Increasing Your Physical Activity

The newest recommendation from the US government suggest that most people get about 60 minutes or 1 hour of physical activity most days of the week. Here are some hints to help you get there:

• Turn up the music! Dancing is great exercise that will get your heart pumping. Some kids & teens download 30 minutes worth of their favorite songs onto their MP3 player or burn the music onto a CD. Play this music everyday and get down!

• Walk the dog! Our pets need exercise too. Offer to walk the dog for 30 minutes everyday. If you do not have a dog, offer to walk your neighbor's dog.

• With your parent's permission, start a lawn mowing or yard work business. Mowing the grass and other yard work are great ways to get physical activity. Also, you can make some extra spending money!

• Offer to wash the car.

• Don't get stuck watching TV all summer long. They are all reruns anyway! Look through TV listings before turning the TV on. Only watch the shows you want to see. Don't just watch the TV when you are bored. A group of doctors that help kids (the American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that we limit TV to less than 2 hours everyday.

• During TV commercial breaks, press mute. Turn up some music and get dancing. Or, do some jumping jacks or stretches.

• Start a neighborhood walking club. Plan a daily or weekly walking get together. This can make walking fun and keep you motivated!

• Offer to vacuum, make the beds, or do the laundry. Ok, I know this sounds a bit crazy! But really, doing chores like these is great exercise!

• Keep a scoreboard! Keep track of how often you are physically active. Include the activities mentioned above, or others you enjoy. Sometimes keeping score of the activities helps kids and teens do them more often.