Another year of gymnastics! Yes!

A few years back Little Miss was not impressed with gymnastics and gave us a hard time going each week. We told her to stick with it until the end of the year. The next year we went back, and she has been enjoying it ever since. Each year I ask her if she wants to continue, and it's always a Yes!

I am so glad we prolonged it, and did not stop with it immediately! (We have a rule that you have to do an activity for at least a year!)

It is such good exercise for the little body, and she is constantly doing head stands, hand stands and cart wheels at home and at school!

2015 end-of-year gymnastic championships

Her classes are on a Saturday, and it's been messing with our Saturdays for 5 years now! But we will be doing it while she still wants to do it!


Tammy Smith is still doing the Tiny Tumbles at Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre.
She starts the little ones from one years of age, and she has expanding her teaching now to older kids as well!
I can really recommend her!

Facebook: Tiny Tumbles


Related posts:

- Gymnastic Championships - a first

- The enthusiastic gymnast

(I was not asked or paid to say this! ;-))  

Coca-Cola into health awareness and movement

Coca-Cola Global commitments

No, Coke did not become healthy all of a sudden!
But, they are running a global health drive, and advocating moderation and a focus on exercise as one of the main fixers of today's obesity rates!

They are working with the medical profession as well as industry bodies, and looking to expand into the education sector as well.

I was intrigued when I was invited to a Coca-Cola Mommy Blogger workshop last week. What I was told was no new information, but it resonated with my own thoughts around health and fitness.

I am sitting too much, and our kids are not getting enough exercise... The electronic age has had a definitive negative impact on our health! It is a global pandemic!

Coca-Cola is reaching out to mommy bloggers, also in South Africa, to help raise awareness about how we change this. As moms we can make an impact in our kid's lives!

Dr Torres on the right

Dr Georgie Torres talked specifically about Exercise is medicine, and that studies have shown that if you only change your physical activity, it is possible to reverse most of our lifestyle diseases of today.

Coca-Cola is the first and founding remaining sponsors of this global initiative of
Exercise is medicine:

The initiative aims to:

1. Creates broad awareness: Exercise is indeed medicine!

2. Makes "level of physical activity" a standard vital sign question in each patient's visit.

3. Health care and physicians should become consistently effective in counselling about exercise.

4. Campaigns for policy changes in public and private sector - supports physical activity counselling and referrals in clinical settings.

5. There should be a perception among public and patients that their health care providers should and will ask about prescribed exercise

6. Physicians and health care providers should be physically active themselves!


It is worrying that a statistic of 80.3% is mentioned of children not meeting their physical activity levels.


Ideas or tips to reduce sitting times: (For us and our children)

(The point is in finding something that makes us happy when being active.)


- limit time watching TV and electronic games;

- remove TV and computers from bedroom;

- use a timer to keep track when using electronic devices;

- walk or cycle with children at least once a week;

- build activity into homework;

- think of fun things to do;

- important to be a role model;

- give child alternatives;

- give child a bike;

- active play equipment, such as trampolines


Yes, you can drink that Coke as part of a moderate diet!

Too much of it won't be good! As too much of anything is not good! (That we all know!)

I don't have a problem with drinking too much of Coke as I rarely have a sip, but I do have to keep tabs on myself with regards coffee, and eating too much sweets.
We all have our little vices that we need to keep in check!

It helps to know that increasing our activity can make a big difference in our health and that we can make a significant increase in our life span.


This video by Dr Mike Evans is a good reminder:

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?


Also check out Coca-Cola's website on Health: The Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness - Southern Africa

Two wheels' milestone and a report card

Little Missy was adamant the previous weekend that her dad must take off the extra two wheels on her bicycle. She is ready for the two wheels!

Her dad had to hold onto her for the first two days, but on day two she had mastered going forward on her own.

First time without the extra wheels!

Making new friends on her bike

Blurry, but there she goes!

Little Missy is five and a half now, and although I don't do the monthly updates any more (who's putting on the brakes now?), we are loving her energy at the moment.
(And getting tired by just watching her.)

She is forever doing cart wheels and hand stands and head stands. And getting better and better at it! She can spin a hula hoop for a very long time!

Little Missy got a very good report card from the school. The teacher is happy with her, and says that she is working hard when she is supposed to be working hard, and enjoy playing with all the children in her class. She can't think of any reason why she should not be able to continue to Grade One next year!

We are extremely relieved after we found Grade R to be a bit of a bummer in the beginning of this year! Little Missy loves her teacher and her class, and misses them when it's not school. With the midweek break she was counting the days to going back to school again.

We even had two mornings in the past month  where Little Missy announced at 6 am that she wanted to do a speech that day and I had to notify the teacher. It is something they are encouraged to do, but not enforced. She grabbed paper and pencils and was off in the car while vigorously sketching on a tray. (Hope it is not a peak into her future studying methods?) Apparently the teacher says it went very well! We can't get her to do the speeches for us as well...

And of course, her teacher knows best and e-v-e-r-y thing, and her commands are obeyed to the letter. If I smuggle in a little sweet in her lunch box (bad mother!), it gets voluntarily dumped in the dustbin! "No sweets in my lunch box, Mom!"

This is a very interesting age!

Wordless Wednesday #231 - Head stand

Shopping is good for me, says my Fitbit Zip

I got a nifty Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker in the beginning of this month, and I have been checking my steps since then.

I think I have become more mindful of walking, and have seen how much I can increase my steps when I change daily things in my routine, like taking the steps, or parking further away from the mall.

Even though I am working in an office, and having to sit down the whole day, I am able to increase my steps by just making some adjustments during the day, and to not use the lifts when not absolutely necessary.

The day my daughter and I went for a shopping trip to the mall, I had no problem in making my daily quota of 10 000 steps.
I got the badge to show for it!

I love checking during the day to see how much steps I have taken.

I tried attaching the Fitbit to my feet while riding on the stationary bike, but it doesn't work. But you are able to upload extra activity on your profile.
I have my Fitbit account on my computer which syncs automatically when opened, but would have loved if I could have used it on my Blackberry or my iPad2.

This is a great gadget when you are trying to increase your activity rate!
Watch me!

The tech details:

Tracks steps, distance and calories burned.
Upload wirelessly via Bluetooth to earn Vitality Points
Tracks progress with graphs, charts and other tools
Access your free account with free Mac and iPhone apps
Log food and more with online and app tools
Realtime data uploads makes competing with friends easy
Recommended Retail Pricing is R899.00  
                                                                            - Core Group


Disclaimer: I got this gadget as a thank you for being a judge in the Apple in Education Competition Awards 2013

Creative and fun ways to get your kids up and active

I was sent this guest post by Ivy Delfin, because I posted a trampoline photo.

I was intrigued by the videos of "exercise heaven" (my phrase) after I looked at some of the videos about BounceInc.

Why don't somebody bring this to South Africa?

For kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, during recess, at dance class or soccer practice, while riding bikes, or when playing tag. But once they’re at home and on holidays, it can be difficult to get them to leave the couch when video games are enticing.

Active kids enjoy a range of health benefits such as stronger muscles and bones, less chance of becoming overweight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and a better, healthier outlook on life. There are 4 different types of exercise that kids should focus on. Aerobic activity gets their heart pumping and lungs working harder, it also releases those feel good chemicals! Muscle strengthening obvious works the muscles and gets them working a little harder. Bone strengthening exercises like jumping helps them grow and keep them strong. Finally, stretches make their muscles more flexible, helping them reach and bend and turn better, it also helps to avoid injury. It is important to encourage your kids to get up and get active to keep them healthy and fit, and it feeds their natural curiosity of the world but being out and about.

There are a bunch of ways you can encourage your kids to get active, if they are reluctant you will have to make the activity seem particularly exciting. Play hopscotch with them or practice skip rope. Involve yourself in the activity so they know that they have your full support and attention. You could take them for a day trip out to an area where you can do a light hike together and explore nature, teaching them about the forest at the same time. Have a dance party in their room, fairy lights are affordable and easy to come by and make a great DIY disco. Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself, they will be glad that you are involved and taking the time to play with them. Get them to put on their favourite songs and get the lights flashing, dancing is a great fun way to get active without even knowing it!

During the holidays especially there are often organizations that offer activities that your children and family can enjoy. One place that is open all year round is BOUNCEinc, they offer a series of trampolines where your kids can jump and play for hours in a fun and safe environment. Jumping is an excellent form or exercise, and something that kids are often very good at but often don’t realize it’s helping them keep fit.

 Play is a really important component of a child’s life, so incorporating as much active play as possible is going to positively impact their outlook on life and create long lasting happy memories.

We have a budding athlete in our midst

"Look at my medal!"

The Toddler had her first athletic event on Friday.
That was the first time we saw her in action on the field, competing against her fellow 4-year age group.

The excitement and the enthusiasm in which they all took part were infectious!

Our Toddler was not in the first bunch. More to the end of the pack...
At one stage I had to pull back the video to see where she was being hold up!
She was there. Part of the group in the back, but still running her very best!

It doesn't matter! She enjoyed it!

And I wish I can keep it that way for her! That exercise should be fun, and should not become a competition that only a few can win!

I had a discussion today about the fact that there should be made more of the winners!
Although the first three were put on a podium and they were handed medals.
Is that not sufficient highlighting of their accomplishments?

The rest of the children also got chocolate medals, which I think is a good way of handling it at pre-primary level!

I think we kill it for our children by only rewarding the ones that are in front.
I never liked competition, but I loved the exercise!

It should be about taking part, the exercise and being a whole person!


What are your thoughts on athletics and winning?

Bum up and go the same as dealing with DV

I do not get bored with status updates about how many kilometres you have done, or how many press-ups you have done.

I get insanely, green, dark-green, purple jealous!!!

Because I know how pleased you are and should be about yourself!
And how much good you have packed into that exercise.

Meanwhile, back at the Bum in the chair, I am Slump-Sister!
And not feeling good at all about myself!

It struck me today that not exercising is the same as being stuck in domestic violence.

You are the only person that can change the situation!

- You can complain until your hair falls out and your toes turn orange. It will not change the situation.

- You can feel sorry for yourself. You can cry. It will not change the situation.

- You can tell the priest, the psychologist, your family and friends about your bum deal. It will not change the situation!

- You can stay! It will not change the situation!

How to deal with domestic violence:

- You need to make the ultimatums!
- You have to act if things does not change.
- You have to get out of there! 

Of course it is not easy, but is it possible.
Staying there is also a decision!

-------

So, I lifted my bum today:

20 minutes of rolling hills on level 3 gave me 7 kilometres.
100 arm exercises (don't know what you call it), and 30 sit-ups!

Better than staying on my chair during lunch-time!